"Huh?"
Taki raised her head, looking over in irritated embarrassment:
"Suddenly running to the rooftop to confess... you definitely want to play a prank, don't you?"
"I don't want to prank Taki," Kitahara naturally spoke the honest truth, saying softly, "Just like last time, it's a necessary path to becoming stronger."
"Super suspicious..."
Taki crossed her arms over her chest, letting out a tsundere snort:
"I definitely won't do something so embarrassing."
Even if she agreed in her heart, she couldn't immediately agree out loud; otherwise, no matter how she thought about it, it would be way too embarrassing, right?
"Tch~"
Kitahara clicked his tongue softly, looking at Taki with a subtle gaze.
"Your look is so weird..." Taki eyed him vigilantly, "What do you want to do?"
Kitahara smiled and said:
"Rather than coaxing Taki into agreeing, I actually prefer using threats."
"Huh?"
Taki widened her eyes in shock.
Kitahara said leisurely:
"Taki, you wouldn't want the fact that I'm running a harem to be known by your friends, would you?"
Taki: "..."
Wait, you're clearly the one running a harem, so how dare you use that to threaten me!
But on second thought, Taki quickly figured out Kitahara's sinister intentions.
She was someone who cared deeply about saving face; she wasn't steadfast and unbothered by outside matters like Saki, nor could she remain as composed and indifferent as Tomori. If Kitahara told Uika and Umiri about them dating together... she definitely wouldn't have the face to see them in the future!
"Damn it!"
"Pathetic!!"
"The absolute worst!!!"
Taki gritted her teeth, glaring over in flustered anger.
"Thank you for the praise," Kitahara wasn't ashamed in the slightest, instead smiling in response, "Threatening Taki really does put me in a delightful mood as expected."
Thud!
Taki jumped up and punched Kitahara on the knee, then turned around in a huff and walked away:
"If you dare tell Umiri and Uika, you're dead meat!"
"..."
Having easily handled Taki, Kitahara strolled around the school festival by himself, continuing to search for unexpected pleasant surprises.
Unfortunately, after walking around for half the day, he didn't find a single optimizable item.
"Makoto-kun, good morning."
A familiar, cool, and pleasant call suddenly drifted into his ears.
Kitahara turned to look over, only to see Mutsumi jogging all the way up to him. On her usually expressionless pretty face, a sweet smile was clearly beaming at this moment, completely different from her usual state.
"Morning," Kitahara looked at the flower-like smiling girl before him, raising his eyebrow slightly, "Why is Mutsumi-chan smiling so happily?"
"Because I ran into Makoto-kun," Mutsumi tilted her pretty face up, her eyes bright, "There are so many people at the school festival, and not long after arriving, I ran into Makoto-kun, so of course I'm very happy."
"For people who share no fate, if they don't make plans in advance, even if they study in the exact same school, they might never run into each other."
"That's true..."
Kitahara replied while secretly observing the Mutsumi-head classmate.
Something was off.
Mutsumi, who was usually quiet and taciturn like a sawn-off gourd, suddenly became so talkative and articulate right now; it felt very off no matter what.
Could it be an anomaly similar to an alternate, turning into Mutsumi to deceive him?
Kitahara quietly activated the ability of [Health Bar Warrior].
A health bar surfaced above Mutsumi's head.
"Twelve HP... it really is Mutsumi without a doubt."
The standard HP of an ordinary human was ten points; as for the two extra HP, that was the power of evolution obtained after eating the Eden Fruit.
Next was... [Emotion Perception].
As Kitahara focused his mind, his sensory perception magnified rapidly. He could clearly feel that Mutsumi's current emotions were entirely positive feelings of joy, love, and anticipation, without the slightest trace of malice mixed in.
All in all, Mutsumi was indeed human without mistake.
As for why Mutsumi had suddenly become 'talkative'... could it be related to her second personality?
Kitahara hesitated for two seconds, but still didn't make up his mind to use the Book of Answers.
He only had one last question left for today; the finest steel naturally had to be used on the blade's edge.
Once today's 'campus crisis' was resolved, he should be able to get a period of buffer and rest, and it wouldn't be too late to ask and clarify things then.
"Mutsumi-chan is visiting for the first time, so you're definitely unfamiliar with the school. How about I take you around for a tour?"
Kitahara suggested in a warm voice.
He had indeed neglected Mutsumi during this past period. First was the Master of Calamity hanging overhead, and second was the growing number of girls he had completely devoured; at night, Kitahara could never resist launching night raids on others, and hadn't acted as a 'sleep-aid body pillow' for Mutsumi in a long time.
"Please do, Makoto-kun," Mutsumi's eyes sparkled brightly, her face filled with unreserved joy, "I really super wanted to tour the school festival with Makoto-kun."
"Let's go then."
Kitahara reached out and rubbed Mutsumi's head, taking the Mutsumi-head classmate to stroll around. Along the way, they ran into Tomori, Soyo, and Taki, as well as Taki's two friends, and the group quickly expanded.
Walking together, under the nourishment of the Eden Fruit and daily hot springs, the several girls all possessed glowing, translucent skin and extraordinarily high beauty, drawing countless gazes.
To avoid trouble, Kitahara lagged two steps behind, acting as a little follower.
In the blink of an eye, noon arrived.
Seeing the girls sit down to rest at a handmade shaved ice shop, Kitahara discreetly took out his phone and sent a message to Taki:
"We can head to the rooftop now."
Noticing the vibration of her phone, Taki took it out quietly. After seeing the message clearly, she blushed slightly and glared at Kitahara, then stood up:
"You guys eat first, I'm going to the restroom."
Tomori looked up: "I'll go with Taki."
"No need, no need," Taki quickly refused, her gaze drifting with an inexplicable guilty conscience, "The line will take a long time. By the time I get back, the shaved ice will have completely melted. You guys enjoy eating, no need to wait for me."
"Alright then," Tomori agreed softly, "We'll wait for Taki to get back."
"Phew..."
Having successfully gotten away, Taki breathed a quiet sigh of relief, turned toward the restroom, and upon seeing no one paying attention to her, dodged stealthily into the stairwell and headed up to the rooftop.
Meanwhile.
Kitahara's figure had already vanished into thin air.
"Mutsumi-chan, why has your spoon been frozen midair this whole time?"
Soyo asked softly.
Mutsumi put down her spoon silently: "Stomach ache."
"Eh, are you feeling unwell?" Soyo looked over with concern, "Do you want to go to the infirmary?"
"No need," Mutsumi turned to leave, "I'm going to the restroom."
"..."
A moment later.
At the end of the hallway.
"The iron door is locked," Taki crossed her arms over her chest, looking at the sturdy iron door leading to the rooftop, her eyes lighting up, "Looks like we can't go to the rooftop after all, shall we head back?"
The school festival had all sorts of people, and many visitors brought little children along, so areas normally open like the rooftop were temporarily locked to avoid unexpected dangers.
"I know Taki is eager, but don't be in a rush just yet," Kitahara pointed at the lock on the iron door, "What is that?"
Taki hesitated for two seconds: "...An iron lock?"
"Correct answer," Kitahara snapped his fingers and pulled a ring of keys from his pocket, "Open the door with the key, and naturally we can go up to the rooftop."
"Wait a minute, why do you have the key?"
Taki couldn't help raising her little face.
Kitahara said as a matter of course:
"I am a user of the Face-Face Fruit after all; isn't it completely normal to get a key from the Student Council?"
After learning about today's quest content this morning, the first thing Kitahara did upon arriving at school was get the rooftop key from the Student Council's secretary.
Click.
Kitahara unlocked the iron lock, moved aside from the door, and made an inviting gesture:
"Lady Taki, please proceed to the rooftop."
"Hmph~"
Taki snorted softly and stepped onto the rooftop.
The autumn sunlight was exceptionally bright, the sky azure and clear as if washed clean, with only a few cotton-candy-like clouds suspended in the air.
"Phew..."
Looking at the empty, deserted rooftop, Taki breathed a quiet sigh of relief, looked over at Kitahara with a slightly red face, and urged softly:
"Say whatever you have to say quickly, I still have to go back and eat shaved ice."
"Then I'll say it," Kitahara walked straight in front of Taki, looked down into her eyes, and said solemnly, "...Taki-san, I like you. Please go out with me."
"..."
The temperature on Taki's face rose quietly, the sound of her racing heartbeat audible to her own ears, and she could feel an inexplicable force urging the corners of her lips upward.
Endure it!
Can't smile!
I definitely can't let this guy get too smug!
"You're done talking, right?" Taki kept a straight face, "If you're done, hurry up and go down."
"Wait a moment..." Kitahara opened the quest panel and found the quest wasn't completed yet. After pondering briefly, he quickly thought of a possibility, "Taki hasn't agreed yet."
"Huh?" Taki took a half-step back, looking over with a crimson face, "You didn't say I had to agree back then!"
"Back then was back then, now is now." Kitahara lowered his head, "Taki-chan, you wouldn't want the fact that I'm running a harem to be known by Uika, Umiri, and the others, would you?"
"...Pathetic!"
Taki clenched her delicate fists, so mad she wanted to bite him.
"Saying threatening words like that again—know when to stop!"
"Sorry, I can't stop." Kitahara wore an innocent expression, "I told you this morning, threatening Taki makes me feel refreshed in body and mind."
Thud!
Taki punched Kitahara on the knee.
"...The absolute worst!!!"
Meanwhile.
Behind the iron door of the rooftop.
Mutsumi stood quietly behind the door, listening intently to the commotion on the rooftop.
"...I like Taki the most, please go out with me."
"Hmph... please take good care of me from now on."
"..."
Listening to the conversation on the rooftop, Mutsumi quietly lowered her head. The highlights in her eyes silently vanished, and not a trace of hesitation or doubt remained on her face:
"It was me first... clearly I was first... Makoto-kun has never confessed to me..."
After the quest was completed, Kitahara and Taki left the rooftop together, not forgetting to lock the door before heading downstairs.
The school festival became increasingly lively, filled everywhere with visitors and joyful laughter, making people unconsciously immerse themselves in it.
In the blink of an eye, it was 2:30 in the afternoon.
Having finished his work as the billboard boy, Kitahara handed the advertising sign to other classmates, then headed to the school's grand auditorium, preparing to watch the afternoon performance.
Arriving at a corner backstage in the grand auditorium, a brilliant flash of gold suddenly caught his eye.
"Seika-nee?"
Kitahara's eyes lit up and he quickly strode forward.
Seeing Kitahara come over, Seika's pretty face blushed slightly. Crossing her arms over her chest, she put on a front of disdain:
"Lewd brat, don't talk to me inside the school."
"What's wrong with talking?" Kitahara put on a wronged expression, "Seika-nee wouldn't eat her fill and then refuse to acknowledge it, right?"
"Phooey!"
Seika spat lightly in anger. If there hadn't been so many people in the auditorium, she would have kicked him by now:
"Stop acting innocent after getting all the benefits!"
Kitahara smiled and said:
"In short, Seika-nee must take responsibility."
"Get away!" Seika glared in bashful annoyance, "Say another word and I'll beat you up!"
Having already devoured her completely, verbal threats naturally couldn't scare him. Kitahara changed the subject:
"Nijika came over with Ryo this morning. What did Seika-nee eat for lunch?"
"It was already eleven by the time I woke up at noon." Seika pursed her lips, not lying about it, "After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I ate a cup of noodles, and then came over."
Being in the most intimate relationship already, there was naturally no need to lie for the sake of face in front of Kitahara.
"Just eating cup noodles won't do."
Kitahara raised his right hand and snapped his fingers lightly.
Domain Expansion.
Feeling the power of the domain quietly brush over her body, Seika instantly grew nervous:
"Brat, what are you trying to do?"
"Taking Seika-nee to the Onsen Dimension to eat something, of course." Kitahara said with a straight face, "Only eating cup noodles doesn't provide enough nutrition."
"Get away." Seika stepped back vigilantly, "After coming here, I ate a portion of takoyaki in the school, so I'm not hungry at all right now."
Unfortunately, after taking just two steps back, her wrist was caught by Kitahara:
"Seika-nee must have sweated on the way here, right? Do you want to soak in the onsen?"
Seika flatly refused:
"Completely unnecessary."
"Alright, looks like I can only get straight to the point." Kitahara lowered his voice, looking intently at Seika, "I want to continue unlocking Seika-nee's Defeat CGs."
"Huh?"
Seika's pretty face flushed red rapidly, clearly understanding what 'Defeat CG' meant.
"Lewd brat, it's daytime right now—don't cross the line!"
"I'll let Aoi parasitize with Seika-nee." Kitahara tempted her in a low voice, "With the power boost from Aoi, Seika-nee might even be able to beat me."
A flicker of temptation crossed Seika's eyes. The way she had shed her armor and thrown down her weapons yesterday was far too embarrassing, but she was still too shy in the end:
"No, we'll talk about it later..."
Before she finished speaking, both of their figures abruptly vanished into thin air.
Twenty minutes later, Kitahara and Manager Seika finally returned from the Onsen Dimension.
"Got three more Defeat CGs." Kitahara sighed, "Seika-nee is still too weak after all."
"Clearly you're the one who's way too exaggerated, okay!"
Seika's eyes were slightly red, clearly having just cried not long ago, and her voice was inexplicably a bit hoarse as well. Hearing this, she couldn't resist opening her mouth to take a bite out of Kitahara's wrist.
"Big sis, what are you guys doing?"
A girl's surprised voice suddenly rang out.
"Eh, Nijika?!"
Hearing her younger sister's voice, Seika couldn't help but jump in fright, hurriedly pulling away from Kitahara and letting her gaze wander:
"Ahem, nothing... I just exchanged a couple of words with this brat."
"You're not allowed to take advantage of my sister."
Nijika sighed, looking up to shoot a glare at Kitahara.
Although she knew her sister wasn't telling the truth, in Nijika's eyes, it was nothing more than hugs and kisses; she couldn't possibly have been eaten clean, right?
"Yes, yes." Kitahara raised both hands, readily agreeing, "I won't take advantage of Seika-nee anymore in the future."
"...Like I'd believe you!"
Disdain filled Nijika's eyes.
A lewd brat whose head is entirely full of ecchi—if I believe your words, the sun would rise from the west!
Sniff, sniff~
Scum Ryo walked forward leisurely, leaning slightly forward to sniff around Kitahara, an enlightened expression soon appearing on her pretty face:
"Well, the Manager's scent is way too strong."
The corner of Kitahara's mouth twitched slightly, and he decisively changed the subject:
"Nijika-senpai, your band's performance is about to start. Do you want to go on an adventure in the game space to give yourselves an atmosphere buff?"
"Um..." Nijika didn't make the decision alone; instead, she looked at Kita and Hitori, softly asking for their opinions, "What does everyone think?"
Scum Ryo: "I'm fine with whatever."
Kita: "Making the atmosphere more lively wouldn't be a bad thing either."
Only Hitori hesitated, mumbling with an indecisive expression.
"What does Hitori want to say?" Nijika asked gently, "There are no outsiders here, so feel free to say whatever thoughts you have, Hitori."
"Um..." Hitori took a deep breath, quietly clenching her small fists, and mustered her courage to say, "We practiced so hard; it's fine even without adding buffs, right?"
Nijika blinked and quickly understood:
"Does Hitori mean she wants to test our practice results fair and square?"
"Mhm, mhm." Hitori nodded hastily, "When parted for three days, one should see another with new eyes. We've all grown so much, so we shouldn't disappoint the audience... right?"
"Well, that makes sense." Scum Ryo cast her vote in favor, "No matter the result, it definitely won't be as terrible as our first live stage performance."
"I won't run away this time." Kita's eyes sparkled brightly as she extended her right hand, "Let's fight side-by-side together, everyone!"
"Since everyone says so..." Nijika pursed her lips, stacking her right hand on top of the girls' hands, a bright smile appearing on her pretty face, "Let's fire up the atmosphere with our own strength!"
Kitahara grumbled softly from the side: "Suddenly feel like I've turned into a mob character."
"Not at all." Kita turned her head to look over, "Kitahara-kun, come over, come over—we're just missing you."
Kitahara stepped forward, placing his palm over the girls':
"Good luck!"
The performance time was approaching.
Kitahara helped check over the equipment, and after confirming there were no issues, quickly left backstage and headed to the audience area.
"Kitahara-kun, over here, over here~"
A pink-haired girl was constantly waving her hands from a corner—it was Anon.
Kitahara walked over and sat down beside Anon:
"Not being able to perform on stage, do you feel a bit lonely?"
"Ehehe~"
Anon reached out her right hand and, taking advantage of the dim surroundings, interlocked her fingers directly with Kitahara's, her eyes sparkling brightly as she whispered softly:
"It's rare to have boyfriend all to myself, so how could I be lonely?"
Saying so, she raised her delicate chin again, speaking proudly: "Besides, I'm a famous movie female lead! Even if I don't go on stage to perform, everyone still knows who I am."
"Yes, yes, Anon-chan is the most amazing."
"I want to hear more, praise me a few more times."
"Too bad your combat power is only five points..."
"Small fry is so mean!"
"..."
While they talked, the curtain on stage was quietly pulled open.
The lights turned on.
The figures of the four girls—Nijika, Ryo, Kita, and Hitori—appeared in the center of the stage.
The girls' final performance officially began.