"Hitori, let's go home."
Kitahara composed himself, ready to ride the scooter home with Hitori.
"Mm-hmm."
Hitori nodded quickly, swiftly put on her helmet, and then looked up expectantly.
Kitahara naturally knew what Hitori was teasing him about, so he simply gave a thumbs-up: "Hitori is super cool."
"Eh heh~"
Having received the praise she wanted, Hitori once again showed a smug little expression. Her lips parted, wanting to praise Kitahara, but the words caught in her throat. She was too embarrassed to say them aloud, so she could only praise him in her heart, her small face flushed.
The journey was silent.
Kitahara and Hitori rode their scooters, one in front and one behind, arriving safely at Gotō's doorstep.
"The weather is still a bit hot today, otherwise we wouldn't have to come back so early; we could go on a trip," Kitahara took off his helmet and let out a breath, then turned to Hitori. "Hitori, are you going to work at the store tonight?"
"Yes, I am." Hitori nodded gently, taking off her helmet and answering softly, "The store is very busy, the manager asked us to come help tonight, saying they'll increase our hourly wage."
Kitahara nodded gently: "I have other things to do tonight, so I won't go to the store to hang out. Shimokitazawa is a bit far, so Hitori, don't take the train home alone tonight. Let Hana-chan take you back with quick travel."
Hitori was indeed a bit worried about encountering anomalies on the way back, so she naturally wouldn't refuse: "Got it... Will Hana-chan be very tired?"
Kitahara casually said: "Then prepare a small cake for Hana-chan in advance."
"Mm-hmm."
Hitori nodded quickly, her eyes bright as she counted on her fingers: "When I take the train to the store this evening, I'll buy a small cake in advance and put it in my school bag... Hmm, one small cake isn't enough, I also need to buy one for Futari to celebrate Futari starting school, and mom works very hard, so I'll buy a small cake for mom to make her happy, and... and..."
By the end, Hitori's small face suddenly flushed, and she nervously looked down at her toes.
"And what else?"
Kitahara asked curiously.
"Th-that..."
Hitori stammered, clearly too shy to speak.
Kitahara lowered his voice: "Hitori, hurry up and say it, or I'll kiss you."
"N-no!"
Hitori quickly raised her hand to cover her lips, stammering softly: "And... it seems I've never bought Kitahara-kun a small cake, so I want to buy one more for Kitahara-kun..."
Hana gets one, Futari gets one, mom gets one, and now even I get one. Your dad is crying in the bathroom!
Kitahara extended his right hand and rubbed Hitori's small head: "What should I do? I really want to kiss Hitori right now."
Hitori quickly shook her head: "N-not outside... people will see..."
Kitahara smiled: "Then we'll kiss at home?"
Hitori's small face was scalding hot, almost smoking from her head: "T-tonight..."
Seeing Hitori so embarrassed she was about to burrow into the ground, Kitahara knew when to stop: "Then we'll kiss when Hitori comes back tonight."
"Phew…"
Hitori quietly breathed a sigh of relief, secretly glad to have escaped a calamity.
(As for being taken advantage of tonight… that's something for my nighttime self to worry about, it has nothing to do with me now…)
Amidst her wild thoughts, Kitahara's voice rang out again: "Hitori, you need to buy an extra small cake this evening."
"Huh?"
Hitori's peach blossom eyes peeked over.
Kitahara said softly: "Today is the first day of school, Hitori will be working part-time tonight, and tomorrow she has to participate in the campus marathon. These two days will be very tiring, so you should buy an extra small cake to reward yourself."
Hitori blinked her bright eyes, then lowered her small head: "Okay…"
After speaking with Hitori, Kitahara rode his small motorcycle directly home.
Evening arrived in a blink of an eye.
The sun was setting.
The twilight was dim.
Kitahara arrived at Tsukinomori Academy, and seeing that Sakiko had not yet arrived, he casually found a corner to wait.
Not long after, a pleasant voice drifted into his ears with the evening breeze: "Makoto-kun?"
Kitahara looked up and smiled: "Mutsumi-chan, good afternoon."
Mutsumi ran over with light steps. Her usually expressionless pretty face clearly showed a hint of happiness now. As the curse was lifted and emotions returned, Mutsumi's expressions began to subtly become richer.
"Why is Makoto-kun here?"
With nothing to hide, Kitahara honestly said: "Waiting for Sakiko…"
After explaining the situation, Mutsumi's expression remained unchanged, without any hint of jealousy. Her eyes merely looked over with anticipation: "Makoto-kun, do you want to eat a small cucumber?"
Kitahara: "…"
No, don't have your mind filled with such thoughts!
Although it's evening, there are still many people coming and going in the school. If I eat your small cucumber now, people will definitely see it clearly, right?
Aren't you at all worried about making it onto the campus front page?
"I planted small cucumbers in the school's vegetable garden."
Mutsumi's eyes were full of anticipation.
"So that's it…"
Kitahara quietly breathed a sigh of relief; as long as it wasn't a public display of affection, it was fine.
Facing Mutsumi's initiative invitation to visit the vegetable garden, Kitahara naturally couldn't refuse. The girl's expectant gaze was like a primary school student who scored a hundred points and wanted praise from her parents, making it impossible to refuse.
"Then let's go see the small cucumbers Mutsumi-chan planted."
Kitahara softly agreed.
"Makoto-kun, follow me."
"…"
On the way to the vegetable garden with Mutsumi, Kitahara took out his phone and sent a message to Sakiko explaining the situation, so that Sakiko wouldn't worry if she couldn't find him.
A moment later.
The two arrived in a garden area.
"It's here." Mutsumi pointed to the small vegetable garden in front of them, her voice uncharacteristically light, "These are all the vegetables I take care of."
Kitahara subtly twitched his lips, realizing it really was a vegetable garden. The small garden was planted with cucumbers, tomatoes, and eggplants, etc., and their colors looked very appealing.
"Is it okay for Mutsumi-chan to plant vegetables here?"
Kitahara asked curiously.
"No problem." Mutsumi said expressionlessly, "This is the Horticultural Club's activity area, and the school allows us to plant things."
Kitahara looked over in surprise: "Is Mutsumi-chan a member of the Horticultural Club?"
Mutsumi nodded: "That's right."
Kitahara was quite surprised: "I thought with Mutsumi-chan's personality, she wouldn't be interested in club activities. I didn't expect her to actually join a club."
Mutsumi explained expressionlessly:
"Joining the Horticultural Club allows me to plant cucumbers."
"…"
No wonder you joined a club; turns out you had an ulterior motive!
"Speaking of which, why do you like cucumbers so much, Mutsumi-chan?"
Kitahara asked curiously.
Mutsumi loves cucumbers so much; her chat app avatar is a cucumber, her phone wallpaper is also a cucumber, she loves eating cucumbers in her daily life, and now she even likes to grow her own cucumbers. She can be said to be a standard cucumber enthusiast.
Upon hearing this question, a hint of confusion flashed across Mutsumi's pretty face:
"I… don't know…"
Kitahara subtly raised an eyebrow:
"What do you mean, 'don't know'?"
Mutsumi's pretty face showed hesitation:
"It seems… another me really likes cucumbers…"
What does 'another me' mean?
Don't go for a super-development of multiple personalities!
"If you can't remember, then don't think about it."
Kitahara simply extended his right hand and placed it on top of Mutsumi's head:
"Can these small cucumbers be eaten now?"
Mutsumi's eyes brightened: "Yes, they can."
Kitahara waved his hand and said:
"Then let's eat the small cucumbers together."
"…"
There was no one else in the vegetable garden, only Kitahara and Mutsumi, so they could finally enjoy the small cucumbers without worry.
Twenty minutes later.
The two left the small vegetable garden and headed to the old music classroom.
As they turned the corner of the hallway, they saw Sakiko standing gracefully at the entrance of the music classroom, carrying her backpack with both hands. Beside Sakiko, there was also a brown-haired girl who looked like a friendly older sister, who was none other than Soyo.
Kitahara stepped forward: "Sakiko, sorry to keep you waiting."
Sakiko pursed her lips: "I just arrived not long ago myself."
"Soyo, good afternoon."
Kitahara also greeted Soyo.
"Kitahara-kun, good afternoon."
Soyo's voice was gentle as she smiled in response.
"…"
There's no need to say more about what happened next.
After letting Ghost-senpai possess Sakiko, the four of them left school together and started shopping and eating. During this time, Mutsumi even curiously experienced what it felt like to be possessed.
"Eh, it feels so strange…"
Ghost-senpai's voice was surprised.
"What's wrong?"
Kitahara asked curiously.
"Inside your friend's body, there seems to be another indescribable existence slumbering…"
Upon hearing Ghost-senpai's words, Soyo and Sakiko were naturally very concerned and nervously inquired about the specific situation.
Unfortunately, Ghost-senpai was only a half-baked expert and couldn't figure out the details herself.
"Kitahara-kun, are there any more question attempts left for the answer book?"
Sakiko looked up, clearly wanting to use the answer book to understand the reason.
Kitahara shook his head: "The question attempts have all been used up."
"Alright then…" Sakiko let out a soft breath, and earnestly instructed, "Mutsumi-chan, if you feel uncomfortable anywhere, remember to tell Kitahara-kun immediately."
Mutsumi said expressionlessly: "There's no uncomfortable place."
Soyo pursed her lips and said softly: "Although I don't know what Ghost-senpai is talking about, with Kitahara-kun here, Mutsumi-chan will definitely not be in danger."
"…"
At eight o'clock in the evening, after Ghost-senpai returned satisfied, Kitahara, Sakiko, Soyo, and Mutsumi each went home.
When one monk carries water, he drinks; when three monks carry water, none drink. With three girls gathered, Kitahara naturally couldn't get anyone, so he could only obediently go home.
As for Mutsumi's special condition, he could only ask the answer book tomorrow.
No words were exchanged on the way.
After returning home, Kitahara first took a cold shower, then walked out of the bathroom feeling refreshed. He then took out the Magic Cookie box and changed the 'study' label on it to a 'stamina' label.
Having taken care of business, Kitahara sat on the sofa, just about to play some games, when his phone suddenly vibrated.
"…Seika-nee?"
Looking at the message that popped up on his phone, Kitahara raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Could it be that Seika-sensei is out again?"
Kitahara curiously opened the message.
"Kid… are you free right now?"
After reading the message, Kitahara's face showed a hint of regret. Clearly, Seika was not out; this was entirely Seika's tone.
"I'm free now. Seika suddenly messaged me. Could it be that something unusual has happened again?"
Seika: "Perverted brat, don't jinx it."
After a pause, a new message was sent:
"I accidentally strained my back while moving things earlier... I can't get up now."
Kitahara: "..."
Knowing that your back injury hasn't healed, you still insist on overexerting yourself moving things. You're clearly asking for trouble!
Sighing helplessly, Kitahara simply got up:
"Where is Seika?"
Seika: "In the store's storeroom. Nijika is busy and hasn't seen my messages, so..."
Kitahara: "I'll be right there."
"..."
Calling Hana and paying with a small cake as compensation, Kitahara quickly traveled to the Shimokitazawa store.
Stepping out of the bathroom, Kitahara looked towards the front desk. The music was deafening, looking quite lively. It was clearly another day with many customers.
"Storeroom... here."
Kitahara quickly walked to the storeroom and gently knocked on the door.
"Seika, are you in?"
Seika's voice quickly rang out, faintly accompanied by gasps of pain:
"I'm here. The door isn't locked..."
Kitahara gripped the doorknob, pushed the door open, and stepped into the storeroom. He looked up and saw Seika sitting on the floor, her delicate eyebrows furrowed. Several cardboard boxes were scattered around her, filled with drinks. Her black dress was already soaked with spilled alcohol.
"Seika, do you need help?"
Kitahara closed the door behind him.
Seika bit her teeth together and raised her right hand:
"Less talk, just help me up quickly."
Kitahara walked to Seika, reached out, and gently pulled her up:
"Nijika can move these things. Don't overexert yourself."
"Slowly... Ouch, ouch, ouch..."
Seika gasped, holding her lower back, her tone resentful:
"Do you think I don't want to? There are so many customers in the store, and Nijika is busy non-stop. Of course, I have to handle this small matter myself."
"And then the small matter became a big one."
Kitahara complained while looking at Seika's chest.
After the black dress got wet with alcohol, it became noticeably transparent, faintly revealing the snowy white and delicate skin underneath.
"Perverted brat, what are you looking at?"
Noticing Kitahara's gaze, Seika quickly covered her chest, her pretty face flushed as she glared at him.
Kitahara wasn't angry:
"This is the first time. If it happens three times, Seika will be responsible for the consequences."
Seika: "..."
He even dared to threaten her back?
This perverted brat really needs a good lesson!
Unfortunately, when one is under another's roof, one must bow their head. The scene of being taken advantage of last time was still vivid in her mind. Although Seika was full of pride, she really didn't dare to intentionally provoke him.
"Hmph."
Seika turned her pretty face away, letting out a dissatisfied hum, and stubbornly said:
"My back was almost completely healed, but who knew that when I was moving boxes just now, a bug suddenly flew around. I was startled, and that's why I strained my back again."
Kitahara said helplessly:
"Ultimately, it's still because your back injury hasn't healed... How about drinking a universal medicine tonight to cure your back injury? Otherwise, I always feel that Seika will suffer again in the future."
"...Don't jinx it!"