The Jorogumo did not die peacefully.
No corpse remained, swallowed in one bite by the flame dragon, not even ashes left behind.
The spacious private room returned to silence once more, with multicolored neon lights still flashing endlessly, as if everything that just happened was merely a dream.
Several victims still hadn't recovered from the shock.
The series of events that happened tonight had truly exceeded the scope their brains could process.
Terrifying spider monster, lifelike flame dragon, and a suddenly appearing unfamiliar handsome boy, simply put, they had entered a crashed state.
Soyo, on the other hand, was slightly better off. After all, she had already experienced a supernatural event once, but just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, something suddenly came to mind. She looked toward a figure who had collapsed softly not far away on the ground.
"Sayaka!"
Earlier, all of the Jorogumo's attention had been focused on Kaito, leaving no energy to control the puppet, and simply threw her aside, leaving her to fend for herself.
Considered lucky, she had fainted just within the protective range of the golden barrier, avoiding being devoured completely by the swarm of spiders.
Although the group had been tricked by Sayaka into coming to karaoke tonight, she was, after all, a victim under control. Everything she did wasn't of her own volition, which Soyo could still understand.
More importantly…
The group came out together for karaoke, if only Sayaka ended up in an accident, that would be the real trouble.
They couldn't possibly tell Uncle that she ended up like this because of a monster, right?
"Kaito-kun…", The brown-haired girl was a bit anxious, and quickly looked toward the handsome boy beside her, her blue eyes filled with pleading.
"Don't worry, she's not in any serious danger," Kaito glanced over, not taking it too seriously.
Although Sayaka had been made into a puppet, it had only been for a short time. Perhaps because the Jorogumo was worried about being exposed, she didn't take her life, merely using spider silk to control her like a marionette.
Now that the Jorogumo was dead, she only fainted due to exhaustion and would recover with some rest.
After an incident like this, it was naturally impossible for anyone to still be in the mood for karaoke.
At this point, Soyo stepped forward and proposed that they disband, receiving unanimous approval from the girls.
As for getting home safely, there was no need to worry. These were all young ladies studying at Tsukinomori, and a single phone call could summon a chauffeur. No need to take a cab alone past seven.
Even for Sayaka, who was still unconscious, someone knew her home address and could conveniently bring her along on the way.
Before leaving, several of the girls who had been rescued hesitantly came up to Kaito, hoping to exchange contact info. Some shyly said they wanted to repay him for saving their lives, putting on a look like they were ready to be picked.
Naturally, all such requests were politely declined by Nagasaki Soyo with a smile on her face on Kaito's behalf, making quite a few people secretly grumble, why hadn't they noticed earlier that Soyo was this possessive?
Once they saw the last victim leave by car, the brown-haired girl finally let out a sigh of relief. She turned around, tilted her head slightly upward, and looked at the handsome boy beside her, "If Kaito-kun hadn't arrived in time… I really wouldn't have known what to do."
"If we're friends, there's no need to say such distant things."
Kaito was unfazed, then asked, "So, what are you planning to do next? Head home?"
"Mm… going home alone feels kind of scary…"
It would have been fine on an ordinary day, but after just going through the Jorogumo incident, and with her mom working late at the company tonight, Soyo really didn't want to return to that cold duplex. She kept imagining a big furry spider crawling out of the corners.
The girl subconsciously tightened the gray ribbon at her chest, hesitated for a moment, and said a little shyly, "Could I… stay at Kaito-kun's place for the night?"
'Stay at my place?'
Kaito thought for a moment. His place was a 3LDK layout, three rooms and a living room. Other than his and Mutsumi's rooms, there was still a guest room available.
However, Secretary Sakiko was also over tonight and might be staying over, so it might not be convenient.
He had originally thought his house was pretty spacious, who would've thought it'd already feel cramped with just a few girl.
'Should I just go ahead and get a bigger place?'
After all, he had made so much money, it ought to be put to use somehow. Leaving it sitting in the account was just gathering dust.
"Next time," Suppressing those thoughts for now, Kaito shook his head, "It might not be convenient tonight."
"Then…", Soyo looked a bit disappointed but compromised, "Could I ask Kaito-kun to come stay at my place for the night?"
"That's no problem," Kaito didn't refuse again. It was already quite late, and he didn't want to disturb Mutsumi or Sakiko's rest either.
Leaving the karaoke place, the two didn't waste any more time.
Since it was already past midnight, even the last train had stopped running, so like before, they flew to Soyo's house.
It was Soyo's first time experiencing something like this, clearly standing on illusory rainbow light, but it felt like stepping on solid ground.
The feeling was especially wondrous, completely different from being on an airplane.
Unfortunately, there wasn't time to enjoy it for long. The rainbow light dissipated quickly, and when she looked up again, they were already on her familiar balcony.
"Kaito-kun… so fast…", The girl opened her mouth in surprise and looked at the time on her phone, it had only been a few minutes, and they were already home?
"Even though you're speaking the truth, I somehow can't feel happy about it, what the heck…", Kaito had a slightly strange expression. After thinking for a bit, he decided not to dwell on trivial things and walked into the living room with Soyo. He casually turned on the light, and the crystal chandelier lit up, making the room shine like midday.
"Kaito-kun, make yourself at home. I bought the newest game console, if you're bored, feel free to play. The snacks on the coffee table are also free to eat."
Soyo showed an embarrassed expression and lightly bit her pink lips, "I sweated quite a bit earlier, I want to take a bath first, so I'll be away for a while."
Though the girl didn't actually have any strange smell on her. In fact, because she liked aromatherapy, even with a light sweat, she still had a faint lavender scent, which for certain people might even be arousing.
But Soyo still felt insecure, worried that Kaito might dislike her. She wanted to show him her best side.
———
Walking into the bathroom, her fair, delicate bare feet stepped onto the cold floor. Steam rose as Nagasaki Soyo undressed completely and stood under the showerhead, feeling the warm water trickle down her hair. Only then did she finally feel a sense of physical and mental relief.
Too many things happened tonight. Although she managed to hold herself together and comfort her friends during the incident, that was just putting on a brave face. She didn't have much confidence at all.
'Thankfully… thankfully…'
'At the most critical moment, Kaito-kun always appears in time to save me from danger.'
'Just like tonight, and every night.'
Thinking about that familiar figure's appearance brought her a sense of immense peace.
Soyo's gaze grew slightly dazed.
Her mother had always taught her: be grateful and repay kindness.
She had received so much from Kaito but had yet to repay him.
'Perhaps…'
'Now was a very good opportunity?'
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