"Ha~ I'm a little hungry. Can't believe I slept this long… kinda slacking off today, huh."
Staring at the sunset, Shiro rubbed his empty stomach uncomfortably. He hadn't eaten all day.
Last night, he got carried away playing with that black beast—it was just too fun, and before he knew it, the sun had risen.
By the time he woke up, it was already almost evening...
As for class?
Geniuses have the right to skip class!
Besides, he couldn't understand German anyway—better to use that time for something meaningful!
And sleeping was very meaningful.
Skipping German meant missing a skill, but skipping sleep could cost your heart!
After giving himself a little pep talk, Shiro, stomach growling, walked into a cozy-looking restaurant.
His original plan was to mooch a meal off GB since he heard there was a girls' gathering happening there. Unfortunately, his stomach couldn't wait that long.
"Welcome~"
Just as he stepped inside, a sweet and slightly "green tea" voice greeted him. The tone somehow felt oddly familiar to Shiro.
He turned to look at the waitress—right as she looked up too.
Their eyes met—
{{(°△°; "}}!
"Busujima?!"
"Shiro?!"
They stared at each other in shock—neither of them expected to meet again here!
Busujima Sakurako was stunned, gazing at that flawless face and sinking into deep memories.
Back in high school, she had a passionate, unforgettable romance!
She'd fallen for a very handsome boy and had managed to "snag" him within a few days. She thought their love would last forever.
But then, some sharp-tongued, ponytail-wearing tomboy came knocking!
Only then did she realize that "snagging him" had all been one-sided. Sure, someone got snagged—but it was her!
She, who prided herself as a top-tier hunter, had been played like a fool. Unforgivable!
That sparked an intense war between the "tomboy auntie type" and the "green tea cutie" type. The two of them were constantly scheming to embarrass the other and monopolize Shiro.
And the result?
The bastard ran off and flirted with an underclassman!
Just thinking about it made Sakurako's chest ache. Too evil!
Wait a second!
Sakurako suddenly remembered something—she'd heard rumors about a ridiculously handsome new guy at Izu University. She had planned to go check him out soon.
Now it was obvious—that damn guy was him!
And that idiot Kiyoko Kamio must've known all along! No wonder she'd been giving her weird looks lately!
Damn it!
That shameless tomboy!
"Long time no see, Sakurako. Never thought we'd run into each other again like this~"
Shiro gave her a soft, spring-breeze-like smile, completely unbothered by the past.
(づ︶ど)
Sakurako's face flushed red. Looking at Shiro's perfect, handsome face made her heart flutter despite herself.
Even though she'd been burned once before, she had to admit—those were the most beautiful days of her high school life.
She thought she'd moved on… but damn it, his looks were just too unfair!
Aaaaahhh!
Why was Shiro so relaxed? Didn't he feel any awkwardness? After all, their past was... like that!
"Wave wave~"
"...Sakurako? Sakurako!"
Shiro's gentle voice snapped her back to reality—she hadn't realized she'd been staring blankly.
"Tired? Want to sit over there and rest? I can ask the boss to give you a break. Or I could cover for you?"
"N-No need, I'm just… a little surprised."
Sakurako's gaze turned dreamy—yeah, this was so typical of Shiro, always so thoughtful.
Her mental filter turned on, and she started imagining a grand romance:
"Separated in high school due to unforeseen circumstances (Kamio Kiyoko), the two star-crossed lovers are reunited by fate at university beside the beautiful seaside. The handsome male lead has reformed his playboy ways, and now devotes himself wholly to the female lead~"
Ah!
So exciting!
(;´＿｀)
Watching Sakurako's ever-changing expressions, Shiro quietly walked over to the manager. He figured she might not be in the right state to keep working…
The manager looked back and forth between the two. A handsome guy and a beautiful girl—he was hit with a wave of nostalgia for his youth.
He immediately gave Shiro a big thumbs up and gave his beloved employee the rest of the day off.
After all, if he ruined Sakurako's romantic moment… the restaurant might not survive!
And so—
Still lost in her daydreams, Sakurako was gently "arranged" by Shiro and the boss.
By the time she came to her senses, she found herself walking hand-in-hand with Shiro along the beach.
Looking at the beautiful seashore, Sakurako felt peaceful again—as if they were once more walking through their high school campus together.
"Long time no see, Shiro."
"Why so distant now?"
Sakurako smiled and tilted her head. Her soft pink hair made her look even more adorable and lively.
She was living proof that pink hair didn't always mean dangerous fighters—Sakurako was clearly the sweet, understanding little sister type~!
"It has been a long time…"
Sakurako let go of his hand and walked ahead. Just when she thought she had moved on, the man she once loved suddenly reappeared.
And her heart still fluttered.
Even though she had already set her sights on someone new...
Shiro hugged her from behind. "Yeah, it's been a while… Sakurako… I've been thinking about you. There were so many nights I regretted losing you. I wanted to run back to you without a second thought. But… but I was afraid."
As he spoke, Shiro buried his face into her neck, like a wounded little animal.
They both stopped walking, their shadows stretching and eventually overlapping under the setting sun.
"Huu…"
Sakurako turned around, gently cupping Shiro's face with her right hand.
Just as Shiro thought this was it—that they were finally back together...
"OW OW OW—!"
Sakurako yanked on his cheeks, stretching his face out painfully.
"How many women have you said that line to?! And didn't you already meet up with that tomboy Kamio?!"
{{(°△°; "}}!
Shiro looked utterly shocked. This wasn't the Sakurako he remembered—wasn't she the delicate type before?
What the hell happened in these past few months?! Why is she yanking my face?!
(?????)
It hurts…
Also—how did she know he'd met up with Kiyoko?!
He was starting to panic. Wasn't this basically a confession?!
"..."
The air grew awkward for a moment.
Sakurako kept twisting his face. She knew he was lying just now.
If she hadn't just seen a ponytailed girl that reminded her of Kamio, she might've been completely fooled!
"Hmph! I'm leaving!"
After a while, she finally let go and stormed back toward the restaurant in a huff.
Shiro quietly followed her. Only a fool would walk away at a time like this!
Besides…
He was hungry!
He'd been so focused on Sakurako he completely forgot—he still hadn't eaten!
.....................…..
"So this thing is the entry ticket?"
On the way to GB, Shiro kept examining the ticket in his hand—"Oumi Women's University School Festival Entry Ticket."
Sakurako had given it to him when he was leaving after their meal. She told him to come find her at that place.
Wait a minute… does this count as a date invitation?
Lately, he had been so busy with his new novel that he didn't even realize Oumi had a school festival going on.
"It even allows up to four guests?"
Shiro looked a bit puzzled. Why did this feel like something out of ancient times, where a nobleman could bring along his retinue to a gathering?
Well, not like he needed that. There wasn't really anyone he wanted to bring along.
Iori?
Kouhei?
Or maybe Yamamoto and the others?
Yeah right, give me a break!
He still wanted to enjoy a normal school festival, thank you very much!
This was Oumi's school festival! If that group of animals came along, it'd be total chaos!
But still… maybe he'd get to meet a bunch of new friends?
Praise be to Sakurako~
As the scumbag Shiro thought about the girls' school, he completely forgot about the person who actually gave him the ticket.
Meanwhile, Busujima Sakurako was lifelessly cleaning up the shop.
If she had a choice, she wouldn't have given Shiro that ticket at all.
She knew her group of friends were all absolute suckers for good looks—and good-looking themselves too.
She didn't think they'd hold back once they met him…
Those girls didn't even know what the word "restraint" meant!
But…
She had a gut feeling—Shiro would definitely show up at the festival!
And rather than let him wander around unsupervised, it was much safer to keep him within her line of sight!
She had already told Shiro exactly where she would be. As long as nothing unexpected happened, he should stay by her side the whole time!
Yes!
After some intense inner conflict, Sakurako had successfully decided to give things another shot with Shiro!
But this time, she wasn't going to get emotionally involved.
She was a gyaru, okay?!
Shiro would just be a tool she brought along to look cool!
A tool who was sleeping on the floor that night!
Hmph!
Who told that guy to bully the great Busujima back then anyway?! It's time for payback—let him experience how humiliating that move really was!
The more she thought about it, the redder her face became. She was kind of looking forward to what might happen next.
At the counter
The store manager stood nearby, trembling.
He had witnessed the entire shift in Sakurako's expression—worse still, he heard the table she was cleaning whimpering in pain.
If he went over to say something now… would he be instantly wiped from existence…?
(╥_╥）
What a failure of a store manager he was…
——
At GB
"Hey, you bastard auntie—"
"Oh, it's you, Shiro. Welcome back. Wait a second… isn't something a little off here?!"
The manager, Toshio, looked at him strangely. Since when had this place become Shiro's home?
"C'mon, don't sweat the small stuff, Uncle. It's bound to happen eventually anyway. By the way, where's Kitahara?"
Shiro glanced around—besides the manager, the first floor was empty…
That didn't seem right. He knew there was a girls' gathering today, but why wasn't that idiot Kitahara around either?
Unable to make sense of it, the manager just pointed upstairs and smiled. "They're all upstairs."
"Upstairs? I thought it was a girls-only gathering?"
"Ah, yeah. It is. But I sent Iori up to deliver food. No idea why he's taking so long though."
"Got it… I'll go check on him!"
Without hesitation, Shiro stepped onto the stairs toward the second floor. His instincts told him—there was fun to be had ahead!
He even pulled out his prized camera. Time to find a moment to auction off the pics inside this baby later.
Bang!
He hadn't even fully reached the second floor when he already heard some commotion!
He crouched down and tried to stay hidden, the voices coming through in choppy fragments.
"Don't move! Just listen to me!"
Mmm… that was Chisa's voice~
"Ah… mm…"
Was that… Kitahara?
Because of how broken up it was, Shiro couldn't hear everything clearly.
So he peeked up a little. No way they'd notice him, right?
He looked up—
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
What he saw nearly shattered his worldview!
Chisa…
Chisa was pressing Kitahara against the wall with both hands in a classic kabedon move!
And he even caught fragments like "underwear," "lewd," and "Nanaka…"
He had no idea what they were talking about. Were they discussing Nanaka's underwear?
Whoa!
So bold? So shameless?
He wanted in too!
Shiro crept closer—their voices became clearer.
"Don't worry. I won't come to your room again."
"It's okay! You can come to my room anytime!"
?=????(??? ????)
Shiro couldn't believe his ears. Chisa actually told Iori he could come to her room anytime?!
Damn it! They'd only been apart one day! What the hell happened during that day?!
How did their relationship evolve into the "you can come over anytime" level?!
Click!
Almost on reflex, Shiro turned on his beloved camera and snapped the scene, preserving this legendary moment!
That angle, that lighting—
Absolutely flawless!
Anyone who saw the photo would think it was a girl leaning in to kiss the beast in front of her.
Shiro would proudly name it:
"Why Has This Girl Given Up on Life.jpg"
Unfortunately...
The flash was still on.
It directly exposed Kamashiro Shirou's presence…
(???)
Just moments ago, the atmosphere between the two was strange—but in an instant, both of them locked eyes on Kamashiro Shirou!
Iori remained composed and indifferent, but... Kamashiro Shirou seemed to see murderous intent in Chisa's eyes!
No, please!
Heaven and earth can attest—it was the precious camera that acted on its own!
"H-Hey… looks like I interrupted something. How about you two just continue? Don't worry, Kitahara, I absolutely didn't hear anything about 'you can enter Chisa's room anytime', and I definitely won't tell Yamamoto and the others!
Also… I swear I won't upload this photo to the school forum either!"
"..."
Iori, who had just looked unconcerned, turned completely dark-faced after hearing what Kamashiro Shirou said.
Thanks a lot!
If he hadn't said it, Iori really might have forgotten!
And as for trusting that Kamashiro Shirou won't talk?
You might as well trust that a golden retriever will suddenly call you "Master"!
Iori and Chisa exchanged a glance—then nodded and started walking slowly toward Kamashiro Shirou.
{{(°△°; ")}}!
"Wait—suddenly remembered a girl just invited me to dinner! I'll just head over there now?
Tell Kohei and senpai I won't be attending the party tonight!
W-Wait!
What are you doing?!
That's my precious camera!
Noooo!"
(*?????)**
First Floor
"So the truth is—you opened the door and saw them comparing bras?"
"Exactly! That design definitely wasn't Chisa's!"
"..."
Looking into Iori's confident eyes, Kamashiro Shirou honestly didn't even know what to say.
You're identifying them by style?
Shouldn't it be by size?
The difference between Chisa and Nanaka-senpai is huge!
There's no way they could wear the same bras!
And because of this dumb misunderstanding, he almost lost his beloved camera?!
Could you at least be more accurate next time?!
"I feel… a sense of responsibility!"
(′｀;)?
Kamashiro Shirou looked completely baffled at this "brilliant" declaration. Responsibility? What responsibility?
Did anyone mention responsibility?
Why are you linking bras to responsibility—what kind of leap in logic is that? That brain of yours okay?
Iori ignored Kamashiro Shirou entirely—his thoughts had floated off to who knows where.
"For not keeping the promise I once made—"
Iori remembered.
He had once promised Chisa to buy her a set of sexy lingerie!
This had to be his fault—it must've driven Chisa to try wearing Nanaka-senpai's!
It's decided!
Tomorrow, he'd go buy her a set from the store!
(???)
Kamashiro Shirou had no clue what was going on—but he just had a bad feeling someone was about to be in trouble…
Upstairs – Chisa's Room
"You're back~ So the misunderstanding got cleared up?"
Azusa smirked at Chisa teasingly. She had already heard everything from the room.
"But saying it was Nanaka's stuff—that's pushing it, don't you think~?"
She picked up the lacy, rather skimpy lingerie and gave a cheeky smile.
There's no way it'd fit her!
(╥_╥)
Both Chisa and Aina turned their gazes away, as if they had taken a direct hit to the heart.
They didn't even have the qualifications to wear someone else's underwear…
"I really think God was just unfair in certain areas!"
Thanks to the alcohol, Aina had relaxed completely—and was now brave enough to blaspheme.
"Why do we only have this much?!"
Emotional, Aina clutched at her modest chest buns dramatically!
Why is it so hard to grow just a little fat here?!
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
Chisa was startled by Aina's intense reaction.
Wait—was chest fat really that important?!
"Haha, I know, right~ Why only this much~"
Azusa laughed loudly, not the least bit sympathetic—she had never had this kind of "trouble."
"You two—did you go through some kind of special training?"
Aina slammed the table and yelled—she no longer cared about appearances!
That's right!
She wanted big boobs!
She would try anything to get them!
"Well, if you must put it that way… maybe lewd things?"
?━=????(??? ????)
Chisa and Aina froze.
They did not expect that answer.
Wait… were their previous thoughts… a bit rash?
"Y-You serious?!"
It sounded hard to believe, but somehow it didn't seem impossible…
After all, Kiyoko and the others did sometimes do lewd things to her…
"Well, that's my view—especially since I've been spending time with Shiro lately, I feel like I've gone up a cup size again. Ugh, they're getting heavy."
＼(`Δ')／
Aina bit her lip and glared in envy at Azusa.
Is this woman even human?!
Give her this "problem" in bulk, please!
Also—what exactly are you and Kamashiro doing at night?!
Aina's not-so-smart little head began to imagine…
A dark room, Kamashiro Shirou and Azusa tangled together, the bed creaking—
AAAAAAHHHH!!!
Kiyoko
My poor innocent Kiyoko
(?????)
"Hahahaha! Just a few little games~"
Azusa laughed, thinking Aina was crying tears of joy from finding the secret method.
"Aina, think about it—breast stimulation boosts female hormones, right? And lewd stuff can help stimulate hormone production~
You should totally try it!"
"Huh… that… kind of makes sense…"
Chisa felt something was off—but she couldn't quite pinpoint it. Slowly, she was starting to be convinced by Azusa's "theory."
"Wait a sec—what about Nanaka-senpai then?!"
Aina suddenly thought of the other heavyweight on their team!
No way Nanaka's were big because of… lewd stuff, right?!
? o?o?
Nanaka just smiled sweetly, pretending she didn't understand—but if Chisa wanted to do "lewd stuff," she would definitely help!
(??ω??)
"Maybe it's because her chest has always been filled with family love~"
(???)
Azusa's explanation immediately made Aina go, "Oh, I get it."
She had been at PaB long enough to know that Nanaka-senpai was an extreme little-sister lover.
"In short—stimulation is everything!"
Azusa's lips curled into a mysterious grin. Her fingers began to twitch ominously. Her eyes sparkled with desire.
Jie jie jie~
Little Aina, you came right to me. Don't blame your big sis for taking advantage~
With Aina and Chisa looking bewildered and terrified, Azusa loomed closer like a demon queen.
"Hehehe~ Let your big sis take a look! (??ω??)"
???
!!!
"NOOOOOOOO!!!"
…
Downstairs,
Iori and Kamashiro Shirou were completely unaware of what was going on upstairs. The two of them were idly playing rock-paper-scissors—the kind where the loser gets slapped.
You could say it was a brutally simple game.
For some reason, ever since they joined this club, they no longer wanted to play those brain-intensive games. They just craved this kind of rough and mindless fun.
Too bad the drinking party wouldn't start until the evening. If they could drink already, they'd have gone straight to playing strip-janken instead!
The store manager, Uncle Kotegawa, silently watched the two fools. He felt like he had to do something.
If this went on, these two might actually kill themselves from sheer stupidity...
He had just done a rough count—Kamashiro Shirou had already been slapped 33 times, and as for Iori... his face had already swollen into a pig's head. No point in counting anymore...
"Um… can I trouble you two to take these upstairs?"
The store manager brought out two platters of sashimi—snacks to go with drinks for the girls.
BAM!
"Wait a sec, Uncle, we're in the middle of a man's 1v1 showdown here!"
"Damn it, I will win next time!"
Maybe—just maybe—the reason Uncle asked you to take the food upstairs was specifically to stop this ridiculous match...
In the end, under the store manager's piercing gaze, the two morons stopped their brain-dead game.
Each took a platter of sashimi and headed toward Chisa's room.
It had been a while, so it was a good time to check in—see what the girls' party was like compared to the guys'.
Since their hands were full and Chisa had said it was okay earlier, they skipped knocking.
"Excuse us, Uncle asked us to—WHOA WTF?!"
"What the hell's going on?! Why did this suddenly turn into a national treasure?—WHOA WTF?!"
The two stood there stunned, eyes wide at the scene in front of them.
Outside the room...
Chisa was frantically waving her arms, trying to explain—desperate to make the boys believe it was just an experiment!
Her face flushed deep red—she was about to cry. She had never experienced such social death in her life!
No—wait...
The beauty contest...
The tennis match...
Okay, those were worse, actually.
Still—why did their expressions look so weird?
Chisa eyed Iori and Kamashiro Shirou suspiciously. She expected them to tease her, or for Shiro to whip out his beloved camera.
But she was wrong. The two of them looked dead serious.
SMACK!
They both clapped heavy hands onto her shoulders.
Then came a completely bewildering, overly intense warning:
"Chisa, you're in danger right now!"
"You don't understand what kind of situation you've stepped into!!!"
Too scary. This was way too scary!
What had they just witnessed?
A bisexual pervert and a hard-core little sister fetishist examining Chisa's boobs like a scientific specimen?!
How could she allow that?!
She was basically a little lamb walking into a wolf's den.
(′｀;)?
Chisa was confused—totally confused. Clearly, she had no idea what the two brothers were implying.
Which just made it more frustrating—why were these two talking in riddles?! Just say what you mean!
Unfortunately, neither Iori nor Kamashiro Shirou could bring themselves to explain outright.
If they did, their own lives might be in danger...
So all they could do was subtly urge Chisa to steer the conversation elsewhere later on.
(￣ー￣;)
Chisa was still completely in the dark. Why did it seem like these two saw Azusa-senpai and her sister like they were monsters or something?
Weren't these two boob-obsessed idiots usually super into them?
…Wait. Don't tell me... they're jealous of girls, too?
Chisa, full of questions, returned to the room—Azusa and the others were just getting ready to play her cherished ocean documentary DVD.
The same one she lent to Iori earlier.
"Whew… I wonder if Chisa will get what we were trying to say."
"We hinted as hard as we could. There's nothing else we can do."
The two looked somber. A blooming flower of a girl was about to be corrupted—and they were powerless to stop it.
"Damn it! Why couldn't we be the ones getting corrupted?!"
Their eyes turned red. They were both fully prepared to take Chisa's place.
"Yo, there you guys are."
Just then, Glasses-senpai's voice snapped them back to reality.
Unbeknownst to them, a few seniors had already arrived at the dive shop—clearly excited for tonight's club event (aka drinking party).
"By the way, this isn't an AV, okay?"
Glasses-senpai held up a DVD case—the one Iori had borrowed earlier. Only... the disc inside had been swapped. He was here to ask what happened.
"No way, seriously?"
Iori looked puzzled. He took the case and checked—it did seem different. The disc inside was all ocean-blue.
Kamashiro Shirou glanced at it—Tōnonogi-sensei's video. Turns out the senpai's tastes matched his own.
Too bad he'd already watched this one.
"Ahh, sorry, that was my bad. I must've mixed the discs up."
Iori scratched his head awkwardly. This wasn't the first time something like this happened—he really needed to organize his collection better.
"Yeah, be more careful next time. By the way, what movie's actually in here?"
"Blue Ocean. A diving documentary?"
Kamashiro Shirou took the disc and checked it out—it actually looked promising.
"Haha, yeah, Chisa lent it to me—"
WHOOSH!
Before Iori could finish his sentence, a disc flew like a shuriken and embedded itself into the wall one centimeter behind his head!
He could feel the cold killing aura radiating from it...
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
Kamashiro Shirou's eyes went wide—even he was shocked, and he was standing close enough that the disc had zipped right between them!
Terrifying...
What kind of DVD could stick into a wall like that?!
He turned to look—the disc bore Tōnonogi-sensei's smiling face.
"..."
Tōnonogi-sensei is a beast.
But wait—she obviously didn't throw it herself.
The three looked forward... and saw a pair of eyes filled with pure disgust.
The kind of look you'd give a cockroach.
And the owner of those eyes made a throat-slashing gesture.
"Is that... the 'prepare to dive' signal?"
"No, I think it just means she wants to kill us."
Kamashiro Shirou calmly sipped his beer. This had nothing to do with him—his own collection was neatly tucked away under his bed.
As for the person in question—Iori?
He was still kneeling and begging for forgiveness. He probably wouldn't want to see "sensei" again for a long time...
Back in Chisa's room...
Chisa slammed the door shut, her face flushed completely red. That soft, embarrassed expression—totally unlike the warrior goddess she had been moments ago.
She now looked like any ordinary girl who'd just seen something she really shouldn't have…
"..."
An awkward silence filled the room.
Nobody had quite recovered from the earlier shock.
Well—except for Azusa. The veteran woman was still calmly munching on sashimi. This kind of video? Child's play for her. She and Kamashiro Shirou had stopped watching this stuff ages ago.
Kamashiro Shirou (internally): "Don't lump me in! I'm a man of pure, heartfelt love!"
"Ahahaha... you know, it'd be a waste to watch a movie at a girls-only gathering!"
Aina tried to laugh it off and shift the topic. This kind of thing was way too early for them.
Maybe once their boobs grew to Azusa-senpai's level...
"Don't change the subject in such a weird way!"
Aina should've just kept quiet—her comment only made Chisa blush even harder. Couldn't she have just let it go?
Meanwhile, Nanaka sat with steam practically coming out of her head. She... she was just as clueless in this area as Chisa.
"I was actually curious about what happens next."
Azusa felt a bit regretful—this obviously had a storyline.
They had just gotten to the part where the enemy killed the heroine's brother and then barged into her room… and then it cut off.
Sigh, guess I'll borrow it from Iori later!
That's the movie she and Shirou were watching tonight anyway!
After all, too much indulgence needs to be balanced with something light every now and then~
At this moment, Aina had finally adjusted her mood. Seeing the awkward atmosphere around the group, she felt like she had to do something!
After all, this was her idea of a girls-only gathering!
"Forget about that! Speaking of a girls' night, we have to talk about romance!"
Hmm-hmm~
When it comes to girls' gatherings, romance gossip is a must! Everyone knows that Japanese girls, on average, experience their first love in middle school!
"Oooooh~!"
Chisa and the others chimed in, not really caring what they talked about, as long as it moved them past the last awkward topic.
"In that case… let's start talking about… lo-love… go-gossip…"
As Aina spoke, her voice grew quieter and quieter.
She suddenly realized a serious problem.
Where the hell were they supposed to get romance gossip from?!
(╥_╥)
Aina was on the verge of tears. She just did a mental count—there were only four of them here.
Nanaka's love life was way too dangerous to touch—better not go there.
Chisa had absolutely no interest in romance; she'd rather go diving than talk about love.
As for herself… she had zero experience! Literally nothing worth talking about!
What could she even say?
Talk about how she confessed to Kohei and got yelled at for being a makeup zombie?
Or that she had a secret crush on someone?!
(*≧▽≦)
Her eyes turned toward the only person who looked like she had experience: Azusa-senpai!
"Azusa-senpai, please..."
"Huh? Me?"
Azusa blinked, confused for a moment—well, it was just her and Aina left with any real potential for gossip.
But little Aina was being so adorably shy~
Azusa gave her a teasing smile—there's no way Aina's little secrets could escape her~
So how should she mess with this cutie a little~?
"One day, Shirou and I were fooling around on the bed…"
The classic "One day" start, but the content that followed was a bit… intense!
!!!
(／_＼)
"F-Fooling around?!"
"On the bed?!"
Azusa didn't even get to the good part before Aina screamed, her face flushed bright red as she stared at her with eager gossip-hungry eyes.
"S-So… what kind of fooling around?!"
Now she understood why Azusa-senpai had such a great figure—it was all thanks to that guy, Shirou!
If it were her...
Just imagine—Iori cuddling with her on the bed…
Yaaah~!
Wait a minute—
She just remembered something odd.
Azusa-senpai and Shirou…?
When did those two become a thing?!
Aina decided she needed to get to the bottom of this—for the future happiness of her bestie!
"Haha, yup—it's just what you're thinking. Shirou and I were playing strip rock-paper-scissors on the bed!"
Pfffft!!!
Aina nearly spat her drink out. That's what she meant by fooling around?!
"Who the hell plays strip rock-paper-scissors on a bed?!"
Even Chisa looked at Azusa in disbelief. It seemed like their lives were way more chaotic than she imagined…
"Don't sweat the details. The bed was comfy. But…"
Azusa paused deliberately here, giving Aina a mischievous look.
"Just when I was about to sleep over, Iori knocked on the door—and the two of them kicked me out and sent me back home. So mean~"
Azusa pouted. This part was true—the two of them had been super secretive and wouldn't tell her anything.
"That's just, like… male friendship, right? Isn't it normal for guys to crash at each other's places?"
Aina tilted her head, clearly not thinking much of it. Kiyoko often stayed at her place too, after all.
Chisa nodded too—it wasn't that strange. At most, she was just curious how those two opposites even managed to get along at all.
Like forging steel or something?
"Let me finish. After I left, I felt something was off, so I stayed outside the door and listened to their conversation~"
Azusa's eyes sparkled with excitement. "And what I heard was…"
She began retelling the events of that night—
A dark and stormy evening.
Iori sneaked into Shirou's house, and together they kicked out the one constant resident: Azusa Hinooka.
Then came a string of suspicious-sounding dialogue.
'Now?'
'Of course! I couldn't wait any longer. I had to come to your place after making such a firm decision! (to borrow a DVD)'
'I'll have to charge you…'
'Damn, are you so money-grubbing now? Charging for this?!'
'Of course! This is a big psychological burden for me!'
'…Fine, fine. Let's get it over with.'
Inside, Iori gave in. Azusa even heard the sound of money changing hands—and the rustling of clothes!
'Can I put it in directly? (DVD)'
'Sure, just be gentle. It got wrecked pretty bad earlier by Higashima-senpai… (the TV)'
'Relax, I know what I'm doing!'
Clack, clack, clack!
'You bastard! That hurts—it's crying! Didn't you say you'd be gentle?!'
'I paid, didn't I? Of course I'm going all in!'
'You…!'
Azusa couldn't hear much after that, but there were a lot of noises coming from the room.
(.;゜;:益:;゜;.)
After hearing Azusa's story, the three girls had blank, lifeless expressions.
If the story was true, then Shirou and Iori…
Aaaaahhhhh!!!
They all hated how much sense it made!
Aina, more than Chisa and Nanaka, was devastated. This plot twist had gone completely off the rails!!!
When the hell did those two start dating?!
(*≧Д≦)
Kiyoko…
My poor, poor Kiyoko.
I'm coming to join you!
Wait!
Aina suddenly remembered—when she and Kiyoko slept together…
Didn't Kiyoko's hands tend to wander a little?!
So… was she the only victim?!
In that moment, Aina seriously started questioning her life.
"What happened next…? Did anything else happen…? Azusa-senpai, please tell us everything in one go."
Aina collapsed onto the table, a little white ghost floating from her mouth.
That must've been her soul. But even like this, she needed to know how it ended!
She was going to be a ghost with no regrets!
"After that?
Kohei showed up."
!!!
Azusa's next words hit them with another mental critical hit.
Kohei must've gone to stop them, right?!
"Did Imamura stop them then?"
Chisa asked cautiously, afraid she'd hear something even more disturbing. How was she supposed to face Iori and Shirou after this?
Even Nanaka, who had been calm this whole time, was now bright red.
Her cup size was heating up as she Googled: What to do when two little brothers get together…
"Well, I don't know for sure~"
Azusa shrugged. She did want to know what happened next, but after Kohei went in, the talking mostly stopped.
There were, however, plenty of traditional cultural bam-bam noises.
"Anyway, about an hour later, Iori and Kohei came out smiling, each holding a black plastic bag."
"..."
The three girls fell silent.
They no longer knew what to say.
No!
It wasn't just that they didn't know what to say — they didn't even know how to look directly at those two anymore!
(/////)
Aina had already lost count of how many times she'd cried today.
Why, oh why, had she brought up romance gossip in the first place...?
Wait a minute!
This wasn't even their romantic gossip!
Realizing this, Aina started crying even harder~
She pulled a ticket out of her pocket and handed it to Chisa.
"This is for you, Chisa. I was originally planning to keep it a secret from Kamashiro and the others, but... I guess there's no need now..."
Aina's eyes were hollow, as if she'd seen through the ways of the world.
"What is it?"
Chisa was a little confused. The topic had changed way too fast — weren't they just talking about Kamashiro and the guys?
"It's a ticket for the Oumi Girls' Academy Festival. You need this to enter on the day. I heard there'll be some famous voice actresses performing too."
Azusa-senpai explained from the side, and then the already slightly tipsy Nanaka suddenly remembered something.
"Shiro-chan, Iori, and Kohei would probably love this."
"Hahaha, of course. It's Oumi Girls' Academy and voice actresses, after all."
"There's no need... Let them enjoy themselves elsewhere..."
Aina sighed.
She'd never really planned to let those three in anyway. She still wanted to experience a normal school festival.
Even though it seemed like she'd now gotten her wish — why did it hurt so much inside?!
Were things between those three really that complicated?!
She turned to leave, needing to calm herself down.
But the moment she looked up, she was greeted by the gentle smiles of Iori and Kohei—
Fwoosh!
In an instant, Kamashiro, Iori, and Kohei's clothes disappeared — leaving only their underwear!
They moved so fast they might've just set a new Guinness World Record…
"Hand it over, Corpse-Makeup Beast! If you don't want beautiful maidens to be defiled, then give us the ticket!"
"Just obediently give us the pass!"
"I'll keep it safe for you!"
"..."
That's right!
Kamashiro Shirou had joined in.
Even though he already had a ticket, his real goal was a school festival without Kitahara and the others!
Besides… if he didn't act a bit more eager, these two idiots would definitely start getting suspicious!
After months of living together, Kamashiro had come to understand these lunatics very well.
They had an uncanny nose for certain things!
"Absolutely not!"
Seeing the three nearly naked guys, Aina's resolve hardened — there was no way she'd give them tickets! If the school found out she was the one who let them in, she could kiss her entire college career goodbye!
BANG!
The moment Aina refused, the three half-naked men cornered her against the wall like they were acting out a scene from a doujinshi~
"Why?!"
"Why are you being so heartless?!"
"Aren't we friends?!"
"You three should know better! And considering your... relationship, you have no reason to go to Oumi Girls' anyway!"
Aina had totally lost it, and in her breakdown, she blurted out what Azusa had said earlier about "their relationship."
(′｀;)?
The three of them were dumbfounded.
Relationship? What relationship? Were they debt collectors or enemies or something?
Aina regretted it the moment she said it.
She was terrified she'd just ruined their friendship!
But all she got in return… were three idiotic faces!
Utterly frustrated, she relayed everything Azusa-senpai had said earlier.
"Azusa-senpai~"
Kamashiro Shirou walked over with a creepy grin and started pulling Azusa's cheek.
"Do you have anything to say for yourself~?"
(;￣ー￣)
"Ahahahaha, I just wanted to lighten the mood a bit! And besides, you were acting a bit suspicious that night!"
Azusa laughed awkwardly.
She knew perfectly well there was nothing between those three. When she went back to Shiro's place that night, the room didn't smell strange or anything.
The only reason she said that stuff was to tease cute little Aina~
Who could've guessed they'd barge in before she had time to explain?!
＼(`Δ')／
"I told you! That night they came over to borrow DVDs! DVDs, okay?! Now, how many times do I have to say it?!"
Kamashiro tugged even harder. No wonder people had been treating him strangely lately — now he'd found the real culprit!
(╥_╥)
"Wahhh, Shiro, I'm sorry! It was my first time, okay? You didn't tell us what kind of DVDs you lent!"
"..."
Sometimes, Kamashiro thought there were things everyone knew but didn't need to say aloud…
After all, he only had 18+ DVDs at home, nothing "normal"!
As for Kohei…
Hmm…
Kohei had borrowed the animated version of Black Beast...
"Wait a second. You said this was your first time?"
Kamashiro squinted at Azusa.
Something didn't add up — seriously didn't add up.
Lately, there were rumors floating around that he liked guys. At first, he thought it came from his beloved upperclassman Kudo, but after investigating, it turned out Kudo was surprisingly innocent…
So innocent that Kamashiro couldn't even bring himself to bully him.
But while he was at it, Kudo got famous again thanks to the investigation...
"Shocking! President of Izu University's Tennis Club Was Once a Simp?! [Photo Attached]"
And now Azusa was claiming she'd only gossiped once?
Kamashiro was lost.
Was it because he'd gotten too handsome lately, and people were getting jealous?
Sigh~
Being handsome is a curse~
(;￣ー￣)
Aina didn't know what Kamashiro was thinking, but she nervously averted her gaze.
She did know a little about the rumors surrounding Kamashiro, just a little…
Okay, fine, she was an accomplice…
The mastermind?
That would be Kiyoko.
She came up with the idea to eliminate some romantic competition.
And the potential effect on Kamashiro's life?
Kiyoko was completely confident it wouldn't matter!
Please — if Kamashiro had survived a high school filled with enemies, there's no way a little rumor would ruin him!
However, real life rarely goes as planned.
Kiyoko's plan started out well — until she realized something...
More and more girls were flocking to Kamashiro!
And they were treating him like their best girlfriend!
Wouldn't that just make it easier for the Big Bad Wolf to strike?!
Unable to take it, Kiyoko was now at home furiously working on Plan B!
She hadn't even dared give Kamashiro a ticket to Oumi Girls'.
She was afraid he'd go and somehow become besties with every single girl in the school...
"Wait! Now is not the time to be thinking about all this!"
"We have a more important mission! Let our morals be shattered to pieces!"
Iori and Kohei looked at the "Corpse-Makeup Beast" with grim faces.
They didn't care about misunderstandings or rumors anymore!
After all… they were already regulars on the school's gossip forums.
What's one more thread?
"..."
(≖_≖)
Watching the two of them completely give up, Aina didn't know whether to feel sympathy or just plain tired.
This wasn't even a matter of reputation anymore — they'd officially given up their entire college dating future!
BANG!
Before Aina could finish sighing, she was once again cornered against the wall by all three guys.
She'd forgotten — she was one of the main parties involved here…
"Come on, just this once!"
"No way!"
"It's not like you'll lose a piece of your flesh!"
"But I'll lose a ticket!"
"Wait, how does a ticket equal flesh?!"
"Well, your TV feels pain when it gets scratched, right? So it's only fair that losing a ticket hurts me too!"
"..."
Kamashiro Shirou was speechless.
…That actually made weirdly good sense.
Somehow, the Corpse-Makeup Beast had grown...
Though sadly, in a way that definitely wasn't good for them...