"Why would my future self be crying?"
Kita Ikuyo looked over nervously.
"Did something really scary happen?"
"Stay calm, don't panic," Kitahara Makoto extended his right hand, placed it on Kita's small head, and said softly, "I'll go get my backpack, it has the answer book inside. Today, I just happen to have one last question left."
"Mm-hmm."
Kita Ikuyo quickly nodded.
A moment later.
Kitahara Makoto came over with his backpack, pulled out the answer book from it, and handed it to Kita Ikuyo.
"Kita, you can ask now."
Kita Ikuyo held the answer book with both hands, eagerly asking the question.
"Why will my future self cry in despair?"
Swish, swish, swish.
The answer book turned its pages rapidly on its own, without any wind.
Immediately after, a line of text quietly appeared on the blank page:
[Your favorite mother will encounter misfortune]
"Wh-…what?!"
Kita Ikuyo's eyes widened; even though nothing had happened yet, a hazy mist quickly welled up in her eyes, like dewdrops on a summer lotus leaf, ready to roll down the next second.
"Don't cry yet," Kitahara Makoto stepped forward, pulling Kita into his embrace, and gently comforted her, "This is just one possible future; we can completely rewrite the future."
Kita Ikuyo looked up with teary eyes, nervously clutching Kitahara Makoto's clothes, her words becoming fragmented.
"Don't… don't let Mama be in danger…"
Kita usually shone on others like the sun; a girl with such a personality must have a very harmonious family environment, with no absence from either parent.
So, upon hearing that her mother would be in danger, Kita completely panicked.
"Nothing will happen, for sure," Kitahara Makoto kept comforting her. "The most important thing now isn't to panic, but to find the cause and rewrite the future where Mama encounters misfortune."
"Ye-yes…" Kita Ikuyo quickly wiped her eyes, desperately seeking a solution. "Ask the answer book again, what kind of danger will Mama encounter!"
Kitahara Makoto gently shook his head, "That was the last question opportunity for today."
Kita Ikuyo came to her senses upon hearing this; today's questions had already been used up.
"What do we do now?"
Kitahara Makoto gently stroked Kita's small head to comfort her, while pondering,
"How is Mrs. Kita's health? Does she have any underlying medical conditions?"
"No," Kita Ikuyo shook her head. "Mrs. Kita is a doctor and has annual check-ups. Her health has always been very good."
"Then it must be some kind of accident," Kitahara Makoto said seriously. "The answer book's question count refreshes after midnight. As soon as it's midnight tonight, we'll know immediately what kind of danger Mrs. Kita will encounter."
"So, the most crucial period is from now until midnight."
"During this time, it's best if we stay by Mrs. Kita's side, protecting her safety closely... Without further ado, it's best to go to Mrs. Kita's side now."
"Mm-hmm," Kita Ikuyo wiped her eyes, quickly pulled out her phone, and dialed a number. "I'll first ask Mrs. Kita if she's busy right now."
The call connected quickly.
As a gentle and pleasant female voice came from the phone, Kita Ikuyo unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.
Kitahara Makoto rubbed Kita's head and said softly:
"I'll go ask Ayane-nee for leave."
With a random event occurring, today's film shooting couldn't continue no matter what.
Going to the front, Kitahara Makoto found Shiraishi Ayane, quietly explained the situation, and then asked for leave for Kita.
Shiraishi Ayane didn't say much, simply waved her hand and approved the leave.
The pink-haired girl, Anon, was eavesdropping nearby with her ears perked up. Seeing Kitahara Makoto leave, she quickly scurried over, her cheeks puffed up:
"Scumbag-kun, your clothes are actually wet! What kind of terrible things did you do in the hallway?"
"Huh?"
Kitahara Makoto looked down and only then realized there was a small wet stain on his white shirt over his chest. He looked back at her speechlessly:
"No matter how terrible the thing, it couldn't possibly wet my chest, could it?"
"That's not necessarily true," Chihaya Anon hummed softly, hands on her hips, complaining with disdain, "That night when we were looking at the doujinshi together, there were clearly poses that involved getting one's face dirty..."
As she spoke, Chihaya Anon's voice rapidly became softer, then her pretty face flushed slightly, and she stopped talking.
Kitahara Makoto raised an eyebrow and looked over:
"It seems Anon is very interested in those poses in the doujinshi."
Chihaya Anon showed her small canines at the corner of her mouth, glaring at him in embarrassment:
"I'm not interested at all! You forced me to look at them, okay!"
"Anyway, Kita and I didn't do anything, we just foresaw the future," Kitahara Makoto said casually. "Since Anon is so interested, then I'll have to satisfy Anon's curiosity tomorrow."
"Pfft~"
Chihaya Anon's pretty face was crimson, and she couldn't help but lightly spit:
"Those poses are too terrible, don't even think about it!"
After saying that, Chihaya Anon finally reacted:
"Wait a minute, what did Kitahara just say about foreseeing the future?"
"That's right, I saw the future."
"..."
As they spoke, the two had already arrived at the hallway.
Looking at the teary-eyed Kita Ikuyo, Anon finally understood why Kitahara Makoto's shirt was wet, and she immediately felt ashamed.
After understanding the situation of foreseeing the future, Anon's expression immediately became serious:
"Mrs. Kita's safety is naturally the top priority. Is there anything I can help with?"
Kitahara Makoto pondered:
"There is indeed one thing I need to ask Anon for help with."
"Kitahara-kun, tell me quickly!" Chihaya Anon urged him, "I'll go through fire and water for you!"
"It's not that exaggerated," Kitahara Makoto waved his hand. "Kita and I will go to Mrs. Kita first. Anon, go to my house and bring out Hana. I'll send you the address later."
They didn't know what kind of accident Mrs. Kita would encounter, so they had to prepare as much as possible for any eventuality.
"Leave it to me," Chihaya Anon readily agreed. "I'll change my clothes, and then I'll bring Hana-chan over."
Kita Ikuyo bit her lip and looked over:
"Thank you, Anon."
"It's only natural for friends to help each other," Chihaya Anon said as she waved and turned around. "If our roles were reversed, Kita-chan would definitely help too, right?"
Watching Anon leave, Kitahara Makoto turned to Kita:
"Let's go too."
"..."
Half an hour later.
Chiyoda Ward Hospital.
Mrs. Kita's name is Kita Kuruyo. Kuruyo is actually a pun, meaning 'Here I come, I'm coming' in Japanese. According to Kita, her name 'Ikuyo' was given by her mother.
Mrs. Kita works as an emergency room doctor, and she was still on duty at this time.
"Mrs. Kita gets off work at six in the evening," Kita Ikuyo glanced at her phone. "There's still half an hour until she gets off work. After she gets off, we'll quickly go home with Mrs. Kita."
In Kita's mind, home was the safest place, bar none.
Kitahara Makoto gently nodded:
"I'll wait for Kita outside. Call me anytime if anything happens."
"No," Kita Ikuyo shook her head. "We still don't know what kind of danger Mrs. Kita will encounter. If Kitahara-kun is too far away, he might not make it in time... So Kitahara-kun, come with me."
"What should we say if Mrs. Kita asks about our relationship?"
Kitahara Makoto asked softly.
Kita Ikuyo's small face quickly flushed, and her gaze drifted:
"J-just say we're dating..."
Later, after Mrs. Kita gets off work, they would have to bring Kitahara Makoto home to protect Mrs. Kita's safety closely, so ordinary friends definitely wouldn't work—there's no reason to bring an ordinary friend home, is there?
Kitahara Makoto smiled:
"You can't go back on your word once it's said."
"What do you mean?" Kita Ikuyo's small face was crimson, and she said shyly, "It was just for emergencies, Kitahara-kun, don't take it seriously."
"Sorry, I can't hear what Kita is saying," Kitahara Makoto said earnestly. "Anyway, I've taken it seriously. When we're alone in the future, remember to call me boyfriend."
Kita Ikuyo puffed out her cheeks and glared at him:
"I won't."
"Kita-chan..." Kitahara Makoto took Kita's small hand and said gently, "Please entrust the rest of your life to me."
Kita Ikuyo's small face was completely red. She raised her other hand and poked Kitahara Makoto's waist:
"Let's go quickly! We need to go to Mrs. Kita first... We can talk about other things later!"
"..."
Kita Ikuyo had obviously played at the hospital before. She easily found Mrs. Kita's department.
Kitahara Makoto stood at the door, looking inside through the glass on the door. He could see a female doctor sitting in the consultation room, wearing a white coat and having the same red hair as Kita. Her appearance was six parts similar to Kita's, clearly Mrs. Kita.
It was still working hours, so Kitahara Makoto and Kita naturally wouldn't go in to disturb her. They just stood outside the door to wait.
"It feels a bit off."
Kitahara Makoto stroked his chin and mused.
"Eh?" Kita Ikuyo looked up, her tone puzzled. "What's not alike about Mrs. Kita and me? We clearly look very similar."
"I'm talking about temperament," Kitahara Makoto explained. "Kita is usually as warm and dazzling as the sun, but Mrs. Kita doesn't seem to be a positive type."
"Because my personality is inherited from my dad," Kita Ikuyo put her hands on her hips. "Mrs. Kita is clumsy and unreliable at home. She occasionally does some unexpected things. I don't want to have the same personality as Mrs. Kita."
"Actually, Mrs. Kita's clumsy personality is even cuter," Kitahara Makoto said upon hearing this. "Someone as gloomy as me often gets scorched by Kita's dazzling light."
"What do you mean, where are you gloomy?" Kita Ikuyo couldn't help but quietly retort, "A gloomy otaku wouldn't even have the courage to talk to girls, let alone have a harem."
Kitahara Makoto's tone was faint: "Actually, I used to have social anxiety too, and I didn't dare to talk to girls..."
Kita Ikuyo glared at him: "I don't believe you!"
"..."
While chatting, Kitahara Makoto naturally didn't forget to observe the situation inside the consultation room.
Fortunately, all the patients were quiet, and there were no sudden outbursts. In a blink of an eye, it was time to get off work.
As the last patient left the consultation room, Mrs. Kita finally pushed the door open and walked out.
"...Mrs. Kita!"
Seeing Mrs. Kita walk out, Kita Ikuyo immediately became teary-eyed and instinctively threw herself into Mrs. Kita's arms.
"Ah, how nostalgic," Mrs. Kita smiled. "The last time Ikuyo-chan acted spoiled with me was when she was in elementary school. Later, as she grew up, she stopped being affectionate with Mrs. Kita at all."
"I'm not unaffectionate!" Kita Ikuyo's small face was crimson, and the mist in her eyes immediately vanished. "Besides, no middle schooler would hide in Mrs. Kita's arms and act spoiled!"
"Hello, Mrs. Kita. Nice to meet you. Please take care of me."
Kitahara Makoto stepped forward two steps, bowed, and respectfully greeted her.
"Ah, what a handsome boy," Mrs. Kita's eyes lit up. "If only he were Ikuyo-chan's boyfriend."
Kita Ikuyo: "..."
That's why Mrs. Kita is so unreliable!
Who says something like that right after meeting someone?!
Kitahara Makoto said neither humbly nor arrogantly:
"Mrs. Kita, little Kita and I are indeed dating."
"Eh?" Mrs. Kita looked at her daughter in surprise. "Is he really Ikuyo-chan's boyfriend?"
Kita Ikuyo's small face was crimson, and she said softly, enduring the embarrassment:
"Th-that's natural. Of course, I wouldn't lie to Mrs. Kita about something like this."
Mrs. Kita slapped her forehead, showing a look of sudden realization:
"No wonder Ikuyo-chan occasionally stayed out all night. It turns out she was with your boyfriend."
Kita Ikuyo: "..."
Although she wanted to refute, those nights she stayed out were indeed spent with Kitahara Makoto.
Mrs. Kita lowered her voice:
"Ikuyo-chan is already a high school student. Mrs. Kita is naturally very happy that you have a boy you like, but you must be careful and not cause a life. Mrs. Kita doesn't want to be a grandmother yet..."
"Mrs. Kita!" Kita Ikuyo's small face was crimson, and she quickly interrupted her in embarrassment. "I haven't done anything like that!"
"It's only a matter of time," Mrs. Kita, who had seen a lot, said lightly. "Mrs. Kita is an experienced person, and she knows the appeal of that kind of thing to you."
Kita Ikuyo: "..."
"Mrs. Kita, Kitahara-kun is coming to my house tonight to help me with my homework."
Kita Ikuyo quickly changed the subject.
"Eh?" Mrs. Kita looked over curiously. "I remember Ikuyo-chan's final exam results were pretty good, weren't they?"
"This guy was the top student in our grade for the final exam," Kita Ikuyo extended a slender finger, pointed at Kitahara Makoto who was standing beside her, and said softly with a blush, "He insisted on helping me with my homework, saying we'd go to Todai together."
Before the two came over, they had naturally discussed a reason for visiting her home—since they were students, the best reason was naturally related to grades.
On a side note.
Although Togawa was very confident in herself, she only got second place in the grade. Kitahara Makoto was the genuine top student in the grade.
"Makoto-kun's grades are so good?" Mrs. Kita's eyes lit up, and she decisively made a decision, "Since you two are already dating, why doesn't Makoto-kun just live with us from now on and tutor Kita Ikuyo every day?"
Kitahara Makoto's face showed a look of temptation:
"I don't have a problem with it, but I don't know if Kita will agree..."
"Don't talk!" Kita Ikuyo stood on her tiptoes and clapped her hand over Kitahara Makoto's mouth, "I don't want that kind of thing!"
"..."
After chatting for a while, Mrs. Kita was clearly in a good mood. She called Kitahara Makoto and Kita and prepared to go home to celebrate.
At this moment, several doctors suddenly walked over in a hurry:
"Doctor Kurumeda, there's been an assault at Chiyoda Subway Station. We need to make an emergency house call now!"
Mrs. Kita, who had just been laughing and talking, immediately became serious, instantly entering a focused state:
"Coming!"
After speaking, she looked at Kitahara Makoto and Kita, lowered her voice, and quickly said:
"Mom has to go on a house call, so I don't have time to entertain Makoto-kun today. It will have to be another day."
Kitahara Makoto nodded lightly:
"Auntie, go be busy."
"Ikuyo-chan, you take Makoto-kun home." Mrs. Kita turned and quickly left, "Let's study well together tonight."
"..."
Watching Mrs. Kita leave in a hurry, Kita Ikuyo's expression became tense:
"Could the accident Mom encountered be related to the emergency?"
"Don't worry about that much." Kitahara Makoto said in a deep voice, "Let's follow them first."
"Mm-hmm."
Kitahara Makoto and Kita followed from a distance and soon saw Mrs. Kita and several doctors get into an ambulance.
"Hail a taxi."
Kitahara Makoto reached out and hailed a passing taxi:
"Driver, follow the ambulance in front."
The main reason for this was his concern that the ambulance might encounter an accident along the way.
The taxi driver was an old man who clearly understood the meaning of 'silence is golden.' After hearing Kitahara Makoto's request, he didn't say a word and silently stepped on the accelerator to follow.
The journey was silent.
The taxi quickly arrived in front of Chiyoda Subway Station.
A large crowd had gathered at the subway station entrance, and several police officers maintaining order had set up caution tape to manage the crowd.
Kitahara Makoto simply paid the fare, pulled Kita out of the taxi, and then watched a group of doctors get out of the ambulance and enter the subway.
"Evening, subway station, and an assault..."
Kita Ikuyo's eyes widened, and she suddenly remembered the video she had seen earlier, becoming extremely nervous:
"Could there be a monster in the subway station again?"
If there was a monster in the subway station, the probability of Mom being attacked would naturally increase greatly.
"Stay calm, don't panic." Kitahara Makoto's voice was steady, and he squeezed Kita's fingers, "The situation inside the subway station should have been brought under control by the police; otherwise, they wouldn't let the doctors in."
"That makes sense..." Kita Ikuyo relaxed slightly, "Oh, by the way, where's Anon? She should have arrived by now, right?"
Kitahara Makoto picked up his phone and raised an eyebrow slightly:
"Did Kita receive a message?"
"No." Kita Ikuyo shook her head, "What about Kitahara-kun?"
"I haven't received a message either." Kitahara Makoto said in a deep voice, "And the message from ten minutes ago still shows as unread."
Kita Ikuyo bit her lip worriedly:
"I'll call Anon..."
"No need." Kitahara Makoto raised a finger and gently pressed his brow, "I'll ask Hana."
As the master, he could naturally communicate telepathically with his mount.
"Hana-chan, where are you?"
Kitahara Makoto silently asked in his mind.
A Hana's reply quickly sounded in his mind:
"Subway."
"Is Anon okay?"
"Good person, safe."
"..."
Kitahara Makoto opened his eyes, his expression serious:
"Anon and Hana-chan are on the subway, and they're currently in the subway station."
"Eh, eh?" Kita Ikuyo immediately became worried, "Are Anon and Hana-chan okay?"
"No problem." Kitahara Makoto said softly, "I asked, and they haven't encountered any danger."
"That's good..." Kita Ikuyo lightly bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth, "Now that the police have sealed the entrance, how are we going to get in?"
Kitahara Makoto's gaze shifted to the 24-hour KFC next door, and he said decisively:
"Follow me."
"Okay."
Although she didn't know what Kitahara Makoto wanted to do, Kita Ikuyo hurried to follow.
The two walked into the KFC. After Kitahara Makoto asked an employee, he led Kita directly to the bathroom.
"Good, no one inside."
Kitahara Makoto glanced inside the bathroom, then directly pulled Kita in, and then hooked his foot to pull over a [Cleaning in Progress] sign, blocking the doorway.
"What are we doing in the bathroom?"
Kita Ikuyo's expression was blank, very confused.
"I took on an exorcism request two days ago. I'll explain the details when I have time, but in short, Hana has gotten stronger and can now travel quickly through mirrors..." Kitahara Makoto walked up to the mirror and communicated with Hana in his mind, "Hana, you can come over now."
A few seconds later.
Under Kita Ikuyo's shocked gaze, a silver-haired, red-eyed Hana with an expressionless face suddenly poked her small head out of the mirror.
"Ah..."
Kita Ikuyo jumped in surprise, nervously clutching her chest:
"Is that Hana-chan?"
Hana tilted her small face: "Good person."
"This is Hana-chan's new ability. She can travel quickly through mirrors and even bring people with her." Kitahara Makoto put his arm around Kita, directly picking her up, "Kita, let Hana take you over first."
"Ah... okay."
Kita Ikuyo quickly agreed. Although a little nervous, she wasn't scared. She carefully held Hana's small hand and was soon pulled into the mirror by Hana.
Kitahara Makoto stood in front of the mirror, waiting silently.
A moment later.
Hana poked her small head out of the mirror again.
Kitahara Makoto kicked the [Cleaning in Progress] sign into the corner, then allowed Hana to pull him into the mirror world.
It had been two or three days since the exorcism request, and Hana had completely mastered her new mirror ability, now able to easily enter and exit the mirror world.
"Kitahara-kun!"
Not long after, Chihaya Anon's excited voice sounded in his ears.
Kitahara Makoto opened his eyes and looked at the pink-haired girl:
"It's good that you're okay."
"..."
After they met up, Chihaya Anon quickly recounted what had happened since they parted.
First, she took the train all the way to Kitahara Makoto's house, then brought Hana-chan out. The whole process was easy and without any difficulty. Then, according to the address Kitahara Makoto gave her, she took Hana-chan on the subway, preparing to come to Chiyoda Ward.
Who knew that as soon as the subway arrived at the station, Chihaya Anon heard chaotic and panicked sounds. This quick-witted pink-haired girl immediately ran off the train with Hana in her arms, nervously looking for a hiding place, and then kept sending messages to Kitahara Makoto.
Unfortunately, for some reason, there was no signal on the subway, so she could only be scared and worried by herself.
Now that she saw Kitahara Makoto, she was both excited and aggrieved. If Kita hadn't been there, she would have already pounced on him.
"You've worked hard." Kitahara Makoto rubbed Anon's small head, "There's no more noise outside; the chaos has probably been resolved. Let's go check on Mrs. Kita's situation first."