Watching Utaha hum a cheerful tune and resume chopping vegetables after saying all that, Chisato was too tired to explain anything.
'Don't get the wrong idea. It was the school nurse who insisted I take those. I couldn't refuse, and I forgot about it later. Please don't misunderstand.'
Even if he explained, Utaha probably wouldn't believe him and might even give him a look of
"Oh, you're so cute trying to deny it when your thoughts are so obvious."
Chisato didn't want to seem pathetic, so he channeled his frustration into eating. After Utaha finished preparing dinner, he devoured three bowls of rice.
So delicious!
"Well, you're a boy after all. Your appetite is great. Let me serve you another bowl."
Utaha rested her chin on her hand, watching him eat with a smile.
She barely touched her own food, finding satisfaction in watching the person she liked enjoy the meal she made.
"That's enough, thank you for the hospitality."
Chisato finished his miso soup, let out a satisfied sigh, and said,
"Utaha, your cooking is really great."
"I'm glad you think so."
"The ingredients were limited, so what you had was only half of my skill. Since you love meat, next time I'll make you beef curry with fried chicken."
"Also, you can drop the '-san' suffix. We've been interacting for hours now. You should be used to calling me by my first name."
"Well, that's a bit..."
Chisato was momentarily at a loss for words.
Utaha's gentle smile turned mischievous as her eyes narrowed.
"Thinking about doing that with me, but getting shy about addressing me properly? Or is this a deliberate game of pushing and pulling? Either way, it's fine. I don't mind."
"…"
'She's completely convinced I want to do that, isn't she?'
"It's getting late. I should head home."
Chisato said his goodbyes.
"Yes, indeed."
Utaha glanced outside. The neon lights were on, and it was completely dark.
"How will you get home?"
"By train."
"Be careful on your way back."
"Got it."
"Oh, and let's exchange contact information."
After swapping contact details, Utaha showed her phone screen to Chisato.
His contact was marked with a special tag at the top, accompanied by a small red heart.
This gesture felt like she was running her soft hair across his chest, making his heart race.
Chisato suppressed his restless thoughts, grabbed his backpack from the sofa, and headed towards the entrance.
Utaha followed him. After he changed his shoes, she called out to him again.
When he turned around, she walked up to him, extending her hands towards his neck.
The girl's fair face was quickly closing in on him, her rosy lips enlarging in his view.
"Wait a second…"
"Don't move."
Instead of a kiss, Utaha simply untied his tie.
"Can I keep this?"
"…You've already untied it."
"So that means you agree. I'm so happy! As a return gift, let me give you something too."
Utaha lifted her right foot and reached down with her right hand, hooking her finger around the top of her over-the-knee sock.
After removing the sock, she stopped and looked up.
"You chose not to stop me, didn't you?"
"As expected of Chisato. Whether in dreams or reality, your preferences are quite unique."
"But let's leave it for today. The socks have been worn all day, so they're not very clean. I'll wash them and give them to you next time."
"…Utaha, are you really listening to me?!"
"Just kidding~ Don't take it too seriously. How about a hug instead?"
Utaha dropped the sock, stepped forward, and wrapped her arms around Chisato's waist.
Ignoring his stiff reaction, she tiptoed and whispered into his ear, her warm breath escaping from her slightly parted lips,
"Next time you come over, I can take you to my room. You'd probably like me in pantyhose even more than these over-the-knee socks, right?"
"!"
She stepped back, hiding the sock behind her, and puffed out her chest.
"I wasn't joking before. Be careful on your way home. Good night."
"…Thanks for the hospitality. Good night."
Feeling a mix of emotions, Chisato wanted to say so much more but ended up saying only a polite farewell before leaving.
As he walked home, about to turn left at an intersection, he glanced back instinctively.
Though the distance made it hard to see clearly, in her uniform, and waving gently as he looked back, there was no doubt it was Utaha.
Back home, after taking a shower, Chisato saw Utaha's message asking if he got home safely.
He replied briefly and then lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, sighing quietly.
Things were slowly drifting away from what he had expected.
Utaha's feelings for him felt real and substantial.
Being near her, hearing her voice, made his heart race uncontrollably. He was unsatisfied and craved more interaction with her...
His mind was a mess, with things seeming to change or not change all at once.
Chisato closed his eyes, rubbed his temples, and then slowly got up.
He opened the Pure Love System interface.
He had completed a task earlier that day and hadn't used the reward yet.
With an extra attribute point to distribute, Chisato thought about the embarrassment of being outpaced in the long run by Kazusa and the hardships he endured on the way to the nurse's office.
He decided to allocate the attribute point to his physical constitution. Now, his basic stats were—
[Physique: 7]
[Sharpness: 6]
[Mental: 6]
[Charm: 8]
The (–1) mark next to his Charm value had disappeared due to the increase in Physique.
He went to the bathroom to check himself in the mirror. He indeed looked a bit more rosy and no longer had that delicate, youthful appearance.
He could also feel that his body was a bit lighter overall. The change was subtle but noticeable.
Next, it was time for the random oddity gift box.
Even though Chisato was prepared for the embarrassment of the Pure Love System's gift box, he still had low expectations for the reward.
But after a burst of light, he was speechless for a while at the sight of the golden reward that appeared.
[Congratulations to the host for receiving a Supreme-Level Swimming Skill Experience Card (1 hour).]
[This is a top-quality golden item with a 1% drop rate! The host's luck is incredible!]
He ignored the system's congratulations.
If this reward were permanent, he might have had a different opinion about the Pure Love System.
But with only one hour, he just shrugged it off.
However, it could be useful as an emergency measure in case of a drowning accident.
Even though the experience card isn't physical, it can be stored in the Pure Love System, so he decided to keep it there for now.
Chisato didn't plan to use the simulator again tonight, but out of habit, he opened the Evil Path Simulator's interface.
To his surprise, the CG feature of the Evil Path Simulator was functioning normally, with the unlocked CG scenes displayed and ready for review.
But the most important simulation screen was prominently marked with the words "System Update."
The simulator was getting an update too?
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