“Don’t drink that! That’s—”
Before Rin Tachibana in his mind could finish warning Natsuki not to drink the beverage, he’d already taken it and downed a gulp.
After finishing, he smacked his lips, licked them to moisten the dry parts, and gave a satisfied sound.
“This drink is actually pretty good—sweet and tangy. But it doesn’t really quench your thirst, and it kind of tastes like an alcoholic beverage.”
After that brief review, Natsuki finally asked the question.
“Is something wrong with this water?”
The moment those words left his mouth, Natsukawa Mirai’s expression froze for a split second. She quickly composed herself and waved her hands frantically.
“Of course not! You’re in Rin-chan’s body right now. Even if I wanted to hurt you, I wouldn’t hurt her.”
Natsuki just nodded in acknowledgment. Her reasoning matched his own—with this body as a shield, there was no way she’d try anything harmful.
But Rin Tachibana herself, in his head, seemed way too agitated.
Natsuki hadn’t actually been asking Mirai, but Rin. He just hadn’t used a name, so Mirai mistakenly thought the question was for her.
“Problem? It’s more than just a problem!”
Rin’s voice trembled, like she was grinding her teeth in fury.
“That idiot Mirai—I treated her like a friend, and she goes and makes me drink her saliva! How dare she!!!”
Her what…?
Saliva?!
That little jar was filled with Natsukawa Mirai’s spit?!
Natsuki was stunned. Completely floored.
Who the hell stores their own saliva in a jar?!
Like, girl, is this some kind of hobby?!
Natsuki stared at Mirai’s innocent-looking face with a deeply weirded-out expression.
She seemed so cute and pure—how could she have a fetish like this?!
Sure, she was a pretty girl, but Natsuki wasn’t that depraved.
He hadn’t reached the level of certain degenerates who’d brew tea with someone’s underwear or worship every little thing a beautiful girl produced.
Like that one white-haired witch who stomped grapes for wine with her feet?
Just as his stomach started to churn and he felt nauseous, Rin’s voice cut through again.
“Next time, I’m making kuchikamizake and making her drink it too! I’ll have my revenge!”
Huh?
Kuchikamizake?
Isn’t that just chewed-up rice spit?
Well… yeah, pretty much. Calling it saliva isn’t entirely wrong…
But the level of acceptance between the two is very different. At least the nausea that had surged up in Natsuki had already subsided quite a bit.
Your stomach has withdrawn its complaint.
Wait… isn’t kuchikamizake supposed to be obsolete by now? With modern brewing techniques so advanced, this kind of female-labor-intensive sake should’ve been phased out ages ago.
Suddenly, Natsuki glanced at the red-and-white miko outfit Mirai was wearing.
Could this girl actually be a real shrine maiden?
What she said earlier about being a shrine maiden might actually be true? Was she about to pull out a self-igniting talisman and slap it on his forehead, sending his soul—transplanted into this body by the system—straight to oblivion?
Eesh. Just thinking about it sent a chill down his spine.
Natsuki’s gaze toward Mirai shifted. He felt he shouldn’t push her too far. Better safe than sorry.
Little did Mirai, a firm believer in materialist science, know that she was being imagined as an unscientific shrine maiden by this “wizard” who possessed a system—something far from scientific itself.
She noticed his expression change repeatedly and felt a knot in her stomach. She wondered if he’d figured out what she’d given him.
But… it was just normal sake, right? Sure, the brewing method was a bit unique… but it shouldn’t be a problem, should it?
Mirai had only done it as a little revenge for being forced to give him a massage.
Besides, she had personally made that kuchikamizake. Back at the shrine, it was used as an offering—people couldn’t buy it even if they wanted to.
“You…”
Natsuki was trying to figure out how to get closer to her.
He shouldn’t have pretended to be some great wizard under the Heavenly Emperor. Why’d he have to set the bar so high? Now it was hard to even strike up a casual conversation.
[Side Quest Issued: Hidden Motive]
Rin Tachibana and Natsukawa Mirai have arrived at Kyoto Seishui University as exchange students. A month ago, they strongly resisted the exchange program, but a week ago, they became eager to secure the spots.
Beneath this surface, they seem to be hiding an unknown truth. Please uncover their true purpose. Time limit: 10 hours.
[Reward: One bottle of Natsukawa Mirai’s Kuchikamizake]
[Failure Penalty: Tied up by Natsukawa Mirai and subjected to intense foot stimulation until you’re driven to the brink of pleasure and pain]
Natsuki: “…”
He was just about to make a run for it, and then the system dropped this quest on him.
And what the hell was that reward?! Why would he want Mirai’s kuchikamizake?! Getting tricked into drinking it once was more than enough—did the system think he’d go for round two?!
Never! Absolutely never!
As for the failure penalty…
Natsuki recalled the sheer pleasure of Mirai’s foot massage earlier and felt an involuntary shiver ripple through his body again.
Maybe failing wouldn’t be so bad… hehehe…
No!
No!
Natsuki, Natsuki! Remember the nightmare of getting tickled by that bratty little sister Natsuki Yue! Remember the humiliation of taking tickle torture for Shirahata Cha!
You cannot fall to the soft hands of some red-haired shrine maiden!
Oh, by the way—both Natsukawa Mirai and Rin Tachibana have unusually red hair.
But that wasn’t too strange, really. If a blue-haired loli like Shirahata Cha could exist, other hair colors weren’t exactly shocking.
“Why did you come to the mainland?”
Hearing Natsuki’s question, Mirai visibly froze.
They were both from Hua country—was it really that unusual for people from Sakura Province to come to the mainland?
She didn’t get it.
“We’re exchange students between Seishui University and Sakura University. We’ll be reporting to the school in a few days.”
Actually, Natsuki found the whole exchange student thing odd. The semester was already more than halfway over—why were exchange students arriving now?
Normally, wouldn’t they come at the start of the semester?
But Natsuki wasn’t a Seishui student anyway, so whatever the school arranged wasn’t really his business.
“Is that really all there is to it?”
Under “Rin Tachibana’s” meaningful gaze, Mirai almost thought her best friend hadn’t actually been possessed.
Because Rin loved reading detective novels and watching crime dramas, and the look in this “wizard’s” eyes just now was exactly like when she entered her so-called “interrogation mode.”
“O-Of course! What kind of bad intentions could two college girls possibly have?”
Natsuki’s eyes swept over Mirai, sizing her up, as if weighing how much of what she said was actually believable.
