What an outrageous view!
Matsukaze Mayu had always been generously endowed, and from where he was lying, the first thing he saw was her impressively curvy figure.
From this angle, he couldn't even turn off his automatic targeting if he wanted to.
"I can't, but I've seen similar TV programs before."
Matsukaze Mayu was being honest.
Fushimi Makoto said, "Then I'll leave it to you."
Matsukaze Mayu's little hands settled on his temples.
She'd been telling the truth earlier. She really didn't know how to massage.
Her technique was clumsy and completely unskilled. She was just going by feel.
Fushimi Makoto didn't mind the small matter. He closed his eyes and rested.
Once he did, Matsukaze Mayu stopped holding back and let her eyes wander over his face.
As she watched him, she became engrossed and accidentally pressed too hard.
Fushimi Makoto's eyes snapped open.
"Sorry, I got distracted just now." Matsukaze Mayu blushed, thinking how embarrassing she was.
Seeing her apologize so quickly, Fushimi Makoto was inexplicably reminded of a meme that had gone viral years ago: when apologizing, show your XX.
He couldn't help smiling. "It's fine."
"What are you smiling about?" Matsukaze Mayu noticed.
"Nothing. I just remembered something I read online."
"What was it? Can you tell me?"
"I can, but I'm worried you'll get the wrong idea."
Hearing that, Matsukaze Mayu grew even more curious.
Without thinking, she leaned closer, putting her little waist into it. The fabric of her pajamas stretched tight, nearly brushing Fushimi Makoto's face.
"I'm curious," she said, gazing into his eyes.
Fushimi Makoto thought, Why are you stealing Chitanda's line?
But since she was so curious, he went ahead and told her.
Just as he'd expected, Matsukaze Mayu's face quickly turned red. She chided him, "How can you say something like that to me?"
"You asked me to say it." Fushimi Makoto felt like laughing.
Matsukaze Mayu fell silent, her gaze drifting away as she wondered about something.
After that, she continued massaging his head, and they chatted about little things at school.
At 7:40 that evening, Fushimi Makoto took his leave.
But he'd only just reached the door and hadn't even changed his shoes when Matsukaze Mayu's soft voice came from behind him. "Wait."
Fushimi Makoto turned around. The beautiful teacher was standing in front of him, cheeks flushed and eyes shy. She slowly lifted the hem of her pajamas, then held it between her arm and her side.
Her face red, she spoke in the same soft voice. "I apologized."
In an instant, Fushimi Makoto's mood returned to where it had been earlier: Is this how you test a cadre?
But this time, he thought, Who could possibly withstand this test?
That night, Fushimi Makoto couldn't sleep no matter how hard he tried.
He'd already gotten to know Matsukaze Mayu's personality inside and out during the Time Loop, but what she'd done tonight had truly exceeded his expectations.
Affectionate, accommodating, tolerant, generous... Those were all qualities Matsukaze Mayu embodied.
As the first guy to successfully max out her affection, he couldn't believe she'd taken a joke and turned it into reality just because of one teasing remark.
What did you call that?
A gift. A kindness!
If he were in a cultivation world, having such an affectionate, beautiful teacher would probably send him straight to the Golden Core stage.
Late into the night, the system suddenly chimed.
[Congratulations, Host! You have completed the task. You have become the man Matsukaze Mayu cares about most.]
[Reward (Matsukaze Mayu's Madonna Halo): While you possess this halo, everyone will have a favorable impression of you. Even complete strangers who have never met you will start off with significantly higher affection toward you.]
"So that's what the halo does."
Fushimi Makoto wasn't surprised.
As for why the task had suddenly been completed, he guessed Matsukaze Mayu was also unable to sleep and was probably replaying what had happened earlier in her mind.
She might even be rolling around in bed, clutching her phone under the covers and grinning like an idiot.
This halo would be very useful to him. It would help whether he started another Time Loop later or went about his normal life.
With this halo, he'd be able to complete tasks more efficiently.
[Host, keep up the good work from here on. My internship tasks are all counting on you.]
"You can count on me."
[You've done very well, but the system still wants to ask: are you sure you can complete the other two beginner tasks, the ones involving becoming close to beautiful adult women? I can only keep giving you benefits once you've handled the beginner tasks.]
"Easy. I'll take care of Mrs. Yukinoshita."
The system: ???
The next morning, Fushimi Makoto and Matsukaze Mayu, who lived in the same apartment building, ran into each other at the entrance.
"Good morning, Fushimi."
Matsukaze Mayu's cheeks were slightly pink, but she still greeted him softly.
"Good morning, Teacher Matsukaze." Fushimi Makoto smiled back.
What had happened last night had clearly left its mark on her. She seemed a little shy now.
Since her "shy buff" had lasted this long, it suggested Matsukaze Mayu might have been unable to fall asleep for ages last night, eventually turning into a Canyon pianist.
A Canyon pianist who played games hammered the keyboard to flame people, while Matsukaze Mayu...
On the way to school, Fushimi Makoto noticed Matsukaze Mayu sneaking glances at him several times, looking hesitant.
He asked, "What's wrong?"
Matsukaze Mayu blinked. "I keep feeling like something about you is a little different."
"Different?"
"Mm. I can't quite put my finger on it. It's like... you feel very approachable?"
After saying it, Matsukaze Mayu realized how strange it sounded. She blushed and waved her hands repeatedly. "Maybe it's just my imagination. Please don't pay it any mind."
"It's fine. That's obviously a compliment, so I'm happy to hear it." Fushimi Makoto smiled.
He knew perfectly well that it was the effect of [Matsukaze Mayu's Aura].
When they arrived at school, Fushimi Makoto and Matsukaze Mayu parted ways, and he went into his classroom.
"Morning, Fushimi."
Several classmates he'd talked with before greeted him, and he returned each greeting.
Then he noticed the boy in front of him lying face-down on his desk, looking like he was dozing. His body was still, but one arm kept moving.
Fushimi Makoto shifted his angle and saw that the boy was watching short videos. A carton of milk with a straw stuck in it sat beside his phone.
The boy seemed to sense someone watching him. He looked up and glanced around, then turned his head and met Fushimi Makoto's eyes.
The boy immediately gave him an awkward smile.
Fushimi Makoto smiled and lowered his voice. "Bringing milk into the classroom might be against the rules, but don't worry. No one will find out."
"Thanks." The boy hurriedly thanked him.
As if he'd just thought of something, he pulled another carton of milk from his desk and asked in a low voice, "Want one?"
"No thanks. I got my fill last night."
"???"
Fushimi Makoto's thoughts about last night's experience were: What a sight!
Just thinking about it brought the image vividly to mind: Matsukaze Mayu held up the hem of her pajamas with her arm, her cheeks flushed and her eyes glistening as she looked at him, alluring but tinged with shyness.
To put it in plain terms: That was a real treat!
After two morning classes, Fushimi Makoto noticed Nakano Itsuki glancing at him from time to time.
He naturally didn't mind.
It was easy to guess that she was still curious about Nakano Ichika's secret.
But the two of them weren't close yet, so even if she wanted to ask him for information, she probably wouldn't feel comfortable bringing it up.
Hayato Hayama came by during the break.
Fushimi Makoto assumed he'd been asked by Yumiko and the others to invite him again, but the first thing Hayama said was, "Fushimi, would you be interested in joining the Soccer Club?"
"Sorry, I'm planning to start a club of my own," Fushimi Makoto declined.
Hayato Hayama wasn't surprised. He casually asked, "What kind of club are you starting?"
"What do you think of a film club?"
"Sounds pretty good, but the school already has one."
"Then I'll start a new film club."
"Huh?"
At Hayato Hayama's bewildered look, Fushimi Makoto smiled. "I'm just kidding. The club I want to start has a pretty strange name, so I'll keep it to myself for now."
Hayato Hayama tactfully didn't ask any more. He was about to leave, but then suddenly stopped, hesitating before saying, "If you need more people, you can let me know."
Fushimi Makoto asked, "You'd help me round up members?"
"If I can help you, I'd be happy to."
"Thanks in advance, then."
After their conversation ended, Hayato Hayama went back to Yumiko and scratched his head, looking puzzled. "That's weird."
"What's weird?" Yumiko asked curiously.
Hayato Hayama thought for two seconds, then shook his head and smiled. "Nothing. I just feel like Fushimi's easier to talk to than before. I couldn't help offering to help him get enough members when I heard he wanted to start a club."
Yumiko gave him a sidelong look. "You're not actually secretly in love with him, are you?"
Hayato Hayama smiled helplessly. "Don't say weird things like that."
Fushimi Makoto looked away from the two of them, thinking that the halo's effect really was impressive.
The FW System might have been absurdly bad at finding him because it got lost, but this reward made the task well worth completing.
He turned around and looked at Nakano Itsuki, who was sneaking glances at him again.
Caught off guard for the second time, Nakano Itsuki grew embarrassed the moment their eyes met.
But then she heard Fushimi Makoto ask, "Did Ichika talk about us after she got home yesterday?"
She secretly let out a breath, feeling less awkward. "She did. Ichika said she'd decided to treat you and Yukinoshita to a meal. Oh, she also complained that Yukinoshita seemed hard to get along with, which gave her a bit of a headache."
As soon as she said it, she froze.
Huh?
Why had she answered in so much detail?
Before you continue