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The rest goes without saying.
Kitahara Makoto showered alone, and naturally, no accidents occurred.
When he came out after showering, Chihaya Anon, who had barely recovered her ability to move, threw the three people's clothes into the washing machine separately.
Although it was still raining outside, modern washing machines generally have a drying function, so there was no need to worry about drying the clothes.
At the same time.
Takamatsu Tomori, who was in a coma, also groggily opened her eyes.
"Ah, Tomori-chan is awake." Chihaya Anon happily called out, "Tomori-chan, how do you feel now?"
Takamatsu Tomori blinked her eyes, seemingly slowly regaining her senses: "…I feel much better."
Kitahara Makoto handed over the thermometer he had bought earlier: "First, take your temperature."
"Mm."
Takamatsu Tomori supported herself on the sofa with one hand and sat up directly.
However, the previous bathrobe was only draped over her body. Now, as Tomori-chan got up, the bathrobe naturally slid down.
Seeing the snow-white skin beneath the bathrobe starting to appear, Kitahara Makoto didn't have time to think and instinctively reached out to block it.
The next second.
A soft, springy sensation immediately filled his palm.
"…"
The air immediately fell silent.
Looking down at Kitahara Makoto's right hand, Tomori-chan's small face suddenly flushed red.
"Sorry."
Kitahara Makoto quickly withdrew his hand and turned around.
"Kitahara-kun, go stand in the balcony as punishment." Chihaya Anon recovered her senses and quickly said, "Come back later and apologize properly to Tomori-chan."
Saying it was to make Kitahara Makoto stand as punishment was more like a clever way to defuse the awkward atmosphere at the moment.
Kitahara Makoto naturally agreed immediately and went to the balcony to 'obediently stand as punishment'.
A moment later.
Chihaya Anon called him back in: "It's thirty-seven degrees now, Tomori-chan's temperature has already come down."
"Then she's fine." Kitahara Makoto looked at Takamatsu Tomori, whose face was flushed and who was looking down, unwilling to meet his gaze, and prepared to apologize, "Just now…"
"Don't say another word!"
Chihaya Anon quickly gave him a look and changed the subject:
"Kitahara-kun, there's something else I need to ask you for help with. It's about the friends who sang with us at KTV that day. They're all like me, having nightmares every day, they're going crazy… Please, you must help!"
Although this Anon was a bit vain and liked flattery, she wasn't selfish. Instead, she put herself in her friends' shoes.
"Helping is not a problem." Kitahara Makoto pondered, "But it would be best if you could gather your friends together. The distance is already far, and going back and forth for each one is too troublesome."
It had already been verified on Tomori-chan that as long as the Stripping was not performed on the same target continuously within a short period, there would be no problem.
Kitahara Makoto continued, "Also, you already know the limitations of the Hand of Stripping, so you'll have to find a way to convince your friends."
"I've already considered all of these things," Chihaya Anon pushed up the glasses on her nose, her voice clear and confident. "Everyone is suffering terribly from nightmares. As long as I say there's a way to break the curse, I believe I can easily gather everyone together."
"As for the limitations of the Hand of Stripping…"
Chihaya Anon's pretty face flushed slightly, and she unconsciously lowered her voice: "My plan is to invite my friends to the onsen tomorrow. At that time, I'll find a way to create an opportunity for Kitahara-kun, so that no one knows about Kitahara-kun's presence…"
"None of them have ever dated a boyfriend, so they definitely wouldn't be comfortable taking off their clothes in front of Kitahara-kun. What do you think, Kitahara-kun?"
There is no perfect solution in the world.
This was already the best plan Chihaya Anon could think of. Although Kitahara Makoto would get an eyeful, looking twice wouldn't make anyone pregnant. Besides… as long as no one knew, it could be treated as if nothing had happened.
Kitahara Makoto pondered for two seconds: "It should be fine."
"Then it's settled," Chihaya Anon breathed a sigh of relief, tilting her pretty face up. "How about tomorrow for the time? We can't delay. The nightmares feel like they're getting worse day by day, so we must resolve this as soon as possible."
Kitahara Makoto nodded: "Okay, you gather the people tomorrow, and I'll come help."
At this moment, Takamatsu Tomori suddenly spoke: "I want to go too."
"Eh?" Chihaya Anon was startled, her expression a little troubled. "Tomori-chan is quite shy, isn't she? Won't she feel uncomfortable then?"
Takamatsu Tomori turned her small face away, her tone calm: "It's fine. Maybe there will be a place where I can help."
Chihaya Anon: "…"
She said she was coming to help, but her true intention was clearly not just that!
It's over, Tomori-chan has clearly started to guard her food…
What should I do?
If I openly pursue Kitahara-kun, it will definitely hurt Tomori-chan.
Takamatsu Tomori was her first friend after transferring schools, and she had even promised to form a band for life. Moreover, Tomori-chan is so cute, she absolutely didn't want to hurt Tomori-chan.
(What if… I secretly pursue Kitahara-kun?)
Chihaya Anon's eyes quickly brightened.
(It's decided then, happily!)
(Anyway, the real goal isn't to date him, it's just to make Kitahara-kun fall for me, and then ruthlessly abandon him, making him cry and repent… And pursuing him secretly while Tomori-chan is present feels even more exciting.)
"Alright then," Chihaya Anon clasped her hands together, a bright smile on her face. "Then I'll be counting on Tomori-chan."
"…"
No need to say more about what happened next.
Takamatsu Tomori's high fever successfully subsided, and she had regained her ability to move.
After their clothes were dried in the washing machine, the three of them changed back into their own clothes. Unconsciously, it was already past five o'clock, but the plum rain outside the window still showed no sign of stopping.
Chihaya Anon had originally planned to keep them for dinner, but quite a lot had happened today, so Kitahara Makoto and Takamatsu Tomori firmly said their goodbyes and left.
"Tomori-chan, see you tomorrow."
"Anon, see you tomorrow."
After bidding farewell to Chihaya Anon, Kitahara Makoto and Takamatsu Tomori each held an umbrella and walked into the vast rain.
Takamatsu Tomori didn't speak the whole way, just walked silently with her head down.
The journey was silent.
They walked silently to the Train Station. Kitahara Makoto stopped and looked at the petite girl half a step behind him:
"Tomori-chan, I am terribly sorry about what happened today…"
Takamatsu Tomori looked up, her voice calm: "It's not Makoto-kun's fault, you don't need to apologize."
"And…" Takamatsu Tomori paused, a faint blush quietly rising on her fair, doll-like small face, "I'm not angry."
Kitahara Makoto: "…"
The Train arrived.
Takamatsu Tomori waved and boarded the Train: "Makoto-kun, see you tomorrow."
"…See you tomorrow."
Watching Tomori-chan leave by Train, Kitahara Makoto let out a soft sigh, feeling a bit of a headache.
Ever since they fished together, Tomori-chan's attitude had clearly been different from before. Kitahara Makoto didn't pay attention at first, but now he realized it wasn't just different, it was vastly different.
However… he couldn't even handle Bocchi-chan, Kita, and Nijika-senpai. Wouldn't it be too greedy to covet Tomori-chan as well?
"One cannot be so greedy, otherwise, there's a high probability of being 'chopped'…"
However, greed is human nature.
Precisely because he had died once, Kitahara Makoto knew that the most important thing in life was to have no regrets.
Amidst his dilemma.
Kitahara Makoto suddenly remembered: "Wait, don't I still have the answer book?"
"Today's question quota is used up, but tomorrow I can definitely ask if I have any chance of reaching the future of a harem…"
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