"Mashiro, anywhere else you want to go?"
Standing outside the karaoke place, Mio opened an umbrella to shade Mashiro from the sun.
Before transmigrating, she'd been an actress. Even with average looks, managing her appearance had still been crucial—so bringing an umbrella outdoors had become one of her habits.
Mashiro tilted her head, thought for a moment, then looked at Mio quietly. "Want... a date."
"You mean date research, right? Leave it to me."
Though Mashiro's words could easily be misunderstood, Mio knew better. This was just part of the research.
Sure, Mio was a single dog, but she'd fantasized countless times about where she'd go on dates if she ever got a girlfriend. Plus, she'd played tons of dating sims—admittedly, most of them were 18+, but in a sense, she had plenty of experience.
It's just that all that experience was tinged with an inexplicable sadness.
Seeing Mio's "I totally get it" expression, Mashiro opened her mouth as if to say something but ultimately stayed silent. She just muttered quietly, "Idiot."
"Hm? Mashiro, did you say something? It was too quiet—I didn't catch it."
"Nothing." Mashiro's face remained expressionless.
"Oh." Mio gave her an odd look but didn't think much of it. She took Mashiro's hand and led her toward a nearby restaurant with good online reviews.
Originally, Mio had wanted to take Mashiro to places like Akihabara or Tokyo Skytree—famous spots that Mashiro, as a returnee from abroad, probably hadn't visited yet. But those places required nearly two hours of travel each way. Four hours round trip, plus they had school tomorrow... so after thinking it over, Mio decided they'd just explore the neighborhood this time.
She'd take Mashiro to those famous spots when they had more time.
Of course, Mio wanted to go herself too.
Before transmigrating, she'd visited Japan for tourism, but each trip had been super short. Now that she finally had plenty of time, she was definitely going to play around properly when she got the chance.
After they sat down at the restaurant and Mio handed the menu to Mashiro, she asked, "You mentioned wanting date research earlier—do you have any specific places in mind?"
"As long as I'm with Mio... that's enough." Mashiro stared at the menu like it held the secrets of the universe, not lifting her head.
Mio had pretty much expected that answer. She propped her chin on one hand and smiled at Mashiro. "In that case, how about we hit up the arcade after this~?"
"I've never played before."
"That's exactly why you should try it, right?"
Before long, the waiter brought out their food. Just as Mashiro was about to dig in, Mio suddenly grabbed her hand.
Mashiro looked over in confusion—only to see Mio holding up her phone, adjusting the angle for a photo.
"Mashiro, scoot closer to me. Let's take a picture."
Hearing that, Mashiro obediently moved beside Mio. Once both their faces were in the frame, Mio snapped the shot.
Looking at the photo they'd just taken, Mio nodded in satisfaction and got ready to post it on social media.
This was something Mio had fantasized her girlfriend would do. Now she was doing it herself, which felt kinda weird—but hey, it was all to help with Mashiro's research, so whatever.
After lunch, Mio brought Mashiro to a nearby arcade.
The moment they walked in, rows and rows of claw machines greeted them.
Mio wasn't really interested in those things, but Mashiro's gaze locked onto one particular machine—or more specifically, onto the cat plushie inside it.
Just as Mio was about to ask if she wanted it...
The system's voice suddenly rang in her ear: "Congratulations, host. You've triggered another task related to Shiina Mashiro."
"Please find a way to get Shiina Mashiro to kiss you before leaving the arcade. Success may result in rewards from the Shiina Mashiro card series or items. Failure will require drawing a punishment deck."
Though it was a kiss-level task, with Mashiro as the target, it basically had zero difficulty.
After thinking briefly, Mio leaned close to Mashiro. "Mashiro, you want that plushie?"
"Mm."
"Kiss me, and I'll get it for you."
Without a moment's hesitation, Mashiro leaned in and planted a kiss on Mio's cheek.
A guy who'd been sneaking glances at the two beauties saw the kiss and his expression turned kinda... complicated.
But that complicated look quickly shifted into one of "thanks for the meal."
Watching two pretty girls being affectionate together? Way better than watching a pretty girl show off with some dude, right?
But wait... if all the pretty girls are pairing off with each other, what's a single dog like him supposed to do?
The guy unconsciously glanced at his buddy standing beside him. His expression turned complicated again.
"Why... why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nothing. Just suddenly realized you've got a pretty decent face."
"???"
Mio, completely focused on Mashiro, didn't notice this little side drama at all. After selecting [Shiina Mashiro's Photographic Memory], she walked over to the claw machine, pulled out some change, and started the battle.
Before transmigrating, she'd practiced claw machines, thinking that once she got a girlfriend, she could impress her with her skills. She'd spent quite a bit of money on it too—until she discovered a pattern: after about thirty attempts, she'd succeed roughly once.
After realizing that, she'd never touched a claw machine again.
She wasn't sure if her old practice would pay off here.
Maybe it was because Mashiro was watching, or maybe her practice actually helped—either way, after just a few tries, Mio successfully grabbed the cat plushie.
Seeing Mashiro hug the plushie, a faint smile tugged at Mio's lips.
"Come on, there's way more fun stuff inside."
"Mm."