"Good, you made it back safe and sound."
Kitahara walked back steadily, carrying an armful of Eden Fruits.
"Hmph."
Sakiko Togawa's pretty face flushed slightly; she gave a soft, dismissive huff and turned her gaze away.
"Hurry up and put your clothes back on."
"No rush." Kitahara was shameless enough to withstand a siege; he felt absolutely no shame. "Everyone, take these Eden Fruits first. I'm going to go pick another batch."
Soyo stepped forward and reached out to take the fruit.
"We couldn't possibly eat that much, could we?"
"You guys certainly couldn't." Kitahara looked at the beast-eared girl. "But Hana can definitely handle it."
Despite having the physique of an elementary school student, the beast-eared girl possessed a staggering 1,000 points of "HP"—compared to the mere 10 points of an ordinary human—so her appetite was truly prodigious.
"What are you looking at?"
Seika was covering Hana's eyes with her hand. Seeing Kitahara look their way, she glared back, her face flushed with embarrassment and annoyance.
"There's a child here, you know! Mind your behavior!"
"..."
Once the girls had taken the fruit, Kitahara turned around to gather another batch. It must be said—acting as a ruthless fruit-picking machine was surprisingly fun. If the fruit didn't have such a short shelf life and couldn't be stored, he would have been tempted to strip the entire tree bare.
"That should be enough."
Returning from his second trip, Kitahara didn't get greedy; he quickly put his clothes back on and headed back to the cave with the girls.
"They're back, they're back."
"To think we got so many Eden Fruits... it's like a dream come true."
"Kitahara-kun, hurry up and slice the fruit."
"..."
With over a dozen Eden Fruits piled together, the aroma in the cave skyrocketed—it was so rich and intoxicating that it made everyone's mouths water uncontrollably. It couldn't be helped; the scent of Eden Fruit acted directly upon the soul—it was something no one could resist.
Without wasting another word, Kitahara took out his knife and began slicing the Eden Fruits. There was an ample supply of Eden Fruits this time, so there was no need to share; a whole fruit for each person was more than enough.
Of course, one had to be careful in a situation like this; the order of distribution mattered greatly, and the sequence could easily trigger a chaotic confrontation. To avoid such a disaster, Kitahara quickly sliced up several Eden Fruits, tossed one to Hana, picked another up for himself, and then said with a serious expression:
"One for each of you—help yourselves."
The girls: "..."
Silence soon fell over the cave, broken only by the sounds of the girls munching away.
After a long while, a sigh of contentment finally broke the silence:
"So satisfying..."
"Eden Fruit is the most delicious thing in the world!"
"I can't eat another bite; my body has truly reached its limit."
"..."
The girls sat back in their chairs, clutching their bellies and resting comfortably, feeling their bodies and souls steeped in bliss.
"Papa, I want more."
Hana, the beast-eared girl, tilted her face upward, her wine-red eyes filled with anticipation.
"Here."
Kitahara promptly sliced off another Eden Fruit and tossed it to Hana; he didn't stop eating himself, either.
A single Eden Fruit was the limit for an ordinary person, but it was far from the limit for him or Hana.
To the girls' astonishment, Kitahara and Hana devoured the remaining Eden Fruits as if competing in a contest. Only when the very last one was gone did Hana finally clutch her stomach; a rare, happy expression broke across her usually impassive face:
"Full. Happy."
Seika looked concerned. "Hana-chan ate so much—won't she get a stomachache?"
Even though she knew Hana wasn't human, the girl's elementary-school-aged physique made it hard not to worry.
"Don't worry, Ryo," Nijika said softly from beside her. "Even a tiny baby stops drinking milk once they're full, so there's no need to worry about Hana-chan overeating to the point of sickness."
"That makes sense..."
Seeing that Hana was indeed perfectly fine, Seika's worries gradually subsided.
Kitahara let out a satisfied breath:
"Finally full. Now, it's time for a good rest before heading back to the real world."
"..."
The day flew by in a flash.
After confirming via the Book of Answers that the "Otherworld" marks on everyone had refreshed and they were free to leave, Kitahara prepared to return to the real world with the girls—after all, they had school the next day.
Of course, before leaving, he picked several more Eden Fruits to take back as gifts.
To be safe, he didn't put the Eden Fruits into his [Onsen Village] inventory; instead, he took out the band poster and temporarily stored the fruit inside it. "Hana-chan, let's head back."
Kitahara issued the command to the beast-eared girl.
As his mount, Hana naturally wouldn't refuse; as she expanded her domain, spatial nodes quietly emerged, and amidst a slight distortion of light, the group's figures vanished in an instant.
"We're back, we're back."
"Quick, check the time."
"Hmm, it's 6:50 AM..."
"The timing is perfect; no one will be late for school."
"..."
Having already changed out of their hot spring attire and feeling fully energized—with no need for further rest—the girls waved goodbye to Kitahara and went their separate ways.
"Kitahara-kun, I'm heading back now..."
Soyo looked up at him, her eyes filled with anticipation.
Kitahara gave a subtle wink and lowered his voice:
"Understood. I'll come over to your place later."
A faint blush rose on Soyo's lovely face; naturally, she didn't put on a tsundere act or refuse. She spoke softly:
"Wait for word from me, Kitahara-kun."
"..."
"Nijika, let's go home." Seika gritted her teeth, a murderous aura radiating from her pretty face. "I can't wait—I'm going to confront Ryo and get to the bottom of this right now!"
Knowing her sister's personality, Nijika realized there was no way she'd wait until evening. She sighed helplessly and nodded in agreement:
"Hana-chan, please take Ryo and me home."
Tomori tilted her face upward and waved goodbye:
"Kitahara-kun, see you at school."
Kitahara replied gently, "See you at school."
Hana acted as a "courier," ferrying the girls home one by one. Soon, only Kitahara, Sakiko, and Mutsumi remained.
"Kitahara-san, I'm heading back too."
Sakiko stood with her arms crossed, her hair and skirt fluttering gently in the air. A beam of bright sunlight streamed in from the window, bathing her in its glow; the girl looked radiant and breathtakingly beautiful. With only three people left in the room, Kitahara naturally dropped the act of being a straight-laced guy; he grasped Sakiko Togawa's delicate hand, his gaze burning with intent:
"The best time for a plan is in the morning, and right now is the perfect moment for some 'morning exercise'—so let's get that done before heading back."
Sakiko blushed at his words, shooting him a playful, reproachful look with her bright eyes:
"No way... Mutsumi is still here."
It didn't take a genius to figure out that the "morning exercise" he was talking about certainly wasn't any sort of wholesome workout.
"It's fine; we can go to the hot spring resort for our exercise," Kitahara said, lowering his voice. "It's the perfect chance for Sakiko to experience the effects of the 'Sensitivity Cookie'."
"Huh?"
Sakiko's beautiful eyes widened slightly as she recalled the time back at the start of the semester when Kitahara had mentioned the Sensitivity Cookie in the club room:
"The Sensitivity Cookie... Did you actually make something that lewd, Kitahara-kun?"
Kitahara put on a righteous expression: "Cookies themselves aren't good or bad; they only seem 'lewd' to people with dirty minds."
Sakiko: "..."
Mutsumi said, expressionless:
"I want to eat it too."
"No," Kitahara refused flatly. "It's not the right time for Mutsumi to eat that kind of cookie."
"..."
After being turned down, Mutsumi quickly lowered her gaze, looking silently at the tips of her shoes.
As they spoke, Hana stepped out from the mirror.
"Mutsumi, you go back with Hana first."
Kitahara waved his hand, shooing them away.
"..."
Mutsumi didn't say a word; she simply walked silently toward the full-length mirror. Gazing at the reflections of Kitahara and Sakiko, she gently bit her soft, pink lower lip, a shadow of gloom rising in the depths of her eyes.
(It's not fair...)
(Why can Sakiko do it, but I can't...?)
Once Mutsumi had left, Kitahara turned his burning gaze toward Sakiko:
"No one's going to disturb us now. Come on, let's go do that morning exercise."
"..."
Sakiko's face flushed crimson. She struggled slightly to maintain a semblance of modesty, but realizing she couldn't break free, she resigned herself—shyly—to the fate of being teased. Meanwhile.
Shimokitazawa.
The Ijichi residence.
"Where is Ryo?"
As soon as she returned home, Seika began looking for Ryo.
Nijika spoke up softly from nearby:
"She should be in my room."
Seika, looking fierce and gritting her teeth, quickly made her way to Nijika's room and pushed the door open; sure enough, she found Ryo resting inside.
"She's actually still asleep?"
Seika raised an eyebrow and started to step forward.
"Sis, leave it to me—I'll wake Ryo up."
Nijika hurriedly held her sister back to prevent a confrontation, then walked quickly to the bedside and called out softly:
"Ryo, stop sleeping. Wake up."
"Mmm..."
Hearing the call, Ryo's eyelashes fluttered gently, and she opened her eyes in a daze.
"Nijika... you guys are back?"
Seika crossed her arms over her chest and bit her lower lip.
"Ryo, you left that bracelet behind on purpose, didn't you? And you messaged me telling me not to wear it just to pique my curiosity, right?"
"Well..."
Ryo blinked, then rolled over and sat up, stretching her arms high above her head. Her gaze drifted between Nijika and Seika before she spoke in a leisurely tone:
"It looks like Nijika finally had a showdown with the manager."
Nijika furrowed her brows slightly and couldn't help but ask:
"Why did you do something like that, Ryo?"
"The reason is simple..." Ryo raised a hand to cover a yawn, her voice languid. "It was for the manager's lifelong happiness, of course."
"Huh?"
Seika's face clearly showed her disbelief:
"For my happiness? Even a child wouldn't believe that."
Knowing full well that the brat was the person Nijika was dating, Ryo had still pushed them to deepen their bond—she was practically shoving Seika into a pit of fire! "It's the truth. While I admit I was looking forward to the spectacle, my original intention really was the Manager's happiness." Ryo—that lovable rascal—spoke unhurriedly, her expression composed and showing not a trace of guilt or panic. "Before I accidentally dropped the bracelet, I actually consulted the 'Book of Answers' specifically... It said that if she doesn't end up with Kitahara, the Manager will grow old all alone and eventually pass away in utter, endless regret."
"If Nijika or the Manager don't believe me, you're welcome to ask the Book of Answers yourselves."
"If I'm lying, I'd even be willing to do a dogeza—a full, forehead-to-the-ground kowtow—to apologize."
"..."
"I see..."
Nijika's eyelashes fluttered slightly as she let out a soft breath; she was already convinced by Ryo's explanation.
Ryo might be a bit of a mischief-maker who lives for the drama, but she wasn't malicious; she wouldn't push someone into a disaster just for a prank... If it was truly for her sister's lifelong happiness, then it all made sense.
"Give me a break..."
Upon hearing this, Seika couldn't help but retort:
"He's not the only man in the world, you know. Are you saying that if I walk away from that brat, I'm doomed to grow old all alone?"
Ryo looked up, tilting her head as she asked:
"There are certainly plenty of men in the world, but after forging such deep bonds with Kitahara... could the Manager really accept anyone else?"
"..."
Seika fell silent at once.
Accepting another man?
The mere thought of it made her entire body recoil in resistance.
It seemed there really was no one else she could choose but that cheeky brat...
Seeing the manager, Seika, fall silent, the corners of Ryo's mouth—that "trashy" girl—curled up slightly as she casually dropped a bombshell:
"Actually, I also asked about the life you and Kitahara would have in the future; apparently, you're going to have twins."
"T-twins?"
Seika instinctively covered her lower abdomen with her hand, an indescribable, complex emotion welling up within her.
She adored Hana partly because the white-haired, red-eyed beast-ear girl was undeniably adorable, and partly because her maternal instincts had naturally kicked in as she reached that age; hearing this revelation about the "future" from Ryo left her feeling incredibly conflicted.
But the very next moment, Ryo's expression shifted to one of apology:
"Oh, sorry, I misspoke."
"...What?"
Seika looked over nervously.
Ryo's lips curled into a delighted smile:
"The one who's going to have twins in the future isn't you, Manager—it's actually Nijika."
Nijika: "..."
Seika: "..."
People who live for mischief are seriously infuriating!
Meanwhile...
Back at the old family home.
Kitahara had returned to the real world from the hot spring resort, looking thoroughly regretful.
"Guess I shouldn't go around eating 'Sensitivity Cookies' willy-nilly; it's too dangerous..."
He pulled his phone from his pocket, and a message from Soyo popped up on the screen:
"Kitahara-kun, mom is washing up in the bathroom, so you can come over now."
"On my way."
Kitahara put his phone away, stepped in front of the mirror, summoned Hana, and then fast-traveled to Soyo's house, appearing directly inside her room. "Thanks for your hard work, Kitahara-kun."
Soyo gazed at him with gentle eyes, her hands clasped together at her chest; her voice was soft and pleasant to the ear:
"I just asked my mom, and she said she has time to have breakfast with me this morning. That'll be the perfect chance to give her the Eden Fruit."
Soyo and Mrs. Nagasaki had relied on each other since she was little, sharing an incredibly deep bond. While Mrs. Nagasaki was a formidable career woman in the outside world, the hardships faced by such women in the environment of Nishijima were easy to imagine.
That was why, before leaving Otherworld, Soyo had specifically asked Kitahara to bring back an Eden Fruit for her mother—hoping it would allow her to retain her youth and extend her lifespan.
Kitahara naturally hadn't refused; he had come over specifically to deliver the fruit. Its skin was incredibly tough—so much so that Soyo couldn't cut through it on her own, even with a knife.
"You have to be careful when you eat it later. Make sure you finish the whole thing; don't let your mom take it to the office. Once an Eden Fruit has been picked for more than twenty-four hours, it turns from a delicacy into poison."
Kitahara gave this gentle reminder as he took out a band poster and put it up on the wall.
"I know." Soyo nodded earnestly, her expression serious. "I've committed it to memory; I definitely won't forget."
As she spoke, the girls on the poster seemed to come to life. The version of Soyo from the band—still a junior high student—peeked out cautiously before stepping right out of the poster, clutching an Eden Fruit.
"Um..." the band-version Soyo said tentatively. "It's been so long since I saw mom... Could I see her?"
The girls in the poster weren't flesh-and-blood humans, yet they possessed emotions and thoughts indistinguishable from the real thing; it was only natural for the band-version Soyo to miss her mother.
Soyo looked hesitant:
"Seeing mom isn't a problem, but the outfit you're wearing would definitely make her suspicious..."
The girl in the poster was wearing her band's performance outfit; appearing in public like that would certainly cause trouble.
"It's okay," the band-version Soyo said hurriedly. "I can change into something else."
"Then let's give it a try..."
As she spoke, Soyo glanced over at Kitahara. Kitahara understood the cue; he silently turned around and faced the wall.
Behind him came the rustling sounds of clothing; the "Band Soyo" quickly changed into her pajamas, then quietly opened the door and slipped out of the room.
"Thank you, Kitahara-kun."
Soyo whispered her thanks.
"That verbal thank-you lacks any sincerity," Kitahara said, turning to look at Soyo with an intense gaze. "You need to back up that gratitude with a kiss."
A faint blush rose on Soyo's lovely face as she stood on tiptoe and planted a kiss on him.
"All done~"
"That kiss only counts as the interest; keep going, keep going."
"..."
Kitahara pulled Soyo into his embrace, soon feeling the urge to tease her, but just as he made a move, Soyo held down his right hand.
"No..." Soyo's face was flushed, her eyes glistening, and her breathing slightly quickened. "I have to have breakfast with mom in a little while; let's save it for tonight."
Kitahara sounded disappointed: "Tonight is still such a long way off."
Soyo stood on tiptoe, leaned close to Kitahara's ear, and whispered softly, her breath sweet against his skin:
"Tonight... we can do it with Anon-chan too..."
Kitahara's eyes instantly lit up:
"It's a deal."
"Pfft~"
Just then, the bedroom door was pushed open, and the "Band Soyo" quietly slipped back inside.
Seeing Kitahara and Soyo embracing, the "Band Soyo" blushed slightly and hurriedly apologized in a low voice:
"I'm sorry, I interrupted you."
Kitahara extended his right hand: "No, you arrived at the perfect moment."
The "Band Soyo": "..."
Soyo puffed out her rosy cheeks slightly and reached out to pinch Kitahara's waist.
"Hiss~"
Kitahara sucked in a sharp breath:
"I'm sorry, I was wrong; please forgive me."
Soyo gave a soft hmph and looked at the band-version girl:
"Has mom finished getting ready?"
"Mm-hmm, mom is already getting ready for breakfast." A look of reluctance flickered in the "Band Soyo's" eyes. "It feels like mom has aged so much..."