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"Okay."
Wakaba Mutsumi didn't hesitate and simply took the answer book.
Because Mutsumi had shallow emotions, she didn't even have much curiosity. Although she had witnessed the extraordinary nature of the answer book, she still didn't ask a single extra question.
"What is the relationship between Dad and this mask?"
Wakaba Mutsumi extended her right hand, placed it on the answer book, and asked softly.
Whoosh.
The answer book turned pages rapidly without any wind.
Before long, a line of text quietly appeared on the blank page:
[Utilizes the cursed mask to devour one's own depressive emotions and extract positive emotions from it]
"Eh?" Nagasaki Soyo's eyes widened in surprise, "The book says Mutsumi's father has depression?"
Takamatsu Tomori's eyes showed confusion:
"I saw Mutsumi's father perform on TV, and he seemed to be in very good spirits."
Wakaba Mutsumi's father was a super popular comedian, and her mother was a famous actress, making her a standard second-generation rich and second-generation celebrity.
Togawa Sakiko crossed her arms over her chest, pursed her beautiful lips, and said softly:
"Although it's incredible, this is clearly the truth."
Kitahara Makoto said softly:
"Being a comedian is actually very difficult. Most comedians in the world suffer from varying degrees of depression."
The reason is simple.
Humans have limits.
No one can be happy forever, or energetic forever, but comedians cannot relax. Once the mask is worn for too long, it will eventually make people unable to breathe.
Nagasaki Soyo blinked, confused:
"Wait a minute, Mutsumi's father carefully put away the mask, so why would Mutsumi have a curse on her?"
"Curses are ethereal and not contagious only through physical contact." Kitahara Makoto paused, looking at Mutsumi, "The important thing is, where do positive emotions come from?"
The cursed mask is merely a vessel, its purpose is to absorb and release emotions, but it cannot create human emotions out of thin air.
However, the answer book stated that Wakaba Mutsumi's father would draw positive emotions from it.
So where do these positive emotions come from?
At this very moment, Everyone already had a guess in their hearts.
It was quite clear that the positive emotions in the cursed mask likely originated from Mutsumi, no wonder Mutou Ren's feelings were so faint.
"Mutsumi…"
Nagasaki Soyo's eyes were filled with worry.
"I'm fine."
Wakaba Mutsumi shook her head.
In a state of emotional indifference, even knowing the truth would not cause much emotional upheaval.
"Of course, it's just a guess, and the situation might be different from what we imagined." Kitahara Makoto spoke softly, changing the subject, "Now the important thing is, how do we deal with this cursed mask?"
"…"
Only Mutsumi could make a decision on this matter; no one else could.
Wakaba Mutsumi was silent for two seconds, then put the cursed mask back into the wooden box, and suddenly let out a soft hum, her slender eyebrows furrowing slightly.
"Mutsumi, what's wrong?"
Takamatsu Tomori asked nervously.
"It's nothing." Wakaba Mutsumi replied softly, "The edge of the mask is very sharp, and my finger hurts a bit."
After locking the cursed mask in the safe, Wakaba Mutsumi said:
"It is father's precious item, it cannot be damaged."
"…"
Kitahara Makoto and the girls all remained silent, and no one stopped her.
Although no one had suffered from depression, everyone understood how terrible it could be; people with severe depression could even go down the road of One Goes Without Return leading to suicide.
Since the cursed mask could absorb the depressive emotions from Mutsumi's father, it absolutely could not be damaged.
"It's alright, besides destroying the mask, the book also has a way to lift the curse on Mutsumi." Togawa Sakiko said softly, "Eden Fruit can do the same."
Nagasaki Soyo hesitated:
"But Mutsumi hasn't been to the Otherworld yet, we can't involve her."
"Kitahara-kun, can you bring out the Eden Fruit?"
Togawa Sakiko looked over.
"Of course, it's possible." Kitahara Makoto nodded gently, "But you probably can't do it."
"Eh?" Nagasaki Soyo looked over in confusion, "Why?"
"Because you can't resist." Kitahara Makoto clasped his fingers together, and said seriously, "The Eden Fruit will attract human souls, and a craving from the soul level will make you unable to resist eating the Eden Fruit in your hand immediately."
Nagasaki Soyo said doubtfully:
"That sounds a bit too exaggerated, doesn't it?"
"If you want to know if it's exaggerated, just try it yourself." Kitahara Makoto looked at Soyo, "How about we go to the Otherworld this evening?"
Nagasaki Soyo was slightly tempted:
"Sakiko, what do you say?"
Togawa Sakiko's pretty face flushed; the after-effects of 'repaying kindness' had not yet ended, and she still couldn't face Kitahara Makoto for a short while, so she turned her pretty face away and said:
"I'm quite busy these two days, let's talk about it when I'm free."
"Then let's talk about it when we're free." Nagasaki Soyo raised her hand to tuck the strands of hair behind her ear, then looked back at Kitahara Makoto, "Today's questioning chances are all used up. Tomorrow, Kitahara-kun, please ask if the curse has any harm to Mutsumi, okay?"
"Alright."
Kitahara Makoto nodded in agreement.
With the mask back in its place, Mutsumi took down the stockings that had been covering the surveillance camera, and then everyone quietly left the room together.
All the necessary matters had been dealt with, so next was naturally eating and drinking.
The gathering ended.
The girls refused the invitation to stay for lunch and prepared to bid farewell.
Kitahara Makoto, while no one was paying attention, walked over to Wakaba Mutsumi and whispered:
"Mutsumi, can you give me that poster on the wall?"
Kitahara Makoto, of course, wouldn't forget the poster that could be optimized.
"You can."
Wakaba Mutsumi agreed without expression.
"I'm extremely grateful." Kitahara Makoto took the poster and carefully put it into his backpack, "If you ever need anything in the future, just come find me."
"Okay."
"…"
While coming, they had to transfer trains, but going back was much easier.
Wakaba Mutsumi directly had the driver drive them back.
Tomori hadn't returned home all night and needed to get back early. Sakiko and Soyo also got off midway, unwilling to have lunch with Kitahara Makoto, leaving only Kitahara Makoto as a lone bachelor.
As the car passed a Commercial Street, Kitahara Makoto suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar pink-haired girl flashing past the window and quickly called for a stop.
"You can drop me off here, I suddenly have other matters."
Kitahara Makoto greeted the driver and decisively pushed the door open to get out. Across the road, a pink-haired girl wearing a simple white shirt stood at the entrance of a pet shop, secretly pacing back and forth, a small cowlick on her head swaying in the wind.
Who else could it be but Bocchi-chan?
The unexpected encounter was even more delightful.
Kitahara Makoto simply walked over, originally intending to surprise her from behind, but Bocchi-chan was quite alert. Just as he reached behind her, Bocchi-chan seemed to sense him and nervously turned to look.
"Hitori, I finally found you."
Kitahara Makoto chose to strike first.
"Ah…?"
Gotō Hitori's eyes widened, her expression adorable.
Kitahara Makoto said seriously:
"Hitori, have you forgotten what day it is today?"
"Th-that…" Gotō Hitori stammered, whispering, "The day we study together?"
Kitahara Makoto spoke from a position of authority:
"Since you know, why didn't you come over to study this morning?"
"I-I'm sorry." Gotō Hitori quickly bowed, "Kitahara-kun didn't send me a message this morning, so I thought you were too busy and didn't go over…"
"We agreed to study together to get into Todai, and Hitori actually stood me up." Kitahara Makoto took a half-step forward, his presence overwhelming, "Hitori, you tell me, shouldn't you accept punishment?"
Upon hearing the word 'punishment,' Gotō Hitori's small face quickly flushed. She quickly raised her hand to cover her pink lips, saying flusteredly:
"Not on the street…"
"Then can we do it when we go home?"
"N-not then either…"
"Neither this nor that, you're making it very difficult for me." Kitahara Makoto sighed, and said slowly, "Hitori, you tell me how you should be punished?"
"I-I don't know…"
Steam was already billowing from the top of Gotō Hitori's head.
Don't ask.
If you ask, the answer is no.
But if she really gets taken advantage of… she can just close her eyes and play ostrich.
"It's almost noon, Hitori, if you're out playing now, will Futari be hungry at home?"
Kitahara Makoto asked softly.
"No." Gotō Hitori quickly shook her head, answering softly, "Mom is off today, and she'll be making lunch."
"That's good." Kitahara Makoto smiled, "Then Hitori, don't go back for lunch, eat with me."
Gotō Hitori: "…"
So the real target was me.
"Th-that…"
Bocchi-chan stammered, still wanting to struggle a bit.
Unfortunately, Kitahara Makoto gave no quarter, And changed the subject again:
"Hitori, what are you doing at the pet shop?"
Gotō Hitori replied softly:
"I came to buy a gift for Jimihen. Jimihen's birthday is coming up, and Futari has already bought a gift, so if I don't buy one now, it'll be too late."
"Jimihen?" Kitahara Makoto thought for a moment and said, "Is that the dog at Hitori's house?"
"Mhm, mhm." Gotō Hitori nodded quickly, "Just as cute as the dog Kitahara-kun turned into."
"…"
Kitahara Makoto's lips twitched slightly. He turned to look at the pet shop, seeing it packed with people, and said softly:
"Too many people, so you didn't dare to go in?"
"There really are a lot of people." Gotō Hitori said pitifully in a small voice, "I thought there wouldn't be many people at noon."
"Perhaps this pet shop is quite popular." Kitahara Makoto turned and walked towards the pet shop, "Let's go, I'll take Hitori inside, buy the gift, and then go home for lunch."
"Mhm, mhm."
Gotō Hitori nodded quickly, extending her small hand, ready to tug at Kitahara Makoto's sleeve.
Slap.
Kitahara Makoto backhanded and held Bocchi-chan's soft hand, raising an eyebrow in surprise:
"Hitori, you're actually taking my hand voluntarily today?"
"N-no…" Gotō Hitori's small face quickly flushed, and she stammered shyly, "I-I wanted to hold Kitahara-kun's clothes…"
"Clothes?" Kitahara Makoto's expression turned serious, "Why hold clothes? We are in an open and honest relationship, we can just hold hands directly."
"We're not dating…"
Gotō Hitori only dared to refute in a small voice in her heart.
Because she knew very well that if she dared to say it out loud, she would definitely be taken advantage of.
"T-too many people…"
Gotō Hitori whispered while struggling a little.
Then Kitahara Makoto held her tighter, and said seriously:
"What if there are many people? We are in an open and honest relationship; being secretive will only make people suspicious."
Kitahara Makoto spoke while holding Bocchi-chan's hand, pushing the door open and walking into the pet shop.
Gotō Hitori had no choice but to blush, lower her head, and follow closely behind Kitahara Makoto like a small tail.
She was extremely nervous when she stood at the entrance earlier, always worried that there might be some kind of monster in the pet store, but now, all the nervousness and fear had disappeared, because only shyness remained.
She walked into the pet store.
A cool breeze blew, making her feel exceptionally comfortable.
Kitahara Makoto exhaled lightly and looked at the small tail, Bocchi-chan, behind him:
"Hitori, have you thought about what gift you want to buy?"
"Toys or a collar, I guess."
Gotō Hitori pursed her pink lips, her voice already a faint hum, quickly looked up at the pet store's environment, and then quickly lowered her small head, "Th-that shelf over there seems to have gifts."
"Let's go take a look."
Kitahara Makoto nodded and led Bocchi-chan through the crowd to the shelf.
"Y-you can let go of me now..."
Gotō Hitori's small face was crimson, and she looked up pitifully.
"No."
Kitahara Makoto said confidently, "Just for a little longer. Maybe Hitori will get used to it if we keep holding hands."
Gotō Hitori: "..."
Having no choice, Gotō Hitori could only blush and choose pet supplies from the shelf. Fortunately, there were no customers in the shelf area, which allowed Bocchi-chan's sense of shame to cool down a bit, and steam finally stopped rising from her head.
"Ah, frisbees, balls, teething ropes, and collars... there are so many types."
Gotō Hitori was overwhelmed, her indecisiveness kicked in, and she found it difficult to make a choice for a while.
Kitahara Makoto's gaze, however, was drawn to an item in the corner.
It was a black pet collar with a small, exquisite bell on it.
Most importantly, this collar was clearly emitting a faint glow.
"Optimizable item?"
Kitahara Makoto reached out and picked up the pet collar, and as expected, the long-unseen prompt popped up:
"You have obtained an optimizable item. Optimize now?"
"No."
Kitahara Makoto was quite pleased.
He had just obtained a poster at Mutsumi's house, and in a blink of an eye, he found an optimizable pet collar at the pet store. Could today be his lucky day?
By the time Bocchi-chan slowly picked out her gift, it was already twenty minutes later.
As usual, Kitahara Makoto paid at the front, while Gotō Hitori followed closely behind him like a small tail. With Kitahara Makoto by her side, she had no desire to interact with the cashier.
As for the money for the gift, she had already given it to Kitahara Makoto in front of the shelf.
After buying the gift, the two walked out of the pet store, and the scorching sun immediately poured down, with hot waves rushing towards them.
"So hot."
Kitahara Makoto glanced at the cloudless sky:
"Let's hurry home and turn on the air conditioner."
"Mm-hmm."
Gotō Hitori nodded quickly: "Kitahara-kun, you've worked hard today."
"Hitori, don't be happy too soon."
Kitahara Makoto looked at Bocchi-chan and raised an eyebrow, "You haven't chosen what punishment to accept yet."
Gotō Hitori: "..."
The two talked as they quickly walked towards the Train Station.
It was a scorching summer day.
There were almost no pedestrians on the road.
When they arrived at the Train Station, the train was also nowhere in sight.
"Let's buy some cold drinks."
Kitahara Makoto walked to the vending machine, "Ice cream and drinks, what do you want, Hitori?"
Gotō Hitori blinked: "Ice cream, I guess."
"There are many flavors of ice cream: chocolate, vanilla, blueberry, mango... Which flavor do you want, Hitori?"
"I'm fine with anything."
"Then I'll buy Hitori a cilantro-flavored ice cream?"
"Eh?!"
Gotō Hitori's eyes widened in shock, and she quickly looked up at the vending machine, where she indeed saw a cilantro-flavored ice cream.
"No cilantro!"
Gotō Hitori shook her head quickly.
"Alright then."
Kitahara Makoto, however, was very interested, "I'll try the cilantro-flavored ice cream."
As for Hana, any ice cream would do; she wasn't picky at all.
"..."
After buying the ice cream, Kitahara Makoto and Bocchi-chan walked to a corner and sat down.
In the large Train Station, only the two of them were waiting for the train.
"The summer vacation is quite long. I plan to get my driver's license."
Kitahara Makoto stated his summer plans, "Hitori, do you want to go together?"
"Eh?"
Gotō Hitori looked up at his words, her peach blossom eyes looking curiously through her bangs, "My dad said that minors can't get a driver's license, right?"
"Minors can't get a car driver's license."
Kitahara Makoto explained, "But small-displacement motorcycles are fine. If you get a motorcycle driver's license, Hitori won't have to squeeze onto the train for school every day. Later, if you want to go out and play, you can even have a 'spontaneous trip.' What do you think, do you want to get one?"
Motorcycles in Japan are divided into two types, mainly by displacement. Large motorcycles require adulthood to get a license, but high school students can get a license for small motorcycles.
There was an anime called "Super Cub" where the main character rode a small motorcycle to and from school.
And Shima Rin from "Laid-Back Camp" also rode a small motorcycle alone to go camping.
In short, high school students can definitely get a license for a small motorcycle, but when driving a small motorcycle, the speed cannot exceed thirty kilometers per hour, which is similar to riding an electric bike.
"Spontaneous trip..."
Gotō Hitori blinked, a hint of excitement appearing on her small face.
Sixteen or seventeen-year-old high school students are at an age where they are full of interest in travel and the outside world. Of course, Gotō Hitori did not want to hide at home all day.
If she could choose, she would naturally want to go out and play too.
"B-but it's still not possible..."
Gotō Hitori shook her head nervously, stuck out the tip of her tongue, licked her ice cream, and then said softly:
"Mom told me that when she got her driver's license, she had to stay at the Driving School for a training camp, which sounds so scary..."
Summer and winter vacations are peak times for learning to drive, so there would definitely be a lot of people.
A "slipper-worm" like herself should hide in a dark closet; if she appeared outside rashly, she would probably be killed by the sunlight, right?
Kitahara Makoto patiently explained:
"There are two ways to get a driver's license. One is the training camp system that Hitori mentioned, which allows you to get the license in a short time. The other allows you to choose your time freely, just like school classes. We can choose the second way to get the driver's license."
Gotō Hitori hesitated:
"But I'm too clumsy, I'm worried I won't learn it..."
"Can you ride a bicycle?"
"Yes."
"Then there's no problem. If you can ride a bicycle, you can definitely ride a motorcycle."
Kitahara Makoto concluded, "Let's go back for dinner and study, then go to the Driving School to sign up in the evening. Let's try to get the driver's license before the summer vacation, and then have a spontaneous trip."
Gotō Hitori quickly stammered:
"Signing up must cost a lot of money, and I don't have any..."
"I'll lend it to Hitori. You can pay me back slowly, no rush."
"Th-that..."
"It's settled then."
Kitahara Makoto raised the ice cream in his hand, "Although it's cilantro-flavored, it tastes quite good. Hitori, do you want to try some?"
"Won't it taste terrible?"
Gotō Hitori's expression was hesitant.
She wanted to try, but cilantro was off-putting.
"It's really good."
Kitahara Makoto said seriously, "I guarantee Hitori won't be disappointed."
"Then... I'll try some?"
Kitahara Makoto smiled and leaned down towards Bocchi-chan.
Their eyes met.
Gotō Hitori immediately understood, and her small face quickly flushed:
"N-not outside..."
"There's no one outside."
"Hana-chan is still here..."
"Hana-chan isn't human."
"..."
While speaking, Kitahara Makoto gently blocked Bocchi-chan's pink, moist cherry lips.
Because it was her first time kissing outside, Bocchi-chan was clearly extra nervous and was easily breached by Kitahara Makoto. Only then did she react, her tongue quickly trying to retreat in embarrassment, but it was too late. She was soon caught and teased by Kitahara Makoto.
A moment later.
Kitahara Makoto, satisfied, let go of Hitori and wiped the corner of his lips:
"How does the cilantro-flavored ice cream taste?"
"..."
Steam was whistling from the top of Gotō Hitori's head, her head was spinning, and she felt like she was about to faint.
Taste?
Sorry, she only felt it was cool and comfortable; everything else was forgotten.
A little while later, the train slowly approached, and Kitahara Makoto led Bocchi-chan and Hana onto the train.
The journey was silent.
After returning home and having lunch, while Bocchi-chan was in the bathroom, Kitahara Makoto took his backpack and pulled out the pet collar and the Kessoku Band poster.
"Let's see what entries the collar can add first..."
Kitahara Makoto first picked up the pet collar.
[You have found an optimizable item. Optimize now?]
[Optimize.]
Specks of starlight quietly drifted down and merged into the pet collar.
[Item: Pet Collar]
[Current Status: Optimized]
[Usage: Worn around the neck]
[New Entry: Pet Happiness Collar. When a pet wears this collar and you have intimate contact with the pet, the pet's happiness value will double.]
[New Entry: Our Bond is Indestructible. Separate the bell from the collar. When the pet wears the collar and you shake the bell, the pet will instantly appear by your side through spatial movement.]
[Note: The Bond entry does not apply to humans.]
Kitahara Makoto pondered for a moment, and his eyes suddenly lit up.
"The note says the Bond won't apply to humans. In other words, the first Pet Happiness Collar can apply to humans?"
The more Kitahara Makoto thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.
"It only says 'pet,' it doesn't say 'animal.' It's perfectly reasonable for it to apply to humans, right?"
The first person Kitahara Makoto thought of was Ryo-senpai.
If Ryo-senpai wore the collar and the entry effect was triggered… Oh no, would Ryo-senpai be taken advantage of into breaking down?
Taking a deep breath, Kitahara Makoto temporarily suppressed the terrible images in his mind and pondered the use of the second entry.
"It can make the pet instantly teleport and appear in front of the owner…"
Kitahara Makoto's gaze shifted to Hana sitting on the sofa watching "cherry maruko."
"Hana isn't human, so maybe the effect can be triggered?"
"Also… can it be used to steal Eden Fruit?"
"Eating the biscuit, transforming from a human into an animal, can that activate the second entry attribute?"
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