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"Eh, who is Takeshi Takuya?"
"Sorry, I've never heard that name before."
"Kitahara-kun, this isn't the time for strange remarks."
"..."
Despite the retorts, having Kitahara Makoto catch them below was indeed the best method.
The rooftop was two or three meters from the ground; jumping directly without someone to catch them… ordinary girls truly lacked the courage for that.
"Phew… I'll go first."
Ijichi Nijika's pretty face was slightly flushed as she stepped forward first.
This Nijika had always liked taking care of others since she was young, not to mention it was her fault that everyone came to the Hidden World. No matter what, even if she was scared, she couldn't back down.
Also… after foreseeing the future, although she decided to stay away from scumbags in the future, it was undeniable that she had developed an inherent trust in Kitahara Makoto.
Kita Ikuyo poked her small head out and looked down: "Kitahara-kun, you must keep your word and catch Nijika!"
"Nijika-senpai, just jump down." Kitahara Makoto spread his arms and promised, "I'll catch you, one hundred percent."
"...I trust Kitahara-kun."
Ijichi Nijika took a deep breath, covered her skirt with both hands, mustered her courage, and leaped down.
The wind whistled in her ears, and the sensation of rapidly falling made Ijichi Nijika instinctively close her eyes.
Then…
Thump.
One second later.
Ijichi Nijika felt herself land in an embrace that was both familiar and unfamiliar.
"Senpai, you can open your eyes now," Kitahara Makoto said softly.
"Mm…" Ijichi Nijika's eyelashes trembled slightly. She opened her eyes, then quickly jumped out of Kitahara Makoto's embrace onto the ground, turning her pretty face away and softly saying, "Thank you, Kitahara-kun."
"You're welcome." Kitahara Makoto looked up, "Kita-san, it's your turn."
Watching Kitahara Makoto's back, Ijichi Nijika quietly covered her chest with her right hand, clearly hearing her heartbeat subtly accelerating.
Although she was very reluctant to admit it, that familiar yet unfamiliar sense of security just now made her unconsciously feel a little reluctant to let go.
(Ah ah ah ah! Don't overthink! Since I've already foreseen the future, I absolutely cannot repeat the same mistakes!)
(Cheating boyfriends are worse than dogs!)
(Stay away!)
(I must stay away from this guy!)
"Kitahara-kun, you must catch me!"
Kita Ikuyo held her fists to her chest, clearly a bit nervous. After speaking, she closed her eyes and jumped down.
Thump.
Kitahara Makoto steadily caught Kita, looking down at the red-haired girl in his arms: "It's a good thing it's me; if it were anyone else, Kita-san probably would have crushed them."
"Kitahara-kun, that's so mean!" Kita Ikuyo puffed out her cheeks, like a hamster with a mouth full of sunflower seeds, "I'm not that heavy!"
The third girl to jump down was naturally Yamada Ryo. This Kuzu Ryo always had a listless, lazy expression. Generally speaking, people with this personality are the type who are ruthless and say little. Now, it seemed this was indeed the case; she jumped without hesitation.
Without any surprises, Gotō Hitori was the last one.
"Bocchi-chan, hurry up and jump down!"
Kita Ikuyo shouted, looking up.
"It's, it's too high…"
Gotō Hitori covered her skirt with both hands, peeked down, and quickly pulled back.
When she was little, she went to an amusement park with her parents and rode a roller coaster. She cried from fear then, and ever since, she developed a phobia of heights. She didn't dare to jump, absolutely didn't dare to jump.
(Everyone is waiting for me down there, but I don't dare to jump. I'm so useless… No, I need to muster my courage!)
Gotō Hitori clenched her small fists, took a deep breath, and tried to motivate herself. However, after looking down twice more, the courage she had just mustered vanished. She leaned back against the edge of the rooftop, sat down on her small bottom, and buried her face in her arms.
(I'm tired. Let it all be destroyed.)
(Courage is something I've never had since birth, so I definitely can't muster it.)
At the same time.
On the ground.
"Eh, why did Bocchi-chan pull back again?" Kita Ikuyo became anxious, "Don't be afraid, just close your eyes and jump down."
Ijichi Nijika pursed her pink lips: "Bocchi-chan is naturally timid, so it's normal for her not to dare to jump right away… Eh, what is Kitahara-kun doing?"
Kitahara Makoto walked backward without looking back:
"Don't force Hitori-chan. I'll go up again."
As his voice fell.
Under the astonished gaze of the three girls, Kitahara Makoto directly took a running start, then crouched and leaped, instantly jumping over two meters high, grabbing the railing at the edge of the rooftop, and flipping directly over into it.
Although the daily quests refreshed by the System were chaotic, the rewards after completing them were permanent bonuses. Over time, Kitahara Makoto's physical fitness was already quite good.
At the same time, Bocchi-chan was still hugging her knees, her mind in a frenzy of internal conflict.
(Why is there no sound down there… Have they already left?)
(Ah ah ah, don't leave me! It's too scary to be alone in this place!)
(But then again, if I hide here, I won't be disturbed by anyone, and I won't have to worry about social work after graduation anymore. Society is so scary, I don't want to be a part of it at all… But if I stay here, Mom and Dad and Futari will definitely be sad, right?)
Lost in thought, Gotō Hitori suddenly heard a soft 'thump' beside her ear.
"Eh?"
Gotō Hitori instinctively turned her small face to look, and saw Kitahara Makoto leaning over, a warm smile on his face:
"Hitori-chan, I'm here."
"..."
Gotō Hitori blinked, and said blankly:
"Kit-, Kitahara-kun didn't leave me?"
"Don't overthink." Kitahara Makoto extended his right hand and vigorously ruffled Bocchi-chan's small head, messing up the girl's pink hair, "Hitori-chan is a super important person, of course I wouldn't leave you."
(Super, super, super, super important person…)
Gotō Hitori hurriedly averted her gaze.
(Foul!)
(Too much of a foul!)
(Even Dad never said such things!)
(But… Kitahara-kun's hand is so warm…)
As he spoke, Kitahara Makoto had already bent down, reached out, and scooped up Bocchi-chan by her legs, directly lifting her into his arms.
"Eh eh eh?"
Gotō Hitori let out a soft cry. In her panic, she instinctively raised her arms and nervously wrapped them around Kitahara Makoto's neck.
"I, I, I, I, I…"
"Don't talk, close your eyes." Kitahara Makoto's voice was steady, "Leave the rest to me."
"..."
Gotō Hitori's small face was crimson, her eyelashes trembled slightly. Hearing this, she quickly squeezed her eyes shut.
Kitahara Makoto, holding Bocchi-chan, turned and leaped directly down.
Thump.
The two landed safely.
"Bocchi-chan!"
Kita Ikuyo happily stepped forward and hugged the dizzy Bocchi-chan.
Ijichi Nijika, however, felt a subtle emotion. Looking at Bocchi-chan's flushed small face, a bold guess suddenly arose in her heart.
(In those future scenes, Kitahara-kun cheated with many girls… Could Bocchi-chan be one of them?)
In the Hidden World, it was impossible to distinguish directions, and all around was an endless desolate wilderness. So, after a brief discussion, everyone unanimously decided to make the distant dilapidated building their goal.
There was no conversation along the way.
At first, Kitahara Makoto was still on edge, worried about strange monsters appearing. But it turned out to be a deserted wilderness; apart from Kitahara Makoto and his group, no other creatures were seen.
After an unknown amount of time, a dazzling Flower Sea quietly appeared before them. This seemed to be the ruins of a park, but unfortunately, only faintly visible broken walls and dilapidated remains were left.
"Hmm?"
Kitahara Makoto's steps suddenly halted. He vigilantly looked at the broken walls and ruins not far away.
He had clearly just seen a rabbit girl in black stockings flash by in the corner…
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