Eight AM. Sunlight filtered through gaps in the curtains and spilled into the room.
Yuigahama Yui slowly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Shirai Mio's absolutely gorgeous face.
She blinked, still groggy with sleep, as if trying to figure out why Mio was curled up in her arms.
After a while, once she'd shaken off some of the sleepiness, Yui finally remembered—oh right, she'd stayed over at Mio's place last night.
They'd watched a horror movie, and she was too scared to sleep alone, so she'd climbed into Mio's bed.
Then, because her mind wouldn't stop racing, she'd tossed and turned until well past midnight before finally falling asleep. She'd even had a dream about Mio—a dream where they were dating. Going shopping together, walking to and from school together, cuddling on the couch watching horror movies together, and then...
A blush spread across Yui's cheeks as she remembered what came next.
Good thing Mio was still asleep. Otherwise, with their faces practically inches apart, Mio would definitely notice something was off.
Aren't you supposed to forget dreams easily after waking up? So why is this one so clear?
It felt like it had actually happened.
Wait... I didn't do anything weird to Mio while I was asleep, did I?
While Yui was lost in thought, Mio's long eyelashes trembled a few times before she slowly opened her eyes.
When she saw Yui, Mio broke into a dopey smile and snuggled closer, mumbling sleepily, "Morning, Yui."
Then she quickly fell back into steady breathing.
Yui let out a small sigh. Well, it was the weekend anyway—sleeping in a bit wouldn't hurt. Besides, Mio looked indescribably cute right now.
Just as she was admiring Mio's sleeping face, Yui faintly heard the doorbell ring.
She glanced at Mio, who showed no signs of stirring, then carefully slipped out of bed and walked to the door.
When she opened it, she found a blonde beauty in pajamas with messy hair standing outside. Though she'd only seen her once from afar at school, Yui recognized her immediately—Shiina Mashiro.
Mio's neighbor.
Mashiro had been about to tell Mio she was hungry, but when she saw someone else had answered the door, a flicker of confusion crossed her eyes.
"Shiina-san, you're looking for Mio, right? She's still sleeping in her room."
"I... go see."
Watching Mashiro navigate to Mio's room like she owned the place, Yui got the feeling their relationship went way beyond normal neighbors.
Still, she didn't dwell on it and headed to the bathroom to wash up.
After Yui finished, she noticed the apartment was eerily quiet. Had Mashiro left already?
Curious, she returned to Mio's room—only to find Mashiro lying in what had been her spot, hugging Mio in her sleep.
Wait... didn't Mashiro come here for something? Why'd she just crawl into Mio's bed?
Even Yui didn't know what to say about this.
Just then, finding it hard to breathe, Mio opened her eyes again. When she saw Mashiro, confusion flickered across her face. That's why the sensation felt different. When had Yui been replaced by Mashiro?
Maybe sensing Mio's movement, Mashiro opened her eyes too. She looked at Mio and said, "Good morning, Mio."
"Morning. What brings you over, Mashiro?"
"Hungry."
"Then why didn't you just wake me up instead of crawling into my bed?"
"Didn't want to wake you." Mashiro's tone was as flat as ever, but somehow, Mio still felt oddly touched.
Right then, time suddenly froze, and the system's voice rang out: "Task complete. The host's conquest rating with Yuigahama Yui increased by 3 points. Additionally, because the host was moved by Shiina Mashiro's words, the host's conquest rating with Shiina Mashiro increased by 1 point."
[Yuigahama Yui's Secret Cookies x5]
Cookies with a... unique taste. After eating them, they temporarily mess with your taste buds, making even terrible food taste delicious. Duration: one hour.
[Hair Dye]
Can permanently change the host's hair color. If needed, can also be used to change other hair colors. Single-use card, disappears after use.
[Purification Card]
Can randomly purify one punishment deck. Single-use card, disappears after use.
After reviewing the three options, Mio chose the Purification Card without hesitation. The cookies were useless for now, and the hair dye? Forget it. White-haired red-eyed beauties are humanity's treasure—there was zero need to change that.
Even though she'd selected it, Mio didn't plan to use it yet. After all, she only had one punishment deck right now, and its negative effects weren't that severe. Better to save it for later, when she got hit with something truly unbearable. Then she could gamble on her luck.
Of course, it'd be best to use it with Eriri nearby.
As Mio made her choice, time resumed its flow.
She didn't stay in bed any longer. Instead, she sat up slowly and said, "Mashiro, if you're tired, go ahead and sleep a bit more. I'll make breakfast now."
She walked over to Yui and asked, "Yui, anything you want to eat?"
Yui shook her head lightly. After hesitating for a moment, she couldn't help but ask, "Mio, you and Shiina-san are really close, huh?"
"Yeah. Just like with you, I knew her before school started, and she lives right next door." Mio paused as if remembering something, then added, "Oh, and Mashiro might be lacking some... life skills. Don't take it personally, okay?"
"Mm."
Yui nodded, then unconsciously moved closer to Mio. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt a bit uneasy.
By the time she snapped out of it, Yui realized her hand had somehow grabbed onto the hem of Mio's shirt—and Mio was looking at her with a puzzled expression.
"N-Nothing! Just, uh, go wash up already." Yui laughed awkwardly and pushed Mio into the bathroom.
...