"I want to come too!"
The moment she heard Mio, Shiina Mashiro shot to her feet, signaling she wanted to tag along.
"You haven't even changed out of your pajamas. By the time I get you dressed, lunch will already be ready—so just be a good girl and stay here. We'll be back soon." Mio reached out and gently ruffled the top of Mashiro's head.
Mashiro glanced down at her pajamas, then at her tousled hair, and in the end could only nod in reluctant resignation.
Having soothed Mashiro, Mio left the apartment with Kato Megumi.
Feeling the cold wind blow into her face, Mio let out a white puff of breath, then said, "Come on, let's hit the supermarket nearby."
"Oh."
On the way there, Mio pulled out her phone to check the time: eleven in the morning. She was wondering whether physical contact with Kato Megumi now could count toward the task.
If she could just drag things out a bit, clearing it might actually be doable.
With that thought, Mio took a deep breath and said, "Megumi, can I hold your hand?"
"Hm?"
Apparently not expecting a request like that, Kato Megumi looked at her, a little taken aback. "Mind telling me why you want to?"
"I really do have a reason I have to do this—but I can't tell you what it is. Don't worry, though. I just want to hold your hand, nothing else."
"A reason you can't tell me, huh?"
Kato Megumi nodded thoughtfully, then drew her hand out of her pocket and held it out to Mio. "It does sound a bit strange... but you don't look like you're joking. So I'll lend you my hand for now."
"Thanks~"
Mio took Kato Megumi's hand and tucked it into the pocket of her own coat.
On a freezing day like this, there was no way she was leaving her hand exposed to the cold air.
If they were just holding hands, passersby who didn't know better might take them for a couple of close friends. But the way Mio was doing it, Kato Megumi couldn't help thinking, was a little too easy to misread.
Still, seeing how utterly unbothered Mio looked, she let it go without comment.
If Mio didn't care, then someone with as little presence as herself had even less reason to.
Besides, the feeling was unexpectedly nice. It almost gave Kato Megumi the sensation of being in a relationship.
"Oh right, Megumi—what do you usually like to do on your days off?"
"Mostly just watching TV or movies at home, or going out shopping with friends." At that, something seemed to occur to Kato Megumi, and she added, "I may not have much presence, but that doesn't mean I don't have friends, you know."
"Relax, I'd never get a weird idea like that. Anyway, if there's something you want to eat, you have to tell me—I can make anything. Think of it as... a thank-you for being willing to trust me~"
"Same as before—whatever you make, I'll eat."
"All right then. If you change your mind, remember to tell me."
Before long, the two arrived at the nearby supermarket.
Even though it'd just be the three of them eating lunch, Mio—wanting to kill as much time as possible—decided to buy tomorrow's ingredients too, and grab as much else as the two of them could carry.
While Mio was picking out groceries, Kato Megumi asked, a touch puzzled, "Why are you still holding my hand even now? Isn't it kind of a hassle?"
"It's no hassle."
Kato Megumi didn't buy that for a second. Her left hand, tucked inside Mio's pocket, could clearly feel it: several times now, Mio had moved to pull her hand free, only to stop herself.
As if something were tying her down, keeping her from letting go.
How strange.
It was right about then that Kato Megumi overheard, from not far behind, two boys talking: "Check it out—those two girls over there are holding hands while they shop. You don't think they're a couple, like us, do you?"
"Yeah, could be. To go that far out in public... yeah, they've got us beat."
"???"
Hearing them, Kato Megumi was, for a moment, genuinely at a loss for how to even respond.
Right then, Mio—beside her—suddenly burst out laughing. "See? We got mistaken for a couple~"
"Looking like this, isn't getting mistaken kind of inevitable? Aren't you worried about running into someone from our school?"
"If we're talking worried... I guess I'm a little worried. I couldn't care less for my own sake, but I'd hate for people to get the wrong idea about you. Then again, our luck's usually not that bad~"
"The second you say something like that, it feels like it's bound to happen."
Kato Megumi glanced at Mio's unmistakable white hair; even in this bustling supermarket, it was an impossibly eye-catching sight.
It felt like anyone who knew Mio could sweep one look across the crowd and spot her instantly.
She herself was the opposite. Even somewhere half-empty, she struggled to draw any attention at all.
She and Mio were like two opposite extremes.
After finishing with the groceries, Mio dragged Kato Megumi around to buy a few other things, too.
It wasn't until the task countdown hit fifteen minutes left that she finally took Megumi to check out and leave the supermarket.
Mio's luck today seemed halfway decent—she'd planted a textbook flag just now and still hadn't bumped into anyone she knew.
By the time they got back to the foot of the apartment building, there were five minutes left until the task was complete.
Noticing Mio had stopped walking, Kato Megumi turned, a little puzzled. "What's wrong?"
"Could you wait just a sec? Five minutes is all I need."
Kato Megumi had assumed Mio had something to do. But she soon realized Mio was simply standing there in place—stubbornly waiting out five whole minutes in the biting wind.
As those five minutes ran out—
The world in Mio's eyes froze, and the System's lazy voice drifted into her ears: "Congratulations, Host, task complete~ Kato Megumi's conquest rating toward the host increases by 2 points. Please select your reward."
Once again, she chose Kato Megumi's Presence Concealment as her reward, and time resumed its flow.
Before Kato Megumi could even open her mouth, Mio beat her to it: "Okay, the hand-holding can wrap up here."
At those words, Kato Megumi couldn't help wondering: the reason Mio had stood there waiting out five minutes just now—was it all so she could hold hands with her for five extra minutes?
Why would she do that?
And that reason she couldn't tell her—what on earth was it?
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