Needless to say, Miyako wasn’t happy about our date being canceled.
She hugged me tight outside the school gates and really vented her anger toward Hiratsuka-Sensei, her small fists lightly thumping against my chest.
It hurt seeing her so genuinely upset about it, but when I smoothed her hair and reassured her we could do the exact same date this weekend, she finally relented and spared Sensei’s life.
After parting ways with her, I made my way through the school building and walked into the Service Club room calmly.
Yukino, sitting in her chair peacefully reading, turned her head toward the sound of the sliding door and paused.
“?” She tilted her head slightly, her pristine features completely expressionless.
“Did Hiratsuka-sensei not tell you?” I asked, sliding the door shut behind me.
“We haven’t spoken all day.” “Tch, of course she hasn’t.” I clicked my tongue mildly in aggravation.
Walking over to a set of chairs, I picked one and brought it by Yukino.
She raised a brow but didn’t stop me.
The blessing of seven months of creating my image—not intended—coming through now.
“I’m a new club member,” I stated simply, sitting down.
“I see.” “So what do you do normally?” I asked, leaning back.
“Typically, I just read, and when people do come, I help them.” “Hm.
Very noble.” She didn’t say anything to counter that, simply shifting her gaze right back down into her book.
‘Guess I didn’t have enough Yukino credits for the conversation,’ I joked in my mind and turned my attention elsewhere.
Since the shopping date got postponed, I had to order delivery.
I was clean out of stuff, and it worked out perfectly that I got this $1000 voucher.
Fridays were typically my shopping day, but here we are on Wednesday and I’m out of stuff.
The $1000 was on a gift card that I added to my digital wallet.
It was such a convenient thing to have.
‘I could…’ Miyako would be staying over more.
It felt right to get her things she would need.
From bathroom stuff to extra clothing.
I just didn’t know her exact size.
‘From what I felt last night… D-cup?’ I paused on the underwear.
It was best to let her handle that.
I added a bunch of other things.
Pads, toothpaste, brushes, hair dryers, anything she needed, and anything I needed more of.
In no time, the cart reached the $950 range.
Refreshing to the homepage, an interesting item came up.
[Choices have arrived.] 1.
Buy only the cat plush – random reward 2.
Buy only the dog plush – random reward 3.
Buy both – random reward 4.
Do nothing.
– nothing […] If I did 1 and not 2, I was fucked.
I quickly added both and spent a grand total of $993.45.
The delivery was set to arrive in four hours, which was perfect.
As for the two plushies, one was for my adorable girlfriend and the other was just a gift to Yukino.
‘She probably won’t even accept it.’ Despite it being a cat, I had a feeling the Ice Queen would refuse it.
[Reward distributing…] [Reward: (One-time use) One-Line Hypnosis.] ‘What the fuck?’ I felt my face scrunch up in genuine disbelief.
My breath hitched slightly as I stared at the bold letters swimming on the bluish-transparent interface.
This was absolutely not the kind of reward I thought the system would give.
I didn’t even think an option like this was part of the standard reward pool.
As I focused my mind intensely on the text, a brand-new sub-panel formed beneath it.
[One-line hypnosis (one-time use): Plant a one-sentence truth in whoever has a 50% or higher affection towards you.] ‘Should I just get it over with?’ A reward like this was dangerous, but there was an incredibly easy way to get rid of it right now without being perverted or sketchy at all.
‘Use it.’ [Select Person.] ‘Yukino.’ [Confirmed.
Please say your truth aloud.] I cleared my throat, breaking the silence of the clubroom.
“Hey Yukino, we should talk more comfortably since we’re clubmates now.” [Confirmed.
Truth relates to being more comfortable with the other party.] [Yukino’s affection has increased by 8%.] I rolled my eyes hard at the system message flashing at the bottom.
If it weren’t for that stupid, overpowered reward, her opinion of me wouldn’t have jumped this high over a single sentence.
“You’re right.” Yukino closed her book, our eyes meeting.
Her eyes were still cold, but not a piercing kind.
“I heard you and Shikimori-san started dating.” “Yep!
Don’t worry though, I won’t disturb you with our flirting.
The Service Club room is safe.” I gave a playful thumbs up.
Yukino actually chuckled softly, the sound incredibly light and so unexpected that I found myself locking eyes with her just a fraction longer than usual.
“Thank you.
What were you doing on your phone earlier?” “I was ordering groceries.
Normally I shop on Fridays, but last Friday I forgot, and now I have to order enough for two.” “Two?
Do your parents work overseas?” Yukino asked, her sharp intellect instantly putting together who the second person was.
I guess it wasn’t that surprising given that we were just talking about Miyako a second ago.
“My parents are unfortunately no longer with us.
So…” The words left my lips slower than usual.
I awkwardly looked away toward the window, my voice trailing off into a quiet murmur.
The bright afternoon light outside suddenly felt a bit dim.
It wasn’t as hard to say as it had been last night, but the old, strong feelings of grief were still trying to crawl up my throat, constricting my chest.
“O-Oh.
I’m sorry,” Yukino murmured, her voice faltering briefly.
“No need.
You didn’t know, and it wasn’t like you said something you needed to apologize for.” “Still, I’m sure it’s been very hard on you.” The look in her deep icy blue eyes softened a bit more, her gaze lingering on my face with genuine emotion.
Just a bit, and when I mean a bit, I mean a tiny, barely visible fraction.
Keeping a smile, “What about you?
What were you reading?” “It’s homework.” “Is it?
I don’t recall any homework being given out to our year today.” “Self-imposed homework,” she corrected smoothly, lifting the cover slightly.
“Ohhh, I see.
Very diligent.” “Not diligent enough to beat you or Shikimori-san in exams.” “Well, in fairness to you, I’m an actual genius,” I teased, flashing a quick grin, “and Miyako is just really competitive towards me.
You just aren’t in the right environment to push yourself.” “Environment?
Should I study with you two then?” she asked, a challenge lingering in her voice.
“That would be fun!
You should I’d say, I’m sure Miyako would love to meet you.
Unlike Shiina-san, she is actually super outgoing.” “Shiina-san?
Why bring her up?” “I was just using her as an example to say that my Miyako isn’t putting on a completely fake act.
She does things here and there to maintain her image at school, but it’s nothing fake, just slightly exaggerated because she cares about what people think.” Yukino’s gaze cooled slightly.
“I still don’t get what this has to do with—” “It’s because you hate fake people, right?
You prefer saying the truth before spouting a lie, right?” Yukino’s mouth froze wide open, the words dying in her throat as she stared at me in total shock.
Her breath hitched, her pupils dilating slightly as the truth of my words hit her directly.
“I’m just saying,” I offered, softening my expression, “that Miyako and you would probably get along much better than you think.” Her frozen mouth closed slowly.
Her lips pressed into a fine line before the corners slightly, just barely, turned upward in a rare micro-smile.
“I see.” Right at that exact moment, the heavy wooden door to the clubroom slid open with a loud creak.