I had a somewhat strange dream.
In the dream, there was a darkness that seemed impossible to ever fully traverse.
I was holding Soga Yura's hand. My older sister gripped my hand tightly, completely contrary to her usual demeanor—cold as frost, like a flower on a high peak.
Instead... that shrinking, fearful expression made Su Yuzu think of a cute puppy.
I couldn't help but want to pinch the girl's mouth to bully her, watching her whimper between my fingers.
Then, I wiped the fingertips stained with bits of saliva across her face.
Pretending as if nothing had happened, I held her hand again and stepped into the darkness that seemed to have no end.
...
Su Yuzu opened her eyes.
The air was filled with the unique smell of hospital disinfectant.
Sunlight cascaded through the blinds, passing through the vibrant leaves of the green plants on the windowsill. The warm early spring sunlight spilled onto the snow-white sheets, and also onto... the tips of Kujou Katora's hair as she rested by the bedside.
Su Yuzu was holding Kujou Katora's left hand.
The soft little hand of her sister she held in the dream actually belonged to 'The Empire's Hound' before her.
Su Yuzu tightened her grip on Kujou Katora's hand slightly.
The girl resting quietly by the hospital bed.
After shedding that overly constricting black silk outfit and changing into a sweater that was slightly reserved but outlined her body lines very easily, Kujou Katora's figure was actually even better than Su Yuzu had imagined.
The girl piled the heavy burden of her chest on the edge of the mattress.
Accompanied by the girl's lightly trembling breath, her long eyelashes quivered. The slightly curled tips of her lashes turned upward, making one want to plant a light kiss on them.
Closing her eyes to rest, Kujou Katora showed none of the frenzy she revealed when fighting or facing anyone other than Yuzu.
On the contrary—
Su Yuzu even felt... if Kujou Katora were properly dressed up, the alluring temperament overflowing from the girl would definitely surprise everyone, perhaps making her unrecognizable.
Holding Kujou Katora's hand tightly, letting the girl use her arm as a pillow.
Su Yuzu operated 'Operator Development' somewhat unaccustomedly with her left hand.
Kujou Katora's chibi figure was also lying cutely at the bedside, except that at the corner of the chibi Kujou Katora's mouth, a crystal-clear drop of drool was extending and retracting rhythmically.
Besides that... above the chibi Kujou Katora's head, the 'Develop' icon also
lit up.
It was already the second day.
After hesitating for a moment, Su Yuzu dismissed all those icons.
Although... sneaking an attack while the girl was napping was indeed a rare opportunity, and she might capture
a quite interesting scene.
However... seeing Kujou Katora insisting on resting by
her bedside despite being so heavily injured yesterday, Su Yuzu really found it hard to do it.
Of course—
Another tiny reason was... this is a hospital.
Su Yuzu looked at the soft sweater on Kujou Katora.
If the sneak attack frightened the girl too much, there were no clothes in the hospital for Kujou Katora to change into.
Except for... hospital gowns.
Although she had a wicked hobby of bullying girls.
She liked watching girls feel so ashamed under her various teases that they wanted to die, yet had to pretend nothing happened in front of others, only able to pitifully signal for mercy with their eyes.
But—
Things that would truly make a girl make a fool of herself.
Su Yuzu still found hard to do.
The hand flipping through the 'Operator Index' suddenly stopped, and Su Yuzu tapped into her own character portrait.
[Su Yuzu (Soga Yuzu).]
[Level 10 - Hand of Paradox User 'Waiting for Breakthrough'.]
[Blood Manipulation (5%).]
[Dominator's Aegis (50%).]
[...]
After killing the Third Sequence Chimera Amalgam, her ability was ready to step into the ranks of the First Sequence at any time. From then on, she would formally become an Esper.
Honestly, Su Yuzu still didn't quite understand.
After all, there was no setting for leveling up through combat in the game.
Fighting with Operators could at most increase favorability; if one wanted to level up, one still had to honestly
train or chew on 'Combat Records'.
But... she had obtained a certain degree of ability improvement after defeating Aberrants and Chimera Amalgams three times.
Could it be that she possessed an attribute where defeating Abyss-side Aberrants or monsters granted experience
?
If there was a chance, Su Yuzu really wanted to test it to verify her conjecture.
And... she believed the opportunity wouldn't be too far off.
She took stock of the materials column.
Yesterday, after killing that Chimera Amalgam, her mental power was nearly exhausted, and she couldn't even hear the mechanical woman's voice of the system notification clearly.
In the end, her consciousness was so blurry she even saw Soga Yura.
In a trance, she had also tapped 'Develop'.
How was that possible.
She had seen that guy playing cool in the rain on the roof earlier, looking like an idiot. How could... Before the thought fully settled, Su Yuzu looked into the materials column.
Lying next to the 'Primary Combat Records' and 'First Sequence Promotion Emblem'... were two neatly arranged dark golden gilded cards.
They looked almost no different from 'Primary Combat Records'.
But the size was slightly larger, and the patterns on the edges of the hard cards were more exquisite.
This was... 'Primary Combat Records'.
And two of them.
Su Yuzu swiped open the log directly and scrolled up.
[Ding—]
[Develop Soga Yura successful.]
[Soga Yura Combat Experience increased.]
[Level 39 - Mind Control User Experience: 99% → 99%.]
]
[Develop: Soga Yura Favorability +1.]
[Favorability: 99 (Doting) → 99 (Doting)]
[Favorability Increase Reward Obtained: Little Sister Attribute Bath Towel.]
[Compensation for development materials consumed acquired.]
['Primary Combat Records' *2.]
[...]
Su Yuzu's small face suddenly darkened a bit.
Leaving aside Soga Yura's experience points that had clearly reached the cap and the favorability that was estimated to be hard to advance further for the time being.
That... Little Sister Attribute Bath Towel, what exactly is that about?
Does this world really have such strange things?
The originally cold and annoying image of Soga Yura suddenly began to fluctuate back and forth in Su Yuzu's heart
.
Originally, because of Soga Yura's high favorability of 99 points, she planned to sound her out next month on Soga Yura's birthday.
But... after seeing the body pillow suspected to be her portrait in the arms of Soga Yura's chibi figure, Su Yuzu suddenly had strong doubts about Soga Yura's personality.
Could this guy be some kind of pervert?
Now... looking at Soga Yura's favorability increase reward.
This matter couldn't be thought about in detail.
However, it seemed very interesting.
The corners of her mouth rose slightly, and Su Yuzu smiled simply wickedly, as if she had seized some interesting leverage.
Countless ways to play had already come to mind in the girl's head.
"Mmph..." Opening her eyes hazily.
Kujou Katora looked at the girl smiling in the sunlight.
Yuzu revealing a 'heartwarming' smile in the sunlight... was simply like an angel walking out of a painting.
She loathed the Soga family's blindness and Soga Yura's indifference even more.
Kujou Katora whispered softly, gripping Su Yuzu's hand tightly, "Morning..."
________________________________________
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