As the heiress to the Yukinoshita family, Yukinoshita Haruno had her housekeeping skills leveled sky-high too.
You could tell just from how spotless the apartment was.
While Mio was busy taking in her surroundings, Haruno—now changed into a nightgown—came over and sat down beside her.
Mio could clearly catch the scent drifting off Haruno: that fresh, clean smell unique to someone right out of the bath.
Drying her hair with a towel, Haruno asked, "So, my kouhai comes over this late at night—does that mean you're ready to sleep with me?"
Hearing that, Mio wondered if maybe she should play up the tsundere act a little here. But considering she didn't usually do tsundere all that well, she figured she'd better not bother.
She gave a small nod. "Um... if I told you I wanted to test how firm your bed is, would you believe me?"
"Well, in that case, I'll let my kouhai have my bed. I'll go sleep in the guest room."
"Eh?!"
Mio froze for a beat, then quickly caught on—Haruno was very likely teasing her, or testing her.
The woman had just said she wanted to sleep together, and now she was saying this? There was no way Mio was falling for it.
But if Mio nodded and agreed, then knowing Haruno's wicked sense of humor, the woman might actually go sleep in the guest room.
And then wouldn't Mio's whole trip be for nothing?
After a moment's hesitation, Mio said, resigned, "Senpai, don't you have trouble sleeping in unfamiliar beds? So you should just sleep in your own."
At Mio's words, the corner of Haruno's mouth curved into a faint smile. In other words—for whatever reason, this time Mio had to sleep together with her?
On any other occasion, she might've latched onto that and used it to do something to Mio.
But this time, since it concerned her own quality of sleep, Haruno didn't.
Instead she nodded. "Fine. Since my kouhai's putting it that way, I'll just have to grit my teeth and sleep in my own room."
Mio shot her a slightly surprised look. She hadn't expected the woman to agree that easily.
This felt really weird.
Don't tell me this wicked woman's figured something out?
The instant the words ten-pull crossed her mind, Mio couldn't help but shiver.
"Hmm? Feeling cold? Let me turn the heating up a bit."
"Thanks."
"It's nothing. If my kouhai went and caught a cold, I'd be heartbroken."
Once she'd nudged the heating higher, Haruno went on, "By the way, you seemed kind of distracted tonight. Did something happen?"
"There's a bit of a hassle going on right now, but I can't really get into it. So please forgive me, senpai."
"What's so secretive? It wouldn't happen to involve some other girls, would it? Like, say, someone close to you suddenly confessing—maybe more than one someone."
"How could it be? You're overthinking it, senpai."
Mio said that out loud, but inside, Haruno's words had kicked up a storm of crashing waves. She had no idea whether Haruno was speaking from actual evidence or just taking wild guesses.
If she'd guessed all that at random, that was downright absurd.
Certain that Mio wouldn't leak a shred of information, Haruno didn't push the topic any further. She switched gears instead. "By the way—where's that little tagalong of yours? Coming to my place this late at night, doesn't she mind?"
"Mashiro got too tired and fell asleep."
"I'm suddenly getting the feeling that my kouhai snuck out to meet her mistress while her wife was asleep."
Before Mio could get a word in, Haruno cut herself off. "Never mind, that comparison doesn't work. I'd never settle for being the mistress."
"Okay, I'm getting a little sleepy, so I'll turn in first. I've got a date tomorrow too. You should get to bed early as well, senpai."
"And which cute girl are you meeting this time?"
"Couldn't it be a cute boy?"
"I don't think my kouhai's the type to be interested in boys."
"That's true."
Mio had told Haruno about her orientation a while back, so there was no need to dance around it now—she could just say it straight.
Walking into Haruno's bedroom, Mio flopped without ceremony onto that big, soft bed.
From here, all she had to do was sleep beside Haruno for six full hours and the task would be complete.
Maybe everything that had happened today had worn Mio down body and soul—because the moment she lay down, she fell asleep before Haruno even joined her.
Watching Mio's adorable face as she slept curled around the blanket, the corner of Haruno's mouth lifted into a faint smile as well.
She quietly crept into bed, reached over to switch off the light, and lay there quietly beside Mio. Soaking in that long-missed sense of ease—and the faint fragrance coming off Mio—Haruno soon drifted into dreamland too.
After who knew how long, a noisy ringing blared out and Mio's eyes snapped open.
The first thing she saw was Haruno's serene, sleeping face.
It took her a dazed moment to remember: last night she'd picked up a Haruno-related task, which was why she'd come over to borrow a spot in the woman's bed.
And if the alarm was going off, that meant her task was already complete.
Right on cue, the alarm cut off, and the System's voice rose in its place. "Congratulations, Host, on completing the task. Yukinoshita Haruno's conquest rating toward the host has increased by 3 points. Please select your reward."
Being a Haruno-related task, the rewards this time were generous as ever.
Among the three cards, besides two from the Yukinoshita Haruno series set, there was also an [Extra Choice Card]—a card that granted one additional option when picking a reward upon completing a task.
In other words, where completing a task used to mean choosing one reward out of three, now, with this card, it became one out of four.
For Mio, that counted as a pretty excellent card.
The instant Mio finished selecting her reward, the alarm rang out again in the previously silent room.
This time Mio didn't space out—she just reached over and shut it off.
As she was about to get up, she suddenly realized someone had caught hold of her hand.
She instinctively turned her head, only to find Haruno watching her with a smile.
"Are you awake, senpai?"
"Not yet. By the way—has my kouhai ever heard the story of Sleeping Beauty?"
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