[Ding! Hikigaya Hachiman's affection for Kawasaki Saki +1]
[Ding! Hikigaya Hachiman was forcibly kissed by Kawasaki Saki...]
[Ding! Kawasaki Saki's ear was bitten by Hikigaya Hachiman...]
[Ding! Kawasaki Saki...]
"?!"
Yukinoshita, who had been enjoying a relaxing soak in the bath, jolted upright the moment she heard the system's voice echo in her mind. Her eyes snapped open.
At this hour of the night—Saki and her Hiki-kun... cough?!
And it seemed... they were in a park?!
"T-This is..."
Hearing the steady stream of notifications sounding off in her head, Yukinoshita drew in several sharp breaths:
"Saki, you really... sigh."
"Good thing I gave Hikigaya-kun that stamina potion this morning. Otherwise, he probably wouldn't be able to handle Saki tonight. Whew... dodged a bullet."
With her darling now fully recharged, he should be able to keep up with Saki just fine.
Yukinoshita checked Hachiman's current corruption level.
[Hikigaya Hachiman Corruption Level: 8/100]
"Still holding steady... Looks like my efforts this morning weren't in vain."
She let out a small sigh of relief and smiled.
"Er... ahem!"
Snapping back to her senses, Yukinoshita coughed awkwardly and quickly reached for the viewing glasses she had placed nearby for emergencies like this.
Almost forgot.
These needed to be worn.
She slipped them on and sank back into the tub.
Unfortunately, since it was already dark out, the video quality was abysmal.
"How am I supposed to watch like this? I can barely see a thing..."
Yukinoshita grumbled in frustration.
[Host may spend points to improve video quality]
"I—! I wasn't planning on watching it! I-I'm only doing this to collect more points, that's all! The bonus points after watching—purely for the bonuses!"
Her cheeks flushed red as she stammered righteously:
"B-But staring at the screen too long is bad for your eyes, so... I guess upgrading the quality a bit wouldn't hurt... right?"
Yukinoshita spent 1,000 points to upgrade the video to 1080p.
And she had to admit...
1080p was a massive improvement.
[Upgrade to 2K or 4K for even greater point bonuses.]
The system tempted her in a calm, coaxing tone.
"Eh?"
Yukinoshita blinked.
"How much of a bonus?"
[2K grants an additional 0.5%, 4K gives a 2% bonus. Not only does the image become clearer, but you earn more points—win-win, right?]
Still in that same tempting tone.
"This..."
Yukinoshita was clearly tempted, but when she saw that 2K cost 5,000 points and 4K required another 20,000 on top of that...
She firmly shook her head.
"Nope, not interested. 1080p is just fine! Now don't distract me while I'm watching!"
The system went silent.
Yukinoshita reclined in the tub again, continuing to watch the footage through her glasses.
"These two... something feels off tonight."
"Saki's being way too..."
"And Hiki-kun—when did he become so... ngh!"
She clenched her thighs tightly. While feeling a mix of envy and bitterness, she whispered:
"Ugh... Hikigaya-kun... I really need you right now too... ngh..."
Sigh.
All she could do now was imagine—imagine that Saki was herself. That she was the one there with him...
...
Meanwhile—
In another part of the park, Sayuri and Mrs. Yuigahama, both dressed in elegant yukatas, strolled arm in arm, chatting casually and enjoying the evening.
These days, the two ladies didn't dare go jogging so freely anymore.
After all, both were in their thirties, and the last time they ran with Hachiman, they'd paid the price the next day. Now, they came to the park mainly to walk.
And to check in on... a certain young man.
"Sigh... Sayuri, maybe we should just leave Hikigaya-kun alone tonight," said Mrs. Yuigahama with a gentle sigh. "Let the kid get some real exercise."
"You mean with that Kawasaki girl?" Sayuri smiled knowingly.
"Don't be indecent!"
Mrs. Yuigahama shot her a look.
"Hikigaya-kun and that Kawasaki girl seem to have a pretty normal relationship. I'd say they're just regular friends."
"Eh, not necessarily. What if she's got feelings for him? Maybe they're doing some... 'intimate exercise' right now," Sayuri said with a sly grin.
"Obviously they're jogging," Mrs. Yuigahama snapped, rolling her eyes. "I'm good at reading people. Those two had pure expressions—no romantic vibes whatsoever! Anyway, let's not mess with Hikigaya-kun tonight, got it?"
"Fine, fine."
Sayuri shrugged.
"Guess we'll just eat him up another day, then~"
"Eh? I thought you were doing this for your daughter?"
Mrs. Yuigahama widened her eyes in shock.
"I already told you, I don't give a damn about Eriri, that airhead. This is all for me, hehe." Sayuri grinned mischievously, licking her lips.
"Y-You! Aren't you a little old for this kind of behavior? Stop joking around!"
Mrs. Yuigahama blushed, feigning a scolding tone.
Sayuri smirked, "You can't talk. Don't tell me you don't have feelings for Hikigaya-kun?"
"I—!"
"Well, have a good think about that. I'm off to the restroom."
Before Mrs. Yuigahama could respond, Sayuri slipped free of her arm and stretched lazily.
"Wait—you're not seriously going to seduce Hikigaya-kun, are you?"
"Don't believe me? Then come to the restroom with me," Sayuri replied with a smile.
"Forget it. Go by yourself."
Seeing that Sayuri didn't seem to be lying, Mrs. Yuigahama shook her head.
And so, Sayuri headed to the public restroom alone.
The park's restroom was in a relatively secluded area.
As she drew closer, the number of people around dropped sharply—eventually, there was no one else in sight.
But then...
Though the path was empty, Sayuri suddenly heard a faint sound.
"Hm? That's odd..."
She instinctively turned toward the trees lining the left side of the path. Among the rows of tall trees, she could swear the sounds were coming from just behind one of them.
The voices sounded very familiar.
Wasn't that...?
Curiosity piqued, Sayuri cautiously crept toward the source of the sound.
Closer...
And closer...
"Huh?! That sound—what the heck—?!"
In the next instant, Sayuri's eyes went wide, and she quickly slapped a hand over her mouth.
She stood frozen for several seconds.
And then—
Sayuri's eyes couldn't help but widen even more. In a hushed, stunned voice, she murmured:
"Heh... Young people these days... really are something else."