Chapter 14: First Love

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'How-how embarrassing!'

Meanwhile, Hikari didn't seem to notice anything wrong. Looking at Mifuyu Yukino's slightly blushing face, he casually said, "Actually, I've never been in a relationship before."

"Huh?!m Really?" Yukino's beautiful eyes widened in surprise, a strange sense of joy inexplicably welling up inside her.

That odd warmth seemed to wrap around her, bringing an unexpected happiness.

[Ding! The host's response has provided comfort and warmth to the lonely heart of a widow who has been grieving for years. This aligns with the actions of the Pure Love War God.]

[Congratulations, host! You've earned 'Pure Love Points +50'!]

'What?'

'Even this counts as earning points?'

'Are you sure this is considered a pure love action?'

Hikari found it hard to believe.

But when he thought it over, it made sense. He had soothed the lonely heart of a grieving widow, reducing the chances of her straying or falling prey to a 'bull-headed' man. Wasn't that in line with preserving pure love?

Although there was some ambiguity in the system's definition of "pure love," Hikari confirmed one thing: Yukino, as a Yuki-Onna, was far easier to rack up Pure Love Points from compared to someone like Shinomiya Natsuha. In fact, she was a gold mine of points.

'Good grief. Is it because of her snow spirit heritage? Or is it the widow status? Us the system pushing me further into becoming a furry fanatic or something?'

Clearing his mind of those random thoughts, Hikari turned his attention back to Yukino. He noticed that the snow spirit was still gazing at him intently with her large, shimmering eyes, clearly invested in his words and waiting for a follow-up.

With a slight smile, Hikari replied casually, "It's true, I haven't dated anyone before. By the way, Yukino-san, you were married, right?"

His gaze shifted toward the wedding ring on her left hand.

"Ah… well… yes… um…"

"That's right… I… I was married…"

At Hikari's words, the rosy flush that had filled Yukino's cheeks faded, leaving her pale once again. She fidgeted awkwardly, instinctively reaching out with her right hand to touch the ring on her left finger, as if trying to hide something that was impossible to erase.

It was a strange feeling—though her husband's absence was a permanent reality, she still felt a wave of shame in Hikari's presence, wanting to cover up that part of her life.

"Yukino-san, your husband… he's not with you anymore, is he?"

Caught off guard by Hikari's gentle question, Yukino lifted her head, her expression one of surprise.

The handsome young man in front of her smiled kindly, looking at her with soft understanding.

"Huh? Hikari-kun, how did you know…?"

"My husband… passed away in a car accident several years ago."

Yukino's voice trembled as she looked at him with wide eyes.

"It wasn't hard to figure out," Hikari said with a grin. "If I were married to someone as beautiful as you, Yukino-san, I wouldn't let her face a scumbag like Takahashi alone."

"H-Hikari-kun… you… you really think I'm beautiful?" Yukino's face flushed red as she lowered her head, nervously fiddling with the hem of her sweater like a young girl in the throes of her first crush.

For a widow, she certainly had a bashful, almost girlish side to her.

"Of course. If I had met someone as beautiful as you earlier, I probably would've been in a relationship by now," Hikari said nonchalantly, a teasing smile playing on his lips as he admired her stunning features.

"W-Wow… thank you, Hikari-kun… you're too kind!"

"Then… I hope you meet the right person soon, Hikari-kun…" Yukino stammered, her heart fluttering from his words. But as she glanced down at the wedding ring on her finger, her mood plummeted.

'What am I getting so excited for? Hikari-kun's love life have nothing to do with me. What reason do I have to feel happy about it?'

Suppressing her conflicted emotions, Yukino forced a smile and offered him her best wishes.

"If someone as stunning as you is hard to come by, then I'm out of luck," Hikari said with a playful grin.

Preoccupied with her sadness, Yukino didn't notice that Hikari had been watching her carefully as he spoke. He observed how she kept fiddling with her wedding ring as if trying to hide it, oblivious to the fact that to him, the ring wasn't a hindrance—it was a bonus. [T/N: MC be like: Jokes on you, I am into that shit.]

After a few more awkward exchanges of gratitude, Yukino found herself running out of things to say. Meanwhile, Hikari figured Shinomiya Natsuha would be finished with her preparations soon, and it was about time he said goodbye to Yukino.

"By the way, to show my appreciation, I was hoping I could invite you over for dinner this weekend. Would you be available?" Yukino asked suddenly, as if afraid of losing the opportunity.

"That should be fine," Hikari replied with a nod.

"Great! Let's exchange contact info, then." Yukino pulled out her phone.

After swapping numbers with the beautiful widow, Yukino reluctantly began to close her door, clearly not wanting the conversation to end.

Just as the door was about to shut completely, Hikari suddenly reached out and stopped it.

"Wait a minute."

"Huh?" Yukino blinked her big eyes in confusion, watching him curiously.

Hikari unzipped his backpack, pretended to rummage through it for a moment, and then pulled out a small jade talisman, no bigger than a thumb. He handed it to her with a smile.

"We just met, but I feel like we have a good connection. Consider this a small token of our new friendship."

"This…?" Yukino instinctively opened her hand, revealing a translucent, sky-blue jade pendant, emitting a faint glow. It looked expensive, almost sacred.

"I can't possibly accept this! Hikari-kun, you've already done so much for me today. How could I take more?" Yukino tried to hand it back, clearly flustered.

But Hikari insisted, pushing the talisman back into her palm. "I'm giving it to you as a friend, Yukino-san. Don't tell me you don't think we're friends yet?"

Hearing that, Yukino could only sigh and give in, her heart warming at the word "friend."

"Alright… thank you, Hikari-kun. Really, I don't know how to thank you enough."

"You've done so much for me today… and now this… I don't even have a gift to give you in return…"

"No need to worry about that," Hikari said with a chuckle. "You can give me a return gift next time. But make sure you wear the talisman all the time, okay? If I find out you're not wearing it, I'll be upset."

Hikari's tone suddenly became serious, as if the jade pendant had some sort of special significance.

In fact, the talisman was none other than the Clear Mind Charm he had recently received from the system. Wearing it would protect the wearer from hypnosis or mind control.

"Alright… I promise I'll wear it at all times." Yukino nodded earnestly, though she didn't fully understand why Hikari seemed so adamant about it.

'Could this be… a sign of affection?'

'Is this what the youth of today do when they want to confess? Like giving a precious charm to someone and asking them to always wear it, symbolizing a promise to stay together?'

'Ah! What am I thinking?'

'I'm a widow—there's no way I can be with a high school student.'

Yukino's cheeks flushed a deep red as she shook her head, trying to dispel the silly thoughts from her mind.

"By the way, there's one more thing…"

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