Hikigaya's Inner World of Spring

After fiercely cursing the system, Yukinoshita took a deep breath, gradually calming herself down.

As a smart woman, she knew she needed to think clearly and devise a plan to deal with the situation.

If Hikigaya didn't sleep with Kasumigaoka, the system would penalize her with a deduction of 10,000 points.

Given that her current points barely exceeded 2,000, a penalty would plunge her into negative numbers!

Without a doubt, this would be a significant blow to her efforts thus far.

Yukinoshita clenched her fists. She absolutely couldn't let her points go negative.

But the real question was…

Should she really let Senpai Kasumigaoka sleep with Hikigaya?

Hikigaya was her boyfriend.

Her most cherished person.

Watching her boyfriend roll around in bed with another woman… The mere thought of it made her instinctively brace herself against the wall, bitterness welling up inside her.

Once again, Yukinoshita's thoughts turned to Hikigaya. If this were his problem, how would he handle it?

[Host, there's no need to be so dramatic. Hikigaya Hachiman already kissed Kasumigaoka Utaha, so why should sleeping together bother you?]

"Shut up!"

Yukinoshita snapped at the system, anger flaring in her chest.

[Host, look on the bright side. Hikigaya just rejected Kasumigaoka Utaha's confession, which shows he doesn't like her at all. Even if you orchestrate a scenario where they sleep together, as long as he doesn't fall for her, your position won't be threatened.]

The system projected Hikigaya's current favorability toward Kasumigaoka.

[Hikigaya Hachiman's favorability toward Kasumigaoka Utaha: 58/100]

"58?!" Yukinoshita's eye twitched.

It had only been 35 before, but after one kiss and a confession, his favorability had jumped significantly.

Still, compared to her own 99/100, Yukinoshita found some solace.

Taking another deep breath, she thoughtfully considered the system's logic.

As long as Hikigaya didn't develop genuine feelings for Kasumigaoka, her position wouldn't be at risk. For instance, their recent kiss wasn't voluntary on Hikigaya's part—it was passive. He hadn't acted out of desire.

If Hikigaya wasn't acting willingly, then it didn't count as betrayal!

Even so, her heart was deeply conflicted.

"But… what if sleeping together changes Hikigaya-kun's attitude? What if he falls hopelessly in love with Kasumigaoka-senpai? What will I do then?"

[Hikigaya Hachiman's Corruption Level must reach 100 for him to become infatuated with Kasumigaoka Utaha.]

[Current Corruption Level: 15/100]

Corruption Level—she had nearly forgotten about this mechanic!

"But it's already at 15…" Yukinoshita bit her lip nervously. After just one kiss, Hikigaya's once rock-solid character seemed to be eroding.

[Host, don't worry. Corruption Levels can increase or decrease.]

[After the act, you can comfort Hikigaya Hachiman to lower his Corruption Level. That way, he won't become attached.]

"Huh? Comforting him can reduce Corruption Levels?" Yukinoshita asked, surprised.

[Exactly. At the current 15 points, it's a very safe range. No need to worry excessively.]

[Host, remember: true love leads to intimacy, but intimacy doesn't always mean true love.]

The system's voice was soft and persuasive, like an angel whispering in her ear.

Yukinoshita muttered to herself, "Intimacy doesn't always mean true love… It doesn't mean he'll love her…"

Before she realized it, the system's words were starting to make sense. Slowly but surely, Yukinoshita began to think that Hikigaya and Kasumigaoka sleeping together might not be entirely unacceptable.

As she mulled this over, her gaze landed on a graceful figure stepping out of the women's restroom.

It was Kasumigaoka-senpai.

Finally, after spending so long in there, she decided to come out.

Seeing Kasumigaoka's flushed but icy face, Yukinoshita immediately knew her confession had failed. Clearly, she wasn't in a good mood.

Yukinoshita sighed inwardly, feeling a pang of guilt. After all, her interference had reduced the usually composed and confident senpai to this state.

With a complicated expression, she glanced back toward the restroom.

"Huh? Where's Hikigaya-kun? Why isn't he out yet?"

Frowning, Yukinoshita raised an eyebrow.

Could he have fallen into the toilet?

Deciding to investigate, Yukinoshita stepped out from her hiding spot and walked toward the restroom. There, she found Hikigaya standing blankly at the sink.

What's with this self-deprecating look?

Still, it's kind of cute.

"Hikigaya-kun."

She lightly patted his shoulder.

"Ah!" Hikigaya jumped, startled. When he turned and saw Yukinoshita, his face was filled with shock. "Yu-Yukinoshita?"

Crap!

She almost forgot—she'd been in the restroom a few minutes ago too.

Hikigaya mustn't suspect anything!

Quickly composing herself, Yukinoshita turned on the faucet and spoke nonchalantly, "I just came to wash my hands. Didn't expect to run into you here."

"Oh… yeah… what a coincidence…"

Hikigaya's eyes darted nervously, avoiding her gaze.

Seeing his panicked reaction, Yukinoshita couldn't help but smirk. Knowing he was scared she'd find out about the kiss made her strangely pleased.

With a gentle smile, she said, "Hikigaya-kun, I heard from Kawasaki that you've been spending a lot of time with Kasumigaoka-senpai lately. Looks like you've become friends. Good job!"

"W-Wait, it's not like that…" Hikigaya started to explain, but Yukinoshita suddenly leaned in and kissed him on the lips.

"?!"

Hikigaya froze, his face turning crimson as he stumbled backward. "Yu-Yukinoshita, you…"

Yukinoshita blushed slightly but maintained her smile. "Hehe, that's a little reward for you. If you manage to make three more friends, I'll give you an even bigger reward!"

"A-A bigger reward?!" Hikigaya stammered, his face burning.

[Ding! Hikigaya's Corruption Level has changed.]

[Corruption Level -1]

[Current Corruption Level: 14/100]

Huh? Just a kiss, and his Corruption Level dropped!

Could it be that he felt my love?

Looks like the system was right—if I comfort Hikigaya-kun after everything, he'll focus on me instead of being distracted by other vixens.

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