"Why did it have to turn out like this..."
"I was so embarrassingly transmigrated into an eroge world, and I finally managed to get an ability to protect myself..."
"I finally escaped the fate of a lucklet and pulled a top-tier, six-star Operator on my very first draw."
"Two happy things happened at the same time."
"What I should have gotten was a dream-like time of happiness."
"But, why, did it have to turn out like this..."
The steamy bathroom.
A girl sat in the bathtub, hugging her knees, an expression of utter despair on her face.
Her body sank little by little.
Half of her small face was submerged in the water, blowing bubbles with a glug, glug.
She looked at the "Operator Development" interface in front of her.
A chibi girl in a dark red evening gown sat on the edge of a bed, earnestly reading some book.
As a noble six-star Operator.
Even as a chibi figure, Soga Yura's model seemed more detailed than those of other Operators.
A figure just as destitute as in real life.
The layered silver necklaces around the girl's neck were depicted with perfect clarity.
But... she was Soga Yura.
The young lady of the Soga family.
A child of fortune.
A girl who had stood in the spotlight, the center of everyone's attention, almost from the day she was born.
Well... almost.
At the same time... she was also Su Yuzu's older sister.
The woman whose name alone was enough to 'crush' Su Yuzu's fighting spirit.
Su Yuzu had even forgotten the last time she had met Soga Yura.
It felt like something that had happened a long, long time ago.
That person always maintained a glacial coldness, like an unattainable flower on a high peak.
Watching me from afar... so very far away.
Watching me make a fool of myself.
And then turning away and leaving without a shred of mercy.
"Glug glug..." She let out the last of her stale breath.
Su Yuzu looked at Soga Yura's Operator panel, at the favorability score that was as high as "99".
Could this person's... favorability towards me really be that high?
"99 (Doting)"?
Honestly... I couldn't tell at all.
In Su Yuzu's memories, Soga Yura had almost always treated her with avoidance and kept her at a respectful distance, as if she were something to be shunned.
You have to understand... a favorability of 99 points represented more than just simple affection and doting.
A favorability of 99 points meant... she was just one step away. Su Yuzu could then 'interact' affectionately with Soga Yura and critically appraise her CGs.
She reached out toward Soga Yura's chibi figure.
It was completely different from that little rabbit.
When Su Yuzu reached for Saotome Yukina's chibi figure, the chibi Saotome Yukina would immediately hug her finger, her face turning into a (≧∇≦) expression.
But Soga Yura...
Only when Su Yuzu picked the girl up from the bed by the hem of her chibi evening gown would the chibi Soga Yura struggle, flailing her limbs in mid-air.
Her face would change to a (˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅) expression.
It was actually pretty interesting.
Su Yuzu watched Soga Yura's struggling chibi figure.
"Is it really possible... that this person likes me that much?"
Even at this moment.
A deep doubt still lingered in Su Yuzu's heart.
She truly couldn't figure it out.
She had wanted to use Soga Yura to farm two more "Basic Combat Records".
It was only then that Su Yuzu discovered that Soga Yura's [Feed] and [Develop] options were both grayed out.
Only [Interact] was a bright blue.
It wasn't just Soga Yura.
It was the same for Saotome Yukina.
Unlike in the game, in reality, it seemed one could only [Feed] or [Develop] when face-to-face or very close.
Flipping through the materials tab.
Su Yuzu looked at the "Basic Combat Record" card, which was black with gilded gold accents.
It seemed she'd have to find an excuse to go see Saotome Yukina tomorrow.
Just then... Bzzz~~ Bzzz~~
Su Yuzu's phone suddenly started vibrating.
She glanced at her phone screen.
The corners of her lips lifted slightly.
It was Saotome Yukina.
Oh my, my, my~ The wicked woman hadn't even finished setting her trap, and the little bunny had already delivered itself to her door.
She stood up directly from the bathtub, her bare white feet stepping onto the cool ceramic tiles.
Leaving a trail of wet little footprints.
Casually wrapping a bath towel around herself, Su Yuzu answered Saotome Yukina's call.
On the other end of the line... Saotome Yukina's aqua-blue eyes seemed to widen in an instant.
"Gulp—"
The little bunny's throat moved subconsciously.
She was looking at the screen, at a Su Yuzu who was wrapped only in a bath towel, her cheeks flushed, with water droplets slowly trickling down.
Her damp short hair clung to her skin.
Water droplets slid down her slender, snow-white neck, landing in the deep hollows of her collarbones.
Her crimson eyes, which seemed to be veiled in a layer of mist, had lost some of the sharpness they held that morning.
They were even more... captivating.
"S-Senpai, you were just taking a bath!!!"
It felt as if a little rabbit was rustling inside Saotome Yukina's heart.
Su Yuzu took in the little rabbit's reaction completely.
In fact... one could even say that Su Yuzu had Saotome Yukina's reactions wrapped around her little finger.
[Heart-throb: Saotome Yukina Favorability +1.]
[Favorability Increase Reward Acquired: Dainty Bell.]
[Heart-throb: Saotome Yukina Favorability +1.]
[Favorability Increase Reward Acquired: Single-Use Cat Tail (Black).]
[...]
"It's so late..."
"Did you need something from me, Saotome-san?" The corners of her lips curled up slightly, a consequence of having just emerged from the bath.
To Saotome Yukina, the girl's lips looked incredibly dewy and supple.
"Y-Y-Yes... It's like this..." Lowering her head, she didn't even dare to look at the screen.
Whether intentionally or not... Saotome Yukina angled her phone's screen toward the wall.
She was even a bit scared her roommate might see.
The girl's heart was a tangled and hesitant mess, like a giant, knotted ball of yarn.
I don't understand... why my thoughts always seem to lag half a beat behind when I'm in front of my senpai.
"Comprehensive combat class..."
"The teacher told us to find a sparring partner."
"I heard that your grades in comprehensive combat class are really good, s-so..." The girl's voice grew quieter and quieter.
"I was actually going to tell you this morning, senpai."
"B-but..."
Saotome Yukina suddenly found it hard to say.
In the morning, just as she was about to speak, she suddenly received a 「Blessing」.
The sensation was so overwhelmingly pleasant that Saotome Yukina even forgot what she was going to do.
She carefully lifted her eyes, stealing a quick glance at Su Yuzu on the screen. Seeing her senpai wrapped only in a bath towel, her cheeks immediately flushed red as she lowered her little head again.
Su Yuzu's brow furrowed slightly.
How did the little rabbit find out about my comprehensive combat class grades?
[Ding—] Just then, the voice of the mechanical woman sounded in her ear.
[New mission acquired.]
[Part 3: Your Operator, Saotome Yukina, seems to have run into some trouble. Go and help her solve her problem.]
[Mission Requirement: Participate in one comprehensive combat training session with Saotome Yukina.]
[Mission Reward: Blue Vitality Pill.]
[...]
"Alright~"
"Let's do it tomorrow morning, then." Su Yuzu said, looking at the conflicted and shy little rabbit. "As for the location... let's meet at the commercial street where we saw each other today.
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