"I didn't think it would actually work."
Looking at Yukinoshita Yukino standing outside the door, Mio thought to herself, a little speechless.
"What's the matter? Is something wrong with me?" Noticing Mio's gaze, Yukino arched an eyebrow.
"No, nothing. Come in and sit first. Your sister told me just now that she'll be back a bit late tonight, so dinner will be pushed back about half an hour or so."
"Oh."
Yukino gave a casual reply, her eyes sweeping the place over and over, as if searching for something.
Mio of course knew exactly what she was looking for, so she simply called out Cake's name—and sure enough, Cake came trotting in from the balcony.
The instant Yukino laid eyes on the adorable Cake, her expression softened in a heartbeat. She crouched down and held out a hand, trying to coax the cat closer—Mio could even hear little meow sounds coming out of her mouth.
Honestly, it was pretty cute. Slap a pair of cat ears on her and it'd be cuter still.
Unfortunately, Cake paid Yukino no attention at all, deftly skirting around her to come settle by Mio's legs instead.
Mio scooped Cake up and—ignoring its resentful little glare—handed it over to Yukino.
At first Cake squirmed a bit, but maybe because Yukino's cat-petting technique was just that soothing, it gradually stopped resisting and let Yukino's hands roam freely across its fur.
"I can tell—Yukinoshita-san really does love cats."
"Cats are so cute. Who wouldn't love them?"
Yukino had meant to keep up some semblance of a cool front, but the cat was simply too adorable, and there was no way she could hold her face stern.
Petting the cat with one hand, she glanced over at Mio. The hot-spring vacation a while back was one thing—but who'd have thought her own sister would give up living near campus and choose to move all the way out here?
There was no doubt about it: her sister had moved here because of Mio.
Catching the look, Mio asked, curious, "What is it?"
"Nothing. Just turning a few things over in my head."
Just then Mashiro suddenly came out of her room, and the moment she did, she spotted Yukino.
She strode quickly over to Mio's side, looked at Yukino, and said, "Mio. The bad woman's chest shrank."
Mio, who'd been about to introduce the two of them, nearly burst out laughing.
Yukino, meanwhile, took a beat to process before it clicked—Mashiro had mistaken her for her older sister. But what was this prickle of annoyance she was feeling?
"Ahem. This is Yukinoshita Yukino, Haruno-senpai's younger sister. You've got the wrong person," Mio said, keeping a straight face.
"Oh. Then I'm sorry, I mistook you for someone else. Your chest didn't shrink."
If Mio hadn't more or less known what Mashiro's personality was like, even Yukino might have assumed the girl was poking fun at her.
"Go on, then—what did you suddenly come out to find me for?"
"The script you gave me before. I finished drawing it."
Mio distinctly remembered that the amount of script she'd handed Mashiro had been enough for four or five chapters' worth.
She'd figured it would last a while—never imagining it'd get used up this fast.
She let out a helpless sigh. "I'll write you some more once I'm back tonight. For now, just take this chance to get some good rest. I'll come wake you before dinner."
"Oh. Then I'm going back to sleep."
Mashiro headed straight back to her own room—then came scampering merrily right back out of it and into Mio's room instead.
Once Mashiro had gone off to nap, Yukino finally spoke up. "I thought Shiina-san was supposed to be living next door?"
"For certain reasons, she's moved over to my place now. It's just one wall apart anyway, so it hardly matters which side she's on."
"If she's living here, won't that make things rather inconvenient?"
"Inconvenient? Inconvenient how?" Mio asked, putting on an air of pure innocence.
Yukino had been about to explain, but on second thought decided to let it drop.
It was too much of a hassle to explain, and too easy to be misunderstood—and most of all, she didn't actually know just how her sister and Mio behaved around each other.
She really couldn't figure it out. What exactly about Mio had so thoroughly hooked her sister?
It wasn't as if she was anything more than a little better-looking, a little better at cooking, a little nicer to listen to...
Just then, the System's troublemaking voice abruptly sounded in Mio's ear. "It's not often you've got Yukinoshita Yukino right here beside you, Host. Surely you're going to do something, aren't you?"
"No—I don't want to do anything!"
"Your task, Host: before Yukinoshita Yukino leaves, get her to push you down once and hold the position for thirty seconds or more. Success may earn you the Yukinoshita Yukino series card set or an item reward. Failure means drawing from the penalty card set."
It sounded like a simple enough task, but actually pulling it off was another matter.
Her apartment was rather tidy, so hoping to complete the task by having Yukino accidentally trip and fall was simply a fool recounting a dream.
That left only a more direct approach.
With that in mind, Mio put on a slightly embarrassed face and said, "Yukinoshita-san, could I ask you for a favor?"
"What?"
"Push me down onto the sofa, and then hold still for thirty seconds."
At that, Yukino furrowed her brow. Something about this favor felt off to her, somehow.
On any ordinary day she'd have refused without a second's hesitation—but this time, in light of Mio letting her pet the cat, she figured she'd just go along with it.
Once Mio had planted her feet, Yukino reached out and shoved her straight down onto the sofa. She'd meant to simply hold the pose of having pushed Mio down for thirty seconds—but she hadn't gauged her own force properly.
As she pushed Mio down, her own balance went with it, and her whole body toppled right down on top of Mio.
Breathing in that faint, delicate fragrance, Yukino realized this was the first time she'd ever observed Mio from such close range.
Just as she was wondering whether she ought to get up, Mio hurriedly stopped her. "Don't move yet. Just stay like this for thirty seconds."
"What exactly are you doing this strange thing for? Is there even any point to it?"
"What else? To experience all sorts of different sensations, obviously, so I can write them into a script."
"And what's the point of making me hold it for thirty seconds?"
"So that... I can get a deeper, more vivid experience. Mm. Exactly that."
Thirty seconds passed quickly, and as the countdown ended, the world in Mio's eyes abruptly froze in place.
This task's reward was on the generous side—all three were cards from the Yukinoshita Yukino series. After thinking it over seriously, Mio settled in the end on [Yukinoshita Yukino's Talent], which would let her rapidly master all kinds of skills.
As soon as Mio made her choice, time resumed its flow once more—and at that very moment, the doorbell suddenly rang from the entryway.
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