Childishly childish slippers lay crookedly at the edge of the bed.
The sight of the girl curled up on the bed, hugging a beige plush bear with her body hunched over, reminded one of a cat slowly raising its tail after being stroked.
She still had not changed out of the sailor uniform she had painstakingly chosen after much deliberation for meeting Senpai.
The girl's tender, fair little toes pressed against the bedding, her arched insteps curving like crescents.
Her aqua-blue eyes were misty with tears.
With her right hand pressed beside her cheek, Saotome Yukina could feel... her cheeks were now so red they were burning.
The scene of meeting Senior Su that morning played over and over in the girl's mind.
The embarrassing parts. The foolish parts.
It was as if a chibi Saotome Yukina inside her mind kept waving a wooden placard at her head, scolding her for being so useless.
But... the misty-eyed girl sniffed the back of her right hand.
The back of her hand seemed to retain a trace of that citrus-like, sweet-and-sour, refreshing scent.
"You~zi..."
Her voice rose slightly at the end.
Those serious crimson eyes seemed to appear before her once more.
Senior Youzi really was such a gentle person.
Her arms tightened around the beige plush bear a little more.
It was just that Saotome Yukina always felt as if she had forgotten something important.
Creak—
The dormitory door swung open.
Although she was the Young Lady of the Saotome Family, Saotome Yukina had still chosen to live at school in order to experience the legendary campus life.
And she had chosen a dorm room shared by two people.
Of course—
Without Saotome Yukina knowing it at all, her roommate was also a talented girl of outstanding character and grades, carefully selected by the Saotome Family.
"Saotome has already come back?"
The voice was melodious, like a hymn.
A golden-haired, golden-eyed girl appeared before her.
The girl bent down and tidied the slippers Saotome Yukina had kicked carelessly to one side.
"You look so happy..."
"Did something good happen?"
"M-Mira..." Hugging the plush bear and hiding most of her face behind it, Saotome Yukina looked at the smiling girl.
Standing in the sunlight, the girl looked like an angel.
"This morning..."
"I met Senior Youzi." Although she had not even dared to call Youzi by name in front of Su Youzi, once she returned to the dormitory, the girl seemed to have cast off all restraint.
She kept calling out Senior Youzi's name with growing familiarity.
"And there's more!!!"
"When I met Senior Youzi... I... I also received a 'Grace.'"
She raised her right hand.
A little whirlpool of water spun rapidly at the girl's fingertips.
Saotome Yukina could clearly feel that her ability had improved significantly.
Recalling what had happened that morning, the girl's already misty eyes grew so wet they looked ready to spill over.
"Grace"... was actually something so wonderful.
"That really is something worth celebrating." The girl looked at the whirlpool of water at Saotome Yukina's fingertips with some confusion.
She could sense it.
Saotome Yukina had not received any "Grace."
And yet... the improvement in the girl's ability was genuine.
She sat down beside Saotome Yukina.
Only after carefully confirming that Saotome Yukina carried no trace of an Altered User did she let out a sigh of relief.
Looking at Saotome Yukina's wide-open eyes as they gazed at her, the girl gently changed the subject. "Then..."
"The matter you wanted to ask that Senior Su to handle."
"Did you take care of that too?"
"Huh?" Saotome Yukina's smile suddenly froze.
"..." Even without an answer, the girl could more or less tell what had happened. "You forgot?"
"F-Forgot..." Bumping her head against the plush bear again and again, Saotome Yukina put on a miserable expression.
But... inside, a little figure seemed to be leaping for joy.
"Tomorrow—"
"I can go see Senior Youzi again..."
[Ping—]
[Memory: Saotome Yukina's Affection +1]
[Received Affection Boost Reward: Girl's Fishnet Stockings.]
[Ping—]
[Fluttering Heart: Saotome Yukina's Affection +2]
[Received Affection Boost Reward: Eight Degrees Space ×1.]
[...]
Looking at the "Operator Cultivation" interface before her.
A chibi Saotome Yukina hugged a beige plush toy nearly as large as herself and rolled around on the bed.
(≧∇≦)
[Operator: Saotome Yukina]
[☆☆☆☆☆]
[Affection: 52 (Favor).]
Su Youzi fell into deep thought.
She had expected the initial heroine, Saotome Yukina, to be relatively easy to raise affection with, but... she had never imagined it would be this easy.
Su Youzi had absolutely no idea what the girl was imagining as she rolled around on the bed.
She was actually... slowly conquering herself.
But right now—
She had something more important to deal with.
She exited Saotome Yukina's cultivation interface.
Su Youzi looked at the black-and-gold card in the Material Slot.
"Beginner Combat Record."
She took a deep breath—
Recalling the embarrassed stance the girl had shown that morning when she used the "Beginner Combat Record" on Saotome Yukina.
Su Youzi had made all the necessary preparations.
The bathwater was at the perfect temperature.
A change of clothes was ready as well.
Compared to breaking through the Level.0 curse, this little "difficulty" was nothing.
She tapped the icon of the black-and-gold card.
[—Use "Beginner Combat Record"?—]
[—Yes—]
There was no hesitation this time.
Su Youzi closed her eyes.
Crack, crack—
Contrary to the enchanting sensation she had imagined, Su Youzi felt as if an eternally unsatisfied monster were hidden inside her.
The monster opened its enormous mouth and chewed the card to pieces with loud cracks before swallowing it.
—Her strength was increasing, but her chest still felt empty.
[Ping—]
["Beginner Combat Record" used successfully.]
[Combat experience increased.]
[Level.0—Telekinetic Ability User ▇▇▇ → Level.1—Telekinetic Ability User ▇▇▇]
Although she was not entirely sure what those several ▇▇▇ represented.
It was probably because her ability was not merely Telekinetic Ability.
But... Su Youzi could indeed feel it.
Her mental strength had increased.
Becoming stronger was a good thing.
At last, she could slowly wash away the gossip that had accompanied remarks such as "brilliant in childhood, mediocre in adulthood."
She reached out and gently covered the little notebook beside her pillow with her hand.
Her thoughts stirred slightly.
With the strength of a Level.1 Telekinetic Ability User, she should have been able to lift the notebook using nothing but mental power.
But... a breeze blew past.
The air suddenly fell silent.
The little notebook did not move at all, remaining exactly where it was.
She... had apparently failed.
Su Youzi clearly felt that her power had grown stronger, yet she still could not even lift the notebook.
The girl's fist clenched tight.
"Could it be because I haven't mastered the essentials of telekinesis yet?"
Su Youzi could only console herself this way.
Forcibly shifting her attention away from the notebook, the girl reopened the Operator Cultivation module.
A slightly heavy metal voucher dropped into Su Youzi's hand.
Compared to mere Level.1 telekinesis,
the "Newbie Tenfold Recruitment Voucher" was far more important.
It meant a new operator, which meant a new source of income.
And... if she was lucky, she might even draw a rare six-star operator directly.
Whether before or after reincarnation,
she was a genuine "lucky one."
Su Youzi reached out and lightly tapped the icon for the "Newbie Tenfold Recruitment Voucher."
[—Use "Newbie Tenfold Recruitment Voucher"?—]
She did not notice.
After her attention shifted away from the little notebook,
the previously flat notebook suddenly twisted ninety degrees from the middle as if forced by an invisible hand.
With her palms pressed together in prayer,
Su Youzi tapped [—Yes—]
The next moment, multicolored shooting stars seemed to streak across the space before her.
Golden Legend?
Rainbow!
[☆☆☆☆☆☆]!!!
Before you continue