A night without words.
The next day.
Kitahara woke up on time as usual. After a simple wash, he took out the answer book and directly asked:
"Was the abnormal target I defeated last night me?"
In last night's Commercial Street incident, the distance between Kitahara and the Demon was several hundred meters. Yet, the other party rushed all the way from the the east road. During this time, besides the unlucky ones who were in the way and rushed to escape, those who avoided to the sides of the road were all safe and sound.
Abnormal.
Very abnormal.
An anomaly, this thing, is usually a monster born from the combination of negative emotions in the human heart and negative energy from Otherworld, with only destruction and murderous intent remaining in its heart.
According to common sense, once a human becomes an anomaly, they should kill indiscriminately. But last night's monster was super abnormal. It ignored everyone around it, and instead ran wildly as if it had a clear target…
Kitahara inexplicably had a premonition at the time that the other party's target was himself.
So the first question he asked today was whether his intuition was accurate.
Whoosh, whoosh.
The answer book turned pages rapidly without wind.
Not long after, text quietly appeared on the blank pages:
[Yes].
"Tsk~"
Kitahara clicked his tongue lightly:
"It seems my intuition was right, that monster's target really was me…"
After thinking for a long while, Kitahara still couldn't figure out why he was targeted, so he simply gave up thinking.
"Mutsumi-chan." Kitahara turned to look at Mutsumi beside him, and handed over the answer book, "You ask who the mastermind is."
"Okay."
Mutsumi naturally wouldn't refuse. She took the answer book with both hands and helped ask the question.
Whoosh, whoosh.
The answer book once again began to turn pages rapidly.
However, what appeared on the book made Mutsumi slightly widen her eyes:
"Makoto-kun… it's garbled code."
"It's actually garbled code?"
Kitahara lightly raised his eyebrows, looking at the line of garbled code on the book, his expression quietly becoming serious.
Since obtaining the answer book in Soyo's room, garbled code has rarely appeared in all this time. And the appearance of garbled code can only mean one thing: the mastermind is incredible and far beyond imagination.
"I'm innocent and law-abiding, how could I provoke such a terrifying existence?"
Kitahara pressed his fingers to his forehead, furrowing his brows in thought.
"The monster never appeared before, so why did it appear specifically last night?"
"What was special about last night?"
"Wait… 'Return to Youth' business?"
A flash of lightning suddenly tore through the fog in his mind, and Kitahara felt his thoughts instantly clear.
"I go to school and come home every day, I'm law-abiding. After school, I either go on dates or read books. The only thing that would make people remember me is the 'Return to Youth' business… That kind of fruit, which can make people regain their youth, is clearly quite miraculous. It feels like it can even barely compare to the Eden Fruit, so the existence behind it must be extraordinary."
"So, is it because of this matter that I was targeted?"
Kitahara felt a sense of urgency quietly welling up in his heart.
Although there was no evidence yet, he didn't need to collect it himself. When he got to school later, he could confirm it by having Sakiko ask the answer book.
"Makoto-kun, what does garbled code mean?"
Mutsumi tilted her head in confusion.
"Hoo…"
Kitahara exhaled lightly, saying nonchalantly:
"Nothing, it's just like a computer occasionally having a blue screen when it starts up, it's a normal phenomenon."
"Oh." Mutsumi hadn't encountered garbled code before, so she didn't know its meaning. She tilted her pretty face slightly, her eyes expectant, "Makoto-kun, want to eat a cucumber?"
Kitahara: "…"
You want to eat a cucumber right after waking up? You really are truly in love with cucumbers, aren't you!
After eating the cucumber, Mutsumi quickly traveled to Soyo's, and went to school with Soyo. Kitahara, on the other hand, tidied his mood, rode his small motorcycle, and leisurely headed out. He first went to the Gotō's entrance to meet Hitori, who was already waiting there, and then they rode to school together.
The journey was uneventful.
Arriving at school, after parking his bicycle, Kitahara greeted Hitori and went directly to the club room.
Knock, knock, knock.
Kitahara stood at the club room door and raised his hand to knock.
"Please come in."
Tomori's calm and pleasant voice came out.
Kitahara pushed the door open and saw Tomori carefully wiping dust from the table.
"Makoto-kun, good morning."
Tomori looked up and said softly:
"Makoto-kun is now a global celebrity."
Kitahara's mouth twitched slightly: "Good thing I wore a fox mask yesterday, otherwise I wouldn't even dare to come to school."
Last night, during his confrontation with the Demon, many passersby in the shops on both sides took videos and uploaded them online. In just one night, the videos directly hit the global headlines. Fortunately, Kitahara cleverly wore a fox mask; otherwise, he would truly have become famous overnight.
This was not a humblebrag; Kitahara genuinely did not want to be famous.
His current ordinary school life was what he pursued. Once he became famous, countless troubles would surely follow.
Kitahara sighed:
"The videos online can't be deleted. Fortunately, I called the liaison officer in time last night and had them delete the street surveillance footage, to prevent anyone from idly investigating… Now, as long as I don't admit it, no one will know it's me."
"People who aren't familiar with you really wouldn't recognize you." Tomori gently shook her head, "But last night, when I saw your back, I knew it was Makoto-kun."
Kitahara gently put his arm around her and pulled Tomori into his embrace:
"I want a good morning kiss from Tomori."
Tomori's small face flushed slightly. She stood on her tiptoes and leaned in for a kiss:
"…You can."
After the good morning kiss, the two chatted for a while in the club room.
Before leaving, Kitahara took out the answer book and asked Tomori to help him ask a question.
As expected, it was indeed because of the business that he was targeted by the mastermind.
"No, being watched makes me uncomfortable. I have to find a way to catch the mastermind. Only a dead mastermind can make me feel at ease…"
Kitahara calmed himself and returned to the classroom.
"Kitahara-kun, good morning."
"Kitahara-kun, did you see the video from Shinjuku Commercial Street last night?"
"I feel like the person wearing the fox mask, their back looks a bit similar to Kitahara-kun's back."
"Humans can actually be that powerful, it's so exaggerated."
"…"
As soon as he entered the classroom, many gossiping classmates greeted Kitahara, and the topic of gossip was precisely the Commercial Street incident from last night.
After the video was uploaded to the internet, it quickly went viral overnight and is now known globally.
Seeing the gossiping classmates gathered in twos and threes, excitedly discussing the Commercial Street incident from last night, Kitahara deeply rejoiced that he had wisely worn the fox mask.
Otherwise, the moment he walked through the school gate, he would have become like a panda in a zoo, surrounded and gossiped about by countless people.
"Sakiko, good morning."
Kitahara walked to his desk and casually greeted Sakiko, who was sitting behind him.
"…Morning."
Sakiko rested her left hand on her chin, her gaze fixed on the playground outside the window, not even turning her head.
Her attitude seemed cold, but Kitahara could clearly see that Sakiko's neck and earlobes had quietly taken on a hint of crimson.
It was obvious that last night's four-person mahjong game was too embarrassing, so much so that Sakiko's sense of shame had not yet cooled down.
Kitahara sat down in his seat, and just as he opened his school bag, he felt his phone vibrate.
Picking it up, he saw it was a message from Ms. Shiraishi, the micro-film producer.
"Kitahara-kun, good morning."
Kitahara didn't know why she was messaging so early, so he politely replied:
"Good morning, is there a problem with the movie?"
Ms. Shiraishi: "There's no problem with the movie. It was submitted to the competition last weekend, and if all goes well, it will be broadcast online soon."
Kitahara: "Congratulations, Ms. Shiraishi."
Ms. Shiraishi: "I should be the one saying congratulations. Several judges gave unanimous praise, and it will definitely become popular. By then, Kitahara-kun will surely become famous in one fell swoop."
Kitahara slightly twitched his lips: "I'm not very interested in fame. A plain and simple life is better."
Ms. Shiraishi: "I see, no wonder Kitahara-kun wore a fox mask last night."
Kitahara: "…Ms. Shiraishi, you've got the wrong person."
Ms. Shiraishi: "Kitahara-kun is the male lead of the movie. I would never mistake your back, you know."
Kitahara: "Alright, it was me… Ms. Shiraishi, please keep it a secret."
Ms. Shiraishi: "Eh, I just said it casually. I didn't expect it to really be Kitahara-kun."
Kitahara: "…"
Rich, spoiled young ladies are indeed super annoying!
Besides Ms. Shiraishi, Taki's older sister Maki, and Anon's friend Karin also recognized Kitahara's identity, so he could only ask them to keep it a secret.
In a blink of an eye, it was time for class.
As the bell rang, a female teacher walked in with a clatter of high heels:
"Before class, there's something I need to announce…"
Before she could finish speaking, some well-informed social butterfly students below had already shouted:
"School Festival!!!"
"That's right." The female teacher pushed up the glasses on her nose, "This year's School Festival, like previous years, is scheduled for mid-October. There's still a month left. After class, the Class President can organize everyone to vote on the activities to be held."
During the School Festival, teachers basically act as hands-off managers, mainly letting students handle things themselves.
The student council is responsible for coordinating all parties and overseeing the overall situation, including the selection of activity projects, class decorations, and duty rosters—everything is decided by the students themselves.
In a blink of an eye, it was dismissal time, and the gossiping classmates in the class finally stopped discussing last night's stand-in duel and began discussing the class activities for the School Festival.
"Maid Cafe!"
"Fortune-telling shop!"
"Haunted House!"
"…"
The gossiping classmates debated, unable to reach a consensus, and in the end, it naturally came down to a vote, with the minority abiding by the majority.
Among them, the most popular choice among the boys was the Maid Cafe, and when it came to voting, Kitahara decisively cast a dissenting vote.
Maid Cafe?
One hundred percent against it.
Sakiko's maid outfit is only for him to see; no one else should even think about it!
"Stare—"
Sakiko's eyes widened, clearly seeing the two words "oppose" written by Kitahara on the paper slip.
With just a slight turn of her thoughts, she guessed why Kitahara was against it, and her pretty face couldn't help but flush slightly.
Noticing Sakiko's peeking gaze, Kitahara silently took out his phone and sent a message.
"Wear the maid outfit for me tonight."
Sakiko: "…Kitahara-kun, don't have such lewd thoughts all the time."
Facing the annual School Festival, the gossiping classmates were highly enthusiastic, and it wasn't until lunchtime that the statistics were finally completed, and it was ultimately decided to hold a Haunted House activity.
In a blink of an eye, it was time for school to end.
The time was 3:20 PM, so there was no rush to go back.
Kitahara, as usual, went to the club room to play board games.
As he was about to leave after the activity, Kitahara suddenly felt someone secretly kicking his foot under the table.
"Hmm?"
Kitahara's gaze swept over the few girls in the club room and quickly pinpointed the culprit.
"That's right, it was me."
Kita secretly blinked, her eyes signaling:
"Kitahara-kun, don't leave yet. I have something to tell you."
"…"
Kitahara nodded slightly, indicating he understood.
After leaving the club room, he first went to the bathroom, then waited quietly in the hallway.
A moment later, Kita stealthily snuck over.
"Kita, are you trying to replenish your energy?"
Kitahara smiled as he looked at her.
"Of course not." Kita's small face flushed, and her bright eyes glared at him.
She put her hands on her hips and said, "Actually, it's about Hitori."
Kitahara asked curiously: "What's wrong with Hitori?"
Kita looked around, and seeing no one nearby, she lowered her voice and said:
"Isn't the School Festival next month? During lunch break, I saw Hitori staring blankly at the activity registration form, looking super conflicted… Not just during lunch break, but the whole afternoon was like that."
"After school, I happened to see Hitori secretly sneaking to the trash can, hesitating several times, and finally throwing away the registration form…"
"Hitori definitely wants to sign up to perform, otherwise she wouldn't be so conflicted.
It felt like such a waste to throw away the registration form, so I secretly picked it up."
As Kita spoke, she opened her school bag, took out a folded registration form, and handed it to Kitahara:
"Originally, I thought of secretly signing Hitori up, but that would go against Hitori's wishes, and it felt a bit too much, so I'm giving this registration form to Kitahara-kun."
Kitahara took the registration form and lightly clicked his tongue:
"Kita, you've given me a hot potato."
"Humph~"
Kita lightly wrinkled her delicate nose and lifted her pretty chin:
"I'm done talking, I'm leaving now~"
Kitahara grabbed Kita's small hand, his gaze burning as he said:
"Kita hasn't kissed me yet today."
Kita's small face flushed, and she quickly looked around shyly:
"No, people will see us in the hallway."
Kitahara whispered:
"Then let's go to the Onsen Village."
"Eh, eh?"
Kita immediately panicked.
If they kissed in the hallway, it would be embarrassing at most, and as long as they were careful, they probably wouldn't be discovered, but if they went to the Onsen Village… she would definitely be taken advantage of in this way and that, right?
"I, I'll kiss you now…" Kita's small face was crimson, and she quickly said, "I still have to go help at my friend's club later!"
Kitahara lowered his voice: "Going to the Onsen Village won't take long, it won't interfere with Kita helping out."
"It interferes a lot!"
Kita's small face was burning hot, and she glared at him shyly.
If they went to the Onsen Village together, she would definitely be weak all over and unsteady on her feet when they came out, so how could she help?