The Breakthrough Quest Is to... Touch Her Chest???

"I've got it!"

Lu Guan slapped his forehead. How could he have forgotten that song?

"Dania, cover your ears. Don't listen," Lu Guan instructed her. "You can uncover them once I've closed my mouth."

"Huh?" Dania was a little confused, but Lu Guan didn't look like he was joking, so she did as he said.

"I've covered them!"

Lu Guan nodded and began to sing.

"Broken wings fallen in the snow,

(Broken wings drifted through the snow),

Blood red flowers shimmer as they float,

(Blood-red flowers floated with a faint shimmer),

Melodies flowing through my memories,

(Melodies flowed through my memories),

Echoed out from the ghost of goodbye,

(When the echo of the spirit of farewell rang out)."

This was Dania's EP from the game, "Until We Meet Again."

Lu Guan remembered that in the game's story, when the song reached this point, the Rover placed a cake where Dania had departed.

He reached out and pulled a birthday cake out of the void.

As for why he didn't keep singing, it was mainly because Lu Guan was afraid that if he did, he would sing Dania to death.

"...Here, the cake." Lu Guan handed it to Dania. "You didn't secretly listen to me sing just now, did you?"

"What singing? I don't know what you're talking about~ I did just what you said and... covered my ears tight!" Dania's voice was a little choked as she took the cake, but she wouldn't look up at Lu Guan.

Clearly, her expression and her words didn't match very well this time.

"Wipe your tears." Lu Guan handed Dania a tissue.

"Thank you... Wait... I wasn't crying!"

Lu Guan immediately turned his back. "I don't know anything. I didn't see anything."

"...Thank you." Dania knew her lie had been seen through, so she couldn't be bothered to keep pretending. She openly wiped away all her tears with the tissue Lu Guan had given her.

"All right! You can turn around now!"

Lu Guan turned around. Dania, whose mood had been a little low, had returned to her disguised form, wearing a gentle, faint smile.

"So this is a birthday cake... It's different from what I imagined." Dania murmured to herself as she looked at the cake in her hands. "I thought it would be really, really big..."

"Why did you think that?"

"Because..." Dania looked up, gazing straight into Lu Guan's eyes. "Then I could share it with my other friends!"

Then she put on a mischievous expression. "Oh my... I didn't expect it to be such a small portion. Looks like I'll have to enjoy it all by myself."

As she spoke, she kept glancing at Lu Guan's face out of the corner of her eye, as though hoping to catch an interesting expression.

"You're so cute... Dania."

"Y-you... What are you talking about?" Dania was immediately at a loss. Flustered, she replied, "I'll have you know... b-being direct doesn't work on girls!"

She picked up the little fork that came with the cake and ate it in tiny bites, like a kitten lapping up water, seemingly trying her best to conceal her jumbled feelings.

[Beep! Dania's affection +36]

[Current character affection: 21]

[Host, please keep up the good work.]

[Beep! A romanceable character detected: Dania. Her affection has reached a milestone. Claim reward?]

"I'll save it for now."

Lu Guan still remembered the Great Desolate Imprisoning Heavenly Finger. If he unleashed one of those at the academy...

He'd better save it for when he needed it. Once he was at the end of his rope, he could summon the system and claim the reward, setting it off in an instant on his opponent!

[Beep! Notice: Current romanceable target Dania is experiencing an emotional outburst. Host, please speed up your progress.]

"W-why are you so nice to me...?" Dania asked. "We were complete strangers... And I even threatened you with that sort of thing just now..."

Lu Guan answered seriously, "Why? Because I wanted to, so I did... There's no other reason. Simply because you're pretty."

"...What?"

"Because you're pretty," Lu Guan repeated. "To be honest, from the moment I first saw you, Dania, I was deeply attracted to your languid yet captivating air."

"...Pervert!"

Although Dania said that, the system didn't report any change in her affection. So Lu Guan smiled confidently and said without a care, "If it makes you happy, you can think of me as a pervert, classmate Dania."

"...I told you, being direct doesn't work on girls!"

[Beep! Dania's affection +10]

[Current character affection: 31]

[Host, please keep up the good work.]

What was that about...? Wasn't it working pretty well?

"Anyway... thank you." Dania tossed the empty paper plate into a nearby trash can. "I didn't expect to get to eat cake this way."

"Was it good?"

"...No, it wasn't. It was sickeningly sweet!" Dania shook her head. "After eating that cake, I feel like I'm going to gain a lot of weight!"

[Beep! Dania's affection +5]

[Current character affection: 36]

[Host, please keep up the good work.]

She didn't mean a word of it!

Lu Guan found it a little funny and instinctively offered the girl a suggestion. "If you're worried about gaining weight, you can walk around a bit. It'll help you digest it too..."

"No way... Walking is really tiring." Dania looked thoroughly resistant. "For someone as bad at exercise as me... I'd rather find a quiet place and get a good nap."

"If I gain weight, I gain weight... I don't care."

[Beep! Dania's affection -5]

[Current character affection: 31]

[Host, please mind your behavior.]

Damn language system! It just had to bring up the wrong thing!

Seeing this, Lu Guan hurriedly changed the subject. "Speaking of which, Dania, when did you enroll?"

"When did I enroll?" The smile on Dania's face suddenly turned a little sly. "Let me see, I've been here for two years already!"

"The subject placement exam is coming up soon. When it does, you'll have to call me Senior Dania, Lu Guan!"

"...All right, Senior Dania." Lu Guan smiled faintly and suddenly leaned forward. "Then could you tell your junior... how did you know my name when I never told you myself, Senior Dania?"

"Could it be... you've been secretly watching me all along?"

"I-I just saw your photo on the Star Torch Forum, that's all." Dania averted her gaze, her face a little flushed. "You became a celebrity at the academy before you even enrolled... You're the only one who's ever done that."

That wasn't a lie. She had indeed learned of Lu Guan's existence on the Star Torch Forum. As for whether she had secretly watched him afterward...

Only Dania herself knew.

"Is that so...? Looks like I got the wrong idea." Lu Guan awkwardly scratched the back of his head. His question really had been a little abrupt, so it was no wonder Dania had said that...

[Beep! Dania's affection +10]

[Current character affection: 40]

[Notice: Dania's affection has reached its limit. Accept the affection level breakthrough quest?]

"There's a breakthrough quest too?" Lu Guan instinctively selected accept.

[Beep! Dania's affection level breakthrough quest accepted]

[Quest objective: Caress Dania's Tac Tacet Mark for ten minutes.]

[Time limit: Three days]

[Quest rewards: Dania's affection limit increased to 80, Dania's affection +10, chance to unlock a special CG.]

[Failure penalty: Dania's affection -20]

"Tac Tacet Mark..."

Lu Guan looked down at Dania. If he remembered correctly, Dania's Tac Tacet Mark was located on her... chest!

If I just touch it, she'll definitely think I'm a pervert!

This is practically hell difficulty! How am I supposed to get close enough to Dania in three days to caress the Tac Tacet Mark on her chest?!

Lu Guan sighed inwardly. It seemed he needed to be cautious the next time he encountered a breakthrough quest like this and not accept it on impulse.

"It's very rude to stare at a girl like that." Dania narrowed her eyes slightly. "You're not thinking about anything weird, are you?"

"You've misunderstood." Lu Guan shook his head. "I merely lost my way on the path of appreciating beauty..."