"I don't need to worry about myself, but your safety is the most important thing in the world."
Since they were in the onsen dimension, there was no need to worry about eavesdroppers; even if Shimizu Rin possessed special abilities, she couldn't possibly overhear their conversation. So, Kitahara quietly voiced his thoughts:
"Shimizu-san only has a little over a hundred HP. While she's far stronger than an ordinary person, she certainly isn't the mastermind lurking in the shadows. That makes her identity fairly certain: she's merely a pawn planted in our midst."
"We could take her down right now, but there's little point in doing so."
"There's bound to be more than one pawn. If we act rashly and tip our hand, the mastermind will realize their plot has been exposed... A mastermind hiding in the shadows is a troublesome foe, but if they are forced out into the open, they become far less dangerous."
Kitahara exhaled softly:
"It would be ideal if we could turn her—make her our pawn instead."
Sakiko was quite sharp; upon hearing this, she blinked, grasping Kitahara's plan before anyone else:
"Kitahara-kun, are you planning to use Aoi's ability to bring Shimizu-san over to our side?"
"Exactly." Kitahara nodded in agreement. "There's little value in simply taking out one of the mastermind's pawns, but if we can turn that pawn into an ally, the utility becomes far greater."
"I see." Anon nodded in agreement. "What Kitahara-san says makes a lot of sense."
Kita's pigtails swayed gently. "But Shimizu-san seems really formidable. Can Aoi-chan successfully parasitize her?"
"The success rate of a rash attempt is indeed worrying; after all, Shimizu-san isn't an ordinary person." Kitahara had naturally considered this already. "That's why I asked Kita to find out how long Shimizu-san intends to stay in hiding. If she isn't planning to make a move anytime soon, we have time to take it slow—using the Book of Answers to find her weakness and ensuring Aoi-chan can parasitize her without a hitch."
"Got it." Kita tilted her face up. "Should I ask the question now, then?"
Kitahara gave a slight nod.
"I hope Shimizu-san doesn't act soon; otherwise, we'll have no choice but to deal with her directly."
While turning a pawn of the mastermind into an ally held great value, the girls' safety was paramount—everything else took a back seat to that.
"Asking the question..."
Kita took a deep breath, placed her right hand on the Book of Answers, and asked how much longer Shimizu Rin would remain in hiding.
Flap, flap, flap.
Once again, the Book of Answers flipped its pages rapidly, moving on its own despite the lack of wind.
Moments later, a line of text quietly emerged on the page:
[In half a month.]
"In half a month..." Sakiko pursed her rosy lips and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Could that mastermind be planning to strike during the school festival?"
Anon sounded worried. "So many people will be visiting for the festival; choosing a time like that to make a move is just awful."
"Don't panic. We still have plenty of time to plan carefully."
Kitahara looked at the answer in the book, his voice steady:
"However, people's intentions can change. Predictions about the future might be just like weather forecasts—the further out they are, the less accurate they become. So, from now on, we need to ask every morning whether the day ahead is safe."
The girls had no objections to Kitahara's proposal and readily agreed.
With the discussion concluded,
Kitahara led the girls out of the [Onsen Village], and they returned to their respective classrooms to continue the school day as usual. Upon entering the classroom, Kitahara immediately sensed a gaze fixed on him—it was Shimizu Rin, the transfer student sitting in the back row.
Their eyes met, and Shimizu Rin quietly looked away.
In the past, Kitahara wouldn't have thought twice about it; after all, with his incredibly high charm stat, attracting attention was perfectly normal.
But now...
"She's definitely keeping an eye on me, isn't she?"
Kitahara calmly shifted his gaze and glanced at Sakiko, signaling with his eyes:
"Stay sharp; don't give us away."
"Don't worry, Kitahara-kun."
Sakiko pursed her lips, acknowledging the instruction.
Fortunately, after all she had been through, Sakiko's resolve was rock-solid; even knowing Shimizu Rin's special identity, she betrayed no outward sign of anything unusual.
The day flew by.
Before they knew it, school was over.
"Sakiko, let's go."
Kitahara stood up and headed for the door.
"Okay."
Sakiko picked up her schoolbag and followed him out.
The two left the school together and headed to the train station, bound for Tsukinomori Girls' Academy.
The last time he'd gone shopping with the "Ghost-senpai" was over the weekend—right before the incident with the Imposter broke out. Effectively, it had been nearly a week since their last outing; she was surely harboring a great deal of resentment by now, so he had to pay her a visit today no matter what.
As the "Otherworld" gradually encroached on reality, all manner of supernatural entities were growing stronger. Ghost-senpai was no longer restricted to appearing only during the "Hour of Demons"; she could be seen at any time now. However, the limitations binding her as a jibakurei (earth-bound spirit) remained, meaning she still couldn't leave the old music room on her own.
They made the journey in silence and soon arrived at Tsukinomori Academy.
Having messaged Soyo and Mutsumi while on the train, they spotted the two girls eagerly waiting for them the moment they stepped onto the campus grounds.
"Good afternoon, Kitahara-kun."
"Makoto-kun, I missed you."
Soyo and Mutsumi walked over to greet them together.
The weather was clear and the breeze gentle; the girls' hair and skirt hems fluttered softly in the air—a truly adorable sight. "Good afternoon." Kitahara smiled as he looked at them. "Since Mutsumi and Soyo are both here, there's something very important I need to tell you."
"Huh?" Soyo blinked curiously. "What is it?"
"It all started this morning..."
Kitahara didn't hold anything back; he quietly explained the situation regarding the transfer student, Shimizu Rin.
Online chats aren't secure. To be safe, after leaving the onsen resort, Kitahara hadn't told everyone via phone; instead, he decided to explain the details in person.
"Wait, are you and Sakiko okay, Kitahara-kun?"
Soyo looked at him anxiously.
"We're fine. She transferred here two weeks ago, but she hasn't done anything so far," Sakiko said, offering a gentle reassurance.
"That said, we still can't let our guard down," Kitahara added. "So, just to be safe, I've decided to share the power of the Domain with you all starting today."
Activating the Domain consumes energy; an ordinary person could only sustain it for a few minutes, but that was enough.
If danger arose, they could quickly activate the Domain's power to block the enemy's perception and slip away unnoticed, or perhaps summon Hana—in short, it was the best option.
During the lunch break, Kitahara had even tested it out: he walked back and forth in front of the transfer student, Shimizu Rin, while the Domain was active, and she hadn't noticed a thing.
"Do you want to share the ability now, or wait until tonight?"
Kitahara asked softly.
"Tonight..."
"Right now."
Two voices rang out simultaneously.
It was Soyo who had suggested sharing the ability later in the evening, while Mutsumi was the one insisting on doing it right now.
Soyo pursed her lips and glanced helplessly at Sakiko beside her.
(Mutsumi hasn't even taken the final step yet, but she loves the lewd stuff so much—I wonder if she'll end up completely addicted to it later?)
"Let's just share the ability now, then." Kitahara gave a soft cough. "After we finish shopping, I have to head to the performance hall, so we'll inevitably have to part ways... It'll be more reassuring to share it now."
Snap.
As he spoke, Kitahara snapped his fingers, instantly activating the Silence Field.
"Makoto-kun, kiss."
Mutsumi stepped forward, rose onto her tiptoes, and offered her lips.
Although Mutsumi's emotions were gradually returning after the curse was lifted, she still possessed very little sense of shame or reserve; when she wanted a kiss, she didn't care at all about the eyes of others—in that regard, even the unconventional and 'trashy' Ryo couldn't compare.
Kitahara lowered his head and planted a light peck on Mutsumi's lips, then looked toward Soyo and beckoned:
"Soyo, it's your turn."
Soyo: "..."
Seeing that Sakiko's expression remained calm—as if she didn't mind at all—Soyo stepped forward, her lovely face flushed.
Everyone had already played 'poker' with Kitahara-kun together, after all; surely Sakiko wouldn't get angry about a kiss right in front of her?
Ability sharing successful.
Kitahara wiped the corner of his mouth and led the three girls toward the abandoned music room.
"Waaah... You finally remembered me..."
As soon as they entered the music room, a pitiful, resentful whimpering sound reached their ears.
Sakiko looked toward the source of the sound:
"Senior, we ran into some unusual circumstances these past few days, which is why we didn't come by..."
"I'm not listening, I'm not listening."
Ghost-senpai covered her cheeks with her hands as blue teardrops went flying everywhere.
Kitahara was instantly rendered speechless: "Ghosts don't have tears, you know."
Those blue teardrops flying about were clearly just a prank you were pulling! Once Sakiko and Soyo had finished soothing the ghostly upperclassman, the group left the school together to embark on a round of eating, drinking, and having fun.
Before they knew it, it was 7:30 PM.
They were at a yakiniku restaurant.
After the ghostly upperclassman took her leave, fully satisfied, Kitahara paid the bill. He then took Sakiko, Soyo, and Mutsumi to the restroom, where he summoned Hana in front of the mirror. He had Hana send the three girls home first before heading off alone to the Starry live house in Shimokitazawa.
Stepping out of the restroom and walking down the hallway, he was immediately met with a blast of deafening music.
Perhaps because of the three-day lockdown, the venue was more crowded than usual; the place was bustling with people everywhere.
Kitahara activated his "HP Bar Warrior" ability and narrowed his eyes, scanning the venue. After confirming that everyone present was an ordinary person, he walked toward the bar counter.
Everyone was currently engrossed in the performance, leaving the bar area deserted. Hitori stood alone behind the counter, her gaze unfocused—clearly lost in a daze—and she didn't even notice Kitahara approaching.
"Hello, I'd like a glass of 'Guitarhero-sensei's' kuchikamizake [saliva-fermented sake], please."
Kitahara said with a smile. "Ah..."
Startled out of her reverie, Hitori hurriedly denied it:
"S-sorry, we don't have that kind of drink!"
Only after apologizing did it finally dawn on her:
"Huh? Kitahara-kun?"
"But you do have it," Kitahara-kun said, leaning against the counter. "It's not like I haven't had 'Guitarhero-sensei's' mouth-chewed plum wine before—back during summer vacation."
A flush rapidly spread across Hitori's face; even after spending so much time together, she still felt embarrassed when Kitahara-kun teased her:
"I... I don't know who that is..."
Kitahara-kun knew when to stop and didn't tease Hitori too relentlessly:
"What were you daydreaming about just now?"
With her face still flushed, Hitori stammered:
"I was thinking about lyrics..."
Kitahara-kun asked curiously:
"Have you used the sticky note yet?"
"Not yet," Hitori shook her head. "I plan to use it tomorrow morning; I just wanted to see if I could write something on my own first."
"Come use the sticky note tomorrow morning, Hitori," Kitahara-kun said softly. "If there are any strange side effects, I'll help remove it right away."
"Okay..."
Hitori nodded in agreement:
"What would you like to drink, Kitahara-kun?"
Kitahara-kun took out his wallet: "A ginger ale, please."
"I'll get that ready right away..."
Hitori replied and quickly set to work.
"Have you told everyone about that transfer student yet, Hitori?"
Kitahara-kun made casual conversation as he watched Hitori prepare the drink. Hitori whispered in reply, "Kita has already told Nijika-senpai and Ryo-senpai."
Speak of the devil—"Scum Ryo-senpai," with her short blue hair and a tray in hand, happened to walk over. She glanced up at Kitahara and gave a soft harrumph:
"Move aside; don't block the way. We've got tons of customers today—I'm swamped."
Kitahara put on an innocent expression. "Are you still mad, Ryo-senpai?"
"Hmph." Seika set down the tray and crossed her arms over her chest. "What would I be mad about?"
Kitahara lowered his voice:
"I promised before that I wouldn't make you eat those 'magical cookies' again."
At the mention of that incident from the "Otherworld," images sealed deep within her mind came flooding back. A flush rapidly spread across Seika's lovely face; even though days had passed, the mere recollection made her heart race and her legs go weak.
"Don't bring that up!"
Seika gritted her teeth, glaring at him with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance:
"If anyone finds out, you're dead meat!"
"Alright, I won't mention it." Kitahara smiled and took a sip of his drink. "Do you want to share abilities today, Ryo-senpai?"
"No need..."
Seika reflexively refused with a tsundere attitude.
"Then I'll head back."
Kitahara's voice followed immediately.
"Huh?"
Seika paused, frowning as she looked at him:
"You're going back already?"
"I feel like I'm still too weak right now; I need to keep training." Kitahara spouted nonsense with a straight face. "So, I'm planning to go back early and run ten kilometers."
That was a lie.
Running ten kilometers wasn't for training—it was just his fitness task for the day.
"You..."
Seika parted her lips, a look of hesitation crossing her pretty face.
"I'm off, then?"
Kitahara turned around, making a show of getting ready to leave.
"Wait a sec." Seika took a deep breath, her face warming up, and bit her lip slightly. "Let me finish serving these drinks, and then I'll come find you!"
With so many customers in the shop, what if one of them turned into a monster? Sharing abilities is, of course, a must; ideally, I'd gain the power of the symbiote, Aoi...
"In that case, Ryo-senpai, go ahead and attend to your business; I'll watch the performance for a bit."
Kitahara walked toward the stage, holding his drink.
Watching the performance was only part of it; the real goal was to chat with Senior Nijika and the real Ryo.