Time was short; after a brief chat, Kitahara quietly sliced open the Eden Fruit, reminded Soyo once more to stay safe, and then took his leave.
"Next up is delivering the gifts..."
Kitahara fast-traveled home, had a glass of water, and immediately took out his phone to message Kita, Anon, and the others. He let them know he was safe and asked who was free so he could drop off the Eden Fruit; it was best to consume the thing as soon as possible to avoid any complications—like the fruit turning into poison.
The messages quickly showed as "Read."
Kita was the first to reply: "Kitahara-kun, you're back! I'm in my room; you can come over right now."
"On my way."
Kitahara grabbed his backpack, said a quick word to his roommate, and fast-traveled to Kita's house.
A moment later.
Kitahara stepped out of the mirror and appeared inside Kita's room.
Kita had clearly just woken up; her hair wasn't even tied back yet, and her silky, wine-red locks cascaded down her shoulders. She was wearing cute cat-themed pajamas, making her already petite frame look even smaller and more adorable.
"Good morning, Kitahara-kun."
The girl's bright, cheerful, and energetic voice rang out instantly.
"Good morning."
Kitahara opened his arms and stepped forward:
"I haven't seen you in over half a year—let me give you a hug for a bit to recharge with 'Lord Kita's' energy."
"What are you talking about? We saw each other just yesterday afternoon, you know?"
Kita's face flushed slightly as she couldn't help but retort under her breath.
Despite the playful complaint, Kita didn't refuse or pull away; instead, she stood still and obediently let Kitahara pull her into his embrace. Breathing in the faint, lovely scent of Kita's hair, Kitahara spoke softly:
"As the saying goes, 'A day apart feels like three autumns'—so naturally, it's been a long time since I last saw you."
Kita murmured a retort: "But wouldn't that literally mean three autumn seasons?"
Kitahara explained: "The 'three autumns' in that phrase doesn't refer to three autumn seasons, but rather three seasons in total."
"Huh?"
Surprised by this, Kita tilted her face upward:
"Is that so?"
"..."
Their eyes met.
Seeing the look of triumphant mischief in Kitahara's eyes, Kita's heart skipped a beat.
(Oh no, I've been tricked!)
(Kitahara-kun just wanted to trick me into looking up...)
Unfortunately, Kita was a step too slow; before she could react, Kitahara had already leaned in and planted a kiss, sealing her soft, moist lips with his own.
"Mmph..."
Kita felt a moment of shy hesitation, but realizing she couldn't break free, she simply raised her arms to wrap them around Kitahara's neck, meekly submitting to his playful advances.
A moment later... With a soft pop echoing through the room, Kitahara let the breathless Kita go for the moment and asked:
"Are your parents home?"
Kita's face flushed pink. "Dad is away on a business trip, and mom is resting in the next room. Kitahara-kun, please keep your voice down so you don't wake her up. The frequency of anomalies has been increasing lately, so she often has to work overtime through the night—it's incredibly exhausting."
"Got it." Kitahara took out the band poster, had the girl depicted on it produce the Eden Fruit, and then quickly sliced open the skin and handed it to Kita. "Eat it all now—don't leave a single bit."
"Um..." Kita swallowed hard and looked up, seeking permission. "There's so much of it; could I give half to my mom?"
"Of course—Kita's mom is my mom, too." Kitahara gently reminded her, "But make sure it all gets eaten; once twenty-four hours pass, the Eden Fruit turns from a delicacy into poison."
"Mm-hmm, I'll remember that." Kita nodded earnestly and happily cradled the Eden Fruit. "Then I'll go share it with mom?"
Kitahara ruffled Kita's hair:
"Go ahead."
"..."
After delivering the Eden Fruit to Kita, Kitahara checked the message on his phone and fast-traveled to Taki's room.
"Good morning, Taki."
Stepping out from the full-length mirror, Kitahara's gaze swept the room and landed on Taki, who was sitting at her desk.
The long-haired, black-haired "legal loli" was an early riser; she was already fully dressed and looked over with her arms crossed.
"You didn't take advantage of Tomori in Otherworld, did you?"
Kitahara shook his head. "Of course not."
Taki huffed. "That's impossible to believe."
"Tch."
Kitahara made a soft clicking sound with his tongue.
"It seems you have a major misunderstanding about me, Taki."
"Huh?"
Taki looked at him with disdain and couldn't help but retort:
"You actually have the nerve to call it a misunderstanding?"
Kitahara held up a finger. "If one party forces the other, that's bullying. But if it's something both parties want—like between you and me—then naturally, it doesn't count as bullying."
"Pfft."
Upon hearing this, Taki couldn't help but scoff, glaring at him in embarrassment and irritation.
"I'm always the one getting taken advantage of by you; it's never been mutual!"
"Since you put it that way..." Kitahara leisurely opened his inventory and took out the Eden Fruit. "From now on, unless you make the first move, I absolutely won't touch you again."
"Forget it—no way. I'm absolutely never going to make the first move!"
Taki flatly denied it all. Kitahara smiled without a word, took out a knife to quickly slice open the Eden Fruit, and then gave a patient, final reminder:
"Remember to finish the whole thing. If you can't eat it all, share it with Maki-nee or your aunt—just make sure nothing is left over. Leaving lemon slices in fruit tea overnight is fine, but eating an Eden Fruit that's gone past its prime turns it into deadly poison."
As Kitahara sliced the fruit, an indescribable aroma wafted up to her; Taki couldn't help but swallow hard. Since her safety was at stake, she certainly wasn't going to be stubborn:
"Got it. I definitely won't leave any behind."
"It's a deal, then." Kitahara waved his hand and turned to leave without hesitation. "I'm off."
"Huh?"
Watching Kitahara's back as he walked away without a second thought, Taki was momentarily stunned.
"He... really just left like that?"
No teasing, no getting handsy—Kitahara had simply turned and walked away. Staring at the now-empty room, Taki felt dazed for a few seconds before her teeth bit down on her lower lip in a gesture of hurt and frustration.
In the past, whenever Kitahara visited, he would always tease or take advantage of her, and she used to wish he would leave sooner. Yet now that he had done absolutely nothing—simply dropping off the fruit and walking away—she felt an inexplicable sense of loss and grievance.
Though she was loath to admit it, Taki quickly realized her true feelings: she actually wanted to be teased a little.
"Wait a minute..."
Taki suddenly recalled what Kitahara had said earlier, and a quiet anxiety began to rise within her:
"That pervert Kitahara... surely he wouldn't actually keep his word and stop teasing me from now on, right?"
"Impossible."
"There's no way he can actually stick to that."
"..."
Taki found herself torn, unsure whether she should hope Kitahara kept his promise or went back on his word.
The reason Kitahara left so decisively wasn't to play mind games with Taki, but because he had more pressing matters to attend to—such as...
"Hey, Small Fry, why are you only just getting here?"
A young girl's voice, tinged with reproach, drifted softly through the air. "I made really good time." Kitahara looked at the pink-haired girl wearing black-rimmed glasses. "I haven't rested at all since returning from Otherworld; I rushed straight here without stopping to see little Anon."
Teasing Taki usually meant nothing more than a hug or a kiss, but rushing over to tease Anon... well, that opened the door to all sorts of possibilities.
"That sounds nice coming from 'small fry,' but who knows if it's actually true..."
Anon pushed up her glasses, then launched herself into Kitahara's arms, sniffing around his chest like a drug-sniffing dog.
"Soyo's scent..."
"Mmm, and Kita-chan's scent, too..."
"small fry, you're a huge liar!"
Anon puffed out her cheeks, looking just like an angry pufferfish:
"You smell like so many different girls—and yet you claim you rushed straight here to see me?"
Kitahara tightened his arms slightly, holding the jealous pink-haired girl firmly against his chest:
"Anon, let me explain first."
"I'm not listening, I'm not listening."
"I did stop by Soyo's, Kita's, and Taki's places earlier, but the total time spent at all of them combined was less than twenty minutes. Because the final destination of my journey was right here with you, Anon."
"That's so cheesy; there's no real feeling behind it..."
Even though Anon was grumbling and complaining, she was clearly enjoying it.
The proof? A moment ago, she had been squirming and refusing to be held—much like a pig being wrangled for the New Year's feast—but now she had quieted down and was behaving herself. Kitahara naturally didn't call out Anon on her tsundere act; instead, he leaned in close to the pink-haired girl's ear:
"Anon, you didn't take a dip in the onsen last night. We still have time—want to go now?"
A flush rapidly spread across Anon's pretty face, and her gaze darted away:
"No way~"
Kitahara continued his devilish whispering: "By the way, I made a batch of very special cookies yesterday. Want to give them a taste?"
"Huh?"
Anon looked up, her eyes full of curiosity:
"Super special cookies... what kind are they?"
Kitahara didn't play games; he stated it plainly:
"Magical cookies that drastically boost sensitivity—or even crank it all the way up to the max."
Anon: "..."
Oh no!
That kind of cookie sounds absolutely scandalous!
"Want to see what they taste like?" Kitahara used a bit of reverse psychology. "Of course, if you're scared, never mind—pretend I never said anything."
"Hmph~"
Anon gave a soft hmph and couldn't help but retort:
"You big dummy... I'm not falling for such a cheap trick."
Kitahara made a show of turning to leave:
"Guess I'll go, then?"
He had barely taken half a step when someone tugged at the hem of his shirt.
"Don't go..."
Anon's face was burning red; though her eyes held a hint of shyness, curiosity and anticipation shone through even more strongly:
"Fine, I'll try it. I'm not scared."
"..."
I have to admit—even though this Anon is a total pushover in a fight, she certainly has guts. Her desire to explore and her curiosity are immense; she never hems and haws or puts on a show of false modesty.
"Let's go to the Onsen Village," Kitahara smiled. "We'll eat the Eden Fruit, and then let Anon experience the effects of the cookies."
"..."
There is no need to elaborate on what happened next.
A mere three minutes passed in the real world before Kitahara walked out looking rather regretful. He gathered Anon's schoolbag and personal belongings, stored them away in the Onsen Village, and then fast-traveled straight back home. Anon was already a total "small fry" to begin with, but after eating that cookie, her "small fry" traits were dialed up to the max. Had Kitahara not shared the stamina ability with her and let her rest at the onsen resort, there is no way she would have been able to get out of bed and go to school today.
Upon returning home, Kitahara greeted Mutsumi, changed into his school uniform, grabbed his bag, and headed out on his scooter.
"Hitori, good morning."
Kitahara soon arrived at the Gotoh residence.
"Kitahara-kun, good morning..."
Hitori had been waiting anxiously by the door; seeing Kitahara appear, she let out a sigh of relief, and the ahoge atop her head began to sway happily.
"I got held up a bit today," Kitahara said gently. "Let's head straight to school. I'll give you the Eden Fruit during lunch break."
"Mm-hmm." Hitori nodded hurriedly. "Let's hurry to school; we'll be late otherwise."
"..."
The ride was a quiet one.
Kitahara and Hitori made it to school safely.
"Phew..."
Gotoh Hitori breathed a quiet sigh of relief:
"We made it just in time—thank goodness we aren't late."
Kitahara removed his helmet and, looking at Hitori standing several meters away, raised an eyebrow slightly:
"Why are you standing so far away from me, Hitori?"
"W-Well..."
Gotoh Hitori stammered, her gaze darting back and forth.
"Spit it out," Kitahara said, lowering his voice. "Otherwise, I'm going to use that onsen voucher right now."
"N-No, please don't!"
Gotoh Hitori's face flushed bright red as she hurriedly pleaded, stammering out her embarrassed confession:
"Kitahara-kun, you're a campus celebrity now—so many people are watching you every day. Walking alongside you... it makes me feel so uncomfortable all over..."
It couldn't be helped; as someone with severe social anxiety, Hitori simply wanted to live in a dark sewer, not under the spotlight of a stage. Kitahara's lips quirked up slightly, though he didn't pressure Hitori:
"During the lunch break, come to the storage room where we usually eat our bento, and eat the Eden Fruit then."
"O-okay..."
"..."
Before long, the lunch break arrived.
Kitahara arrived at the storage room first to wait; soon enough, a soft, tentative knock sounded at the door.
"Come in."
Kitahara called out; he already knew who was coming based on the sound of footsteps outside.
The door was quietly pushed open, and a red-haired girl with her hands on her hips walked in first—it was Kita.
Following behind Kita was a timid, pink-haired girl—Hitori.
"Come over and sit down." Kitahara beckoned to them. "Hitori, do you plan to eat the Eden Fruit at the onsen, or right here at school?"
"Um..." Hitori stammered, clearly worried about being taken advantage of. "How about the storage room?"
"I suggest the onsen resort area," Kitahara said with a look of utter righteousness. "The 'Eden Fruit' has such a strong scent; if anyone walked by in the hallway, we'd definitely get caught."
"Ah..."
Hearing this, Hitori immediately hesitated:
"So... the onsen resort area, then?"
Although she was worried about being taken advantage of there, she was even more afraid of causing trouble for others.
Kita placed her hands on her hips, stepped in front of Hitori, and tilted her lovely chin upward:
"With me around, Kitahara-kun, don't even think about bullying anyone."
"Tch."
Kitahara clicked his tongue softly. After a moment of contemplation, he interlaced his fingers and said:
"Last semester, we used to play the Pocky Game in this storage room all the time, and you two never won once... Tell you what: let's have another challenge. Whether it's Kita or Hitori—if either of you can complete the challenge, I promise I absolutely won't take advantage of anyone when we go to the onsen resort later. How about it?"