"Is my taste really that bad?"
Shirai Mio tilted her head. She'd admit her fashion sense had been pretty questionable before she transmigrated, but after all the exposure she'd gotten since, she felt it had improved quite a bit.
Still, there was no way she could measure up to the two standing in front of her.
And so, Mio's resistance ended in defeat, and once again she was herded into the fitting room.
If she'd only had to be a dress-up doll, fine. The problem was the two outside, who—as if they'd planned it—took turns passing her outfits, then asked which of their picks suited her better once she'd changed.
They'd literally just told her that her taste was hopeless, and now they were asking her that? She honestly had no idea how to answer.
If she'd known, she never would have gotten these two together in the first place. This was just asking for trouble.
Thankfully, the System hadn't popped up to stir things up right now. Otherwise…
Right then, the System's voice suddenly sounded in her ear. "Looks like the Host has landed herself in a bit of a bind. Shall I lend you a hand?"
"Thanks, but no."
Her words had no effect. The System pressed on regardless. "The Host should know by now that refusing my help gets you nowhere. So please find a way: before noon today, get Kato Megumi to kiss you of her own initiative—once, limited to the face. Success may earn you the Kato Megumi Series Deck or an item reward. Failure means drawing from the Punishment Deck."
"Another one of these—huh?! Wait. Kato Megumi?"
Mio blinked. Why would a task tied to Kato Megumi trigger now, of all times? Unless… Kato Megumi was somewhere nearby?
Stuck in the fitting room, Mio had no way of telling what was going on outside. With no other choice, she quickly threw on the outfit Miura Yumiko had handed her and stepped out.
Since it was Saturday, the store was fairly crowded—and given how easy Kato Megumi was to overlook, Mio scanned the whole place without spotting her.
"Mio, what are you looking for?" Miura Yumiko sidled up and reached out to fix her clothes.
"N-nothing. It just feels pretty lively today, ahaha."
Yumiko pursed her lips. "That's a pretty weak excuse. If you're looking for Yui, she's over there browsing. Not that it'll do her any good—this time, I'm definitely winning!"
Yumiko looked at Mio, a satisfied expression on her face. When it came to coordinating outfits, she absolutely would not lose to Yuigahama Yui.
Mio really wanted to fire back with something, but on second thought, she let it go.
Just as she was about to head back into the fitting room to change, the door of the one right next to hers suddenly opened, and Kato Megumi's familiar figure came into view.
No wonder she hadn't been able to find her—she'd been inside a fitting room the whole time.
Mio noticed Kato Megumi, and of course Megumi noticed her too. That long, silver-white hair of hers was simply far too eye-catching.
"Megumi, I didn't expect to run into you here. Could this be what they call fate?" Mio greeted her with a beaming smile.
At her words, Megumi glanced at the two arguing about something not far off, then said flatly, "Shirai-san, striking up a conversation with me right now—isn't that a bit unwise?"
"What's unwise about it?"
"Aren't you all on a date?"
"Since when do three people go on a date together?! And why are you back to calling me 'Shirai-san'? You always used to call me by my name."
"Is that so? Maybe it's been so long since I called you by name that I just forgot."
Something about the way Megumi said it made Mio feel she was hinting at something.
It was true she hadn't gone out with Kato Megumi in a while, though they still chatted on their phones. Several times she'd meant to invite her out, only to get distracted and forget. She couldn't blame Megumi for that; she could only blame her own lousy memory.
"Um, how about tomorrow, or whenever—want to go out together? Any time that works for you."
"Shirai-san's suddenly being awfully attentive. You wouldn't happen to want a favor, would you?"
Meeting Megumi's placid gaze, Mio gave a dry chuckle. Leave it to Kato Megumi—she'd seen right through her.
Since it had come to this, Mio didn't hesitate. To avoid being spotted, she pulled Megumi straight into the fitting room.
Megumi hadn't expected in the slightest that Mio would drag her inside. A rare flicker of nervousness surfaced in her usually indifferent eyes.
Shutting the door, Mio pinned her with a kabedon and said, dead serious, "Megumi, I really do want to ask you a favor!"
Aside from that fleeting bit of nerves at the start, Megumi quickly settled back into her usual composure. Even pinned by Mio's kabedon, her expression didn't shift in the slightest.
"What favor?"
"C-could you give me a kiss? Anywhere on my face is fine—just one little peck."
Megumi raised an eyebrow. "I'd love to help you out, but suddenly being told to kiss you is a bit much to ask."
"Just once, pleeease~" For the sake of the task, Mio had thrown all her dignity out the window and started wheedling.
Watching Mio plead, the corner of Megumi's mouth curved up in a barely perceptible smile.
Then again, she always felt Mio's behavior was genuinely strange sometimes. It had been like that since the day they met—perfectly normal one second, then out of nowhere doing something odd to you, or asking you to do something odd to her, as if someone had suddenly ordered her to. It gave the impression she wasn't entirely her own master.
This time was probably the same.
"Just a kiss on the face, and that's it?"
Mid-plea, Mio heard Megumi's words and nodded obediently, even leaning her cheek in on her own.
For Megumi to say something like that meant she'd already decided to go through with it. Glancing at the expectant little look on Mio's face, Megumi pressed her lips together, then leaned in and gave her cheek a soft kiss.
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