Miura Koharu was certain there was a choice branch in the game related to Kondo Haruka.
But she couldn’t remember the details.
——Her memory felt covered in a thin mist, like a CG in the game that hadn’t been unlocked, only showing a faint layer of hazy static.
“……Hm?”
Miura Koharu frowned.
What was going on.
It was a bit subtle……and felt a little different from simply ‘not remembering’?
The memory was there in her mind, but for some reason, she just couldn’t ‘see clearly’ what was inside it.
“Ugh……”
[If there’s nothing else, I’ll prepare to go elsewhere.]
While the girl was lost in thought, the System spoke, as if timing its words perfectly.
[The Compute Power here has already been recovered; as compensation for the earlier Data Log upload interruption, I’ve split off a trivial amount of Compute Power to create some new functions for you.]
[You can take a closer look after you get Home.]
As it spoke, the floating display screen in midair seemed to become more and more transparent.
Miura Koharu’s eyes widened instantly.
“Eh—wait!”
However, before she could say more, the transparency of the screen increased rapidly—and then it disappeared entirely.
It really felt like it was running away……the System vanished before Miura Koharu’s eyes.
“……”
The empty street was once again left with only Miura Koharu.
What was different from before was that she could clearly feel the flow of the wind, the rustling of leaves, and a soda can rolling down the slope along the ground.
The heavy sensation in the air was gone as well—the flow of time resumed in this area.
Miura Koharu narrowed her eyes.
……Wasn’t it the System? Was there even any reason to be afraid of me?
Come to think of it.
——The System’s attitude felt different from the beginning?
“The first time we met……it was a lot colder than just now……right?”
Recalling the two conversations, Miura Koharu couldn’t be sure.
After all, the voice was always a synthetic electronic sound; she could only infer things like ‘tone’ from the text displayed.
It was hard to say if it felt softer because the System had been threatened this time, or if her impression was just different from before.
Miura Koharu pressed her lips together.
“——Ring ring~”
As she was thinking, a bicycle bell sounded from the road behind her, and Miura Koharu quickly snapped back to her senses, moving to the side of the street.
“……Ugh……it’s probably meaningless anyway.”
Watching a student ride away on a bicycle until they disappeared from view, Miura Koharu sighed.
Since the System had said it would respond ‘outside of working hours,’ it meant there would be more chances to contact it in the future.
Besides, compared to the weirdness with the System, what she needed to do next was more important.
“Haa—might as well just go Home.”
Sports Day, huh.
As she walked Home, Miura Koharu continued the unfinished train of thought.
She was certain Sports Day was a key event directly connected to Kondo Haruka.
But for some reason, she couldn’t remember the specifics right now.
That wasn’t good news.
If things stayed this way up to the eve of Sports Day, she’d have no choice but to improvise during the event.
……And the less prepared she was, the more likely things would go wrong.
If she really knew nothing until the day of, how would she manage even if she tried to react on the spot?
Other than restricting Kanzaki Sou’s actions, was there any other way—did that mean she’d have to watch him constantly?
That would be too weird, completely unjustifiable.
He was in Class 1, she was in Class (5)—there was no reason to spend the entire Sports Day together.
If she kept staring at him the whole time, people would definitely think it was strange.
“……No, come to think of it, compared to being thought of as weird or suffering social death, losing my life is even less acceptable.”
If it was only during Sports Day, and suffering social death could keep her alive, Miura Koharu felt she’d try it—if there was no other way.
After all, if there was no alternative, not suffering social death just meant actual death.
“This is so unreasonable……”
She happened to reach her front door, and as her thoughts reached this point, the mix of ‘finally able to rest’ and ‘emotionally exhausted’ hit her, making Miura Koharu feel a wave of fatigue.
“——I’m back……”
Even her tone for the standard line was more half-hearted than usual, as she pushed open the entrance.
“……What is this.”
——After eating and taking a bath, Miura Koharu returned to her room.
Speaking of resting, she always preferred her own small space to the empty Living Room.
After all, the whole house was a temporary place for her—no matter how many years she lived there, she still felt no sense of belonging.
At most, it felt like a ‘convenient resting spot.’
Only this room gave her a slight sense of relaxation.
Maybe it was because the built-in layout and style were similar to her room in real life, giving her a familiar vibe.
……So, with a warm, wrung-out towel draped over her shoulders, the moment she stepped in, Miura Koharu sharply sensed something different.
There was something new.
More precisely, there was a new ‘thing.’
It was as if it was trying to draw attention to itself—the Wardrobe Mirror, usually embedded in the wall, was now glowing with sparkling lights, just as described.
……It was like in a Japanese RPG, where items you’re meant to interact with are marked with a cross-shaped gleam to prompt Players to explore.
“What the heck, this wasn’t here before, was it?”
Miura Koharu walked closer, and the mirror still didn’t reflect her image as before.
“Hm?”
Growing more curious, Miura Koharu stood directly in front of the mirror, staring at the matte surface.
And then something completely unexpected happened.
The mirror didn’t show her reflection—instead, a floating window appeared.
“……Out—Outfit Change??”
She stared blankly at the content displayed in the window, taking several seconds before she managed to call out those two clear words.
——It was actually Outfit Change?!
She’d searched for pajamas before, so Miura Koharu knew there were lots of clothes in the closet, but she’d never dared to look too closely.
Because there weren’t just outerwear and one-piece uniforms, but also some obviously feminine, light inner garments.
It was too much stimulation for her……every glance felt like a reminder of her current physical state—so much so that Miura Koharu had taken to changing clothes with her eyes closed most of the time.
She really couldn’t bear to look……the first time had been a shock she’d never forgotten.
But what was this supposed to be now.
The mirror wasn’t like this before.
……A floating window at the top displayed ‘Outfit Change,’ and beneath it were several sets of cute, light, girlish daily outfits.
“……”
Miura Koharu’s eyes widened as she stared at the clothes for several seconds.
……Then, almost as if possessed, she selected the ‘More’ option to the side.
A new sub-window floated over the original ‘Outfit Change’ window, displaying ‘More’ clothing, accessory, and even subdivided options.
There were tops, bottoms, accessories……and even a separate underwear section.
The moment she saw that pile of brightly colored women’s underwear, Miura Koharu instantly averted her gaze in fright.
“……What is this——”
Just as she voiced her confusion, Miura Koharu suddenly stopped.
……Before disappearing, the System had said it spent Compute Power to ‘create some new functions’ for her, and told her to ‘take a closer look after going Home.’
“——Could it be……”
Miura Koharu looked once more at the Wardrobe Mirror before her, now like a Pandora’s Box.
……Was this the new function??
No—what would she even use this for?! It’s not like she planned on playing dress-up as a girl or anything!!