"...Malice enhancement."
Kitahara gave a soft snap of his fingers, choosing to magnify the malice within the Impostor Maid.
Unlike humans, who possess a full spectrum of emotions and desires, the Impostor Maid harbored only one: malice toward all living beings.
He could certainly have taken her out with a single punch, but he needed to provide an 'explanation' to the onlookers to avoid any suspicion that he was a fraud or a charlatan.
"Hrrgh..."
As a surge of intense malice erupted from her, the maid—who had been about to bow in apology—suddenly straightened up. Her eyes turned blood-red, her body elongated, and her mouth tore open to reveal rows of jagged, shark-like teeth.
"Aaaah! A monster!"
"What is that thing?"
"Back! Everyone, get back!"
"..."
Chaos instantly erupted in the hall as the Impostor Maid shed her disguise and revealed her true form.
In human society, the Togawa family lived a life of privilege and superiority, but in the face of the supernatural, power and wealth meant nothing.
"Human... I'll kill you!"
Having dropped her disguise, the Impostor Maid leaped onto the ceiling, scuttling across it on all fours like Spider-Man. She then smashed the hall's chandelier; the room plunged into dimness, though decorative recessed lights provided enough illumination to keep it from going pitch black.
The chaos intensified; shouts and screams rang out from all sides. Stripping the opportunity, the Impostor Maid circled rapidly behind Kitahara, then launched herself into the air, diving straight at him.
"Kitahara-kun, watch out!"
Sakiko clasped her hands tightly against her chest.
Even though she knew Kitahara was incredibly strong, she couldn't help but feel anxious.
"Your malice is so potent... there's no way a sneak attack could succeed, even if I had my eyes closed..."
Kitahara remained calm. It was as if he had eyes in the back of his head; he shifted his feet slightly, dodging the maid's ambush by a hair's breadth. To an ordinary person, the Imposter maid moved with blinding speed—too fast for the eye to track—but amidst the cover of night, and bolstered by the max-level buffs stacked by the girls, Kitahara was operating at peak performance with explosive stats; every movement of the Imposter maid appeared to him in slow motion.
Her lunge failed, and she crashed to the ground; she tried to roll back to her feet to resume the attack, but the very next instant, Kitahara raised his right foot and stomped directly onto her head.
Boom!
That kick carried "True Damage," instantly depleting the Imposter maid's health bar to zero.
With a shrill scream, the creature—which moments ago had been a terrifying, vicious monster—began to convulse violently, her body twitching like a frog on a dissection table, before finally going still under the horrified gazes of the onlookers.
"It's taken care of." Kitahara lifted his foot and looked at Sakiko's grandfather. "She likely infiltrated the house only recently; she was the only Imposter here—everyone else is perfectly normal."
"I am deeply grateful..."
Sakiko's grandfather regained his composure; despite being the elder, he bowed a full ninety degrees to thank Kitahara.
He understood all too well the horror of the Imposters; had Kitahara not intervened, the Togawa household would undoubtedly have been a bloodbath by morning.
"Sakiko's family is my family, too." Kitahara returned the bow briefly before addressing the next steps. "I've destroyed the Imposter parasite inside the maid, but I can't do anything about her unconscious state. It's best to notify the Bureau and let them handle the follow-up treatment."
"I apologize for the trouble, Kitahara-kun."
Sakiko's grandfather spoke in a low, steady voice as he began issuing calm, methodical orders.
The others slowly calmed down, having learned the truth from the exchange; the looks they cast at Kitahara were complex—filled with fear, awe, and trepidation—but one thing was certain: there was no longer a trace of the contempt they had once held.
"Sakiko, I have some good news for you."
Sakiko's father lowered his voice as he spoke to Sakiko. "Huh?"
Sakiko blinked, curious.
"What did you want to say, Dad?"
Since returning to the Togawa household, her father had turned over a new leaf; however, the future she had once envisioned in her dreams made it difficult for Sakiko to feel as close to him as she used to.
"Sakiko, your grandfather and I have discussed this," her father said seriously. "Any children you and Kitahara-kun have won't need to take the Togawa surname. As for whether Kitahara-kun himself changes his name—that's entirely up to the two of you."
Japan has a common tradition of mukoyoshi (marrying into the bride's family); while a biological son might turn out to be a disappointment, a son-in-law brought in through this arrangement is usually highly capable. The catch, however, is that not only the children but the man himself must adopt the woman's surname.
For ordinary people, this wouldn't matter, but when dealing with Kitahara-kun, his own thoughts and feelings had to be taken into account.
In short, Kitahara-kun had demonstrated such capability and value that the entire Togawa family wanted to stay in his good graces; consequently, established principles no longer mattered—fostering a good relationship with him was the top priority.
"C-children..."
Sakiko's face flushed crimson, and she shyly lowered her gaze to her toes.
"Dad, it's way too early to talk about that. We wouldn't even consider it until after we graduate from university..."
"I'm just letting you know in advance," her father said with a smile. "The point is, you don't need to feel any pressure. The Togawa family won't dictate your life path; you're free to choose whatever lifestyle you want."
"Freedom, huh?"
Sakiko took a deep breath and said softly:
"Dad... thank you."
"..."
Although the Imposters had been eliminated, the members of the Togawa family remained skittish, desperate for Kitahara-kun to stay and ensure everyone's safety.
Kitahara-kun, naturally, refused outright. He had Hana deploy a barrier, then requested a car and—taking Sakiko and Mutsumi along—left the villa estate. "Hana-chan says the Imposter Queen we took out tonight was something like a clone—there are other clones hiding in the shadows." Kitahara sat in the back seat, took out the Book of Answers, handed it to Mutsumi, and said seriously, "Ask for the location of the nearest Imposter Queen."
A parasitic Kita, huh?
I'm going to scatter its ashes to the winds!
Besides, Imposter Queens are different from ordinary Imposters; they possess high intelligence and aren't rigid or predictable at all. The Bureau might not be able to track them down, so taking action myself felt safer to prevent Tokyo from falling.
"Leave it to me."
Mutsumi nodded earnestly, took the Book of Answers, and began to ask her question.
There was a partition between the front and back seats, so there was no need to worry about the elderly driver seeing anything.
Rustle, rustle.
The Book of Answers flipped its pages rapidly, moving on its own without a breeze.
Moments later, an address quietly appeared—even the house number was clearly visible. Kitahara lowered the partition and gave the location to the driver; the car quickly made a U-turn and sped toward the destination.
The journey was silent.
In the dead of night, the streets were virtually deserted, save for a few speeding biker gangs. Driving at the speed limit, they soon arrived in front of a high-end apartment complex.
"This is the place."
Kitahara opened the door, stepped out of the car, and looked up.
Before him stood a luxury apartment building with security guards on duty at the entrance; the Imposter Queen was located on the eighth floor.
"I'm going up alone," Kitahara said softly. "You two wait for me down here—Hana-chan will stay to protect you."
Sakiko naturally didn't insist on tagging along; she simply offered a concerned reminder:
"Please stay safe, Kitahara-kun. Be very careful."
Mutsumi clasped her hands over her lower abdomen:
"Makoto-kun, I'll be waiting for you to come back and eat cucumbers."
"Don't worry, I'll be back down soon."
Kitahara gave a soft snap of his fingers.
Domain Expansion!
As the "Field of Silence" activated, Kitahara's figure instantly vanished from the sight of the two young women. He then walked openly into the apartment complex; the security guards merely felt a light breeze brush past them, seeing nothing else.
"The elevator requires a key card, so I can't use it; I'll have to take the stairs..."
Kitahara made his way to the emergency stairwell and began to climb.
An ordinary person would likely be panting after climbing eight flights of stairs in one go, but Kitahara was unbothered, reaching the eighth floor with ease.
"This is the place."
He stopped in front of the fourth apartment on the eighth floor, expanded the field covering his body, and then kicked the door open without hesitation.
There was no need for a key.
Boom!
The high-quality security door shattered instantly, yet the sound and commotion were contained by the Field of Silence, ensuring no one else was disturbed.
Kitahara strode into the apartment and quickly sensed a wave of malicious intent emanating from the bedroom. Following the sensation, he entered the room to find a young woman sitting up against the headboard; she was eating while scrolling through a tablet, her expression cold and her eyes glowing a deep crimson.
Snap.
Kitahara gave a soft snap of his fingers, deactivating the field.
The young woman on the bed instantly looked up, fixing a wary gaze on Kitahara.
The moment her eyes landed on him, they widened, and a single phrase escaped her lips:
"Human, how do you know I'm here?!"
"Huh?"
Kitahara's brows shot up instantly upon hearing those words.
It was their first time meeting—so why did she seem to know him?
Seeing Kitahara frowning in thought, the Imposter Queen didn't hesitate; she leaped off the bed and dashed toward the balcony.
Having witnessed Kitahara's abilities before, she knew she stood no chance in a fight.
Unfortunately, while her reaction was swift, Kitahara was even faster.
Empowered by the "Diva" buff from the girls, his overall stats had doubled once more; with a single shift in position—moving as if by teleportation—he appeared right in front of the Imposter Queen and pinned her head down with his hand.
"So, you and the Imposter Queen I destroyed earlier can share information?"
A possibility quickly crossed Kitahara's mind.
Ordinary Imposters could sense the deaths of their kind nearby; as a higher-level entity, it wasn't impossible for the Imposter Queen to transmit information across distances.
"Human, die..."
Realizing escape was impossible, the Imposter Queen's face distorted into a ferocious snarl as she prepared for a desperate last stand.
Slap!
A sharp, resounding slap echoed through the room.
Kitahara delivered a heavy smack, leaving the Imposter Queen instantly dazed.
"Behaving yourself now?"
Kitahara looked down at her coldly.
He would have hesitated to strike when she was parasitizing Kita, but now that the Imposter Queen's host was a stranger, he had no qualms about using force.
"Damn human, how dare you..."
Unlike ordinary Imposters, the Imposter Queen clearly possessed more complex emotions; after taking that slap, she looked mortified and enraged, suddenly lunging at Kitahara.
Slap!
Another sharp, resounding slap rang out.
A few more slaps from Kitahara quickly brought the Imposter Queen back to her senses.
"W-wait!"
Clutching her swollen cheek, the Imposter Queen spoke in a slurred voice:
"I'm sick!"
"Huh?"
Kitahara tilted his head in confusion. "I—I have a contagious disease!" The Imposter Queen put on a blustering, defiant front. "If you try to handle me like you did before, you'll definitely get infected!"
"You're overthinking it."
Kitahara's tone was indifferent, his expression unchanged.
Kita was someone of immense importance—someone worth saving at any cost—but he didn't even know the name of this stranger before him; he had absolutely no interest in saving her.
The reason he hadn't instantly finished off the Imposter Queen with a single punch earlier was simply because he wanted to test a theory...
[Ability: Undead Knight]
[Category: Active]
[Description: This ability can only be used on non-human, malevolent entities. Provided the target meets the 'mountable' criteria, you can forcibly convert them into your mount.]
[Note: The mount's affinity requires careful cultivation; otherwise, there is a risk of betrayal or defection.]
The last time he had used this ability was to turn Hana into a mount back in Otherworld; he hadn't used it since.
The reason was simple.
A white-haired, red-eyed girl with animal ears was an ultra-rare SSR—a once-in-a-lifetime find. As for other anomalies or undead that met the mounting requirements, Kitahara simply didn't find them appealing enough.
But right now, he wanted to see if he could turn the Imposter Queen into a mount.
The Book of Answers allowed for a maximum of five questions per day, but the Imposter Queen had an unknown number of clones. If there were ten or twenty of them, his rate of elimination might not keep pace with their rate of reproduction. To wipe them all out in one go, he would have to resort to the "there's a traitor among us" tactic.
Placing his right hand atop the Imposter Queen's head, Kitahara silently activated the ability.
[Calculating...]
[Target meets mounting criteria; contract possible.]
[Contracting...]
[Contract failed.]
[Target's current attitude is 'Hostile'; please eliminate hostility first.]
"Tch."
Kitahara clicked his tongue softly. "Hostility, huh?"
An apology wasn't even an option; instead, he simply clenched his fist and proceeded straight to a physical exorcism.
A moment later. Amidst the whistling wind in the room, a trembling, tearful voice rang out:
"It... it hurts... No, please don't hit me anymore... I'm really going to break..."
Seeing the tear-streaked face of the Imposter Queen—who looked as though she were on the verge of total collapse—Kitahara finally withdrew his fist and placed his hand atop her head once more.
[Processing...]
[Target meets 'Mount' criteria; contract available.]
[Establishing contract...]
[Contract successful.]
[You have acquired a new mount.]
"Just as I thought." A satisfied smile spread across Kitahara's face. "Whether human or animal, the most primal, ancient emotion isn't hatred—it's fear."
When the fear is intense enough, hatred is easily swept away.
"Get up."
Kitahara commanded in a low voice.
The Imposter Queen shuddered and rose unsteadily to her feet.
Though she didn't fully grasp what had happened, the successful contract had branded her very soul with Kitahara's mark; she found herself compelled to submit, even instinctively calling out:
"Master..."