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"The special reward must be kept a secret, you can't tell Tomori-chan."
Chihaya Anon put a finger to her lips, whispering the instruction.
Without waiting for Kitahara Makoto's reply, Chihaya Anon put her hands behind her back and skipped away lightly.
"There's a problem…"
Kitahara Makoto narrowed his eyes slightly.
Although he didn't know what was happening, this pink-haired girl was clearly very unusual; he felt like she was secretly plotting something mischievous.
"I'm going out." Chihaya Anon stopped at the room door, leaning against it, a bright smile on her pretty face, "It'll probably take some time to get everything ready, Kitahara-kun, wait for my message, and don't fall asleep with Tomori-chan."
Kitahara Makoto naturally wouldn't drop the ball at a crucial moment: "Rest assured."
"..."
Chihaya Anon waved her hand and quietly slipped out of the room.
Twenty minutes later.
Takamatsu Tomori emerged from the onsen, wearing a bathrobe, and looked around.
Not seeing Chihaya Anon, she asked curiously:
"Makoto-kun, where's Anon?"
"Anon-san's friends have already arrived, she should be next door now." Kitahara Makoto looked up, "Come and have some drinks, rest for a bit, then you can change your clothes and wait for Anon's message."
"Mm."
Takamatsu Tomori clattered over to Kitahara Makoto in her wooden clogs and then knelt down.
The fresh scent of the girl after her bath instantly wafted into Kitahara Makoto's nostrils.
Kitahara Makoto couldn't help but glance over, seeing that Tomori-chan, having just come out of the onsen, appeared even more delicate and petite, with large, round, bright eyes, and a fair, rosy face, like a freshly peeled egg, making one want to pinch it to see if water would come out.
It had to be said, Tomori-chan was actually quite cute.
"Here, have a drink."
Kitahara Makoto handed over the juice.
"Thank you, Makoto-kun."
Takamatsu Tomori thanked him softly, taking the drink with both hands. Even seeing that the cap had already been distorted open, she didn't hesitate or waver, drinking in small sips.
As the cool juice entered her stomach, dispelling the heat from the onsen, the girl's eyes quickly curved into a smile.
Of course, it wasn't that Takamatsu Tomori lacked vigilance; if a stranger had given her a drink, she absolutely wouldn't have taken a single sip.
Kitahara Makoto was watching videos on niconico. Seeing Takamatsu Tomori tilt her head and look over, he simply brought the phone between them to watch together and pass the time.
"The quadrennial Tokyo mayoral election has officially begun! Come and vote for your favorite candidate!"
"First to appear is Mr. Clown…"
A man appeared in the video, his face heavily painted with white makeup, his style clearly imitating the Joker from the movie Batman.
This Mr. Clown spoke passionately, delivering his campaign declaration in front of the television:
"To address the problem of declining birth rates, once I become mayor, I will implement polygamy in Tokyo!"
"Polygamy?"
Kitahara Makoto instinctively wanted to vote.
Who becomes mayor isn't important, what's important is polygamy!
The scene flashed, and an old man with white hair appeared. The host introduced him as being ninety-six years old, so old he could barely speak now. To participate in the mayoral election, he had specially created an AI with intellectual disabilities to speak for him, and reporters could only communicate and ask questions to the AI.
After that, there were many other bizarre candidates, such as virtual streamers, Uma Musume, masked figures, and many cats and dogs, truly a chaotic free-for-all.
The video screen shifted again, and then a man appeared wearing only a diaper, surprisingly with a very high number of votes:
"Once I become mayor, I will require all films to be uncensored! They must be high-definition!"
Good heavens, no wonder he has so many votes; the voters must all be men!
Takamatsu Tomori tilted her head, asking in a puzzled tone:
"Makoto-kun, what does 'uncensored' mean?"
Kitahara Makoto: "..."
Tomori-chan had no friends growing up and always kept to herself, so she probably really hadn't encountered any restricted content.
"Don't ask." Kitahara Makoto said with a serious expression, "That's forbidden knowledge that children shouldn't be exposed to; once exposed, you'll be corrupted."
Takamatsu Tomori looked puzzled: "Makoto-kun seems to know what it is?"
He knows, but he certainly can't tell you!
"That's something that cannot be spoken; once spoken, unspeakable corruption will occur." Kitahara Makoto extended his right hand and gently ruffled Tomori-chan's small head, "Be obedient, don't be curious about that kind of knowledge."
Takamatsu Tomori's small face flushed slightly, and she didn't dodge Kitahara Makoto's right hand; instead, she lowered her head slightly:
"If Makoto-kun doesn't want me to know, then I won't ask."
"…Good girl."
Kitahara Makoto praised her and casually opened another video. The Tokyo mayoral election could no longer be watched; heaven knew what other monsters and demons would appear.
"After the rainy season, the only Perseid meteor shower in the Northern Hemisphere's summer will arrive. This year's Perseid meteor shower is the largest in a century, so astronomy enthusiasts, don't miss it…"
Kitahara Makoto suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. He turned to see Takamatsu Tomori leaning on his shoulder, her eyes sparkling as she looked at his phone.
"Tomori-chan wants to see the Perseid meteor shower?"
Kitahara Makoto asked casually.
Takamatsu Tomori nodded without hesitation:
"I want to see it."
After a pause, Takamatsu Tomori looked at him unblinkingly, suddenly feeling an inexplicable urge welling up inside her, wanting to take the initiative to do something, and blurted out:
"Makoto-kun, can you watch it with me then?"
"..."
To be able to proactively extend an invitation, Takamatsu Tomori had clearly used all her courage. At such a moment, there was no need to even refuse; just a slight hint of hesitation would instantly unleash a gravitational field, engulfing the person.
So Kitahara Makoto immediately said:
"Then let's go watch it together. This is the largest Perseid meteor shower in a century; it would be too regrettable to miss it."
Regardless of the future, this courage must be responded to now.
"Hoo…"
Takamatsu Tomori let out a soft breath, relaxing, and turned her head away with a blush: "A promise… cannot be broken…"
Kitahara Makoto gently assured her:
"Once a word is spoken, it will not be broken."
"..."
The two continued watching videos for a while, when suddenly a message popped up at the top of the phone screen.
Chihaya Anon: "Kitahara-kun, you and Tomori-chan can get ready. Everyone has arrived, and they're about to start bathing. Once they go to the onsen, we can trick them out one by one for the exorcism."
"Received."
Kitahara Makoto showed the message to Takamatsu Tomori, "Tomori-chan, we can change our clothes now."
"Okay."
"You go to the bathroom, I'll change outside."
"..."
In less than two minutes, Kitahara Makoto easily changed his clothes and waited outside.
However, after waiting for a while, Takamatsu Tomori still hadn't come out of the bathroom.
"Tomori-chan, are you alright?"
Kitahara Makoto couldn't help but ask softly.
"..."
The bathroom door quietly opened a crack, and Takamatsu Tomori peeked out half of her small face, her white shoulder faintly visible, her face flushed, and her voice filled with shame:
"I can't fasten it…"
Kitahara Makoto was puzzled: "What?"
Takamatsu Tomori bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth: "My bra… I can't fasten it no matter what…"
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