Thud.
A foot stepped forth from the spatial rift, descending softly onto the living room floor and drawing everyone's gaze in an instant.
The girls held their breath one after another, staring unblinkingly at the spatial rift in a mixture of tension and anticipation.
The narrow spatial fissure extended rapidly, expanding in the blink of an eye into a colossal rift large enough for a person to walk through.
Behind the rift lay a world unknown; dazzling light poured out, illuminating a youth walking outward.
Under the brilliant radiance, the youth's facial features were indistinct, allowing only the faint silhouette of a handsome face and a posture as erect as a pine tree to be discerned.
As the youth stepped into the living room, the spatial rift behind his back began to shrink and seal rapidly.
The blinding glare faded away, and the youth's face grew distinct bit by bit.
Meanwhile.
The incomparably familiar, gentle voice the girls had yearned for day and night softly resonated—not loud, yet ringing clearly in everyone's ears.
"...I'm back."
The room's light washed over him.
Everyone finally saw Kitahara clearly as he returned from Otherworld.
Wearing an immaculate white button-up shirt and carrying a backpack in his left hand, he showed not the slightest trace of weariness or vicissitude, resembling an elegant youth who had merely returned from a stroll in the countryside.
"I-It really is Makoto!"
Tears welling in her eyes and surging emotions filling her chest, Anon disregarded her parents nearby and threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around Kitahara in a tight hug.
"Kitahara-san, you're finally back!"
Kita's eyes twinkled brightly; leaping forward just as swiftly, she hugged Kitahara's arm tightly.
"Kitahara-kun..."
Holding her hands clasped against her chest, Soyo's eyes grew misty with tears.
"Kitahara-san, you're not injured, are you?"
Nijika desperately suppressed the urge to throw herself into his arms, her voice trembling faintly.
Nothing could be done about it; Kitahara only had two arms, which simply weren't enough to go around, and with everyone's parents present, exercising restraint was necessary after all.
"Tch~" Seika crossed her arms over her chest, the corners of her lips curling upward involuntarily. "That brat finally made it back. Making everyone worry for so long—might as well have stayed away."
Ryo tilted her head and looked over: "Manager, don't say the opposite of what you feel."
"I'm not saying the opposite of what I feel, alright!"
Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Seika denied it vehemently in embarrassment and exasperation.
Ryo smiled: "Whenever the Manager says the opposite of what she feels, she loves fiddling with her hair."
"..."
After venting their emotions, Kita and Anon finally remembered their parents were standing right by them, hastily letting go of Kitahara with blushing faces.
"Save the hugging and kissing for later," Ryo, remaining the calmest, stood with arms crossed. "Those bugs outside are still battering the barrier."
Hearing this, Kitahara turned his head, looking toward the dense swarms of the locust army within the fog:
"During the time I was away, what on earth happened?"
The reality anchor could only convey directional orientation rather than extensive information; Kitahara remained completely ignorant of the upheavals in the real world.
"The fog has enveloped multiple cities worldwide!"
"It's been four whole days, and it hasn't cleared at all."
"The authorities chose to slack off and do nothing."
"Those bugs outside are Hana's natural predators."
"..."
The girls chimed in one after another, swiftly clarifying the situation.
"So that's how it is; looks like I arrived right on time." Kitahara nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping across the living room. "Where's Tomori?"
"Tomori-chan is at home," Anon replied, her voice finally regaining its past crisp and radiant energy. "I just messaged Tomori-chan; boyfriend doesn't need to worry."
"That's good."
Nijika's eyes shimmered with light as she looked over:
"Kitahara-san, Ryo says Kagoshima doesn't seem to be shrouded in fog. We planned to have Hana help us all relocate to Kagoshima. Should we set off right away?"
"Those bugs have already locked onto us. Even if we go to Kagoshima, they will still pursue us."
Kitahara lifted his gaze toward the outside of the house, casually slipped the backpack off his shoulder, and handed it to Anon beside him.
"I'll eliminate those bugs outside first."
"Those bugs are dangerous, and there's an oversized bug among them." Nijika looked over with concern. "Kitahara-san, don't push yourself."
"Don't worry, I cleared a hundred floors of Otherworld before finally making my return..."
His tone casual, Kitahara gently rolled his wrists—his joints letting out subtle clicking pops—before pushing the door open and heading outside.
His nonchalant posture and tranquil tone conveyed an unspeakable, immense sense of security.
Thud.
Kitahara gently closed the door, stepped beyond the bounds of the barrier, and lifted his head toward the sky.
The mist churned.
Countless bugs loomed within the fog, easily numbering well over a hundred, among which several were diminutive in size, looking as though they had just hatched not long ago.
Seeing Kitahara emerge all alone, the insect swarm instantly grew frantic with excitement, shrill chirping merging into an ear-splitting screech that rattled one's eardrums painfully.
Although Otherworld locusts were hunting Hana, they certainly wouldn't pass up food that walked right up to their doorstep.
Unfazed, Kitahara ignored the deafening screeching and fixed his gaze onto the gigantic insect hovering mid-air like an airship, communicating internally with Hana:
"Hana, can that big bug spawn larvae?"
Upon returning from Otherworld, their mental communication link was re-established.
"That's right," Hana replied swiftly. "Papa, be careful. Big bug... very dangerous."
"Rest assured."
Kitahara rested his eyes on the Insect Queen:
"Looks like that Insect Queen must be wiped out, otherwise the swarm will make a comeback before long..."
As he spoke, one monster bug couldn't hold back any longer; dive-bombing like a streak of lightning, its razor-sharp mouthparts stabbed straight toward Kitahara's skull.
"Kitahara-san, watch out!"
The girls clenched their fists tightly, holding their breath behind the windows in suspense.
Though everyone knew that a person absent for days must be seen in a whole new light, they couldn't help feeling anxious.
Facing the swooping insect, Kitahara neither dodged nor flinched, merely casting a frigid glance its way.
Squelch—
The dive-bombing bug burst into pieces mid-air, dark-green hemolymph splattering everywhere as its carcass plummeted shrieking to the ground.
The girls sheltering inside the room widened their eyes in utter disbelief.
"Wait, wait, wait, what just happened?"
"Kitahara-san didn't even move an arm, did he?"
"It looked like he just glanced at that bug..."
"A mere glance can kill monsters too?"
"So incredible..."
Not only the girls, but even the insect swarm wheeling overhead was startled; bugs that had been flapping their wings in preparation to dive-bomb hastily fluttered back into the air.
The Insect Queen seemed to possess a degree of intelligence; feeling humiliated, accompanied by an indignant screech, the airborne swarm swiftly obeyed orders, swooping toward Kitahara en masse.
Kitahara's expression remained tranquil, his vision piercing the dense fog to pinpoint every Otherworld locust's location.
"Just in time."
Taking a deep, forceful breath, Kitahara stepped forward two paces to meet the swarm, preventing collateral damage to the house behind him, and then...
Clenched his fist.
Drew back.
Charged his power.
Just as the swarm closed to a single meter away from him, Kitahara unleashed a clean, devastating punch.
"Haymaker!!!"
Time flowed differently between the real world and Otherworld; to the girls, only a dozen-odd days had elapsed, but to Kitahara, he had adventured in Otherworld for a considerable duration, acquiring several new abilities along the way.
Haymaker was one of them.
As Kitahara's fist drove forward, the void rippled like a lake struck by a colossal boulder, visibly undulating to the naked eye.
Ripples rippling outward from Kitahara's fist swept across the sky like a tempest.
The swarming insects didn't even get the chance to let out a screech before being wiped away like pencil marks under an eraser, leaving behind only faint flecks of dust.
Not only that, even the sun-obscuring mist was completely blasted clear by that single punch!
The fog that had smothered Tokyo for days was blown wide open over a massive sector, even revealing the starry night beyond.
It was already eight in the evening; the sun had set, and the moon had risen as usual.
A full moon hung high in the night sky, casting down a silvery sheen like water, the pristine expanse mesmerizing to behold.
"S-So strong..."
"Kitahara-san wiped out all the bugs with one punch?"
"We only haven't seen him for a dozen days—isn't this too exaggerated?"
"..."
Watching the battle from the window, the girls were dumbstruck, their faces filled with disbelief.
Their parents were even more flabbergasted, every single one of them wearing an expression questioning reality.
Though the Administration Bureau had its share of extraordinary talents, this fist resembling a nuclear detonation had distinctly surpassed the limits of mortal humanity, hadn't it?
"That Insect Queen isn't dead yet."
Ryo was the first to regain her composure, shifting her gaze to quickly spot the Insect Queen fleeing in panic.
To wipe out as many bugs as possible with that single strike, Kitahara's Haymaker hadn't targeted the Insect Queen directly, merely grazing her with the perimeter of the shockwave.
Even so, the half of the Insect Queen's body brushed by the fist-wind was pulverized directly, spraying dark-green fluids across the sky.
Yet these anomalous entities possessed extraordinarily tenacious vitality; losing half her torso was evidently not fatal, and the Insect Queen flapped her wings, screeching frantically as she fled in haste.
"Oh no, he won't catch up."
Nijika looked anxiously at the Insect Queen fleeing into mid-air.
Kita comforted her softly:
"That Insect Queen must have been terrified out of her wits by Kitahara-san; she won't dare show up again in the future... Eh, eh, eh?!"
Before she could finish, Kita's eyes widened abruptly.
"Kitahara-san... is flying?!"
Anon: "Sir Newton won't be able to keep his coffin lid down!"
"..."
Soyo, Nijika, Seika, and even Ryo—usually the most aloof and uninhibited—had their mouths agape, staring blankly out the window.
Under everyone's stunned gaze, Kitahara leaped into the air, completely breaking free of gravity and taking flight in an unbelievable manner.
Conquering a hundred floors of Otherworld was no exaggeration; in truth, it was even more.
During his journey back, Kitahara had traversed various Otherworld tiers, one of which featured gale-force natural disasters where violent gales would erupt without warning, nearly sweeping him off cliffs on several occasions.
Thankfully, the affix [Infinite Adaptation] proved exceptionally reliable, ultimately allowing Kitahara to evolve the ability humanity had long dreamed of—flight.
It was precisely through flight that Kitahara's pace in clearing Otherworld accelerated in the latter half of his journey.
Flying into the air, Kitahara caught up to the Insect Queen at an astonishing speed before the dumbfounded eyes of the girls, both figures swallowed by the surging mist within an instant.
The fog churned violently like a pot of boiling congee, dark-green fluids raining incessantly from the sky.
Before long, accompanied by a desperate, agonized screech, the massive Insect Queen crashed down from the sky.
Boom!
As the Insect Queen struck the ground, the very earth seemed to tremor.
Wailing in despair, her shredded wings twitching uncontrollably amidst pools of splattered dark-green fluid, the Insect Queen struggled to rise.
The next second.
Kitahara descended from the sky, crushing the Insect Queen's head underfoot.
Splat—
With a muffled blast, the Insect Queen's gruesome head burst violently, her entire carcass turning to ash and rapidly burning away.
"Done."
Clapping his hands, Kitahara pushed the door open and stepped into the house.
"Ahhh, Kitahara-kun, you're actually this incredible now?!"
Anon's eyes sparkled brightly, completely ignoring the surrounding gazes.
"Basic operation," Kitahara replied with a smile. "Just a minor show of strength."
Kita grabbed Kitahara's arm in a hug:
"Kitahara-san, I want to fly too! Please share it with me!"
Flight was humanity's ultimate dream; naturally, no one could resist it.
"Sorry, can't do that," Kitahara shook his head. "This is an ability I evolved personally; I have no way to share it."
"Eh, what a pity..."
Disappointment washed over Kita's face.
Smiling warmly, Kitahara looked toward Kita:
"However, I can carry Kita along to fly together. Want to try it out?"
Kita's eyes lit up: "Of course I do!"
Anon chimed in hastily:
"Me too! Boyfriend, you can't play favorites!"
"Reign it in, you two," Nijika pinched her forehead, whispering a reminder. "Our parents are all right here; it's about time you know when to stop."
With arms crossed, Ryo glanced toward the parents standing not far off:
"Even if Kitahara declared publicly right now that he's going to be a Harem King, nobody would object in the slightest."
And indeed that was true.
The girls' parents were all more or less acquainted with Kitahara; watching their daughters crowd around him with an intimacy far exceeding ordinary friendship, complicated expressions surfaced on their faces.
As experienced adults, they could tell Kitahara had deep relationships with their daughters—perhaps even dating them—yet not a single thought of intervening arose in their hearts.
In this nation of Japan, 'worshiping the strong' was deeply ingrained in the citizens' souls.
When an individual possessed power capable of altering the world, even maintaining a harem would not draw a whisper of challenge.
Moreover, the apocalypse had descended outside; nobody knew whether tomorrow or catastrophe would strike first. As long as their daughters were not coerced, nothing else mattered.
"Looks like Soyo has been keeping a lot of things from Mama."
A faint voice drifted over.
Snapping out of her daze, Soyo looked toward her mother with a guilty conscience:
"Mom, listen to my explanation..."
"No need to explain," Mrs. Nagasaki crossed her arms. "Mama is already prepared."
"Eh?"
"Hurry up and have a baby, Soyo-chan. I want to be a grandmother."
"What are you saying, mom?!" Soyo's face flushed crimson, unable to stop herself from retorting, "I'm still just a high schooler!"
Mrs. Nagasaki sighed faintly: "High schools don't even exist anymore; what high schooler are you talking about?"
Soyo: "..."
Unable to handle her mother's sudden shift in attitude, Soyo hurriedly slipped away, walking up beside Kitahara with a blushing face to ask expectantly:
"Kitahara-kun, how are Sakiko and Mutsumi doing?"
"Everyone is very safe, don't worry." Kitahara gazed ardently at Soyo, lowering his voice, "Soyo only cares about Sakiko and doesn't care about me at all; my heart feels completely broken."
"Bah~"
Blushing deeply, Soyo cast an affectionate, reproachful glance, whispering in response:
"With so many girls gathered around Kitahara-kun, there's no room for me anyway, is there?"
"Who said that?" Kitahara pointed at his chest. "Soyo is clearly right here in my heart."
"..."
The first girl he had conquered was Ryo, and the second was Soyo; naturally, he was exceedingly fond of Soyo-chan.
After chatting briefly, the girls voiced their desire to visit the Onsen Dimension.
Kita, Nijika, and Ryo wanted to see Hitori, while Soyo was deeply concerned about Sakiko and Mutsumi.
After pondering briefly, Kitahara looked toward Seika:
"Manager, bring the money."
"Eh?"
Seika tilted her head in confusion.
Kitahara explained:
"We'll scout ahead to Kagoshima first to see if it's truly free of fog. If there's no fog, I'll book a hotel with the Manager in advance."
"Understood."
Crossing her arms, Seika nodded slightly and agreed.
Kitahara turned to the other girls: "Nijika-senpai, pack your belongings first. When I return, everyone will head to the Onsen Dimension together, and then pack up to travel south."
"Got it."
"Kitahara-kun, hurry back soon."
"Waiting for your update."
"..."
The girls naturally had no objections to Kitahara's plan, getting busy right away.
With Kitahara's return, the girls had found their pillar of support; the gloom from earlier was completely dispelled, replaced entirely by hopeful anticipation.
"Manager, shall we go?"
Kitahara turned toward Manager Seika.
"Hmph~"
Snorting softly, Seika walked toward the restroom.
Thud.
As the restroom door closed gently, Kitahara reached out, taking Seika's tender hand and clasping their fingers together.
"Brat, what are you doing?"
Her face flushing rapidly, Seika glared at him in bashful annoyance.
Kitahara's gaze burned ardently:
"I missed Seika-san immensely."
Flustered, Seika looked away, her heart pounding frantically, though her mouth remained as stubborn as ever:
"We only haven't seen each other for a dozen days; what is there to miss? Let go of me quickly."
"I won't," Kitahara wrapped his arm gently around her waist, pulling Seika straight into his embrace. "I want to kiss Seika-san."
"Not letting you kiss!"
Raising both arms hurriedly, Seika braced against Kitahara's chest:
"There are still people outside! Hurry up and go to Kagoshima!"
Kitahara was relentless: "Then Seika-san give me a kiss."
"I won't!"
"Seika-san, you wouldn't want everyone to find out, would you?"
"Bratty pervert!" Seika glared at him in embarrassment. "Know when to stop!"
"..."
He who stands under low eaves must lower his head.
Knowing she couldn't escape, Seika could only rise on her tiptoes and lean in for a kiss.
With only a slight advance from Kitahara, Seika parted her soft lips and responded passionately.
Reuniting amid the apocalypse, though Seika's mouth was stubborn, her body was remarkably compliant.
A moment later.
With a soft smack, Kitahara temporarily separated from Seika.
"Hah... hah..."
Breathing raggedly with her lips parted, Seika looked back at him with glazed, hazy eyes.
"Don't worry, Seika-san; I'll tease you properly tonight," Kitahara wiped away the silver thread of saliva at the corner of her lips, keeping his voice low. "Let's head to Kagoshima first, otherwise we'll be discovered."
"Bah~"
Seika spat softly in bashful vexation, her cheeks flushed red enough to bleed:
"Bratty pervert! Don't get any wild ideas tonight!"
"..."
The two used Fast Travel to reach Kagoshima; their luck held up, as being geographically remote with a sparse population, Kagoshima had indeed been spared from the fog.
Stepping onto the street, one could behold a bright moon and a sky filled with stars.
However, with Apocalypse theories rampant, Kagoshima was naturally no utopian sanctuary; stepping onto the road, Kitahara and Seika were met with chaos: two collided cars were burning spontaneously, billowing thick smoke without a firefighter in sight, while in a red sedan, a long-haired woman was pinned by a car door, crying out desperately for help.
Unfortunately, pedestrians on the street were scarce and deeply wary of one another; despite the woman's ceaseless cries, no one stepped forward to help.
"Brat, let's hurry and help."
Seeing the weeping woman pleading for rescue inside the burning vehicle, Seika chose to intervene without hesitation.
Like Nijika, Manager Seika was a kind-hearted soul.
With his hands in his pockets, Kitahara followed along.
"Oh no, the door is deformed and jammed shut..."
Knitting her brows, Seika exerted all her strength trying to pry the car door open, but it was wedged firmly against a wall corner by the other vehicle, entirely unmovable by ordinary human strength.
"Kitahara, hurry up and open the door."
Seika looked up anxiously toward Kitahara.
Kitahara said unhurriedly:
"Call me dear."
"What?"
"If the Manager calls me dear, I'll pull her out."
"You're taking advantage of the situation!"
"Indeed, that I am."
"..."
Seika clenched her fists in exasperation, wanting to punch him; yet looking at the woman crying desperately inside the vehicle, she held back her embarrassment and called out softly:
"D-dear..."
Saving a life came first; all else could be endured.
"Sounds wonderful as expected."
Smiling, Kitahara gripped the mangled car door and gave a gentle tug.
The steel-forged door shredded like cardboard in Kitahara's grasp, effortlessly ripped away.
Her eyes lighting up, Seika quickly rescued the woman from the driver's seat, carrying her away to a safe distance before finally exhaling a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, I can't thank you enough..."
Calming down after surviving the disaster, the woman bowed at a ninety-degree angle, expressing immense gratitude over and over.
After exchanging a few words, upon learning that Seika wished to book hotel rooms, the woman's eyes brightened as she offered eagerly:
"Martial law is currently declared in Kagoshima and all hotels are closed to the public, but my parents run a hotel—you are welcome to stay as guests at my family's establishment!"