"I'm heading out now."
With the ability sharing successfully completed, Kita hurriedly wiped the corner of her mouth, took a deep breath, and gave her cheeks a few light pats. Then, shyly, she pushed open the door and left the lounge; keeping her head down to avoid eye contact, she took quick, small steps over to where "Ryo" was standing:
"Ryo-senpai, you go in now."
"Huh?"
Seika was taken aback by the words.
Wait, really?
Did she have to go in and share the ability too?
"Ryo, hurry up and go," Nijika's voice rang out, carrying a subtle undertone. "It's getting late; after you finish buffing Kitahara-kun, everyone still needs to get some rest."
Seika: "..."
Oh no!
She'd forgotten she was currently inhabiting Ryo's body!
Should she try to find an excuse to get out of it?
Just as Seika hesitated, Nijika spoke up again—clearly having anticipated her older sister's inner thoughts:
"There are only four of us in the band, so we can't afford to have anyone missing."
"Why has Ryo-senpai been acting so weird lately?" Kita asked, hands on her hips and eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You aren't hiding something from us, are you?"
"Ahem..."
A flash of guilt crossed Seika's face. To avoid exposing her true identity, she had to swallow her embarrassment and agree:
"Fine, I'll go."
Manager Seika had played in bands throughout high school and college, so even while impersonating Ryo, performing together wouldn't be a problem.
Phew...
Stepping into the lounge, Seika let out a quiet sigh of relief. She lifted her gaze to look at Kitahara, composing her pretty face into a serious expression:
"Hurry up and share the
ability; everyone is waiting to rest."
"Right, right."
Kitahara took half a step forward, reached out, and gently pulled Seika into his embrace.
Skin-to-skin contact.
The searing heat radiating from Kitahara's body caused Seika's heart to race uncontrollably.
"Damn it..."
As her heart pounded, the heat rose rapidly in her cheeks as well; feeling flustered, she turned her gaze away and bit her lip:
"We don't actually need to hug to share the ability, do we?"
"We don't," Kitahara said, leaning close to Seika's ear. "But I missed you, Seika-senpai. Did you miss me?"
Seika gave a soft huff. "Not at all."
"What?"
Kitahara wore a look of utter devastation, his voice tinged with melancholy:
"Do you hate me now, Seika-senpai?"
Seika: "..."
You shameless brat—don't go making a hurt face just because of one comment!
"That's not what I meant..."
Seika bit her lower lip, finding herself explaining despite herself:
"I was waiting for you to come back—I waited so long, and now I'm so sleepy... Anyway, just hurry up and kiss me."
Ryo was a free spirit who marched to the beat of her own drum; if she didn't genuinely like this brat, she certainly wouldn't compromise her own comfort. Now that she had swapped bodies with Ryo, she naturally couldn't let a rift form between the two of them.
Kitahara lowered his voice: "I want to hear you act cute—eight times in a row."
"Huh?!"
Seika's dark brows arched as she glared at him in embarrassed indignation.
She had been forced to act cute earlier to gain the ability needed to protect the shop and its customers, but the tables had turned now—surely he should be the one begging her! "Sorry, I refuse." Seika crossed her arms over her chest. "If you won't share the ability, then forget it. I'm leaving."
Kitahara spoke in a wistful, lingering tone:
"The Imposter Queen is incredibly powerful. What we destroyed today was just a clone; if we run into her again tomorrow, I'm not sure I can beat her. I might never get the chance to hear Ryo-senpai's 'eight-fold act of pouting and wheedling' again..."
Before he could finish, Seika gritted her teeth and lightly kicked out at him:
"Stop jinxing it!"
"That 'eight-fold act of pouting'..."
"Shut up!"
"..."
At the thought of Kitahara having to go save the world tomorrow morning, Seika's resolve softened. Gritting her teeth and fighting through her embarrassment, she stood on tiptoe, leaned close to his ear, and—just like yesterday—pouted and wheedled in a bashful, endearing way.
A smile quietly spread across Kitahara's face, instantly dispelling his earlier look of dejection:
"Ryo-senpai, thanks for the treat."
"..."
The ability sharing was quickly completed.
Kitahara walked out of the lounge with Seika, then headed to the open-air concert hall with the others so the girls could stack buffs on him.
Beautiful melodies soon filled the air. Kitahara opened his character panel and watched as a series of notifications popped up:
[You have listened to a beautiful song and gained a special buff: all your attributes are boosted by an additional 10% for 30 minutes...]
[You have listened to a beautiful song and gained a special buff: all your attributes are boosted by an additional 10% for 30 minutes...]
There appeared to be no limit to the stacking; each girl applied a layer of enhancement buff to him. Combined with the passive effect of "Song of the Night," Kitahara clenched his fists, feeling a surge of immense power coursing through his body—enough to take down an elephant with a single punch.
"There's still one daily quest left to complete today..."
Kitahara lowered his gaze to check the day's remaining tasks. The fourth daily task was "Moonlight Waltz," which required dancing a waltz as a pair before midnight. The only catch was that the designated partner had to be Taki. Kitahara had originally planned to ask Taki after school, but a "Imposter" incident triggered before he could even leave the premises; he had been running around ever since and hadn't managed to speak to her yet.
"It shouldn't be too hard..."
Kitahara glanced at Taki, who was standing all alone in the corner.
The waltz task wasn't difficult, so there was no reason to give up. Besides, he still had a "Universal Exchange Voucher" in his possession; Taki likely wouldn't refuse.
Meanwhile...
Taki stood solitary in the corner, watching Tomori and the others perform. She bit her lower lip, a complex expression playing across her small face.
If... if she hadn't refused earlier, would she be up there performing with Tomori and the rest right now?
It had been quite a few days since Kitahara last brought her an "Eden Fruit." In the interim, he had only sent the occasional message. Since they attended different schools and didn't work at the same place, their daily lives naturally didn't overlap. If things continued like this... would the distance between them keep growing?
As her thoughts wandered, Taki recalled what Kitahara had said that morning: that he wouldn't touch her again unless she initiated it. Although he often failed to keep his word, it seemed he had actually stuck to that promise during this period...
The performance soon ended, and the buffs were fully stacked. Kitahara used his ability, "Status Master," to lock the buff duration, then joined the girls for a pre-bedtime onsen soak.
After the bath, the group left the onsen resort; some of the girls chose to go home, while others decided to stay.
Kitahara had already checked with Hana; the barrier she had set up was incredibly sturdy. Given the Imposters' capabilities, it was impossible for them to break through, so going home posed no danger.
"It's already 11:40..."
Kitahara took out his phone and checked the time, a quiet sense of urgency rising within him.
There were only twenty minutes left until midnight; he had to complete the "Moonlight Waltz" task before then. "Those lottery points are as good as mine today."
Kitahara put away his phone and was just about to go look for Taki when a familiar, sweet, and pleasant voice reached his ears.
"Kitahara-kun..."
"Sakiko, what's wrong?"
Kitahara turned to look at the girl who had spoken.
Sakiko walked over, her right arm cradling her left elbow across her chest, a look of hesitation on her lovely face.
"Um... do you have a moment, Kitahara-kun?"
Kitahara lowered his voice. "Don't tell me you're looking for a kiss or a hug, Sakiko?"
"Not at all." Sakiko shot him a playful, reproachful look with her bright eyes; she knew perfectly well he was just teasing. Exhaling softly, she whispered:
"Grandpa just messaged me. He's learned about the existence of the 'Impostors' and is worried one might have infiltrated the estate. He wanted to ask if you could come over..."
This was the gap between ordinary people and the zaibatsu elite.
Ordinary people were kept completely in the dark—even after the Impostor crisis ended, they wouldn't even know the world had teetered on the brink of destruction. The zaibatsu, however, not only knew the inside story but were also aware that Kitahara possessed the ability to identify the Impostors.
"Send Grandpa a message telling him we'll be there soon."
Kitahara certainly wouldn't put Sakiko in a difficult position; he agreed immediately.
It was just a matter of going over to identify some Impostors—hardly a task requiring him to brave a mountain of blades or a sea of fire. Besides, knowing the character of Sakiko's grandfather, he was sure to offer a generous reward.
"Thank you, Kitahara-kun."
Sakiko breathed a sigh of relief and offered her thanks softly.
"Don't mention it." Kitahara reached out to ruffle the top of her head, speaking gently, "Sakiko's family is my family, too."
Sakiko had grown up in the Togawa household. Although her deadbeat father had resigned in disgrace during her junior high years—prompting her to run away from home and endure some hard times—she could have returned to the Togawa family at any moment if she had simply chosen to do so. All in all, the Togawa household was the place where Sakiko had grown up; the people living there were either family or acquaintances. It was only natural to worry about their safety—after all, unlike others, the Togawa family hadn't had Hana set up a barrier.
"..."
As they spoke, Kitahara caught a glimpse of Taki preparing to leave out of the corner of his eye and quickly said:
"We can go to the Togawa house later; there's something I need to discuss with Taki."
"Huh?"
Sakiko was slightly taken aback, but she didn't press for details; instead, she gave a gentle nod:
"Go ahead, Kitahara-kun. I'll let my grandfather know first."
"..."
Kitahara waved his hand and strode toward Taki, calling out:
"Taki, wait a moment."
Hearing this, Tomori and Taki stopped and turned around in unison.
"There's something I'd like to ask of you, Taki." Kitahara walked briskly up to the two girls; rather than being coy or evasive, he got straight to the point: "Do you know how to dance?"
"Huh?"
Taki crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him in bewilderment.
"Why are you suddenly asking something like that?"
Kitahara extended his right hand, his eyes bright and gentle: "I'd like you to dance the waltz with me under the moonlight for five minutes."
Back when they had soaked in the hot springs together, Tomori had explicitly told him, "Please win Taki over." So, with Tomori right there, being open about it was better than trying to hide his intentions.
"Huh?!"
A flush rapidly spread across Taki's face as she glared at him in embarrassment:
"It's so late already—who would ever agree to something like that?!"
Tomori blinked and spoke softly from the sidelines: "If I recall correctly, Makoto-kun still has that 'All-Purpose Voucher' for Taki, doesn't he?"
"..."
Taki's breath hitched, and she cast a reproachful look at her friend. "Actually, I do," Kitahara nodded. "I still haven't used the voucher I won in that bet back when we went fishing together."
Kitahara smiled, turned to the girl with long, straight black hair—who looked like a young girl but was of legal age—and extended the invitation once more:
"I'm cashing in that 'anything-goes' voucher. I want to redeem it for five minutes of dancing the 'Moonlight Waltz' with Taki."
Taki: "..."
"A promise made is a promise kept—surely Taki wouldn't go back on her word?"
Kitahara pressed his advantage.
"I'm heading home now." Tomori's gaze was gentle; she reached out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind Taki's ear and whispered, "Good luck, Taki."
Good luck with what?
Good luck doing what?
I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about!
Taki's face flushed hot. She wanted to back out, but since she was the one who had lost the voucher in the first place, her pride as a young woman wouldn't let her renege on the deal. Besides, it was just a waltz—nothing that violated public decency or morals—so there really wasn't any reason to refuse, was there?
As Tomori walked away, Taki took a deep breath and glared at Kitahara, a mix of shyness and irritation in her eyes:
"We can dance, but you aren't allowed to take advantage of me!"
"Rest assured, Taki." Kitahara raised his hand in a pledge. "When I gave you that 'Fruit of Eden' that morning, I promised that—unless you asked me to—I wouldn't take advantage of you ever again."
Taki: "..."
You actually remember something you said days ago so clearly?
At that moment, Taki's feelings were a complicated tangle.
Even though she kept running away and refusing to acknowledge her own heart, there was one thing she couldn't lie to herself about: seeing how clearly Kitahara remembered that promise... she couldn't bring herself to feel happy about it at all.
"Let's go outside." Kitahara walked toward the entryway. "Five minutes of the waltz for two—once we're done, Taki, you can go home and rest."
"Hmph."
Taki gave a soft hmph, crossed her arms over her chest, and followed him.
It was a voucher she had given away herself... so, naturally, she had to keep her word.
It was late into the night.
A profound silence reigned.
The street was deserted, exceptionally quiet.
A crescent moon hung high in the night sky—not directly overhead, but towards the east.
The summer heat had dissipated; autumn had arrived, and the night air was no longer sweltering. As Taki stepped onto the street, she could even feel a faint chill against her arms.
"Let's do it here. We'll head home right after; no one else will be passing by this late."
Kitahara turned around and extended his right hand toward Taki.
"Just so you know, I don't really know how to dance..."
Taki's face flushed pink. Biting her lip, she raised her small hand and placed it against Kitahara's fingertips.
"It's fine; I only know a few simple moves myself." Kitahara clasped her cool, slender hand. "I'll teach you, Taki. It's actually quite easy."
The "Moonlight Waltz" was merely a limited-time daily task, not a competition, so the quality of their dancing didn't matter.
"Then let's begin."
With her face burning hot, Taki urged him on softly and began to dance, following Kitahara's lead.
She hadn't been lying—she truly didn't know how to dance. She was clumsy at first, but gradually, she managed to keep pace with Kitahara's rhythm.
After dancing for a while, their movements fell into a quiet harmony, and the dance began to flow beautifully.
"It feels... pretty nice..."
Dancing a waltz for two on a deserted street bathed in liquid moonlight—though she was loath to admit it, a warm, sweet feeling was quietly filling her heart.
Just then, Kitahara suddenly stopped:
"Five minutes are up. Let's head back."
The fourth task was complete; it was time to return. Later, he would need to fast-travel with Sakiko to the Togawa family estate to check for any impostors who might have infiltrated the grounds.
"So soon?"
Taki looked up in surprise; she hadn't noticed the passage of time at all.
Their eyes met.
Taki's heart began to race, and her gaze quickly darted away. (The streets are completely deserted right now... surely that pervert Kitahara isn't going to suddenly try something, is he?)
(Don't even think about it!)
(I certainly won't let him have his way so easily...)
Even as Taki stood there, shy and conflicted, she caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye of Kitahara turning away. His calm voice drifted to her on the evening breeze:
"Let's go. I'll have Hana walk you home."
"..."
Watching Kitahara's back as he walked away without a moment's hesitation, Taki's lips parted slightly. She felt as though an invisible hand had suddenly clenched around her heart; the warmth and sweet happiness she had felt just moments ago vanished instantly, replaced by a heavy, suffocating ache—a bitter, stinging sensation that made it hard to breathe.
(It hurts so much...)
(That pervert Kitahara kept his word; he didn't try anything... but why... why does it hurt so much?)
Taki clutched her chest as a misty haze welled up in her eyes, rapidly blurring her vision...