"Could this be troubling Sato-san...?"
Seika hesitated in her tone.
"Not trouble at all!" The woman bowed ninety degrees, pleading with complete sincerity. "Please, by all means, come to my family's hotel to rest!"
On one hand, she wanted to repay the life-saving favor from just now; on the other hand, it was Sato's own little calculation.
Having witnessed Kitahara's feat of easily ripping apart a warped car door, she knew he was definitely no ordinary person, making her all the more eager to have him stay at her family's hotel.
Right now, the world was in turmoil and everyone lived in fear; the hotel only had a few security guards and cleaners, making it far from safe, with rioters prone to barging in at any moment—if Kitahara moved in, they naturally wouldn't need to fear rioters.
As for whether Kitahara himself was dangerous... such a handsome high schooler could never be a bad guy!
"What do you say?"
Seika looked up, asking for his opinion.
Kitahara nodded gently: "Accept it."
With a free hotel to stay in, there was naturally no reason to refuse, especially given the extraordinary circumstances.
Both sides struck a deal immediately.
The two followed Sato—whom they had saved on a whim—to a hotel, bypassed all check-in procedures, opened a luxury suite directly, gave a heads-up that people would be arriving shortly so there was no need to panic, and then returned to Tokyo via fast travel through the mirror.
"Kitahara-san, welcome back."
"How is Kagoshima?"
"Is there fog?"
"..."
The girls crowded around one after another, inquiring about the situation.
"Luck was on our side. There's no fog in Kagoshima, and the hotel has been arranged..."
Kitahara briefly explained the situation in Kagoshima; hearing this, not only the girls but also the in-laws present breathed a long sigh of relief.
When fog cloaks an entire city without clearing for several days, the psychological pressure inflicted upon ordinary people can well be imagined.
"Let's go," Kitahara said warmly. "I'll send you all to the Onsen Dimension first."
"..."
The light warped faintly, and everyone's silhouettes vanished into thin air.
Inside the Onsen Dimension.
"S-Sakiko!"
Seeing the Sakiko she cared about most safe and sound, Soyo burst into tears of sheer joy on the spot.
"Soyo, we're back." Seeing the large crowd pour in, Sakiko understood at once that Kitahara had already returned to the real world, her eyes likewise reddening slightly. "Sorry for making everyone worry."
"How is Mutsumi doing now?"
"Her condition is very stable; the second persona hasn't appeared again."
Reuniting after a long separation, the girls naturally had endless things to talk about, to the point where all their eyes grew rimmed with red.
"Taki feels different somehow."
Wiping her eyes, Soyo shifted her gaze, landing on Taki beside them.
The corner of Taki's lips tilted upward, her chin lifting smugly:
"Did Soyo notice I grew taller too?"
"It's not height, you know." Soyo lightly wagged her finger, the corners of her soft lips lifting playfully as she spoke in an amused tone, "It's more like your aura. Taki's aura has lost some of its sternness and seriousness—it feels somewhat alluring."
"Haah?"
Crossing her arms, an exasperated expression appeared on Taki's face.
She was still just a high schooler; how could she possess that kind of alluring aura? That was something only adults had!
Soyo suddenly covered her mouth with her hand, leaning close to Taki's ear to whisper intimately:
"Taki has already done that kind of thing with Kitahara-kun, haven't you?"
"I-I don't know what you're talking about!"
Taki's face flushed crimson instantly, her eyes shifting away guiltily.
Soyo's smile grew playful, clearly in an excellent mood as she continued whispering:
"Back when we had to swap our bodies back, Taki went to a love hotel with Kitahara-kun; in truth, you experienced it long ago, didn't you?"
"Stop talking about that!"
Both bashful and annoyed, Taki took half a step back:
"Hurry up and forget that incident, ahhh!"
"..."
Meanwhile.
On the other side.
Nijika, Kita, and Ryo gathered around Hitori.
"Wahhh..."
Tears welled in Kita's eyes as she wrapped Hitori in a tight hug, her voice trembling with excitement and joy.
"I finally get to see Hitori-chan again!"
Hitori was teary-eyed as well:
"I-I'm back..."
"Hitori-chan isn't hurt, right?"
Nijika spoke with an emotional tremor, the corners of her eyes glistening.
"No, not at all," Hitori shook her head hurriedly. "In Otherworld, we spent most of our time inside the Onsen Dimension; only Kitahara-san got hurt."
Staaaare—
With arms crossed over her chest, Ryo appraised Hitori from head to toe, suddenly speaking up:
"Hitori, why have you been clutching your belly this whole time?"
"Eh?"
Kita opened her eyes wide, hurriedly looking down at Hitori's right hand covering her lower abdomen, thoroughly shocked:
"Could Ryo-senpai's guess have actually come true—has Hitori really conceived a baby?!"
"Ah...?"
Hitori lifted her head blankly, stunned out of her wits.
Why did the topic suddenly pivot to babies?
"Hitori and Kitahara-san stayed in Otherworld for so long; the protection items must have run out ages ago, right?" Kita pressed her index finger against her brow, switching into great detective mode. "Hitori doesn't know how to say no either; if Kitahara-san just pleaded a couple of times, Hitori-chan would cater to his every demand, wouldn't she?"
Nijika's lips twitched slightly, unable to resist a quiet retort:
"Kita is totally judging others by her own standards. The one who agrees to everything after a couple of sweet words is clearly you, isn't it?"
Kita continued her deduction and analysis:
"Ever since we met up, Hitori has been cautiously shielding her belly, which means there is only one truth... Hitori-chan is definitely pregnant with a baby!"
Hitori finally caught on to what Kita was getting at; her small face flushed crimson at a speed visible to the naked eye, steam billowing wildly from the top of her head:
"I-I'm not pregnant with a baby! My stomach just hurts a little!"
Kita propped her chin with her right hand: "It's said that in the early stages of pregnancy, the belly does ache, you know..."
"That's totally not it!" Hitori's face burned hot as she stammered in flushed embarrassment, "A-Auntie Flo is here!"
"It's alright, Hitori doesn't need to deceive everyone," Ryo consoled her from the side. "It's already the apocalypse out there; having a baby won't invite gossip from anyone."
"Ah... the apocalypse?"
Hitori's face was completely blank with confusion; staying inside the Onsen Dimension, she naturally had no idea what was happening outside.
"What?!"
Taki's voice spiked abruptly as she grabbed Soyo's wrist:
"What did Soyo say? It's already the apocalypse outside?!"
"Taki didn't mishear." Soyo reined in her smile, her expression turning grave. "On the evening of the school festival, after you and Kitahara-kun plummeted into Otherworld, Shimizu-san didn't make things difficult for us; instead, she warned us that the fog would descend soon. Until late at night several days ago, fog shrouded Tokyo, and the sun never rose again..."
"Wait."
Taki bit her lower lip hard, cutting off Soyo's words as she asked anxiously:
"How many days have passed in the real world?"
Soyo answered softly:
"One more day, and it will have been a full half-month."
"It's been that long already..." Taki's face paled slightly, her voice tight with tension. "Did mom and Dad call the police already?"
"Taki doesn't need to worry," Soyo comforted her gently. "We transformed into the voices of Taki and the others, finding a suitable excuse saying we were invited by a music agent for intensive training camp and couldn't stay home for this period. With occasional video calls on top of that, your mom wasn't worried."
"That's a relief..."
Hearing that, Taki couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief.
It seemed Kitahara hadn't lied; he truly left Aoi behind in the real world, successfully taking care of everyone's worries at home.
Though the excuse was flimsy, as long as they could video call once in a while, their parents wouldn't resort to calling the police.
"Soyo, keep talking about the apocalypse."
Crossing her arms, Sakiko asked softly about what followed.
"Okay." Soyo nodded slightly, her face grim. "Late at night four days ago, mist quietly spilled through the streets and alleys; by the next morning, the fog had completely cloaked all of Tokyo. Not only that, densely populated cities across the world have essentially been blanketed by the fog."
"Within the fog, all kinds of anomalies roam around."
"Airplanes, cars, trains, and other transport are completely paralyzed; everyone can only stay trapped at home."
"The first day was manageable—people could still keep their cool and wait for rescue—but rescue never came at all, and many were forced to step outside in search of food."
"Last night, Shimizu-san used some unknown method to seize control of the internet, broadcasting videos of government squads being slaughtered by monsters, along with internal chat logs and call recordings exposing that the authorities plan to abandon ordinary citizens. As a result, the outside has fallen into complete chaos..."
"..."
"I-I want to go home..."
Learning from Kita that the outside had descended into pre-apocalyptic madness, Hitori panicked instantly, rushing over to find Kitahara with tears welling in her eyes:
"Kitahara-san, I want to go home!"
Seeing Hitori tearfully crying to go home, Kitahara understood what had happened; just as he was about to speak, Taki and the others walked over briskly as well.
Without waiting for Taki to speak, Kitahara took the lead:
"You all want to go home, right?"
"That's right," Taki bit her lower lip hard. "With things so chaotic outside, there's no way we can rest easy."
Sakiko said softly:
"It has indeed been a long time since I've been back; I want to go see my father and grandfather."
"Makoto-kun, I want to go back too," Mutsumi looked up. "If mom and Dad are home, I'll bring them over."
Ever since being eaten clean, Mutsumi's second persona had never surfaced again, and her emotional intelligence had grown by leaps and bounds, much to Kitahara's regret.
That infuriating second persona truly needed to be punished severely! For instance, making her eat a Magical Cookie, and then letting her experience what true heaven and hell felt like!
"Then let's head out first, and I'll have Hana take you all home."
Kitahara naturally wouldn't refuse; greeting Nijika and the others, he led Hitori, Sakiko, Mutsumi, Taki, and Uika out of the Onsen Dimension together.
"Hana, please take me home."
Spotting Hana sitting on the sofa, Taki's eyes lit up, hurriedly stepping forward to plead.
Hana reached out her little hand:
"Cupcake."
"Um, can we put it on tab first?"
Taki tried to negotiate softly.
Having stayed in Otherworld for so long, she naturally didn't have cupcakes on her.
"No," Hana said expressionlessly. "Shops... all closed. Can't buy."
"Eh..."
Hearing that, Taki showed a troubled look, able only to cast a pleading glance toward Kitahara.
"Kitahara-san, hurry up and use your Scale of God."
Hearing that, Kitahara let out a soft tsk, looking at Taki:
"I didn't hold it against you inside the Onsen Dimension, but now that we're outside, what should Taki call me?"
Taki's face flushed red instantly:
"Don't you take advantage of people's troubles!"
Kitahara smiled:
"What did Taki say? I didn't hear clearly."
"...Damn it!"
He who stands under low eaves must lower his head.
Seeing that no one was stepping forward to back her up, Taki could only swallow her embarrassment, whispering softly:
"B-boyfriend..."
"Too quiet, couldn't hear."
"Boyfriend, boyfriend, boyfriend, boyfriend!"
Taki took a deep breath, shouting it several times in one breath, before glaring over in bashful irritation:
"Hurry up and give me the cupcakes! Or else you're dead meat!"
Having already been eaten clean, calling him boyfriend was naturally fine; it was just intensely embarrassing to say it in front of everyone.
"Not bad, heard it clearly this time."
Smiling, Kitahara extended his right hand, activating the ability of the [Scale of God]; a bag of cupcakes quickly materialized in his palm.
Having finished teasing Taki, Kitahara didn't make things difficult for Hitori and the others, distributing the cupcakes among the girls to serve as Hana's travel fare, before letting Hana deliver the homesick girls back to their houses.
"Once you're back, explain the situation first, then pack your things as fast as you can," Kitahara instructed softly. "Once you're packed, message me right away and I'll go pick you up."
"Got it," Taki took a deep breath, clutching her phone tightly. "I'll head back first; see you in a bit."
After sending Taki home, it was soon Hitori's turn.
"Kitahara-san, I'm heading home..."
The ahoge atop Hitori's head swayed gently, her whole heart clearly brimming with anticipation as she slipped into the mirror and vanished without a trace.
"Kitahara-kun, can't we wipe out those Spatial Worms and make the fog disperse?"
Sakiko looked up, asking softly without rushing to leave.
"Too late."
Kitahara shook his head gently, turning his head with a grave expression, his gaze piercing through the fog toward the villa district.
"That Lord of Calamity whose true name cannot be spoken... has already arrived in the mortal plane."
Multiple cities across the globe had already fallen; boundless despair had converged into a river, allowing the Lord of Calamity to successfully descend into reality. Kitahara could clearly sense a hyperdimensional entity lurking in the direction of the villa district, causing the soul to shudder.
Even though Kitahara had conquered a hundred floors of Otherworld, with [Infinite Adaptation] making him comprehensively stronger, it was still far from enough when facing a divine-tier entity.
Now, even if the Spatial Worms were eliminated and the fog cleared, it would no longer stop the Lord of Calamity's continued descent.
Furthermore, after sublimating [Foresight], Kitahara had caught a glimpse of a fragment of the future, knowing exactly what kind of future he was about to face...
In short.
Clearing the fog was pointless; what needed to be done now was to wait quietly until the final day arrived.
"The Tree of Eden..."
Sakiko parted her soft lips, silently swallowing her words back down.
She knew very well that Kitahara couldn't possibly forget the existence of the Tree of Eden; since he didn't bring it up, there was bound to be a reason.
"Kitahara-kun, I'll head back first."
Sakiko waved her hand, saying goodbye softly.
"Message me anytime."
Kitahara nodded gently, leaning down to kiss the girl's soft, rosy lips.
With Sakiko's departure, only one girl was left in the living room.
"Uika, what's your plan?"
Kitahara turned toward the blonde girl, his tone casual.
"Um..." Uika Misumi pursed her soft lips, looking up with eyes filled with Kitahara's reflection, answering softly, "Dad and my younger sister are on the island. I just messaged them to confirm—no fog has appeared on the island, so they're safe for now. But Umiri is a different story."
"I just messaged Umiri; she said neighbors are violently pounding on her door, and she's terrified right now... Can we bring Umiri along to Kagoshima?"
"Of course," Kitahara naturally wouldn't refuse; packing up one more person along the way took neither extra time nor effort. "If you run into danger, call my name in your heart immediately."
When in poverty, practice your own virtues; when in prominence, benefit the world.
Uika was inherently kind-hearted, so wanting to look after a good friend was hardly surprising; bringing her along was effortless anyway.
"Thank you, Makoto-kun."
A radiant smile broke out across Uika Misumi's face as she thanked him happily.
When they first entered Otherworld, her form of address was still the polite and distant 'Kitahara-san,' but having journeyed together through all sorts of perils in Otherworld, honorifics had long since been cast aside.
"Hana hasn't been to Umiri-san's home yet, so she can't go straight there," Kitahara said gently. "Coordinate with her first, and have Umiri-san silently chant Hana's name in her heart to provide coordinates for Hana."
"Mhm, mhm," Uika Misumi nodded swiftly. "I'll message Umiri right away."
"..."
Before long, Hana returned through the mirror.
"Lady Hana, please."
Uika Misumi offered the cupcakes with both hands, then departed via fast travel alongside Hana.
"Time to head to Kagoshima."
Kitahara tossed his backpack over his shoulder; having copied Hana's ability earlier, he didn't need assistance and could head straight to Kagoshima on his own.
Stepping through the full-length mirror, he arrived in the hotel room in Kagoshima.
With a slight shimmer of his silhouette, Kitahara entered the Onsen Dimension once again.
Moments later, the girls and their parents appeared out of thin air inside the hotel room, quickly turning the relatively spacious luxury suite crowded.
Swish.
Kitahara strode up to the window and pulled open the curtains, a refreshing sea breeze blowing in instantly.
The girls all gazed out the window, beholding a full moon hanging high in the sky, framed by brilliant, twinkling stars.
"The fog is gone..."
"The night sky was actually this beautiful."
"We finally left Tokyo."
"We'll be able to see the sun tomorrow, right?"
"..."
The night scenery, once utterly ordinary and never cause for pause, now left everyone mesmerized, unable to tear their eyes away.
Humanity only realizes what it cherishes after it is lost.
Only upon escaping fog-choked Tokyo did they understand that those ordinary, plain days actually bore a hidden name...
And that was happiness.
"Everyone is already aware of the situation. Aside from us, there is no one else in the hotel right now, so you may choose any room you like to settle into," Kitahara spoke calmly once everyone had settled down, his voice clear and resonant. "However, keep in mind that Kagoshima is likewise unsafe right now, and riots could break out at any time. It's best not to leave the hotel; if there's any circumstance requiring you to go out, let me know first."