"Yummy~"
Mio took a small bite of the freshly made crêpe. Sweet cream mixed with fresh fruit perfectly balanced out the richness. It really suited her taste.
After a few bites, Mio sidled up to Yumiko with a smile, eyeing the chocolate crêpe in her hand. "Yumiko, let me try yours."
Yumiko didn't hesitate—she just extended the crêpe right to Mio's lips. Naturally, Mio bit down without any reservation.
Whether intentionally or not, there was plenty of untouched crêpe to choose from, yet Mio deliberately bit into the exact spot Yumiko had just bitten.
Normally, Yumiko wouldn't have paid attention to such a small detail. But after their date with Mio, she couldn't help but notice everything.
"This one's really good too~" Mio licked the cream from the corner of her mouth.
That little motion drew Yumiko's gaze directly to Mio's lips. For a split second, she found herself wondering what it would feel like to kiss them.
Noticing where Yumiko was staring, Mio mischievously pursed her lips and made a soft pop sound.
"Yumiko~ you kept staring at my lips just now. Don't tell me you were thinking something weird?"
"Hah? What are you even saying? There's no way I'd think about... about that!" Caught red-handed, Yumiko instinctively switched to her usual haughty attitude to mask her slip.
But that attitude had bonus damage against the current Mio.
To keep Yumiko from staying in that mode, Mio cleared her throat twice and said seriously, "Yumiko, make sure you remember what I taught you today. It's super effective on guys."
More than just guys, Yumiko thought, pursing her lips. It was devastatingly effective on her, a girl, too.
The two continued wandering the area until it was 6 PM.
The sky gradually darkened. When the streetlights along the road flickered on, Yumiko finally realized how late it had gotten.
She'd come to learn how to date from Mio, yet here she was, so absorbed in the experience that she'd completely lost track of time.
Noticing Yumiko had stopped walking, Mio tilted her head curiously. "Yumiko, what's wrong?"
"N-nothing. I was just thinking... maybe we should end today's date."
"Eh? We're ending it this early?"
"It's not early at all."
"But normally, dates don't end until after you leave that kind of place, right?"
Yumiko followed Mio's pointing finger. It was a love hotel. She instantly understood what Mio was implying.
Seeing Yumiko's face turn bright red, at a loss for words, Mio let out an amused laugh before continuing. "Just kidding~ But if you really want to see what it's like inside, I wouldn't mind going with you."
"Who—who would want to go to a place like that!"
"So, are we ending the date now?"
Looking at Mio's sweet smile, Yumiko felt a sudden pang of reluctance.
After a long pause, she finally gave a small nod. "Yeah... let's end it. Thank you for teaching me so much today."
"Don't mention it. I actually had a lot of fun today."
Yumiko wasn't registered in the system's panel, so being around her gave Mio a sense of security—no worrying about random tasks triggering. And most importantly, teasing her and watching her reactions was genuinely entertaining.
Ahem.
"Then let's part ways here~"
Yumiko was about to nod, but seeing Mio struggling with all her shopping bags, she hesitated for a moment before walking over and taking some of the load.
"Huh!?"
"I just thought about it, and I think I should walk my 'girlfriend' home before ending today's date."
"Wow~ Yumiko's got some serious boyfriend energy right now."
"What do I need boyfriend energy for? I'm a girl." Despite her words, the slight upturn of Yumiko's lips betrayed her true feelings.
The shopping center wasn't far from Mio's apartment—less than twenty minutes on foot.
They quickly arrived at the entrance of her building.
After handing all the bags to Mio, Yumiko stretched lazily. "Alright, now it's officially over!"
"Mm, this time's over, but if you ever feel like doing this again, you can come find me anytime."
"If I need to, I won't hold back."
Noticing Mio was still watching her quietly, Yumiko asked, puzzled, "Is there something else?"
"I'm thinking... as your girlfriend, shouldn't I give you a goodbye kiss right about now?" Mio tapped her lips thoughtfully, as if genuinely considering the question.
"That won't be necessary!" Yumiko snapped back before turning on her heel and leaving.
Only after watching Yumiko's figure disappear around the corner did Mio finally haul her bags upstairs.
She'd barely reached her floor when she saw Sengoku Chihiro and Shiina Mashiro stepping out of the neighboring apartment.
Spotting Mio, Chihiro looked surprised. "You came back at just the right time. I was about to take Mashiro out to get food. Wanna come with?"
"Give me a sec—I'll put this stuff inside first."
Chihiro eyed the bags at Mio's feet. "Just how much did you buy on that one trip? Did you empty out the whole store?"
"It's not that dramatic. I just forgot to bring my winter clothes, so I had to buy some."
While the two were talking, Mashiro had somehow crouched down next to Mio and was staring at one particular bag—the one containing the sexy outfit. "Mio. Unexpectedly bold."
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