"This is my stop—see you all at school tomorrow."
With a smile and a casual wave, Hayama Hayato stepped off the train and disappeared as the doors slid shut behind him.
Miura Yumiko stared at those slowly closing doors and let out a quiet, wistful sigh. She couldn't shake the feeling that she and Hayama had made absolutely zero progress today.
Then again... that was probably her own fault. She'd spent the entire day distracted, her mind somewhere else entirely. What kind of progress was she even expecting when she wasn't paying attention?
It's Shirai Mio's fault. If she hadn't run into Mio this morning, she definitely wouldn't have been so scattered.
Sensing Yumiko's gaze, Mio blinked and tilted her head. "Yumiko, if you keep staring at me like that, I might get the wrong idea, y'know~"
"The wrong idea about what?" Yumiko asked automatically.
Mio was all set to tease her in her usual way—but then she remembered. Oh. Right. Katou Megumi was still right here.
Megumi, apparently noticing the glance in her direction, said blandly, "You were about to say something weird again, weren't you? You really don't have to hold back on my account."
"No, I wasn't—I didn't—" Mio slapped a hand over her own mouth.
Yumiko watched the two of them and felt that nagging curiosity rise up in her chest again. What exactly was the deal between Mio and Megumi? But with Megumi standing right there, she couldn't exactly ask.
Why do I even care? It's not like any of this has anything to do with her.
...Probably just curiosity. That's all.
While Yumiko was lost in her own head, the train slid into the next station. Her stop—and Mio's.
As the train slowed, Mio turned to Megumi and smiled. "We're getting off here. Today was really fun—let's hang out again sometime."
"Yeah. Definitely next time."
Next time, definitely.
The phrase landed with a little ghost of amusement in Mio's chest. It was a classic callback from before her transmigration—one of those running jokes that existed only in the world she'd left behind. Nobody here would ever get it. Nobody except the System, anyway.
The moment Mio and Yumiko stepped off the train—
Time stopped.
The System's familiar voice rang in her ears: "Congratulations, Host! The host's conquest rating with Katou Megumi has increased by 3 points. Please select your reward."
Three cards materialized before her:
[Katou Megumi's Presence Concealment]
Slightly reduces the Host's natural presence. Note: due to the Host's exceptionally high charm stat, the effectiveness of this card will be diminished. One of the Katou Megumi Series cards.
[Voice Disguise]
Allows the Host to master the art of vocal mimicry. Effectiveness scales with card level.
[Pocket Money]
Grants the Host a random windfall between ¥100,000 and ¥1,000,000. Single-use. Disappears after activation.
Voice Disguise was genuinely tempting—she could think of all kinds of uses for that. But Mio didn't hesitate.
She picked [Katou Megumi's Presence Concealment].
She needed to know exactly how many levels it would take before that card actually did anything.
Time snapped back into motion.
Mio stretched lazily and looped her arm through Yumiko's with practiced ease. "So~," she said, "tell me everything. What did you and Hayama actually get up to today?"
Yumiko—as if she'd been expecting exactly this question—cleared her throat. "...We didn't really do anything. Just walked around, got food, then ran into you."
"Details, Yumiko. Give me details."
"There's nothing to—" Yumiko caught herself and turned it around. "Actually, forget that. Since when did you and Katou Megumi get so close? I've barely ever seen you two talk at school."
"We mostly message each other."
"You're in the same classroom. Why would you text instead of just talking?"
"Well." Mio gave her a look. "Why were you texting me earlier when we were sitting right next to each other?"
Yumiko opened her mouth, closed it. That was... technically a fair point. But it wasn't the point she was trying to make.
After a brief internal debate, she finally just asked. "Hey—can I ask what your relationship with Katou Megumi actually is? This morning you two seemed pretty... close. I was just kind of curious."
"Hmm~? Yumiko, you're not jealous, are you?"
She knew it was a joke. She still tensed up for half a second before forcing herself back to casual. "Don't be ridiculous. Why would I ever be jealous of you?"
"Heheh~ Relax, I was just throwing that out there." Mio gave a small laugh. "Megumi and I are just normal friends right now. The closeness this morning had a reason behind it—same as you, actually."
"Right now?"
"Well, yeah. I can't exactly predict where we'll end up, can I? Same goes for you, Yumiko—maybe we'll be strangers someday. Or maybe~... we'll end up as lovers~"
Yumiko opened her mouth to say that's obviously not happening—
And then, for reasons she couldn't quite explain, didn't.
The first cold raindrop hit her cheek.
"Yumiko," Mio said, "it's raining."
"Ah—yeah, my house is just a bit further. Let's run!"
She didn't wait for Mio to respond. She grabbed her hand and ran.
They were fast—but not rain fast. By the time Yumiko got them to her front door, they were both soaked through.
"Just so you know," Mio said, smoothing her damp hair back with a sigh, "I actually had an umbrella. But you kind of dragged me off before I could mention it."
"...Wait, what?" Yumiko blinked.
...She'd had an umbrella too. In her bag. The entire time.
She was absolutely not mentioning that.
"Anyway—" She cleared her throat pointedly. "You're drenched. Come inside, take a bath, and borrow some dry clothes."
"What if your parents see me like this? Not exactly a great first impression."
"Then don't come in!"
Mio smiled sweetly and stepped through the front door.
...