The day passed without further words.
After who knows how long, the rippling onsen pool finally returned to quiet stillness.
"Seika-nee, do you admit defeat now?"
Kitahara looked down and gazed over:
"Playing games isn't about being stronger just because you're older; it also depends on talent and ability."
"Haaah... haaah..."
Seika tilted her slender neck far back, her breathing exceptionally rapid, like an oxygen-deprived fish reeled onto the riverbank, her eyes already dazed.
Those sharp, bright eyes were now misty and glistening with water; on her long eyelashes hung a precarious, translucent teardrop, looking more fragile and vulnerable than ever before.
Facing Kitahara's 'provocation,' Seika simply lacked the strength to respond. Only after resting for a good while did she finally come back to her senses:
"Heh~"
Kitahara raised an eyebrow and looked over: "What does Seika-nee's 'heh' mean?"
"Y-You actually want me to admit defeat..."
Seika's pretty face was scalding crimson. Crossing her arms over her chest, she strove to straighten her back and tilted her dainty chin up slightly, her voice putting on a front of disdain. Yet for some reason, her voice sounded quite hoarse, as if she had just cried not long ago.
"Is that all? Is that all?"
"And here I thought how formidable you were; turns out it's just this much."
"Even an elementary schooler is better than you."
Kitahara: "..."
Your legs are wobbling just walking, what are you acting tough for!
The old saying was truly right: a leopard cannot change its spots.
Even after being completely devoured clean, the manager's super-tsundere personality still hadn't changed in the slightest—out of her entire body, her mouth remained the hardest.
"Yes, yes, Seika-nee is the most formidable." Kitahara sighed helplessly. Little Seika was wobbling on her feet right now, so he had to know when to stop; otherwise, he'd definitely make her learn the price of talking tough. "The ability of the [Hero of the Kidney] has already been shared over. Does Seika-nee want to stay in the Onsen Dimension to rest, or have Hana send you home to rest?"
"I want to go home!"
Seika blurted out without the slightest hesitation.
Staying in the Onsen Dimension was far too dangerous. One couldn't escape even if they wanted to, and nobody knew when the brat would unleash his animal instincts again... at that point, wouldn't she truly break?
"Then let's send Seika-nee back first." Kitahara nodded slightly, "As for tonight..."
"Don't even dream about tonight!" Seika covered her chest with both hands and looked over vigilantly, "What happened just now was a momentary impulse, there won't be a next time!"
Kitahara: "..."
Tsunderes truly loved saying the opposite of what they meant.
A momentary impulse, is it?
If I really went along with your words and agreed, your face would definitely change immediately, and golden tear-beans would start pattering down so fast they couldn't even be wiped clean!
"I was talking about sharing the exorcism ability with Seika-nee tonight; don't let your thoughts run wild."
With a calm and composed expression, Kitahara took Seika's right hand, lifted Hana with his other hand, and quietly departed the Onsen Dimension.
"We're back."
With a slight distortion of light, Kitahara returned to the quiet alley in the real world with Seika and Hana.
Before coming out, Kitahara had already activated the Silence Domain in advance, so there was no need to worry about being seen.
"Eleven twenty-five..." Kitahara glanced at the time on his phone, "Not bad, we stayed in the Onsen Dimension for half an hour in total."
"It's actually been that long?"
Seika was startled.
With a time flow ratio of ten to one, a simple conversion meant the two had spent three hundred minutes in the Onsen Dimension—a full five hours.
On careful thought, however, five hours was quite reasonable.
Changing into the wedding dress took a long time, followed by taking all sorts of photos, and finally, refusing to admit defeat, she challenged the brat two more times...
Recalling the events that took place in the Onsen Dimension, Seika's pretty face quickly heated up. She hastily shook her head to disperse the messy, R-rated images in her mind.
"I'll go get the full-length mirror."
Kitahara flashed back into the Onsen Dimension, and after a few breaths, emerged carrying a life-sized full-length mirror.
"Seika-nee, you can go back and rest now..."
Just as his words fell, Kitahara suddenly felt a slight pain at the tip of his foot.
"Why is Seika-nee stepping on me?"
Kitahara looked over speechlessly.
"Hmph~"
Seika gave a light huff, crossed her arms over her chest, and warned fiercely:
"Keep what happened today a secret. If you let Nijika find out, you're dead meat!"
"Yes, yes."
"You're not allowed to tell anyone else either! Otherwise you're finished!"
"Paper can't wrap fire; it's impossible to hide it for a lifetime, right?"
Kitahara muttered a complaint under his breath.
"You must hide it for a lifetime!" Seika stiffened her pretty face and huffed, "Take the secret into your grave with you!"
Kitahara raised an eyebrow slightly: "Then what about our child?"
"Huh?"
Seika's eyes widened in shock, her pretty face flushing crimson rapidly as she flusteredly covered her lower abdomen:
"W-What is a guy like you talking about?!"
"By the time I graduate from university, the manager will already be past thirty-five, and being pregnant by then will carry risks." Kitahara lowered his voice, "Seika-nee certainly can't wait that long, right?"
Thud!
Seika punched right over, so embarrassed she exploded on the spot:
"Urusai! I won't have a baby for you, okay?!!!"
"..."
After punching Kitahara, Seika prepared to leave with a blushing face.
Only when she reached the front of the mirror, she suddenly stopped her steps again, looking sideways toward Kitahara:
"Send them to me!"
Hearing this, Kitahara paused, not understanding: "What is Seika-nee talking about?"
Enduring her embarrassment, Seika made it clear: "Naturally the photos you took in the Onsen Dimension!"
"Understood." A smile appeared on Kitahara's face, "I thought Seika-nee wasn't interested in our wedding photos at all."
"Cut the crap, hurry up and send me the photos!"
"Which photo do you want?"
"All of them! Don't leave out a single one!"
"..."
Staring at Kitahara until he finished sending over all the wedding photos taken today, only then did Seika step into the mirror to go home and rest.
Kitahara put away the full-length mirror, turned around, and returned to school by himself.
The school was still lively and bustling, filled with sounds of laughter and joy everywhere. Kitahara's break time wasn't used up yet, so he didn't rush back to the classroom; instead, he chose to wander around to see if he could discover another optimizable item.
Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side. After strolling for a good while, he had no gains; instead, a dazzling red-haired girl caught his eye.
It was Kita.
Beside Kita, there was also a Hitori.
"Eh, Kitahara-kun?"
Seeing Kitahara appear, Kita's eyes lit up and she hurried over with brisk little steps, her voice crisp and melodious, like a thrush perched on a branch:
"Kitahara-kun, have you seen the manager?"
"Hitori-chan and I just switched shifts for our break. We were planning to visit the manager and have some Mapo Tofu along the way; after being busy for half the day, we're already starving."
"In the end, no matter how we looked, we couldn't find any trace of the manager."
Listening quietly until Kita finished, Kitahara spoke the truth:
"Seika-nee has already gone back."
"Eh?" Kita asked in surprise, "Already, so fast?"
"Needless to say how god-tier cuisine tastes—both Kita and Hitori know." Kitahara explained softly, "Hitori and I prepared so much yesterday afternoon, yet it easily sold out in a single morning. Seika-nee was so exhausted her waist couldn't even straighten, so she already went back to rest."
These words were half-true and half-false.
The manager was indeed exhausted to the point of being unable to straighten her waist, but for another reason entirely, not from being tired out by selling Mapo Tofu.
"What a pity, I also wanted to see the manager dressed up as a cook." Kita said regretfully, but quickly recalled the main business, bringing her hand up to block her mouth and speaking softly, "Right, can the blind box be opened now?"
Kitahara nodded slightly: "It's already been opened."
"What did you pull?" Kita's small face was full of anticipation, "Is it a very powerful item?"
"It's indeed a very powerful item..."
Naturally, Kitahara wouldn't hide anything from them. He extended his right hand, revealing the [Scale of God] mark on his wrist, while simply describing the effects of the [Scale of God].
"Theoretically speaking, it can accomplish many incredible things now, such as..."
Kitahara lightly snapped his fingers, paid the money, and immediately following that, the scale mark on his wrist quietly lit up:
"I wish for Kita to kiss me."
"I don't want to." Kita's small face blushed, "There are so many classmates around... Eh, eh, eh?"
Before she could finish her sentence, Kita suddenly felt her foot stumble. Instantly losing her balance, she fell uncontrollably into Kitahara's embrace and planted a kiss right on him with a smack.
"Oh, oh no..."
Kita hastily straightened her body, her face completely red as she looked around in panic.
The mini film filmed during the summer vacation had already been released for over a month. As the lead actresses, Kita and Anon enjoyed immense popularity in the school, known to every single person.
As the male lead, although Kitahara had very little screen time, his popularity was equally high.
Usually, friends would tease them, saying the story in the mini film was too heartbreaking, wishing that Kita and Kitahara would date in the real world...
(Danger, danger, danger!)
(With so many people around, that kiss just now was definitely seen, right?)
(Before evening arrives, everyone will know about this news.)
(People only like listening to the gossip they want to hear; they won't care about what the truth is. When the time comes, rumors will definitely spread that Kitahara-kun and I are officially dating, though that isn't wrong...)
(However, if I rush ahead to publicly announce it with Kitahara-kun, everyone else will definitely be unhappy, right?)
(After all, there is only one position for the official girlfriend...)
Just as Kita was lost in wild thoughts, Kitahara's voice sounded gently:
"Rest assured, I already activated the Domain in advance."
"Phew..."
Kita nervously surveyed her surroundings. Seeing that nobody was indeed looking over, she couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief.
Yet while feeling relieved, a small sense of disappointment inevitably welled up in her heart.
(Even though I'm dating boyfriend, even though we've done the most intimate things, we can't make an official announcement at school and have to hide it away... so unhappy...)
Kita tilted her small face up, her gaze faintly resentful:
"Kitahara-kun is really quick to react, huh."
Seeing through Kita's little thoughts at a single glance, Kitahara said softly:
"Then I'll deactivate the Domain and have Kita kiss me one more time."
"No way!"
Kita hastily refused.
Although she indeed felt a little resentful, Kita understood even better that once the secret of everyone dating together was exposed, they would definitely be pointed at and subjected to all sorts of terrible gossip behind their backs.
In comparison, keeping the secret of dating together hidden was the best choice.
"Only bullying me is too unfair." Kita's cheeks puffed up slightly. Turning her gaze, she looked toward Hitori beside them, who stood dazed without saying a word, "There's still Hitori-chan—Kitahara-kun must be fair."
"Ah...?"
The ahoge on top of Hitori's head quivered in panic as she quickly looked over pitifully:
"I-I didn't even say anything..."
"Good sisters should share both blessings and hardships together." Kita rested both hands on her waist, her voice crisp, "So Hitori-chan must be kissed too."
"Hitori, you heard that, right?" Kitahara looked toward Hitori and smiled, "Will you kiss me willingly, or shall I make a wish?"
"..."
Hitori's small face quickly flushed red. Unfortunately, having a meek and submissive personality, she dared neither resist nor refuse, and could only look over pitifully:
"L-Let's talk about it tonight..."
Kissing when alone together was fine, but right now they were in the hallway. Even though the Domain was active and other people couldn't see, it was still far too embarrassing after all.
Kitahara held up his finger:
"Tonight won't be just once; you must kiss three times."
"Mm-mm."
Hitori nodded hurriedly.
A person under someone else's eaves has no choice but to bow their head. Let alone three times, even if it were ten kisses, Hitori would still agree.
"There is another serious matter to discuss..."
After finishing teasing Hitori, Kitahara's expression turned serious, and he brought up the Pure White Bride discovered not long ago:
"Many bizarre items will appear at the School Festival, and there might be optimizable items among them. Searching for them by myself is too slow, so I want to share my ability with you all so that everyone can help look together."
"We can talk about sharing the ability later." Kita raised her right hand, her eyes sparkling, "I want to see that Pure White Bride!"
Kitahara said softly:
"The Pure White Bride is inside the Onsen Dimension."
"Then let's go to the Onsen Dimension."
Kita's voice was crisp, not looking forward and backward with hesitation or shrinking back like before.
Having already been completely devoured clean, there was naturally no need to worry about being taken advantage of when alone together anymore.
"No problem." Kitahara nodded, looking at Hitori, "Does Hitori want to go together?"
"U-Um..."
Hitori started to shake her head in a panic.
Unfortunately, in the very next second, she received a spoiled plea attack from the outgoing, sunshiny girl:
"Hitori-chan, let's go together! It's too dangerous alone, I beg you, pretty please~"
"..."
Already bad at refusing others, Hitori—now facing her close friend acting spoiled—was like a bronze elementary schooler running into a top-tier grandmaster: without any ability to resist, she dizzily agreed.
"Then let's go."
Kitahara waved his hand, bringing Kita and Hitori into the Onsen Dimension.
A moment later.
Looking at the Pure White Bride hanging alone on a clothes rack, Kita's eyes sparkled brightly:
"Eh, so pretty!"
"Mm-mm."
Hitori's eyes were equally bright, nodding along in agreement.
To high school girls, the sparkling Pure White Bride on the rack was naturally a dreamlike existence normally out of reach.
Kita blinked, decisively raising her right hand, her eyes shining bright and her voice full of anticipation:
"Kitahara-kun, I want to wear the Bride attire!"
Kitahara raised an eyebrow and looked over: "What did Kita call me?"
"Eh?"
Kita's small face quickly turned red. Looking at Hitori beside them, she said shyly:
"Boyfriend~ I want to wear the Bride attire."