"...You perverted brat, put me down right now!!!"
Seika was a mix of embarrassment, anger, and panic; she felt like she was about to explode.
Kitahara looked down at her. "Don't worry, Seika-san. Even if we walk a full circle around the hot spring, no one will notice."
"Shut up!"
Flustered and annoyed, Seika opened her mouth and bit down hard on Kitahara's shoulder.
Even if no one saw them, the sense of shame remained just as intense. Being held in a guy's arms in such a compromising state—and having to walk right past Nijika and the others while doing so... No way! She absolutely refused to do something so mortifying.
"Alright, let's leave it at that for today..."
Kitahara reluctantly agreed, deciding not to push his luck.
Although Seika-san was twenty-nine, she was far more easily embarrassed than the average high school girl; if he really carried her around like that... she'd definitely blow a fuse.
"What a shame. If it were Ryo-senpai or Anon, they'd probably be enjoying it even while feeling embarrassed, right?"
Kitahara felt a twinge of regret as he sat down at the edge of the hot spring, still holding Seika.
"Haa..."
As the scalding hot spring water submerged her body, Seika let out a sigh of relief—but she quickly realized something was amiss.
"Wait a minute." Seika tilted her lovely face up, looking flustered and annoyed. "Why aren't you letting go?!"
Kitahara replied with unshakeable confidence:
"As the saying goes, 'know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.' I plan to test the limits of this ability so I don't mess up at a critical moment."
Since it was a newly acquired ability and details were scarce, further testing was certainly necessary.
"You brat, go test your ability on your own—don't touch me!"
"No way. Testing alone is boring; it's much more comfortable doing it while holding you, Seika-san."
"You really are looking to die, aren't you?"
"..."
If they were alone, things might have been different—one could perhaps turn a blind eye—but Nijika was chatting with others just a short distance away. There was no way she was going to just sit quietly in his arms!
So, Seika decided to take matters into her own hands and began to squirm and struggle in Kitahara's embrace.
Kitahara's expression shifted slightly:
"Manager, don't move for a second..."
"Huh?"
Upon hearing this, Seika didn't stop; instead, a sense of defiance made her struggle even more vigorously.
You tell me not to move, so I shouldn't?
That would make me look totally weak!
Kitahara helplessly closed his eyes.
The next second.
"Mmph... Nn!"
A low, trembling moan suddenly escaped her lips, and the air seemed to turn a romantic pink in an instant.
Seika's eyes widened; she went completely rigid, as if struck by a paralyzing pressure point technique. Her cheeks, already flushed a fiery crimson, grew even hotter—looking as though they might start bleeding from the intensity of the heat.
(It... it touched...!!!)
The air fell suddenly silent.
Kitahara lowered his gaze to look at Seika—who had transformed from a bristling pufferfish into a limp, soft kitten—his eyes smoldering with sudden intensity:
"Seika-san..."
Seika instantly understood the meaning behind his gaze and hurriedly shook her head in embarrassment:
"N-no..."
With Nijika and the others sitting right there, there was no way she could let him go any further!
Clearly, in this instance, "no" really meant "no." Kitahara took a deep breath and suppressed his urge, choosing instead to respect Seika's wishes:
"Then give me a kiss, Manager."
"Get lost."
"So, shall I keep going then?"
"..."
Seika decisively chose the path of least resistance; compared to being thoroughly devoured, a simple kiss was nothing.
Taking a deep breath, she gingerly straightened up and leaned in for the kiss.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced nearby; Nijika was chatting happily with Kita and Hitori, completely unaware of the secret tryst taking place just a short distance away.
Whether by coincidence or some sort of telepathic connection, Nijika happened to tilt her head and look their way.
Their eyes met.
Even though she knew she wouldn't actually be seen, Seika's body shuddered violently, an intense wave of shame washing over her like an electric shock.
(No... don't look...)
She hurriedly squeezed her eyes shut.
(Nijika, I'm sorry...)
Half an hour later.
Kitahara had successfully obtained the initial data on the ability.
"The Domain can be maintained for at least half an hour, and the limit is likely even longer... In short, it's more than enough."
After finishing their soak in the hot spring, Kitahara brought the girls back to the real world.
"It's already eleven o'clock at night." Ryo, the 'scum-senpai,' looked over expectantly while drying her hair. "Shall we hurry up and go on an adventure in the dream world?"
Kitahara gave a slight nod. "Everyone go upstairs and rest, then we'll head to the dream world together."
After relaying the details of the dream to Hana, Kitahara went upstairs with the girls; they exchanged goodnights and prepared to sleep.
Just as drowsiness began to set in, Kitahara heard the faint sound of a
phone vibrating.
He picked up his phone, and a message popped up on the screen:
[Kitahara-kun... are you asleep?]
"Nijika-senpai?"
Kitahara raised an eyebrow slightly and sat up. "I wasn't asleep yet. What's wrong?"
"Um... I saw something strange just now..."
"I'll go take a look."
Kitahara put on his shirt and quietly left the room.
"Kitahara-kun, keep your voice down." Nijika opened the door a crack and whispered, "My sister and the others are all asleep."
Kitahara gave a slight nod, slipped off his slippers, and stepped silently into the room.
Kita, Hitori, Seika, Nijika, and Ryo were all sleeping on the tatami mats together; of the five, the "trashy" upperclassman Ryo and Nijika were awake, while the others appeared to be fast asleep.
"What did you see, Nijika-senpai?"
Kitahara's gaze fell on Nijika, and he raised his eyebrows slightly:
"Why is your forehead sweating? Is the AC broken?"
"Shh~"
Nijika hurriedly raised a finger to her lips:
"Keep your voice down, Kitahara-kun. Don't wake everyone up."
Kitahara's eyes swept over the three girls on the tatami mats, lingering briefly on the manager, Seika, though he didn't say anything about it; he simply nodded in agreement.
Noticing the shift in Kitahara's expression, Ryo—the "trashy" upperclassman—crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly. Her gaze flitted over Kita, Hitori, and Seika—who were all supposedly "asleep"—and the corners of her lips quickly curled upward into a look of amusement.
"The AC isn't broken." Nijika shook her head, biting her lower lip gently as she whispered, "Just a moment ago, when I was drifting off to sleep, I suddenly heard someone knocking on the window."
"Huh?"
Kitahara turned to look at the window; the curtains weren't fully drawn, allowing a sliver of moonlight to spill in and cast a faint, silvery glow. "We're on the second floor; no one would be knocking on the window."
Ryo—that good-for-nothing senior—spoke up softly from the side:
"I wasn't asleep just now, but I didn't hear any knocking."
Nijika bit her lower lip and continued:
"And... and I saw a ghastly pale face appear outside the window—then it vanished in a flash..."
No wonder you were sweating; that was a cold sweat born of sheer terror!
Kitahara pondered for a moment. "I think I know what's going on."
"Huh? What is it?"
Nijika hurriedly looked his way:
"It's not an evil spirit invasion, is it?"
"With Hana here, there's no need to worry about evil spirits or urban legends," Kitahara said gently. "The face outside the window, the sound of marbles dropping on the ceiling late at night, and those eerie footsteps suddenly appearing behind you while walking home alone... If I'm not mistaken, the time limit is up."
"Time limit?"
Nijika blinked, not quite grasping it at first.
Kitahara reached out and gently rubbed the top of Nijika's head, speaking in a soothing tone:
"Cousin Rinko once said that once you've visited the 'Otherworld,' you get 'marked.' You have to go back periodically to refresh your status; if you don't, you start running into all sorts of bizarre phenomena."
"I see..." Nijika breathed a sigh of relief. "I'd completely forgotten about that."
Kitahara suggested:
"Let's ask the Book of Answers when we wake up tomorrow morning to see if the situation matches my guess. If it does, we'll make a trip to the Otherworld."
"Mm-hmm." Nijika nodded eagerly. "It really has been a long time since we went there."
"Why don't you go soak in the hot spring for a bit, Nijika?"
Ryo suddenly suggested.
"Huh?"
Nijika looked over, puzzled. Ryo—that shameless upperclassman—kept a perfectly composed expression: "Nijika got so scared she broke into a cold sweat; she must feel sticky and uncomfortable. She should go take another soak in the hot spring—it'd be the perfect way to get nice and relaxed before bed."
"Exactly." Kitahara instantly grasped Ryo's intent; his eyes lit up, and he declared with an air of utter righteousness, "Let's go. We're heading to the hot spring resort."
"No way..."
Nijika's pretty face flushed pink as she shot him a shy, reproachful look.
"It's already so late, and you two are actually thinking about... seriously, have some self-restraint!"
Ryo spoke in a low, wistful tone:
"Do you know why I haven't been able to fall asleep yet, Nijika?"
"Huh? Why?"
Nijika looked over, puzzled.
Ryo showed absolutely no sign of embarrassment as she replied softly, "It's precisely because I kept thinking about that sort of thing that I've been tossing and turning, unable to sleep."
Nijika: "..."
Terrifying.
To say something like that without batting an eye—Ryo's lack of shame is truly terrifying!
Ryo continued:
"Since you're still awake this late, Nijika... are you thinking about it too...?"
Before she could finish, Nijika quickly clamped a hand over Ryo's mouth, her face burning bright red with a mix of shyness and indignation:
"I am not thinking about things like that!"
You're a girl—have a little modesty! You can't just say whatever pops into your head!
Kitahara took Nijika's soft hand in his, looking completely earnest:
"Let's go. We'll head to the hot spring for a rinse. I promise I won't tease or mess with you, Nijika-senpai."
Nijika: "..."
Claiming he won't mess with me?
Even you don't believe that for a second!
Nijika struggled faintly, but realizing she couldn't break free, she simply turned her flushed face toward the window.
She was covered in sweat and felt truly uncomfortable; a bath did sound pretty good...
"Hang on, let me find something."
As she spoke, Ryo—that rascal—opened her bag and started rummaging through it.
A moment later.
"Ah, found it..."
Ryo stood up with her hands behind her back; a small, inconspicuous object quietly slid from her right hand and dropped onto the tatami mat.
"Let's go."
Ryo walked over to the two of them, a faint, rosy smile playing on her lips, and then linked her arm with Kitahara's.
"Hurry up and take a bath; we've got a big adventure in the Dream World waiting for us when we get back."
Kitahara nodded gently, quietly leaving the room with the two girls and heading into the hot spring resort area.
Click.
Hearing the soft sound of the door closing, Seika's eyelashes fluttered, and she quietly opened her eyes.
That's right.
Seika had been feigning sleep. She was a classic night owl—staying up late was second nature to her, and she often didn't hit the hay until two or three in the morning; her body clock was set that way. Plus, with the memories of being teased at the hot spring resort swirling in her mind, she felt absolutely no drowsiness.
"Is Nijika heading to the 'Otherworld' again...?"
Worry filled Seika's eyes.
As the older sister, she naturally wanted to protect Nijika just as she had when they were little, but the Otherworld was a place she couldn't access even if she wanted to.
"I'll have to make sure that brat takes good care of Nijika tomorrow..."
Seika turned onto her side, intending to play on her phone for a bit, when she suddenly noticed an object resting beside her pillow.
"Huh? What's this?"
Curious, Seika picked up the fallen item and held it close to her face, examining it in the cool moonlight filtering into the room.
Her eyes widened in shock.
"Is... is this that magical bracelet that lets people share their five senses?!"
In the quiet room, Seika could clearly hear her own heart suddenly begin to race.
"That's right."
"It really is that terrifying bracelet..."
"Ryo said she was looking for something earlier—could it be that she was looking for this, and accidentally dropped it right next to my pillow?" Gazing at the unassuming wristband in her hand, Seika Ijichi instinctively swallowed hard; memories of how she had once accidentally joined the band came flooding back.
"Damn it! Just forget about it already!"
Seika hurriedly shook her head, trying to banish the images from her mind.
Unfortunately, the harder she tried to forget, the more vivid the images became, making her heart race and her breathing quicken as a certain urge took root and rapidly grew.
(Ryo has gone to the hot spring resort and shouldn't be back for a while, so if I just borrow the wristband for a bit, I probably won't get caught...)
"W-Wait a minute!"
Seika snapped out of it, her face burning, and tossed the wristband away.
"What on earth am I thinking?"
"I know full well that something terrible happens when I put that wristband on, yet here I am, actually wanting to..."
"Damn it! I swore I'd never wear this wristband again, no matter what!"
"..."
Seika looked away, lay back down, and forced herself to try to sleep.
It was no use.
For humans, the brain controls the body most of the time, not the other way around; Seika wanted to sleep, but her brain had no intention of doing so, instead constantly urging her to get up, pick up the band's wristband, and reward herself...
Seika tossed and turned, struggling to hold out, but her resistance didn't last long; the "Sin of lust"—born from consuming the Eden Apple—quietly flared up, and a faint pink hue began to glow deep within her eyes.
"D-Damn it..."
Seika quietly sat up, her face a mask of inner conflict as she reached out toward the wristband:
"Why... why is my willpower so pathetic..."