"Don't rush, let's ask the answer book first."
Kitahara Makoto said as he went upstairs to retrieve the answer book and handed it to Mutsumi.
"Thank you, Makoto-kun."
Mutsumi thanked him softly and eagerly began to ask questions.
Whoosh.
The answer book turned pages rapidly without any wind.
A line of text quickly appeared on the blank page.
[Otherworld Negative Energy Erosion in Progress]
Seeing the answer in the book, Togawa Sakiko immediately frowned:
"It feels strangely familiar, as if I've heard this phrase before..."
Kitahara Makoto said with a serious expression:
"Those Mind Demons who indiscriminately kill people on the subway are monsters that mutated after being eroded and infused with negative energy."
The Otherworld is constantly pouring negative energy into the real world. This negative energy is a type of idealistic energy. Once it combines with the negative emotions deep within a person's heart, it can potentially produce unpredictable and wonderful reactions, thereby transforming the person into a monster.
Mutsumi's father has depression. After the curse was lifted, his depression clearly worsened day by day.
People with depression usually have self-destructive negative emotions in their hearts, making them more susceptible to absorbing and integrating the negative idealistic energy from the Otherworld than ordinary people. This is clearly the crux of the problem.
Hearing this, Mutsumi, who had always been expressionless, for the first time showed a visibly nervous expression:
"Will Dad turn into that kind of monster?"
Emotional deficiency does not mean having no emotions at all. Now that she heard her father might be in life-threatening danger, even Mutsumi couldn't help but become nervous and flustered.
"Stay calm, don't panic," Kitahara Makoto's voice was steady. "First, let's ask how to treat it... Sakiko, here you go."
"Okay."
Togawa Sakiko nodded quickly and began to ask questions with a serious expression.
Whoosh.
The answer book turned pages automatically without any wind.
A line of text quickly appeared.
Unexpectedly, the answer given in the book was a name.
[Hana]
"Eh, Hana-chan?"
Togawa Sakiko opened her eyes wide in surprise.
Hearing someone call her, Hana sitting on the sofa eating a cupcake turned her head to look over, her eyes clear and foolish.
Togawa Sakiko pursed her lips and hesitated, saying:
"The answer given in the book should be Hana-chan, right?"
"It should be correct," Kitahara Makoto showed a thoughtful expression and said softly, "Hana-chan became stronger a few days ago and gained a new ability, which I call 'Bad Neighbor.' As long as certain conditions are met, she can borrow things from others... Depression should also be able to be 'borrowed away.'"
Hana has three abilities. The first is the Flower Sea's devouring ability, and she can also lead humans through spatial nodes, freely traveling between the real world and the Otherworld.
The second ability was acquired in Enoshima, after entering the Otherworld with Mai and eating the bad flowers, unlocking 'Dream Weaving,' which can pull people into a pre-woven dream.
The third ability is the 'Bad Neighbor' ability, unlocked after devouring the windbreaker ghost story on a rainy night a few days ago.
Speaking of which, Kitahara Makoto had been calling Mai over during this time, but unfortunately, Mai was unwilling to pay attention to him, and she seemed to have found the correct way to use the necklace, temporarily solving the problem of her disappearing presence. So, before Kitahara Makoto could awaken his daughter Nana, she was even less willing to come over.
There's nothing to be done. For every girl like Tomori who doesn't mind him having a harem, there are girls who detest him having a harem, and Mai is clearly the latter.
"It's great if Hana can help," Togawa Sakiko breathed a sigh of relief. "But we still need to be prepared for anything and meet up as soon as possible... Mutsumi, where is Uncle now?"
"I don't know." Mutsumi took out her phone. "Dad hasn't been home for a month. I'll ask Mom."
Goodness, he hasn't been home for a whole month! The comedian's job must be too exhausting!
While Mutsumi was on the phone, Kitahara Makoto walked up to Ryo and said softly:
"Ryo-senpai, I'm going out for a bit. I probably won't have time for breakfast. You should try to eat as much as possible later."
"Don't worry, I'm a hundred percent ready to eat now."
Yamada Ryo covered her lower abdomen with her left hand and gave a thumbs-up with her right:
"After all that tossing and turning last night, my energy is completely depleted, and I'm so hungry..."
Togawa Sakiko: "..."
Couldn't you speak a little softer? Are you afraid people won't know?!
"The egg fried rice is in the pot. It's best if Ryo-senpai can finish it all by herself." Kitahara Makoto nodded. "The fruit was also just taken out of the fridge. Ryo-senpai can wash it herself later."
"My body aches so much, I don't want to wash it~"
Yamada Ryo blinked and used her pouting skill on Kitahara Makoto.
Kitahara Makoto said speechlessly:
"The ability has already been pasted onto Ryo-senpai. After waking up, Ryo-senpai should be at full health and mana, so she shouldn't be sore at all, right?"
"S-sure enough..." Yamada Ryo's expression quickly changed, from surprise to disappointment, then from disappointment to grievance. Then she clenched her fists, covered her eyes with her fists, and blue tears directly splattered out. "Mom was right, once a boy gets a girl's body, he'll never cherish her again..."
What the heck!
I just asked you to wash some fruit yourself, how does that mean I don't cherish you?!
And what's with those splattering blue tears?
That's way too exaggerated!
Kitahara Makoto hurriedly looked closely and only then realized that the blue tear drops splattering on Ryo-senpai's hand were actually tear-drop stickers that had been put on at some point. At first glance, they could really fool someone.
"Alright, seeing how aggrieved Ryo-senpai is, I've decided to give Ryo-senpai a surprise when I get back."
Kitahara Makoto clicked his tongue lightly, his tone quietly becoming dangerous.
"Eh?"
Yamada Ryo immediately stopped 'crying,' her pretty face clean, without any trace of grievance or tears. She clasped her hands together and said expectantly:
"River God, it's a pleasure to meet you. What I dropped was not a golden bass, nor a silver bass, but the latest Sugi Guitars bass!"
Goodness, you're making a wish now, are you?
If I remember correctly, you just spent all your money on a new bass a few days ago. It hasn't even been a week, and you're moving on too quickly!
"What? You said you want to ride a roller coaster while crying?" Kitahara Makoto pretended to cup his ear. "Don't worry, I'll definitely fulfill Ryo-senpai's wish."
"Hello, River God, goodbye, River God."
Yamada Ryo didn't say another word and turned to slip into the kitchen.
Not far away.
Togawa Sakiko silently watched the two of them as they spoke, their expressions and demeanor, gently biting her lower lip with her pearly teeth. While feeling wronged, she couldn't help but murmur to herself:
"I'm not resigned... Is it because they did that kind of thing that they're so intimate?"
At the same time.
Mutsumi finally finished her call:
"Mom said she's filming a show in Kyoto. Dad went to visit her on set last night, and now they're both in Kyoto."
Togawa Sakiko asked softly:
"How is Uncle doing now?"
"Dad is fine for now." Mutsumi clutched her phone. "Mom said they're resting at the hotel. Dad has been lying in bed, not speaking or getting up."
"It's good that he's fine." Togawa Sakiko subtly breathed a sigh of relief, then turned her gaze to Kitahara Makoto. "Should we go straight to Kyoto now?"
Kitahara Makoto nodded gently:
"Let's go now."
"..."
Kyoto is some distance from Tokyo, so there was no way to stay for breakfast.
Kitahara Makoto said goodbye to Yamada Ryo, picked up his backpack, hugged Hana, and then left with the two girls.
The journey was silent.
Three hours later, Kitahara Makoto and the two girls arrived in Kyoto, then took a taxi directly to the hotel.
"Mom messaged back." Mutsumi held up her phone and whispered, "She said Dad is much better after resting overnight."
Togawa Sakiko frowned slightly:
"Those are probably just words to comfort Mutsumi... Uncle's depression seems very serious."
It was truly ironic that a well-known comedian who brought laughter to people was now plagued by depression.
Kitahara Makoto comforted her:
"Don't worry, with me and Sakiko here, once we get to the hotel, Mutsumi should call your mother out first, and then Sakiko and I will go in to check on the situation."
Mutsumi tilted her head slightly, a hint of confusion appearing on her pretty face:
"Why do we need to avoid Mom?"
Kitahara Makoto subtly moved the corner of his mouth:
"If your mother sees me, it'll be troublesome to explain, won't it?"
"No need to explain." Mutsumi said without changing her expression, "I told Mom about Makoto-kun's existence a long time ago, and even showed Mom Makoto-kun's photos..."
Question marks immediately popped up above Kitahara Makoto's head:
"Wait, when did you get my photos?"
Mutsumi answered truthfully: "Photos I took with my phone after Makoto-kun fell asleep."
You brat! Isn't that secretly taking pictures!
Mutsumi continued:
"After Mom saw Makoto-kun's photos, she said that as long as I don't get pregnant, she would respect my wishes."
This isn't respect, it's indifference to you!
A daughter staying out all night, often going to a boy's house to stay over, no matter how you look at it, it's super dangerous. Any parent with a bit of responsibility should quickly bring her home!
Togawa Sakiko couldn't help but complain:
"Is Auntie too trusting of Mutsumi?"
Mutsumi said without batting an eyelid:
"Mom said she debuted as an idol when she was sixteen. I'm sixteen now, and I can decide my own life. Even getting married now isn't a problem."
Togawa Sakiko: "..."
Before Japan's laws were amended, the legal marriage age for girls was sixteen. As long as they were sixteen years old and had the consent of their parents, they could get married immediately.
It sounds a bit incredible, but to the people of Japan, it's actually a common occurrence—from a biological perspective, a sixteen-year-old girl's psychology may not be mature, but her body has truly developed fully.
As Mutsumi spoke, she lifted her pretty face and looked at Kitahara Makoto:
"Mom is very open-minded. Even if I want to join Makoto-kun's harem like onee-sama, Mom would probably agree."
Togawa Sakiko's pretty face quickly flushed red, and she quickly denied:
"Mutsumi, don't talk nonsense! I haven't joined this guy's harem!"
"..."
Talking along the way, the taxi quickly arrived at the hotel entrance.
Since Mutsumi had already reported to her mother, Kitahara Makoto naturally didn't need to hide and walked openly beside the two girls.
A moment later.
Fourth floor of the hotel.
Kitahara Makoto finally met Mutsumi's mother, a famous actress who often appeared on television. It must be said that although she was a bit older, she was exceptionally beautiful in person, especially with her mature and gentle Mrs. aura.
Because she was worried about Mutsumi's father's health, Mrs. Wakaba did not grill Kitahara Makoto with questions. She just nodded in greeting, then forced a smile and exchanged a few words with Togawa Sakiko, before whispering:
"Mutsumi, you didn't need to come all this way. Your father is just under too much stress and in a bad mood. He'll be fine after a day of rest..."
"Dad isn't stressed, he has depression."
Mutsumi interrupted.
"Eh?" Mrs. Wakaba was slightly startled, and the expression on her face subtly changed. "How does Mutsumi know?"
Togawa Sakiko pursed her lips upon hearing this:
"So, Auntie has always known about Uncle's depression?"
"I only heard Dad mention it." Mrs. Wakaba sighed softly, her eyes filled with worry. "But I never took it seriously before; there were basically no symptoms. Who knew it would suddenly become so severe in such a short time... Mutsumi, don't worry, I already took your father to see a doctor last night. We can just treat it slowly from now on."
Mutsumi lifted her pretty face and said seriously:
"Makoto-kun can cure Dad."
"Hmm?"
Mrs. Wakaba's gaze shifted to Kitahara Makoto. Seeing that Kitahara Makoto was so young, clearly just a high school student, she naturally couldn't help but feel a bit suspicious, and lowered her voice: "Mutsumi, Mom won't stop you from dating boys. On the contrary, Mom is very happy if you can interact more with others, but you can't believe everything people say..."
Kitahara Makoto's expression was normal; he didn't care.
Putting himself in her shoes, if he and Mrs. Wakaba swapped identities, he would also suspect the other party had ulterior motives.
Togawa Sakiko, however, frowned slightly. Naturally, she didn't want others to speak ill of Kitahara Makoto, so she immediately said:
"Auntie, Kitahara-kun does have some special abilities. Whether he can cure Uncle or not, let us try first, okay?"
Mutsumi calling Sakiko 'Onee-sama' wasn't just for fun; in fact, the two of them did have a certain kinship.
Since childhood, Togawa Sakiko had always been 'the child of another family.' Now, hearing Sakiko speak up to defend Kitahara Makoto, Mrs. Wakaba's face showed a hint of surprise. She hesitated for two seconds, then nodded gently:
"Then I'll leave it to you... Dad hasn't seen Mutsumi in a long time. Maybe he'll get better after seeing Mutsumi."
"..."
Led by Mrs. Wakaba, the three walked into the hotel room and soon saw a middle-aged man lying on the bed, turned on his side.
"Dad, I'm here."
Mutsumi called softly.
"..."
The middle-aged man's dull eyes moved slightly, looking at Mutsumi, but he didn't say a word, still looking like a withered piece of wood. Clearly, the situation was quite serious.
"Makoto-kun, I'm counting on you."
Mutsumi looked over imploringly.
Kitahara Makoto nodded slightly and said:
"Auntie, please step out for a moment."
Mrs. Wakaba: "..."
Although she didn't know what Kitahara Makoto was going to do, with Mutsumi there, she didn't have to worry about safety.
As Mrs. Wakaba left, Kitahara Makoto looked down at Hana and named his price:
"Hana-chan, ten cupcakes."