Plop—
Plop, plop—
The splashing sounds of people falling in like dumplings into boiling water resounded one after another.
A chill, darkness, and an overwhelming sense of suffocation surged forward instantly.
"Good luck, it seems to be a lake..."
Kitahara held his breath to prevent the icy lake water from entering his nose and mouth, swiftly swimming upward at the same time.
Splash.
Water sprayed everywhere.
Kitahara successfully broke the surface of the water. Sweeping his gaze quickly across his surroundings, he was surprised to find that their environment wasn't a wilderness at all, but inside a massive structure, with a gigantic artificial dome looming overhead.
As far as the eye could see, he could also spot familiar structures such as spiral staircases, water slides, diving platforms, and more.
"It seems to be a giant swimming pool?"
After a brief, fleeting glance, before having time for a detailed inspection, Kitahara took a deep breath and dived back into the water.
The pool water was exceptionally chilling; the deeper down, the darker it became, as if the bottom didn't exist at all, making one involuntarily feel panicked.
"...Found one."
Within Kitahara's line of sight, he soon spotted a girl struggling in the water, immediately shooting forward like an arrow released from a bowstring.
Quickly arriving beside the girl, Kitahara wrapped his arm around her slender waist and floated toward the surface.
Splash.
Water sprayed in all directions.
Immediately following were sounds of coughing.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
While coughing, Sakiko looked toward Kitahara:
"Kitahara-san, a-are you alright?"
"I'm naturally fine. There are other people in the water, we'll talk later."
Kitahara took a deep breath and dove into the water once again.
Before long, another girl struggling in the water came into view.
"It's Taki."
Kitahara swiftly swam to Taki's side, rapidly pushing her above the water's surface.
"Cough, cough, my head is so dizzy..."
Taki's breathing was ragged, still in a state of bewilderment at this moment.
Swallowed by the spatial vortex one second, plunging into water the next—the scene transitioned far too quickly for her to react. Fortunately, she wasn't an inexperienced rookie after all; wiping her face with her hand, Taki assessed her surroundings and quickly met up with Sakiko.
Kitahara dived into the water again to search for the others.
"Great, found another one."
Before long, a blonde girl with a pained expression entered his vision.
It was none other than Uika Misumi.
It had to be said that this blonde girl truly cared about Sakiko beyond measure; clearly knowing the spatial vortex was super dangerous, the moment she saw Sakiko was about to be swallowed, she charged right in without turning back... Succubus Sakiko's sins were truly heavy!
Kitahara swiftly swam to Uika Misumi's side and, reaching out to wrap an arm around her as before, prepared to carry Uika Misumi to the surface.
Only in the very next second.
Flustered and panicking, Uika Misumi raised both arms, clamping tightly onto Kitahara's neck; even her legs weren't idle, locking securely around Kitahara's waist like an octopus.
Kitahara: "..."
It has appeared!
The Death Roll!
The situation that rescuers fear encountering most when saving drowning persons.
Under extreme panic and fear, a drowning victim turns into an octopus, clutching frantically onto anything they can grab, ultimately causing both people to drown together—which described their exact situation right now.
Though Kitahara was speechless, he could understand.
Sakiko and Taki frequently entered and exited Otherworld; they were experienced, composed in danger, and naturally cooperated when they saw him approach. But Uika Misumi was a complete 'layperson' who had never been to Otherworld, so panic and tension were entirely normal.
Thus, although the posture was awkward, Kitahara didn't forcefully push Uika Misumi away, swimming directly toward the water's surface instead.
Splash.
Accompanied by the splashing sound of water, Kitahara and Uika Misumi surfaced together.
"Haa... haa..."
The girl's rapid, ragged gasps instantly sounded.
"Uika?"
Sakiko's voice quickly drifted over.
"S-Sakiko...?!"
Uika Misumi subconsciously looked toward the sound, and seeing Sakiko and Taki swimming toward her, her brain rapidly calmed down.
(I remember now, to save Sakiko just now, I was swallowed by that vortex...)
(The person who saved me just now seemed to be... Kitahara-san?)
Uika Misumi subconsciously turned her head, instantly bumping face-to-face with Kitahara.
Their eyes met.
The distance between the two was less than a fist's width.
Uika Misumi could even clearly feel the scalding heat carried by Kitahara's breath...
(Wait, what kind of posture are Kitahara-san and I... in?)
Her mind blank for two seconds, Uika Misumi finally realized in hindsight how terrible her current posture was.
She was embracing Kitahara face-to-face—more accurately, clinging tightly to Kitahara's body like a koala, both arms tightly wrapped around Kitahara's neck, while both legs were...
"S-Sorry!"
Uika Misumi's pretty face flushed red in an instant as she apologized in flustered haste.
"It's fine now," Kitahara exhaled softly. "Misumi-san, let go of me first, then go meet up with Sakiko."
"Okay..."
Uika Misumi nodded hurriedly, shyly letting go with both arms and swiftly putting distance between herself and Kitahara.
"Sakiko, Taki, Uika... that leaves Hitori and Mutsumi..."
Kitahara quickly scanned the surroundings.
When swallowed by the spatial vortex, Kitahara remembered clearly: he was holding Mutsumi at the time, Hitori suddenly pounced over, Taki and Sakiko wanted to help, and only Uika Misumi was a complete accident.
"Huh, Hitori?"
Just as Kitahara was about to dive into the water again, he suddenly noticed a figure floating not far away.
Focusing his gaze, who else could it be but Hitori?
"K-Kitahara-san..."
Hitori was floating on the surface of the water facing skyward, looking exceptionally leisurely and not flustered in the slightest.
Good grief, that super high-school-level figure usually hidden beneath the school uniform turned into a lifebuoy at the crucial moment, huh?
Who knew that body fat could serve as a lifesaving tool at a critical moment!
"Sakiko, Hitori is floating over there," Kitahara pointed with his hand. "You guys regroup first; I'll go look for Mutsumi."
"Saw her," Sakiko nodded quickly. "Kitahara-kun, go quickly; we'll take care of ourselves."
Kitahara took a deep breath, and after confirming there was no sign of Mutsumi on the water's surface, he plunged into the water again.
With the boost from Supernatural Vision, Kitahara could see clearly underwater.
However, after looking around in a circle, he couldn't find any trace of Mutsumi.
"Where is Mutsumi?"
Kitahara furrowed his brows slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then continued diving deeper.
Everyone had landed nearby, so Mutsumi should be the same; the probability of her being at the bottom of the water was significantly higher.
Diving several meters deeper in one breath, Kitahara finally spotted a girl floating in the water hugging her knees, looking like an infant.
"Found you!"
His spirits lifted, Kitahara swam over swiftly.
Arriving beside Mutsumi, Kitahara noticed that she seemed to have lost consciousness, so he kissed her without hesitation, transferring oxygen into her lungs.
"Strange, what's going on?"
As his own oxygen was heavily consumed, Kitahara soon felt wisps of cool mist flowing into his body through his pores.
Sensing the suffocating tightness in his chest rapidly alleviating, a spark of realization flashed across Kitahara's mind:
"Is this oxygen?"
Kitahara paused slightly, quickly understanding.
"It must be that 'Evolution Badge' Hitori picked up by chance..."
The sole affix of the Evolution Badge was 'Infinite Adaptation', which could only be activated in moments of danger; Kitahara had casually pinned it on before leaving the house this morning, not expecting it to come in handy right now.
As wisps of oxygen poured into his body, the feeling of suffocation vanished without a trace.
Kitahara could clearly sense an adaptive evolution occurring in his body; from now on, he could breathe freely underwater.
With the oxygen crisis resolved, Kitahara intended to take off the Evolution Badge and put it on Mutsumi, but after hesitating for two seconds, he gave up on the idea.
Kitahara remembered clearly that the Evolution Badge came with side effects—adaptive evolution must adhere to the law of conservation of energy; he could endure it, but with Mutsumi's small build, she likely wouldn't be able to bear it.
Thinking of this, Kitahara put away the Evolution Badge, transferred another breath of air into Mutsumi, and carried her toward the surface.
Splash.
Water sprayed outwards.
Just as Kitahara and Mutsumi broke the surface, the girls' shouts rang out.
"Kitahara-kun!"
"Kitahara-san!"
"Thank goodness, you've finally appeared."
"Is Mutsumi alright?"
"..."
Kitahara looked in the direction of the voices and saw that Sakiko, Taki, Hitori, and Uika—the four girls—had already successfully climbed onto the poolside, instantly putting his mind at ease.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
A pained cough sounded from within his embrace.
Kitahara looked down at the girl in his arms, only to see Mutsumi's pale, pretty face and hear her weak voice:
"Makoto-kun, I'm sorry..."
Kitahara raised an eyebrow slightly:
"Mutsumi-chan?"
Evidently, the one in control of the body at this moment was the quiet little cucumber, not that extreme second personality.
Mutsumi bit her lower lip, her tone fraught with guilt:
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault... Makoto-kun shouldn't have followed me in..."
Kitahara simply reached out and grasped Mutsumi's conscience, cutting off the girl's guilty repentance.
"Ah..."
Mutsumi let out a soft gasp, a faint blush dusting her cheeks as she whispered pitifully:
"It... hurts a little."
"So you still know what pain feels like, huh?"
Kitahara kept a straight face, continuing to measure Mutsumi's conscience:
"If I hadn't followed you in, the pain would definitely be ten or a hundred times worse than it is now."
"I'm sorry..."
"A child who does something wrong must be punished; a mere verbal apology won't cut it," Kitahara said while swimming toward the shore. "Get ready to be punished."
Mutsumi breathed a quiet sigh of relief:
"As long as Makoto-kun isn't angry, you can punish me however you like."
"Confessing to Taki on the rooftop at noon was real, but I didn't completely devour her," Kitahara looked at Mutsumi, who was as well-behaved as a kitten, and lowered his voice. "When we go to the Onsen Dimension in a bit, make sure to wash your body clean, Mutsumi-chan."
"Eh?"
Mutsumi looked up in confusion.
"Whether it's meeting first, hugging first, or kissing first, it was indeed Mutsumi-chan first, so..." Kitahara kept a straight face and said, "Wait to be completely devoured; I definitely won't let Taki beat you to it."
The blockhead classmate was usually a person of few words, burying all her thoughts deep in her heart and refusing to say anything aloud.
Just because she wasn't teased first, she felt left out, then gave up on herself and let her second personality come out to cause trouble... In that case, devouring her thoroughly was the obvious answer!
And as for that second personality, he definitely had to find a way to punish her severely—there was no letting her off the hook!
Mutsumi's long eyelashes fluttered lightly. Hearing this, far from being shy or nervous, her eyes sparkled brightly as she looked over:
"I'm sorry. To express my apologies, Makoto-kun can [BEEP—]."
Kitahara: "..."
Don't say such wild things!
That censored word will attract high-dimensional erasure—it's super dangerous, okay?!
Mutsumi continued:
"It doesn't matter even if I get pregnant with a baby; I can take a leave of absence from school..."
"Stop talking," the corner of Kitahara's eye twitched slightly, hurriedly cutting off Mutsumi's wild words. "Safety first!"
"..."
While talking, Kitahara carried Mutsumi and finally swam to the shore.
"Mutsumi, give me your hand."
Sakiko crouched down, grabbing Mutsumi's right hand.
The other girls stepped forward to help as well, pulling Mutsumi up in a flurry of hands and feet.
Kitahara didn't need any help; propping himself up on the edge of the pool with one hand, he easily climbed ashore.
"Taki, I'm sorry..."
Mutsumi bowed in apology.
"You..."
Taki crossed her arms over her chest, parting her lips before finally letting out a sigh, her small face taut:
"After we get back, apologize to me properly!"
Although she was furious, what was done was done, and scolding wouldn't help. Besides, the one who caused trouble was Mutsumi's second personality, which didn't have much to do with the Mutsumi standing in front of her.
"Achoo—"
Hitori covered her mouth with her hand and sneezed.
"Everyone's clothes are drenched," Sakiko looked up, softly changing the subject. "Kitahara-kun, shall we head to the Onsen Dimension first to bathe and change clothes?"
"We indeed need to clean up," Kitahara nodded gently. "After all, this is Otherworld; catching a cold and fever would be troublesome."
Kitahara reached out his right hand, leading the girls together toward the Onsen Dimension.
Next was time for washing up, which naturally went without saying.
After taking a shower, at Sakiko's suggestion, the girls prepared to soak in the onsen for a while to dispel the chill from their bodies.
However, upon walking to the edge of the onsen pool, Uika Misumi was shocked to discover that Kitahara had already soaked himself in the pool.
Uika Misumi paused in her tracks, her pretty face blushing slightly, only to see Sakiko, Taki, Mutsumi, and Hitori naturally enter the onsen pool, their movements and demeanor showing no hint of shyness or awkwardness.
(Soaking in a onsen with a boy—this is a mixed bath, isn't it?)
(Why doesn't anyone mind at all?)
(Putting Taki aside, even Sakiko and the others... why aren't they shy in the slightest?)
(Could what Mutsumi-san said earlier about dating together... actually be true?)
"Uika, hurry up and come down to soak in the onsen," Taki turned her head to look at her friend on the shore. "Be careful not to catch a cold."
"Um..."
Uika Misumi stammered, looking hesitant.
She had only met Kitahara twice, which hardly counted as being familiar. Being reserved and shy by nature, the mere thought of sharing a mixed bath with a boy left her flustered and at a complete loss.
However, in the next second, Sakiko's voice rang out:
"Uika, come to my side; let's soak in the onsen together."
"Okay!"
Hearing this, Uika Misumi's eyes lit up, and she quickly agreed.
Sharing a mixed bath with a boy was embarrassing, but if she could stay by Sakiko's side, there was no problem at all.
Taki: "..."
When I called you down, you hesitated, but when Sakiko called you, you agreed without a second word, huh?
The double standard is way too obvious!
Taki felt an inexplicable hint of grievance in her heart.
Her best friend seemed to have turned into Sakiko's faithful canine...
"Kitahara-san, should we wait here for Hana to arrive next?" Sakiko said softly. "I observed earlier, and this place seems to be a giant swimming pool with no apparent dangerous creatures around."
When in an unfamiliar and dangerous environment, waiting in place for rescue was the most correct choice.
"This place feels very off to me. When diving earlier, there was clearly nothing around, yet after surfacing with Mutsumi, we actually arrived at the edge of the pool," Kitahara said with a serious expression. "Staying here waiting for Hana might not be safe... Let's soak first, and ask the Book of Answers in a bit."
"..."
A moment later.
Kitahara was the first to finish soaking and stepped ashore. He took out the Book of Answers and let out a light sigh.
Only one question remained for today. Had he known earlier, he would have used it directly on Mutsumi, but unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret in this world.
"Makoto-kun, shall I ask the question?"
Wearing a bathrobe, Sakiko walked over.
"Here."
Kitahara handed the Book of Answers over.
Sakiko said softly:
"As for the content of the question... How can we return to the real world?"
"Ask just that," Kitahara nodded. "Getting back early is the most important thing. Shimizu Rin went through all the trouble of exiling us to Otherworld not for fun, but definitely with some scheme in mind."
"Understood."
Sakiko nodded gently and began asking the question.
Rustle, rustle.
The Book of Answers flipped open on its own without any wind.
Before long, a line of text quietly emerged.
Looking at the answer in the book, Kitahara furrowed his brows slightly:
"The only way to leave the depths of Otherworld is to follow the guidance of the anchor?"
"What is the anchor?"
Taki asked in a low voice.
Just as Kitahara was pondering the so-called anchor, he suddenly felt his heart throb gently.
"Hm?"
A surge of emotion filled with intense excitement and joy pierced through spacetime, reaching straight to the bottom of Kitahara's heart.
"This feeling... is the affix effect of the Pure White Bride?"
Kitahara raised a hand to clutch his chest, an epiphany suddenly dawning in his heart.
The girls in the real world wearing the Pure White Bride and activating the bridal dress affix were his only anchors to leave Otherworld.
"Listen to me, everyone..."
Kitahara clapped his hands lightly to draw the girls' attention, explained the current situation clearly, and finally said:
"The anchor has been found; next is setting off for the real world."
The only point of concern was whether the girls in the real world would take off the Pure White Bride; once the anchor's guidance was lost, they could very well become lost in the depths of Otherworld.
Fortunately, before long, Kitahara felt the anchor begin to disappear and reappear from time to time. Every so often, joyful and excited emotions traveled across spacetime.
"This feeling... everyone must be taking turns wearing the wedding dress, right?"
A warmth filled Kitahara's heart, and he silently responded with his own emotions.
"Appearing and disappearing rapidly twice in a row... feels like Ryo-senpai?"
Others might not realize the importance of the wedding dress, but Ryo was a master detective after all and would surely notice.
"Great, looks like there's no need to worry about the anchor," Kitahara felt relieved. "After returning, I must reward Ryo-senpai properly."