Chapter 446: BCL Chapter 442 Ryo: Sorry, I’m well-versed in military strategy

"Okay, I’ll go pour water."

Kitahara Makoto glanced at Yamada Ryo. With just a simple eye contact, he knew that Yamada Ryo wanted to take advantage of someone again.

"Don’t go!"

Nijika quickly turned to look, secretly winking at Kitahara Makoto.

Unfortunately, it was useless.

Kitahara Makoto pretended not to see and directly got up and walked to the kitchen.

What?

You say aiding and abetting evil?

The one who benefits in the end is himself, so of course there’s no reason to refuse.

A moment later.

Kitahara Makoto came out of the kitchen with a large bottle of purified water and glasses. He first filled all the cups with water, then said:

"One cup per person, take it yourselves."

The most important thing about having a harem is to treat everyone equally.

If he were to hand out the cups himself, the order would also be a problem, so he simply let everyone take their own, which was safe and convenient.

"Nijika, drink water~"

Yamada Ryo picked up a cup of water and handed it to Nijika.

"No, thanks."

Nijika quickly turned her pretty face away, her eyes wary:

"I’m not thirsty."

I’ve seen through your trick!

It was the same last time.

First, she ’considerately’ made me drink water, then wouldn’t let me sleep after we returned, pulling me into endless conversation. Finally, having no choice, I had to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, ultimately falling into the trap...

The same trick couldn’t possibly work a second time!

"Nijika-senpai, drink a little less. It’s true that after an onsen, you need to replenish your body’s fluids."

Kita cupped the water glass with both hands, taking small sips while kindly advising.

Nijika: "..."

You have no idea how much I suffered because of drinking water. This glass of water isn’t actually water; it’s part of Ryo’s evil plan!

Explaining was, of course, impossible.

Such embarrassing things certainly wouldn’t be told to others.

Facing Kita, who was kindly advising her to drink water, Nijika had no choice but to pick up the glass:

"Then I’ll take a sip..."

She said "a sip," but in reality, she only drank half a sip at most, just to moisten her throat.

Before she knew it, it was eleven o’clock at night.

"It’s getting late," Ryo yawned and suggested, "Everyone, let’s go back to our rooms to sleep, and then go on an adventure together in the Dream World?"

"I am indeed a bit sleepy."

"Sleep, sleep."

"Time for a big adventure in the Dream World."

"..."

The girls, having never experienced danger, naturally didn’t suspect anything, agreeing easily one by one. Only Nijika’s vigilance was at its peak.

After returning to the room, Ryo would definitely, just like last time, keep finding topics to chat with her, not letting her fall asleep, right?

The same trick couldn’t possibly work again!

"I’m going to the bathroom."

Nijika stood up, walking towards the bathroom while making up her mind: tonight, after returning, she would just sleep and absolutely not leave the room by half a step.

A moment later.

The girls returned to their rooms one after another.

Bang.

Nijika carefully locked the door, then immediately got into bed and lay down.

"Nijika, ’The Apothecary Diaries’ won the manga sales championship for the first half of the year. What do you think about that?"

Ryo leaned back against the headboard, looking for topics to chat about.

(Just as I thought!)

(She’s finding topics I’m interested in to make me excited and unable to sleep, then I’ll have no choice but to go to the bathroom...)

(Give up! I won’t fall for it again!)

"Thanks for asking." Nijika bit her teeth lightly, her cheeks puffing out slightly, "I’m going to sleep first; I’ll answer tomorrow."

"Eh, Nijika is sleepy so soon?"

"I’m sleepy. Goodnight, see you tomorrow."

"See you in the Dream World."

"..."

Nijika quickly closed her eyes, determined that even if Ryo deliberately found topics to chat with her next, she wouldn’t respond.

However, to Nijika’s surprise, Ryo actually quieted down and didn’t keep trying to chat with her.

"Phew..."

Nijika secretly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart:

"So, Ryo saw my firm attitude and gave up tonight?"

Nijika, with her eyes closed, naturally didn’t notice the knowing smile that appeared on Ryo’s face.

Time quietly slipped away, minute by minute.

Nijika wanted to fall asleep as quickly as possible, but she helplessly discovered...

She couldn’t sleep.

Completely unable to sleep.

"My mouth is so dry..."

Nijika quietly pursed her delicate lips.

What Kita said earlier was not wrong; when soaking in an onsen, the body’s moisture is lost through sweat, and it is indeed necessary to drink water to replenish the lost fluids.

But Nijika had been mindful of the ’previous lesson’ from their last duo session, and out of a full glass of water, she only took a tiny half-sip.

The good news was that she indeed had no urge to go to the bathroom.

Unfortunately, there was also bad news.

Insufficient hydration meant her mouth was now parched and uncomfortable, also making it impossible to sleep.

Just then, Ryo’s voice suddenly came from beside her ear:

"I drank too much water just now and want to go to the bathroom. Nijika, do you want to come along?"

"..."

Nijika kept her eyes closed and didn’t respond, pretending to be asleep.

"Looks like she really fell asleep."

Yamada Ryo’s lips curled slightly upwards, then she got up from the bed, her footsteps quietly fading away.

"Phew..."

Nijika sighed in relief, quietly opening her eyes, hesitating whether or not to get up and drink water.

After struggling for a while, Nijika finally made a decision.

"No, I must go downstairs and drink some water."

"My mouth feels so uncomfortable; if I don’t drink water, I definitely won’t be able to sleep all night, right?"

Nijika quietly sat up, covering her chest, put on her slippers, carefully opened the door, and came out into the hallway.

"The light is on in the bathroom... Is Ryo inside?"

"It seems Ryo really came out to use the bathroom, and isn’t secretly meeting with Kitahara-kun."

"Good, as long as I’m fast, I can definitely get back before Ryo finishes using the bathroom."

"..."

Nijika tiptoed, quietly going downstairs, preparing to go to the kitchen for water.

Japan’s tap water indeed meets direct drinking standards and can be drunk directly, but the reality is that not many people drink tap water directly. Firstly, it definitely contains many disinfectants, and secondly, after years of use, water pipes are bound to have many impurities and even rust, making it hard to drink directly without feeling disgusted.

In Japan’s supermarkets and Convenience Stores, a 500ml bottle of purified water and a 2-liter bottle of purified water are the exact same price. Therefore, many Japanese households buy 2-liter mineral water to take home for cooking and drinking.

Nijika’s goal in going downstairs this time was the mineral water in the kitchen.

"Good, no one in the living room."

After confirming that the living room was empty, Nijika quickly sped up, swiftly entered the kitchen, found the mineral water bottle and a cup, and then began to drink water.

"Phew..."

She drank more than half a cup in one go, and Nijika let out a satisfied sigh of relief.

"Now I can finally go back and get some good sleep..."

Twisting the cap tight and putting the cup away, Nijika prepared to quietly go upstairs back to her room.

However, as soon as she turned around, she saw a dark figure appear at the doorway at some unknown point, and couldn’t help but be startled:

"Eh eh eh?!"

The dark figure quickly spoke:

"Nijika-senpai, it’s me."

Hearing Kitahara Makoto’s voice, Nijika immediately breathed a sigh of relief, unable to help but chide:

"Kitahara-kun, why do you walk without making any sound?"

Kitahara Makoto slowly replied:

"Of course, it’s because I used the prop ribbon."

"Eh?"

Nijika was slightly startled, then quickly reacted, hastily covering her chest and cautiously stepping back half a step:

"Kitahara-kun, what are you doing in the kitchen?"

Using a prop to hide his presence, in other words, Kitahara’s appearance at the kitchen doorway wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision but premeditated.

Nijika vaguely realized that she seemed to have fallen into Ryo’s trap again.

Kitahara Makoto stepped forward half a step, his gaze burning as he said:

"Nijika-senpai, it’s dangerous for you to sneak downstairs alone. I came to protect you."

The soundproofing in the rooms was quite poor; even a slightly loud movement would disturb others, but now that Nijika was downstairs herself, there was naturally no problem.

"Ptooey~"

Nijika couldn’t help but lightly spit, biting her lower lip with her pearly teeth:

"It must be Ryo again, tipping you off, right?"

By now, Nijika had figured out the whole story.

Ryo had calculated that she would definitely be on high alert today, so her true goal wasn’t to make her drink water, but to make her thirsty and unable to sleep.

And she, completely unaware, had truly fallen into Ryo’s trap.

"That’s right, it’s me."

Yamada Ryo quietly walked over, raising her hand to make a peace sign.

"Being alone will really break me, Nijika wouldn’t bear to watch me break, would she?"

Nijika bit her teeth tightly:

"I’m not worried at all!"

What "break"? At most, her voice would just become hoarse from crying, and Kitahara always shared his abilities, so she could fully recover after a good night’s sleep, she wouldn’t break at all!

"Stop talking," Kitahara Makoto extended his right hand towards Nijika, "Let’s go to the Onsen Village first."

"I don’t want to go to that kind of place," Nijika retreated, covering her chest, her pretty face flushed, "You two go if you want, don’t touch me."

Kitahara Makoto quickly made a judgment.

Her current "no" was not a true "no."

The reason was simple.

Nijika barely dodged and was easily caught, and after being caught, she didn’t struggle or resist much. Although she wanted to pull her hand back, that faint force was clearly just a girl’s modesty.

Ryo lowered her voice and said:

"Someone should still be awake right now. Nijika wouldn’t want to wake everyone up, would she?"

Nijika: "..."

The light in the kitchen distorted slightly, and the figures of the three instantly vanished.

Twenty minutes later.

The light dimmed slightly, and the figures of the three reappeared out of thin air.

However, the three of them were in significantly different positions than when they left—Kitahara Makoto was naturally standing straight, while Yamada Ryo was clinging to his arm, leaning softly against him.

Finally, there was Nijika, teary-eyed and held in Kitahara Makoto’s arms, clearly unable to stand.

The time flow ratio between Onsen Village and the real world was ten to one; twenty minutes in the real world meant almost three hours had passed in Onsen Village, so it was perfectly normal for Nijika to be unable to stand.

"Nijika-senpai, would you like some water?"

Kitahara Makoto asked softly.

Nijika was teary-eyed, her voice already hoarse:

"Yes, please."

If she didn’t rehydrate, she’d become dehydrated!

Kitahara Makoto stepped into the kitchen, picked up a bottle of mineral water:

"I’ll feed Nijika-senpai the water."

Nijika quickly shook her head:

"No, I’ll drink it myself."

Kitahara Makoto said straightforwardly:

"If you can’t even stand steadily, don’t try to be strong."

Nijika: "..."

While it was true she couldn’t stand steadily, drinking water only required arm strength, not steady standing!

A moment later.

"Kitahara, I want some too~"

Yamada Ryo’s voice was lazy, with a hint of a slight whine, vastly different from her usual casual and unrestrained demeanor, in short, it was exceptionally so.

"Of course, I won’t forget Ryo."

Kitahara Makoto lowered his head and began to feed Yamada Ryo water.

"..."

Watching the two of them drink water, Nijika quickly discovered something that made her panic.

(Wait, why wasn’t she jealous at all?)

(In those scenes where she foresaw the future, she discovered Kitahara’s infidelity and immediately went dark and berserk, picking up an axe... Now, watching Kitahara-kun feed Ryo water, she actually didn’t feel even a hint of bitterness... Something’s wrong, very wrong!)

Nijika quickly thought hard and soon came up with a possibility.

(Oh no...)

(Could she have been slowly boiled like a frog by Ryo?)

Nijika involuntarily recalled what had happened in Onsen Village just now; she simply couldn’t bear it anymore and had to tearfully ask Ryo for help... They had already fought side by side, so watching Kitahara Makoto feed Ryo water was naturally nothing.

(As the number of times together increases, she will slowly go from resisting to accepting a double date... No! Absolutely not that future!)

A moment later.

Kitahara Makoto held Nijika with one hand and supported Ryo with the other, quietly sending the two girls back to their rooms.

The night passed without a word.

The next day.

The sky was clear, and the sun was bright.

The living room was bustling again.

"Ryo-senpai, hurry and wash your hands, breakfast is ready."

"Don’t want to move~"

"You can’t eat without washing your hands."

"Ah, Kita-sensei is so strict."

"Tomori-chan, Soyo, good morning."

"Anon, good morning."

"Last night’s dream adventure was super fun, I wonder if there’s a sequel today."

"..."

The girls finished washing up and quickly sat around the table, ready for breakfast.

Although they could go home after waking up, the aroma from the kitchen was simply too enticing to refuse, there was no way to refuse.

"Everyone, let’s eat." Kitahara Makoto sat down at the table, taking the miso soup Soyo handed him, "I just saw the news, a typhoon is coming soon."

Chihaya Anon said, eating her meal with a blissful expression:

"Typhoons come every year, it’s not rare at all. Last year we even had a holiday because of a typhoon, I wonder if there will be a typhoon holiday this year."

"Ah—"

Kita suddenly exclaimed.

"W-what’s wrong?"

Nijika looked over anxiously, quickly raising her hand to cover her chest, thinking Kita had discovered the marks on her body.

"I just saw a similar video on Twitter again." Kita said, holding up her phone, "Look, everyone."

Kitahara Makoto focused his gaze and saw several medical personnel in white protective suits in the video, using a stretcher to carry out a tightly bound humanoid object, which was constantly struggling. The video was clearly a Secret photography, and the filmer’s rapid breathing could be heard, indicating obvious tension.

However, before anyone could say more, the video suddenly went black and disappeared.

"The account has been banned again, as expected." Kita’s voice was tense, "And private messages can’t be sent either."

Yamada Ryo rested her right hand on her chin:

"Once is an accident, twice can no longer be called an accident."

Chihaya Anon asked, full of curiosity:

"Kitahara-kun, what exactly happened in Kamakura?"

"I don’t know." Kitahara Makoto shook his head, "But a strange incident definitely broke out, and it clearly seems a bit tricky."

Humans are never a species that sits idly by; when faced with a threat to survival, they can unleash incredible power. With the invasion of the strange, humanity slowly mastered corresponding countermeasures. Because of this, the world has been able to maintain normal order, and there has been no global panic; in fact, most ordinary people do not know the truth of the world.

However, it had been several days since he last saw a similar video, and today there was still a video released, which clearly indicated that the crisis in Kamakura had not been resolved.

Kitahara Makoto took out his phone and sent a message to Mai, asking about the situation and inviting her to Tokyo, but unfortunately, as expected, he was rejected again.

After breakfast.

The girls went home separately.

Kitahara Makoto first quickly traveled to the amusement park, placed the Kessoku Band in the Haunted House to charge, and after returning, began his evening fitness routine.

As the strange invasion progressed, the world clearly became increasingly dangerous. Kitahara Makoto’s desire for strength quietly became urgent; only by being strong enough could he protect the important people.

"Whew..."

Two fitness tasks were quietly completed, and Kitahara Makoto exhaled lightly before heading to the bathroom for a shower.

"The third task is very simple, it’s just that the fourth daily task is a bit troublesome..."

Kitahara Makoto opened the task panel while showering.

[Daily Good Deed] and [Fishing Tycoon]..."

Among them, [Daily Good Deed] goes without saying, it can be completed very easily, but [Fishing Tycoon] is limited to characters, it must be fishing with Taki... Was it something he said casually before that has now become a flag?

After quickly showering, Kitahara Makoto walked out of the bathroom feeling refreshed.

"Makoto-kun, want some fruit?"

Mutsumi looked over expectantly.

"No fruit today." Kitahara Makoto sat down on the sofa, "Ice cream."

"Ice cream?"

Mutsumi tilted her head slightly, a hint of curiosity and expectation appearing on her expressionless pretty face, having never experienced what it felt like for two people to eat ice cream together:

"I’ll go get the ice cream."

"..."

Kitahara Makoto picked up his charging phone, leaned back, and then sent a message to Taki.

"Taki, are you free this afternoon? Want to go fishing together?"

The daily gacha draws were very important, so Kitahara Makoto naturally wouldn’t give up easily.

The message quickly showed as read.

Taki: "You actually called me to go fishing... It’s so hot outside, are you an idiot?"

Kitahara Makoto lightly clicked his tongue and pulled out his tried-and-true trump card:

"If you don’t come fishing with me, I’ll take advantage of Tomori-chan."

"Terrible!"

"The worst!"

"You’re threatening me with Tomori-chan again, that’s too much!"

"..."

Just these two lines of insults repeated over and over, for Kitahara Makoto, they were but a slight breeze:

"Thank you for the compliment, Taki."

Taki: "..."

After using the Tomori trump card, Taki had no choice but to compromise, but she made one request: she wanted to bring Tomori along for fishing, because she absolutely did not want to be alone with Kitahara Makoto.

Kitahara Makoto naturally agreed:

"No problem, see you this afternoon."