"Since Nijika-senpai is here, why don't you play with Hana for a bit?"
Kitahara Makoto said from the side:
"Hana-chan misses you, by the way."
"Mama, miss you, don't go."
Hana came forward with a cupcake and hugged Nijika's leg.
"Wait, wait a minute," Nijika quickly said. "Hana-chan, finish your cake first."
Kitahara Makoto turned around as if nothing had happened and said:
"Nijika-senpai, you play with Hana-chan first. We'll eat lunch together."
"..."
Actively asking Nijika to come help in the kitchen?
No need at all.
With Nijika's naturally hardworking personality, she would come to the kitchen to help on her own within ten minutes.
A moment later.
"Kitahara-kun, do you need my help?"
A blonde girl with a side ponytail appeared at the kitchen door.
Kitahara Makoto smiled and looked over:
"I'm very grateful. With Nijika's help, I feel completely energized."
"You're not the male protagonist of a hot-blooded cooking anime, how could you get energized?" Nijika walked in, a hint of surprise flashing across her pretty face. "You actually bought so many ingredients?"
"Because I don't know how many people will come, so I prepared a bit more..."
Kitahara Makoto had already sent a message this morning about verifying the Kessoku Band charging:
"If the verification is successful, Nijika-senpai can come over to eat every day from now on."
"I don't have that much time," Nijika glared at him, reaching out to pick up a potato. "The performance hall is very busy, okay?... Should I peel the potatoes first?"
"I'll leave it to you, Senpai," Kitahara Makoto said casually. "Doesn't the performance hall only open in the evening? It shouldn't be busy in the morning, right?"
Nijika peeled the potato while complaining:
"It opens in the evening, yes, but the venue doesn't clean itself, and depleted ingredients don't replenish themselves."
Kitahara Makoto sighed upon hearing this:
"Indeed, no family can do without Nijika-senpai."
Nijika's pretty face flushed slightly, and she couldn't help but glare at him:
"Don't get lazy as soon as I arrive, Kitahara-kun, hurry up and get to work."
Kitahara Makoto raised an eyebrow and looked over:
"What did Nijika-senpai call me?"
Nijika froze: "Eh?"
Kitahara Makoto lowered his voice:
"I want to hear those names Nijika-senpai called me in Otherworld, like..."
Nijika's pretty face quickly flushed red, and she shyly pinched Kitahara Makoto:
"Don't say it!"
"..."
With a man and a woman working together, the work felt lighter.
While Kitahara Makoto and Nijika were busy in the kitchen, girls started arriving one after another.
First was Kita.
"Good morning, everyone," Kita's voice was clear and crisp, as energetic as ever, her dazzling radiance almost impossible to look at directly. "Hana, this is the cupcake I bought for you~"
"Good person."
"Hm, if you let me hug you for ten minutes, I'll give it all to you, okay?"
"..."
Kita came, but unfortunately, Hitori wasn't willing to come, mainly because Futari was still at home.
Kitahara Makoto didn't mind, he even suggested Hitori bring Futari along to eat, but Hitori shook her little head like a rattle drum, so he could only give up.
After Kita, Tomori followed closely behind.
Although they were classmates from the same school and already knew each other, they weren't exactly familiar, so after a simple greeting to Kitahara Makoto, Tomori quietly sat next to Mutsumi, and the two girls watched TV together.
Next were Soyo and Sakiko.
"Good afternoon, everyone."
Soyo's smile was gentle, her voice sweet. She didn't ignore anyone, greeting every girl, appearing like a true Yamato Nadeshiko.
"Kitahara-kun, do you need any help?"
"I appreciate the offer." Kitahara Makoto, busy with his tasks, looked towards Soyo. "The kitchen is only so big; too many people would just get in the way. Soyo, you can just cook the rice."
"Alright, I'll take care of the rice then~"
Soyo agreed and went to fulfill her task.
"Strange, Anon said she couldn't come after all?"
Looking at the message on her phone, Kita's tone was puzzled.
Given Anon's natural love for excitement, she should have been here already, right?
Soyo had just finished cooking the rice and sat down next to Tomori. Hearing Kita's words, she couldn't help but glance over, her pretty face slightly flushed.
Clearly, the reason Anon didn't want to come was because she couldn't get past what happened last night.
As for herself…
Soyo couldn't help but recall a saying:
Once a person's bottom line is broken, it's no longer a bottom line.
Ever since she was taken advantage of in front of Mutsumi, her own bottom line had clearly gotten lower and lower.
In a flash, it was 11:30 AM.
The dishes were almost ready.
"Nijika-senpai, watch the kitchen." Kitahara Makoto wiped his hands clean. "I'm going to get the Kessoku Band back."
"Okay."
Nijika nodded gently, agreeing.
Kitahara Makoto handed the cooking towel to Nijika, then, while Nijika wasn't paying attention, quickly turned and stole a kiss from Nijika.
"Thanks for the treat."
Kitahara Makoto quickly walked out of the kitchen.
"...Excessive!"
Nijika's pretty face was slightly red, and she angrily glared at Kitahara Makoto, but the corners of her rosy lips quietly turned upwards. She composed herself and continued preparing the dishes.
What happened next needs no further explanation.
Kitahara Makoto went to the living room, called Hana, and with Hana's help, quickly traveled to the amusement park Haunted House, effortlessly retrieving the Pandora's Box. No incidents occurred during this time.
"Eh, so this is the Pandora's Box?"
"It looks so evil."
"It couldn't really be the one from ancient Greek mythology, could it?"
"All I know is that Mr. Newton's coffin lid must be about to burst open."
"..."
The girls curiously gathered around, watching the Pandora's Box floating in mid-air.
"Senpai, when are you coming over?"
Kitahara Makoto took out his phone and sent a message to Mai.
The message quickly showed as read.
Sakurajima Mai: "I never agreed to come, did I?"
Kitahara Makoto: "Tsk, if Senpai isn't coming, then I'll just have to go... Xiao Mai, are you at the apartment?"
Sakurajima Mai: "...Is Scumbag-kun trying to make me send you to the hospital?"
Kitahara Makoto: "Senpai didn't deny the latter half of the sentence, so you're at the apartment, right?"
Sakurajima Mai: "..."
Kitahara Makoto: "Senpai, wait for me."
"..."
The dishes were almost complete, with only the tomato beef brisket needing a bit more cooking. Kitahara Makoto found two bento boxes, cleaned them, then filled one with rice and the other with various dishes. He then slipped into the mirror, appearing in Mai's apartment.
"What did you just call me?"
Sakurajima Mai crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes sharp.
Kitahara Makoto immediately said seriously:
"Of course I called you Senpai. Once a Senpai, always a Senpai."
Scared?
Of course not.
In the dream, he had been with Mai as husband and wife for ten full years. Forget "Xiao Mai," he had used even more affectionate terms.
Although a dream is a dream and reality is reality, there's no need to distinguish them so clearly sometimes.
"Senpai, go wash your hands quickly, then come and sit down." Kitahara Makoto placed the two bento boxes on the table and beckoned, "Yesterday's lunch was just a warm-up; today is my true strength."
A hint of curiosity flashed in Sakurajima Mai's eyes. She washed her hands and then came to sit down.
"Senpai, try it and see how it tastes." Kitahara Makoto handed over the chopsticks. "Especially this sweet and sour pork ribs."
Mai took a small bite, and her eyes couldn't help but light up. Although she really wanted to give a negative review, she simply couldn't bring herself to say something so insincere:
"It's good... It tastes very good."
"As long as Senpai likes it." Kitahara Makoto smiled, "Today is the second day of captivating Mai-senpai with delicious food. I'll come again tomorrow."
Mai's expression was blank, as if she had no expectation for Kitahara Makoto's arrival tomorrow:
"There are so many other girls in Tokyo. Scumbag-kun has already done well to last two days; you don't need to make things difficult for yourself."
"Is Senpai being sarcastic?"
"Hmph~"
"In any case, Senpai, rest assured." Kitahara Makoto's tone was confident, "I'll be here on time tomorrow afternoon. Senpai just needs to look forward to it."
"..."
This statement wasn't just to make Mai happy; he genuinely had confidence.
If he had to cook fresh meals every day and then bring them over to eat with Mai, he certainly wouldn't be able to keep it up for more than a few days, as unexpected things always happen in life, and preparing meals takes a long time.
But Kitahara Makoto wasn't worried at all right now.
The reason was simple.
Just an hour ago, Kitahara Makoto suddenly had an idea. He took out the Kessoku Band poster, then stored the cooked dishes inside it, and then peeled off the poster.
Half an hour later, when he took the dishes out of the poster, they were still steaming hot, as if freshly cooked.
Clearly.
As long as the poster was folded, everything inside would be in a state of time stasis.
After unlocking the Kessoku Band poster's new function, he could now make 'pre-made meals.' By storing cooked dishes in the poster in advance, no matter how busy he was in the future, it wouldn't hinder him from coming to feed Mai.
"Senpai, see you tomorrow."
After a few more words with Mai, Kitahara Makoto quickly said goodbye and left.
"Wait for me to come feed you tomorrow."
"..."
Sakurajima Mai stopped her chopsticks, her gaze involuntarily drifting towards the dressing mirror in the corner, a hint of anticipation subtly appearing on her pretty face.
Back home.
The last dish was just coming out of the pot.
"Everyone go wash your hands." Nijika walked out of the kitchen. "It's time to eat."
"Coming!"
The girls all got up. Some went to the bathroom to wash their hands, others came to the kitchen to help carry the dishes, making it quite lively.
A moment later.
Kitahara Makoto and the girls sat around the table.
"So beautiful."
"It smells so good."
"It looks super beautiful too."
"Kitahara-kun's cooking skills are too exaggerated now, aren't they?"
"Speaking of which, that mapo tofu seems to be glowing slightly?"
"..."
Even without tasting it yet, the girls had already given full marks.
"Still missing drinks..."
Kitahara Makoto walked to the refrigerator and took out the two bottles of plum wine he had bought earlier.
"I'll get the cups."
Kita volunteered, quickly walking to the kitchen.
A moment later.
The plum wine had been poured, one cup for everyone. Although Hana was in a cub form, she wasn't human, so she also got a cup.
Kitahara Makoto raised his glass. Nijika, Ryo, Kita, Tomori, Soyo, Mutsumi, Sakiko—all the girls looked over.
"It's an honor to meet all of you... Cheers."
"Cheers~"
The girls all raised their glasses in response.
"Super delicious." Yamada Ryo's eyes sparkled, and she clenched her right fist. "It's decided! I'm eating three bowls of rice today!"
Nijika put a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs on Hana's plate, looking helplessly at Ryo:
"Don't eat so much, you might upset your stomach."
"Can't stop, simply can't stop."
"..."
In life, only love and delicious food should not be let down.
Kitahara Makoto's cooking skills were already good, and with the cooking towel's enhancement, the dishes he made could truly be called the ultimate delicacies on earth. Even the mapo tofu was emitting a faint glow, having been elevated to a glowing dish.
"Delicious!"
"Super delicious!"
"I wish I could eat Kitahara-kun's cooking every day from now on..."
As the food entered their mouths, the girls' happiness and contentment rapidly soared. Under the strong emotional fluctuations, psychic energy naturally emanated from them, being absorbed by the Pandora's Box floating in mid-air.
"My...my body is suddenly moving on its own..."
Tomori's panicked voice suddenly rang out.
The girls looked over upon hearing her.
"Tomori, what's wrong?"
Soyo asked anxiously.
"My body isn't obeying me," Tomori said, clumsily unbuttoning her clothes. The girl's snow-white, delicate collarbone was quickly exposed to the air.
"Kitahara-kun, do you know what's happening?" Sakiko turned to look at him.
Kitahara Makoto mused, "If I'm not mistaken, Tomori should have gained the 'clothing burst' buff."
"Eh?" Nijika looked over in surprise. "Clothing burst?"
Kitahara Makoto said confidently, "The food is glowing; it's normal for clothes to burst like in anime, right?"
"It's not normal at all!" Kita covered her chest with both hands, unable to stop herself from retorting, "And how is clothing burst a buff?!"
Kitahara Makoto looked over faintly, "Kita, you don't need to cover up, you don't have…"
"Ugh—" Kita's cheeks instantly puffed up.
So annoying! She wanted to bite him!
As they spoke, Tomori had already taken off her shirt. With the 'clothing burst' over, she finally regained control of her body and quickly covered her chest with a flushed face.
"How… how exaggerated…" Kita felt ashamed.
Everyone's height and build were similar, so why… why was there such a huge difference in development?
Kitahara Makoto looked at Tomori and said softly, "Tomori, try to put your clothes on."
"Okay." Tomori's face was beet red. She got up, turned her body, and shyly put on her clothes.
Not long after, the girl's embarrassed voice rang out, "I can't… once I put on clothes, my body feels so uncomfortable…"
Kitahara Makoto suggested, "Anyway, you still have your underwear on. How about you sit down and continue eating?"
"…" Tomori's face was flushed crimson, and she quickly shook her head.
"That's definitely not okay, is it?" Soyo glared at Kitahara Makoto, then said softly, "Tomori, go eat on the sofa. We'll bring the food to you."
"…" Lunch lasted for almost an hour, and in the end, all the dishes were empty.
Of course, the credit for the empty dishes mainly belonged to Hana. As a ghost, her stomach was a bottomless pit, completely insatiable.
"Kitahara-kun, how's the Kessoku Band's charging progress?" Kita asked curiously.
"Let me see." Kitahara Makoto reached out and grabbed the Kessoku Band floating in mid-air.
Kita leaned her head in, curious to see the Kessoku Band. "How do I see it?"
"Look at the pattern here," Kitahara Makoto explained, pointing. "There's a teardrop-shaped pattern here. After absorbing spiritual energy, the teardrop will gradually fill up. When a teardrop is full, you can open the Kessoku Band. If you can fill all the teardrops, the level limit of the items you can open will increase."
Yamada Ryo leaned over. "How's the charging progress today?"
"Very good." Kitahara Makoto nodded with satisfaction. "It's more than the progress of the past few days combined. In a few more days, we can open blind boxes again."
Yamada Ryo clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling. "Does that mean we can feast again tomorrow?"
"Of course."
"God, please accept Kita's knees!"
"What the heck," Kita couldn't help but retort, "Why do I have to offer my knees?"
"My knees are too soft; if I kneel, I can't get back up."
"…" After cleaning up, some of the girls chose to have Hana send them back, while others chose to go home on their own, as the feeling of drilling through mirrors wasn't comfortable.
In any case, the house quietly returned to silence.
Kitahara Makoto wasn't idle; he spent the afternoon completing all of today's daily tasks. Unfortunately, he had bad luck and didn't gain any abilities.
It was evening in the blink of an eye.
Kitahara Makoto took out his phone and sent a message to Tomori: "Tomori, prepare to leave."
Tomori: "I'll wait for Makoto-kun at the train station."
A date requires a certain sense of ritual, so Kitahara Makoto didn't choose fast travel through the mirror but went out directly for the date.
Half an hour later, Kitahara Makoto arrived at the train station and immediately saw the short-haired girl in a yukata standing in the corner.
"Tomori, I'm here." Kitahara Makoto walked over, pulling a band-aid from his pocket. "A star-patterned band-aid."
"Thank you, Makoto-kun." Tomori happily accepted it.
Kitahara Makoto said gently, "Tomori is super cute today."
Tomori's face flushed slightly, her eyes lowered a little, and she whispered, "Makoto-kun looks very good too… Did you buy that yukata yourself? It seems to fit you well."
"…" Sorry. Anon chose this yukata; my fashion sense is too terrible.
"The weather is so hot." Kitahara Makoto handed her a bottle of juice, silently changing the subject. "Tomori, do you want a drink?"
"Yes, please, thank you, Makoto-kun."
Kitahara Makoto lowered his voice, "Tomori, please exchange your thanks for a kiss."
Tomori's face flushed slightly. She looked up, her eyes reflecting Kitahara Makoto's figure and the splendid sunset in the sky. "There are too many people… Wait, we'll kiss later…"
"It's a deal. Tomori, you can't go back on your word."
"I won't."
"…" Kitahara Makoto held Tomori's soft hand. "Let's go, we'll go to the fireworks festival."
Summer, yukata, fireworks, apple candy, goldfish scooping… The content of visiting the fireworks festival with Anon was similar, but because it was a different person, the feeling was naturally different and not boring; instead, it was quite enjoyable.
At 8:30 PM, the fireworks festival ended on time, and the crowd surged.
Kitahara Makoto took Tomori into a roadside fast-food restaurant, called Hana over, and then returned using fast travel.
Immediately after, he went to Sakiko's side and went with her to Togawa to treat illnesses and exorcise demons. The effect of the moonstar flower was good, but it still needed to be continued, as two days were not enough to remove all the cursed black spots.
By the time everything was done, it was already 9:30 PM.
"Next is to go to Taki's house and catch that perverted stalker…"