The two left the office and continued searching in the company.
Before long, Kitahara Makoto suddenly stopped.
"Kitahara, what's wrong?"
Sakurajima Mai asked nervously.
From within the fog, a faint gurgling sound came.
Kitahara Makoto said softly:
"Mai-senpai, mother-in-law's condition is not good."
…
Hearing this, Sakurajima Mai's heart immediately sank. She subconsciously bit her lip and widened her eyes, peering into the fog. Although she still couldn't clearly see what was in the fog, she already had a guess.
Presumably, hearing their voices, the gurgling sound in the fog suddenly became heavier, followed by the sound of rapid running.
Seeing Kitahara Makoto standing still and not telling her to retreat, Sakurajima Mai's heart sank rapidly again.
Before long, a woman in a suit and high heels, still full of charm, rushed out of the fog.
"Mom…!"
Seeing the woman approaching, Mai's eyes instantly welled up with a hazy mist.
That was the mom she had relied on since childhood, and now she had turned into a monster under the erosion of the fog. Mai stumbled, almost unable to stand steady.
Unfortunately, Mai's mom's eyes had completely turned red, and her pretty face was filled only with madness. She had no reaction to Mai's call.
Bang.
Kitahara Makoto extended his right hand and easily suppressed and captured mother-in-law.
"Mai-senpai, this is not the time to cry," Kitahara Makoto turned his head and said softly, "Mother-in-law is only under a curse and can be completely cured."
Sakurajima Mai took a deep breath and wiped the corner of her eye:
"Let's go to Onsen Village!"
"Okay."
The fog surged.
The three figures suddenly disappeared.
"Kitahara, share your ability with me…"
Sakurajima Mai spoke immediately.
"No," Kitahara Makoto shook his head slightly, "Mai-senpai, your mental energy hasn't recovered yet. If you use Hand of Deprivation now, you'll definitely faint and leave severe sequelae, so leave it to me."
Kitahara Makoto said seriously:
"Now that onee-chan and mother-in-law have both been found, we can go back to Tokyo first to find someone to help."
After all, it was mother-in-law, so Kitahara Makoto was naturally not suitable to help remove the curse.
Sakurajima Mai bit her lower lip tightly:
"Please."
Kitahara Makoto waved his hand, and his figure disappeared from Onsen Village:
"Mai-senpai, don't forget the bunny girl uniform you promised me."
Sakurajima Mai: "…"
Back at the talent agency.
Kitahara Makoto called Hana, quickly found the bathroom, and then entered it, traveling back to Tokyo through the mirror.
"Ah, Kitahara-kun is back."
- "Where's Mai-senpai?"
"How are things now?"
…
Seeing Kitahara Makoto return, the girls gathered around.
"We found her, she's temporarily staying in Onsen Village…"
Kitahara Makoto briefly explained the situation, then said:
"Mai-senpai's mom's condition is very bad, and the cursed fog inside her needs to be removed as soon as possible. I'm not suitable for it… Who among you is willing to help?"
"I'll do it."
Nijika stepped forward decisively.
Kitahara Makoto cast an appreciative gaze:
"Nijika-senpai truly lives up to her name as the Archangel of Shimokitazawa, loving the world like a deity."
Nijika's pretty face quickly flushed, and she couldn't help but glare at him:
"What do you mean? I'm just a normal human, okay?"
"Nijika is not ordinary at all," Yamada Ryo raised her hand to cover her eyes, an exaggerated expression on her face, "My eyes were almost blinded by the light from Nijika just now."
Nijika: "There's no light, okay!"
"I can testify," Kita raised her right hand and said seriously, "I often see an angelic halo above Nijika-senpai's head!"
Nijika raised her hand to her forehead:
"Kita must have seen it in a dream!"
…
Mutsumi raised her small hand and said expressionlessly:
"I can help too."
"And me," Chihaya Anon loved to join in the fun, "Count me in for helping."
"Kitahara-kun, hurry to Onsen Village!" Nijika urged, "With such a huge difference in time flow, Mai-san must be getting anxious."
Kitahara Makoto nodded:
"You all hold hands and stand ready."
…
After the girls held hands and stood ready, Kitahara Makoto decisively activated Onsen Village, and everyone's figures quietly disappeared.
"I see Mai-san."
"Is that lady in the suit Mai-senpai's mom?"
"Her eyes are blood red, she looks so scary…"
The girls quickly saw Mai's presence.
Nijika quickly said:
"Let's go help quickly."
Although Mai's mom with her blood-red eyes was indeed scary, with Kitahara Makoto by their side, they weren't afraid at all.
"There's one more thing," Kitahara Makoto said seriously, "Removing the curse requires sharing abilities, and sharing abilities requires fulfilling a ritual, so Nijika-senpai, fulfill the ritual first."
…
Nijika's pretty face quickly flushed, and she immediately fell silent.
Kissing Kitahara Makoto in private was fine, but kissing in front of everyone… No matter how she thought about it, it was too embarrassing!
"Why aren't you speaking?" Kitahara Makoto's gaze shifted, "Nijika-senpai, Mai-senpai is your companion who has gone through life and death with you. You wouldn't abandon her, would you?"
Nijika bit her lower lip in embarrassment and anger:
"I wouldn't abandon her!"
"Since you wouldn't, Nijika-senpai, hurry up and kiss me." Kitahara Makoto's expression was calm, completely ignoring the girls' disgusted looks, "Time waits for no one, Nijika-senpai, hurry up."
"You…"
Nijika bit her teeth lightly, her pretty face flushed.
Shameless!
How could such a shameless person exist in this world!
However, the situation was special now. Every minute of delay would cause Mai-san's mom more pain. Nijika, who had lost her own mom, could empathize with this.
So, after hesitating for two seconds, Nijika quickly took a deep breath, her pretty face crimson, and said in an embarrassed voice:
"Kitahara-kun, come with me for a moment."
"So tired, can't walk…"
"Hurry up and come!"
…
Nijika used force on her hand and directly pulled Kitahara Makoto into a corner.
The girls exchanged glances, their expressions subtle.
Although they all knew that they had definitely had intimate contact with Kitahara Makoto, this was the first time it was so blatant… They felt that once it started, Kitahara Makoto would only become more and more unrestrained in the future.
A moment later.
Nijika walked back, her pretty face flushed, and went straight to Mai.
"Mai-chan, I'm here to help remove the curse from your mother."
Sakurajima Mai's pretty face showed gratitude:
"Thank you, Nijika."
"Don't mention it." Nijika waved her hand, her voice clear and bright, the radiance of the Shimokitazawa Archangel shining all around. "Friends should help each other, right?"
"..."
What happened next goes without saying.
Mai's mother, in her frenzied state, couldn't be restrained by ordinary people, but with Hana nearby, she could be easily subdued.
As for the process of Mai and Nijika disarming mother-in-law together, Kitahara Makoto naturally had no chance to witness it.
"Hey, what's your relationship with them?"
Toyohama Nodoka, with her golden side ponytail, walked over, hands on her hips, and whispered the question to Kitahara Makoto.
The light in Onsen Village was dim, so she hadn't clearly seen Kitahara Makoto and Nijika kissing, but girls, by nature, have a keen sixth sense, and she could naturally feel that Kitahara Makoto's relationship with the girls was very unusual.
Kitahara Makoto said calmly:
"Nodoka should call me brother-in-law, not 'hey'."
"Huh?!"
Toyohama Nodoka's cheeks instantly puffed up.
They were only dating, not even married to onee-san yet, and he was already calling himself Brother-in-law… How frivolous!
Simply too frivolous!
Toyohama Nodoka parted her lips, but the words 'Brother-in-law' simply wouldn't come out. She let out a light hmph and said:
"Never mind, I'll ask sister later."
"Wait a moment."
Kitahara Makoto called out to his sister-in-law, who was about to leave, and raised an eyebrow, asking:
"Nodoka, how are your friends doing?"
"Not so good." Toyohama Nodoka bit her lower lip at his words and whispered, "Everyone says their bodies are getting more and more uncomfortable."
"Then leave it to me." Kitahara Makoto said nonchalantly, "Nodoka, go back and tell your friends to take off their clothes and wait."
"Wh-what?!"
Toyohama Nodoka was instantly shocked:
"You're actually going to betray sister?!"
"I didn't, don't talk nonsense." Kitahara Makoto said without changing his expression, "It's to let Ryo-senpai and the others help."
Toyohama Nodoka parted her lips, bowed, and thanked Kitahara Makoto on behalf of her companions:
"…Then I'll leave it to you."
After seeing his sister-in-law off, Kitahara Makoto turned and returned to the girls' side, then briefly explained the situation.
"Does anyone want to help?"
"Of course we want to help!"
Kita blurted out.
Kita, like Nijika, was a kind-hearted person. When she encountered someone who needed help, she would not hesitate to lend a hand.
"Stare—"
The girls all cast subtle glances.
Kita blinked, her little face quickly flushed red, only then remembering something: to help others remove curses like Nijika, they had to share abilities, and the prerequisite for sharing abilities was the kissing ritual.
"Th-that…"
Kita's face was crimson, and she stammered, wanting to speak.
But the words of denial came to her lips, and she couldn't bring herself to say them.
There was no way around it. Seeing others suffer right before her eyes, and knowing she could help, she really couldn't stand by and do nothing.
Chihaya Anon blinked, naturally knowing her friend's predicament, and said with her hands on her hips:
"Well, count me in… If I lend a hand to those in need now, then when I encounter difficulties later, someone will lend a hand to me too."
"That's right." Kita breathed a sigh of relief. "Anon makes sense."
Soyo's voice was gentle, her hands clasped in front of her chest:
"It seems everyone has a high level of resolve."
Tomori's little face was slightly red, and she whispered:
"I can help too."
"..."
As Kitahara Makoto expected, the girls all chose to help.
In the world, there are bad people, there are good people, but the vast majority are ordinary people. So-called ordinary people, when their self-interest is not harmed, often extend a helping hand to fellow humans in need.
"You all truly are kind-hearted souls." Kitahara Makoto smiled. "So, who wants to go first?"
"..."
The girls exchanged glances, all blushing and remaining silent.
Finally, the shameless Mutsumi stepped forward:
"I'll do it."
Mutsumi walked up to Kitahara Makoto, completely unconcerned by the subtle glances of the others, tilted her pretty face, her eyes expectant:
"So tired, can't walk."
Kitahara Makoto: "..."
Wait, weren't those his words just now?
He had said that to tease Nijika; he didn't actually want to kiss her in front of everyone!
Even if everyone tacitly accepted the fact that he had a harem, kissing one of the girls in front of everyone would definitely cause a shuraba!
"Don't say it." Kitahara Makoto simply took Mutsumi's right hand and pulled the girl to a corner. "I'll share the ability with you right away."
"..."
After Mutsumi came Tomori.
Tomori-sama possessed a broad mind like the cosmos, her expression calm, showing no hint of jealousy.
"Tomori-chan isn't jealous at all?"
Kitahara Makoto asked curiously.
"It feels uncomfortable, like it's stuffed with cotton, a bit stuffy." Tomori pressed her right hand to her chest. "But I'm not jealous."
Kitahara Makoto was puzzled: "What do you mean?"
Tomori tilted her little face up, her eyes bright:
"Because what Makoto-kun is doing now is to save others."
Kitahara Makoto: "..."
Having such a broad mind makes one feel ashamed!
Next was Soyo.
Soyo, who was gentle on the surface but a bit dark-bellied in reality, came to the corner, and her cheeks quickly puffed up, saying the opposite of what she meant:
"Kitahara-kun is so busy, it must be really hard."
"Don't say it." Kitahara Makoto said bluntly, "After everyone leaves, I'm going to write two tally marks on Soyo-chan's thigh."
"Pfft~"
Soyo lightly spat, her pretty face quickly flushing red:
"No, two tally marks are too many!"
"..."
After Soyo, the next person to come over to share the ability was Kita.
"Kitahara-kun, hurry up." Kita's face was crimson, her hands protectively covering her chest. "And… no reaching in! Don't think I don't know, you can share abilities just by a simple touch!"
Kitahara Makoto was surprised: "How does Kita know?"
"So it is." Kita hummed proudly. "I tricked it out of you in one go."
Kitahara Makoto was speechless: "When did Kita get smart?"
Kita proudly lifted her chin: "I've always been smart, okay?"
Kitahara Makoto lowered his head and lightly touched Kita's lips, sharing the ability:
"After the typhoon passes, there won't be much of summer vacation left. Kita, do you want to go see the fireworks festival together?"
"Eh?"
Kita's eyes clearly lit up, and she hesitated:
"Is it just me, or with everyone?"
Kitahara Makoto said softly:
"Of course, it's just me and Kita."
Going with everyone was a group outing; going to see the fireworks festival alone with just the two of them was a date. The meaning was naturally different.
Kita's little face was slightly red, her voice expectant and reserved:
"I'll think about it…"
She paused, then Kita's expression suddenly became hesitant:
"But if it's just the two of us, everyone will be disappointed when they find out, right?"
"Don't worry." Kitahara Makoto spoke the standard scumbag line, "I can just go on a solo date with everyone."
Hearing this, Kita's little face instantly puffed up. She lightly stomped on Kitahara Makoto's foot, then turned and ran:
"…Stupid Kitahara!!"
The last person to come over was Anon.
As the biggest jealous one, Kitahara Makoto was already prepared to coax her, but Anon surprisingly wasn't jealous. Instead, she lowered her voice and whined:
"Scumbag-kun~ There's something I want to ask for your help with."