Speak of the devil, and he appears.
Kitahara Makoto took a sip of tea. Just as he thought of Taki, the next second, a message from Taki popped up on his phone.
"Kitahara-kun, are you done with your work?"
Kitahara Makoto leaned back comfortably on the sofa. "Not yet."
Taki: "Then you go ahead and be busy…"
Kitahara Makoto: "Although I'm not done, Taki misses me, so of course, I'll come over immediately."
Taki: "…"
(Damn it! What is this guy talking about?!)
(You promised to come tonight, and now it's almost ten o'clock, and you're still nowhere to be seen, that's why I sent you a message… I didn't miss you, okay?!)
(Narcissist!)
Seeing Taki's face flush and her expression turn to one of gritted teeth, Shiina Maki immediately became nervous and quickly whispered, "Taki, what did Kitahara-kun say? Is he too busy to come?"
"He said he's coming right away." Taki took a deep breath, pushing the subtle emotions out of her mind, and got up to walk out. "I'll go bring him in."
Shiina Maki followed, saying, "I'll go with Taki."
"No need for so many people." Taki shook her head, refusing. "Sister, just wait for me in the room."
After all, Kitahara Makoto was coming through mirror travel, so they needed to cover it up somehow.
"Alright then." Shiina Maki said pitifully, "Taki, hurry back. What if that perverted stalker climbs up to the second floor and kidnaps me, then Taki won't have a sister anymore."
Taki said speechlessly, "The room is on the second floor; no one can climb up there, right?"
"Better safe than sorry," Shiina Maki's voice was resentful. "I feel like the room isn't safe now. I'm so worried that person will crawl out from under the bed or inside the closet."
Taki: "...Sister, don't watch horror movies if you don't have to!"
"…" Stepping out of the room, Taki quietly went to the bathroom, then picked up her phone and sent a message to Kitahara Makoto: "Kitahara-kun, you can come over now."
"As per Taki-san's summons."
"Hmph~"
The surface of the bathroom mirror quickly rippled like water, and then Kitahara Makoto leaped out.
"Taki, good evening."
Kitahara Makoto raised his hand to greet her.
"Shh~"
Taki quickly put a finger to her lips, making a shushing motion, and whispered:
"It's evening now, and Mom and Dad are both home. Keep your voice down, don't let them find out."
Kitahara Makoto looked composed, not flustered in the slightest, and said:
"At the fireworks festival, your aunt and uncle had a great impression of me, so it's fine even if they find out."
"Arrogant fellow!"
Taki glared at him in embarrassment.
Mom and Dad might not be angry, but they would definitely misunderstand, and she wouldn't be able to face anyone anymore!
"In any case, keep quiet for me." Taki quickly walked to the bathroom door, cautiously peered outside, and after confirming no one was there, she grabbed Kitahara Makoto's right hand, "Quick, let's go to my room."
"…"
Kitahara Makoto followed behind Taki, quietly entering the room.
"Kitahara-kun, you're here?"
Shiina Maki's voice was excited as she looked over in surprise.
"Maki-nee, good evening." Kitahara Makoto nodded slightly, greeting her, and his gaze fell on the two futons on the floor, curiously asking, "Maki-nee, are you sleeping with Taki tonight?"
With Kitahara Makoto's arrival, Shiina Maki, who had been on edge, immediately relaxed, and her voice was clear as she said:
"I slept with Taki last night. I couldn't fall asleep tossing and turning by myself, so Taki called me over to sleep with her, and I came."
"I see…"
Kitahara Makoto smiled as he looked at Taki.
"What are you looking at?!"
Taki's small face flushed slightly, and she glared fiercely, but unfortunately, she had no deterrent power at all.
Siblings may quarrel, but they unite against external bullying.
The two sisters used to have a very ordinary relationship, but when her older sister encountered a pervert, Taki naturally stood up to protect her sister immediately.
Clearly, the bond between the sisters had been repaired, and calling Maki over to sleep together was proof.
Besides that.
By asking the answer book, the inferiority complex on Taki was eliminated.
After her confidence returned, Taki was no longer as sullen as before. The whole family could now go to the fireworks festival together, which indicated that the family atmosphere had quietly become harmonious.
Plus, the relationship between the sisters had now been repaired…
Unbeknownst to them, almost all the 'mines' on Taki had been defused, so no matter how fierce she tried to appear, she had no deterrent power at all.
Kitahara Makoto looked composed, even daring to deliberately step on a 'mine':
"Taki is too cute today, I can't take my eyes off her for a moment."
Hearing Kitahara Makoto's reply, Taki's eyes widened in disbelief, and then her small face quickly flushed red:
"Awful!"
"The worst!"
Kitahara Makoto quickly took two steps back, coming to Shiina Maki's side:
"Maki-nee, Taki wants to hit me."
Shiina Maki spread her arms, shielding Kitahara Makoto in front of her: "Taki, don't take advantage of Kitahara-kun."
Taki: "…I'm clearly the one being taken advantage of!"
Kitahara Makoto's gaze shifted to Shiina Maki, and he did not stingy his praise:
"Maki-nee is also super cute today."
Shiina Maki's pretty face quickly flushed, her eyelashes trembled shyly, and she whispered:
"Thank you, Kitahara-kun."
Taki immediately got angry, clenching her small fists, and warned with killing intent:
"If you dare to toy with my sister, I'll take you down with me!"
Kitahara Makoto's eyes were innocent:
"I didn't intend to 'capture' Maki-nee; it was truly just a casual compliment."
Girls, by nature, have a strong competitive streak. If you compliment one person and not the other girl, you'll definitely step on a 'mine.' As someone who aspires to have a harem, Kitahara Makoto has long since instinctively mastered the art of being fair.
"By the way, did that stalker say when he's coming?"
Kitahara Makoto decisively changed the subject.
"No." Shiina Maki shook her head gently, "That person just told me to put the maid outfit into a cardboard box and then leave the cardboard box outside in the yard."
"It seems the other party is quite cautious." Kitahara Makoto asked again, "Did he make any other excessive demands on Maki-nee?"
"That…"
Shiina Maki's pretty face flushed slightly, and her voice involuntarily lowered.
"Of course, he did!" Taki said indignantly, "After my sister sent him the photos of the maid outfit last night, he indeed pushed his luck and said he wanted to send my sister a swimsuit and have her take swimsuit photos for him!"
Kitahara Makoto raised an eyebrow:
"The other party is clearly testing Maki-nee's bottom line step by step. After the maid outfit, now it's a swimsuit. Next, there will definitely be even more excessive demands."
Although Kitahara Makoto spoke very subtly, neither Taki nor Maki were children, so they naturally knew what 'more excessive demands' implied.
"Good thing I found out in time, otherwise my sister would have been in danger." Taki angrily clenched her small fists, gritting her teeth and saying, "We must make that pervert pay the price!"
"It's almost ten o'clock at night. The other party could appear at any time, so we should now… Hmm?"
Kitahara Makoto was about to say that they should go out and 'wait for the rabbit' when his gaze suddenly focused on the miniature building block model on the bookshelf.
This item was covered by an acrylic dustproof transparent panel, and inside was an ancient Japan courtyard under the moonlight.
In the courtyard were several cherry blossom trees and autumn red maple trees, with white sand and stones neatly arranged into small paths, as well as miniature bamboo water basins and stone lanterns, possessing a touch of Zen. In the very center of the courtyard was an open-air onsen pool, looking remarkably lifelike.
At this moment.
The miniature onsen courtyard was emitting a faint glow.
"Kitahara-kun, what's wrong?"
Shiina Maki looked over curiously.
Kitahara Makoto stepped forward to the bookshelf and took down the onsen courtyard made of building blocks:
"When I came the day before yesterday, why didn't I see it?"
As expected.
A prompt popped up:
[You have found an optimizable item. Do you want to optimize it?]
"No."
Kitahara Makoto silently refused in his mind.
To take the building block courtyard, he naturally had to get Taki's permission first.
Shiina Maki's voice was clear as she said:
"When Taki was in third grade, she suddenly took a liking to playing with building blocks. At that time, Taki was still very clingy to me and begged me to buy her toys. An adorable little sister certainly couldn't be refused…"
Taki's small face flushed slightly, and she couldn't help but say:
"Sister, don't talk about irrelevant things!"
"Alright, alright." Shiina Maki grumbled, "Taki really isn't as cute and clingy as she was when she was little."
"Sister! You're still talking!"
"I won't say anymore I won't say anymore This is the building block toy I bought for Taki with my pocket money, and then Taki and I put it together. Many years have passed in the blink of an eye." Shiina Maki's voice was nostalgic, "Last night, when I was taking out the futon from the closet, I accidentally found it. It felt so nostalgic, so I took it out and put it on the bookshelf."
Taki crossed her arms over her chest and cast a scrutinizing gaze at Kitahara Makoto:
"Why are you suddenly asking about this?"
Kitahara Makoto said straightforwardly:
"I want this building block model."
"Eh?" Shiina Maki blinked her eyes, and then quickly said softly, "This is Taki's treasure; only Taki can decide."
"Why?" Taki asked, puzzled, "What does Kitahara-kun want it for?"
Kitahara Makoto thought for a moment and didn't pass the buck to Tomori, instead, he told the truth:
"I can optimize certain special items into magical tools, like game discs."
"…"
Taki naturally knew the magic of game discs, having experienced it many times, and was surprised to hear this:
"This building block model looks very ordinary, doesn't it?"
"It's not ordinary at all." Shiina Maki whispered from the side, "This is a unique childhood memory between me and little Taki."
Taki's small face flushed slightly: "Sister, don't talk!"
Kitahara Makoto said softly:
"It's very special; it has the potential to become a magical tool."
The appearance of optimizable items is unpredictable, and their quantity is scarce, so once encountered, it's best to acquire them. No one knows what attributes will be obtained after optimization, just like the discarded coin found under a vending machine, which surprisingly gained the [Revival Coin] attribute after optimization. Kitahara Makoto certainly didn't want to miss the building block courtyard in front of him.
Taki pursed her lips and hummed:
"Since it can become a magical tool, then take it. It's just gathering dust anyway."
"I am grateful." Kitahara Makoto thanked her seriously, took out his wallet, "Or I can compensate Taki…"
"Hmm?!"
Taki's small face instantly tensed up, clearly angry.
She gave it to him, and he wanted to pay for it?
That would turn it into a transaction!
Taki was inexplicably very angry.
If it were Tomori, he definitely wouldn't directly give Tomori money, would he?
"I'm sorry, I was wrong." Kitahara Makoto smoothly put away his wallet and said earnestly, "It seems I can only repay Taki-san's kindness by offering myself."
"Ptooey~"
Taki's small face quickly flushed, and she couldn't help but spit:
"You wish!"
Offer himself?
She wouldn't let him take advantage!
Next, Kitahara Makoto didn't act furtively but held the miniature courtyard building block in his hand and then decisively activated his [Optimization] ability.
Under the curious gaze of the two sisters, Kitahara Makoto's essence, energy, and spirit rapidly depleted, transforming into specks of starlight that quietly floated into the courtyard building block.
[Item: Miniature Garden Building Blocks]
[Current State: Optimized]
[New Entry: Onsen Village Dimension. You can inject mental power to expand the garden building blocks into a real onsen garden. This onsen garden will be independent of the current world, a completely separate small space. While in this space, you will be immune to any attacks from the current world, unless the opponent's attack has the ability to cross space.]
[New Entry: Onsen Therapy. When soaking in the onsen, you will be able to quickly restore mental power and sanity.]
"Onsen Village Dimension?"
Kitahara Makoto's eyes lit up, extremely satisfied:
"Good stuff!"
This thing doesn't limit the number of people who can enter, so it's highly likely that multiple people can enter. Once inside, it's almost 100% safe.
"Kitahara-kun, how is it?"
Taki asked curiously.
Kitahara Makoto smiled and said:
"It feels great. It's become a very powerful special item now."
"Eh." Shiina Maki was full of curiosity, and instinctively whined, "Kitahara-kun~ I want to see it."
"Sister, don't forget the main task." Taki reminded her, speechless, "That perverted stalker hasn't been caught yet."
Kitahara Makoto nodded lightly and said:
"It's almost ten o'clock at night. Let's do the main task first. After we catch that pervert, we'll experience the effects of the Hot Spring Village."
"You two wait in the room." Kitahara Makoto said softly, "I'll go out and wait."
A perverted stalker, he didn't even need Hana's help.
Taki simply stepped forward two steps, her small face resolute:
"I'll go with you."
Shiina Maki raised her hand and said:
"I want to go too."
"Sister, you shouldn't go." Taki shook her head and said, "What if Mom and Dad suddenly come over and find that none of us are in the room? That would be troublesome. Catching a perverted stalker is enough with just Kitahara-kun and me."
Taki's pretty face was full of disappointment:
"Alright then… You two must be careful."
Kitahara Makoto gave a thumbs up:
"Maki-nee, don't worry. Before I fall, I will absolutely not let anyone harm Taki."
Thump!
Taki's small face flushed slightly, and she couldn't help but give Kitahara Makoto a small punch:
"You, don't always say such strange things!"
"…"
A moment later.
Kitahara Makoto and Taki quietly appeared outside the house.
It was already ten o'clock at night, and the night was deep. Aside from the chirping of summer insects, there was not a single pedestrian on the street.
A silver moon hung in the sky, casting down a watery glow that illuminated people's hearts.
"Phew~ The delivery box is still there, it hasn't been picked up. It seems that pervert hasn't appeared yet."
After checking the delivery box at the door and confirming that there were no issues, Taki quickly breathed a sigh of relief.
Kitahara Makoto said softly:
"Next, we just need to find a place to hide and then wait for him to appear."
"There's a tree over there." Taki pointed with her hand and whispered, "If we hide under the tree, we shouldn't be seen."
"Let's go."
The two walked behind the tree and began to quietly lurk.
The night was quiet.
The moonlight was like water.
Time began to quietly pass by minute by minute.
Taki tilted her small face up, looking at the bright moon in the sky, her mood quite subtle.
Even though the night was deep, there were no pedestrians on the road, and they were about to catch a perverted stalker, Taki clearly felt that there was no panic in her heart at all…
Was it really because this guy was by her side?
Taki had to admit that although Kitahara was a scumbag, he could indeed bring an incredibly strong sense of security.
Even if her father were by her side, the sense of security probably wouldn't be as strong as it was now, right?
"At this moment, we gaze at each other but cannot hear, wishing to follow the moonlight and illuminate you."
Kitahara Makoto looked at the moon in the sky and suddenly softly recited an ancient poem.
"…"
Taki's eyes shifted slightly, quietly falling on Kitahara Makoto's profile.
The moonlight was like water, spilling through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting swaying, fragmented shadows on Kitahara Makoto's face.
Taki's breathing paused slightly, and for a moment, she found it difficult to tear her gaze away.
For some reason, Taki's mind suddenly conjured up the name that had appeared on the answer book earlier:
"Kitahara Taki…"
After the thought arose, Taki only felt the temperature on her face quickly rise. The sound of the wind and the chirping of insects in her ears quietly faded away, while her own heartbeat quietly accelerated, incredibly clear.
(D-Darn it!)
(Why is my heart beating faster!)
(This guy is a super scumbag, I must remain vigilant!)
"Taki, what's wrong?"
Noticing Taki's abnormality, Kitahara Makoto turned to look at her.
"Hmph~"
Taki quickly came back to her senses, raising her hand to cover her burning cheek, not letting Kitahara Makoto see anything unusual, and said in a low voice:
"There are mosquitoes."
Kitahara Makoto casually said:
"It's summer, after all, and we're under a tree, so it's normal to have mosquitoes."
Mosquitoes buzzed and circled around the two of them.
Kitahara Makoto casually swatted two, but unfortunately, mosquitoes kept coming in an endless stream.
"Darn it, so many mosquitoes."
Taki lightly furrowed her delicate brows, annoyed by the constant mosquito harassment.
"Taki, don't move." Kitahara Makoto suddenly leaned in, "There's a mosquito on your face."
Taki quickly held her breath, remaining still.
Kitahara Makoto gently pinched with his hand, catching the mosquito on Taki's face, but he didn't immediately stand up. Instead, he looked into Taki's eyes.
Their eyes met.
The air quietly stilled.
Shiina Maki wanted to look away, but for some reason, her body seemed to be under a paralysis spell, unable to move, and her eyelids involuntarily wanted to close…