Talking all the way, the two, with Hana, quickly arrived at the underground parking lot.

Kitahara Makoto found the neighbors wife’s car and opened the door: "Mai-senpai, get in."

Sakurajima Mai pursed her lips and sat in the passenger seat, then held Hana in her arms.

"And the seatbelt." Kitahara Makoto reached out and said, "Let me help Mai-senpai fasten it..."

"Slap."

Sakurajima Mai lightly slapped his hand: "I’ll do it myself."

"What a pity..."

"Let’s go!"

"..."

Kitahara Makoto stepped on the gas, driving the car out of the underground parking lot.

Coming to the surface.

The torrential rain poured down, immediately activating the automatic sensing function of the wipers, and the two wipers began to swing rapidly.

What was worse was the fog.

The cold, gloomy fog engulfed most of the city. The fog and heavy rain combined, reducing visibility to only two or three meters. In such weather, it would be suicide for ordinary people to drive.

Even with 100% trust in Kitahara Makoto, Sakurajima Mai’s heart still pounded, and her pretty face turned pale with nervousness.

"Don’t panic, Mai-senpai." Kitahara Makoto held the steering wheel with one hand and reached his other hand onto Mai’s thigh, "My driving skills have reached the level of a professional racer."

"Stare--"

A biting chill swept over, and Sakurajima Mai’s eyes sharpened: "Scumbag-kun, what is your right hand doing?"

Kitahara Makoto apologized directly: "I apologize profusely. When I’m nervous, I always like to grasp something."

Sakurajima Mai bit her teeth in embarrassment and reached her hand to Kitahara Makoto’s waist: "Take your hand away when you apologize first!"

"Ouch, ouch, ouch." Kitahara Makoto quickly cried out in pain, "Mai-senpai, don’t mess around, I’m driving."

Sakurajima Mai: "You know you’re driving, so quickly put both hands on the steering wheel!"

Kitahara Makoto spoke truthfully: "Alright, actually I was trying to distract Mai-senpai from her nervousness. Mai-senpai shouldn’t be as nervous as before, right?"

Sakurajima Mai: "..."

She had to admit that being touched on the thigh did have some effect in diverting attention, but she absolutely did not want this kind of distraction!

The rain poured down.

The fog permeated.

Most residents of Kamakura City had already received emergency notices from the government, knowing the danger of the fog. Except for a very small number of idiots who liked to court death, ordinary people were all hiding at home, unwilling to go out.

At this moment, the road, which should have been quite congested, was empty, and not a second car could be seen.

"Whoosh."

The heavy rain lashed against the car windows, the sound piercing.

Sakurajima Mai looked out through the blurred car window, as if the entire world was left with only her and Kitahara Makoto. She couldn’t help but murmur softly: "It feels like the end of the world has come."

Kitahara Makoto said softly: "Even if it’s the end of the world, I will stay by Mai-senpai’s side."

Sakurajima Mai looked over at his words, a soft light flashing in her eyes, but she quickly pursed her lips and hummed softly: "With so many people to accompany, it seems Scumbag-kun can only be divided, right?"

"Mai-senpai, don’t say such scary things while I’m driving."

"Hmph~"

"..."

The cursed fog and heavy rain raged together, and Kamakura City seemed to have become a lonely city at the end of the world. Kitahara Makoto and Mai drove unimpeded, not even stopping at traffic lights, and arrived directly at the navigation destination.

"The office, we’re here."

Kitahara Makoto parked the car, opened the umbrella he had grabbed before leaving, got out of the car, and walked to the passenger side, opening the door: "Mai-senpai, get out."

"Okay."

Sakurajima Mai got out of the car and walked under the umbrella, raising her pretty face to look at the low building in the thick fog in front of her, and soon let out a sigh of relief: "That’s right, this is it."

The Japan sign was still flickering in the fog, but it looked quite eerie now.

"The door isn’t closed." Kitahara Makoto’s gaze penetrated the fog, and he could see the mess inside, already invaded by the cursed fog. "You can go straight in."

Walking into the office, Kitahara Makoto didn’t forget to lean the umbrella by the door, and then deliberately made his footsteps heavier.

Those unfortunate people eroded by the cursed fog were quite sensitive to sound. As Kitahara Makoto’s footsteps sounded, hoarse roars soon echoed from within the fog.

"Mai-senpai, take two steps back."

Kitahara Makoto’s gaze swept around, and he spoke calmly.

"You be careful."

Sakurajima Mai didn’t waste words, quickly took two steps back, pursed her lips tightly, and carefully watched her surroundings.

Although she shared his abilities, her combat power was still only five points. At this time, not causing trouble for Kitahara Makoto was her greatest contribution.

The pale fog suddenly surged, and hoarse roars and running sounds came from within. Kitahara Makoto’s figure flashed, and he simply crashed into the fog.

Sakurajima Mai tried hard to open her eyes wide, her right hand clenched into a fist and pressed against her chest, wanting to see what was happening in the fog, but unfortunately, she couldn’t see clearly. She could only hear strange roars coming from the fog, followed by two dull thuds, as if the ground itself trembled.

"Done." Kitahara Makoto’s voice came from the fog, "Hana, come and tie them up."

Hana standing beside Mai quietly walked into the fog.

"Mai-senpai, I didn’t fail you."

Kitahara Makoto clapped his hands and quickly walked in front of Sakurajima Mai.

Seeing Kitahara Makoto clean and unharmed, Sakurajima Mai couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief and asked with concern: "Are you okay?"

"Cough, cough..."

Hearing Mai’s words, Kitahara Makoto, who had been expressionless, suddenly covered his chest and coughed, a pained expression on his face: "I’m injured."

Sakurajima Mai crossed her arms over her chest and looked over with disdain: "There’s not a speck of dust on your shirt, and you say you’re injured?"

"I have internal injuries. Mai-senpai, you’ve seen the news, right? The more lively people are at a car accident scene, the more dangerous they actually are." Kitahara Makoto covered his chest, his voice weak, "So I have a request, and I hope Mai-senpai will definitely grant it."

Having spent ten years together day and night in the dream, Sakurajima Mai naturally could tell at a glance that Kitahara Makoto was acting. Hearing his words, she tightened her pretty face and said: "What request does Scumbag-kun want to make?"

"I want to see Mai-senpai wear the bunny girl uniform again." Kitahara Makoto said directly, "This is my lifelong request!"

Sakurajima Mai’s pretty face flushed slightly, and she bit her lower lip with her pearly teeth: "...Pervert!"

Kitahara Makoto coughed weakly twice: "If Mai-senpai doesn’t agree to me, I’ll fall to the ground and not get up."

"Are you a three-year-old child?" Sakurajima Mai helplessly raised her hand to cover her forehead, "...We’ll talk about it after things are done."

Kitahara Makoto’s pained expression instantly vanished:

"Getting Mai-senpai’s promise instantly restored me to full health."

Sakurajima Mai couldn’t help but glare at him.

"Hurry up and find Togawa-chan."

As she spoke, Togawa was already pattering over with her short legs.

The two unfortunate individuals who had just attacked Kitahara Makoto were wearing suits, appearing to be office staff, but by now, they had completely lost their minds, and nothing could be extracted from them.

Fortunately, there was no need to inquire for information; Mai’s sister, if not foolish, would surely be hiding obediently in the room and would not run out.

Kitahara Makoto and Mai ascended the stairs, reaching the second floor of the office. Along the way, they subdued another unfortunate person who had been corrupted by the mist, then proceeded down the hallway, knocking on doors one by one.

"Togawa-chan?"

"It’s Mai."

"Are you in there?"

"..."

Upon reaching the door of the third lounge, a response finally came from inside the room, filled with surprise and disbelief:

"Sister...?"

A flicker of excitement crossed Sakurajima Mai’s pretty face, and she quickly said:

"Togawa-chan, it’s me. The mutated individuals outside have been dealt with. You can open the door now."

Soon, rustling sounds of argument could be heard from inside the lounge:

"The official announcement said the mist is super dangerous, telling everyone to stay indoors and wait for rescue. Once ordinary people inhale the mist, they’ll turn into monsters... How could Togawa-chan’s sister, who is just an ordinary person, appear outside the door?"

"Eh, could it be a monster?" 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"Monsters can’t talk."

"How about we open the door first?"

"But if we open the door, the mist will rush in, won’t it?"

"The mist has already seeped in through the ventilation ducts. You must already be feeling unwell, right? It’s very likely we won’t wait for rescue, and we’ll turn into monsters like the manager."

"No, don’t say anymore..."

"..."

Listening to the quarrel inside, Kitahara Makoto’s face showed helplessness, and he turned to Sakurajima Mai, giving her an inquiring look:

"How about letting Togawa-chan open the door?"

Sakurajima Mai hesitated for two seconds, then quickly said softly:

"Then I’ll leave it to Togawa-chan."

The girls inside were clearly in a panic, and no one could convince anyone else. They might not even reach a conclusion in another hour.

"Togawa-chan, it’s up to you."

Kitahara Makoto looked down at Hana:

"I’ll give you an extra bag of small cakes when we get back."

Togawa’s eyes lit up, and she simply extended her small hand. A vibrant green vine grew from her fingertip and quickly snaked through the door crack into the room.

Not long after.

With a soft ’click’,

The tightly closed door quietly opened.

"Eh? Eh? Eh?"

"How did the door suddenly open?"

"It’s over, it really is a monster outside."

"Mom, I don’t want to die..."

"..."

Facing the sudden anomaly, the girls inside immediately panicked.

Kitahara Makoto pushed open the door, and he and Sakurajima Mai quickly entered the room, then closed the door behind them.

Bang.

In the corner.

Seven girls huddled together, trembling with fear from the sound of the door closing, some even already crying.

"Togawa-chan, it’s me."

Sakurajima Mai called softly.

Unfortunately, Kamakura was currently experiencing a power outage, and the room was dim. Except for Kitahara Makoto, these girls couldn’t clearly see each other.

"Mai-senpai, please wait."

Kitahara Makoto directly opened his backpack, took out a portable lamp, and after turning it on, the bright light instantly dispelled the gloom in the room.

This time, the girls finally saw each other clearly.

"Onee-chan...?!"

A girl with golden curly hair tied in a side ponytail exclaimed with pleasant surprise.

Clearly, she was Mai’s sister.

Seeing this, the other girls finally relaxed and looked at them with curious gazes:

"Is it really Togawa-chan’s sister?"

"It is indeed the legendary child star Mai."

"And who is that boy?"

"..."

Kitahara Makoto stood behind Mai, silently observing the girls filling the room, with only one thought in his mind.

So troublesome.

Toyohama Nodoka had known since childhood that Mai was her sister. When she was little, watching the child star Mai shine on TV, she would happily exclaim, "Sister is amazing!" This made Toyohama Nodoka’s mother feel unbalanced, so she decided to train Toyohama Nodoka to become an idol who could surpass Mai.

At this very moment, Toyohama Nodoka was one of the seven members of the idol group "Sweet Bullet."

Now that he was here to save his Sister-in-law, he certainly couldn’t abandon the others... So, it was clearly like an old man saving gourd babies.

"Onee-chan, who is she?"

Toyohama Nodoka’s eyes shifted, and she looked at Kitahara Makoto with vigilance. Out of her sister-complex instinct, she keenly sensed that Kitahara Makoto and Sakurajima Mai’s relationship was not simple.

Sakurajima Mai’s pretty face flushed slightly, she glanced at Kitahara Makoto, and softly said:

"We’ll talk about it later, let’s leave here first."

She could easily acknowledge Kitahara Makoto’s identity in front of the neighbors wife, but in front of Nodoka, it was indeed a bit embarrassing.

Hearing Sakurajima Mai say they were leaving, the other idol girls gathered around:

"Mai-senpai, can you take us out of here?"

"You clearly came from outside, why weren’t you affected by the mist?"

"Could it be that the mist isn’t dangerous at all?"

"The government has already issued a public notice, how could it not be dangerous?"

"And the manager has already turned into a monster."

"..."

These idol girls started chattering, and some even clutched their chests, coughing painfully.

Sakurajima Mai gently furrowed her brows, carefully looking into Toyohama Nodoka’s eyes. Sure enough, there were dense red bloodshot veins. She bit her lower lip lightly:

"Togawa-chan... did you all inhale the mist?"

Toyohama Nodoka smiled, reassuring Mai in turn:

"Although everyone closed the doors and windows, they forgot about the vents above. But onee-chan, don’t worry, we blocked the vents in time after we found them, so we didn’t inhale much mist... cough, cough."

Before she could finish speaking, Toyohama Nodoka suddenly clutched her chest and started coughing.

"Stop talking."

Sakurajima Mai extended her right hand and gently patted Nodoka’s back:

"Don’t worry about the mist curse, Kitahara-kun is an exorcist and can help remove the curse."

Privately, she called Kitahara Makoto Scumbag-kun, but in front of outsiders, Mai certainly wouldn’t let Kitahara Makoto lose face.

These idol girls clearly didn’t believe Sakurajima Mai’s words and cast suspicious glances. Toyohama Nodoka was even more blunt:

"Onee-chan, you weren’t tricked by this guy, were you?"

Kitahara Makoto’s expression was normal, with no intention of explaining:

"Mai-senpai, hold hands, and I’ll take you to the Onsen Village."

Verbal explanations were meaningless; simply presenting proof would suffice.

As for why he chose the Onsen Village instead of directly taking them home through the mirror, Kitahara Makoto naturally had his own considerations.

When the mist incident was over, he could just have Togawa erase these girls’ memories, which would be easy and convenient.

But if he took them directly home... Nijika and Anon would all be there, and Anon’s jealousy would surely explode.

"Alright."

Sakurajima Mai nodded lightly, took Nodoka’s right hand, and softly said:

"Togawa-chan, have everyone hold hands and stand ready."

The idol girls exchanged glances, but still held hands and stood in a line.

Kitahara Makoto held Mai’s soft hand, snapped his fingers lightly, and the space rippled. Everyone’s figures suddenly vanished.

The next second.

The girls’ figures suddenly appeared in the Onsen Village, followed by various exclamations.

"Eh? Eh? Eh?"

"What is this place?"

"I’m not dreaming, am I?"

"Ah—"

"It hurts when I yell, so it’s not a dream."

"Don’t pinch me, you idiot!"

"..."

"Quiet."

Kitahara Makoto said calmly.

All the idol girls immediately fell silent, looking nervously at Kitahara Makoto.

The people of Japan have a strong tendency to admire strength. Now that they were certain Kitahara Makoto was not a fraud but a super powerful exorcist, their gazes towards Kitahara Makoto naturally changed.

"This is the Onsen Village, a space independent of the real world. You don’t have to worry about being invaded by the mist..."

Kitahara Makoto briefly explained the existence of the Onsen Village.

The idol girls were only amazed, but no one questioned it. Firstly, the facts were before their eyes, and secondly, having grown up in a two-dimensional environment since childhood, their acceptance level was quite high.

Sakurajima Mai was also visiting the Onsen Village for the first time, but Kitahara Makoto had mentioned the existence of the Onsen Village before, so her expression was normal and she didn’t show any surprise. She softly said:

"Togawa-chan, you all stay here for now. Kitahara-kun and I still have things to do outside."

Kitahara Makoto said from the side:

"You can enjoy the onsen if you wish, and there’s food and drinking water. The time flow in the [Onsen Village] is slower than real time, so don’t worry about us forgetting you. Just wait patiently."

After leading the idol girls to the open-air onsen pool, Kitahara Makoto briefly explained the situation, and then Sakurajima Mai pulled him aside into a corner.

"Scumbag-kun, share your ability with me."

Sakurajima Mai said directly.

Kitahara Makoto was startled:

"Mai-senpai, what ability do you want to share?"

Sakurajima Mai crossed her arms over her chest, her eyebrows slightly furrowed as she heard him, "Of course, it’s the [Hand of Deprivation] ability. Does Kitahara-kun want to help remove the curses from Togawa-chan and the others?"

Kitahara Makoto immediately looked serious: "I’m not interested in them at all."

Sakurajima Mai said with a half-smile:

"Those girls have great figures and are very cute. It’s normal for Scumbag-kun to be tempted."

"I’m not tempted at all, okay?" Kitahara Makoto quickly changed the subject, "I’m just worried about Mai-senpai. The [Hand of Deprivation] consumes mental energy, and Mai-senpai might not be able to sustain it."

"Let’s try it first," Sakurajima Mai clearly had already considered this. "There’s no need to deal with everyone at once; we can take our time."

It was clear that Sakurajima Mai was determined not to let Kitahara Makoto have too much contact with these girls, especially Toyohama Nodoka, whom she intended to guard strictly.

A sister-sandwich situation was absolutely unacceptable!

"Understood." Kitahara Makoto opened his arms and directly pulled Mai into his embrace. "I’ll share the ability with Mai-senpai."

Sakurajima Mai’s pretty face flushed slightly, and she cooperated by tilting her slender neck back, her eyelashes trembling as she closed her eyes.

"Onee-sama..."

Halfway through the kiss, Toyohama Nodoka’s startled cry suddenly rang out from behind:

"Eh, eh, eh?!"

"Let go of onee-sama! If you have something to do, come at me!!!"