Kotomi Energy

As Kotomi returned with the dorayaki she bought for Iroha Isshiki, she handed the bag to her, "Here's your dorayaki."

"Senpai, feed me~" Iroha teased playfully.

"I could feed you with my mouth. Would you dare eat it?"

Faced with Iroha's mischievous nature, Kotomi naturally wouldn't hold back. When dealing with a teasing imp like Iroha, you had to be even bolder than she was!

Don't ask why someone who's never dated has such good flirting skills. Haven't you ever heard of not eating pork but still watching pigs run? Kotomi thought proudly, reflecting on the countless galgames she'd played in her previous life. Those games had piled up like a mountain!

"I-I dare..." Iroha began, but before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly felt a chilling gaze on her, like a blade gleaming with cold light—the piercing look came from Aimi, Kotomi's sister.

Iroha immediately grabbed a dorayaki from the bag and began quietly eating it, her voice now small as she muttered, "I don't dare!"

Though her voice was low, she sounded resolute.

Kotomi hadn't realized that Iroha had been scared off by Aimi, and she couldn't help but laugh. This girl, Iroha, was really something.

"Senpai, I don't really like taro-flavored dorayaki. I prefer red bean paste," Iroha murmured softly.

"Huh? Really? I didn't know you liked red bean paste."

"Senpai, what flavor of dorayaki do you like?"

"Red bean paste."

"Wow, Senpai, we have the same taste! Normally, in situations like this, aren't you supposed to buy the flavor you like for the girl? Then, when you find out you share the same taste, you're supposed to secretly feel happy about it."

"I bought taro-flavored because Aimi likes it. Every time I buy dorayaki, I get one bag of red bean paste for me and one bag of taro for Aimi. I didn't know what you liked, so I just bought taro-flavored out of habit," Kotomi explained casually.

She hadn't thought to ask Iroha about her preferences beforehand and had simply bought what she was used to getting.

"Oh~ Senpai, you're such a good sister," Iroha remarked playfully.

Hearing this, Aimi's face flushed a little, and her heart swelled with sweetness, as if she'd just tasted her favorite candy. She quietly hugged Kotomi's arm.

"Aimi, why are you suddenly hugging me?" Kotomi asked.

"I'm a bit tired, so I just want to hold your arm and rest for a bit. Can't I?" Aimi playfully pouted.

At times like these, when someone asked, "Can't I?" you had to firmly say, "Of course!"

On the way home, Kotomi had no choice but to carry the grocery bags filled with ingredients for dinner in one hand, while her other hand was held tightly by Aimi.

"I wish I could hug Senpai too," Iroha said enviously, walking beside them.

"I'll pass on that," Kotomi quickly declined. The last thing she wanted was to walk down the street in her school uniform and attract unnecessary attention.

"Wow, Host... I mean, Kotomi, your sister really loves to be clingy, just like you said," Kazumi chimed in, grinning as she watched the scene unfold.

Halfway home, Iroha had to take another path to go back to her house, so she left first.

After parting ways with Iroha, Kotomi and Aimi soon arrived at their house.

Kazumi, ever the actress, played along until the end. She said her farewells as if she had to go home, walking away until she was far enough, waiting for Kotomi and Aimi to go inside. Then, in a flash, she would teleport straight into Kotomi's room.

However, just as Kazumi stopped to wait, she suddenly felt a wave of dizziness, as if the world was spinning. She almost fell but managed to steady herself by leaning against a wall.

Slowly pushing herself up, Kazumi rubbed her head, smiling weakly. "I'm feeling a bit dizzy. I guess systems really can't be too far from their hosts."

For humanoid systems like her, being too far away from their host would result in physical discomfort. To relieve this discomfort, she needed to quickly return to the host's side and, more importantly, stay closely attached for at least thirty minutes.

In simple terms, she had to "recharge" by hugging Kotomi.

Recognizing the symptoms, Kazumi didn't force herself to wait any longer. She flashed back into Kotomi's bedroom at once.

As luck would have it, Kotomi had just entered her room and was in the middle of undressing to take a bath. She was down to nothing but her white stockings and two pieces of intimate clothing.

The upper piece was pure white, and the lower piece was a cute blue and white.

"Kazumi, you're ba—"

Before Kotomi could finish her sentence, Kazumi rushed over and hugged her tightly.

"Ts-Kazumi?! What are you doing?" Kotomi's voice trembled with a mixture of confusion and embarrassment at the sudden embrace.

"Shhh... Systems can't be too far from their hosts for too long. I moved away earlier to avoid arousing Aimi's suspicion, but now I need to recharge with Kotomi energy."

Kazumi's voice was so weak and delicate that Kotomi couldn't help but feel sorry for her, allowing Kazumi to hold her tightly.

But Kotomi was still curious—what exactly was "Kotomi energy"?

"What's this 'Kotomi energy' thing?" Kotomi asked while subconsciously hugging Kazumi back, forgetting that she was still in just her stockings and underwear.

"I made it up. It just means I need to hug you for about half an hour to recharge."

"Half an hour?!"

Upon hearing that, Kotomi quickly locked the door and carried Kazumi back to her bed. Standing there being hugged for half an hour would definitely leave her legs numb!

What if Aimi suddenly walked in during that time? So, being cautious, Kotomi made sure to lock the door first.

"Turns out, systems do get weak when they're too far from their hosts," Kotomi murmured as she looked at Kazumi, who was dozing off in her arms, her eyes half-closed.

"That's right. Normally, systems don't stray far from their hosts. More mature systems never leave the host's body at all."

"So, are you saying you're an immature system?" Kotomi teased.

"Yeah, you could say that. After all, I'm only three years old in system years. But don't treat me like a kid! In human years, I'd be about 300!" Kazumi replied, trying to sound serious.

"What were you doing during those first 297 years?" Kotomi couldn't help but laugh.

"Going to system kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school, then college. After that, I had to take the System Qualification Exams—subjects one, two, three, and four. Oh, and I failed subject two eighteen times, so this is my first year officially working as a system. You're my first host, Kotomi. We're both lucky, aren't we?"

"I'm more curious about how you managed to fail subject two eighteen times."

"Well, I missed the exam ten times."

"And the other eight?"

"The first seven were failed attempts. I barely passed on the eighth try. But hey, I got my license! Isn't that awesome?" Kazumi declared proudly, despite her weakness.

"In some strange way... yeah, I guess it is," Kotomi sighed, amused by Kazumi's earnestness.