"Here we are."
Megumi led Mio to the entrance of the restaurant.
Whether it was because of the weekend or not, the place was fairly packed—but their luck held out. A quick glance showed a few open tables, so they wouldn't have to wait in line.
The moment they stepped inside, Mio heard a somewhat familiar voice: "Welcome! Table for two?"
She instinctively looked toward the source of the voice—and immediately recognized the familiar figure of Aki Tomoya.
In truth, Tomoya had spotted Mio before she noticed him. After all, silver-white hair was pretty rare, so it was easy to identify the beautiful girl who'd just walked in as Shirai Mio.
Even someone like Aki Tomoya, who had zero interest in 3D girls, had to admit—this silver-haired beauty was seriously stunning.
But that was about the extent of it. After all, he wasn't interested in 3D, or rather, Mio just didn't hit any of his buttons.
Tomoya also noticed the cute, pure-looking girl standing beside Mio, but—same deal. He wasn't interested in 3D, so he gave her one glance and looked away.
"Oh, isn't this Aki-kun? You work here?"
Tomoya seemed surprised that Mio would initiate conversation with him—and even know his name. After a brief pause, he nodded. "Yeah. Can I help you with something?"
"Nah, just a bit surprised, that's all." Mio said casually, tightening her grip around Megumi's arm.
Even though Megumi and Aki Tomoya had no connection at this point, Mio—as a transmigrator—suddenly had the strangest feeling of being an NTR villain.
Megumi, who'd been keeping a close eye on Mio, noticed that something about her smile had turned… weird.
Like a scheming villainess in a TV drama whose evil plan had just worked.
Forget Megumi—even Tomoya noticed that Mio's expression had gotten kind of odd. He mentally reviewed his own behavior, trying to figure out if he'd done something strange.
Mio also realized she'd gotten a little carried away. She cleared her throat twice, put on her best "nothing happened" face, and said, "Aki-kun, it's just the two of us. Any open tables?"
"Right this way."
After seating them, Tomoya gave a very professional rundown of the restaurant's specialties. Only after they'd placed their orders did he head back to work.
Once Tomoya was gone, Megumi finally spoke up. "Can I ask—why did your smile get so weird when you saw him?"
"Was my smile weird?"
Megumi didn't respond verbally. She just stared at Mio, her expression saying everything that needed to be said.
But Mio acted as if she had absolutely no idea what Megumi meant. She leaned against her and pulled a cutesy face.
Megumi could tell that Mio simply didn't want to explain, so she didn't press the issue. Instead, she changed the subject. "Any plans for this afternoon?"
Mio thought about it for a moment. "Let's go back to the shopping center. We barely bought anything this morning, and who knows when there'll be another sale like this."
"Good point." Megumi nodded, then glanced at Mio, who was still leaning against her. "I don't mind, but are you planning to stay glued to me while we eat?"
"We haven't started eating yet! Just let me lean a little longer."
"The chair has a backrest, you know."
"Leaning on a chair doesn't compare to leaning on Megumi. You're all soft and smell nice~"
If it were anyone else, hearing something like that might've sent their heart racing and their cheeks burning. But Megumi was clearly not just anyone. She simply looked at Mio with that trademark deadpan expression and said, "I've noticed you really like saying things that could easily be misunderstood. Aren't you worried someone will actually take it the wrong way?"
"If it were anyone else, I wouldn't talk like this."
Megumi suddenly recalled how Mio had acted when talking to Aki Tomoya just now—perfectly polite and measured. But the moment it was just the two of them, she gave off this distinctly… flirty energy.
Was Mio telling her that she wasn't just "anyone else"?
While they were chatting, the server brought their food to the table.
The tantalizing aroma wafted up, and just as Megumi was about to dig in, she noticed Mio was still leaning on her. She sighed. "Are you seriously going to stay like this through the entire meal?"
"Almost done, just one more second."
Mio's eyes were locked on the countdown in her field of vision. Only one minute remained until the task was complete. She was so focused on watching the timer that she didn't even realize—at this point, even if she separated from Megumi, it wouldn't affect the task's completion anymore.
The final minute passed quickly. As the clock struck twelve, time froze.
The system's voice rang in Mio's ears: "Congratulations, Host, on completing the task. The host's conquest rating with Kato Megumi has increased by 3 points. Please select your reward."
[Kato Megumi's Presence Concealment]
Slightly reduces the host's presence. Please note: due to the host's excessively high charm, this card's effectiveness will be diminished. One of the Kato Megumi series set cards.
[Kato Megumi's Retort]
During conversations, increases the probability of spotting openings for comebacks and delivers precision roasts. One of the Kato Megumi series set cards.
[Lose Your Head, Not Your Hairstyle]
This card allows the host's hair to quickly restore itself after becoming disheveled. Selecting this card again will enhance the effect.
After a quick look at the rewards, Mio chose [Lose Your Head, Not Your Hairstyle] without a second thought.
Sure, her long flowing hair looked gorgeous—but spending ages brushing it every morning was a real pain. With this skill, she could save a ton of time and squeeze in some extra sleep.
After she made her selection, time resumed its flow.
Finally free from the need to maintain physical contact with Megumi, Mio let out a long breath of relief, picked up her knife and fork, and started eating.
Megumi, who'd been scrolling through her phone, noticed Mio's subtle shift. She quietly checked the time.
...