Ten o'clock in the evening.
As the last wealthy madam left satisfied, the weight loss business finally came to an end.
"Are you going home first, or coming directly with me to soak in the onsen?"
Kitahara Makoto asked softly while stretching his muscles.
Togawa pursed her lips:
"Let's go directly to the onsen."
"That's right." Soyo agreed with a nod, and said softly, "It's already very late, if we don't go back, everyone will be anxious waiting."
Kitahara Makoto naturally had no objections:
"Then let's go, we're going to the bathroom."
"…"
The three of them came to the bathroom, summoned Hana, and quickly traveled back home.
"Kitahara-kun, you're back?"
"Onsen, onsen."
"We've been waiting for you."
"…"
Taki, Mai, and Hitori were not around as usual, but most of the other girls were present.1
Soaking in an onsen not only beautifies the skin and nourishes the complexion, but also relieves fatigue and relaxes the mind. Once it becomes a habit, no one can refuse it.
After a brief chat and eating a cucumber handed to him by Mutsumi, Kitahara Makoto simply waved his hand, leading the girls into the [Onsen Village].
What followed was naturally onsen time.
Soyo had just finished her simple bath and walked to the edge of the onsen pool when she felt an undisguised gaze fixed on her.
"Stare—"
"It's Mutsumi-chan…"
Following the gaze, Soyo saw Mutsumi staring at her with wide, expressionless eyes, and her pretty face instantly flushed.
(Why did Mutsumi make such a terrible wish? Doesn't she feel any shame?!)
(Well, Mutsumi doesn't seem to feel shame at all...)
Soyo covered her chest and quickly entered the onsen pool.
"Seika-nee's accident was so scary."
"I didn't realize it was that serious."
"It seems everyone can't just make wishes casually anymore."
"It should just be an exception, no need to worry that much, right?"
"Better safe than sorry."
"…"
Soyo sat in a corner, soaking in the onsen, listening to the girls' discussions, her heart even more conflicted.
(The sticky note… feels so dangerous.)
(The best way to avoid danger is to fulfill Mutsumi's wish in advance… but that kind of thing is too terrible no matter how you think about it!)
(But if I keep acting like an ostrich and ignore it, who knows what kind of accident might happen…)
(What should I do?)
Soyo couldn't make a choice until after she finished her onsen session.
The girls, as usual, chose to go home and rest.
"I'm heading back first, Kitahara-kun, see you tomorrow." Togawa waved goodbye, "The official commission's compensation hasn't been settled yet, but I'll tell Kitahara-kun as soon as it is."
Kitahara Makoto lowered his voice and said:
"Togawa, you left your key."
"Eh?" Togawa paused slightly, blinking in confusion, "What is Kitahara-kun going to do?"
Kitahara Makoto said in a low voice:
"I'll bring the key to Togawa later."
Togawa's pretty face quickly flushed, and she immediately understood Kitahara Makoto's mischievous intentions, her bright eyes couldn't help but glare at him:
"No way~! Kitahara-kun, you need to restrain yourself!"
Restrain what?
You are looking down on my stamina!
Kitahara Makoto said shamelessly:
"I'm sorry, I miss Sakiko-chan too much."
"I'm going back!"
Togawa shyly averted her gaze, quickly packed her belongings, and then fled in a panic.
As the girls left one after another, the living room quickly became quiet.
Kitahara Makoto sighed regrettably. Since Togawa was unwilling, he couldn't force her:
"See you tomorrow."
"…"
At this moment, Anon's voice suddenly rang out:
"Eh, whose phone is this?"
Kitahara Makoto looked over at the sound and saw a very familiar phone in the corner of the sofa.
Mutsumi said expressionlessly:
"It's Togawa's phone."
Kitahara Makoto also recognized it; it was indeed Togawa's phone.
Very good.
The key wasn't left behind, but the phone was!
"I'll take the phone back."
Kitahara Makoto picked up the phone with a normal expression and walked towards the bathroom.
A moment later.
Kitahara Makoto quietly walked out of the full-length mirror.
"Eh, where's my phone? I just saw it…"
Togawa was sitting on the sofa, looking down and rummaging through her bag, muttering to herself.
So it wasn't left on purpose, but by accident?
But now that he was here, it would be impossible to make him leave so easily.
"Cough, cough."
Kitahara Makoto lightly coughed twice, breaking the silence in the living room.
"Who?!"
Togawa quickly turned around alertly, looking towards the mirror. When she saw it was Kitahara Makoto, she finally relaxed and couldn't help but puff out her rosy cheeks:
"Kitahara-kun, don't suddenly speak behind people's backs!"
Kitahara Makoto looked innocent:
"I was clearly coughing, not speaking."
Togawa: "Coughing isn't allowed either!"
"Yes, yes." Kitahara Makoto stepped forward and said, "Aren't you curious why I came here, Togawa?"
Togawa's pretty face quickly flushed, and she covered her chest with her hands, saying:
"You… don't mess around!"
"I came here for a serious matter." Kitahara Makoto pulled two phones from his pocket, "Saki, did you drop this pink phone? Or this black phone?"
"Eh?" Togawa's eyes lit up, "How is my phone in Kitahara-kun's hand?"
Kitahara Makoto explained:
"You left in too much of a hurry, and your phone was left on the sofa, so I quickly brought it to you."
Togawa held out her right hand and said:
"Give me my phone, Kitahara-kun can go back now."
"Wait a moment." Kitahara Makoto smiled, "Togawa hasn't said which phone she dropped yet."
Togawa's bright eyes glared at him:
"It's the pink phone."
"Very good, Sakiko is indeed an honest good child." Kitahara Makoto stepped in front of Togawa, handed over the phone, and then casually held Togawa's right hand, "An honest child not only gets the phone but also gets an extra reward."
A bad premonition surged in her heart, and Togawa quickly shook her head and said:
"No extra reward…"
Before she could finish speaking, the environment around them suddenly changed, and in a blink, they entered the Onsen Village.
Kitahara Makoto spread his arms and said shamelessly:
"My pockets are empty, so I can only use my body as Saki-chan's honesty reward."
Togawa covered her chest with both hands, her pretty face flushed crimson. Knowing that she couldn't escape today, she could only glare at him shyly:
"…Pervert!"
Kitahara Makoto reached out and gently embraced her, directly carrying Togawa in a princess carry:
"Let's go, we're going to soak in the onsen."
Togawa didn't struggle, she just hid in Kitahara Makoto's arms, her pretty face flushed.
Firstly, both her body and soul had taken on Kitahara Makoto's form, making it impossible to cruelly reject Kitahara Makoto.
Secondly… Togawa actually wanted to be taken advantage of, but her maidenly reserve simply made her too embarrassed to say it out loud.
Ten minutes later in the real world.
In the silent living room, the light slightly distorted, and Kitahara Makoto appeared quietly in the living room, holding Togawa.
The usually strong Togawa looked exceptionally weak now, her eyes teary and hazy, appearing as if she couldn't even move a single finger.
Kitahara Makoto carried Togawa back to the room, settled her in, then turned on the air conditioning, checked the doors and windows again to make sure everything was alright, and then quietly left.
The night passed without a word.
The next day.
Seven o'clock in the morning.
Kitahara Makoto stood in the bathroom, brushing his teeth and washing his face while checking today's daily tasks.
"The two fitness tasks are very easy, the third task is to take a photo at Shibuya Station, which also has no difficulty, the fourth task is [Pet and Owner]… Is it again limited to only Taki being able to complete it?"9
After reading all the task messages, Kitahara Makoto was instantly speechless.
The first three tasks were all very simple, but the fourth task's difficulty directly skyrocketed to hellish difficulty!
[Daily Task Four: Pet and Owner]
[Limited Task Character: Taki]
[Task Requirement: Must use the pet collar and leash props to complete the pet and owner role-playing task. The interaction time between the owner and pet must not be less than three minutes.]
"If the limited character were Mutsumi-chan, how great would that be…"
Kitahara Makoto sighed helplessly.
If it were Mutsumi, this task would have no difficulty at all; he would only need to say a word, and Mutsumi would put on the pet collar herself and hand the leash to him.
As for Taki… just thinking about it, he knew she would definitely be furious.
"I'll try it first; if it really doesn't work, I'll just have to give up…"
Kitahara Makoto had a headache.
Unfortunately, the task content did not change according to his will, so he could only take it one step at a time.
Buzz, buzz.
The phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated.
Kitahara Makoto took out his phone and looked down; it was a message from Soyo.
"Kitahara-kun, is Mutsumi-chan safe?"
Kitahara Makoto: "Sleeping soundly upstairs."
Soyo: "That's good…"
Before Kitahara Makoto could inquire about the situation, Soyo had already spilled the beans, starting a message bombardment.
"I just had a terrible nightmare."
"In my dream, I saw Mutsumi-chan, and the location seemed to be in a hospital. Mutsumi-chan in the dream turned into a porcelain doll girl, constantly chasing me from behind."
"She said that only by fulfilling her wish would she achieve instant enlightenment…"
"..."
Kitahara Makoto subtly twitched the corner of his mouth:
"Don't tell me the wish is a live broadcast?"
Soyo's voice was full of resentment: "That's right, it's Mutsumi-chan's terrible wish."
Kitahara Makoto: "What you think about in the day, you dream about at night. Soyo, don't take it to heart."
Soyo: "But the dream was super realistic. After I woke up, my clothes were drenched in sweat. It felt so scary."
Kitahara Makoto pondered upon hearing that:
"Generally speaking, dreams aren't that realistic. Most dreams are forgotten upon waking… Is it possible it's the effect of the Wish Note?"
After all, for a wish like a live broadcast, it was hard to imagine any accident that could make it come true.
But if it was influencing Soyo through dreams, thereby swaying Soyo's choices, then anything was possible.
Soyo: "If it's really related to the Wish Note, then that's terrible."
Kitahara Makoto: "Don't panic. A dream is just a dream. It shouldn't affect reality."
Soyo: "But Kitahara-kun can affect reality."
Kitahara Makoto: "It's not yet certain if Soyo's dream is related to the Wish Note. When Soyo sleeps and dreams next time, if she dreams the same dream two or three times in a row, then we can basically confirm it. At that time, I'll try to enter Soyo's dream to solve the problem."
Soyo: "That's the only way…"
At eight o'clock in the morning.
Kitahara Makoto had breakfast, got ready, and went out to ride his bicycle to pick up Hitori, preparing to continue going to the driving school with Hitori to brush up on lessons.
As soon as he parked his bicycle, a Little Miss Social Anxiety with an ahoge on her head quietly slipped out, like a shadowy creature afraid of melting in the sun, cautiously walking between houses and walls, and soon arrived in front of Kitahara Makoto.
"Hitori, good morning."
Kitahara Makoto raised his hand to greet her.
"Good morning…"
Hitori raised her hand to cover her mouth and let out a big yawn.
"Didn't sleep last night?" Kitahara Makoto asked curiously, "How did you get dark circles under your eyes?"
Hitori quickly lowered her head and stammered:
"The manager gave us a chance to perform on stage in a few days, and Ryo-senpai asked me to write a new song…"
He almost forgot, besides being the guitarist in the band, Hitori was also responsible for songwriting. When they chatted yesterday, Yamada Ryo did mention a band performance.27
Kitahara Makoto understood:
"So Hitori burned the midnight oil and stayed up all night?"
"Y-yes…"
Hitori nodded pitifully.
Kitahara Makoto asked curiously:
"Then how many songs did Hitori write?"
Hearing Kitahara Makoto's question, the listless ahoge on Hitori's head drooped, and she stammered:
"I-I only wrote the first two lines of lyrics…"
Good heavens! Staying up all night just to write an opening, the efficiency was too low!
But thinking about it carefully, songwriting wasn't as simple as writing articles, so it was normal not to be able to write lyrics.
"Here, have a candy first."
Kitahara Makoto took out two candies and handed them over.
He didn't plan to help Hitori write lyrics. He didn't have the ability to write them himself, and he wasn't interested in being a plagiarist.
"Thank you, Kitahara-kun…"
Hitori thanked him softly, took the candies, unwrapped a plum candy, and carefully put it in her mouth.
"Get on and sit tight." Kitahara Makoto patted the bicycle's back seat, "We're going to the driving school."
"Mm-hmm."
Hitori nodded quickly, turned sideways, and sat on the bicycle, then yawned again.
After realizing her head was dizzy and she wasn't very clear-headed, Hitori blushed, quietly raised her arms, and hugged Kitahara Makoto's waist from behind.
(N-no way…)
(I didn't sleep all night. If I get drowsy and fall off later, it'll definitely cause trouble for Kitahara-kun, right?)
"Hold on tighter."
Kitahara Makoto's voice came from the front.
"Ah…"
Hitori was startled, her small face quickly flushed, and she was about to let go in a panic.
"I'm not telling Hitori to let go." Kitahara Makoto replied without turning his head, "I'm telling you to hold on tighter, be careful not to fall off."
"Oh…"
Hitori's small face was crimson, her arms quietly tightened, and she secretly hugged Kitahara Makoto closer.
(The shirt has the faint scent of lavender laundry detergent… It smells good!)
Hitori quietly sniffed, then quickly reacted.
(N-no!)
(Secretly sniffing a boy's shirt, that's a perverted scene that only appears in manga!)
Hitori quickly held her breath, trying to divert her attention:
(How exactly should I write the lyrics… The performance is in a few days…)
(Ah, I got it!)
Hitori's eyes suddenly lit up, and she whispered:
"K-Kitahara-kun…"
"What is it?"
Kitahara Makoto responded while cycling.
"That Wish Note you gave me before, I haven't used it yet…" Hitori whispered, "Can I use it to wish for lyrics?"
Kitahara Makoto casually said:
"That Wish Note was given to Hitori, so it's Hitori's. You can use it however you want, but the process of the wish coming true might have some unexpected twists… Have you heard about Seika-nee's situation?"
"Mm-hmm."
Hitori nodded quickly:
"Nijika-senpai already told me about the manager's situation."
No wonder Nijika was called the 'Great Archangel of Shimokitazawa'. Because she had been rained on herself, she wanted to hold an umbrella for others. She didn't hide anything about her sister being bedridden due to a wish, telling everyone the whole story, just to make the girls more vigilant.
"It's good that you know." Kitahara Makoto said while cycling, "During the use of the Wish Note, various unexpected things might happen. Hitori, are you sure you want to use it?"
Hitori hesitated for a few seconds, her eyes quickly firming up:
"I've decided… I'll use the Wish Note to wish for me to write lyrics."
The band was going to perform in a few days, and everyone was waiting for the new song she wrote, so no matter what, she couldn't let down everyone's expectations.
As for scary accidents, so far only the manager had encountered one. She probably wouldn't be that unlucky… right?
As they spoke, the bicycle had already arrived at the driving school.
"Hitori, get off."
"Mm-hmm."
Hitori quickly released her arms, her small face flushed as she jumped off the bicycle.
(Ah, how did it feel like we arrived in the blink of an eye…)
(If the road were longer, that would be great…)
(N-no, I can't be so greedy!)
Hitori quickly shook her head.
(This is already pretty good!)
"Don't space out." Kitahara Makoto parked the bicycle, "Let's go brush up on lessons."
"…"
Next was lesson time.
Kitahara Makoto was full of energy, but Hitori, due to staying up all night, quickly became dizzy as soon as she sat on the chair, and her small head began to nod off.
"Being this sleepy won't do." Kitahara Makoto turned to look at her, "Hitori, why don't you and I go to the Onsen Village to rest for a bit?"
Hearing Kitahara Makoto's words, Hitori's small face immediately flushed rapidly, and her sleepiness vanished directly:
"I-I'm not sleepy at all!"
"Don't panic." Kitahara Makoto held Hitori's small hand and said gently, "Letting Hitori go to the Onsen Village to rest is for your safety. If your concentration isn't enough, you might get drowsy and fall while learning to drive… Don't worry, I promise not to take advantage of Hitori. I really just want you to rest."
Hitori's small face was crimson, her peach blossom eyes peering through her bangs, half shy, half hesitant:
"Kitahara-kun… aren't you lying?"
Kitahara Makoto had a righteous expression:
"When have I ever lied to Hitori?"
Hitori: "…"