"Mio, aren't you done changing yet?"
Yuigahama Yui stood outside the fitting room and called in. Mio had been inside for quite a while now, with no sign of coming out and not a sound from within.
"J-just a second!"
Mio called back from inside, then looked at Kato Megumi, whose face was faintly flushed. The task was done, sure—but now there was a new problem.
How was she going to deal with the fact that she and Megumi were in the same fitting room? Sure, Megumi was a girl too, but in the eyes of Yuigahama Yui and Miura Yumiko—two girls who batted for that team—another girl might actually seem more of a threat than a boy.
"Someone's calling for you out there, Shirai-san~"
Maybe it was just her imagination, but Mio kept feeling there was a faint, hard-to-place note of amusement woven into Megumi's tone.
"Okay, in a moment I'll go out first and draw their attention, then you slip out when the coast is clear."
"I mean, sure, but why do I keep getting the feeling we're sneaking around like we're having some kind of… affair?" There was a teasing edge to Megumi's voice.
Honestly, Megumi didn't even need to say it—Mio had the same inexplicable feeling. She cleared her throat. "I really don't mind either way, but you probably don't want to be seen, Megumi, so let's just go with my plan."
"Mm, I will."
Once she was sure Megumi was set, Mio cracked the door open just a sliver and checked the situation outside. She could see Yuigahama Yui and Miura Yumiko both standing there, clothes in hand. But the two seemed to be arguing about something and weren't paying attention to the fitting room, so Mio seized the chance to walk straight out, pulling the door to behind her.
Seeing Mio finally emerge, Yuigahama Yui asked, a little puzzled, "Mio, why were you in there so long?"
"I just got kind of tired all of a sudden. I've tried on no fewer than twenty outfits by now." As she spoke, Mio moved off in the direction away from the fitting room, and the two naturally turned to follow her.
On the surface Mio looked completely worn out, but out of the corner of her eye she clearly saw Kato Megumi slip out of the fitting room, give her a little wave, and duck into a different one. Only once she was sure nothing had gone wrong did Mio quietly let out a breath.
Mio's words had also given Yuigahama Yui something to think about. When it came to coordinating outfits, maybe she couldn't beat Miura Yumiko—but so what if she won? She'd rather spend more time with Mio; that was worth far more.
With that, she put all the clothes back, sidled up to Mio, and said, "Since Mio doesn't want to try on any more, let's go find somewhere to rest properly."
Beside them, Miura Yumiko froze for a moment, taking a while to catch on. This was exactly the sort of thing Mio had taught her during their practice date—don't get so wrapped up in your own little world. This time she'd gotten too fixated on beating Yuigahama Yui, and hadn't stopped to consider how Mio felt. No matter, though—she wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
"Speaking of somewhere to rest, I know a really nice cat café nearby. We can relax and play with the cats at the same time."
"Sounds good to me." Even though she had a cat of her own at home, after petting your own cat so much, you still end up wanting to pet someone else's.
Before leaving the clothing store, Mio ended up buying quite a lot. The outfits Yuigahama Yui and Miura Yumiko had put together for her were all pretty good, and it would've felt like a waste not to. Buying every one of them wasn't realistic, though, so she picked out the few outfit combinations she thought looked best.
The three of them left the store and headed straight for the cat café Miura Yumiko had mentioned. It wasn't small, but it was packed with customers. Luck was on their side, though—there happened to be a few seats left.
No sooner had Mio sat down—before she could even pick up the menu—than the System's voice sounded in her ear once more. "Oh, Host~ I've got some bad news and some good news. Which would you like first?"
"Nothing that comes out of your mouth counts as good news. Suit yourself."
"The bad news first, then: the Host has triggered another task. The good news is that this one has nothing to do with the two beside you."
That really was good news for Mio. If she'd triggered a task involving Miura Yumiko or Yuigahama Yui, even the simplest kind would be absolute torture to pull off. But if the task didn't involve those two, then who was the target this time?
Mio glanced around on reflex, and her gaze quickly locked onto a familiar figure seen from behind. Slender build, long black hair down to the waist, and at a cat café of all places—who else could it be but Yukinoshita Yukino?
"Before leaving the cat café, the Host must find a way to make Yukinoshita Yukino feel bashful. Success may earn you a Yukinoshita Yukino card or an item reward. Failure means drawing from the Punishment Deck."
"Tch."
If she'd known she'd trigger this many tasks today, she would've used a [Slacking-Off Card]. First Kato Megumi, and now Yukinoshita Yukino. And on top of that, she had to find a way to make Yukinoshita Yukino blush.
That was easier said than done—and if she actually did make Yukino blush, how was she supposed to explain it to Yukinoshita Haruno afterward? Mio could practically picture herself getting locked in a basement and bent over by Yukinoshita Haruno.
Banishing the bizarre image from her mind, Mio began to seriously think about how on earth to pull this off.
"Mio, spacing out again?" Miura Yumiko waved a hand in front of her.
"I was thinking about what to order. Any recommendations?"
"I recommend the cappuccino, and their mango mousse." Yumiko had scouted the place out ahead of time—another thing Mio had taught her: never fight a battle unprepared.
"Those, then."
Mio closed the menu and started petting a cat while she waited for the coffee and dessert to arrive.
In her current situation, the only way to complete the task was the restroom excuse—but using "going to the restroom" as a pretext bought her fifteen minutes at most, and she also had to account for the chance that someone would tag along. Then there was the problem of her white hair being far too conspicuous. Even though Yukinoshita Yukino was tucked away in a corner, Mio's white hair stood out so much that the moment either of the two turned around, they'd spot her.
What in the world was she supposed to do?
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