After surviving the disaster and reuniting, Anon and Karin were naturally extremely excited.
Kitahara stood quietly by, and after the two girls calmed down, he asked softly:
"So, Anon, why didn't you call me for help?"
Anon's voice was full of grievance:
"After discovering the fire, I ran out of the private room with everyone, and then someone bumped into me. My phone flew out and broke, and I also distorted my ankle… Super unlucky!"
Kitahara nodded: "That's indeed very unlucky."
Anon bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth, a look of guilt appearing on her pretty face:
"A sudden fire… is it because of my bad luck?"
"You're overthinking it."
Kitahara shook his head and denied it:
"If it were a meteor falling from the sky, then it would definitely be related to Anon, but a fire doesn't just happen out of nowhere. If you really want to assign blame, it's actually because the KTV had safety hazards."
In the scenes of foreseeing the future, a crow carried a cigarette butt, and then the cigarette butt fell from the sky, causing a fire. No matter how you looked at it, it was related to Anon's bad luck… But the existence of safety hazards was also an undeniable fact.
However, Kitahara was always someone who helped his loved ones, not just what was right. Of course, at a time like this, he chose to comfort Anon.
"Your friends are still outside; they must be very worried about you and Karin-san." Kitahara gently changed the subject, "I'll go out for a bit first."
Anon immediately became nervous:
"Don't go! It's so dangerous outside! What if you…"
Kitahara said simply:
"Don't worry. If there's any danger, I'll hide back in here immediately."
"…"
After comforting Anon, Kitahara's figure flickered, and he left the Onsen Village.
Flames raged.
Thick smoke billowed.
Although only a short while had passed, the fire had clearly grown much larger.
Kitahara held his breath, maintaining a state of breath-holding, and then unhesitatingly rushed upstairs. With his current ability, holding his breath for ten minutes was no problem, so he didn't need to worry about the threat of toxic smoke and carbon monoxide.
Although the comforting words just now had some effect, Kitahara could still clearly see the guilt in Anon's eyes. It was clear that in Anon's mind, today's fire was inextricably linked to her.
So Kitahara decided to quickly check the entire KTV to see if any unlucky people had failed to escape.
It would be fine if only the building was burned down, but if lives were lost in the fire, Anon would definitely blame herself for the rest of her life.
He acted as soon as he decided.
Kitahara was as swift as the wind, moving through the sea of fire with lightning speed. He actually found a desperate mother and daughter in the bathroom on the fourth floor.
The elementary schooler with a bun on her head was full of panic, and the bespectacled lady with a gentle hairstyle was even more full of despair. The flames had completely engulfed the entire building, and there was no chance of escaping. The only thing she could do now was to hold her daughter in her arms and do her best to provide the last protection.
Just as the bespectacled lady was in despair, the elementary schooler's surprised cry suddenly rang out:
"Mom, it's the fox mask hero!"
Hearing this title, Kitahara's mouth twitched slightly. Children's ability to coin nicknames was indeed extraordinary.
As for the fox mask on his face, one reason was to gain the luck bonus. Although he was confident in his own abilities, the situation was special now, and he wanted to be luckier. The other reason was to conceal his face and avoid unnecessary trouble.
The desperate lady subconsciously turned her head, looking at the ghostly figure of the young man wearing a fox mask, and nervously hugged her daughter:
"Who… who are you?"
Kitahara said in a low voice:
"I am the fox mask hero."
The elementary schooler's eyes immediately sparkled:
"Ah, it really is the fox mask hero!"
Lady: "…"
"Hero, please quickly save me and mom!" The elementary schooler prayed devoutly, "If… if you can only save one person, then save mom…"
The bespectacled lady's eyes immediately blurred. Just as she was about to comfort her daughter, the next moment she felt herself being directly picked up. Just as she was about to let out a soft cry, she heard Kitahara instruct:
"Close your eyes, don't open them."
Kitahara's tone was calm, yet it seemed to possess a magical power that instantly quieted the bespectacled lady.
In the terrifying sea of fire, the young man wearing a fox mask who suddenly appeared, and the calm aura on him without the slightest panic or despair, inexplicably made people believe him.
"Lord Fox, I've already closed my eyes!"
The elementary schooler quickly raised her hands and covered her face.
Kitahara directly stepped forward and kicked the window that the ponytail lady had been unable to budge no matter what.
Boom!
The bespectacled lady only heard a deafening roar. The window, along with the wall, shattered as if hit by a vehicle. Amidst the flying bricks and rolling dust, a large hole was directly broken in the wall.
"So… so amazing…"
The bespectacled lady was dumbfounded, and a thought suddenly arose in her mind:
"He can actually kick through a wall with one kick. Could he really be a monster?"
Kitahara looked down and instructed:
"Close your eyes."
The bespectacled lady dared not neglect, and quickly closed her eyes upon hearing this.
She had already guessed what Kitahara was going to do next.
This was the fourth floor, more than ten meters from the ground. Jumping from such a height was, of course, extremely dangerous, but it was better than staying in the sea of fire and eventually being swallowed by the flames in despair.
Not only that, after witnessing Kitahara's extraordinary abilities just now, the bespectacled lady inexplicably felt some trust… Perhaps they really could jump down safely?
Amidst her wild thoughts, the bespectacled lady suddenly felt Kitahara move, and the next second, a strong sense of weightlessness suddenly struck.
The lady's heart tightened abruptly, and she instinctively wanted to cry out in surprise, her soul trembling with tension.
Fortunately, after only two seconds, she felt the sense of weightlessness suddenly disappear.
Immediately after, Kitahara's voice sounded in her ears:
"You can open your eyes now."
A height of more than ten meters was easy for Kitahara; no accidents would occur.
The bespectacled lady's eyelashes trembled, and she nervously opened her eyes, only to find herself and her daughter already on the ground floor. Her emotions immediately became uncontrollable, and she covered her mouth, crying and thanking him:
"Thank you… Thank you so much…"
Seeing that reporters had already run over from not far away, Kitahara naturally did not stay. He simply waved his hand, then broke through a window and re-entered the sea of fire.
Having rescued a pair of unlucky mother and daughter trapped in the sea of fire, it was possible that there were other people inside the building. It was indeed better to check again to be sure.
Fortunately, unlucky people were ultimately a minority; everyone else had already run away.
After confirming that the building was empty, Kitahara quietly left, quickly arriving at a secluded corner outdoors, and then let out a long breath of stale air.
"Hoo…"
Holding his breath until now was indeed a bit tough.
His shirt also had several holes burned in it, but fortunately, besides being a bit disheveled, he was not injured.
At the same time, fire trucks had already arrived for rescue. The KTV entrance was chaotic, and among them, several familiar emotional faces were Anon's good friends.
"First, bring Anon out…"
Kitahara looked around, confirmed that there was no one around and no surveillance equipment, then his figure flickered, and he entered the Onsen Village.
The next second.
Bang!
A soft, delicate body crashed into Kitahara's arms. Anon hugged him tightly, her eyes teary:
"Why did you take so long? Are you hurt?"
"Actually, it wasn't long. Only a few minutes passed outside."
Kitahara rubbed Anon's little head, gently comforting her, and then described the situation outside.
Anon bit her lower lip and quickly checked Kitahara's body. After confirming that Kitahara was really fine, she and Karin left together.
The light distorted slightly.
Kitahara brought the two girls back to the real world.
There was no need to say more about what happened next. Seeing their emotional friends at the KTV entrance, Anon and Karin naturally rushed over. Friends reunited after the disaster, all were incredibly excited. Kitahara did not follow them but stayed put, observing the fire.
With the arrival of several fire trucks, the fire was finally effectively controlled and began to be gradually extinguished.
After confirming that the danger was completely resolved, Kitahara turned and quietly left.
When the deed is done, he brushes his clothes and hides his good deeds and fame.
At the same time.
Anon was comforting her friends when she suddenly heard a reporter's interview nearby. An elementary schooler said in a childish voice:
"It was the fox mask hero who descended from the sky and saved me and mom!"
"Eh?"
Anon looked over in surprise. After listening to the elementary schooler's narration, she quickly understood.
"fox mask hero… are they talking about Kitahara-kun?"
Anon had studied abroad before, so her intelligence was naturally not low. She quickly figured out the reason why Kitahara transformed into the 'fox mask hero.'
"Idiot…"
Anon bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth, covering her chest with her right hand:
"You could have at least told me…"
"…"
After returning home, Kitahara took a quick shower and then added the luck attribute to his blacklist.
"The fire didn't happen early or late, but precisely after Anon's luck lock ended. It's truly suspicious…"
Kitahara let out a light breath, and a lingering fear quietly emerged.
"Fortunately, the 'Foresee Future' ability was triggered, otherwise Anon would have…"
"It's decided. From now on, no one will be able to lock the luck status!"
Luck is an ethereal thing, but it's clear that the more good luck is consumed, the stronger the bad luck backlash afterwards. One must be extra careful.
Evening arrived in a flash.
Kitahara quickly traveled to Sakiko's home, and then went with Sakiko to the Togawa family's villa estate, preparing to attend today's dinner party.
The process of the dinner party needs no further words; it can be summarized in one sentence:
When you have enough ability and status, everyone will greet you with a smile.
During the banquet, Kitahara met Sakiko's grandfather and various Togawa family decision-makers, but without exception, everyone greeted Kitahara with a smile.
It wasn't until the end of the dinner party that Sakiko's aunt, who had the most contact with Kitahara, subtly proposed cooperation.
The content of the cooperation was simple: they wanted Kitahara to continue helping Stripping the Black Death Curse in the future, and to use the panacea produced by the Moon-Star Chalice to repair the erosion of the curse on the human body…
Young people do not fear death; it is wealthy capitalists who say things like 'I don't care about money.' When you are old and your hair is gray, you will involuntarily develop a fear of death.
Therefore, the blood-colored fruit that can make people return to youth is definitely something countless old people flock to.
However, the blood-colored fruit is not safe. Although it can make people return to youth, it will also make people infected with a curse, eventually dying from the curse. But after witnessing Kitahara's ability, the Togawa family keenly smelled the huge profits within.
Eating the blood-colored fruit, returning to youth, and then having Kitahara remove the curse, wouldn't that kill two birds with one stone?
In short, there's great potential!
Kitahara listened carefully to the cooperation content and reminded:
"The effect of the fruit returning to youth is not permanent; it will wear off after a period of time."
"Kitahara-kun, you don't need to worry about that." Sakiko's aunt smiled, clearly having considered this matter, "It's like three meals a day; you can eat on time when you're hungry. As for the cooperation, if Kitahara-kun doesn't want his identity exposed and be disturbed, we can keep it completely confidential for you. In addition, for each commission completed, you will receive a reward of 50 million yen…"
Kitahara's eyes lit up:
"You are Sakiko's aunt, which means you are my aunt. I'm definitely helping with this!"
It would be foolish not to make money. Before achieving financial freedom, Kitahara would never say such a humblebragging phrase as 'I'm not interested in money.' Others had considered all aspects, and he only needed to lift a finger to easily earn 50 million yen each time. There was simply no reason to refuse.
The banquet concluded.
The dedicated driver sent Kitahara and Sakiko out of the villa estate.
There was no conversation along the way.
The car quickly arrived at Sakiko's doorstep, and Kitahara's gaze was fervent as he said:
"I'm thirsty, I want to go in for some tea."
Sakiko's pretty face immediately flushed, and her bright eyes glared at him shyly:
"There's no tea, Kitahara-kun, go home and drink some!"
Kitahara apologized in a low voice:
"Yesterday was my fault... it shouldn't hurt anymore, right?"
Hearing this, Sakiko puffed out her cheeks, and her slender hand reached for Kitahara's waist, pinching him shyly:
"It's too late to apologize now. Yesterday I told you to go slower, but you just had to..."
Mid-sentence, Sakiko quickly bit her lower lip, her pretty face red, and swallowed the rest of her words, clearly too embarrassed to utter such a shameful topic.
It was Kitahara's first time going to a Love Hotel with Sakiko yesterday, and he couldn't control himself. If he hadn't shared the ability of the Kidneys brave with Sakiko, she would probably still be resting in bed right now.
There was nothing he could do; he couldn't get Sakiko's tea. Kitahara could only go home alone in the end.
In a blink of an eye, it was ten o'clock at night, and the girls successively came over to take their pre-sleep onsen.
"Poke poke—"
Kitahara suddenly felt a few light pokes at his waist.
Turning his head, he saw Anon with her hands behind her back, her voice charming as she said:
"Kitahara-kun, do you have time tonight?"
Kitahara was curious:
"Anon has something on tonight?"
Anon pursed her pink, moist lips and whispered:
"The book we bought together at the bookstore last time, we haven't read it yet."
Kitahara: "..."