"Senpai, let's take a break. I'll go grab drinks—what do you want?"
Haruno ran a hand through her wind-tangled hair. "Just water, please. Thank you."
"Back in a moment."
Mio turned and walked toward the vending machines nearby. Haruno watched her go with a quiet, private smile.
Having someone around really isn't so bad, she thought. Especially when they're interesting. Most people were too easy to read, too straightforward to tease—predictable in the way that quickly became boring. Mio was different. And there was something about her, some quality Haruno couldn't quite put her finger on, some secret she couldn't quite see through, that kept pulling at her curiosity.
That was the real reason she'd wanted today.
In front of the vending machine, Mio put on the expression of someone who couldn't decide between the citrus juice and the apple.
What she was actually doing: reviewing the question of why Yukinoshita Haruno had wanted to spend the day with her.
The "I was lonely and bored" explanation wasn't impossible, but it didn't quite fit. Still—so far, nothing Haruno had done felt like she was angling toward something specific. Maybe she really was just looking for company.
In which case: relax, enjoy the day, treat it as groundwork for the next Haruno-related task. Simple enough.
That was when the System decided to announce itself.
"Hostttt Bet you thought you'd heard the last of me for today. Miss me?"
"You already reminded me you exist this morning. And now you're claiming you've been quiet? Your skin could deflect a soul surge at this point."
"...What's a soul surge?"
The System elected not to pursue that particular line of inquiry.
"Anyway~ I know you want me to disappear, but—you know how it is. Here's your task, Host:"
"Please find a way to avoid refusing any of Yukinoshita Haruno's requests before leaving the amusement park today. More than one refusal and the task fails. Complete it to potentially receive a Yukinoshita Haruno series card or item reward. Fail it and face a penalty draw. Good luck~!"
Mio re-read the task description in her system panel. Then re-read it again.
"...Correct me if I'm wrong, but Haruno's conquest rating on me is sitting at ten points. Are you absolutely certain this is a task appropriate for that rating?"
At ten points, Haruno-related tasks should be bottom-tier in difficulty. Don't refuse her requests even once? That was the kind of condition she'd expect at sixty points, not ten. She'd never triggered anything this restrictive even with Yui or Mashiro, and both of them were nearly at fifty.
"Tasks are formulated by this System based on comprehensive analysis of all relevant situational factors. If the difficulty seems unusually elevated, Host might want to consider whether the issue lies with Host herself~"
"What could I possibly have—"
She stopped.
Oh.
Right.
She'd gone to bed early last night. She'd completely forgotten to check what cards had refreshed in the morning. It was one of those Schrödinger's Cards—the mystery daily refreshes—and she hadn't even looked.
She opened her system panel. There, in her status column, was an effect she'd missed entirely:
[Trial]
Source: Trial Card.
Effect: Massively increases the difficulty of the next issued task. In exchange, massively increases the quality of the reward upon completion. Failure results in proportionally more severe punishment.
...There it is.
So she'd accidentally been running a Trial Card this whole time—which had taken a ten-point task and turned it into this.
Mio exhaled slowly. She genuinely couldn't decide whether this was good luck or terrible luck.
If the target were anyone else, she'd feel fine about her odds. But this was Haruno. Mio couldn't predict Haruno. Couldn't fully read her. The woman operated on a different tier entirely.
That said—she still had a Free Pass Card in her inventory. One guaranteed task completion, no conditions. If things got truly dire, she would use it without a second thought. Because under the Trial effect, failure didn't just sting—it hurt. Enhanced punishment. Worse draws. With her luck stats already suppressed by that old penalty deck...
Yeah. Let's not end up as someone's human cannonball.
She was still running calculations when Haruno's voice appeared directly at her shoulder.
"Spacing out, kouhai?"
Mio turned. Haruno was right there—she hadn't heard her approach at all.
Instant recalibration: the faint crease between her brows dissolved into a soft, slightly-sheepish smile. "Sorry—I have a bit of a decision paralysis thing. I've been standing here for five minutes trying to figure out what to get."
"I noticed." Haruno watched her with careful attention. "You've been in front of that machine for over five minutes."
If she hadn't been in my line of sight the whole time, Haruno thought, I'd have wondered if she was secretly installing computer components in the beverages.
"Has it really been that long?" Mio pressed a hand to her mouth, producing an expression of innocent surprise so convincing it would have fooled almost anyone. Haruno saw not a single crack in it. "I didn't realize. Well—after all that deliberation, I've made my decision. Citrus juice. Looked good."
The topic pivot was clumsy, and they both knew it. Haruno filed it away without comment. She wanted to see what Mio was actually up to first.
Drinks in hand, they returned to the rest area. A handful of other guests around them. And nearby, a couple leaning into each other with the easy, unconscious closeness of people who'd long since stopped thinking about it.
Haruno watched them for a moment, then turned to Mio with a teasing glint.
"Should we try that too? I wonder if anyone would take us for a couple."
The words had barely left her mouth before Mio leaned against her shoulder.
"...Huh?"
...