After lunch, the girls gradually dispersed.
"Hmm, I'm going back too…"
Seeing that most people had left, Anon stood up and stretched, then walked towards the bathroom. As she passed Kitahara, she subtly extended a finger and quietly poked him twice in the waist:
"Poke poke—"
After giving the signal, Anon put her hands behind her back and walked lightly into the bathroom.
Kitahara took a sip of tea and silently got up to follow her.
"Kitahara-kun, quickly share the ability with me."
Anon lowered her voice, her pretty face full of anticipation.
Kitahara said helplessly:
"Since we've already agreed to date, Anon, there's no need to be sneaky, as if we're doing something unspeakable."
Anon gave an tsundere huff, her voice clear:
"I never agreed to join scumbag-kun's harem."
"What?"
Kitahara's face showed a shocked expression:
"We've kissed, we've hugged, and now Anon doesn't want to take responsibility… I didn't expect you to be such a person."
"Pfft~"
Anon's cheeks quickly puffed up. With her hands on her hips, she couldn't help but retort:
"That line is clearly mine, alright!"
Looking at the pink-haired girl's exceptionally charming little actions, Kitahara couldn't help but feel his heart stir. He said softly:
"I'm ready, Anon, come on."
"Eh?"
Anon looked up at him with a puzzled expression, not understanding:
"What do you mean?"
Kitahara pointed to his cheek:
"Anon, if you want to share the ability, you have to be proactive."
"I don't want to," Anon's pretty face flushed slightly, and she gave a charming little huff, "It's so tiring to keep my neck craned."
"Then there's nothing I can do," Kitahara's face showed an expression of being powerless to help. "Anon, you can't just freeload, can you?"
Anon: "..."
So mean!
I let you kiss me, so it's not freeloading at all!
Seeing the pink-haired girl's cheeks puff up, Kitahara remained unperturbed, lowering his voice to coax her:
"Once luck is solidified, Anon will become a true lucky charm. You also want your friends to openly envy you and become the object of everyone's admiration, right?"
"Hmm…"
Anon's long eyelashes trembled slightly, and her pretty face involuntarily showed an expression of anticipation.
As a popular girl, Anon's only flaw was being a bit vain, liking to be the center of everyone's attention, to be praised and admired. But compared to Mutsumi, Soyo, Sakiko, and others, this small flaw was nothing, and she could even be considered the only normal person.
"Scumbag-kun is getting more and more fond of bullying people now…"
Anon mumbled softly as she took a half-step forward, blushing and standing on her tiptoes.
"Close your eyes!"
"Yes, yes."
Kitahara closed his eyes as instructed.
The next second.
The soft and sweet touch of the girl gently assailed him.
After all, it wasn't their first kiss. Her initial resistance was merely a maiden's modesty. After a brief shyness, Anon unconsciously raised her arms and wrapped them around Kitahara's neck.
A moment later.
Pop~
With a soft sound, the two finally separated.
"Hoo… hoo…"
Anon took two breaths, wiped away the silvery thread from the corner of her lips, and said with a flushed face:
"You idiot scumbag-kun, you kissed for too long! People will get suspicious!"
Kitahara's face suddenly showed an expression of guilt:
"I am terribly sorry…"
"Eh?"
Anon blinked, suddenly becoming wary:
"Why is Kitahara-kun suddenly apologizing?"
He had taken advantage of her so many times, and this was the first time he apologized; there must be a problem!
Kitahara said in a faint voice:
"Just now, I was so engrossed with Anon-chan that I forgot to share my ability with you."
Anon: "…Scumbag-kun is too much!"
"I am terribly sorry."
Kitahara's tone was sincere as he apologized again, then held Anon's small hand and whispered:
"I deeply regret my mistake just now, so I've decided to compensate Anon."
Anon keenly sensed something was amiss:
"What compensation?"
Kitahara said seriously:
"Of course, it's compensation with my body."
"Eh?"
The ominous feeling in Anon's heart grew stronger.
Kitahara revealed his true intention:
"Let's go to Onsen Village, and then I'll properly compensate Anon."
Anon's pretty face quickly flushed, already understanding Kitahara's sinister thoughts:
"No compensation, scumbag-kun, quickly share your ability with me…"
Before she finished speaking.
The figures of the two instantly disappeared.
Five minutes later in the real world, Kitahara and Anon's figures appeared out of thin air.
According to the time flow of ten to one, the two stayed in Onsen Village for a full fifty minutes.
Perhaps she had soaked in the onsen for a bit too long, as Anon was clearly a bit unsteady on her feet, and all the skin exposed outside her clothes had turned the same color as her hair.
"Ability sharing was successful, and the luck buff has also been locked," Kitahara pinched Anon's small face and reminded her, "However, luck is quite special; abusing it might make bad luck very terrible, so Anon must be careful."
"Got it~"
The pink-haired girl, who had been a bit tsundere before, became as docile as a ragdoll cat after soaking in the onsen together:
"I'm going back first. Summer vacation is almost over, and I have plans to go shopping with friends this afternoon."
"…"
The afternoon passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, it was evening, with the sun setting.
Tsukinomori Academy.
Kitahara and Sakiko came again, preparing to take Ghost-senpai out to eat, drink, and have fun.
"Summer vacation is almost over, isn't it…"
Sakiko raised her hand to tuck the strands of hair blown by the wind behind her ear, speaking softly as she strolled.
The evening breeze was cool.
It rustled the girl's skirt and hair, looking incredibly beautiful.
Kitahara said softly:
"This should be the happiest summer vacation of my life. Even though it hasn't passed yet, I'm already starting to miss it."
He paused, then Kitahara turned to look at Sakiko and asked:
"Isn't Sakiko curious why I said it's the happiest summer vacation?"
Sakiko's fair, doll-like face flushed slightly, and her gaze drifted elsewhere:
"Not curious at all."
"Since Sakiko is very curious, then I'll tell you." Seeing no one else around, Kitahara gently held Sakiko's soft hand and said warmly, "I will forever remember this summer vacation, because when I was trapped in the deep sea, someone would jump into the ocean without hesitation to save me."
Sakiko's lips curved slightly upwards:
"Kitahara-kun is getting better and better at coaxing girls."
"What do you mean by coaxing?"
Kitahara looked wronged, "It's clearly my true feelings, alright."
"Hmph~"
Sakiko let out a soft snort:
"Kitahara-kun has too many true feelings."
Although she tacitly accepted the fact that Kitahara had a harem, she still cared.
As they spoke, a blurry figure of a ghost drifted over.
Kitahara took the opportunity to change the subject:
"Speaking of which, the number of ghosts and evil spirits has been increasing recently."
Sakiko frowned slightly:
"There really are a lot more."
Before the summer vacation, although ghosts and evil spirits existed in the real world, they could only be encountered by chance, and their numbers were quite scarce. But now, the number of ghosts has at least increased tenfold.
For example, past exorcism missions, which couldn't be completed for a long time, can now be easily completed by just walking around the street.
Clearly, Otherworld's invasion of the real world is deepening.
"Hoo…"
Sakiko let out a soft breath, a hint of worry in her brows:
"I wonder what the future will be like… Yesterday, I saw the news that an abnormal incident occurred in Adachi Ward. A husband, drunk and late returning home, abused his wife, causing her to become an anomaly out of despair, and in the end, the whole family…"
Kitahara said in a deep voice:
"A speck of dust of the era, falling on ordinary people, is a heavy mountain. We just need to take care of ourselves."
Although he had some special abilities, he was still exceptionally small in the face of the tide of the times. The only thing he could do was protect the people around him.
After a moment of silence.
Sakiko softly broke the silence, her expression a little troubled:
"Kitahara-kun, do you have time tomorrow… Grandpa wants to invite you to a dinner party."
The true power holder of the Togawa family is actually Sakiko's grandfather.
Kitahara nodded slightly, agreeing:
"I'm free tomorrow."
"…"
Sakiko lightly bit her lower lip, silent for two seconds, then suddenly said:
"I'm sorry…"
Kitahara looked over, puzzled:
"Why is Sakiko suddenly apologizing?"
Sakiko bit her lips:
"If Kitahara-kun feels forced, then I'll…"
"Not forced at all." Kitahara squeezed Sakiko's fingers and said softly, "If someone kindly invites me to a banquet, and will likely greet me with a smile, and I still feel forced, then I would be too difficult to please."
As for whether he would be used… as long as the other party offered enough benefits, Kitahara didn't mind at all.
Only ordinary people who are ignorant of the ways of the world would feel inferior or that their dignity was insulted. Kitahara would only greet them with a smile; earning money is not shameful at all.
Kitahara lowered his voice:
"If Sakiko feels bad about it, then compensate me well tonight."
Sakiko's pretty face quickly flushed, and her bright eyes glared at him:
"Kitahara-kun, don't have your head full of perverted thoughts!"
Kitahara subconsciously retorted:
"That's exactly what Nijika-senpai says…"
"Hmm?"
Sakiko tilted her head to look at him, the smile on her face gone.
A cold sweat dripped down Kitahara's forehead:
"Can I take back what I just said?"
Sakiko withdrew her right hand and crossed her arms over her chest:
"I'm sorry, it's too late."
"…"
As they spoke, the two arrived at the entrance of the old music classroom, picked up the already impatient Ghost-senpai, and began to wander around, eating, drinking, and having fun.
In a flash, it was eight o'clock in the evening.
Ghost-senpai said her goodbyes, satisfied.
Kitahara held Sakiko's right hand, helping to neutralize the negative energy.
Rumble.
A faint rumble of thunder came from the air.
"It feels like it's going to rain soon." Kitahara looked up at the sky and said expectantly, "Let's go back early today?"
Sakiko's pretty face flushed slightly, naturally knowing what Kitahara was eager to go back for. Her gaze drifted:
"…Then let's go back."
Although she was too shy to admit it, as the number of times she participated in the Autumn Mountain race gradually increased, Sakiko had slowly started to become addicted to it.
Kitahara's eyes lit up:
"I remember there was a fast-food restaurant on the way here. Let's hurry up and quick-travel back."
Sakiko's heart involuntarily sped up, and her legs quietly pressed together… With Onsen Village, there was actually no need to rush, right?
Unfortunately, due to her maiden's modesty, the thought of complaining reached her lips, but she still couldn't bring herself to say it.
Kitahara held Sakiko's hand and walked back quickly.
Unfortunately, they hadn't gone far when, accompanied by a cool breeze, cold raindrops began to patter down.
Summer downpours are like that; they start suddenly and are very heavy, forcing Kitahara and Sakiko to take shelter under the eaves of a roadside house.
Seeing Kitahara's annoyed expression, Sakiko's rosy lips curved slightly upwards, and she raised a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear:
"It seems Kitahara-kun won't have a chance tonight."
"Even if it hails, it won't stop me…"
Kitahara's gaze swept around, then suddenly his eyes lit up, landing on a Japan-flashing sign not far away:
"Speaking of which, when I first met Sakiko, it was too late one night, and I even paid for Sakiko to stay in a Love Hotel by herself. Does Sakiko still remember?"
Sakiko blinked, and distant memories flooded her mind.
"It feels like a very, very long time ago…"
Kitahara said frankly:
"So, today, please fulfill my Love Hotel dream."
"Eh?" Sakiko tilted her head and looked over, "What is that?"
"Walk along the eaves, and there's a Love Hotel ahead." Kitahara took Sakiko's right hand, "We can't go to the train station yet, so let's go to the Love Hotel to rest until the rain stops."
…
A moment later.
Looking at the Love Hotel's iconic Japan sign in front of her, Sakiko's pretty face flushed, and she finally understood why it was a 'Love Hotel dream'.
"It-it's actually a Love Hotel…"
Sakiko bit her lower lip in shame and anger, refusing to go in.
Kitahara lowered his voice and said:
"Isn't Sakiko curious at all?"
Sakiko glared at him in embarrassment:
"Not curious at all!"
"Alright then…" Kitahara's eyes shifted, "But if we block the entrance, we'll cause trouble for others."
"Eh?"
Sakiko turned her head and saw a couple waiting not far away, and the temperature on her face instantly rose rapidly.
"Let's go, don't cause trouble for others."
Kitahara gently pulled Sakiko, who was overflowing with shame, into the Love Hotel.
"Sakiko, don't worry, we're just here to hide from the rain. I promise we won't do anything."
Kitahara raised his right hand, making a solemn vow.
Sakiko: "…"
Won't do anything?
You don't even believe that yourself!
"Let's see if there's a theme room you like." Kitahara lowered his voice, "If Sakiko doesn't choose, then I will… A prison theme sounds pretty good."
"No!"
Sakiko suppressed her shame and looked up at the various theme rooms on the wall.
Although she didn't know what a prison theme environment was like, it sounded super bad, and she definitely didn't want to experience it!
"There aren't many themes left… How about a hospital theme?"
"No…"
"Then a classroom theme?"
"Also no…"
"Then there's only the train station theme and the mirror theme left, Sakiko, choose one of two."
Sakiko: "…"
Choose one of two?
Both choices are super bad, I don't want to choose either!
However, Sakiko knew very well that since they were already here, it would be difficult to leave easily, plus there were people behind them…
Helpless, Sakiko could only bite her rosy lips, lower her head to her toes in shame, and whisper:
"Not the mirror…"