In practice, I can issue tasks to my master.

Honami Ichinose patted her chest with lingering fear, but she knew it wasn't time to relax yet.

Because there is a second level.

...

...

At this moment.

Looking at the women's underwear hanging brightly in the bathroom, Nangong Cheng felt a strange calm.

Hehe, you, Honami Ichinose, don't actually think that Makoto is a pure-hearted little chef, do you?

No way?

It seems he's been too good to you lately, and now he needs to control you so you know who's in charge.

[Mission issued: Nangong Cheng has entered the bathroom. He noticed that you deliberately left your underwear there. Please immediately go to the bathroom door and observe his reaction—but be careful not to let Nangong Cheng see you.]

[Task Reward: 1000 points]

[Punishment for mission failure: Enter the bathroom and explain to Nangong Cheng why you deliberately left your underwear behind.]

"You've really gone too far."

Nangong Cheng muttered something to himself.

He stepped into the bathtub, closed his eyes, lay on his back, clasped his hands together in a prayer-like gesture, gathering his emotions, preparing to unleash his inner cunning and trick Ichinose Honami.

After a long silence, he spoke.

"I really want to be Honami's mom's dog~"

"I'm so lucky that someone as perfect as Honami's mom exists in this world~"

"But I still really want to rub my head against her soft, fragrant little feet 24 hours a day, to snuggle in her arms and sleep every night, to hear her gentle, doting voice 24 hours a day, and to be watched by her tender, loving gaze 24 hours a day..."

"But, it won't work..."

“Doing this will definitely scare Fanbo’s mom. She will definitely think I am a greedy, unruly dog ​​and then abandon me.”

"Just as the West cannot lose Jerusalem, I cannot lose my mother, Fanbo."

"Ah~ Honami-mama~ Honami-mama~ Why are you so cruel to me!"

"But! But! Do you know how cruelly you were tempting me when you appeared in front of me right after showering, wearing only a towel, saying it was normal, deliberately leaving your clothes in the bathroom and then calling me to shower?!"

"You are forcing a man, forcing a physically healthy man to make a mistake!"

"You know! You definitely know I like you! You're just torturing me on purpose, aren't you! You just love seeing me so desperate for you yet unable to do anything about it, don't you!"

"Then I'll defy your wishes!"

"..."

With his intermediate acting skills in hand and having already prepared himself mentally, Nangong Cheng was naturally able to keep his composure and deliver these sugary lines.

While maintaining this exaggerated, abstract, and even morbidly eccentric monologue, he kept his gaze fixed on the bathroom door.

Unexpectedly, the effects of the three-stage [gene enhancement] were manifesting at this moment—

It seems the girl is also suppressing her feelings.

However, it's not entirely Ichinose Honami's fault.

Firstly, it's only human nature; secondly, his performance was so exaggerated and forceful, as if he was about to sing "Spring Shadow" at any moment.

It's normal for an innocent young girl to be unable to resist.

But don't think that's the end of it.

There is a third level.

[Mission issued: You have discovered a secret that Nangong Cheng has been hiding. Now it's time for you to make a choice—rush into the bathroom to help with tutoring, or pretend nothing happened and quietly leave?]

[Task Reward: 3000 points / 100 points]

[Punishment for mission failure: None]

[Note: Your choice will greatly affect your bond with Nangong Cheng, so please choose carefully.]

Volume 1: Chapter 70, Honami Ichinose's Tutoring Session

Outside the bathroom door.

Honami Ichinose was dumbfounded.

How can one describe her feelings at this moment...?

shock?

That emotion must exist.

After all, she had never even heard of such a thing before, let alone experienced it firsthand.

Especially since the person who did this was a boy she already had some feelings for.

This is truly...heartbreaking.

What other emotions were there besides shock?

There's probably still some confusion.

Even setting aside the mission, she herself didn't know whether she should actively stumble upon this scene or simply leave as if nothing had happened.

It would be incredibly embarrassing if someone broke it.

What expression should I make? What should I say?

Should she stop Nangong Cheng's actions, or should she do as the mission instructed...?

Nangong Cheng's voice was still ringing in my ears.

Even though Ichinose Honami didn't know much about boys, she could still use her innate human imagination to conjure up the scene in the bathroom at that moment—

Nangong Cheng held his personal clothing...

At this moment, besides feeling shy, she also vaguely felt a kind of joy that could perhaps be described as "being treated as a woman".

So what should she do now?

If you choose the former... those 3000 points aren't so easy to get, after all, the word "tutoring" used in the task description is quite subtle.

We also need to consider the risks of doing this, namely, how Nangong Cheng will react.

Social death? Mental breakdown?

Or did his desire completely overwhelm him, leading him to take advantage of her?

It's all possible.

But if you choose the latter...

That is, to act as if nothing happened and choose to leave.

As long as she pretends to be unaware of the matter and finds an excuse to explain the issue of underwear, she believes that she and Nangong Cheng will most likely still be able to get along normally.

This may not be the most correct choice, but it is certainly the choice that will not lead to mistakes.

"Hey……"

The girl let out a suppressed sigh.

This is not the situation she wanted to see.

Honami Ichinose had planned to ask Makoto Nanami why he left his underwear in the bathroom after he finished showering, but she never expected it to be like this...

"But... has Nangong-jun always had these kinds of feelings for me all along?"

"The reason they used a student council spot to make a deal with me and then called me 'Mom' was probably also because..."

"As expected... he's a boy after all..."

"These little gestures are so cute!"

Honami Ichinose felt that she had gained another insight.

However, she didn't consider the possibility that Nangong Cheng was actually acting. After all, being inexperienced, she felt that such a thing couldn't be done unless it was a genuine expression of emotion.

Thus, a subtle misunderstanding arose.

"Whether you're a mother, a wife, or a sister, you can't choose to turn a blind eye to this."

Because she had heard her mother say it.

Boys do experience these kinds of worries during puberty, and suppressing them can be bad for their health.

Therefore, since she caused the problem, she is the one who needs to solve it.

"Whoo~~~"

"Whoo~~~"

Honami Ichinose clenched her small hands and pressed them against her chest, taking deep breaths repeatedly, trying her best to keep herself calm.

Then he reached out and pressed his hand against the glass door of the bathroom.

Pull hard—

"Splash—"

She pushed open the glass door to the bathroom, but the scene that appeared before her eyes was completely different from what she had imagined.

Nangong Cheng lay in the bathtub with nothing in her hands, taking a bath as usual, and the clothes she had changed out of were still in the same place in her memory.

But what she heard before... couldn't have been just a hallucination caused by her excessive delusions, could it?

“Nan, Lord Nangong…”

"I just heard you... say some strange things outside the door, so I..."

At this moment, Honami Ichinose felt far more embarrassed than shy.

Seeing Nangong Cheng's panicked expression, she wanted to explain further, but he raised his hand to interrupt her.

"Ichi, Ichinose's mother..."

"You...you heard everything?"

Nangong Cheng was still acting, of course.

He maintained a panicked expression, and his tone carried a fear he had never shown in front of Ichinose Honami before.

"I, I... I didn't mean to..."

"Please don't hate me... I really... I just can't help it..."

He even added a sobbing tone.

It's a bit exaggerated, but as long as it works, that's fine.

You can tell just by looking at Honami Ichinose's reaction.

As long as he acts more embarrassed, then Honami Ichinose won't feel embarrassed.

"It's okay~"

Honami Ichinose did indeed calm down.

After all, just being embarrassed won't help.

Now that she's already barged in, she naturally has to get on with what needs to be done.

"Nangong Jun, don't be afraid~"

"Mom knows this is only natural, so Mom won't blame you."

As she spoke, Honami Ichinose stepped forward and came to the edge of the bathtub.

Then she reached out her hand.

Her ears immediately turned bright red.

"It must be really upsetting to be interrupted like this, right? Let Mom help you."

"This...this isn't appropriate."