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"Mai-senpai, you go shower first."
Kitahara Makoto walked towards the kitchen and said, "I need to dispose of the food waste from before. It's been two days, and the weather's been hot lately. If I don't throw it out soon, it'll start to smell."
"...Excuse me."
Sakurajima Mai didn't refuse, or rather, couldn't refuse. Her mouth involuntarily agreed.
People in Japan generally bathe once a day, not to mention Sakurajima Mai, who has mild mysophobia. After unexpectedly entering the Otherworld, finding wild fruits and barely sustaining the necessary survival was already the limit; there was no chance to bathe at all.
She hadn't bathed for days, even several days, due to the environment, and could only grit her teeth and endure. Now, back in the Reality World, with a clean bathroom and hot water, Sakurajima Mai could no longer suppress the urge to bathe. She felt itchy all over.
Bathe!
She must wash herself thoroughly, inside and out!
As for whether Kitahara Makoto would barge into the bathroom midway and do something terrible, Sakurajima Mai wasn't worried at all.
The memories of the future were fragmented, making it impossible to fully understand a person's character. Sakurajima Mai was mainly confident in herself—the man she could fancy and was willing to date, his appearance and family background were secondary; his character and personality would definitely pass her standards.
"...Well, there's also the possibility that I misjudged him."
Sakurajima Mai's delicate brows furrowed slightly, and the scene of Kitahara Makoto cheating in the future reappeared in her mind.
If a man's character and personality were up to par, he certainly wouldn't cheat on his Girlfriend!
(Speaking of which, who was Scumbag-kun cheating with?)
Sakurajima Mai walked into the bathroom, taking off her clothes while pursing her pink lips in thought. Unfortunately, the future scenes she foresaw were fragmented, and many things were unclear.
(While it would be satisfying to use a cleaver on my cheating Boyfriend-kun, I'd also go to jail. Why would my future self be so impulsive and angry?)
(Could it be... the person Scumbag-kun cheated with is related to me, and someone very important to me?)
Splash.
Hot water poured down.
Sakurajima Mai closed her eyes, and a blissful expression quickly appeared on her pretty face. She didn't want to think so much; bathing was the most important thing now. She would stay for one night, then return directly to Kamakura tomorrow, and never see Scumbag-kun again!
At the same time.
Kitahara Makoto sorted and packed the food waste, then walked out of the kitchen.
Splash.
The sound of water pouring came from the bathroom.
Kitahara Makoto looked in the direction of the sound, but unfortunately, he couldn't see anything. His house wasn't a hotel, so naturally, there wouldn't be any faintly visible frosted glass doors.
"Mai-senpai."
Kitahara Makoto passed the bathroom and suddenly remembered something, so he called out.
"What is it?"
Sakurajima Mai's voice came from the bathroom, clearly with a hint of vigilance: "Has Kitahara-kun already lost his patience and decided to embark on a path of One Goes Without Return?"
Hey, hey, what kind of path of One Goes Without Return is that?
Don't make it sound so scary!
But then again, given Sakurajima Mai's stubborn personality, if he really did barge in, she would truly disregard her reputation afterward and send the culprit to prison to operate a sewing machine, wouldn't she?
The inverse example would be Bocchi-chan; her personality is super timid, and she wouldn't dare to tell others when she's wronged. If she were ever bullied by him, she would probably just hide in a cardboard box and cry silently.
If he then took a video with his phone to threaten her, Little Miss Anxiety would most likely submit meekly, teary-eyed and obedient, doing whatever she was told!
"I'm sorry, Mai-senpai, though very cute, is not enough to break my will," Kitahara Makoto said calmly, "I wanted to remind you, Senpai, that the bathroom door lock was accidentally broken before and I haven't had time to fix it. Please be careful, Senpai, and it's best to block the door with something."
"Got it…" Sakurajima Mai's voice came from the bathroom, "One more thing, there's no more soap in the bathroom. Kitahara-kun, please get another bar from the cabinet."
"Just a moment."
Kitahara Makoto agreed, went to the storage cabinet under the washbasin, retrieved a spare bar of soap, and then returned to the bathroom door.
"Senpai, please open the door. Here's your soap."
Sakurajima Mai: "No need, just leave it outside the door and I'll get it myself."
Kitahara Makoto was surprised: "Mai-senpai is going to come out and get it herself?"
Opening the door a crack versus coming out to get it herself—the latter has a much higher chance of exposure, right?!
"That's right," Sakurajima Mai's voice sounded a little playful, "Because there's one more thing I need to ask Kitahara-kun."
"What is it?"
"My clothes are unwearable. Please, Kitahara-kun, go out and buy me a set of clothes, including underwear and outerwear."
Kitahara Makoto's mouth twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but complain:
"I regret it. I shouldn't have passed by the bathroom door. Mai-senpai is like an NPC in a game; once you get close, it triggers a forced dialogue mode, and then she gives me one task after another."
"Hmph~"
Sakurajima Mai let out an inexplicable soft hum, her voice trailing off, sounding unexpectedly pleasant: "Since you brought a girl home, Kitahara-kun, of course you have to take responsibility."
Kitahara Makoto sighed: "Can I decline the quest?"
Sakurajima Mai: "I'm sorry, Kitahara-kun, you don't have an option to refuse."
Kitahara Makoto said speechlessly: "No, when Kita went to buy clothes before, why didn't you ask her to bring a set?"
Sakurajima Mai replied casually: "I don't want to owe favors to others."
Kitahara Makoto retorted: "So owing me a favor is fine then?"
"..."
The bathroom suddenly fell silent.
"Cough... I accept the task. I'll go buy clothes now."
Kitahara Makoto placed the soap at the bathroom door, said goodbye, and prepared to leave.
"Master, eat?"
Seeing Kitahara Makoto about to leave, the white-haired beast-eared girl ran over on her short legs.
Eat what? Is food the only thing in your head?!
"You stay at home. I'm going out to buy clothes, not sneaking out to eat without you," Kitahara Makoto extended his right hand and rubbed the Beast Eared Girl's small head. "I'll be back soon."
The Beast Eared Girl barely understood, and only then did she release Kitahara Makoto's leg.
After taking two steps, Kitahara Makoto couldn't resist. He turned back to the Beast Eared Girl and reached out to pat her head again.
White hair.
Red eyes.
Beast ears.
All aligned with his aesthetic, so of course he had to play a bit more before leaving. Before heading out, worried that the Beast Eared Girl would be bored, he casually turned on the television.
"Sit still and watch TV, understand?"
"Understood."
The white-haired beast-eared girl obediently sat on the sofa.
Speaking of which, as a strange creature, Hana-chan, besides her bottomless appetite, must also have special abilities. He'll have to figure that out when he has time...
"Senpai, I'm leaving."
Kitahara Makoto said goodbye, changed his shoes, and left.
The process of buying clothes was simple. With many fragmented future visions in his mind, Kitahara Makoto was well aware of Mai-senpai's fashion preferences.
After buying the clothes, Kitahara Makoto also bought two ordinary mobile phones, planning to give one to Mai-senpai and the other to his mount, Hana-chan. After completing all purchases, he carried the items and turned to go home.
The journey was uneventful.
Kitahara Makoto returned home under the moonlight, and as he pushed open the door and stepped into the entrance, he was shocked to see a girl in a white bathrobe kneeling at the doorway.
"Kitahara-dono~ Do you want to bathe first? Or eat me first?"
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