Hearing the sudden favorability notification, Suzy paused for a moment—then a bright smile spread across her face.
She was getting closer to sixty points. One step closer to another reward.
The dishes began arriving one after another.
They chatted about everyday things—classes, club activities, trivial campus gossip. Before they realized it, most of the food had been eaten.
All the while, Suzy hesitated. Should she hint to Derek about the apocalypse? She had genuine affection for this junior of hers.
Not only that—there was history between them. The kind forged through shared danger.
About a year ago, the club had organized a hiking trip. A sudden torrential downpour had caught everyone off guard.
Suzy and Derek had ended up stranded in the mountains. They had been trapped for three full days before rescue teams found them.
From that moment on, a deep bond had formed between them. Perhaps that was why, in her dream, Derek had always taken extra care of her.
Even after he later developed feelings for her sister, he had still looked after Suzy within the limits of his ability.
It was only because the Suzy in her dream had gone too far—openly targeting the heroine—that she had driven him away.
Suzy hesitated.
There were still three months before the apocalypse. Was it too early to warn him now?
And more importantly—would he even believe her?
"Senior… is there something you want to say?" Derek seemed to sense her internal struggle and asked gently.
After wavering again and again, Suzy decided to tell him. "Derek, there's something I want to tell you."
She would say it. Whether he believed her or not—that would be his choice.
"Okay. I'm listening." Derek looked at her seriously.
Suzy cleared her throat softly before speaking. "I… have a relative who works at a research institute. They mentioned something to me."
As she spoke, she kept her eyes on him. Seeing that his expression remained attentive and calm, she relaxed slightly.
She continued, "The recent temperatures have been strange. My relative told me to stock up on supplies for a while—especially water. You should probably do the same."
Derek didn't respond immediately. His long lashes lowered as he clearly thought it over.
After a few seconds, he looked up. "I understand. Thank you for telling me."
Suzy nodded.
It seemed he had taken her words to heart. That eased her mind somewhat.
Derek added, "I've actually seen a lot of posts online about abnormal weather lately."
"What do you think?" Suzy asked.
He replied seriously, "Better safe than sorry."
After all, the weather had indeed been bizarre recently. Online, many people were already complaining.
Winter was practically here, yet it was still unbearably hot—something that had never happened before.
Some posts even claimed the apocalypse was coming, laying out seemingly logical analyses and urging people to stock up on supplies.
There was no shortage of such posts, though they didn't generate much widespread discussion.
Mostly, small groups of apocalypse enthusiasts gathered under them, debating what supplies to hoard and how to buy efficiently.
Of course, there were also plenty of people who stumbled across those threads and dismissed them as alarmist nonsense.
After all, similar rumors had appeared countless times in history—and the world had always continued just fine.
Derek had seen quite a few of those posts himself.
He had already felt that the sudden heat was strange. Whenever he encountered discussions about it, he couldn't help but click in and read a little.
The more he clicked, the more the algorithm pushed similar content to him.
And after reading so many detailed analyses, even he had begun to feel that some of the arguments made sense.
Now that Suzy had brought it up in person, it was impossible for him not to take it seriously.
Since Suzy had said it so seriously, Derek naturally believed her.
After all, she had absolutely no reason to lie to him.
Winter break was approaching anyway. Derek planned to start stockpiling supplies once the holiday began.
After dinner, Suzy went to settle the bill—only to be told that Derek had already paid.
"Didn't we agree that I was treating?" Suzy said.
Derek looked at her with a smile. "I'll treat this time. When I go to City C, you can treat me then."
Suzy sighed softly. "Alright."
Since he had already paid, there was nothing she could do.
Originally, she had wanted to see if paying for the meal would trigger the rebate function. It felt like such a waste of a perfect opportunity.
"…Senior, are you unhappy?" Derek had keenly noticed the subtle shift in her expression.
"Not really," Suzy admitted honestly. "It's just that we agreed I'd treat. You paying instead makes me feel a little bad."
Derek glanced around casually and pointed to a nearby shop. "Then how about you buy me milk tea?"
Suzy agreed immediately. She took out her phone and opened the store's mini-program. "What do you want?"
She ordered one for herself first.
Derek tilted his head slightly. "Do you have any recommendations?"
Suzy knew he didn't actually like milk tea. He had only suggested it because he didn't want her to feel awkward.
Her heart warmed instantly.
But such a good rebate opportunity—she wasn't going to let it slip away.
"Then I'll order for you."
She chose a refreshing fruit tea with less sugar and quickly placed the order. They walked toward the shop, and by the time they arrived, the drinks were ready.
Suzy handed him the cup. "Try it."
Derek suppressed the faint curve of his lips and took a sip.
He nodded approvingly. "It's good!"
At the exact same moment, Suzy heard the system notification in her mind.
[Milk Tea Rebate ×10. Items stored in space.]
Her eyes lit up instantly.
Sure enough—as long as Derek consumed even a sip of something she gave him, the rebate activated.
And the definition of "give" probably included her paying for it.
Thinking back to the lavish dinner earlier, Suzy felt a pang of regret. If she had successfully paid, that entire table of dishes would have been returned tenfold.
They strolled around the area a bit longer.
Just before parting ways, Suzy took the game console out of her bag. "Birthday gift." She pressed it into his arms.
Derek froze. He held the gift for a long moment before saying softly, "Senior… today isn't my birthday."
"I know. It's in a week. I'm just giving it to you early," Suzy said.
By then, she would already be in City C and wouldn't be able to give it to him in person. She had considered that when buying it.
"Thank you, Senior." Derek tightened his grip on the box, his eyes flickering with emotion.
"You don't have to be so polite with me. Happy early birthday," Suzy said brightly.
She waited.
But no rebate notification came.
Logically, Derek had accepted her gift. Shouldn't that count?
Or… perhaps the so-called consumption rebate only applied to food?
Suzy felt a bit disappointed.
But then again—if it only worked on food, that was already incredibly powerful.
After all, in the apocalypse, food would be more valuable than gold. The ultimate hard currency.
Just as she was adjusting to that thought, the system chimed again.
[Derek Martin's favorability has reached 60 points.]
[Congratulations, Host. You have earned one lottery draw. Do you want to use it now?]