Chapter 437

[Himemiya Chihaya: If you really run out of food, just tell me. I can still support you for free for a while. I'm going back now, Kana~]

Without waiting to see if she would reply, he put his phone in his pocket and turned to leave.

He hailed a taxi on the main road, returned to where he had parked, unlocked the car, and got into the driver's seat.

After closing the car door, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly opened his unusually cold and quiet crimson eyes.

His usually bright red pupils, which seemed to leap with warm flames, were now completely still, as if they were encased in amber.

Now, after parting ways with Sakurajima Mai, he has returned to his original self.

The shock of the bizarre and surreal scenes had not yet completely subsided.

All future plans and considerations need to be recalculated.

For the first time in his life, he felt that he was not as perfect as he had imagined, and his perception of himself as the freest person in the world began to crack.

All the knowledge I've acquired so far seems somewhat inadequate in the face of this situation.

Of course, what really worried him wasn't Sakurajima Mai and Adolescence Syndrome.

Even though Adolescence Syndrome is such a mysterious and inexplicable phenomenon that it can even cause changes in the timeline and the world's timeline, it doesn't have any direct destructive power, so it's not enough to terrify him or leave him unable to cope.

The truly critical issue is that he's not so foolish as to believe that in this world teeming with "experts," there's only this one unusual event.

What if other strange things suddenly happen? How would he, with his frail body that's merely standing at the pinnacle of humanity, possibly cope with it...?

Some idiots with Chūnibyō might be happy to encounter such a thing, glad that they also have the opportunity to step into this extraordinary world, but he has no such thoughts at all.

He was already a beneficiary of the existing system, destined to live a life of comfort, Talent, and at the top... He didn't need anything extra to make up for himself.

Even though many wealthy people crave immortality, he doesn't really want it; he just wants to live a peaceful life.

This is really troublesome... He frowned, then slowly drove towards Tokyo.

He had originally planned to stop by Kawasaki on his way back, but now he had no intention of doing so.

He had no intention of continuing his clandestine development until he obtained more accurate intelligence.

While controlling the car's speed, he continued to simulate his brainstorming in his mind.

Chapter 404: Hugging the White Hair loli and acting cute.

After hurriedly returning to Aoyama, he did not go back to his apartment, but went directly back to the Sakura Mansion.

Without even taking his luggage, he got out of the car and headed straight for the mansion gate. Amidst the greetings of the maids, he first went to the living room.

As soon as he stepped inside the building, he felt a strange sense of security.

Whew~ That's the feeling. Although he knew he was deceiving himself, this fortress-like sense of isolation still calmed his somewhat frightened heart.

If he could, he would like to stay home and not go out, just like he did for the past ten years or so...

The outside world is too scary! Monsters are everywhere! He wants to stay in his room, hide in his bed and under the covers, and become a shut-in who just wants to eat and wait to die!

Playing games, reading books, sewing clothes, playing musical instruments... that's fine too. No need for special entertainment.

Ah, this kind of thinking—could it be that Gotou Hitori usually thinks like this?

I'm sorry, Bocchi-chan, I misunderstood you before.

If you want to stay at home in the future and your parents can no longer afford it, then I will provide you with financial support!

"Oh dear, Mother and Father, what are you still doing here? Haven't you gone back to America?"

He was a little surprised to see the two familiar figures on the sofa as he walked into the living room.

Today is the last day of the Golden Week, and he thought they should have already started their journey back.

After all, they are different from me. As leaders who manage many corporate studios, they are usually very busy.

The fact that the mother and father could spare two or three days to come and see her and Ashiri already shows how deep their love is.

"Ha?"

X 2.

The Sakurakoji couple, who were just preparing to welcome him back, both rolled their eyes in astonishment upon hearing his words.

What's this child saying as soon as he got back? Is he complaining that we're in his way and wanting to get rid of us quickly?

This is truly an outrageous display of filial piety!

"Well, it's probably for the best that we didn't go back. The outside world is going crazy. Why don't you all stay here with me and hide in the mansion from now on? Let's sell the properties over there if we can."

Sakurakoji Talent offered his advice with a pained expression.

"Did you go on a trip and ruin your brain? What are you talking about?"

Sakurakoji Luna stared at his manic behavior, still unaware that something was wrong.

Her son's erratic behavior hadn't been a recent development, and she was already used to it.

I just don't know what caused this this time.

"You guys... never mind."

He walked over and sat down next to them, squeezing past Okura Yusei and making him stumble, then fell sideways onto Sakurakoji Luna's lap for a lap pillow, while the maid standing beside him smiled and prepared tea for him.

What about the Ashiri?

He buried his face in his mother's legs and rubbed against her, his Hands around her waist, which was even more slender than Shiina Mahiru's, and lazily closed his eyes and asked softly.

The familiar scent filled his nostrils, gradually relaxing and bringing him comfort.

"Oh oh."

Sakurakoji Luna stared wide-eyed in surprise, astonished by her son's sudden intimate gesture. She then gently touched his silver hair, which was as smooth and soft as her own.

Her eyes held a mixture of affection and confusion. He didn't usually engage in such casual physical intimacy with his family members; what was wrong with him today?

"Ashiri is going back to school tomorrow, so she's heading back to the apartment. Mahiru-chan and Ai-chan are the same; they both have their own things to do."

"Oh, really? That's fine then..."

Sakurakoji Talent felt relieved. Before the situation became clear, telling them about this would only cause them unnecessary worry.

It's actually a good thing they're not here.

He knew about Shiina Mahiru and Hoshino Ai's activities because they were in contact every day, but he didn't know about Ashiri's —after all, she was just a silly and cute Imouto.

"Is there something you need?"

"No, it's not a big deal for them..."

After the maid finished brewing his tea, he instructed her, "I have something to discuss with my father and mother. Could you please guard the door and prevent anyone from coming in?"

"Yes!"

After bowing to them with her hands clasped, she walked out of the living room readily and gently closed the heavy door.

Once the living room fell silent again, Okura Yusei and Sakurakoji Luna exchanged a glance, wondering what he was up to.

But their intuition told them that things probably wouldn't be simple.

"Can we talk now?"

Sakurakoji Luna spoke softly and gently.

"Did something happen to you outside?"

Okura Yusei also expressed his concern, his handsome face showing deep worry.

If he grew his hair long and sat next to Sakurakoji Luna, just by looking at their expressions, it would be hard to tell who was the father and who was the mother... or rather, Sakurakoji Luna clearly looked more like a "strict father".

"Um..."

After absorbing the power of maternal love and replenishing the energy that had leaked from his heart, he slowly sat up and began to describe the supernatural events he had encountered that day.

"Actually, something very strange happened to me today..."

He was going to Fujisawa and told them roughly what happened after he met Sakurajima Mai.

Although I also don't want to worry these two too much, they are, after all, adults who control vast resources, and telling them will actually help them take precautions in advance.

He was afraid that he might encounter a ghost if he went out casually, and he was also afraid that his relatives and friends would suffer the same fate.

The couple's expressions changed dramatically, from initial indifference to wide-eyed astonishment.

Sakurakoji Luna was a little better off. Even though she was very shocked, she knew it was a serious matter, so she could only show it in her eyes.

As Okura Yusei spoke, his body began to tremble, his eyebrows furrowed, his expression uncertain, and he was quite shaken...

"A former celebrity girl walking around the library dressed as Bunny Girl, but nobody pays her any attention... Hey, hey? Hey..."

That's roughly the situation.

That concludes the explanation of Sakurakoji Talent.

Sakurakoji Luna glanced at her still-stunned husband, then looked at her son, her brows furrowed in seriousness as she confirmed, "First, let's confirm, today isn't April Fools' Day's Day, right?"

"Yes, April Fools' Day was over a month ago. I even fooled a few girls I know well that day."

Sakurakoji Talent, arms crossed, leaned back on the sofa and nodded repeatedly.

"Several familiar girls... are they just potential daughters-in-law candidates...? Never mind."

Sakurakoji Luna's eyebrows twitched, and her forehead was covered in black lines.

She forced herself not to think about it for the time being, and composed herself. "So, what do you think caused this?"

"This is still under investigation, but that's not what really worries me..."

His brows were furrowed, and his face was filled with worry.

"You're worried that besides this matter, there might be other mysterious events or things happening, right?"

Sakurakoji Luna quickly figured out his thoughts.

"Hmm, Mother, do you still recognize her?"

"No, we're all like you, we didn't pay much attention to the domestic entertainment industry before. If it's celebrities from twenty years ago, I do recognize them..."

"Those are basically the marks of time, right?"

"I'll beat you up if you say that again."

"..."

He chuckled and rushed over to hug her petite body, pleading, "Oh dear, what am I going to do, Mother?! I'm so scared I don't want to go out!"

He rarely showed his childlike side, making gestures and using words that would make him feel very embarrassed if other people he knew saw it.

However, for now, there are no problems.

The only downside... is the nearly 30-centimeter height difference between the two, which makes the scene of him hugging the White Hair loli and acting cute seem somewhat comical.

As he rocked her back and forth, Sakurakoji Luna closed her eyes and pondered deeply, "This is indeed a rather troublesome matter. What exactly is going on?"

"It seems we'll need to leverage the connections and financial resources of the Sakurakoji Family and Okura Family to gather as much intelligence as possible on this matter."

Given Sakurakoji Talent's talented and reputable family background, she didn't suspect that he was just trying to make them happy.

She didn't scold or reprimand him for his improper shaking; instead, she calmly analyzed the situation.

"Have you never heard of this before?"

Sakurakoji Talent asked the two questions.

"No, at least not my older brother and Risana. They've never heard of such a strange thing in the world."

Okura Yusei, recovering from his bewildered state, gave a wry smile.

"There's no record of anything like this in the Sakurakoji Family's history... While there are some mysterious accounts, they can mostly be categorized as myths."

Sakurakoji Luna adds.

"I see. Did this only start appearing recently? That's really troublesome..."

"It's also possible that the lack of information in the past made it difficult to distinguish the truth from falsehood in these stories."

Sakurakoji Luna rested her delicate, fair hand on her chin, continuing to ponder.

"Fortunately, no major incidents have occurred so far, so there's no need to worry excessively."

"Hey? Luna, you're really calm..."

Okura Yusei appeared uneasy, "This is a supernatural phenomenon! Who knows when it might affect us in some extraordinary way!"