"I copied Elf's ability?"
Izumi Sora was slightly taken aback, but not particularly surprised.
Besides Mahiru, he indeed spent the most time in contact with Elf.
Kuroneko had to go home to take care of her sisters after school, so they had the least contact.
"I can be invisible for ten minutes every day... Perhaps it's a kind of protective mechanism?"
"If I exceed the limit, it's highly likely that side effects will appear."
"So leveling up my character can extend the time..."
While he was pondering, a rustling laugh suddenly pulled Izumi Sora back to reality.
"Ehehe~"
Yamada Elf had her eyes closed, her small hand resting on Izumi Sora's abdomen, happily feeling around.
"Feels super good..."
Facts prove that girls actually like touching boys too, provided you have an eight-pack.
But as she touched, Elf was surprisingly not satisfied, her right hand starting to reach further down...
"That's enough!"
Izumi Sora decisively stopped Elf's little maneuver. If he let her continue, he'd end up in prison!
"Take your hand out, don't touch randomly."
Izumi Sora grabbed Elf's wrist and pulled her small hand out.
"Mmm..."
Yamada Elf furrowed her delicate eyebrows, groggily opening her eyes, her gaze falling on Izumi Sora.
"As I thought, it's a dream..."
"Wake up." Izumi Sora was speechless. "This is reality, you're not dreaming."
Elf closed her eyes, her voice charmingly naive: "Liar. It's clearly a dream, otherwise how could I be sleeping with Servant?"
"..."
Izumi Sora was expressionless, raising a hand to pinch Elf's small face.
"Does it hurt?"
"It hurts..."
"You don't feel pain when you're dreaming."
"That makes sense... Eh?"
Yamada Elf blankly opened her eyes, finally waking up properly: "Since it's not a dream, why is Servant in my bed?"
"Servant actually secretly night-attacked me?"
"So mean!"
"Even if Servant likes me, you can't just act recklessly. The most I can let you do is kiss and hug me... Going all the way has to wait until after we're married!"
Izumi Sora was expressionless: "Your head is completely filled with lewd thoughts."
"Hmph."
Elf puffed out her pink cheeks unhappily:
"Sora actually night-attacked me, yet you have the nerve to call me lewd. You clearly already..."
"Don't touch randomly."
Izumi Sora swiftly swatted Elf's small hand away, then lifted a corner of the quilt:
"Look closely, whose room is this."
"Eh?"
Yamada Elf propped herself up on her elbows, widening her eyes and looking around.
The sky was already bright.
Although the curtains hadn't been drawn, visibility was not an issue.
After seeing her surroundings clearly, Yamada Elf tilted her head in confusion:
"Strange, why is it Servant's room?"
"Servant is such a pervert."
"In order to get my body, you actually secretly carried me over here."
That's enough, don't be so narcissistic!
"I didn't sneak into your house." Izumi Sora helplessly pressed his fingers against his brow. "I just woke up and found you in my bed... It must be the same spatial teleportation side effect that Ruri experienced."
"What's this." Yamada Elf was greatly disappointed upon hearing this, muttering quietly, "And here I thought Servant finally couldn't hold it in and wanted to overpower me."
With your tiny body, you couldn't handle being overpowered at all!
"Hurry up and go back."
Izumi Sora waved his hand to shoo her away.
Yamada Elf yawned: "I'm still so sleepy, I want to sleep a little longer..."
"Go back and sleep."
"No. It's warmer next to Servant, I definitely won't be able to sleep if I go back."
"If you can't sleep, it's perfect time to wash your face, brush your teeth, and go to school."
"Servant is so annoying..."
Yamada Elf reluctantly threw off the covers and sat up. Her silky blonde hair scattered, faintly covering her body, youthful and beautiful.
Unfortunately, Izumi Sora's heart didn't waver. He just cast a glance and had absolutely no interest in looking further.
Tiny little bean buns, laughable, truly laughable.
"Ah, I forgot I'm not wearing any clothes."
Yamada Elf looked down. Her small face flushed slightly, feeling somewhat shy, but unfortunately only a tiny bit.
"Servant, Servant~"
Elf didn't even hide under the covers. She merely covered her chest with her right hand, pushing against Izumi Sora with her left hand, her eyes sly:
"Hurry up and use your teleportation to send me back."
As long as he uses teleportation to go back, Sora will suffer side effects, and then I'll be able to do whatever I want.
"It's a two-step walk, you can walk back yourself." Izumi Sora was very generous. "There are clothes in the closet, grab them yourself."
"No." Yamada Elf quickly shook her head. "If I go out wearing Sora's clothes and the neighbors see, it'll definitely look terrible, right?"
"Then go back invisible."
"Still no." Yamada Elf spoke plausibly. "Servant just said earlier not to use my ability recklessly, so of course I have to keep my word."
Under Elf's persistent pestering, Izumi Sora finally agreed to send her back.
"...Get up, I'll send you back."
Izumi Sora silently stood up, standing by the bed, and extended a hand to Elf:
"Give me your hand."
Elf got up and sat in a seiza posture on the bed, grasping Izumi Sora's right hand, reminding him:
"Be careful, Servant. Don't teleport into the toilet."
"Please don't jinx it."
"..."
Izumi Sora closed his eyes and activated his ultra-dimensional vision. The entire world quickly turned into transparent lines, and the layout of Elf's house quietly surfaced before his eyes.
With one step forward, water-like ripples spread out beneath his feet, and the figures of the two vanished instantly.
"Not bad, a perfect arrival."
Izumi Sora opened his eyes again and nodded in satisfaction.
Arriving steadily in Elf's bedroom without the slightest deviation, this was cause for celebration.
"Hehehe~"
A smug hum sounded in his ear.
Elf crossed her arms over her chest, sitting on the edge of the bed, proudly lifting her chin, ordering sweetly:
"I'm thirsty, Servant hurry up and pour me a cup of tea. When you come back, kneel on one knee and kiss my instep first, then help me put on my clothes."
Izumi Sora glanced over: "If you want tea, pour it yourself."
"Eh?" Yamada Elf widened her eyes. "We clearly teleported here, where is the promised side effect?"
"It probably depends on the teleportation distance." Izumi Sora was expressionless. "Yesterday I teleported a very long distance all at once. Today the straight-line distance was very short, so nothing happened."
Hearing this, Yamada Elf was greatly disappointed:
"What's this, doesn't that mean I can't enjoy Servant's pampering?"
"Pampering, is it?"
"Kneeling on one knee and kissing your instep, is it?"
Izumi Sora strode toward Elf, looking down at her from a commanding height.
"W-What is Servant doing?"
Elf looked up nervously.
"Of course I'm overpowering you."
Izumi Sora reached out, scooped Elf up, placed her over his lap, and then his right hand came down swiftly.
Smack.
A crisp slap suddenly rang out.
"Ugh..."
Yamada Elf's body trembled slightly. Her small face flushed as she turned her head:
"A mere Servant, y-you actually dare to hit..."
Smack.
"S-So painful..."
Smack.
"I'm sorry, I was wrong."
"..."
Hearing Elf obediently admit her mistake, Izumi Sora finally stopped in satisfaction.
"S-So mean..." Elf sniffled, looking up teary-eyed. "Servant rub it for me, otherwise I won't be able to walk."
"What did you say? Want me to go back early?"
Izumi Sora took a step and instantly disappeared.
Rubbing is definitely out of the question, leaving early is the right thing to do.
The next second.
Izumi Sora had already returned to his own room.
"Teleportation is indeed super useful..."
After muttering a sigh, Izumi Sora remembered the [Invisibility] ability he had just copied from Elf.
Curiously activating the invisibility, he strode over to the mirror and found that the mirror was indeed completely empty; his figure couldn't be seen.
After experiencing it for two minutes, Izumi Sora ended the invisibility and went downstairs to brush his teeth and wash his face.
Although [Invisibility] is the ability boys desire most, he had completely no intention of going to the women's bathhouse. He definitely still had to maintain basic boundaries.
The next few days passed in a flash.
Izumi Sora attended school methodically during the day and went night running and training with Mahiru at the lakeside park at night. During this time, he also took on a missing cat commission with Kuroneko, successfully earning 80,000 yen.
Aside from that, there were matters related to the game's release.
The tax information had been verified, and the store page had also been approved. Next was the review of the game content, which took a bit longer. Once the review was passed, the game could officially be launched on Steam.
During these past few nights, Kuroneko, Mahiru, Elf, Sagiri, and Yanami all playtested Plants vs. Zombies every day to see if there were any bugs. They didn't find any problems, but instead, they all became addicted to it, giving it 'Overwhelmingly Positive' reviews.
Besides that, the girls one after another experienced the side effect of sudden teleportation.
Once was Yanami, the other time was Kuroneko. Fortunately, both girls appeared right beside Izumi Sora, proving that the teleportation wasn't random, but followed a specific pattern. Although the timing was uncertain, the destination was always by Sora's side, highly likely related to the shared magic power at that time.
In the blink of an eye, it was Friday.
After school in the afternoon.
A figure swiftly approached Izumi Sora, and the girl's crisp, bright voice rang out:
"Sora, Sora~ Tomorrow is the weekend, let's go fishing at the beach together, okay?"
Izumi Sora put his textbooks into his schoolbag and looked up at the blue-haired girl with the ahoge:
"I don't have time this weekend, I can't go fishing."
"But I already prepared my swimsuit..."
Halfway through speaking, Yanami Anna hurriedly raised a hand to cover her pink lips.
Izumi Sora looked over speechlessly:
"I thought we were going fishing?"
"Hehehe~"
Yanami Anna made a fist with her right hand, tapped it lightly on her head, and stuck out her delicate pink tongue:
"Sitting for a long time is bad for the waist. We'll go fishing first, and then go swimming at the beach."
That's right.
Fishing was just an excuse; wanting to go swimming together was the truth.
Last weekend when they went fishing at the seawall, Elf wore a swimsuit and then went surfing with Sora. Yanami was super envious and had already prepared to go swimming together today.
"Sora doesn't even participate in club activities. Is there something special going on this weekend?"
Yanami Anna put her hands behind her back, tilting her head curiously.
"Tomorrow is the day of the Tokyo Marathon." Izumi Sora naturally wouldn't lie and told Yanami the truth. "I'm preparing to participate in the Tokyo Marathon."
"Ehhhhh?" Yanami Anna widened her beautiful eyes in shock. "Sora is actually going to participate in the Tokyo Marathon? If I remember correctly, you have to enter a lottery for that, right? And the winning rate is very low."
"Maybe I'm just lucky." Izumi Sora's expression was unchanged. "A few days ago when I went night running in the park, I saw some people holding up a banner to celebrate. It happened to be the last day for registration, so I tried registering, and then I won the lottery."
There was no need to tell 'Inmate Eight' about the time rewind.
"Wait a minute." The ahoge on Yanami Anna's head suddenly stood up like a radar antenna. "Is Sora participating in the Tokyo Marathon alone, or with someone else?"
Izumi Sora continued to tell the truth:
"With Mahiru."
"Ugh—"
Yanami Anna's pink cheeks instantly puffed up, completely not hiding her little jealousy. She reached out and secretly poked Izumi Sora's waist:
"Sora is so mean. You didn't even tell me you were participating in the Tokyo Marathon with Mahiru. I wanted to sign up too! Favoritism! So biased!"
Izumi Sora interlaced his fingers, not feeling guilty in the slightest:
"The distance of the Tokyo Marathon is forty-two kilometers. Are you sure you want to participate, Yanami?"
Yanami Anna: "..."
Forty-two kilometers?
Suddenly I don't want to participate at all.
Although her physical fitness was good, because of her large chest and flat-E-vanguard build, running was actually her weak point. A thousand meters in P.E. class was already her limit. A forty-two-kilometer marathon, just thinking about it was super terrifying.
"Even if I don't participate, Sora should have told me immediately." Yanami Anna slumped onto the desk, pretending to sob. "So sad, I feel like my life is completely gray."
To feel your life is gray over such a small thing, your life is too fragile!
Izumi Sora saw right through 'Inmate Eight's' true goal and unhurriedly said:
"Want to go eat Nanyue cuisine together tonight?"
"..."
Yanami's sobbing instantly stopped.
Izumi Sora continued:
"After eating, we'll go buy snacks."
Yanami Anna swiftly lifted her head, her pretty face full of anticipation:
"You have to keep your word, no backing out!"
"..."
Words spoken must of course be honored.
Izumi Sora told Mahiru that they wouldn't be eating at home tonight. Elf happened to hear, and upon hearing they were going to eat Nanyue cuisine, Elf naturally tagged along, and even Kuroneko joined them.
Finally, Mahiru also decided to go out to eat together.
Looking at the girls gathered together, Yanami was a bit bothered, but she quickly put it behind her. Although they couldn't have a date for two, having friends and delicious food nearby was also a very happy thing.
The journey was silent.
While eating at the restaurant, Izumi Sora once again brought up participating in the Tokyo Marathon with Mahiru tomorrow.
Elf and Kuroneko weren't jealous at all. The two girls were very self-aware; a marathon was simply not an event they could participate in. Let alone forty-two kilometers, they couldn't even run the fraction of two kilometers.
"Although I can't participate, I can still be a volunteer." Yanami Anna spoke vaguely while happily eating. "Let's go be volunteers tomorrow?"
"Probably not." Izumi Sora shook his head. "Volunteers also require advance registration and training. It's definitely too late now."
Yamada Elf crossed her arms over her chest: "Then let's go to the finish line and be a cheerleading squad. Sora and Mahiru are so amazing, you'll definitely be able to finish the whole race, right?"
Angel-sama's voice was gentle: "Thank you, Elf, but I might not be able to reach the finish line."
"It's the taking part that counts." Gokou Ruri reached up and tucked a lock of black hair behind her ear. "The winning rate for the Tokyo Marathon is one in ten. Many people who want to participate can't get in. Regardless of whether you can reach the finish line, being able to participate in it is already a memory worth treasuring."
"..."
After dinner, Izumi Sora ordered a mixed cured meat claypot rice to go, intended for Sagiri's dinner, and then everyone headed to their respective homes.
Tomorrow was the day of the Tokyo Marathon. He and Mahiru didn't go night running in the lakeside park tonight, but stayed home to rest and build up their energy.
"Sora-kun, see you at 6:00 AM tomorrow."
At 10:00 PM, Izumi Sora received a message from Mahiru.
The Tokyo Marathon starts at 9:00 AM, but they definitely had to get there early. Collecting gear, verifying identity, etc., all take time. With Mahiru's personality, she would naturally go early to prepare.
Izumi Sora: "Goodnight, get some rest."
Mahiru: "Sora-kun, do your best tomorrow. I hope we can finish the whole race."
Izumi Sora: "We'll do our best together. I'll always be by Mahiru's side."
Reading the message on her phone, Mahiru, lying on her side in bed, smiled slightly:
"Has Sora-kun memorized the marathon precautions?"
Izumi Sora: "No, I just need to stick by Mahiru's side anyway."
Mahiru: "I clearly sent them to you this morning... Stay close to me tomorrow, don't get lost."
"..."
Time flew by as they chatted. Unknowingly, it was 10:30 PM. Although Shiina Mahiru really wanted to keep chatting, she reluctantly stopped:
"I won't be able to get up tomorrow. Sora-kun, goodnight."
"Goodnight."
The next morning at 6:00 AM.
Just as the alarm finished ringing, a message from Shiina Mahiru popped up on his phone.
"Sora-kun, are you awake?"
Izumi Sora: "The alarm just went off, getting ready to get up."
Mahiru: "Get up, wash your face, brush your teeth, eat breakfast first, see you at the door later."
Izumi Sora: "See you at the door."
Putting down the phone and opening the curtains, the bright sunlight instantly poured in.
At six o'clock in the morning in early summer, the sky was already bright, though the streets were still quiet.
Izumi Sora enjoyed the refreshing morning breeze for a while, then closed the window, went downstairs, quickly washed his face and brushed his teeth, and started eating breakfast.
Breakfast was a simple combination of bread and milk. There was no need to deliberately consume high-energy food; eating too much would actually hinder running. Furthermore, there was a rest station every few kilometers along the route with free mineral water and food.
While eating, the sound of thump thump thump footsteps suddenly echoed from upstairs.
Looking up, Sagiri, wearing pajamas and looking sleepy-eyed, walked down:
"Onii-chan, you're getting ready to head out?"
Izumi Sora drank his milk: "I'm heading out after I finish eating."
"Do your best, Onii-chan." Sagiri, hugging her body pillow, walked over and sat down. "I'll watch your live broadcast on the internet."
Going out was impossible; she could only watch the live broadcast on the internet.
Izumi Sora swallowed the bread in his mouth and looked at Sagiri:
"There are forty thousand participants in the marathon this year. I probably won't appear on the live broadcast."
"Onii-chan is very self-aware..." Sagiri muttered in a small voice, then put on a serious face and earnestly instructed, "Anyway, Onii-chan, don't push yourself too hard. If you can't run anymore, just stop. What if you accidentally fall and break your knee, you'll have to take a leave of absence and stay home."
Izumi Sora looked over speechlessly: "Can't you wish me well?"
"Anyway, safety first." Sagiri's small face flushed slightly, averting her gaze. "I-I don't want to spend every waking moment with Onii-chan."
Izumi Sora's expression was unchanged: "If I get hurt, I'll have Mahiru take care of me."
"Idiot Onii-chan!"
Sagiri puffed out her cheeks unhappily, stepping on his foot under the table:
"Blockhead!"
"If Onii-chan really gets hurt, you have to stay home properly, and I will take care of you!"