join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for hundreds of additional chapters and over a dozen stories
"No matter which direction you walk, you always end up back here?"
"That's fake, right?"
"How could such a thing be possible?"
"…"
Regarding the words of the wild Bunny Girl, everyone naturally couldn't fully believe them. After a brief discussion, they decided to choose a random direction and try walking.
Unfortunately, the outcome was no surprise.
After an unknown amount of walking, the abandoned park ruins once again appeared before Kitahara Makoto and the girls.
Looking at the distant park ruins, the girls' strained breath suddenly deflated.
"We really came back…" Ijichi Nijika bit her lower lip, her expression somewhat disbelieving, "We clearly walked in a straight line, how could we have come back?"
Yamada Ryo took a breath: "This world is so strange, it's not impossible."
"So tired…" Kita Ikuyo wiped the fine sweat from her forehead, pitifully clutching her stomach, "I'm so hungry, and my mouth is so dry, it's so uncomfortable."
Thump.
Bocchi-chan, with the worst stamina, directly sat down on the ground, then lay flat on her back, panting and lying still."I can't move, I really can't take another step…"
"My legs hurt so much, and my heels hurt too…"
"I'm so useless, I'm truly sorry…"
"Bocchi-chan, don't lie down." Kita Ikuyo quickly encouraged her, "Just hold on a little longer, we'll rest when we get to the park."
"But the park is still so far away…" Bocchi-chan spread her arms, lying on her back, like a salted fish that had given up on its dreams. "I can't move, I really can't move at all."
Kitahara Makoto looked down: "It seems Hitori has indeed reached her limit… Or how about one of you carries Hitori?"
Upon hearing this, the girls looked a bit troubled.
Girls generally have less physical strength than boys. Although their stamina was stronger than Bocchi-chan's, it wasn't by much. At this point, their legs were also aching, and they were panting. Walking by themselves was already exhausting; carrying someone would definitely make them unable to move.
At the critical moment, Ijichi Nijika bit her silver teeth lightly and stepped forward:
"I wonder if I can handle it…"
This blonde girl with a side ponytail was considerate and helpful. Even if it strained her, she would try her best to take care of others, which earned her the nickname 'Nijika Mama.'
Kitahara Makoto retorted: "Clearly, you can't handle it."
"Eh?"
Ijichi Nijika tilted her head and looked over.
Kitahara Makoto pointed: "Your legs are shaking. Carrying Hitori would probably make you collapse directly."
Ijichi Nijika: "…"
"So, I'll do it." Kitahara Makoto extended his right hand and said seriously, "Let me carry Hitori."
Upon hearing this, Bocchi-chan, who had been lying on the grass, panting like a dying fish, suddenly sat up, with a feeling akin to 'a dying patient startled awake.' Her pale face quickly flushed crimson, and she stammered nervously:
"I-I suddenly feel like I can walk again…"
Unfortunately, the girl's iron will could not be converted into stamina.
Gotō Hitori walked a few steps, but her speed quickly slowed down. Eventually, her arms even began to sway back and forth, looking exactly like a salted fish zombie about to collapse.
"Don't force yourself if you can't walk."
Kitahara Makoto extended his right hand, picked up Bocchi-chan, and tossed her onto his back.
Gotō Hitori's small face quickly flushed red, and she stammered softly:
"I-I-I-I-I…"
"Don't move around." Kitahara Makoto said sternly, "Otherwise, I'll shout that 'Guitar Hero' sensei is super cute."
"Ugh…"
Gotō Hitori had no choice but to nervously grasp Kitahara Makoto's shoulders, obediently staying still. Seeing the other girls looking over, she frantically closed her eyes, playing the ostrich.
Ijichi Nijika bit her lower lip gently, her mood inexplicably complex and subtle.
Although she knew that the two of them had no relationship yet and that dating would only happen in the future, seeing Kitahara Makoto carry Bocchi-chan still caused a strange feeling of annoyance to rise within her.
"Let's keep going." Kitahara Makoto said without changing his expression, "Mai-senpai said she's been in the Hidden World for a few days now and is still in good condition, so she's clearly solved the food and water problem. Let's hurry back and ask about the situation."
"Eh, there's something to eat?" Kita Ikuyo's spirits lifted, her morale rapidly rising, and she clenched her pink fists, saying, "Let's go, let's go! My mouth is practically on fire!"
"…"
Kitahara Makoto, with Bocchi-chan on his back, followed behind the three girls, continuing their journey towards the abandoned park.
As they walked, the faint fatigue that had been present quietly disappeared, and only one thought surged in his mind.
So soft.
The soft touch on his back must be the most wonderful thing in the world, right?
As expected, the dating partner still had to be Bocchi-chan. Flat-chested aliens were directly excluded!
A while later.
The group finally returned to the abandoned park, and from a distance, they saw a Bunny Girl sitting quietly on a long bench, clearly having waited for a long time.
"Mai-senpai, we're back." Kita Ikuyo didn't feel awkward and happily went forward to greet her, "Just as Mai-senpai said, we clearly walked in a straight line, but as we walked, the abandoned park suddenly appeared before us."
Sakurajima Mai tilted her head and looked over, her gaze lingering slightly on Kitahara Makoto and Bocchi-chan, then she said nonchalantly:
"I've tried four times, walking in all four directions—north, south, east, and west—and the result is that I always end up back here."
Everyone had initially been half-skeptical of this statement, but now they all finally believed it. The Hidden World was bizarre and could not be understood by common sense.
Kitahara Makoto gently put Bocchi-chan down from his back. Little Miss Anxiety swayed, almost losing her balance, and desperately lowered her head as if to hide her small face in her arms, clearly too embarrassed to face anyone for a while.
"Mai-senpai." Kitahara Makoto walked up to the Bunny Girl and quietly asked, "Is there anything to eat here?"
"…Follow me."
Sakurajima Mai stood up and walked towards a secluded corner.
Kitahara Makoto and the girls quickly followed.
"These fruits are edible." Sakurajima Mai walked under a tree, stood on her tiptoes, and with her slender fingers, plucked a black, unassuming fruit from the trunk. She explained, "It's a fruit I discovered by chance. For now, eating it doesn't pose any danger, and it can solve both food and water problems."
Kitahara Makoto focused his gaze and realized that the tree trunk was covered with dense black fruits. These things were black and unappealing, looking somewhat like large grapes from the outside—in short, very unremarkable.
Kitahara Makoto asked curiously:
"How should this fruit be eaten?"
Sakurajima Mai peeled open the skin of a fruit, revealing the moist pulp inside, then gently parted her pink lips and put it into her mouth: "Just peel and eat."
Kitahara Makoto tried picking a black fruit, peeled off its skin, and swallowed it whole. He found the taste surprisingly good, with a hint of sweetness, and it was quite juicy, perfectly capable of replenishing water.
"Very good." Kitahara Makoto's eyes lit up slightly, and he quickly picked a few fruits to hand to the girls, "Everyone, have a taste."
Having walked all this way, everyone was already thirsty and tired. At this moment, they didn't care about anything else and started eating.
What?
The origin of the fruit is unknown?
When surviving in the wilderness, you can squeeze out and drink the liquid from elephant dung. This stuff is way better than dung juice, okay!
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence: 9 Reader for hundreds of additional chapters and over a dozen stories