"Huh... what is that?"
Hitori tilted her face upward in a daze, gazing at the transparent bubble slowly floating into mid-air; her eyes were filled with bewilderment.
The bubble was about the size of a fist and resembled a soap bubble, yet faint flickers of light and shadow danced within it—altogether a rather peculiar sight.
"I saw it clearly just now; that bubble appeared out of thin air right above Hitori's head," Kitahara noted, equally curious. "Could this be the sticky note's way of granting Hitori's wish?"
As everyone knew, wishes made using the sticky note didn't simply materialize out of nowhere without rhyme or reason.
For instance, if Hitori wished to write lyrics she was satisfied with, the complete lyrics wouldn't suddenly pop into her mind the moment she wrote the wish down; instead, she would have to wait for the right moment and eventually achieve the result "naturally."
"There's something unusual about this bubble..."
Kitahara analyzed the situation as he looked up:
"It looks like there's something inside... perhaps some kind of imagery?"
No sooner had he spoken...
The bubble floating in mid-air emitted a soft pop and suddenly burst.
The next second.
An image, resembling a virtual projection, appeared out of thin air.
The scene depicted a misty onsen resort where Kitahara was soaking all alone; strangely, however, a suit of golden armor and a holy sword were placed right beside him.
"What's going on?"
Curious, Kitahara raised his right hand to touch the glowing image, but his palm passed straight through it; his fingertips made contact with nothing.
"It's not a physical object—it's more like a virtual projection," Kitahara said, withdrawing his hand. "It must be connected to that bubble from earlier."
The next second.
A strange laugh suddenly rang out.
"Hehehe..."
The laughter was incredibly familiar; even though no figure appeared in the image, one could instantly recognize whose laugh it was.
However...
Kitahara turned to look at Hitori, his expression taking on a rather subtle nuance. "Why does that laugh sound a bit... lewd?"
Hitori usually had only two modes: cowering in front of others, or looking smug when praised. But the laughter that had just rung out of nowhere was completely different from either of those.
If one had to describe it, it sounded like the noise someone might make while secretly playing an eroge alone in their room...
"W-what's going on?"
Upon hearing her own strange laughter, Hitori's eyes widened in alarm; she felt like something terrible was about to happen.
Click, click.
The sound of a camera shutter suddenly echoed from thin air.
"Is that the sound of a phone taking a picture?"
Kitahara looked up curiously and saw an inconspicuous patch of shadow ripple slightly. Then, a "Little Devil Hitori"—complete with a tail and horns—materialized out of nowhere, holding a camera aloft.
"Gotcha!"
In the image, Hitori held the camera up, lifting her chin with a triumphant, smug look:
"Hero Kitahara, you wouldn't want photos of you without any clothes on to be made public, would you?"
"From now on, you have to do exactly as I say. Swear eternal loyalty to me and do whatever I command."
"First, take off that bathrobe and let me... hehehe~"
"..."
Unfortunately, the image didn't last long—just ten seconds. Before the rest of the scene could materialize, the image vanished with a soft pop.
"N-nooooo!!!"
Hitori finally snapped back to reality; she clutched her head and curled into a defensive ball on the spot, her face turning bright red from sheer mortification.
"Is this one of Hitori's little daydreams?"
Kitahara's lips twitched slightly as he looked down at Hitori, who was curled up like a ball; his expression was rather complex.
"So, Hitori likes role-playing, huh?"
Sure enough, there was often a stark contrast between a girl's outward appearance and her inner self. In reality, Hitori is well-behaved, adorable, and completely harmless—but in the theater of her own imagination, she transforms into a little devil who threatens others...
Kitahara smiled and crouched down. "Do you want me to play along with the scene you're imagining, Hitori?"
"N-no, please don't..."
Hitori was clearly mortified to the extreme; she looked like she was about to crumble into dust from sheer embarrassment.
"Alright, let's leave it at that."
Seeing that Hitori was on the verge of total collapse, Kitahara decided not to push it any further. They still had a task to complete—catching loaches together—and if he kept teasing her, she might just hide at home and never have the courage to step outside again.
"That scene from earlier... was that one of Hitori's little daydreams?"
Kitahara asked softly.
"..."
Hitori was so embarrassed she had forgotten how to speak.
"Since Hitori isn't saying anything, I'll take that as a yes." Kitahara mused, "This must be a side effect of the sticky note. Do you want me to help get rid of that side effect?"
"Huh?"
Upon hearing this, Hitori—who had been reduced to a burnt-out husk—trembled slightly and sprang back to life, looking up with teary eyes.
"P-please!"
"Hitori, your tone should be a bit sterner," Kitahara smiled. "After all, I'm 'Lord Hitori's' pet right now."
"P-please stop saying that!"
Hitori was so mortified she felt like she might explode.
(I-I can't believe Kitahara-kun saw something so embarrassing... Just let the world end!)
(Just let the whole world be destroyed!)
"Let's get you up first." Kitahara extended his right hand and pulled Hitori to her feet. "The floor isn't clean."
"Oh..."
Hitori stood up timidly.
"Hitori, take off your clothes first—just like usual, leave only your two undergarments on." Kitahara looked completely serious. "Shall we go to the onsen area, or the room upstairs?"
"N-not the onsen area..."
Hitori hurriedly shook her head.
If they went to the onsen area, she'd 100% end up being teased mercilessly.
Kitahara said decisively:
"Then let's go to the bedroom upstairs."
"Huh...?"
Hitori's eyes suddenly widened as she looked in shock at the space above Kitahara's head.
"What is it?"
Sensing something amiss, Kitahara looked up and saw a bubble the size of a fist slowly floating upward.
Wait, what was going on?
He hadn't used a sticky note; why was a bubble appearing?
Pop.
With a soft sound, the bubble burst, and a similar virtual scene appeared out of thin air.
In the image, Hitori was down to her last two undergarments, kneeling on the ground with her face flushed red and her hands covering her chest; her skin was dazzlingly white in the sunlight, and in Kitahara's right hand—plain as day—was a piece of her underwear.
There was no doubt about it.
This was a scene of Kitahara stripping away the side effect from Hitori.
The only problem was the accompanying narration, which was terrible:
"What Hitori doesn't know is that I can now choose exactly what to strip away; there's absolutely no need to take off clothes anymore."
"Huh?"
Upon hearing this, Hitori's eyes widened; she covered her chest with her hands in shame and looked at Kitahara with a pitiful, aggrieved expression.
Kitahara: "..."
Wait, what?
Why was this side effect affecting someone else? Just let Hitori bear it herself!
"Ahem..." Although Kitahara was shameless, having his secret exposed made him feel a bit awkward. "The [Deprivation] ability pairs perfectly with [Schrödinger's Cat], allowing me to effectively strip away specific things... but since none of you asked, I didn't mention it."
"..."
Hitori remained silent; her face flushed bright red as she gazed at him with a look of aggrieved helplessness.
"No need to take off your clothes," Kitahara said, looking completely upright and serious. "I'll strip away the side effect for Hitori right now."
"Mm-hmm."
Hitori nodded hurriedly.
She didn't want to keep such a terrible side effect on her for even a second longer.
"Huh?"
However, a moment later, Kitahara suddenly raised his eyebrows slightly.
"I just checked, and there isn't actually a side effect on Hitori that can be stripped away... In other words, the ability to manifest her 'mental skits' doesn't count as a negative ability."
Hitori blinked and asked cautiously, "Kitahara-kun isn't... lying?"
"Of course not." Kitahara looked earnest. "I certainly wouldn't lie about something this important; otherwise, I'd never be able to kiss Hitori again."
"I... I believe you..."
Hitori lowered her head shyly.
"Since it's not a side effect and can't be stripped away, it looks like we'll just have to figure out the trigger mechanism." Kitahara mused thoughtfully. "It was Hitori who used the sticky note, yet my mental skits ended up manifesting... Is it related to distance, or physical contact?"
Just then, the bathroom door was pushed open.
"Good morning, Kitahara-kun."
A girl's clear, pleasant voice rang out:
"Oh? Little Hitori is here too?"
Hitori turned to look; it was as if she had found a long-lost relative, and she couldn't help but sniffle pitifully:
"Kita-chan..."
"Why is Hitori crying?" Seeing Hitori on the verge of tears, Kita hurriedly trotted over, pulled Hitori behind her, and spread her arms to shield her, her cheeks puffed out in indignation:
"Kitahara-kun, that's awful! You actually taken advantage of Hitori until she cried!"
Kitahara tried to explain, speechless: "I didn't..."
"You say you didn't, but look—Hitori-chan has tears in her eyes!"
Just as Kitahara was about to speak, his gaze fell upon the top of Kita's head; he could clearly see a bubble the size of a fist slowly forming there.
"Kitahara-kun, what are you looking at above my head?"
Kita tilted her head in confusion.
Poke, poke.
Hitori quietly raised her right hand and poked her friend's arm, nervously whispering:
"Kita, there's a bubble coming out of your head."
"Huh?"
Kita looked up in bewilderment and saw a transparent, fist-sized bubble floating above her, with faint flickers of light and shadow shifting inside.
"Weird... what is this?"
Kita asked, puzzled.
"Hitori used a 'Wish Sticky Note' this morning to write lyrics; this is a 'special side effect' of using it. Something incredible happens when the bubble pops—you'll find out exactly what in a moment, Kita..."
Kitahara looked at Kita meaningfully and explained with a smile.
(Something's not right...)
(Kitahara-kun's tone is really off...)
Kita couldn't help but feel a surge of nervousness.
She didn't know what was about to happen, but it definitely spelled trouble.
A few seconds later.
With a soft pop, the transparent bubble suddenly burst, and immediately, a scene from Kita's wild imagination materialized out of thin air.
In a dimly lit onsen resort, the sound of Hitori's aggrieved sobbing drifted intermittently through the air.
The scene shifted: Kita was holding a rope and tying up Hitori's hands:
"I'm sorry, Hitori-chan. Kitahara-kun said he wanted to try some bondage play, so I'm afraid I have to put you through this..."
"Ehh?! Ehh?! Ehh?!" !"
Upon seeing the image materialize in mid-air, Kita's face flushed crimson, and she stammered in embarrassment:
"W-what is that?!"
"It looks like physical contact triggered it," Kitahara remarked casually from the side. "If you make physical contact with Hitori, you catch a 'side effect.' In short, those embarrassing little daydreams of yours get broadcast for everyone to see."
"..."
Kita parted her lips and turned to look at Hitori, who was staring back in shock. With her face burning hot, she turned and bolted without a second thought:
"I just remembered I have something to do... I'm off!"
Her daydreams getting broadcast?
Terrifying!
That kind of ability is just too terrifying!
As Kita scurried away, Hitori stammered, preparing to leave as well:
"I-I'm going home now..."
"Go home and do what?" Kitahara firmly blocked her path. "It's no good trying to work in isolation. How about we catch some loaches while we write lyrics?"
"Huh...?"
Hitori tilted her face up blankly:
"Catch loaches?"
"That's right." Kitahara spouted nonsense with a straight face. "I had a dream last night about catching loaches in the fields when I was little, and I've been dying to experience it again... Since you're free right now, Hitori, come along with me."
"I-I can't go outside." Hitori shook her head so vigorously it looked like a rattle-drum. "What if bubbles start popping up again?"
"Don't worry." Kitahara soothed her gently. "There's a process to it. If I see bubbles appearing above your head, I'll whisk you away to the onsen resort immediately—I guarantee no one else will see them. Besides, there are clearly limits to these daydreams; they don't just pop up constantly every second, or the whole room would be filled with bubbles by now."
"B-but..."
Hitori hesitated, clearly still worried.
"It's settled, then." Kitahara made the executive decision. "You go back and get on your little scooter first; I'll head over in a bit. Let's treat it like a weekend excursion." Hitori agreed, her face flushing slightly:
"Then I'll go back and change my clothes first..."
After Hitori left, Kitahara quickly changed, hopped on his scooter, and soon arrived at Hitori's house; Hitori was already there, wheeling her own scooter out and waiting expectantly.
"Hitori, come with me."
Kitahara took the lead on his scooter.
"Mm-hmm."
Hitori hurriedly followed on her scooter.
Half an hour later.
The two arrived at a sparkling stream—the very same one where she had previously looked for river stones with Tomori. Since loaches live in fresh water, the seaside was naturally out of the question.
The sun was already beating down, and the open countryside was devoid of pedestrians, though a cool, pleasant breeze was blowing.
"Hitori, the water isn't deep." Kitahara stepped into the stream first and extended his right hand. "You can come down now."
Hitori had already taken off her stockings on the bank, revealing her fair, bare feet; she grasped Kitahara's hand and stepped into the stream, feeling a mix of nervousness and anticipation.
"Ah..."
Having been a girl with severe social anxiety her whole life—someone whose first instinct after school was always to rush straight home—Hitori had missed out on the outdoor excursions that most elementary school students experience. This moment marked the first time in her life she had ever gone outdoors to catch fish and shrimp.
The sky was clear and bright.
The sun was shining brightly.
The river water was cool and refreshing.
A gentle breeze was blowing.
Suddenly, Hitori felt a soft flutter in her heart; the clamor of the world quietly faded away, as if she and Kitahara were the only two people left in existence.
But the very next moment, Kitahara's voice rang out:
"Hitori, bubbles are popping up above your head again..."