8:20 PM.
Stadium back door.
"Everyone, thanks for waiting." Shiina Maki changed her clothes and walked out, her voice clear, her smile bright, full of the lively energy of a university student, "Tonight, I'm treating, so eat as much barbecue as you want."
Kitahara Makoto smiled:
"Thank you, Maki-nee, then I won't be polite."
Shiina Maki's eyes shifted, glancing at Tomori:
"Since you're dating Taki, you're family, so there's no need to be polite."
Hearing her sister's revelation, Taki's heart skipped a beat. She quickly glanced at Tomori and, seeing Tomori's expression was normal without any hint of jealousy, she finally relaxed.
It was a good thing that in the Onsen Village this afternoon, she had clearly understood Tomori's feelings; otherwise, she would definitely be too nervous to sit still right now.
"Sister, your performance today was amazing."
Taki quickly changed the subject.
"Of course." Shiina Maki proudly lifted her chin and gave a thumbs-up, "We're a super famous band."
"Super famous might be an overstatement, right?"
"How mean, Taki actually looks down on her sister…"
"Let's hurry to the barbecue restaurant!"
"…", Talking all the way, the four quickly arrived at the barbecue restaurant.
Although Kitahara Makoto had dinner with Mai in the evening, having another late-night meal now was no problem at all.
"Kitahara-kun, you order first."
Shiina Maki handed over the electronic menu.
Kitahara Makoto reached out and took it, politely saying:
"Thank you, Maki-nee."
"The one who should be saying thank you is clearly me." Shiina Maki clutched her chest, a look of lingering fear on her pretty face, "Being targeted by someone like that, just thinking about it now makes me so scared."
An 'invincible person' has no friends, no social life, no attachments. God knows what cruel things they might do.
A few days ago, Shiina Maki had a dream. Kitahara Makoto didn't appear in the dream, and she was gradually cornered by a perverted stalker, eventually falling into his clutches, and even implicating her other friends in the band… When she woke up, she was so scared that her clothes were soaked with sweat.
For some reason, Shiina Maki had a vague premonition that if Kitahara Makoto hadn't appeared, the terrifying nightmare would most likely have become reality.
So in Shiina Maki's heart, this favor was a life-saving grace.
A life-saving grace could not be repaid. She had originally planned to offer herself, but unfortunately, her sister had beaten her to it. Now, besides treating them to a meal, she also planned to express her gratitude with a gift.
Shiina Maki took out another gift with a smile:
"Kitahara-kun, here you go."
Kitahara Makoto asked curiously:
"What is this?"
"I asked Taki, and Taki said you like to play games, so I specially bought a Sony PS5. I hope Kitahara-kun likes it."
Shiina Maki said with a beaming smile.
Kitahara Makoto smiled:
"Thank you, Maki-nee. I was just about to buy one, but now I don't have to."
"Ah, the barbecue is here… Let's all barbecue together."
"…", The charcoal barbecue cooked quickly, and soon it was ready to eat.
Taki ate the barbecue while comparing it to the fugu dish from noon. She helplessly realized that the barbecue, which used to be delicious, now only tasted okay, a significant difference compared to the fugu feast from noon.
(Oh no…)
(Mom's cooking isn't even as good as barbecue. Now that barbecue tastes ordinary, won't mom's cooking be hard to swallow?)
(Am I going to have to mooch off his meals every day from now on?)
At this thought, a phrase suddenly popped into Taki's mind:
(To capture a boy's heart, you must first capture his stomach…)
Taki's small face flushed.
(Could it be that my stomach has been captured?)
(Damn it! Stop thinking nonsense!)
(Not to mention the genders are reversed, it's just one meal, I won't have my stomach captured just like that!)
"Taki, you're not yourself today."
A suspicious female voice suddenly rang out.
"Eh?"
Taki jumped in surprise and quickly looked up at Maki, who was sitting opposite her, asking nervously:
"Sister, what are you suddenly talking about?"
Shiina Maki pointed a finger and said:
"I remember Taki likes beef tongue the most, right? Why haven't you eaten any today?"
Taki: "…"
Grilled beef tongue is considered a relatively high-end ingredient in the culinary world. It's said that everyone who has tried it praises it, and its quantity is limited. Taki used to really like grilled beef tongue.
But then was then, and now is now.
At this moment, Taki, due to certain unspeakable reasons, had developed a psychological aversion to tongues and completely no longer wanted to eat grilled beef tongue.
In fact, as soon as she saw beef tongue, the embarrassing memories from the afternoon involuntarily surged into her mind. Taki quickly shook her head, but the temperature on her face still rose rapidly, and she stammered with her head down:
"Um… I want to save the delicious things for last, that's right, that's it!"
"I see."
Kitahara Makoto's face showed a 'realization' expression:
"I don't have any particular preference for grilled beef tongue. Since Taki likes it so much, I'll give it all to Taki."
Although he didn't know what the ghostly Taki had experienced that afternoon, judging from her current reaction… she probably participated in the whole thing.
"Here."
Kitahara Makoto spoke while handing over all the beef tongue in front of him.
Shiina Maki said with a beaming smile:
"Kitahara-kun really takes care of Taki."
(Damn it!)
(I don't want this kind of care at all!)
Taki gritted her teeth, brought her left hand under the table, and, while no one was paying attention, pinched Kitahara Makoto's waist hard.
Kitahara Makoto was speechless:
What is Taki doing?"
Taki tightened her small face, as if she hadn't done anything:
"I'm sorry, I don't know what Kitahara-kun is talking about."
"Tsk~"
Kitahara Makoto lightly clicked his tongue, slowly wiped his hands, and then, while no one was paying attention, his right hand quietly dropped.
Girls, these creatures, have many weak spots on their bodies, such as their waists. With just a gentle pinch, they will jump up like startled kittens.
However, Maki and Tomori were sitting opposite them, so ambushing Taki's waist was definitely out of the question.
Her thigh, however, was fine…
"Ugh…!"
Taki's body stiffened, almost crying out in surprise. Her small face flushed red, and she turned her head, glaring at him shyly:
"Stupid Kitahara, what are you doing?!"
Kitahara Makoto's expression was innocent:
"I'm sorry, I don't know what Taki-san is talking about."
Taki: "…"
The words she had just spoken were now returned to her verbatim. Taki could only clench her teeth, silently swallow the bitter fruit, and at the same time, glare at him in annoyance, signaling with her eyes:
Don't you dare push your luck, you guy!!!
"By the way, Kitahara-kun," Shiina Maki chatted while eating yakiniku, "You saw the news about the fog incident in Kamakura, right?"
Kitahara Makoto nodded:
"I saw it."
Not only did he see it, but he also participated in it from beginning to end.
"The authorities actually admitted the existence of anomalies. I suddenly feel like the world has become dangerous…" Shiina Maki looked over pitifully, "I don't know what to do if I encounter an anomaly in the future. I hope I don't become one of those 'unidentified missing persons' mentioned in the official announcement."
Taki hesitated for two seconds, then whispered:
"Don't worry, big sister. If you encounter an anomaly, you can ask Kitahara-kun for help."
"Eh?"
"This guy is quite capable… Just leave it to him."
"…"
9:30 PM.
After finishing the all-you-can-eat yakiniku, the four of them each went home.
Maki and Taki took the train back together, while Kitahara Makoto took Tomori on a quick trip back home.
"Makoto-kun, welcome back."
Mutsumi's emotionless voice was the first to sound.
Immediately followed by a clear and pleasant girlish voice:
"Kitahara-kun, where did you and Tomori-chan go?"
It was already 9:30 PM, and Anon, bored, had already come over to play.
Kitahara Makoto said calmly:
"I went on a date with Tomori."
"Wahhh…"
The pink-haired girl's cheeks immediately puffed up.
Anon, the jealous one, lived up to her reputation.
Kitahara Makoto said unhurriedly:
"Anon, are you free tomorrow? Do you want to go on a date?"
Chihaya Anon snorted lightly and turned her pretty face away:
"I'm not free at all."
Kitahara Makoto said as if nothing had happened:
"If Anon isn't free, then I'll continue dating Tomori?"
The pink-haired girl instantly became a pufferfish:
"…How mean!!"
After spending so much time together, Kitahara Makoto already knew exactly how many moles Anon had on her body, so he naturally understood the meaning behind Anon's jealousy.
Simply put.
Jealousy was not the goal, but a means. The true goal was actually to be coaxed.
Unfortunately, time was limited. Before Kitahara Makoto could finish coaxing Anon, girls arrived one after another, preparing to soak in the onsen together that night. During this time, there was naturally no shortage of chattering and gossip.
Kita: "Did everyone use that Wish Note?"
Anon: "I used it. My wish was for my mom to give me more pocket money… As a result, in the evening, my mom suddenly told me that the neighbor's child was about to enter junior high school, and asked me to go to the neighbor's house to help tutor them, and also gave me 20,000 yen in pocket money. It felt so hard to describe."
Soyo: "I also found that the way wishes are granted seems a bit strange."
Ryo: "My wish didn't come true."
Kitahara Makoto looked over curiously: "What wish did Ryo-senpai make?"
Ryo clasped her hands together and said expectantly:
"I want a legendary free meal ticket. After getting this ticket, I can eat at any restaurant in the world without having to pay."
You're kidding me!
How much do you want a free lunch?!
Yamada Ryo continued:
"Then that Wish Note suddenly weathered and finally turned into ashes. It feels like the wish failed."
Nijika looked over in surprise:
"Eh, Ryo's Wish Note turned into ashes? Why is it different from everyone else's wish notes?"
Kitahara Makoto pondered and said:
"It seems now that if a wish can be fulfilled, the Wish Note will turn into white light. If it's a wild, impossible wish, it will burn to ashes."
"…"
Listening to the girls' chattering, Kitahara Makoto quickly obtained firsthand information on the use of the [Wish Note].
If a wish could be fulfilled, the Wish Note would turn into white light and disappear. If a wish could not be fulfilled, the Wish Note would burn to ashes.
The way wishes were granted was not out of thin air, but more like some kind of accident and coincidence.
Finally, the speed at which wishes were granted seemed to have no relation to their difficulty.
For example, Nijika's wish was for her older sister to rest well for a while and not work so hard, which seemed like a very ordinary wish, but it still hasn't come true until now.
Once everyone had arrived, Kitahara Makoto waved his hand, leading the girls to the [Onsen Village] to enjoy their mixed bathing time for the day. Naturally, there was nothing to say about the process. With the girls gathered together, he could only be honest and well-behaved, practically a gentleman.
After soaking in the onsen, it was already past 10 PM.
Some of the girls chose to stay, wanting to have an adventure in the Dream World at night, while others, of course, chose to go home and rest.
"Nijika, why don't you stay tonight too?"
Yamada Ryo said earnestly:
"I'll be in my third year of high school next year, and I want to make good progress and study hard in the Dream World."
"I refuse." Nijika's pretty face quickly flushed red, and she couldn't help but glare at him, "If Ryo wants to study, then she can stay by herself. I definitely have to go back… My wish for my sister to rest well hasn't come true yet, and I feel a strange sense of worry."
She said she wanted to study, but in reality, she clearly wanted to do bad things. She wouldn't fall for it no matter what!
Without delay, she left.
Nijika quickly called Hana and quickly traveled home.
"Soyo, what time is your aunt coming back tonight?"
Kitahara Makoto asked in a low voice.
Soyo's pretty face flushed, knowing naturally what he meant by that question, and whispered:
"Mom said she has to work overtime all night tonight…"
Kitahara Makoto's eyes lit up:
"Then I won't be polite."
"Pfft~"
Soyo lightly spat, raised her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, and said softly with a red face:
"It's too hard for one person… Can we call Togawa over?"
There was no other way. Soyo had clearly realized her limits. She couldn't hold on, absolutely couldn't hold on. Every time, she was on the verge of breaking down, so she urgently wanted to find someone to help.
Kitahara Makoto said speechlessly:
"I'd like to, but Togawa definitely won't agree."
Soyo pursed her lips:
"Indeed, with Togawa's personality, she definitely wouldn't agree unless it's a special situation… I'll just have to slowly figure something out. I'm going back now."
Soyo, with a flushed pretty face, said goodbye and left.
Kitahara Makoto walked into the bathroom, preparing to take a quick shower, when he suddenly saw a message from Nijika pop up on his phone:
"Kitahara-kun, my sister is in trouble!"
"Hmm?"
Kitahara Makoto lightly raised an eyebrow and quickly sat up straight.
"What happened to Seika-nee?"
Nijika: "My sister fell while taking a shower in the bathroom. It's very serious… Kitahara-kun, can you come over?"
Kitahara Makoto decisively stood up and said:
"I'll be right there."
"…"
Putting away his phone, he called Hana who was watching TV, and Kitahara Makoto quickly traveled, appearing in Nijika's room.
"Nijika-senpai?"
Kitahara Makoto directly pushed the door open and walked out of the room.
"…I'm here!"
Nijika's voice quickly came from the bathroom, faintly tinged with a sob.
"I'm here."
Kitahara Makoto strode to the bathroom door and saw Nijika, her eyes red, open the door, her eyes brimming with tears:
"It's my fault… It's all my fault…"