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"Then, let's continue with the questions." Kitahara Makoto held up two fingers and continued to ask, "Where is the origin of the macadamia nut?"
Knowing that they would be punished if they answered incorrectly, the girls were all well-behaved now, and no one rushed to answer first.
"Mai-senpai, what's the answer?"
Kita Ikuyo turned her head, looking over expectantly.
Sakurajima Mai's pink lips moved slightly: "…Why do you think I know the correct answer?"
Kita Ikuyo's voice was clear: "Because Mai-senpai looks like an honor student, she must be very smart."
"I'm sorry, I've disappointed you." Sakurajima Mai slightly turned her pretty face away, "I don't know the answer to this question."
"I know~"
A faint voice floated out.
The girls all turned their heads to look at Yamada Ryo, who had spoken.
"Eh?" Kita Ikuyo looked over in surprise, "Ryo-senpai knows the correct answer?"
Ijichi Nijika was a little worried: "Does Ryo really know? If we answer incorrectly, we'll be punished again."
Others might not know, but Ijichi Nijika knew very well that Yamada Ryo was the worst student among the bad students, always at the bottom of her class in every exam. Her knowledge base was probably similar to that of an elementary school student.
Yamada Ryo's expression was calm as she tilted her head: "Well, I only have two hobbies normally. One is eating snacks, and the other is sleeping…"
Hey, hey, if your only hobbies are eating and sleeping, your life is too boring!
"Macadamia nuts are delicious, but they're a bit expensive." Yamada Ryo said lazily, "I once saw on my phone that the origin of macadamia nuts is Australia. They only became popular globally after being introduced to Hawaii, so I remembered it."
Saying this, Yamada Ryo slightly raised her pretty face and looked at Kitahara Makoto:
"So… my answer is Australia."
Kitahara Makoto looked at the other girls: "What are your answers?"
"Um…" Ijichi Nijika hesitated for two seconds, then, blushing, said softly, "It's rare to see Ryo so certain, I trust Ryo… Australia."
The other three girls naturally chose to follow suit and bet on it.
"We also choose Australia."
"Ye, yes…"
Facing the girls' nervous gazes, Kitahara Makoto smiled: "Congratulations, everyone got it right this time."
After a brief cheer, they quickly moved on to the third question.
"This is the last question. Once you answer, you can move freely." Kitahara Makoto held up three fingers, "A quark-antiquark pair is called a meson. For example, a positive pion is an up-antidown quark pair. How many mesons can be made from the first generation quarks only?"
"Eh? Eh? Eh?"
"I've never even heard of it!"
"This question's difficulty has already exceeded the scope of nine-year compulsory education, hasn't it?!"
"…"
The questioning ended.
The girls quickly regained their ability to move freely.
Ijichi Nijika quickly got up, covering her body, and said shamefully:
"Ryo, hurry up and put on your clothes!"
She could barely block herself with her backpack, but Yamada Ryo only had two pieces of underwear on her whole body. She couldn't block it, she simply couldn't.
Yamada Ryo slowly stood up, her voice calm:
"I'm sorry, I don't have the ability to conjure clothes out of thin air."
"It's really difficult." Kita Ikuyo said from the side, "Ryo-senpai's skirt has already been torn to shreds in the flower field. Even if we find it, there's no way to wear it."
"Hmm…"
Ijichi Nijika bit her lip, her gaze involuntarily looking at the others, a troubled expression on her face.
They had accidentally stumbled into the Hidden World, not gone out for a picnic, so they didn't have any extra clothes to lend Ryo.
But not wearing clothes definitely wouldn't do!
And there was a boy here. Ryo was only in her underwear; it was too shameful no matter how you thought about it!
Having no other choice, Ijichi Nijika finally looked at Kitahara Makoto, blushing and saying softly:
"Um… could I ask Kitahara-kun for a favor?"
Kitahara Makoto looked at Nijika: "Tell me."
Ijichi Nijika looked over pitifully: "…Could Kitahara-kun lend his shirt to Ryo to wear?"
A boy being shirtless and a girl being shirtless were, of course, completely different situations. There was truly no other way, so she could only borrow a shirt from Kitahara Makoto.
"Of course, just the shirt is enough." Ijichi Nijika clasped her hands together, "Please, please."
"Since it's Nijika-senpai's request… I agree."
Kitahara Makoto didn't mind being shirtless and quickly took off his shirt.
The girls looked over curiously and realized that after Kitahara Makoto took off his shirt, his muscle lines were quite clear, even his abs were visible. He wasn't the skinny type.
"Eh, Kitahara-kun has a really good physique." Kita Ikuyo said subconsciously, "No wonder he felt so firm that day…"
"Stare—"
Sakurajima Mai and Ijichi Nijika both looked over.
Kita Ikuyo quickly raised both hands to cover her mouth, her face rapidly turning red: "I, I didn't say Kitahara-kun's body was firm!"
Hey, hey, stop talking, you're really going to make people misunderstand!
"Ryo-senpai, put on the shirt first."
Kitahara Makoto handed over the clothes, helping to divert attention.
"Thank you, Kitahara-kun." Yamada Ryo took the shirt, turned around and put it on. It just covered her upper thighs. Her voice was calm, "As a reward, I can grant Kitahara-kun one request."
Kitahara Makoto raised an eyebrow: "Any request?"
Yamada Ryo: "That's right…"
"Of course not!" Ijichi Nijika quickly came between the two, unable to help but retort, "When borrowing someone's things, you just need to thank them properly, wash them afterwards, and return them. There's no need for strange rewards!"
Looking at Nijika-senpai, who was only inches away from him, far closer than the comfortable distance for strangers, yet completely unaware, Kitahara Makoto's forehead suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.
Oh no! Nijika-senpai's favorability has increased!
He had said he wanted to keep his distance, but he couldn't help but interact with her, and even quietly increased her favorability… Could it be that the world line was converging, and it would use various methods to lead him towards a future with a tragic end?
I really don't want to increase Nijika-senpai's favorability!
Kitahara Makoto subtly stepped back half a pace, creating distance, and said:
"Nijika-senpai, what happened to you in the flower field just now?"
"Hmm…" Ijichi Nijika gently bit her lower lip, subconsciously stroking the snack box ribbon that tied her ponytail, and said softly, "I saw my mother in the flower field. She was standing in the middle of the flower field, smiling and waving for me to come over. Then my consciousness became dizzy, and I just wanted to go to my mother's side."
Kita Ikuyo leaned over curiously: "Eh, we didn't see anything."
Kitahara Makoto then looked at Yamada Ryo and asked, "What about Ryo-senpai?"
Yamada Ryo's tone was calm: "I saw Nijika standing in the middle of the flower field waving at me, and then everything in my head disappeared. I just wanted to hurry to Nijika's side… It seems I can only survive by relying on Nijika."
Ijichi Nijika couldn't help but retort: "Don't always rely on others, you should be self-reliant!"
"So, to summarize the information…" Kitahara Makoto said seriously, "Once you enter the flower field, you will be affected by something and experience hallucinations, seeing someone you want to see or someone important appear in the center of the flower field. At the same time, your consciousness will be affected, making you involuntarily go to the center of the flower field."
"But once you reach the center of the flower field, you're gone."
"So, from now on, absolutely do not mistakenly enter the flower field. If possible, we should leave this place as soon as possible."
At this moment, Sakurajima Mai, who had been silent, spoke softly:
"There's no way to leave."
Kitahara Makoto turned his head and looked over: "Does Mai-senpai know something?"
Sakurajima Mai crossed her arms over her chest, her voice cold:
"I've already tried. No matter which direction I walk, I always end up back here."
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