"I, I, I, I, I'm fine soaking in the onsen by myself…"
Hitori's small face was burning hot, her voice flustered.
After swapping bodies with Yamada Ryo, Hitori naturally knew what kind of terrifying monster she was sitting on.
She dared not move.
She absolutely dared not move.
Hitori had now completely turned into a little quail, daring neither to hide nor to resist. She could only huddle into a ball, praying that the fierce predator would show mercy and let her go.
"Kitahara-kun, please don't hold me anymore…"
"No," Kitahara Makoto flatly refused, his face full of righteous indignation. "The onsen pool is very deep, and Hitori's knee is injured. You might drown, so I can't feel at ease."
Hitori's small face was burning hot, almost dripping with blood, her voice filled with shame:
"Ki-Kitahara-kun can sit beside me and watch…"
Sitting beside her, looking straight ahead, and behaving himself?
Sorry, but he wasn't a true gentleman!
Given Hitori's shyness and social anxiety, it was impossible for her to be proactive in romantic matters. If described in terms of offense and defense, Hitori would be the receiver ninety-nine percent of the time. Therefore, Kitahara Makoto naturally had to be more assertive.
Be gentle when it's appropriate, and when it's time to attack, decisively transform into a carnivorous animal.
Kitahara Makoto pretended not to hear what Hitori had just said. He leaned closer, his gaze burning, and said:
"I like Hitori."
"…"
Hitori's small face was flushed, her eyes flustered, not daring to meet Kitahara Makoto's gaze.
Although being confessed to by the boy she liked would make her very happy, the current situation was simply too terrible!
Don't confess in a mixed-gender onsen!
Kitahara Makoto continued:
"I super like Hitori."
"…"
"I, I like Hitori the most."
"Gurgle… gurgle gurgle…"
Hitori couldn't help but make a purring sound like a kitten rolling around.
Although she was super embarrassed right now, hearing Kitahara Makoto say 'I like Hitori the most' still made her involuntarily happy.
Introverted and socially anxious people often have delicate and sensitive hearts, and Hitori was no exception.
Her life of social anxiety since childhood had unlocked a 'superpower' for Hitori: she could keenly perceive the truthfulness of others' words.
Hitori only needed to hear a single word, and she could easily use her 'superpower' to determine whether someone was being insincere or genuinely sincere.
At this moment.
Hitori could clearly sense that Kitahara Makoto's words were completely from his genuine heart, without a hint of falsehood.
"Li-like…"
Hitori mustered her courage, wanting to respond softly.
Unfortunately, her voice was too faint, making it difficult to hear clearly.
Kitahara Makoto leaned his ear closer:
"What did Hitori just say?"
"…"
Unfortunately, Hitori's courage lasted only for those brief three seconds. Now that her courage was exhausted, she could no longer utter the words 'I like you,' and could only lower her head, her small face burning hot.
Although he didn't hear clearly, Kitahara Makoto didn't mind. Instead, he continued his offensive:
"I want to kiss Hitori."
"No, don't…"
Hitori's voice was faint. Her maidenly modesty made her shyly refuse.
Kitahara Makoto's gaze burned as he said:
"That was a statement, not a question."
Hitori: "…"
Having spent so much time with Hitori, Kitahara Makoto naturally knew that her 'no' just now wasn't a true refusal. So, he simply lowered his head and directly sealed Hitori's rosy, moist cherry lips.
Then, Kitahara Makoto quickly discovered that today's Hitori was a little different from usual.
When kissing in the past, Hitori would usually shy away, only becoming compliant after being caught by Kitahara Makoto, but she basically wouldn't take the initiative.
However, today's Hitori surprisingly didn't shy away; instead, she chose to respond actively, and although her movements were very small and light, they still made Kitahara Makoto overjoyed.
A moment later.
Kitahara Makoto's blood boiled uncontrollably; he was no longer satisfied with just kissing, hugging, and rubbing, but wanted to completely devour Hitori.
In the Onsen Village, there were only him and Hitori. His phone had no signal, so there was no need to worry about being disturbed at a critical moment.
"No, don't...!"
Unfortunately, upon sensing Kitahara Makoto's movements, Hitori immediately panicked, her body suddenly tensing, and her tone when saying "don't" was different from before.
Without a doubt.
The 'don't' Hitori was saying now truly meant no.
(No! Absolutely not that kind of thing!)
(My body will definitely tear, and I might even die directly...)
(Even if I don't die, I still have to go to the recording studio later to record songs with everyone; I definitely won't be able to walk!)
Kitahara Makoto took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to forcefully devour Hitori. Since Hitori wasn't ready, he would never force her, no matter what.
"Hoo..."
Kitahara Makoto lowered his head, looking at the teary-eyed Hitori in his arms, and said with fervent eyes:
"Hitori, help me."
"Eh?"
"Just like this..."
Hitori was stunned for a few seconds, then quickly panicked, about to retract her small hand as if electrocuted.
"Hitori, please take responsibility," Kitahara Makoto said in a low voice, "You don't want 'Guitar Hero's' identity to be exposed, do you?"
Hitori: "..."
Although she felt it wasn't her fault and she shouldn't be held responsible, with her head in a daze, Hitori ultimately took responsibility.
A long time later.
Kitahara Makoto finally calmed down, looking at Hitori, who was exhausted to the point of not being able to lift her arms, with steam billowing from her head, and said gently:
"I conveniently bought some heat rash ointment just now. Shall I help Hitori apply it?"
"I, I'll apply it myself..."
Hitori struggled to support her body.
"Tit for tat," Kitahara Makoto said simply, "Hitori, close your eyes. You can leave the rest to me."
"..."
Hitori parted her lips. Seeing Kitahara Makoto start to squeeze the ointment, her eyes quickly closed in a flustered and embarrassed manner.
If Kitahara Makoto had offered to help apply the ointment from the beginning, given Hitori's shy personality, she definitely wouldn't have agreed. But after what just happened... letting Kitahara help apply the ointment seemed barely acceptable.
There's no need to elaborate on the process of applying the ointment. Kitahara Makoto carefully helped apply the medicine, ensuring no corner was missed.
He even tasted Hitori's limited edition ice cream in the end... In short, it melted in his mouth.
After the mixed-bath onsen ended, the heat rash had long vanished without a trace.
"Hitori, let me help you get dressed..."
"No, don't! I'll dress myself!"
Seeing Hitori still having enough energy to dress herself, Kitahara Makoto could only regretfully give up.
Dressed neatly.
Kitahara Makoto held Hitori's small hand and left the Onsen Village.
The next second.
The two reappeared in the bathroom stall.
Hitori quickly took out her phone, saw that less than fifteen minutes had passed in reality, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good, I won't be late..."
"With a time flow rate of ten to one, there's no need to worry about being late at all," Kitahara Makoto said in a low voice, "Hitori, remember to come soak in the bath tonight."
Hitori immediately panicked, thinking Kitahara Makoto wanted to continue bullying her, and quickly shook her head pitifully, saying:
"No, I can't... I still have to record a video tomorrow..."
Her two arms were sore and swollen now. If she continued to be taken advantage of tonight, she definitely wouldn't be able to record the Guitar Hero video tomorrow.
"Hitori, don't be nervous," Kitahara Makoto explained gently, "Many people will probably come to the onsen tonight. With so many people around, there's no need to worry about me bullying you. The main thing is that soaking in the onsen can heal your mind and improve sleep... I have a feeling Hitori will have insomnia tonight."
Hitori: "..."
The two furtively left the bathroom, and under the cashier's farewell of 'Welcome next time,' they walked out of the supermarket together and continued on to the recording studio.
The journey was silent.
Upon arriving at the recording studio, Nijika and Ryo had already arrived.
"Hitori, good afternoon~"
Nijika raised her right hand and greeted happily, her bright smile completely comparable to the sunlight outside the window.
"G-Good afternoon..."
Hitori lowered her small head and responded softly and hesitantly.
Having just done something 'guilty,' she naturally didn't dare to look up at people.
"Eh?"
Nijika blinked, a look of confusion appearing on her pretty face. Then her gaze shifted to Kitahara, and she put her hands on her hips, saying:
"Hitori seems a bit off... Did Kitahara-kun take advantage of her?"
"No, no!"
Hitori's small head immediately shook like a rattle-drum, her guilt evident.
Nijika: "..."
You say no, but you've practically written 'guilty' all over your face!
There's no need to say more about what happened next.
As the recording was about to begin, Shiraishi Ayane appeared before everyone, exchanged a few simple greetings with them, and then announced that the recording studio had been booked, allowing them to freely record songs for the entire afternoon.
Due to the intimate contact in the Onsen Village, Hitori's sense of shame remained uncooled, making her cooperation inevitably poor. Fortunately, Kitahara Makoto called Hitori out, took out the [Prop Stockings], and manually helped Hitori regain her composure.
At the same time.
Kitahara Makoto also took out a game disc and played through the first level with the girls, successfully getting a team buff and applying buffs to all the girls, elevating their performance to the next level.
"Well, Kitahara-kun is quite amazing."
Shiraishi Ayane crossed her arms, her gaze suddenly glancing at Kitahara Makoto beside her, and praised him.
Kitahara Makoto was startled and asked, puzzled:
"Ayane-nee, why are you suddenly praising me?"
Shiraishi Ayane said meaningfully:
"Being able to gather so many excellent girls around you is something ordinary people can't do."
Kitahara Makoto: "..."
Are you praising me or criticizing me? I can't tell.
"Of course, it's praise."
Shiraishi Ayane withdrew her gaze and looked at the girls in the recording studio.
As an adult who was about to graduate from university, she was intelligent and emotionally astute, so she naturally could see that Kitahara Makoto and the girls in front of her had an extraordinary relationship, which made her click her tongue in wonder.
Someone who dates two people might use methods like concealment or deception.
But if someone can date multiple people and even make the girls get along harmoniously, deception and concealment clearly won't work; there must be some special ability involved.
5:30 PM.
The songs were finally recorded.
"Not bad," Shiraishi Ayane was quite satisfied, "Some of these songs can definitely be used as interludes, especially 'Haruhikage.' It feels full of spiritual energy; both the lyrics and the arrangement are refreshing."
Upon hearing the praise, Togawa's eyes drooped slightly, Mutsumi remained expressionless, and Taki's gaze drifted as she zoned out. The truly happy ones were only Soyo and Tomori.
"Of course, Kessoku Band's members are also very amazing..."
Shiraishi Ayane understood the importance of fairness. After praising Togawa and the others, she began to praise Kita and the rest, aiming for impartiality. Finally, she said:
"Everyone worked hard today. My treat, let's go eat grilled meat!"
"..."
The gathering ended, and it was already 8 PM without them realizing it.
Everyone walked out of the grilled meat restaurant, said their goodbyes, and then went home.
"Makoto-kun, shall we go to my house now?"
Mutsumi looked up at his pretty face and asked softly.
Hearing Mutsumi-chan's words, Sakiko couldn't help but cast a curious glance:
"What is Kitahara-kun going to Mutsumi-chan's house for?"
Mutsumi said expressionlessly:
"Dad's depression has flared up again; he's lying in bed not eating or drinking. Mom asked me to call Makoto-kun over to help."
"Eh?"
Sakiko was startled by the words, and the scene of helping to treat depression last time involuntarily appeared in her mind. Her pretty face immediately flushed rapidly, and she couldn't help but glare at Kitahara Makoto.
Kitahara Makoto's expression was innocent:
"Togawa-chan, why are you glaring at me?"
"You know perfectly well!"
"..."
Alright.
Kitahara Makoto did indeed know perfectly well and remembered it vividly. The scene of him bullying Togawa in the bathroom back then was naturally not blurry at all.
"Togawa-chan, do you want to come along?"
Mutsumi invited.
"...I'll pass."
Sakiko hesitated for two seconds, then gently shook her head.
Mutsumi-chan was gradually developing emotions, learning to make her own decisions, and could share abilities, which clearly indicated she truly liked Kitahara-kun.
Given this, there was no need to worry about her suddenly regretting it someday in the future.
Although Sakiko would feel jealous about something consensual, she didn't believe she should interfere.
"Kitahara-kun, give me the cup," Sakiko extended her right hand, her fair wrist dazzlingly white under the light, as if condensed from frost and snow, and said with a tense pretty face, "I'll go to Togawa by myself."
The treatment for the black spot curse was not yet finished, and she still had to go to Togawa a few more times.
"Togawa-chan, are you okay alone?" Kitahara Makoto opened his backpack, took out the cup and handed it over, "Or should I accompany you to Togawa first, and then go to Mutsumi-chan's house?"
"No need for such trouble, I'm enough on my own," Sakiko took the cup, bit her teeth lightly, and whispered, "Kitahara-kun, don't go too far."
"Understood," Kitahara Makoto said with a serious expression. "Before Sakiko agrees to me, I absolutely won't let Mutsumi get ahead."
"Hmph~"
Sakiko let out a soft hum, greeted Mutsumi, and then boarded the train first and left.
Kitahara Makoto turned his head and looked at Mutsumi:
"I remember Mutsumi-chan's family has an orange cat, right?"
Mutsumi said expressionlessly:
"That cat is called Momotaro, it's a stray cat adopted by maid. After asking my parents' opinions, they adopted it."
"Then let's go to the supermarket first." Kitahara Makoto snapped his fingers. "Buy a bag of catnip."
"Meow?"
Mutsumi tilted her head slightly, a barely perceptible hint of confusion flashing in her eyes.
Kitahara Makoto spoke nonsense with a straight face:
"Last time I went to Mutsumi-chan's house, I forgot to give the cat a gift. I'll make up for it today."
Mutsumi: "…"
Even Mutsumi felt that this reason was extremely clumsy, but she didn't say anything extra and silently followed behind Kitahara Makoto.
A moment later.
Kitahara Makoto bought a bag of catnip and left the supermarket with Mutsumi, then they went to the Mutsumi family.
There was no conversation along the way.
Unknowingly, the two arrived at the villa entrance.
"Miss, welcome home."
A maid, who appeared gentle and was about forty or fifty years old, smiled and greeted them.
"I'm home."
Mutsumi responded expressionlessly.
"Meow~"
A chubby orange cat jumped down from the sofa, arched its back to stretch, then walked with cat-like steps to Mutsumi's front, rubbing against Mutsumi's calf once as a greeting.
"Momotaro, right?"
Kitahara Makoto half-squatted down and took out the catnip he bought earlier at the supermarket:
"This is a gift I bought especially for you."
"Meow?"
"…"
A moment later.
Kitahara Makoto opened the mission panel. Today's last daily mission, [Cat Conqueror], was silently completed. With this, all daily missions were done.
Having obtained the lottery chances, Kitahara Makoto didn't hesitate at all and immediately started drawing.
"Take a gamble, a bicycle can turn into a motorcycle."
After using the lottery chance, the ability roulette spun rapidly.
Before long, an ability light cluster quietly dropped and merged into Kitahara Makoto's body.
"It really came out?"
Kitahara Makoto's eyes lit up, and he eagerly opened the ability panel to check the new ability he had just acquired.
[Ability: Blessing of the Goddess of Love]
[Passive: Whenever someone develops feelings of love for you, you will gain a varying amount of Love Points. Love Points have no upper storage limit. Please note, only love for you that exceeds the minimum threshold will be converted into Love Points.]
[Active: You can choose to consume all Love Points to infuse power into your next attack. Each Love Point will deal one point of true damage.]
[Note: The prerequisite for dealing damage is that you can break through defenses and hit the target.]
"It looks very powerful…"
Kitahara Makoto pondered.
"The storage of Love Points has no upper limit. In other words, the damage I can deal also has no upper limit. If I had infinite Love Points and punched the Earth… could I directly blow up the Earth?"
"From now on, please call me One-Punch Man!"
"Alright, I'm overthinking it."
Kitahara Makoto quickly abandoned his unrealistic fantasies.
People always say that a nuclear war would destroy the world, but the truth is that even if all nuclear bombs globally exploded at once, it would only be like scratching the Earth. Blowing up the Earth is out of the question.
"How do I get Love Points?"
"Also, the content given in the note, true damage looks great, but obviously there are many restrictions…"
While Kitahara Makoto was pondering, the sound of high heels clacking echoed.
The graceful wife walked down from the second floor. Seeing Kitahara Makoto and Mutsumi, a bright smile immediately appeared on her face, and her attitude was exceptionally warm.
"Mutsumi-chan, Kitahara-kun, you're finally back!"