"Nijika-senpai, I missed you."
Kitahara wove through the crowd and quickly found Nijika, who was busy at work.
"Oh, give me a break. We were soaking in the hot springs together just last night, you know?"
Nijika, carrying a tray, shot him a playful, reproachful glance with her bright eyes.
Kitahara grinned shamelessly. "I like you so much, Nijika-senpai; of course I'd miss you terribly after a whole day apart."
"Go away, don't disturb my work." A faint blush tinged Nijika's lovely face. "Save that kind of talk for Kita-chan."
Despite her teasing words, the corners of her pink, soft lips couldn't help but curl upward.
No girl dislikes being charmed by the boy she likes, and Nijika was certainly no exception.
Kitahara walked alongside Nijika as he spoke:
"Kita has already told you about what happened this morning, right?"
"She did." Nijika nodded gently, adding a worried admonition: "You have to be careful; don't let your guard down."
"Of course." Kitahara looked earnest. "I won't go down no matter what—not before I marry you, Nijika-senpai."
"You dummy, Kitahara." Nijika puffed out her cheeks. "Don't go jinxing things like that!"
"..."
With the shop busy, they couldn't chat for long. After exchanging a few words and agreeing on the plan to share their abilities, Kitahara went to find Ryo.
Since swapping souls, Ryo was having a pretty easy time of it; she sat behind the counter, leisurely playing on her phone. Her role was essentially that of a "beckoning cat" meant to anchor the shop's atmosphere—she only needed to spring into action when handing over goods.
Plus, she didn't have to go to school during the day and could sleep in until she woke up naturally; life was pretty great for her right now.
"Ugh, I'm so bored..."
Ryo lay slumped behind the counter, utterly bored. Kitahara looked over, speechless. "I recall Ryo-senpai saying just yesterday, 'It's so pleasant here, I have no desire to return home,' didn't I? So why are you bored today?"
"The 'me' of yesterday isn't the 'me' of today." The good-for-nothing Ryo rested her chin on her right hand and tilted her head to look at him, radiating an aura of pure lethargy. "Even though I sleep in every morning until I wake up naturally, it's not actually all that fun."
Don't say that! If the hardworking office workers heard you, they'd never come here to spend money again!
"It's been two whole weeks since I went to school," Ryo sighed dramatically. "I miss the joy of napping with my head on the desk."
Give me a break!
You ought to be missing the joy of studying, not reminiscing about sleeping at your desk!
"Kitahara, you're so useless." Ryo shot him a sidelong glance. "How come you still haven't won over the manager?"
Kitahara's lips curled slightly:
"The manager has already mastered the art of acting cutesy to get her way; things are moving pretty fast, aren't they?"
"Far from enough." Ryo—that lovable rascal of a senior—leaned against the counter, straightened up, and whispered right into Kitahara's ear, "I've got a brilliant idea..."
Great. She's the "Idea Master."
"The hardest part is going from zero to one. Once the manager crosses that line just once, everything else will naturally fall into place."
"So, what's the strategist's plan?"
"A magical girl transformation..."
"Huh?"
"..."
After chatting for a bit, Kitahara headed to the break room. He shared his ability with Nijika and Ryo first; there was no need to worry about Kita and Hitori, as he had already shared it with them back at school.
He waited a little longer in the break room until, finally, a knock sounded at the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
Kitahara looked up and put away his phone.
The door opened just a crack, and Seika—her lovely face slightly flushed—quickly slipped inside.
"Hurry up and share the ability with me." Seika crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin defiantly. "It's packed with customers out there; I'm in a rush to get back to work."
Kitahara opened his arms and pulled Seika into a gentle embrace:
"I want to hear Ryo-senpai do a rapid-fire series of cutesy pleas."
Damn it!
It's so infuriating!
"You always ask for that; it's not original at all." Seika gritted her teeth slightly. "Can't you come up with a different request?"
Kitahara's eyes lit up:
"So I can make a different request?"
Seeing the look on his face, Seika felt a sudden, ominous premonition.
Kitahara's gaze was intense:
"Let's go to the onsen right now; I want to be pampered by Ryo-senpai..."
Thud!
Before he could finish, a headbutt slammed into his chest.
"Stop filling your head with lewd thoughts, you jerk!"
Seika glared at him, a mix of embarrassment and annoyance. Kitahara wore a look of aggrieved innocence: "It's been two weeks since we returned from Otherworld, yet Ryo-senpai won't even let me touch her. Could it be that there's someone else?"
Thud!
Seika delivered another headbutt:
"Stop spouting nonsense! We soak in the hot springs together every night—how could there possibly be someone else?"
"Then why does Ryo-senpai keep pushing me away?" Kitahara raised his eyebrows, feigning suspicion. "It used to be you who initiated the kisses and hugs."
"Hmph~"
Seika gave a soft hmph, her gaze drifting elsewhere:
"I'm not feeling well."
"I have a cure-all."
"No thanks. I don't want any more weird side effects." Seika turned her lovely face away, biting her lip. "We're running out of time; hurry up and share the ability with me."
"The 'eight-part act of acting cute'..."
"You're too talkative!"
"..."
Acting cute was embarrassing, certainly, but she had gradually gotten used to it after doing it so often.
By contrast, anything lewd was absolutely out of the question.
That day in Otherworld, she had been tricked into eating a cookie that maxed out her sensitivity, only to be teased and tormented out in the middle of nowhere... Seika couldn't quite recall the specific details, but the experience—feeling her soul soar to the heavens one moment and plummet into an abyss the next—was simply too terrifying. She never wanted to go through that again.
The reason was simple.
She would break...
If it happened again, she would truly break.
Even though it was Ryo's body, the soul inside was her own. Seika was terrified that her soul would shatter completely, turning her into one of those pets from manga—the kind that only knew how to beg its master for a big bone.
"Please, I'm begging you..."
Seika took a deep breath and, suppressing her embarrassment, quickly completed the "eight-part act of acting cute."
"Alright, I suppose something is better than nothing." Kitahara sounded regretful. "Which ability do you want to share today, Ryo-senpai?"
"Exorcism constitution."
"Understood..."
Kitahara lowered his head and planted a kiss on her. Seika's lovely face flushed slightly; her soul wanted to shyly look away, but after so many kisses, her body had developed a mind of its own—instinctively, she rose onto her tiptoes and offered up her cherry-red lips.
A moment later.
The ability sharing was complete.
"Haa... haa..."
Seika wiped a silver thread of saliva from the corner of her mouth. Instead of bolting out the door immediately as she might have before, she simply panted softly and looked away.
"Um... is anyone using Aoi right now?"
Having previously experienced the power gained from symbiotically bonding with Aoi, she knew that such a bond would guarantee a customer's safety 100%—offering even greater peace of mind than her own exorcist constitution.
Kitahara was slightly taken aback; he hadn't expected the shop manager to be eyeing Aoi as well.
"Sorry, Aoi is currently feeding, so a symbiotic bond isn't possible right now."
"I see..."
A look of disappointment crossed Seika's face as she turned to leave.
"I'll get back to work, then."
"..."
Kitahara summoned Hana and used "Fast Travel" to return home. He put down his backpack, changed into light sportswear, and headed out for a night run.
He easily knocked out ten kilometers.
After completing his four daily tasks, Kitahara tried a few single pulls, but unfortunately, he only got an ability fragment rather than a full ability.
"Now only Taki is left..."
Kitahara took a quick shower, then pulled out his phone and sent a message to Taki.
"Are you in your room, Taki?"
The message was marked as read almost immediately.
Taki: "What do you want?"
Kitahara: "I have something very important to tell you."
Taki: "Just say it over the phone."
Kitahara: "It's not safe to talk on the phone."
Taki: "Huh?"
Kitahara: "It really is serious business—I'm not lying. If I am, you can hate me for the rest of your life."
Taki hesitated for a moment. "I'll go to my room, then... wait for my message."
"..."
A short while later.
A message from Taki popped up on his phone: "I'm in my room."
Kitahara got up, went to the bathroom, and used "Fast Travel" to head to Taki's house. "Good evening, Taki."
Kitahara stepped out from behind the full-length mirror, his gaze quickly landing on the girl with long, straight black hair.
Taki had clearly just stepped out of the bath, making her petite figure look even more delicate. She was wearing a Bulbasaur-themed pajama top; the Bulbasaur's bulging eyes created a distinct 3D effect against her chest. Her beautiful black hair cascaded down to her waist, and the tear mole at the corner of her eye looked cuter the longer one gazed at it.
"Good evening." Taki crossed her arms over her chest, her dewy eyes fixed on him warily. "What exactly is this matter that couldn't be discussed over the phone?"
"It all started this morning..."
Kitahara didn't hold back; he explained the situation in detail.
"The transfer student is actually a pawn of the mastermind?" Taki furrowed her brows slightly. "Is Tomori in danger?"
Kitahara gave her a wistful look. "I'm jealous."
"Huh?"
Taki's eyes widened in bewilderment.
"Taki only cares about Tomori's safety; you don't care about me at all."
"Tch."
A faint blush crept onto Taki's face as she gave a soft huff, unable to stop herself from saying:
"Tomori is just an ordinary person. You're so capable—why would I need to worry about you?"
Kitahara stated matter-of-factly, "Taki and I are dating, after all; of course you should care about me."
"Pfft—"
Taki's face flushed crimson with embarrassment as she denied it:
"We aren't dating at all, okay?"
Kitahara raised an eyebrow slightly. "Taki, you forcibly kissed me right in front of Maki-nee, yet now you claim we aren't dating... Should I go ask Maki-nee about it?"
"You're the worst!"
Taki clenched her small fists in embarrassed frustration.
Damn it!
He's the worst!
The absolute worst!
This guy loves using my older sister to threaten me—he's the most annoying person ever! "Whether Taki admits it or not doesn't matter; in the eyes of others, we're dating." Kitahara sat down beside Taki and said with shameless confidence, "So, to prevent the mastermind behind the scenes from targeting you, it's necessary to share my ability with you right now."
"You just want to come over here and take advantage of me, don't you?"
Taki shot him a look of disdain.
"No, I don't." Kitahara put on a righteous expression. "I came here entirely for your safety."
"Hmph, easy for you to say..."
Taki gave a soft hmph; though she was loath to admit it, she felt a secret thrill of happiness:
"We could share the ability later while soaking in the onsen, you know. Why did you come running over right now?"
Kitahara reached out and gently wrapped his arm around the girl's soft, slender waist:
"There's still an hour or two before the evening onsen soak. Better safe than sorry—even if there's only a one-in-ten-thousand chance of something going wrong, I absolutely cannot let Taki get hurt."
"..."
Thump-thump.
Taki's gaze drifted away; she could clearly hear her heart racing. Her face flushed hot, and she spoke in an embarrassed, flustered tone:
"Go back as soon as the ability transfer is done!"
"Of course."
Kitahara agreed readily, then simply lowered his head to seal her soft, lips with his own.
"Mmph…"
Taki's long eyelashes fluttered gently as she shyly closed her eyes.
However, moments later, her body gave a sudden jolt. She snapped her eyes open and glared at him, a mix of embarrassment and annoyance in her expression:
"You're the worst… Take your hand out!"
"Sorry, I don't even know how my right hand ended up inside your clothes."
Kitahara feigned innocence, continuing his exploration even as he offered the excuse.
Take it out?
Of course not.
If Taki were truly angry, she wouldn't just be telling him to remove his hand—she'd be biting him right then and there!
"D-damn it!"
Taki clenched her small fists in frustration and was just about to bite him when she heard footsteps echoing in the hallway.
Thump, thump, thump.
The footsteps grew clearer, approaching the door, but fortunately, they didn't stop—the person was just passing by.
"That must be mom…"
Taki's expression shifted; she hurriedly held her breath, straining to listen to the sounds outside.
Kitahara, however, remained unbothered, continuing to gauge the size of Taki's bosom.
"Y-you're still moving…!"
Taki was mortified and furious, glaring at him with murderous intent:
"Stop it right now!"
Kitahara remained completely unfazed; he leaned close to Taki's ear and whispered:
"You wouldn't want your mom to find out, would you, Taki?"
Taki: "..."
A few nights ago, while completing the [Moonlight Waltz] mission, Taki had let her true feelings show for a rare moment. Kitahara had finally figured out her peculiar kink—she had a real fondness for scenarios involving forced intimacy. Take the current situation, for instance: if he had simply withdrawn his hand properly and left without a fuss, Taki might actually have felt a sense of loss or anxiety—but by choosing to keep teasing her...
"Mmph...!"
Taki hurriedly covered her lips with her hand; her face flushed crimson, and her body quickly went limp.
"S-slow down!"
As it turned out, Taki was the type whose words said "no" while her body said "yes"; this level of intimate contact was well within her limits.
"..."
A moment later.
"Lady Taki, thank you for the treat."
Kitahara wiped the corner of his mouth with satisfaction and waved goodbye to Taki, who was left breathless and weak-kneed.
"G-get away from here, quick!"
Taki clutched her chest with both hands, her face so flushed it looked like it might bleed.
She had wanted to refuse, yet somehow—as if under a hypnotic spell—she had let Kitahara push his luck until things nearly went too far... Oh, it was terrible! Absolutely terrible!
Taki, you need to show some willpower! Don't embarrass yourself like this!
"Remember to come over for the onsen bath tonight."
Kitahara waved and used "Fast Travel" to return home.
The events that followed need no elaboration.
Around 10:30 PM, the girls arrived one by one for their usual pre-bedtime soak; by now, the ritual had become an ingrained habit—they felt physically uncomfortable if they skipped it for even a day.
After the bath, the girls began to take their leave and head home.
"Kitahara, the plan can start now."
"Ryo" quietly approached Kitahara and held out her right hand, asking for the key item needed for tonight's operation.
Kitahara gave a couple of soft coughs and lowered his voice:
"Is this plan really a good idea?"
She made a show of turning to leave: "Shall I go, then?"
"..."
Kitahara quickly produced "Aoi" and handed it to her.
Aoi had already received instructions from Kitahara; upon touching her skin, it instantly transformed into a pool of liquid and silently merged into her body.
Symbiotic attachment established. "I'm heading back now; wait to hear from me."
After getting what she wanted, "Ryo" waved her hand and sauntered off lightly, returning to the Shimokitazawa apartment with Nijika and Seika.
"Manager, I want a drink."
Back at the Shimokitazawa apartment, Ryo immediately raised her right hand and made her move.
Nijika, hands on her hips, looked over upon hearing this: "Ryo, minors aren't allowed to drink alcohol."
"Nijika should be calling me 'Sister' now," Ryo drawled. "I'm an adult, so there's obviously no problem with me drinking."
Nijika: "..."
In terms of physical age, Ryo was indeed an adult now.
"A little bit is fine, I suppose." Seika, suspecting nothing, quickly fetched a bottle of red wine from the fridge. "But you're only allowed one glass—then it's straight to bed."
Although Manager Seika wasn't a heavy drinker, she had a habit of having a couple of drinks before bed; even after swapping bodies with Ryo, she hadn't shaken the habit and still frequently enjoyed a glass before sleeping.
"Nijika, want to join me for a drink?"
Ryo raised her glass, inviting Nijika.
"I'll pass—and you two should go easy on the alcohol." Nijika sighed and rubbed her forehead in resignation, deciding it was best to look away. "I'm going to tidy up the room."
"Don't you worry, Nijika~"
Ryo flashed a peace sign and settled in to drink with Manager Seika.
"Manager, I think there's a cat in the kitchen."
Ryo suddenly spoke up.
"Huh?"
Seika got up to check the situation.
Ryo quietly activated her "Domain" power to refill Manager Seika's glass, while simultaneously swiping the phone left on the sofa without making a sound.
"There's no cat. Did you see things wrong, Ryo?"
Seika quickly returned. "Maybe," Ryo said, pressing a hand to her forehead. "I watched an anime today that had a lot of cats in it; maybe I'm just hearing things."
"Huh? Did I get more wine?"
Seika sat on the sofa and soon asked, looking puzzled.
"Nope," Ryo replied languidly. "You must have misremembered, Manager."
"..."
A moment later.
Seika finished her drink and reached out to the spot beside her, only to find her phone missing.
"That's strange. Where's my phone?"
"I'll help you look for it, Manager."
Ryo stood up to help search and even tried calling the number, but to no avail.
"Where could I have dropped it?"
Seika furrowed her brows slightly, pressing her hand to her forehead as she tried to recall.
Unfortunately, having downed two glasses of red wine, her head was a bit fuzzy, and she had absolutely no memory of it.
The corners of Ryo's mouth curled up slightly as she finally revealed her true agenda:
"Say... do you think you might have left your phone back at the onsen?"