A girl I'd never seen before was struggling with what appeared to be an immovable object, pushing against a large cardboard box with every ounce of strength in her petite frame.
Despite her increasingly rapid breathing and obvious exhaustion, the box remained stubbornly rooted to its spot.
Poor thing. She's going to give herself a hernia at this rate.
[Beauty Favorability System Activated...]
[System detects new target...]
[She is at a complete loss regarding this heavy box. Please offer assistance.]
[Complete this task to receive a reward of 5000 yen]
Well, well. It's been a while since a girl caught the system's attention.
The familiar light blue interface materialized before me at the perfect moment, immediately piquing my curiosity about this mysterious struggling damsel.
"Hello there, do you need some help?" I offered, approaching with my most friendly and non-threatening demeanor.
"Oh, no thank you! I can handle this myself," she replied while shaking her head politely, wiping perspiration from her forehead before launching into what was clearly not her first attempt at moving this immovable object.
"Ngh... ngh... ngh..."
The girl unconsciously pouted in frustration, then looked up at me with an embarrassed smile that was equal parts adorable and sheepish.
She knows she needs help but doesn't want to admit it.
"Maybe it's not entirely impossible after all... haha," she admitted with forced cheerfulness.
Only now did I get a clear view of the girl's appearance, and I had to admit the system had excellent taste.
Below delicately sculpted eyebrows were long eyelashes framing clearly defined double eyelids that highlighted large, expressive eyes.
Her porcelain-like skin and soft-colored lips complemented each other with perfect harmony—not overwhelmingly glamorous, but definitely not plain either. There was a wonderful balance to her beauty that suggested natural elegance rather than artificial enhancement.
The smooth lines from her cheeks to her jaw created an overall impression of delicate refinement.
Her height appeared to be slightly below average, but her slender build made her seem even more petite, which perfectly complemented her lovely appearance and added an extra layer of cuteness.
However, despite her somewhat thin frame, she possessed noticeable curves in all the right places that didn't look out of proportion at all.
She was wearing a simple one-piece dress that somehow managed to accentuate her modest bust in the most flattering way possible.
"Please, let me help you. Where are you trying to move this?" I persisted, because clearly she wasn't going to succeed on her own.
"It's room 301 on the third floor of this apartment building. I'm so sorry to trouble you on our first meeting," she replied while offering me a deep, apologetic bow.
As she bent forward, her collar dropped slightly, revealing what could generously be described as a dazzling display of spring scenery.
"Wait, you live here too? How have I never seen you before?" I asked with genuine surprise.
Another beautiful neighbor? This building is like some kind of attractive woman magnet.
"I'm also a tenant here. I'm Ginjo—Ginjo Sosuke. Please take care of me," I introduced myself with a polite bow of my own.
"Oh, hello Ginjo-kun! I didn't expect a male tenant to move in here. I always joked that this place was like a girls' dormitory," she replied with obvious amusement.
Girls' dormitory? That explains the unusually high concentration of beautiful women.
"Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself properly. My name is Hoshino—Chiaki Hoshino."
Chiaki Hoshino. Got it.
"I actually lived here before, but I followed my mentor on a research trip for creative purposes, so I haven't been back for quite a while."
She spoke with serious sincerity, her blinking eyes flashing with a special kind of intelligent light.
"Mentor? Does that mean you're already in university?" I asked, studying her petite frame with renewed interest.
"Yes, I'm a junior this year," she confirmed matter-of-factly.
"I see," I murmured thoughtfully, then bent down to grip both sides of the heavy box and lifted with concentrated effort.
"Ugh... this thing is seriously heavy... what exactly is in here?" I grunted, surprised by the unexpected weight.
The mass of whatever was inside far exceeded my initial expectations, but fortunately it was still within my physical capabilities to handle.
"Thank you so much for this, and I'm really sorry, but it contains a sculpture I'm currently working on..." Chiaki explained with a guilty expression as she followed behind me.
"Sculpture?" I asked, having assumed it was probably household appliances or furniture.
"Yes, I'm a student in the Sculpture Department at Tokyo University of the Arts," she answered with obvious pride.
Tokyo University of the Arts. That's... actually really impressive.
I carried the box up to the third floor and stopped in front of room 301.
Room 302 is Kana's place, and mine is 303, so this must be hers.
"Ginjo-kun, you can just set it down here at the entrance. Thank you so very much," Chiaki said, having already moved ahead to unlock her door.
Finally.
I carefully lowered the substantial weight to the floor with relief.
My back is going to feel that tomorrow.
"I live in room 303 right next door. If you need any help with anything else, please don't hesitate to ask," I offered genuinely.
"I definitely will! I'll make sure to find time to properly thank you for this," she promised, offering me another polite bow from her doorway.