After chatting with Ryo-senpai for a moment, he received two pieces of news.
Good news.
Hitori had already mustered the courage to walk into the tiger's den to go home.
Bad news.
Mutsumi had quietly joined the sharing, and she was even enjoying it, wanting to continue sharing the 'driving'.
"Kitahara, now that you know the secret, are you going to continue taking advantage of Hitori, or pretend you don't know?"
Yamada Ryo asked, tilting her head with her arms crossed.
Kitahara Makoto: "..."
There's a good saying: 'Let go of the urge to help others, respect their destiny.'
Mutsumi herself wanted to join the sharing, so there was really no reason to stop her.
"Ryo-senpai, please get the bracelet back quickly," Kitahara Makoto felt a little worried. "If the body swap fails, Hitori will definitely have a mental breakdown."
What was even more worrying was actually Sakiko.
Sakiko already knew about what happened with Soyo this afternoon; if he took advantage of "Ryo-senpai" again tonight, Sakiko would likely have a mental breakdown, right?
"Got it," Yamada Ryo made an OK gesture. "I'll tell Nijika and Kita about it too..."
Kitahara Makoto: "..."
Don't say such things, aren't you ashamed at all?
"Well, it is a bit shameful."
Yamada Ryo seemed to read his mind, nodding gently with her arms crossed, then suddenly changing the subject:
"But while it's shameful, it's also incredibly stimulating and makes you want more."
Kitahara Makoto: "..."
As expected of you.
Such a terrible habit is beyond saving!
After finishing his conversation with Ryo-senpai, Kitahara Makoto let out a light breath and quietly approached the guest room door, then grasped the doorknob.
Click.
The soft sound of the door opening was exceptionally clear in the quiet night.
(Th-there's someone here...)
Hitori, lying on the bed, suddenly stiffened. She frantically closed her eyes, choosing to feign sleep.
No way.
The soul is what determines a person's fundamental existence.
Although she had swapped bodies with Yamada Ryo, asking Hitori to cooperate like Ryo-senpai, or even to 'do it' herself... In short, it was absolutely impossible.
(I can't do it!)
(Such a terrifying thing, I absolutely cannot do it!)
If it weren't for the belief of wanting to "go home" supporting her, Hitori would have already fled in disarray.
Footsteps softly sounded, quickly reaching the bedside.
Hitori's body was stiff; she didn't dare to move.
"Ryo-senpai, are you asleep?"
Kitahara Makoto called out softly.
...
Hitori kept her eyes tightly shut, determined to feign sleep until the end.
"I just ran into Hitori in the hallway," Kitahara Makoto mumbled to himself. "Hitori said she was going to sleep with Hana, so I came over to repay the favor."
(Th-that's not repaying the favor at all...)
Feeling a hand quietly reaching for her waist, Hitori's heart rate immediately soared to 180.
(It's clearly a terrifying night raid!)
Kitahara Makoto reached out and pulled Hitori directly into his embrace. The girl's eyes were tightly closed, as if she had fallen into a deep sleep.
Unfortunately, her disguise was quite a failure—in the quiet night, the girl's rapid heartbeat was exceptionally clear.
"Huh?"
Kitahara Makoto's voice sounded:
"Ryo-senpai's body temperature is so high. I'll help Ryo-senpai take off her pajamas to cool down."
...
Hitori's small hands instantly clenched, and her slender eyelashes trembled frantically.
She wanted to escape, but her will wasn't strong enough.
She wanted to "wake up," but she was too ashamed to face him, so she could only constantly consume herself with internal struggle in her mind.
(So scary, so scary, so scary, so scary, so scary!)
(I want to go home!)
(I want to go back into my mother's womb...)
(Everyone is still just a child; such things should wait until adulthood, right?)
"Changing clothes should probably be done with the lights on, right?"
Kitahara Makoto said slowly.
"N-no, don't turn on the lights...!"
Hitori immediately panicked.
Turning on the lights was too terrifying no matter how she thought about it; only darkness could provide a sliver of security.
"Ryo-senpai is awake?"
Kitahara Makoto directly leaned in for a kiss, taking advantage of the situation: "If you don't want me to turn on the lights, Ryo-senpai must agree to one thing."
"W-what thing?"
Hitori's eyes were flustered, her face burning hot, much like a fawn caught in a hunter's trap, pitiful, weak, and helpless.
"It's simple..." Kitahara Makoto whispered, "Ryo-senpai, put on the collar and call me Master."
Hitori: "..."
At the same time.
On the other side.
Mutsumi put on the bracelet, and her lips immediately parted slightly. Her entire body trembled slightly, as if she had suffered some kind of mental attack. Her usually expressionless, delicate face quickly flushed with crimson.
"It's, it's started..."
"What is Mutsumi saying?"
Togawa Sakiko tilted her head in confusion, her face full of bewilderment.
From her perspective, Mutsumi had only put on an ordinary bracelet. For some reason, her entire demeanor suddenly changed, and she even made strange sounds...
For some reason.
Togawa Sakiko felt that the sound just now had a strange sense of déjà vu, as if she had heard it not long ago.
"Why would there be déjà vu?"
Togawa Sakiko frowned in confusion, then suddenly remembered the decadent sounds she had heard on her phone that afternoon.
"Impossible, I must be overthinking it..."
Togawa Sakiko shook her head, pushing the speculation out of her mind.
Although Togawa Sakiko felt wronged about Kitahara Makoto and Soyo doing 'that', she wasn't surprised.
Because of the entanglement with the Otherworld, everyone's destinies were already intertwined and could not be undone.
In such circumstances, as their favorability subtly increased, it was inevitable that someone would fall into it.
But no matter what, Kitahara Makoto would not take advantage of Mutsumi.
Although Kitahara Makoto was a harem scumbag, he never forced anyone; Togawa Sakiko was quite certain of this.
If he really did something to Mutsumi, he definitely wouldn't hide it, but would admit it.
"So... I must be overthinking it, right?"
Togawa Sakiko silently comforted herself.
However, Mutsumi's condition did not improve. As time passed, her breathing became more and more rapid, so much so that the entire room was quietly tinged with pink.
"Mutsumi, what exactly is wrong with you?"
Togawa Sakiko sat up worriedly, her delicate brows furrowed:
"Did you encounter a ghost story?"
"N-no ghost story..."
Mutsumi took a deep breath, pulled off the bracelet, and her expression quickly calmed down.
"I already explained to Elder Sister that it's the bracelet."
Togawa Sakiko: "...You explained for nothing."
You just said the bracelet was wonderful, but you didn't explain what was wonderful about it!
"I can't explain it either."
Mutsumi handed over the bracelet, the blush on her pretty face still hadn't faded, and compared to her previous emotionless state, her blushing little face was especially cute at this moment, "Onee-sama will know once she wears it."
"...I'll try."
Togawa Sakiko curiously took the bracelet.
But no matter how she looked at it, it was just a very ordinary woven item, with no hint of anything wonderful.
"Can it only be worn?"
Togawa Sakiko lightly pursed her pink, moist lips.
This bracelet was an item Mutsumi borrowed from Hitori-chan when she brushed her teeth earlier, so its safety should be guaranteed, and it's not a dangerous item of unknown origin.
"Hoo..."
Togawa Sakiko gently exhaled, and with a curious mind, slowly put the bracelet onto her fair, slender wrist.
The bracelet doesn't bind identity; as long as the wearing conditions are met, sharing can be enabled, which is quick and convenient.
So...
[Five Senses Sharing] activating.
Togawa Sakiko officially logged in.
The first to be activated was [Vision Sharing].
"What... what's happening?"
Togawa Sakiko only felt as if she suddenly had an extra pair of eyes, but the eyes seemed very blurry, seeing things indistinctly and unclearly.
The next second.
Taste, hearing, smell, touch... the other five senses simultaneously began sharing.
A strange sensation she had never experienced before, like a surging flood, instantly swept through Togawa Sakiko's body and soul.
"Eh eh eh eh eh?!"
At this moment, strong Sakiko was in control of the body, but under the terrifying impact, strong Sakiko instantly knelt on the ground, turning into weak Sakiko.
"W-what happened?!"
Togawa Sakiko's eyes widened, her breathing was rapid, and her originally fair, doll-like face had now turned into the evening glow in the sky, brilliant as fire.
With 100% synchronized sharing of the five senses, and Togawa having no experience whatsoever, the impact she received at this moment was imaginable.
Boom!
Togawa Sakiko only felt a 'buzz' in her head, and her soul trembled with it.
"So... so scary..."
Her gaze fell on the bracelet on her wrist, Togawa Sakiko's eyes were flustered, and she finally realized that the bracelet was not ordinary, but some terrifying existence that could make one's soul fall.
Taking a deep breath, Togawa Sakiko was about to yank off the bracelet when she suddenly heard the 'other self' whimpering for mercy:
"Ki-Kitahara-kun... N-no more..."
"Eh?"
Togawa Sakiko's eyes widened, her motion to take off the bracelet suddenly paused, and curiosity abruptly took over.
(So that's it, the special thing about the bracelet is related to Kitahara-kun...)
(And that voice just now... it clearly sounds like Yamada-senpai.)
"D-damn it..." Togawa Sakiko bit her lower lip tightly, a completely unbelievable guess forming in her mind, "What exactly are you doing?!"
Perhaps hearing Togawa Sakiko's inner voice, the sharing initiator, Ryo-senpai, suddenly opened her eyes, and through her tear-filled eyes, a mirror appeared in front of her, and then...
Boom!
Togawa Sakiko's pretty face instantly turned explosively red, with even faint steam rising from it.
(Th-they're really doing that kind of thing...)
(Bullying Soyo this afternoon, and now bullying someone else, that's too much!)
(You should exercise some restraint!)
After knowing the truth, Togawa Sakiko took a deep breath and abruptly took off the bracelet.
[Five Senses Sharing] immediately stopped.
Togawa Sakiko only felt the tide that made her soul tremble suddenly disappear, as if everything just now was merely an illusion.
"Hoo... hoo..."
Togawa Sakiko covered her chest with her right hand, her breathing rapid, her pretty face burning hot, knowing very well that everything that just happened was real and not an illusion at all.
The evidence was simple.
At this very moment, Togawa Sakiko could clearly feel her heart pounding in her throat, as if it was about to jump out of her chest the next second.
"Onee-sama, how do you feel?"
The girl's curious voice sounded beside her.
Togawa Sakiko looked over upon hearing this, and only then remembered that Mutsumi was sitting next to her, her gaze immediately becoming evasive:
"W-what about what?"
"Just the feeling of joining the sharing."
Mutsumi extended her right hand, "Onee-sama must have felt very comfortable, right?"
Togawa Sakiko turned her pretty face away in embarrassment, saying against her true feelings:
"Not comfortable at all!"
This was a lie.
Although Togawa Sakiko denied it verbally, she knew very well in her heart that the feeling just now was too terrifying, and the pleasure it brought was second only to Eden Fruit.
(No wonder Soyo's voice was so terrible this afternoon, it turns out it really was involuntary...)
Thoughts whirled.
As soon as she thought that Kitahara Makoto was doing that kind of thing with other girls next door, Togawa Sakiko's cheeks suddenly puffed up.
Soyo was one, Yamada-senpai was another... how many girls had scumbagKitahara already taken advantage of behind her back?!
Togawa Sakiko felt wronged in her heart, but she didn't impulsively go to break up the couple.
The reason was simple.
When Kitahara Makoto revealed his harem, she didn't break off the relationship immediately, so she had already prepared herself mentally.
When love runs deep, someone will always be unable to resist secretly tasting the forbidden fruit, but she didn't expect someone to run ahead so early...
Mutsumi tilted her head and looked over, a hint of confusion appearing in her eyes:
"But onee-sama's expression clearly looks very comfortable..."
"Stop talking, this topic ends here!"
Togawa Sakiko decisively interrupted, biting her teeth lightly, "Mutsumi, what exactly is this bracelet about?"
Mutsumi said expressionlessly:
"It's said to be an item enchanted by Hana, which can make people happy..."
"As expected."
Togawa Sakiko subconsciously nodded.
It looked like a very ordinary bracelet, and only after Hana enchanted it could the bracelet turn decay into wonder.
"Onee-sama."
A fair and delicate small hand reached out in front of Togawa Sakiko.
"What is Mutsumi doing?"
Togawa Sakiko looked over in confusion.
"The bracelet."
Mutsumi lacked emotions, so feelings like shame were naturally very faint, and her voice showed no shyness at all, "I want to continue the shared experience."
"...No!"
Togawa Sakiko denied it outright.
Mutsumi tilted her head slightly: "Why?"
Why?
Of course, because it's super terrible!
Togawa Sakiko was quite intelligent, and by now she had understood the bracelet's sharing attribute; wearing the bracelet clearly meant being taken advantage of!
Mutsumi hadn't even kissed a boy yet, and she directly skipped so many steps and directly entered the Akina Mountain race track, no matter how you look at it, it's too terrible!
"This bracelet is too dangerous, it will make people fall."
Togawa Sakiko's expression was serious, "We should return it to Hitori-chan."
At this point, Togawa Sakiko suddenly realized.
As the owner of the bracelet, Hitori must know the secret of the bracelet, right?
So, Hitori-chan has actually experienced it too?
"Something feels off..."
Togawa Sakiko lightly furrowed her delicate brows, deep in thought.
"Given Hitori-chan's personality, if she knew the shameful secret of the bracelet, she would 100% not lend it to Mutsumi, and Hitori today has been acting strangely from beginning to end..."
While thinking, Mutsumi's voice sounded in her ears again.
"Onee-sama."
"What is it?"
Togawa Sakiko looked up.
Mutsumi extended her right hand:
"I want to fall."
Togawa Sakiko: "..."
☰