As they walked out of Sobu High School, Yuigahama Yui finally handed the cake box from her backpack to Kotomi.
"Kotomi, this is for you. It's the cake I promised I'd make for you myself. Thank you so much for helping with my studies before the midterm exams. The teachers are saying I've finally 'got it' and that my studies are taking off, but I know that without you, I wouldn't have beco the biggest dark horse in the whole grade. Heck, I probably wouldn't have even passed a few subjects."
Yui spoke with heartfelt sincerity.
"Hehehe, it's no big deal, really. You don't have to keep it on your mind. Your thanks and this cake are the best reward I could ask for."
Kotomi grinned. Even through the packaging, she could sll the delicious aroma of the cake, and suddenly, her stomach let out an embarrassing grumble.
Stomach, why do you always have to betray at monts like this?!
Feeling a little flustered, Kotomi quickly masked her embarrassnt with a cheerful laugh. "This cake looks so delicious! Can I eat it right now?"
"Of course!" Yui eagerly nodded. "I can't wait to hear if you like it!"
Although Yui was confident in her cooking skills, this was the first ti she had made a cake especially for Kotomi. From the cake's design to the flavor, she had planned everything from scratch!
Even when her mother, Tomoka Yuigahama, offered to help, Yui had adamantly refused. She wanted Kotomi to taste a cake made entirely by her own hands.
The entire process—from the initial concept to the final product—was filled with her care and dedication.
Though the cake was now complete and neatly packaged, Yui still felt a bit anxious. Everyone has their own taste preferences, and it's often hard to satisfy everyone.
Her mother had taught her that no matter how good sothing tasted, there would always be people who wouldn't like it. Even the best chefs couldn't please everyone.
But Yui didn't care about pleasing everyone—she just wanted to please Kotomi.
Nearby, there was a park with plenty of benches, making it the perfect spot to enjoy the cake. Kotomi and Yui quickly agreed to head there, planning to grab drinks from the vending machines afterward if they got thirsty.
Will Kotomi like my cake? Yui thought nervously as she followed Kotomi toward the park.
However, upon arriving, they found that all the benches were under maintenance.
An elderly man taking a walk in the park ntioned that the benches had been perfectly fine the evening before.
"What the heck happened to the benches overnight?" Kotomi muttered, visibly annoyed.
Since the benches were out of the question, Kotomi scanned the area and spotted a swing set. Unfortunately, a group of children also seed to have their eyes set on the swings.
"Yui, we need to run—let's race to the swings!"
"Huh? Oh, okay!"
Before Yui could fully process the situation, Kotomi had already dashed off like lightning, claiming both swings right in front of the approaching kids.
So of the more sensitive children were so upset that they burst into tears on the spot.
In order to teach the children a valuable lesson about the principle of "first co, first served," Kotomi decided to give them a vivid social education. Not only did she occupy the swings, but she also began eating the cake right in front of them.
And not just eating—she made sure to eat with exaggerated enjoynt.
In no ti, the children were crying loudly and running off.
Of course, a good portion of them were crying from sheer envy.
Seeing the scene unfold, Yui couldn't help but laugh and tease, "Kotomi, be careful! If their parents find out, they'll say you're bullying little kids."
"Don't worry, those kids are regular troublemakers who always co to the park in groups. Seriously, it's so late—what if sothing happens to them? Hopefully, I've just done their parents a favor by sending them ho."
Kotomi put on an innocent, concerned expression, as if the person who had just driven them away wasn't her at all.
However, after experiencing the murder case, Kotomi indeed beca more attentive to everything around her.
Even though those kids were quite mischievous—always running around the park every ti she ca—staying out this late was still worrying. It wouldn't be right to say she wasn't concerned.
So, she conveniently got rid of them.
Today's Kotomi was also a good citizen, doing a good deed.
She continued eating the cake Yui made for her, enjoying every bite. Thankfully, there was no chocolate—sothing Kotomi was very particular about. No matter how delicious a cake might be, if it had chocolate, she absolutely couldn't eat it. Not even a bite.
And the design of the cake—Kotomi really liked it. It looked just like a little purple volcano.
Sticking her fork in and taking a bite, she realized why it looked like a purple volcano—it was made primarily of mashed taro.
The soft purple color made it look incredibly appetizing.
Back when she was a child, Kotomi used to dislike the taste of taro and taro paste, but sohow, after eating a tub of roasted sweet potato ice cream one day, she suddenly started to like the flavor.
Now, she craved taro dishes every so often.
Taro paste, in particular, was irresistible.
Whenever her mom made fried taro balls, Kotomi could easily eat three plates in one go.
More importantly, Yui's cake was cleverly designed. When she pressed down with the fork, the taro paste oozed out slowly, covering the entire cake like lava from a volcanic eruption.
After asking about the cake's na, it turned out to be a perfect fit—Yui had nad it "Taro Lava Cake."
As she continued eating, Kotomi couldn't help but praise, "Yui, if you put this cake on the nu at your family's shop, it would definitely be a hit!"
"Really? Is it that good?" Yui asked, feeling truly delighted. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she shyly inquired.
"It's really delicious!" Kotomi replied enthusiastically, her voice brimming with sincerity.
"If you like it, just tell next ti, and I'll make it for you again..." Yui's face turned even redder, and she quietly whispered in a voice so soft it was barely audible, "...if you like it, I'd love to make cakes for you for a lifeti."
Unfortunately, Yui lacked the courage to say the last part aloud.
"This is just too good. It's so good that I'm seriously considering sending my little sister to your family's bakery during the winter break so she can learn from you and your mom. Then she can make cakes for every night at ho," Kotomi said as she finished the cake, licking her lips in satisfaction and clapping her hands lightly in contentnt.
Kotomi's words made Yui laugh out loud.
"If Aimi is willing to co, we'd be more than happy to teach her! But let warn you, working in a bakery all day is really exhausting. On the first day alone, she'll probably be so sore she won't even be able to lift her arms."
Since the mont Kotomi took the first bite of the cake, Yui had been secretly watching her. It wasn't until Kotomi finished eating that Yui finally relaxed, feeling a deep sense of fulfillnt, like reaping the rewards of a harvest.
"Kotomi, do you want so juice? I can get it for you," Yui asked with a smile.
"I'd love so," Kotomi responded without hesitation, taking out two coins from her pocket. "I'll have grape juice. And here, let treat you to one too."
"Then I'll gladly accept it. Wait here for ," Yui replied cheerfully before standing up and heading toward the vending machine at the park entrance.
Kotomi sat alone on the swing, gently swaying. She had always liked coming to this park whenever she had free ti.
It wasn't because of the beautiful scenery or crowds of pretty girls; usually, the only people in the park were little kids and their parents.
The reason Kotomi often visited this park was because it was here—when she was just an infant—that the Izumi couple found and adopted her.
"Every ti I look at that slide castle, it feels so familiar and comforting," Kotomi murmured, gazing at the playground equipnt not far away with a nostalgic smile.
"Maybe it's because that slide castle once saved your life," a sudden voice interrupted her thoughts.
Kotomi turned her head in surprise to see Kazumi sitting on the swing that Yui had just vacated, gently swaying back and forth.
The park's playground equipnt was rarely maintained, with inspections happening only once every three years—if that. The swings, though still sturdy, creaked with each movent.
For girls who were self-conscious about their weight, hearing the swing's groan might make them think they had gained a few pounds, possibly leading to a ntal breakdown on the spot.
"A slide castle saved my life? Also, I know you're just a system and can't get hurt, but could you maybe be a bit more careful on the swing?" Kotomi comnted, eyeing Kazumi with concern.
The problem wasn't just that Kazumi was swinging normally—she was practically making full 360-degree rotations!
Was she planning to pull off a live stunt and showcase the legendary "Kazumi Great Spin"?
"Hmph, don't worry! I'm a pro at this—whoa!!"
Before Kazumi could finish boasting, her small hands slipped from the chains, and in an instant, she was flung off the swing.
"Watch out!" Kotomi instinctively rushed forward to catch her.
But the mont she moved, all the surrounding noise suddenly vanished. The passage of ti itself seed to freeze in place.
Nearby, two children playing with a beanbag were suspended mid-motion, and even the beanbag hung frozen in midair.
"Ti stop?!" Kotomi blurted out in shock.
"That's right. Don't always think of as just so useless system—I have so pretty amazing abilities. For example, ti stop is one of my specialties," Kazumi's voice echoed.
Instead of crashing into the ground like Kotomi expected, Kazumi landed gracefully, curtsying elegantly as if she had planned it all along.
With her hands on her hips and chin raised, she looked up at Kotomi with a smug expression, as if to say, Aren't I amazing?
"You really can't judge a book by its cover... I didn't expect Kazumi to actually know how to stop ti," Kotomi muttered, fascinated as she glanced around at the frozen world.
Though she had read plenty of ti stop manga and imagined having the power herself, experiencing it firsthand was completely different.
"Don't underestimate !" Kazumi puffed up proudly.
"But hey, why am I not affected by the ti stop?" Kotomi asked, curious.
Unlike everything else frozen around them, both she and Kazumi remained unaffected, moving freely.
"Because you're my host, Kotomi. Most system abilities don't affect the host," Kazumi explained matter-of-factly.
Kazumi sat back down on the swing and suggested to Kotomi:
"Since I've stopped ti, no one will disturb us until I undo it. You were curious earlier about why I said that slide castle saved your life when you were just a baby, right? Want to know?"
"I do," Kotomi nodded without hesitation.
"200,000 Fa Points... Wait, hold on! Don't hit !"
"I never said I was going to hit you," Kotomi replied with an innocent look.
"Then why are you rolling up your sleeves?!"
"I just suddenly felt a little warm when I heard you ntion 200,000 Fa Points. No other reason, really~" Kotomi smiled kindly.
Faced with Kotomi's "innocent" smile, even though she denied any malicious intent, Kazumi trembled and forced a laugh.
"Haha! Co on, we're so close! People would totally believe us if we said we're a couple! How could I possibly charge you 200,000 Fa Points?"
Kazumi quickly abandoned her attempt to fleece Kotomi, sensing the subtle but clear threat behind her smile.
Once again, it was a peaceful day for them—sort of.
"Enough joking, Kazumi. Tell why the slide castle saved my life when I was a baby."
"Well, it all started when your biological parents abandoned you at this park."
"What?! I have biological parents?!" Kotomi was taken aback.
"Uh... What did you think, exactly? No, wait—why are you surprised by this?!"
"I thought I just... fell from the sky or sothing."
"What is this, a sci-fi novel? Should I hand you a Nebula Award?" Kazumi scoffed before pulling out a device resembling a smartphone. "I'm too lazy to explain it all—I'll just show you a video."
"It can generate videos? Wait, where did you just pull that out from under your skirt?!"
"Of course! A good system can even convert it into a full-fledged, high-budget movie."
Kazumi puffed up with pride, as if she were truly a top-tier system.
"And what about you?" Kotomi's eyes lit up with excitent.
If Kazumi could really generate videos, wouldn't that an Kotomi could turn all her creative works—novels, manga, gas—into ani without spending a fortune?
However, Kazumi shook her head and confidently admitted, "I'm kind of weak... I can only generate short videos, ten minutes max is already pushing it."
Kotomi's hopeful expression imdiately turned to one of disappointnt, as if looking at a useless dog.
Just how incompetent was her system, really?
She even began to suspect that the only reason Kazumi barely passed her last system qualification exam was by cheating with her ti-stop ability.
Sensing Kotomi's doubtful gaze, Kazumi suddenly panicked and exclaid, "Kotomi! How did you know I used ti-stop to copy other systems' answers during my last exam?!"
"So it's true!" Kotomi almost fell off the swing in shock.
"If you were going to cheat with ti-stop, why didn't you just copy a perfect score?"
At the ntion of this, Kazumi's face filled with regret.
"I wanted to! But think about it, Kotomi—if we're already at the last-chance re-exam, do you really think the other systems had the right answers? At least five of them were rolling dice to pick their answers!"
"Wow, what a gathering of geniuses... an assembly of true legends," Kotomi sighed in disbelief.
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