"Mom, hurry and take off your clothes. Don't keep anything on except your underwear—stockings, hair ties, rings—get rid of it all!"
As she spoke, Reiko—the bespectacled girl—stepped forward to help.
"W-wait a moment."
The lady covered her chest with both hands, looking bewildered.
"Why are you suddenly asking me to undress? And last night... I wasn't dreaming, was I?"
"Of course not!"
Reiko hurriedly explained:
"The monster mom and I encountered last night was a 'Imposter'—one of those anomalies the authorities warned about. This morning, an Imposter took control of my body and went to school, but luckily, Matsusaka-senpai spotted it, and then..."
After hearing the full story from her daughter, the still-alluring lady looked gratefully at Kitahara and bowed deeply.
"Kitahara-kun, thank you so much for saving Reiko. I can't thank you enough!"
"We can save the thanks for later," Kitahara said, waving his hand. "Let's get that parasite out of your body first."
"...Understood."
Blushing slightly, the lady quickly began undressing; after all, her daughter was already sixteen, so she wasn't about to act shy or coy like a little girl.
A moment later.
Reiko's mother was down to just her underwear.
"Kitahara-kun, I'm counting on you."
Reiko clasped her hands over her chest and watched nervously.
"Leave it to me."
Kitahara kept his gaze steady and extended his right hand, making a grasping motion in the air toward Reiko's mother.
"Deprive!"
Thanks to the ability "Schrödinger's Cat," there was no risk of accidental exposure; a parasite appeared out of thin air in the palm of Kitahara's hand.
The creature froze for two seconds before letting out a shrill squeal, thrashing wildly in Kitahara's palm as it tried to escape.
"Is that the monster that burrowed into my and Reiko's heads last night?"
Reiko's mother turned pale; her legs gave way, and she sank onto the sofa. Although the authorities had publicly acknowledged the existence of anomalies—and many people online even joked about how they'd strip the chastity of any beautiful, humanoid anomaly they encountered—it was all just empty bravado. If an ordinary person actually ran into a monster, they wouldn't be excited by the prospect of a "catch"; they'd be trembling in fear.
Of the three girls, only Kita remained composed. Having ventured into the "Otherworld" so many times, she was well-seasoned and certainly wouldn't be spooked by a mere bug. She quickly opened her backpack:
"Kitahara-kun, shall I take out the band poster?"
Kitahara nodded. "Go ahead."
Kita agreed, promptly retrieved the band poster, and—under the curious gazes of the other two girls—stuck it onto the wall.
After extracting the "Imposter" from Reiko's mother, he couldn't simply crush it on the spot. Imposters shared a distinct connection with one another; while crushing the bug in his hand would be easy, the entire apartment complex was teeming with Imposters, and doing so might invite unnecessary trouble.
That was why, on the way over, Kitahara had changed his plan: he decided to temporarily seal the captured Imposter inside the poster.
That's right—the poster's internal space wasn't just for storage; it could also function as a sealing vessel. All one had to do was take the poster down from the wall, and everything inside would be frozen in time.
"All set."
Kita clapped her hands and stepped back, satisfied.
The very next second...
The five band members in the poster suddenly "came to life," craning their necks to peer outward.
"Huh? Wait—the people in the poster are moving!" Reiko exclaimed in sheer shock.
"It's like those magical paintings in Harry Potter..."
Matsusaka, arms crossed over her chest, remained quite calm.
"It's a special item, Reiko-chan; don't be scared," Kita whispered reassuringly. "There's no danger."
"Tomori, come out for a sec."
Kitahara called out.
Most girls were afraid of bugs, but Tomori was an exception; she had loved pill bugs as a child and remained unafraid of insects to this day. Hearing the summons, the "Band Tomori" blinked and stepped out with an impassive expression.
During her junior high days, Tomori had been reticent, sensitive, and introverted; she and Kitahara hadn't been particularly close. Consequently, after emerging from the poster, she didn't say a word, simply gazing quietly in his direction.
Kitahara didn't mind; he handed the Imposter he was holding straight to her while briefly explaining the situation:
"I need you to take this bug back into the poster for the time being, Tomori."
"Okay."
The Band Tomori nodded gently in agreement. Showing not a trace of fear on her small face, she reached out curiously and took the Imposter Bug.
"...I'm going back now."
She whispered a soft farewell, turned around, and stepped back into the poster.
Rustle.
Kitahara took the poster down from the wall and folded it up:
"Sealing complete. Now we just have to wait and see if an Imposter neighbor comes knocking—or suddenly bursts in."
"..."
Time ticked quietly by. As the girls waited anxiously, the doorbell never rang, nor did any doppelgängers break down the door.
"It's been ten minutes," Kitahara said, checking the time on his phone. "No Imposters have 'paid a visit.' It seems my deduction was correct: only the death of a nearby doppelgänger draws the attention of others... Now, we just wait for the authorities to act."
He walked to the balcony and looked down. In the glow of the setting sun, personnel clad in white protective suits were already appearing, evacuating the crowd under the pretext of a hazardous material leak.
Although many were still out "at work" and hadn't returned, the situation was critical. The fission-like spread of the infection was terrifying; immediate action was essential—the sooner, the better.
"Imposters are so obedient; they actually came right out when asked."
Kita walked over to Kitahara's side and peered cautiously downward.
As the personnel arrived, the apartment residents were gradually being evacuated. Most of them were "Impostors"—specifically, those who had fully absorbed human memories and possessed superior acting skills; the anxiety and fear on their faces showed absolutely no flaws, making it impossible to distinguish them from real humans by sight alone.
Fortunately, these Impostors preferred to maintain their disguises; rather than going on a rampage immediately, they obediently followed the staff's instructions and headed toward the designated evacuation center.
"You know, the authorities are moving incredibly fast, aren't they?"
Reiko muttered under her breath:
"I saw on the news a while back that an elderly man in his seventies drove his car into a massive sinkhole in the street. It's been over a month, and he still hasn't been rescued. I honestly thought the authorities would drag their feet until nightfall before taking any action."
Kitahara looked down. "An old man's personal safety doesn't matter; it has no impact on the wining and dining of the wealthy and the politicians. But if Impostors were to spread, those rich folks and politicians wouldn't be able to sit still."
Matsusaka's lips curled slightly:
"That sounds like a dangerous thing to say..."
Knock, knock, knock.
A sudden knocking sound echoed through the room.
The three young women turned to look at Kitahara in unison—even the still-alluring housewife among them. Although she was significantly older than him, there was no doubt that Kitahara was now the pillar of the household.
"It's probably the staff."
Kitahara walked toward the entryway and opened the door.
Two staff members stood outside, clad in white protective suits. Miniature cameras were pinned to their chests to record the scene and transmit footage to a central command center in real-time, ensuring that no staff member was parasitized by an Impostor during the evacuation.
"Hello. We've received a report that a dangerous individual has released a toxic substance in this area. Please cooperate with us for an emergency evacuation..."
The staff member got straight to the point. After stating the reason, they added briskly:
"Please head to the evacuation center right away."
"No problem. We'll go downstairs immediately."
Kitahara nodded in agreement, choosing to cooperate. The girls put on their shoes; Reiko—the bespectacled girl—clung to her mother's arm. The group left their apartment, mingled with the other residents, and took the elevator down.
During the ride, the three girls and the mother kept their heads down, staring at their toes and afraid to move; they dreaded accidentally violating some taboo that might cause the "Impostor" residents in the elevator to drop their disguises and fly into a violent rage.
Fortunately, nothing went wrong, and the group reached the ground floor safely.
"Phew..."
Stepping out of the apartment complex, Kita let out a quiet sigh of relief; she held onto the hem of Kitahara's shirt with her small hand while curiously looking around.
Given that the safety of the wealthy was at stake, the authorities had acted with impressive efficiency; in a remarkably short time, police cars, ambulances, and buses had all been mobilized and positioned.
Guided by staff members, Kitahara and the others boarded a bus with the rest of the residents, heading straight for the evacuation center. Along the way, a few Impostor neighbors struck up casual conversations with Reiko's mother—an interaction that left the girls trembling with fear.
"We've arrived at the gymnasium; please disembark now," announced a staff member in a white coat, holding a megaphone. "Once safety has been confirmed, we will take you all back home immediately."
Since their identities hadn't been exposed, the Impostors naturally agreed, forming an orderly line and getting off the bus one by one.
It had to be said that the Japanese cultural trait of "observing the rules" ran deep in their bones; even without being told, the Impostors on the bus instinctively formed a queue.
Kitahara and Kita's group mingled with the crowd of Impostors as they stepped off the bus and entered the gymnasium, eventually finding an unoccupied corner to rest for a while. "So many people..." Reiko, the bespectacled girl, said nervously as she watched the crowd in the gymnasium continue to grow. "Surely they aren't all Imposters, are they?"
Kitahara shook his head. "It's not that extreme."
Reiko breathed a sigh of relief. "That's a relief."
But the very next moment, Kitahara's unhurried voice continued:
"There are still a dozen or so ordinary humans mixed in among them."
Reiko: "..."
"Kitahara-kun, with so many Imposters gathered together, it would be terrifying if they suddenly went on a rampage, wouldn't it?" Matsusaka lowered her voice, sounding worried. "Can the Bureau really keep them under control?"
Kitahara wasn't worried. "Since they dared to gather all the Imposters in one place, they obviously have the confidence to handle it. We just have to wait and see."
As time passed, the number of residents in the gymnasium quickly surpassed the thousand mark; looking out, one saw nothing but a dense sea of people.
Buzz.
The phone in his pocket vibrated gently.
Kitahara calmly took out his phone and saw a message from the female official in charge:
"Kitahara-kun, please come to the second-floor security room with your friends. We're getting ready to move."
"On my way."
Kitahara put his phone away and said softly:
"Let's go. We're heading to the security room."
The girls hurriedly followed him. They carefully made their way across the gymnasium and up the stairs to the security room on the second floor.
"Kitahara-kun, how many Imposters are currently in the gymnasium?"
Kojima got straight to the point.
Kitahara silently activated his "HP Warrior" ability and walked over to the glass window. Looking down, he saw a dense array of health bars appear; the short bars representing ordinary humans were few in number, while the Imposters' health bars dominated the view.
"About two-thirds of the residents down there are Imposters," Kitahara answered quietly, looking away from the window.
"That many..."
Hearing the answer, even the formidable Kojima could barely maintain her composure.
There were over a thousand people in the gymnasium, and with Imposters making up two-thirds of them, the consequences of mishandling the situation were unthinkable.
Buzz. The buzzing of a mobile phone suddenly shattered the silence of the safe room.
Kojima took out her phone and glanced at the message; a look of inner conflict quickly crossed her face, but she ultimately took a deep breath, her expression hardening:
"Let's use the 'Poison of Madness'."
Upon hearing this, the faces of the Bureau members nearby changed instantly. One man looked over nervously:
"But there are still many ordinary civilians down there..."
Kojima's expression remained stern:
"If the Impostors here break out, the entire world will be destroyed."
Another middle-aged man hesitated:
"We might still have other options..."
"Then propose one."
"..."
The middle-aged man fell silent immediately.
"'Poison of Madness'—that sounds incredibly dangerous." Kita quietly tugged at Kitahara's sleeve and whispered, "Kitahara-kun, what is that?"
"I don't know."
Kitahara shook his head.
This thing was clearly a secret weapon of the Bureau; while it could kill Anomalies, it seemed ordinary people wouldn't be spared either.
"Ms. Kojima, what exactly is the 'Poison of Madness'?"
Kitahara asked softly.
Kojima closed her eyes and took a deep breath; she didn't hold back, explaining the situation with a tense expression.
The so-called "Poison of Madness" was a toxic mist harvested by Bureau staff from Otherworld. Repeated testing had shown it to be devastatingly effective against Anomalies.
However, ordinary people exposed to the poison would not be spared either.
Upon hearing the explanation, the three girls' faces turned pale, and even Reiko's mother—an adult—held her breath in anxiety.
The people down below had been someone's wife or a beloved child just days ago—precious figures in the lives of so many. And that was to say nothing of the many ordinary civilians among them. Yet now, to eliminate the Impostors, there was a plan to bury them all together...
Cruel.
It was truly, utterly cruel. Kojima spoke in a low, serious voice:
"Based on the intel Kitahara-kun provided, once an 'Imposter' is killed, the others sense it. If the ones inside the gymnasium break out, our current manpower won't be enough to stop them, and all of Tokyo will fall... That's why we need a foolproof plan to eliminate every single one of them in a short span of time."
"..."
Silence descended upon the safe room once more.
Rationally speaking, sacrificing a few to save the many was the correct choice; yet, humans are not purely rational machines—true ruthlessness is impossible for them.
Take Reiko, the bespectacled girl who wore her heart on her sleeve; she was already teary-eyed. Kita, too, was biting her lower lip, casting a pitiful, pleading look at Kitahara.
"Kitahara-kun..."
In Kita's eyes, Kitahara was an omnipotent figure.
Kitahara reached out and gently patted Kita's head, then broke the silence in a soft voice:
"Give me a minute."
Everyone turned to look at him.
Snap.
Kitahara snapped his fingers, activating a "Silence Field" that enveloped the girls, and then said:
"Kita, use your final question. Ask if the [Magical Bait] can fish the Imposter 'bug' out of the host's body."
Although Kitahara felt confident it would work, the stakes were high, so it was best to be certain.
Kita's eyes lit up at his words; she hurriedly took out the Book of Answers and handed it to Reiko:
"Reiko-chan, ask it—ask it now!"
"Huh?"
"Everyone's safety is in your hands!"
"..."
Reiko nervously took the Book of Answers and, guided by Kita, asked the question.
A moment later.
Two characters quietly appeared on the page:
"Is that possible?"
[It's possible].
Kitahara felt reassured; he gave a soft snap of his fingers to deactivate the domain, then turned to Kojima and spoke with a serious expression:
"I have a way to force all those 'imposter bugs' out of their hosts and gather them in one place."
"Kitahara-kun, this is a matter of grave importance..."
Kojima wore a solemn look.
Without wasting words, Kitahara simply took out the "Magical Bait" and demonstrated its effects.
[Item: Magical Bait]
[Current Status: Optimized]
[New Attribute: The Ultimate Nemesis of the Topmouth Culter. Upon activation, targets are compelled to rush toward the bait; the only way to escape is to break free or destroy the bait.]
The bait wasn't limited to catching fish; it could even lure birds from the sky—provided Kitahara could see them or held a clear mental image of the target.
He had encountered the imposter bugs twice already and noted no difference in their forms, so he could easily lure them all out.
After witnessing the unique capabilities of the Magical Bait firsthand, the Bureau staff were instantly excited. However, that excitement soon gave way to a look of hesitation on Kojima's face:
"Kitahara-kun, the 'Poison of Madness' is extremely dangerous; you might..."
"Don't worry about me," Kitahara said decisively. "I have a special method of teleportation."
"...Then I leave this to you, Kitahara-kun."
All the staff members in the secure room bowed respectfully.
Kitahara: "..."
I actually do have a way to get out of here—what is with those looks of nostalgic sentimentality on your faces?
Ten minutes later.
The residents in the gymnasium were growing increasingly restless, and the impostors were becoming agitated as well.
Just then, two staff members in white coats stepped forward and instructed everyone to line up, keeping the gaps between them as small as possible; after all, the fishhook had a limited effective range, and there was only one chance to use it.
Fortunately, the impostors were obsessed with playing the part of ordinary people; far from rioting, they actually dutifully lined up in formation...