"Eh… why did that monster change?"
Reiko gasped.
As that strange aura invaded Kitahara's body, the Demon's body collapsed at an accelerated rate. In just a few breaths, the opponent shrunk from a giant into a human, only to appear incredibly old, with a head full of white hair, as if his entire life had been burned away.
"Kitahara-kun… are you alright?"
In contrast, secretary keenly noticed Kitahara's abnormality.
"…"
Kitahara remained silent, not responding, pondering whether to activate his ability, Sage Time, to suppress the violent aura within him.
Fortunately, his physique was special. Although the violent aura caused numerous distracting thoughts, it ultimately did not break through the limits of his rationality, so he temporarily did not need to use his ability to suppress it.
While speaking, several police officers on bicycles finally rushed over.
The passersby hiding in the surrounding shops all had subtle expressions. With the physique and equipment of these police officers, if they took one punch from the monster, they would surely be on their last breath, wouldn't they?
Kitahara turned his head and glanced at the gathering police, then slightly lowered his body before leaping up, directly jumping onto the rooftop of the adjacent three-story building, and sprinting towards the direction where he had just seen the super-long health bar.
"So amazing…"
Reiko's mouth was slightly agape, her eyes wide, as she murmured:
"If Kitahara-kun were to participate in the Olympics, he would definitely win so many gold medals that his hands would go soft, right?"
"Stop talking." Matsuzaka withdrew her gaze and calmly reminded, "Kitahara-kun doesn't want to reveal his identity, so from now on, let's not mention his name."
"Mhm, mhm." Reiko quickly covered her mouth and nodded seriously, "Matsuzaka-senpai, don't worry, I definitely won't tell anyone."
"…"
At the same time.
Kitahara sprinted across the rooftops, like a leopard moving through the night, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived at the spot where the hooded girl had stood earlier.
"Ran away?"
Kitahara frowned slightly, his gaze like electricity as he scanned the surroundings.
All sorts of health bars appeared before his eyes, but unfortunately, most were humans, and then there were small animals like cats and dogs. The mysterious entity with a health bar over a hundred had already vanished.
"Knowing to escape in advance proves that the other party has a certain level of intelligence, so… it's not a mindless monster, then?"
"It seems I'll have to ask the answer book tomorrow."
Letting out a light breath, Kitahara looked down at the Commercial Street below. Ambulances, special task forces, and pedestrians cautiously emerging from the surrounding shops had already turned into a chaotic mess.
"First, to the Onsen Village."
With a thought, Kitahara's figure quietly disappeared into the night.
"He's back, he's back, Kitahara-kun is finally back."
Anon's excited voice immediately rang out.
Under the 10:1 time flow, although Kitahara had only been outside for a few minutes, the three girls in the Onsen Village had already been waiting anxiously.
Soyo quickly stepped forward, looking over with concern:
"Kitahara-kun, how is that monster? Are you hurt?"
Sakiko suddenly widened her eyes:
"Kitahara-kun… what happened to your eyes?"
Kitahara removed the fox mask from his face, revealing a pair of eyes already stained with blood, now a vivid crimson.
"Why did your eyes turn red?"
Anon gasped softly, looking over anxiously:
"Is your ability out of control again, like before?"
Hearing Anon say that, Sakiko and Soyo immediately recalled.
Kitahara had previously shown symptoms of 'red-eye disease,' which was a sequela of his ability going out of control. However, after Kitahara evolved from a herbivore to a carnivore, the red-eye disease symptoms had never reappeared.
"I…"
Kitahara was about to explain when he suddenly felt his foot slip, almost falling.
The fox mask provided the luck attribute. Now that he had removed the mask, Kitahara naturally needed to pay the price. In a state of bad luck, even he would slip.
Of course, slipping was one thing, but falling was certainly not going to happen.
"Kitahara-kun, be careful!"
The three girls quickly stepped forward, helping Kitahara with many hands.
"You, you can't even stand steadily?"
Anon's voice even held a hint of a sob, and a misty blur quickly welled up in her eyes:
"Are you seriously injured? We should have hidden. Let the police handle the monster!"
"I'm fine. That was a side effect of using the mask. I've already dealt with the monster. As for my eyes…"
Kitahara let out a light breath, briefly recounted what had happened, and then said:
"I'm not feeling quite right right now… You all go out first. Let's regroup after I've calmed down."
Anon couldn't help but exclaim upon hearing this:
"Stupid Kitahara! How could we leave you at a time like this and go away!"
"Exactly." Soyo's eyes were firm. "We will stay by Kitahara-kun's side until you calm down."
Sakiko pursed her beautiful lips and said simply:
"Let's help Kitahara-kun to the bathroom first, give him a bath, and then check if he's injured."
"That makes sense." Anon nodded in agreement. "Come on, let's go take a bath."
Kitahara looked at the girls holding his arms, one on each side, and said speechlessly:
"I can walk by myself."
"No." Soyo flatly refused, her expression uncharacteristically serious. "The injured person just needs to obediently listen."
"…"
A moment later.
In the bathroom.
The three girls exchanged glances, their pretty faces all slightly flushed, and then together they began to help Kitahara take off his clothes. Although they were shy, the situation was urgent, so they naturally couldn't worry about such things.
"Hoo…"
Soyo quickly breathed a sigh of relief:
"Thank goodness, Kitahara-kun really isn't hurt."
Anon shook her head: "Kitahara-kun is only uninjured on the surface, but his eyes are so red, he must be feeling incredibly uncomfortable right now."
"…"
Kitahara sat on the small stool, not speaking.
Because Anon was right, his rationality was currently fighting against the violent aura in his heart, which was indeed very uncomfortable.
Glancing at the silent Kitahara, a flicker of hesitation crossed Anon's pretty face, but it quickly turned into determination. Blushing, she quietly poked Soyo and Sakiko next to her.
The two girls exchanged glances and followed Anon out of the bathroom.
"Kitahara-kun needs help right now; we can't just stand by and do nothing." Anon clenched her fists, her pretty face flushed, saying, "If I remember correctly, Hana-chan once said that providing happy emotions can cure Kitahara-kun's red-eye disease."
Soyo blinked, a faint guess forming in her heart, and whispered:
"Anon, you can just say what you want to say."
"Then I'll just say it…" Anon took a deep breath, suppressing her shyness, and whispered, "Let's fight side by side and cure Kitahara-kun together?"
Sakiko hadn't yet reacted:
"What's the method of treatment?"
Anon's pretty face was crimson, and she lowered her voice:
"Of course, it's that kind of thing between lovers."
"…"
Sakiko blinked hesitantly, finally understanding what Anon was talking about, and the temperature in her face immediately rose rapidly.
Everyone doing that kind of thing together?
Oh no!
This is truly terrible!
If it were in reality, a multiple-person activity is even illegal!
Even if the purpose is to cure Kitahara-kun, she really can't accept it!
If it were just herself, there would definitely be no problem, but with others… sorry, that kind of thing is just too shameful!
"I'll help."
A gentle yet firm voice suddenly rang out.
"Eh?"
Sakiko looked in shock at the girl who spoke:
"Soyo, you…"
"I'll help with Anon." Soyo lightly bit her lower lip, her pretty face also flushed like fire. "Kitahara-kun must be in great pain right now, otherwise he wouldn't have asked us to leave first… I really can't just watch him suffer alone."
"Anyway… anyway, there's no one else in the Onsen Village…"
Soyo's pretty face was burning hot, and her voice was also very shy:
"As long as no one says anything, no one will know…"
Sakiko: "…"
Seeing Soyo, who was clearly super shy, still firmly agree, Sakiko's heart couldn't help but waver a little.
Doing that kind of thing together, Soyo and Anon must also be very shy, right?
But they can endure the shame and agree for Kitahara-kun, while she refuses because of shame… Does her affection for Kitahara-kun really fall far short of Soyo's and Anon's?
This was Sakiko overthinking it.
The reason Anon suggested everyone do it together was simple: she was well aware of her weak physique. In five minutes at most, she would cry and wave a white flag in surrender, completely unable to resist.
As for Soyo's choice to support, on one hand, it was because she was worried about Kitahara. On the other hand, she had unexpectedly fought alongside Anon before, and coupled with Anon's previous suggestion of teaming up, the sense of shame in her heart naturally diminished significantly.
At this moment, besides shame, Soyo also felt a small thrill.
During the summer vacation, she had thought that doing it alone was too difficult and wanted to team up with Sakiko. She even considered using the Wish Note to fulfill her wish, but ultimately regretfully gave up on using the Wish Note due to concerns about uncontrollable accidents.
But now…
"Sakiko, don't overthink it." Soyo gently comforted her, knowing that the more critical the moment, the more important it was to stay calm. "Anon and I will go to the bathroom to help first. If… if we can't hold on, Sakiko, then you come in."
"I…"
Sakiko parted her lips, her pretty face flushed like fire, and finally didn't say anything to refuse, nodding shyly:
"I understand."
"…"
Receiving Sakiko's affirmative reply, Soyo's rosy lips curved upward for a moment, but then quickly settled down. She turned her head and said:
"Anon, shall we go in?"
Anon's pretty face was crimson, and she clenched her fists, agreeing:
"Let's go, helping is important!"
"…"
Watching Soyo and Anon enter the bathroom, Sakiko suppressed her shyness and paced outside the door.
Not long after, a plaintive, tearful sound emanated from the bathroom.
"That's Soyo's voice…"
Sakiko's face was flushed. She wanted to walk away, but she was worried about Kitahara's situation, so she could only endure the shame and continue to linger.
A moment later, the sound from the bathroom changed.
"It's Anon's voice now…"
Sakiko's heart subtly quickened. She pursed her lips and couldn't help but walk a little further away again.
If Soyo still suppressed herself, then Anon's voice was clearly several times louder, as if she didn't care that there were others around.
"Anon… could it be on purpose?"
Sakiko couldn't help but feel a little suspicious.
However, not long after, a helpless wail was heard from the bathroom, followed by Soyo's voice:
"Sakiko, come in quickly, Anon can't take it anymore!"
Sakiko's heart suddenly skipped a beat:
"Wh-what?"
"Anon… Anon is a weakling! She's going to break in a blink of an eye!"
"…"
Looking at the tightly closed bathroom door, Sakiko felt her heart race, her mouth dry, and her palms slightly sweaty.
(Once I push open this door, I can never go back to the past…)
The education of a refined lady from childhood made Sakiko want to get away as quickly as possible, but her concern for Kitahara kept her from moving her feet.
"I-I'm sorry… I'm a weakling… boo hoo…"
Anon's wails came intermittently:
"Sakiko, help…"
Listening to the cries for help coming from the bathroom, Sakiko bit her lower lip. Her worry finally overcame her shame, and with a flushed face, she pushed open the bathroom door.
After an unknown amount of time, the sounds from the bathroom finally ceased.
The door was quietly pushed open. The bloodshot in Kitahara's eyes had quietly disappeared, turning into normal black. He turned and successively carried the girls into the onsen pool to soak in the onsen together.
After soaking in the onsen, and once the three girls' strength had somewhat recovered, Kitahara then took the three girls and left the Onsen Village.
"We're out."
A refreshing night breeze blew, making Kitahara let out a comfortable sigh.
"Eh, where is this place?"
Anon looked around nervously.
"It's the rooftop, and below is the Commercial Street…"
Kitahara briefly explained the previous situation, then asked:
"Does everyone want to continue shopping or go home?"
"Home!"
Sakiko's face was flushed. She had only rested for a short while, and her shame hadn't cooled down at all. At this moment, she didn't dare to look up at anyone:
"I need to go back and get some good rest!"
Soyo's blush also hadn't faded. She raised her hand to tuck the hair behind her ear that had been messed up by the wind:
"I need to go back too."
Anon stammered, recalling the terrible scene in the bathroom:
"Me too, home, home."
"…"
All three girls were full of shame and demanded to go home. Kitahara naturally wouldn't force them to stay. He called Hana over, and then successively sent the three girls home.
At the same time.
In the dim basement of the villa.
The hooded girl knelt on one knee, her voice hoarse: "God, the operation failed."
"…"
Click, click.
In the dead silent basement, a strange, piercing sound suddenly rang out, as if joints were grinding stiffly. A branch from the Demon quietly extended and landed on the hooded girl's forehead. Immediately after, tiny specks of light appeared in mid-air, forming a light screen, the content of which was precisely the scenes that had just occurred on the Commercial Street.
Seeing Kitahara effortlessly destroy the Demon with a single punch, the bone branch paused for a second. Then, a low, eerie, and indistinguishable murmur quietly began to sound.
The hooded girl respectfully lowered her head:
"Yes, god… change of plan… banishment…"