"Why did it turn out like this..."
"After crossing over so shamefully into the world of butter, I finally gained an ability to rely on..."
"I had finally escaped the fate of being an unlucky player, and my first pull gave me a top-tier six-star Operator."
"Two happy things had overlapped."
"What I should have received was a blissful time like a dream."
"But why did it turn out like this..."
The bathroom was filled with rising steam.
The girl sat in the bathtub with her knees hugged to her chest, her face filled with utter despair.
Her body slowly sank.
Half of her little face was submerged in the water as she blew bubbles.
She looked at the "Operator Cultivation" interface in front of her.
A chibi girl in a dark red evening gown sat on the edge of the bed, earnestly reading some book.
As a noble six-star Operator,
even the Chibi Figure of Soga Toyura seemed more exquisitely crafted than the models of the other Operators.
She had the same impoverished figure as in reality.
Even the silver necklaces layered around the girl's neck had been depicted in perfect detail.
But... she was Soga Toyura.
The Young Lady of the Soga clan.
A heaven-blessed girl.
A girl who had stood beneath the spotlight and attracted everyone's attention almost from the day she was born.
Well... almost.
At the same time... she was also Su Youzi's older sister.
A woman whose very name could "crush" Su Youzi's fighting spirit.
Su Youzi had even forgotten when she had last met Soga Toyura.
It felt like it had happened a very, very long time ago.
That woman always maintained an appearance as cold as an iceberg, like an untouchable flower on a high peak.
From far away... from very far away, she watched her.
Watched her make a fool of herself.
Then she turned around and left without mercy.
"Glug, glug..." She exhaled the last of the stale air.
Su Youzi looked at the "99" Affection displayed on Soga Toyura's Operator panel.
Could this woman... really have such a high Affection for her?
"99 (dotingly pampered)"?
To be honest... she couldn't see it at all.
In Su Youzi's memories, Soga Toyura had almost always treated her as if she were avoiding a plague, keeping her at arm's length.
One had to understand... Affection of 99 represented far more than simple intimacy and doting.
Affection of 99 meant that she was only one final step away. Su Youzi could use that critical gaze to interact intimately with Soga Toyura and appraise Soga Toyura's CGs.
She reached her hand toward Soga Toyura's Chibi Figure.
It was completely different from that Little Rabbit.
When Su Youzi reached her hand toward Saotome Yukina's Chibi Figure, Chibi Saotome Yukina would immediately hug Su Youzi's finger, her face turning into a (≧∇≦) expression.
But Soga Toyura...
Only when Su Youzi picked up the hem of Chibi Soga Toyura's evening gown and lifted the girl off the bed would Chibi Soga Toyura struggle in midair, flailing her limbs.
Her face would turn into a (˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅) expression.
It was rather interesting.
Su Youzi watched the Chibi Figure of Soga Toyura struggle.
Could this woman... really like me that much?
Even now,
a deep doubt still remained in Su Youzi's heart.
She truly couldn't see it.
She had wanted to use Soga Toyura to farm two more "Beginner Combat Records."
Only then did Su Youzi discover that Soga Toyura's [Feed] and [Cultivate] options were both dimmed.
Only [Interact] was lit up in bright blue.
It wasn't just Soga Toyura.
Saotome Yukina was the same.
Unlike in the game, it seemed that in reality, [Feed] and [Cultivate] could only be used when they were face-to-face or very close to each other.
Flipping through the Material Slot,
Su Youzi looked at the black-and-gold "Beginner Combat Record."
She seemed to need to find an excuse to go see Saotome Yukina tomorrow.
Just then... bzzzt~~~ bzzzt~~~
Su Youzi's phone suddenly began vibrating.
She glanced at the phone screen.
The corners of her lips lifted slightly.
It was Saotome Yukina.
Oh my, oh my~ The bad woman hadn't even prepared to wait patiently for her prey, and the Little Rabbit had actually delivered herself to her door.
She rose straight from the bathtub, her pale feet stepping onto the cool ceramic tiles.
They left behind a line of wet little footprints.
She casually wrapped a bath towel around herself and answered Saotome Yukina's call.
On the other end of the phone... Saotome Yukina's watery blue eyes seemed to widen in an instant.
"Gulp—"
The Little Rabbit's throat bobbed instinctively.
She looked at Su Youzi on the screen, wrapped in nothing but a bath towel, her cheeks flushed as droplets of water slowly slid down them.
Her damp short hair clung to her.
Droplets trickled along her slender, snow-white neck and fell into the deep hollow of her collarbones.
Those crimson eyes, seemingly veiled in mist, were less sharp than they had been that morning.
They were even more... alluring.
"Sen... Senpai was just taking a bath!!!"
It was as if little rabbits were crying out inside Saotome Yukina's heart.
Su Youzi saw the Little Rabbit's reaction in its entirety.
It could even be said that she had Saotome Yukina's reaction completely under control.
[Flutter: Saotome Yukina's Affection +1.] [Received Affection Boost Reward: Tiny Bell.] [Flutter: Saotome Yukina's Affection +1.] [Received Affection Boost Reward: One-time Cat Tail (Black).] [...]
"It's so late..."
"Did Saotome have something to talk to me about?" The corners of her lips curved upward slightly, perhaps because she had just come out of the bathtub.
To Saotome Yukina, even the bead of moisture on the girl's lips looked exceptionally dewy.
"Y-yes, yes... It's like this..." She lowered her head, not even daring to look at the screen.
Whether intentionally or not... Saotome Yukina angled her phone's screen toward the wall.
She was even somewhat afraid that her roommate might see.
The girl's heart was tangled and hesitant, like a huge ball of knotted yarn.
She didn't understand... why her thoughts always seemed to move half a beat slower in front of Senpai.
"Mixed Martial Arts class..."
"The teacher asked us to find sparring partners."
"I heard that Senpai's grades in Mixed Martial Arts class are very good, so... so..." The girl's voice grew softer and softer.
"I originally wanted to tell you this morning."
"But... but..."
Saotome Yukina suddenly found it difficult to say.
That morning, just as she had been preparing to speak, she had suddenly received Grace.
The sensation had been so overwhelmingly pleasant that Saotome Yukina had even forgotten what she had wanted to say.
She cautiously raised her eyes. After quickly glancing at Su Youzi on the screen, she saw Senpai wrapped in nothing but a bath towel and immediately lowered her little head again, her cheeks flushed bright red.
Su Youzi's brows furrowed slightly.
How did the Little Rabbit know her grades in Mixed Martial Arts class?
[Chime—] At her ear, the intelligent machine female voice rang out at just the right moment.
[You have received a new mission.] [Part 3: Your Operator, Saotome Yukina, seems to have encountered some difficulties. Go help her resolve them.] [Mission Requirement: Conduct one Mixed Martial Arts training session with Saotome Yukina.] [Mission Reward: Blue Vitality Pill.] [...]
"Sure~"
"Then let's do it tomorrow morning." Su Youzi looked at that tangled yet bashful Little Rabbit. "As for the location... let's meet at the commercial street where we met today."
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