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Kitahara Makoto carried Mai, leaping and moving across the reefs in front of the secluded grotto, and soon easily reached the other shore.
The sky was clear.
The sun was bright.
The sea breeze was cool and refreshing.
"The weather today is quite good."
Looking at the boundless blue sea before him, Kitahara Makoto let out a soft breath, feeling his mood lighten considerably.
Sakurajima Mai looked at the sea, biting her lower lip:
"Nana always said she wanted to go to the beach, but we never took her to the beach…"
Kitahara Makoto said gently:
"Later, we'll buy a house by the sea and let Nana play as long as she wants."
"Hmph~"
Sakurajima Mai looked up, humming dismissively: "Which of the things you promised have you ever done?"
"Senpai, you're going too far." Kitahara Makoto said speechlessly, "Those scoundrel behaviors weren't my intention."
"Maybe it's just someone's true nature being exposed after marriage."
"…"
Kitahara Makoto's gaze shifted slightly downwards, watching Mai's mouth babble, his gaze quietly growing hot.
Beautiful.
Mai, who had just eaten and drank, had moist, pink lips that looked exceptionally beautiful in the sunlight.
In the dream, she was a mature Mai who had grown up, but now, back in reality, she had become a youthful, innocent Mai from high school. Both Mai-senpais had their own merits, but perhaps after seeing the mature Mai for so long, the current youthful Mai seemed even more charming and beautiful.
Their eyes met.
The air quietly stilled.
Having spent ten years together in the dream, they had already developed a complete understanding, knowing what the other wanted to do with just a glance.
Sakurajima Mai's pretty face tensed:
"You wouldn't dare!"
Tsk, he already had a daughter, so how could he not dare to kiss her?
Perhaps he would have been afraid before, but now, after living together for ten years, Kitahara Makoto already knew Mai inside and out.
Her words "You wouldn't dare" were not a refusal.
A cold, silent face, that was the true refusal.
So Kitahara Makoto, without another word, simply lowered his head, letting Mai see just how much courage he had now.
Their lips gently touched, and the lingering memories from the dream made Sakurajima Mai's eyelashes tremble, instinctively closing her eyes…
A moment later.
Kitahara Makoto suddenly felt a sting on his tongue and looked up, wronged:
"Senpai, why did you bite me?"
Sakurajima Mai's pretty face was flushed crimson. She wiped the corner of her lips with her hand, her eyes full of murderous intent:
"Take your hand away!"
"Yes, my deepest apologies."
Only then did Kitahara Makoto realize that his right hand had inadvertently touched something it shouldn't have, and he deserved to be bitten.
After telling Mai to wait by the shore, Kitahara Makoto turned back to retrieve their backpacks and the Beast Eared Girl, then they were ready to head straight back.
There was no conversation along the way.
Leaving the 'desolate uninhabited area,' they soon began to see tourists.
Most of these tourists were attracted by the white-haired, red-eyed Hana, and some even wanted to take photos, but Mai beside Kitahara Makoto was left unnoticed.
"It seems the problem of Senpai's fading presence hasn't been resolved…" Kitahara Makoto whispered, "I'll ask the answer book tomorrow."
Sakurajima Mai crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head at his words:
"With the necklace, the presence issue doesn't need to be worried about for now. First, let's find out about Nana's condition."
"…"
The two walked through Enoshima while talking.
Perhaps because the weather was so good today, the further they walked towards the front of the island, the more tourists there were.
Upon reaching the bridge at the entrance of Enoshima, Kitahara Makoto quickly spotted two eagerly waiting girls in the crowd: one with long pink hair, and another with short hair and a petite figure.
It was Anon and Tomori.
"Kitahara-kun!"
The two girls also saw Kitahara Makoto and immediately ran over.
"Makoto-kun, are you alright?" Takamatsu Tomori nervously stepped forward, checking Kitahara Makoto's body, "Are you hurt?"
"Don't worry." Kitahara Makoto coughed twice, "My clothes just got torn by accident; I'm not hurt."
As Kitahara Makoto spoke, he guiltily glanced at Mai beside him.
Although they only got married in a dream, talking to Anon and Tomori in front of Mai still gave him an indescribable feeling of guilt.
It was a good thing he had mentioned his goal of building a harem yesterday, otherwise, if this had suddenly happened, Mai might have directly turned dark!
"Heh, men."
Sakurajima Mai crossed her arms over her chest, expressionless, and walked away directly.
"Phew…"
Kitahara Makoto secretly let out a sigh of relief.
It was best for Senpai to leave; the feeling of being on pins and needles was truly unbearable.
"Kitahara-kun is so mean." After confirming that Kitahara Makoto was not injured, Chihaya Anon quickly puffed out her cheeks, "You said we'd go to Otherworld together, right? You actually left Tomori and me behind and secretly ran off by yourself, you're not a man of your word!"
"You know nothing about the dangers of Otherworld."
Kitahara Makoto exhaled softly:
"The thing I'm most grateful for right now is that I didn't take you two into Otherworld with me."
Entering the dream with just Mai, their married life almost went off the rails. Kitahara Makoto could already imagine what would happen if he also brought Anon and Tomori.
Given the viciousness of the bad flower, he would 100% be made to cheat, then a love triangle would erupt, ultimately leading to everyone turning dark, each holding a hatchet, and literally splitting him apart!
"Eh, Kitahara-kun, what did you encounter in Otherworld?"
Chihaya Anon asked curiously.
"The past is too painful to recall, so I won't talk about it." Kitahara Makoto didn't want to discuss Otherworld and changed the subject, "…phantom sky flower is already in hand. Shall we go to the hospital to see your classmate first?"
Chihaya Anon quickly said:
"That's right, let's go to the hospital. Tomori and I were very worried about you last night, so we stayed at a hotel in Enoshima. Now another day has passed, I wonder what Karin-chan looks like now."
Although she was very curious about what Kitahara Makoto encountered in Otherworld, the paralyzed Karin-chan was more important.
After a few steps, a hand suddenly grabbed Kitahara Makoto's clothing, and the Beast Eared Girl looked up with a soft, sweet voice:
"Small cake."
"I'll buy it for you right away!"
Kitahara Makoto turned around resolutely and walked towards the cake shop not far away.
Hana had rendered outstanding service during this trip to Otherworld; let alone a hundred small cakes, a thousand small cakes must be bought.
Clear rewards and punishments, that was the way of interaction between a master and a mount!
However, a hundred small cakes were not easy to carry, so Kitahara Makoto temporarily bought two small cakes for the Beast Eared Girl to eat first, promising to buy all the remaining small cakes in one go after returning to Tokyo.
Half an hour later.
The three of them arrived at the hospital with ease.
After just one day, the dark skinned girl was visibly more haggard, her eyes dim and despairing, her spirit completely gone.
Suddenly becoming completely paralyzed, with only her head still able to move, was undoubtedly the darkest moment in life for a high school girl in the prime of her youth.
"Karin-chan!"
Chihaya Anon pushed open the door to the ward, first finding an excuse for the accompanying lady to leave, then happily said:
"We're back, you'll be healthy again soon!"
The dark skinned girl on the hospital bed had dull eyes and a low voice:
"Anon-chan, you don't have to comfort me…"
"It's not comfort at all, Karin-chan, get ready, the moment to witness a miracle is about to arrive." Chihaya Anon put her hands on her hips, her voice clear, "Kitahara-kun, it's up to you."
Unbeknownst to her, this pink-haired girl's trust in Kitahara Makoto had reached its peak.
If he said that phantom sky flower could restore Karin-chan's health, then he certainly wouldn't lie.
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