"Kitahara-kun, what's wrong?"
Togawa Sakiko looked up and asked softly.
"Hana is here."
Kitahara Makoto exhaled lightly and turned to walk out of the cave.
Hana was his 'mount'; there was a certain telepathic connection between them. As Hana arrived in the Otherworld, Kitahara Makoto immediately sensed her.
Upon hearing this news, the girls immediately became excited.
"Hana is here, so can't we go back?"
"Thank goodness, we can finally leave."
"…"
The sky of the Otherworld was forever unchanging.
They didn't know how long they had been there, but at this moment, everyone's thoughts were exactly the same: to quickly return to the real world.
"The landing point is still in the sea." Kitahara Makoto stepped to the edge of the cliff, "I'll go over first."
"Kitahara-kun, please be careful."
Togawa Sakiko cautioned.
Nagasaki Soyo was slightly worried: "Kitahara-kun hasn't eaten well these past few days. Will climbing the cliff be dangerous?"
"Don't worry, I can handle it."
Kitahara Makoto simply stretched his muscles and bones, then, under the gaze of the four girls, he climbed the cliff without incident.
Arriving at the highest point of the cliff, Kitahara Makoto looked down at the sea below.
The inky sea was turbulent, with rolling waves, and two figures wearing orange life jackets were intermittently visible in the rough waters.
It was Mai and Hana.
The waves were very strong.
Seeing Mai struggling to advance in the waves, Kitahara Makoto simply climbed down the cliff, jumped into the sea, and swam vigorously towards Mai.
He battled through the waves and quickly arrived beside Mai.
"Mai, long time no see…"
Kitahara Makoto's mind was filled with a myriad of thoughts, but thousands of words ultimately condensed into one sentence.
"I missed you."
Sakurajima Mai, wearing a life jacket and carrying a backpack, was slowly swimming forward:
"You're just hoping I'd bring Hana, aren't you?"
"My longing for Mai is as clear as the sun and moon; there's not a single false word."
Kitahara Makoto's tone was sincere.
"Save those words for other girls." Sakurajima Mai handed over the backpack, "Here, I can't swim anymore."
Kitahara Makoto simply took the backpack and then said:
"Mai, I'll carry you."
"No need…"
"Don't push yourself with that little bit of stamina you have."
"…"
After carrying Mai on his back, Kitahara Makoto remembered Hana beside him:
"Hana, can you swim over by yourself?"
Hana was beside him, gurgling bubbles, floating on her back on the sea, looking quite relaxed:
"Gurgle gurgle~"
"Then that means it's no problem. Follow me and swim to the shore by yourself."
"…"
A moment later.
Kitahara Makoto, carrying Mai on his back, quickly swam to the rocky beach.
"We're up."
Kitahara Makoto let out a soft breath, and casually lifted Hana out of the sea.
"After calling for help from Mai in the dream, a long time passed in the Otherworld. If Mai hadn't come, I wouldn't even have the strength to swim."
Kitahara Makoto spoke while wiping his body with a bath towel.
"There's food in the backpack."
Sakurajima Mai reminded softly, her gaze sweeping over Kitahara Makoto's well-defined muscles, then quickly and involuntarily looking away:
"After receiving Scumbag-kun's plea for help, I rushed over from Kamakura immediately, without any delay in between. This speed is already my limit."
"Mai, you've worked hard." Kitahara Makoto opened the backpack, took out a chocolate bar, peeled it, and ate it, "When we return to the real world, I'll treat Mai to a big meal… There's also a towel in the backpack, Mai, wipe your hair."
"No thanks." Sakurajima Mai took the towel, and while wiping her wet hair, she looked around, "Where are those girls Scumbag-kun mentioned?"
"They're inside the island." Kitahara Makoto gestured with his eyes, "Just over this cliff and you'll be there."
Kitahara Makoto then lowered his head and looked at Hana at his feet:
"Hana, where can we open a door?"
Hana looked up with her small face:
"Anywhere is fine."
Kitahara Makoto pondered for a moment:
"I'll carry you all over the cliff later."
There were four of them on the island, carrying them out would be too troublesome.
Sakurajima Mai frowned slightly upon hearing this:
"You've been carrying others while climbing cliffs before?"
"Mai, don't worry." Kitahara Makoto coughed twice, "In those ten years in the dream, my abilities were actually sealed. The current me is actually even more formidable than Mai imagines."
Sakurajima Mai tightened her pretty face, continued wiping her hair, and said in a cold tone:
"Scumbag-kun is really full of confidence, isn't he? I only came for Nana."
Kitahara Makoto smiled without speaking.
"What are you smiling about?"
Sakurajima Mai bit her silver teeth lightly, unable to resist glaring at him.
Kitahara Makoto smiled and said:
"Of course, because I'm happy."
"Oh?"
Sakurajima Mai raised her right foot and stepped on Kitahara Makoto's foot, her tone indifferent: "And now?"
Kitahara Makoto: "Please, Mai, lift your noble foot. I can't be happy anymore."
"…"
After eating and drinking his fill.
Kitahara Makoto felt his condition rapidly recover. He was about to carry Mai and Hana up the cliff when he suddenly had an idea:
"Hana, can you make a vine ladder?"
"Vine ladder?"
Hana looked up with her small face, her eyes big and round, her silver hair and red eyes super cute, but her gaze was clear and foolish.
"Listen to me…"
Kitahara Makoto explained with words and gestures, finally making Hana understand what a vine ladder was.
Hana extended her small hand:
"Little cake."
Good.
She didn't say no, so it meant she could do it.
Kitahara Makoto readily made a promise:
"I'll buy you a hundred when we go back."
Hana, having received the promise, immediately became motivated. She extended both small hands and pressed them against the cliff. Soon, roots and stems of plants grew out, rapidly growing upwards along the cliff, like climbing ivy, forming a vine ladder on the cliff.
Kitahara Makoto reached out and tested it, finding it quite sturdy. With this ladder made of vines, it would be ten times easier than free climbing, and even ordinary people could climb it themselves.
"Mai, come on up, I'll carry you over."
Kitahara Makoto squatted down.
"No need." Sakurajima Mai said decisively, "I can climb over myself."
"The cliff is very steep…" Kitahara Makoto said helplessly, "Mai, if you want to climb yourself, then you go first. If anything unexpected happens, I can catch you in time from below."
Sakurajima Mai walked to the vine ladder: "Scumbag-kun, please don't jinx it."
For this rescue operation, Sakurajima Mai had specifically not worn a skirt, but rather a pair of slim-fit jeans, so she wasn't worried about accidental exposure.
However, after climbing for a while, Sakurajima Mai realized she was wrong.
Even though she wasn't wearing a skirt and wasn't exposed, Kitahara Makoto's gaze from below seemed even more intense than usual...
"You're still looking!"
Sakurajima Mai bit her teeth in embarrassment and glared down at Kitahara Makoto.
"I'm worried about Mai's safety…"
Kitahara Makoto regretfully withdrew his gaze.
He hadn't noticed before, but Mai-senpai was clearly a Jeans Saintess.
The two climbed the vine ladder one after another, safely scaling the over ten-meter-high cliff.
Standing atop the cliff, the giant tree in the island immediately came into view.
"That's the giant tree I told Mai about in the dream." Kitahara Makoto introduced softly, "According to the answer book, the fruit on the tree is called the Fruit of Eden. I don't know if it has any connection to the Bible. The fruit can beautify, maintain youth, and even increase lifespan… but currently, we don't have the ability to pick it."
"Eternal youth?"
Looking at the towering giant tree on the island, Sakurajima Mai's pretty face clearly showed a hint of anticipation.
Facts prove that as long as it is a girl, no one can refuse the temptation of eternal youth.