"This is Hitori voluntarily asking to go to Onsen Village, so the previous promise is void."
Kitahara smiled, took Hitori's small hand, and walked towards the bathroom.
The extremely shy Hitori didn't even need to be coaxed and tricked; a simple bluff was enough.
"Ah…?"
Hitori tilted her small face up dizzily, apparently having forgotten their previous conversation.
"What… promise?"
"Of course, it's to promise not to take advantage of Hitori," Kitahara said shamelessly. "Since Hitori actively wants to go to the Onsen Village, then I won't be polite."
Hitori: "…"
Although she didn't want to be taken advantage of, the sudden snapping of her bra strap was indeed super scary.
What if, just as Kitahara said, her skirt suddenly fell off for no reason…
(No, don't!)
(Definitely not such a terrifying thing!)
Being taken advantage of was shameful, but public execution was not just shameful, it made one want to die.
"Th-that… will the bad luck have stopped?"
Hitori stammered, still wanting to make a last struggle.
Kitahara sighed:
"It seems Hitori doesn't trust me much."
"…"
Hitori quickly shook her small head.
She definitely trusted him one hundred percent in other aspects, but when it came to bullying, she couldn't believe every word at all.
Kitahara was not in a hurry:
"Since Hitori doesn't believe me, then just wait and see. It won't be long before bad luck strikes again."
"…"
Facts proved that what Kitahara said was not false.
Less than a minute later, a staff member carrying tea passed by the two, stumbled, and the tea in his hand splashed directly towards Hitori.
Fortunately, Kitahara was observant and quick-witted. The moment he noticed the bad luck striking, he hugged Hitori's small waist and quickly dodged away, preventing Hitori from being drenched like a drowned rat.
"Does Hitori still want to continue verifying?"
Kitahara looked down.
"…"
Looking at the tea splashed on the wall, Hitori finally stopped speaking.
Once was an accident, twice was by no means a coincidence, so… so maybe next time her skirt would fall off…
Thinking of this, Hitori could only grab Kitahara's coattail, pleading pitifully in a small voice:
"Go, go to the Onsen Village…"
"…"
Ten minutes passed in a flash.
Finally, a sound came from the bathroom, which had been quiet for a long time. Kitahara, holding Hitori's hand, finally walked out of the bathroom.
Under a time flow rate of ten to one, Kitahara and Hitori stayed in the Onsen Village for almost two hours. As for what happened during that time, it naturally cannot be said much.
In short, it was certainly impossible to force Hitori. As long as Hitori truly felt wronged and said no, Kitahara would immediately stop. But before that, he would naturally take advantage of her however he pleased…
"The state of being plagued by bad luck has disappeared," Kitahara said softly, stroking Hitori's small head. "Let's go, we're going to claim our prize."
"…"
Hitori kept her small head down, the pink blush on her earlobes and neck not yet completely faded. She didn't dare to look up at anyone and could only follow closely behind Kitahara with tiny steps.
The two arrived at the main hall in front. The lottery event had not yet ended, and the atmosphere was quite lively.
"Does it feel very uncomfortable being squeezed?"
Kitahara leaned close to Hitori's ear and asked in a low voice:
"If it's uncomfortable, let's go to the mall to buy underwear first, then come back to redeem the prize."
"No, no problem…"
Hitori quickly shook her small, red face, her voice like a mosquito's hum.
That bra, which had snapped under the unbearable pressure, was naturally unusable. Fortunately, there were girls' undergarments stored in the Onsen Village, so she could temporarily use another girl's underwear for an emergency.
Of course, Hitori had a hidden physique that Nijika and Kita envied and were jealous of. Her size was arguably the largest among girls; she alone could outsize Kita, Nijika, Seika, and Anon combined. She couldn't find any underwear that fit her size, so it was naturally uncomfortably tight at the moment.
"Then Hitori can change when she gets back," Kitahara held Hitori's small hand. "Let's go claim the prize first."
"…"
The rest goes without saying.
Kitahara found the car dealership manager and directly redeemed the Honda Cub that Hitori had taken a liking to yesterday.
As for the second prize Hitori won, it was a 40% off shopping coupon, which was naturally given to Kitahara to use.
Kitahara also didn't waste it and bought a black moped from the dealership.
Next, Kitahara took Hitori to buy some essential equipment, such as helmets, raincoats, etc. Although Hitori's pocket money wasn't enough to buy a car, buying these small accessories was no problem.
For Hitori, these miscellaneous things were originally more terrifying than a trip to hell, but with Kitahara there, she only needed to hide behind Kitahara-kun the whole time.
(If only I could hide behind Kitahara-kun for the rest of my life…)
Looking at Kitahara, who was haggling with the car dealership owner, Hitori quietly pursed her slightly swollen lips, feeling incredibly at peace.
Since childhood, every time relatives visited, they would tell her to talk and chat more with others, to change her introverted and shy personality, as if introverted and socially anxious people were not qualified to live. Only Kitahara said it was okay to be shy, and it was okay to be socially anxious. If there was a need to communicate with outsiders, she could leave it to him.
For so long, Kitahara had indeed kept his word, never forcing her to interact with strangers, and never using the excuse of 'it's for your own good' to forcibly correct her social anxiety… Even if she was socially anxious, she had the right to live, didn't she?
As for the future being very difficult… with Kitahara-kun by her side, there was no need to worry about such things at all.
"Everything is done."
Kitahara's voice rang out:
"Hitori, we can go for a ride."
"Ah…"
Hitori snapped back to reality and quickly followed behind Kitahara with tiny steps, heading outside.
In the open space outside the car dealership, two brand new mopeds were parked side by side.
"Put on your helmet first." Kitahara picked up the helmet, placed it on Hitori's small head, then took out his phone. "I'll take a picture of Hitori."
"P-picture…
or something…"
Hitori's small face turned red, and she stammered, not wanting to be photographed.
"Take a picture as a memento," Kitahara said softly. "Many beautiful memories will disappear with the passage of time, so it's important to record the beautiful moments of life. Don't worry, I'll keep it for myself and won't show it to others."
"Oh…"
Hitori quietly agreed and stood next to the Honda Cub.
Click, click.
Kitahara took a few photos for memory and collection, then smiled:
"Now it's Hitori's turn to put the helmet on me."
"Ah…"
Looking at the helmet in Kitahara's hand, Hitori had already anticipated this, but she couldn't find any reason to refuse. She could only blush, stand on her tiptoes, her eyes shyly darting away, and put the helmet on Kitahara.
A moment later.
"Are we going home first, or directly to practice riding?"
Kitahara asked.
Hitori stammered in a small voice:
"Go home first… my chest feels a bit stuffy…"
Kitahara nodded: "Then let's go home."
"Um…" Hitori turned to look at the bicycle not far away and reminded in a small voice, "The bicycle is still there…"
"Don't worry," Kitahara said casually. "We'll ride the moped back first, then come back to ride the bicycle home."
"Okay…"
"Let's go, let's go," Kitahara's voice was clear. "Barring any surprises, it will be Hitori's ride for the next three years."
Hitori's eyes sparkled, and she nodded happily:
"…Let's go!"
Hitori gently distorted the handle, and the Honda Cub started smoothly. She rode carefully for a distance, and under her helmet, a smug little expression slowly appeared on Hitori's small face.
Being a freebie collector was indeed super happy!
Today was indeed her lucky day!
The ride was silent.
The moped quickly reached the doorstep.
Kitahara took off his helmet:
"Hitori, go back and change your underwear first, then we'll go back and get the bicycle."
"Mm-hm."
Hitori nodded happily, carefully parked the Honda Cub, then said in a small voice:
"Kitahara-kun, come inside. It's hot outside…"
Kitahara naturally didn't stand on ceremony: "It is a bit hot."
"I'm home."
Hitori took out her key, opened the door, and entered the house. She bent down and placed a pair of slippers in front of Kitahara.
Presumably because she was back on her own turf, Hitori's voice grew a little louder:
"Kitahara-kun, do you want some ice cream?"
"I'll have one."
"I'll get it for you…"
After changing into slippers, Hitori pattered to the refrigerator and took out an ice cream.
Kitahara's expression became subtle:
"It seems Hitori wants to share the same ice cream with me."
"N-no…" Hitori's small face quickly flushed, and she quickly shook her head. "I, I'll go change first…"
Kitahara said with burning eyes:
"You've sweated so much. It must be uncomfortable to change clothes without showering, so why don't we go to the Onsen Village for a bath?"
Hitori immediately panicked, shaking her small head in shame:
"No, no! I can go to the bathroom to shower!"
"…"
A moment later.
Hitori finally finished getting ready and walked over carefully.
"There are only three days left of summer vacation," Kitahara asked softly. "When do you want to go on a road trip, Hitori?"
"Hmm…"
Hitori blinked and said in a small voice:
"T-the day after tomorrow, is that okay?"
"The manager messaged me this morning, saying the shop has been cleaned and is ready to open tomorrow, so I have to go to work tomorrow…"
Kitahara agreed:
"Then the day after tomorrow, we'll embark on our first road trip."
"…"
After a short rest, Kitahara and Hitori went out together. They returned to the bike shop, picked up their bicycles, and rode them back. It was almost noon, and the weather was hot, not suitable for practicing. So, he and Hitori went their separate ways home.
During lunch, the girls arrived one after another via quick travel. Kitahara scanned the room and didn't see Anon, so he picked up his phone and messaged the pink-haired girl:
"Why didn't you come for lunch today?"
The message quickly showed as read.
Anon: "It's a friend's birthday, so I'm having lunch with friends."
Kitahara reminded her:
"The maximum duration of status lock is twenty-four hours. Anon, please be careful and contact me immediately if there's any danger."
Anon: "Got it, got it~ scumbag-kun actually cares about me so much."
Kitahara: "Call me boyfriend."
Anon: "No way! Scumbag, please keep working hard. My favorability is just a little bit away from being full, then I'll change my address to boyfriend."
"…"
After a brief chat with Anon, Kitahara put down his phone and started eating.
During lunch, Nijika brought up the matter of the shop reopening, her expression a little worried:
"Although we got a new business license, something like that happened after all. I wonder if customers will still come to play."
"Nijika-senpai, don't worry. I'll be there tomorrow to support you." Kitahara comforted her, "Humans only have seven seconds of memory. Ninety percent of people can't remember what happened three days ago."
Nijika glared at him with her bright eyes, unable to resist retorting:
"It's goldfish that only have seven seconds of memory, right!"
Kitahara took a sip of his drink: "Scientific research proves that goldfish's memory is actually far more than seven seconds. The so-called seven seconds is completely made up."
"That's right, Nijika, no need to worry." Ryo pulled out a tissue, wiped the corner of her mouth, and said indifferently, "Humans are creatures with strong curiosity. After knowing that the shop had an abnormal incident, people will instead come to take photos and check in. There might even be more customers tomorrow."
"It's like when Kitahara and I get tired of being intimate indoors, we like to go outdoors…"
"Eh eh eh?!"
Kita's small face lifted in disbelief, and she exclaimed in shock:
"Ryo-senpai, you, you actually did that kind of thing outdoors?!"
How unfair!
They actually didn't message her to join in, how outrageous!
"When you've been cooped up indoors for too long, of course, you want a change of scenery. So, a couple of days ago, Kitahara and I went hiking outdoors." Ryo tilted her head and looked over, "What were you expecting, Kita?"
Kita's small face quickly flushed red, and she hurriedly lowered her head guiltily:
"I, I wasn't expecting anything!"
"…"
After lunch, the girls left one after another.
"Makoto-kun, want some cucumber?"
Mutsumi held a plate of fresh, tender cucumbers, looking at him expectantly.
Kitahara naturally didn't stand on ceremony, ate Mutsumi's cucumbers, then opened "It Takes Two" and played the game with Mutsumi. One of today's daily tasks was game time, which he could conveniently complete with Mutsumi.
In a flash, it was two o'clock in the afternoon.
Outside, the sun was bright, and cicadas chirped loudly.
Inside, the air conditioning was on, and the temperature was neither hot nor cold.
It was exceptionally comfortable.
Kitahara and Mutsumi sat on the sofa, playing games while occasionally rubbing Hana's small head. The time was quiet and beautiful.
"Buzz—"
Just as he was about to doze off, a soft 'buzz' suddenly sounded in Kitahara's mind.
The next second.
Kitahara only felt his vision suddenly rise. A black crow appeared before his eyes, a cigarette butt in its beak, and a faint, dim red glow could vaguely be seen on the cigarette butt.
As a strong gust of wind blew, the cigarette butt fell from mid-air and landed in the drainpipe of a building.
There were some uncleaned dry fallen leaves in the drainpipe. Before long, a wisp of smoke quietly rose, followed by faint flames silently igniting…
The scene advanced.
The faint flame, which could have been extinguished with a single breath, had now turned into a terrifying raging inferno, engulfing the entire building. Rolling thick smoke, chaotic crowds, cries for help, and screams intertwined.
"This is… foreseeing the future again?"
Kitahara frowned slightly.
The perspective shifted, focusing on a certain room on the third floor, and then the view rapidly moved forward. A pink-haired girl was trembling and hiding in a corner, as if sensing something, she suddenly raised her tear-filled eyes…
Clatter.
The scene of foreseeing the future abruptly ended.
"…Anon!"