Chapter 322 – Nagasaki Suyo: No… My Shōko Has Been Tainted by a Man…
[Ding. Top-tier premium target detected: Toyokawa Shōko. Auto Affection Protocol is about to initializing.]
Yukinoshita was lounging on the sofa, leisurely reading one of the lovey-dovey books the system had provided her, when suddenly a system prompt startled her out of her calm.
"Eh!?"
Startled, she quickly sat upright, her brow furrowing.
"...Top-tier premium target? Toyokawa Shōko??"
[Toyokawa Shōko ranks comparable to Megumi Katō in quality, though slightly below your mother.]
"That's insane!"
Yukinoshita was visibly shocked.
"Toyokawa Shōko... but I don't think we have any student like that in Sōbu High."
Could she be from another school?
Yukinoshita kept searching her memory as she examined the system's model profile of Toyokawa Shōko, but no matching name came up from Sōbu High.
"Oh—wait!"
She suddenly realized something alarming in what the system had just said.
"What did you just say? Automatic affection? Between my Hikigaya-kun and this Toyokawa Shōko girl?"
[Correct.]
"No force intimate card needed?"
[None.]
"So just… one sentence is enough?"
[Yes.]
Nani?!
What are you, evolving from caveman to Trisolaran?!
"You've… evolved?"
[Due to the host's outstanding recent performance, this system has undergone a minor upgrade.]
"I see!"
Yukinoshita's eyes sparkled.
"So does that mean in the future, you can automatic affection events with other girls for my Hikigaya-kun while I sit back?"
[The host is thinking too far ahead. Automatic affection only activates for girls deemed extremely high-value by the system after a thorough evaluation.]
"Sigh…"
[A friendly reminder: activating this function still requires a payment of 5,000 points from the host.]
"Wait, what? H-How much?!"
Yukinoshita's jaw dropped in disbelief.
"Are you insane?! 5,000 points?! That's robbery!"
[Please remain calm. After a thorough assessment, the system deems 5,000 points a perfectly reasonable investment. It guarantees profit, not loss.]
"Profit? You mean I'll get over 10,000 points in return?"
[No. Estimated gain is around 300 points. 500, if it goes well.]
"???"
Yukinoshita was speechless, black lines forming on her forehead.
[Listen, Fukukawa Shoko is a long-term investment. Once Hikigaya Hachiman interacts with her, this system can guarantee that the host will earn more points in the future. The value far exceeds the 5000 points.]
[Moreover, as a top-tier affection target, her value far surpasses 5000 points. After establishing contact with her, if the two of them end up in bed, the points earned will be very considerable.]
[Host, this is a golden opportunity. They just so happen to meet—don't let it go to waste.]
[A small cost for a brilliant future—isn't that worth it?]
The system's tone was endlessly persuasive.
Yukinoshita fell silent.
Of course she had a strong will and wouldn't be easily swayed—5,000 points wasn't a small price. Just getting that much back took several sleepless nights of Hikigaya flirting with upperclassman Kawasaki!
Still…
As the system said, you can't catch a wolf without sacrificing a lamb.
After thinking it through, Yukinoshita decided to give it a try. The system hadn't seriously betrayed her trust yet, so it was worth the risk.
But still… it hurt.
She muttered to herself, You'd better make this worth it.
I want more, and more, and more points!
Clenching her teeth with a look of painful determination, she said, "Fine. Start the automatic affection."
[Ding. 5,000 points deducted.]
[Ding. Automatic Affection between Hikigaya Hachiman and Toyokawa Shōko has begun...]
---
Meanwhile—
On stage, Hoshino Ai and the other idols were singing with wild enthusiasm.
The song had reached its climax, and the crowd was going wild.
Most of the audience had risen from their seats, holding up glowsticks and cheering with every ounce of energy.
The audience area, already cramped, became a sea of excited bodies pressing in on each other. But no one seemed to mind—they thrived on this chaos.
Toyokawa Shōko, swept up in the excitement, stood and began to sing along too.
However—
The fan on her right got way too into it, and without realizing, bumped into her hard.
Shōko lost her balance and stumbled leftward—straight toward Hikigaya.
It all happened in an instant.
Shōko's eyes widened in horror, while Hikigaya, distractedly watching the performance, didn't notice the beautiful girl barreling toward him.
By the time he turned his head, her face was already incoming—like a missile.
"???"
What's happening?!
W-Wait—don't come any closer!
Too fast.
Too sudden.
Neither of them had time to react.
And in the next moment, their lips—
Touched.
Hikigaya: "!!!"
Toyokawa Shōko: "???"
They stared at each other, frozen, faces burning with embarrassment.
Thanks to the frenzied atmosphere, almost no one in the crowd noticed this accidental kiss.
Almost no one…
"Oh ho~"
Komachi-chan's eyes twinkled as she watched her big brother kiss his "future sister-in-law."
Meanwhile, on stage—
Hoshino Ai had never taken her eyes off Hikigaya.
And now, seeing him kiss her best friend…
She nearly lost it on the spot.
She almost threw the mic.
Only her absurd mental fortitude allowed her to quickly compose herself, plastering a smile back on and continuing the performance like nothing had happened.
But—
Her gaze never once left the two of them.
She stared straight at them, openly, not bothering to hide her intensity.
In her eyes, a strange glint flickered—
A dangerous one.
At the very back of the audience—
Another pair of eyes had seen everything.
"W-Wait…"
Frozen in disbelief, Nagasaki Suyo trembled, clutching the edge of her seat with white knuckles, her entire body shaking.
"N-No… Don't… don't touch my Shōko… no…"