Pop~

Startled by her sister’s voice, Sakurajima Mai quickly pulled back, leaving only a strange soft sound.

Toyohama Nodoka’s eyes widened, clearly seeing the silver thread stretching and breaking in the air, and suddenly, her whole being was not well:

"D-damn it!"

"He actually dared to stretch out..."

"That guy must be coercing sister, right!"

"..."

Toyohama Nodoka quickly stepped forward, spreading her arms to shield Sakurajima Mai, and angrily said:

"Don’t take advantage of sister! I’m calling the police!"

Kitahara Makoto calmly said:

"Unfortunately, there’s no signal here, and no police either."

"You..."

Toyohama Nodoka only then realized their surroundings, and a hint of fear appeared on her pretty face, but she still gritted her teeth, bravely standing in front of Sakurajima Mai:

"Don’t use us to threaten sister! If you have something to do, come at me!"

Hey, hey, I wasn’t threatening Mai at all! Mai was the one who offered the kiss just now, okay?!

If I really came at you, Mai might turn dark!

"Nodoka, listen to me..." Sakurajima Mai took a deep breath, calming herself down, her pretty face burning as she said, "Kitahara and I are dating. He is my boyfriend."

At this point, there was no way to hide it anymore, otherwise, her sister definitely wouldn’t give up.

"Impossible!"

Toyohama Nodoka subconsciously shook her head in denial, refusing to believe what she heard:

"There’s no boy in the world who deserves sister!"

Confirmed.

The her sister in front of her was indeed a super sis-con. In her eyes, Mai was the cutest in the world, flawless, and she couldn’t tolerate anyone else touching her.

Toyohama Nodoka gritted her teeth:

"Did he threaten sister with us?"

Kitahara Makoto said speechlessly:

"Nodoka, right? You should know Mai-senpai very well. If I really used you to threaten Mai-senpai, even if Mai-senpai chose to give in, she would only have a face full of disdain and disgust, wouldn’t she?"

"..."

Toyohama Nodoka turned her head at his words, her eyes wide, carefully looking at Sakurajima Mai, and soon discovered the truth she was unwilling to accept.

Mai’s pretty face only showed a blushing flush and clear shyness; there was no expression of disgust whatsoever.

In other words... Onee-sama didn’t dislike the kiss just now, and she really was dating the boy in front of her?

Given sister’s conservative nature, she would only kiss someone after officially dating them; there was absolutely no other possibility...

"But why didn’t sister say anything just now?"

Toyohama Nodoka held onto a last sliver of hope, wishing that her admired sister had not been defiled by a boy.

Sakurajima Mai crossed her arms over her chest and said:

"There were too many people just now. If I revealed the secret that Kitahara-kun and I are dating, it would cause trouble for Kitahara-kun."

Toyohama Nodoka: "..."

She was even considering that guy?

They had only been apart for a month, how did sister become so lovestruck?

"Nodoka, go soak in the onsen first," Sakurajima Mai gently instructed, "I’ll come over later to help you remove the curse."

"..."

Toyohama Nodoka parted her lips, but in the end, she turned and left dejectedly.

If it was sister’s mutual consent, she naturally had no right to stop it.

"Kitahara-kun, has the ability been shared?"

Sakurajima Mai asked softly.

"Not yet." Kitahara Makoto said with an innocent expression, "I was startled by Nodoka just now, so we’ll have to kiss again."

"..."

Sakurajima Mai lightly bit her lower lip, unsure if Kitahara Makoto was telling the truth, but the situation was special now, and there was no time to dwell on it. So, she took a deep breath, stood on her tiptoes again, and leaned in for a kiss.

A moment later.

"It’s been shared." Kitahara Makoto wiped the corner of his lips with the back of his hand, reminding her, "However, only one ability can be shared at a time. I just shared the [Hand of Deprivation] with Mai-senpai, so the [Exorcist Constitution] is naturally gone. Mai-senpai, please be careful."

"I understand."

Sakurajima Mai nodded gently, then turned to find Toyohama Nodoka, not forgetting to instruct him:

"You stay here. Don’t move."

Kitahara Makoto: "..."

What happened next goes without saying.

Sakurajima Mai walked over to her sister and quietly explained the ritual required for the Hand of Deprivation.

"Eh, I have to take off all my clothes?"

Although very shy, out of trust for sister, Toyohama Nodoka hesitated for a while but still blushed and agreed. The other idol girls curiously peeked from the side, and then quickly exclaimed:

"Something flew out of Nodoka’s body!"

"It looks like those mists..."

"Mai-senpai is so amazing, she can even exorcise?"

"Wahh, I don’t have to turn into a monster like the manager anymore..."

"..."

Sakurajima Mai’s eyebrows furrowed, feeling a cold aura sweep over her entire body, and she couldn’t help but let out a soft groan:

"Mm..."

After sharing the [Hand of Deprivation] ability, the [Exorcist Constitution] was gone. Although she had seized the curse mist, she couldn’t crush it, and instead, the mist invaded her body.

Not only that.

Using the Stripping ability required mental energy. When Kitahara Makoto did daily tasks, he could occasionally permanently increase his mental energy, so he could endure it, but Sakurajima Mai clearly couldn’t.

After using the Stripping ability only once, she experienced the after-effects of excessive mental energy consumption. She felt a dull ache in her head, a stuffy feeling in her chest and abdomen, and nausea, involuntarily covering her lips.

"Sister, what’s wrong?"

Toyohama Nodoka’s eyes widened, and she quickly stepped forward to support Sakurajima Mai.

"I’m fine..."

Sakurajima Mai took a deep breath, but as soon as she spoke, the feeling of nausea and discomfort intensified again.

"Ugh..."

Looking at Sakurajima Mai, who was covering her mouth, looking uncomfortable as if she was about to vomit at any second, her sister’s eyes widened, and she suddenly thought of a terrifying guess:

"Sister, a-are you pregnant?!"

"..."

Sakurajima Mai originally wanted to deny it, but then she remembered that Nana had woken up, and they might meet in the future. If Nana knew she had denied her existence, Nana would definitely be sad, right?

So Sakurajima Mai silently pursed her lips, her pretty face flushed as she turned her head away.

"N-no!"

Toyohama Nodoka felt as if the sky was falling.

Her most admired and cherished sister not only had a boyfriend but was even pregnant with a baby, and she didn’t know anything about it... Absolutely not!

"Shh."

Sakurajima Mai raised a slender, doll-like finger and whispered:

"Nodoka, remember to keep it a secret."

Toyohama Nodoka’s eyes welled up with tears, and she covered her mouth as she agreed.

As an idol, she naturally understood the principle that success comes from fans, and failure also comes from fans. If others knew that Sakurajima Mai was pregnant before even graduating from high school, there would be no possibility of her ever returning to the spotlight.

"Take care of your friends and tell them not to worry," Sakurajima Mai said softly, "I’ll come back to help remove the curses after I’ve rested."

Sakurajima Mai had come to terms with reality; helping to remove the curse mist from her sister’s body was her limit. If she continued to help others, she might directly faint, so others would just have to wait.

"Understood." Toyohama Nodoka quickly nodded, "What is sister going to do?"

Sakurajima Mai said softly:

"Mom’s phone has been unreachable; I need to go out and check."

Toyohama Nodoka quickly raised her right hand and said:

"I’ll go help."

"No." Sakurajima Mai shook her head, "If you go out, you’ll be eroded by the mist again. Just stay here."

Toyohama Nodoka asked, puzzled:

"Then why isn’t sister affected?"

Sakurajima Mai’s pretty face flushed slightly: "...Don’t ask so many questions."

"..."

After comforting her sister, Sakurajima Mai turned and left, quietly coming to Kitahara Makoto’s side.

Seeing Mai’s face pale, Kitahara Makoto said directly:

"Senpai, will you undress yourself, or should I help you undress?"

Sakurajima Mai’s bright eyes glared at him, and she bit her lower lip lightly, saying:

"I’ll do it myself."

There was no other way; the feeling of the curse entering her body was very uncomfortable, and she still needed to go out and find her mother-in-law. She had to remove the curse from her body first, no matter what.

As for undressing...at least this time she was taking them off herself, so it shouldn’t be as embarrassing as before.

A moment later.

Sakurajima Mai finished undressing, one hand covering her chest, the other covering her lower abdomen, her pretty face flushed crimson as she turned her body sideways. Her gaze swept over, seeing Kitahara Makoto’s eyes shining, openly admiring the view. She couldn’t help but bite her teeth:

"You’re still looking!"

"Actually, the light is too dim, I can’t see anything."

"Bah~"

"..."

Business was more important. There was no time to slowly admire Mai’s beautiful figure. Kitahara Makoto quickly extended his right hand, Stripping the curse mist, and then crushed it.

Mai still had six companions. There would be plenty of opportunities for Mai to undress later.

"Hoo..."

Sakurajima Mai let out a soft breath, her gaze filled with shyness as she looked over:

"Close your eyes!"

After a rustling sound, Sakurajima Mai quickly put on her clothes, her pretty face flushed, covering her chest as she said:

"Let’s go, it’s time to find Mom."

Kitahara Makoto reminded her:

"Senpai’s current ability is the Hand of Deprivation. If you want to go out, you need to share the ability again."

Sakurajima Mai: "..."

Sharing the ability again, in other words, meant kissing again...

Kitahara Makoto’s face showed a confident smile:

"Of course, Mai-senpai can also choose to stay in the Onsen Village and let me go out alone. How will Senpai choose?"

"...It’s infuriating!"

Sakurajima Mai let out a soft breath, her gaze quickly firming. Her slender legs took two steps, bringing her directly in front of Kitahara Makoto. Then she stood on her tiptoes and decisively kissed him.

In this world, if there’s a first time, there are countless times.

Anyway, she had already kissed him so many times, one more time wouldn’t hurt...

A moment later.

The Exorcist Constitution sharing was complete.

Sakurajima Mai’s pretty face was flushed, and she raised her hand to wipe away the trace of saliva from the corner of her lips, saying in a nonchalant tone:

"Let’s return to the real world."

Kitahara Makoto held Mai’s soft hand and said with satisfaction:

"Thank you for the treat, Senpai."

"...Shut up!"

Sakurajima Mai glared at him in annoyance.

The next second.

Their figures vanished into thin air.

"We’re back."

The two walked out of the lounge with Hana and quickly came to the entrance of the office.

It was already nine o’clock in the morning, but outside, the rain was still pouring down, and a thick fog permeated the air, resembling a Apocalypse scene. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Senpai, still no news from Auntie?"

Kitahara Makoto asked softly.

"No." Sakurajima Mai frowned slightly, a hint of worry on her pretty face. "The phone has been unreachable, and there’s no reply to messages."

Although the mother-daughter relationship had been strained at one point, this was the mother-in-law she had relied on since childhood. She couldn’t rest assured until she saw her with her own eyes.

Kitahara Makoto said softly:

"Since we can’t contact her, why not just ask the answer book?"

Sakurajima Mai bit her lower lip lightly:

"...Please."

Kitahara Makoto took out the answer book and handed it to Mai:

"Senpai, you ask."

"Okay."

Whoosh!

The answer book flipped pages on its own, and a line of address quickly appeared on it.

"Hoo..."

Sakurajima Mai let out a soft breath and said:

"The address is the talent agency Mom opened."

Kitahara Makoto exclaimed:

"The typhoon made landfall last night. So, mother-in-law has been at the company all along and didn’t return home last night. She really is a strong woman, just like in the dream."

Sakurajima Mai looked up and glared at him. She didn’t have the presence of mind to correct Kitahara Makoto’s address right now:

"Let’s go quickly."

"Okay."

Kitahara Makoto casually picked up the umbrella leaning against the wall, held it over their heads, and then walked out of the office.

After helping Senpai and Hana into the passenger seat, Kitahara Makoto sat in the driver’s seat, stepped on the gas, and drove into the heavy rain and thick fog.

The journey was silent.

Twenty minutes later.

The car arrived at the bottom of an office building.

Before Sakurajima Mai and her mother-in-law fell out, she worked at the talent agency, so she was naturally very familiar with the office building’s environment. She led Kitahara Makoto directly inside.

"Ho ho..."

In the thick fog, panting roars soon echoed, as if monsters were all around them.

"Tsk~"

Kitahara Makoto lightly clicked his tongue, his eyes piercing through the fog, taking in the situation in the office building lobby:

"There are quite a few infected... Senpai, step back."

Sakurajima Mai quickly retreated two steps. At a time like this, not causing trouble for Kitahara Makoto was the greatest help. She warned:

"Scumbag-kun, be careful."

Kitahara Makoto waved his hand and stepped into the thick fog:

"When I come back, I hope Senpai will call me boyfriend."

Sakurajima Mai: "..."

As Kitahara Makoto’s figure disappeared into the fog, the curse mist suddenly surged, roars sounded from all directions, followed by chaotic running sounds, and the booming sound of heavy objects hitting the ground.

"Eh?"

A surprised gasp came from within the fog.

Sakurajima Mai immediately tensed up:

"Kitahara, what’s wrong?"

"I’m fine." Kitahara Makoto called back. "I just saw something strange."

He had originally thought that there were only ordinary people corrupted by the curse in the mist, but at this moment, a monster suddenly appeared in front of Kitahara Makoto. This thing was a humanoid existence, but it had no head; instead, it had a red umbrella. Its exposed torso and limbs were made of black, stringy mucus.

"What is this thing?"

"Could it be a monster that spontaneously generated in the mist?"

The umbrella monster swayed, its entire body occasionally leaving the ground, floating in mid-air, and pouncing towards Kitahara Makoto with a bizarre speed far exceeding that of ordinary people.

Kitahara Makoto dodged the attack sideways, then delivered a sharp whip kick.

Pfft!

The umbrella monster’s body was directly kicked apart, and black, viscous liquid splattered everywhere. Strangely, these liquids, as if alive, quickly gathered together and reformed into a body.

"It seems the body isn’t the weakness..."

Kitahara Makoto’s mind raced. After a brief test, he quickly discovered that the opponent’s weakness was the umbrella head.

"Senpai, you can come over now."

Kitahara Makoto easily stepped on the umbrella monster and turned to call out.

"Coming."

Sakurajima Mai pursed her lips, holding Hana’s small hand, and quickly came to Kitahara Makoto’s side.

"Hana-chan, can eating it help you evolve?"

Kitahara Makoto asked, looking down.

Hana looked up, her small face saying: "Yes, dessert."

Sakurajima Mai widened her eyes, frowning as she observed the umbrella monster on the ground, puzzled:

"Why are there such... monsters in the fog?"

"I don’t know." Kitahara Makoto shook his head. "We can only ask the answer book when we have time."

As he spoke, Hana extended both hands, and countless fresh flowers grew and bloomed on the ground, quickly engulfing the umbrella monster.

"Let’s go, we’re going upstairs."

Kitahara Makoto held Mai’s soft hand and walked towards the staircase.

A moment later.

Third floor of the office building.

"This is it."

Looking at the familiar entrance of the talent agency, a complex expression involuntarily appeared on Sakurajima Mai’s pretty face.

When she was about to graduate from junior high, she refused her mother-in-law’s arrangement to shoot a swimsuit advertisement. Since then, she hadn’t been back for three whole years.

As expected, the agency’s door was quietly open, and the inside had already been swallowed by the fog.

Kitahara Makoto and Mai walked in and saw that it was a mess inside.

"Ho ho..."

A gasping, roaring sound came from the thick fog.

Kitahara Makoto could clearly feel Sakurajima Mai’s right hand clenching suddenly.

"Don’t worry," Kitahara Makoto comforted softly, "She’s a very young, short-haired girl, looks like an intern... Mai-senpai can let go of me now, I’ll go calm her down first."

"Okay."

Sakurajima Mai bit her lower lip and agreed.

In a few breaths, Kitahara Makoto easily dealt with the mutated intern:

"Mai-senpai, we can continue moving."

"Let’s go to Mom’s office first."

Sakurajima Mai took a deep breath and led the way forward.

Before long, the two arrived at an office door, which was also engulfed in fog.

"No one," Kitahara Makoto’s gaze swept around, "There’s a phone on the floor."

Sakurajima Mai stepped over, quickly bent down, and picked up the phone:

"It’s Mom’s phone!"

The screen quickly lit up, prompting for a password.

Sakurajima Mai hesitated slightly, entered a string of numbers, and the screen quickly unlocked successfully.

Kitahara Makoto said softly from the side:

"It’s Mai-senpai’s birthday."

...

Sakurajima Mai didn’t speak, her gaze fixed on the phone, resting on the chat interface. The chat partner’s avatar was exceptionally familiar, and there was also a message in the chat box, but unfortunately, it failed to send successfully.

"Mai, it’s very dangerous outside, be sure to close the doors and windows, don’t go out..."

Seeing the message on the phone, Sakurajima Mai’s eyes involuntarily drooped, and she gripped the phone tightly.

Regarding the minefield between Mom and daughter, Kitahara Makoto naturally wouldn’t touch it easily, only saying softly:

"Mai-senpai, let’s keep going. Let’s find mother-in-law first."