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"They are indeed the friends I mentioned. I told them to stay at the hospital, but I didn't expect them to come looking for me."
Kitahara Makoto admitted frankly, feeling a slight headache.
"Is it because they're worried about you?"
Sakurajima Mai folded her arms across her chest, her voice cold:
"Kitahara-kun is truly popular."
Literally, it was a compliment, but her tone sounded like mockery no matter how he heard it.
Kitahara Makoto said softly:
"I can't help it; people always encounter some troubles."
"Tsk~"
Mai let out a soft 'tsk' and looked over with sharp eyes:
"First there's Nijika and them, and now there are two cute girls I haven't seen before… Is Kitahara-kun planning to repeat the same mistakes?"
Although they hadn't discussed seeing future scenes, both of them already knew about it.
After all, the Sakurajima Mai in the Apocalypse dreams was essentially the 'future Mai' after they had confirmed their romantic relationship.
"Repeating the same mistakes, of course not." Kitahara Makoto said without changing his expression, unafraid of Mai's disdainful gaze. "When I wake up in the middle of the night, I often feel a dull ache in my lower back."
"Is that so?" Sakurajima Mai folded her arms across her chest, her voice cold. "It seems I need to apologize on behalf of my future self."
"When apologizing, you should at least bow, right?"
Kitahara Makoto couldn't help but retort.
Neither your gaze nor your tone showed any intention of apologizing!
Sakurajima Mai seemed not to hear him and continued:
"I'm sorry, I should have given a certain Scumbag-kun a sleeping pill first…"
"Wait." Kitahara Makoto said, speechless. "Why give a sleeping pill first?"
Sakurajima Mai said airily:
"That way, Scumbag-kun wouldn't feel any pain."
What the hell?! This apology is too much!
"Please call me by my name, thank you." Kitahara Makoto sighed. "My future self is not my current self, and I've already thought of a way to make everyone happy."
Since the cards were already on the table, there was no need to hide anything.
"What way?"
Sakurajima Mai looked over with interest.
"Since deception and lies will only lead to ruin, I choose to lay my cards on the table directly…" Kitahara Makoto said with a serious expression, emphatically, "This time, I'm going to start a harem!"
"W-what?!"
Sakurajima Mai couldn't help but widen her beautiful eyes, thinking she had misheard him.
"Mai didn't mishear." Kitahara Makoto repeated, "What I just said was indeed that I'm going to start a harem."
Sakurajima Mai: "..."
This guy actually said he wanted to start a harem?!
She thought he would firmly choose one girl and clearly draw a line with the others to avoid the future where he got hit by a cleaver. She didn't expect him to want them all?
This is what you meant by not repeating the same mistakes?
This is clearly seeking death!
"The reason my future self failed was mainly because he was too weak." Kitahara Makoto said without changing his expression, unafraid of Mai's disdainful gaze. "Sneaking around will only make things worse, so I choose to self-detonate—if you agree to me starting a harem, there's no reason to cleave me. If you firmly draw a line and never interact again, then there's even less reason to cleave me."
Sakurajima Mai raised a hand to cover her forehead, unable to help but retort:
"…Are you an idiot?"
"Perhaps." Kitahara Makoto's expression was calm. "After encountering the Otherworld, accidents might arrive sooner than tomorrow. I'm not a smart person and can't think of a better way, so I can only be an idiot… I'm determined to start a harem!"
If he were just an ordinary person, starting a harem would naturally be absurd.
But everyone was cursed by the Otherworld, their fates tightly intertwined. While starting a harem was still very difficult, it wasn't impossible.
Kitahara Makoto hadn't forgotten the answer given in the book:
Where there's a will, there's a way.
"I'm sorry, I misspoke just now." Sakurajima Mai's pretty face tightened. "You should be a hopeless idiot."
"What's so bad about being an idiot?"
"Many people claim to be smart, but their lives are a mess." Kitahara Makoto turned to look, daringly extending his right hand, "So, Mai, do you want to join…"
Before he could finish, Sakurajima Mai's eyes suddenly narrowed, revealing undisguised murderous intent.
"My deepest apologies."
Kitahara Makoto wisely shut up.
Given Mai's proud personality, she would absolutely not join a harem… at least not now.
If he dared to say it, he would definitely get another beating.
What happened next was self-evident.
Kitahara Makoto hid all the way, carefully avoiding Anon and Tomori. He was very lucky and ultimately wasn't discovered.
The sun set.
Weary birds returned to their nests.
Most of the day had been cloudy, but now, in the evening, the sunset appeared.
A red sun slowly descended into the sea, the ocean surface shimmered, seabirds circled, and the scenery was breathtakingly beautiful.
Splash, splash.
White waves crashed against the rocks.
"The tide has risen." Kitahara Makoto easily leaped onto a rock at the cave entrance, extending his right hand towards the other side, "Mai, give me your hand."
The cave entrance to the Otherworld was secluded and held no tourism development value, so no road had been built there. The cave entrance remained an undeveloped, natural environment.
It was fine to come in the afternoon, but now, in the evening, with the tide rising, many parts of the cave entrance were submerged by the water.
"I can do it myself."
Sakurajima Mai's pretty face was tense; she was unwilling to accept help.
"Alright." Kitahara Makoto retracted his right hand. "The rocks are a bit slippery, so be careful."
Ever since Kitahara Makoto mentioned starting a harem, Mai's attitude had been quite cold.
Clearly, Sakurajima Mai didn't say it out loud, but she was quite displeased with his ambition to start a harem.
Sakurajima Mai took a step and leaped, preparing to land on the rock next to Kitahara Makoto.
The distance between the two rocks was less than a meter. Normally, Sakurajima Mai would easily cross it in one step, but halfway through her leap today, Sakurajima Mai suddenly found her body very heavy.
"Oh no…" Sakurajima Mai immediately tensed up. "I forgot about the travel bag on my back."
"At least I can reach…"
Although it wasn't the foothold she wanted, her foot did land on the rock. Sakurajima Mai was about to breathe a sigh of relief when, the next second, a slippery sensation instantly came from under her foot.
The rocks, constantly washed by the waves, were extremely slippery. Sakurajima Mai, who had misjudged her footing, only had time to let out a soft cry before her body lost balance and she slipped directly.
Sakurajima Mai subconsciously closed her eyes, ready to be drenched.
However, the cold and wet sensation of falling into water didn't come; instead, she felt herself falling into a warm and reassuring familiar embrace.
Having experienced several Apocalypse dreams together, Sakurajima Mai was already very familiar with Kitahara Makoto's embrace.
The girl's long eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she opened her eyes calmly, saying:
"Let me go quickly."
Although she spoke coldly, being held in Kitahara Makoto's arms still made Sakurajima Mai's pretty face flush involuntarily.
"Ask for help if you can't handle it, don't be stubborn like a child." Kitahara Makoto reached out his right hand and touched Mai's head, "You're really too much trouble."
Sakurajima Mai bit her silver teeth lightly:
"After coming out of the Otherworld, Kitahara-kun can go to the hospital."
"What are you going to the hospital for?"
"Of course, to donate your right hand to someone in need."
"…"
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