...
"Haaah, we're finally here. That uncle we passed by was giving us such weird looks," Shiro said as they arrived.
He took a deep breath—the scent of grass and soil filled his nose.
After staying by the sea for so long, it felt great to enjoy the countryside air for once.
Well, except for that big pile of cow dung nearby…
"It's because you three wouldn't sit still!" Aina scolded, her face red with embarrassment. She nearly died of secondhand shame just now.
Thanks to the boys, the car had been shaking the whole time. Passersby probably thought they were having a party in there.
"Hey, it's because of the music you played!"
Iori fumed just remembering it. He'd almost been socially executed by the entire school!
In the end, he opted to pay Shiro off to not post the song. Though… it was just an IOU. He figured the debt wouldn't crush him more than life already did.
"Enough already. You guys forget why we came? Is now really the time for this? Come help!" Kouhei roared.
"…Right."
The three quietly turned around and joined the prep work—they'd nearly forgotten they were here for a field cookout.
Thanks to the extra help, everything was ready in no time.
The five of them sat on the grass, letting the earthy breeze wash over them. A calm smile spread across everyone's face. It felt like both body and soul had been cleansed.
"It's really nice to enjoy the countryside once in a while."
"Totally different vibe from diving."
"Didn't think the upperclassmen's suggestion would actually be decent."
"Thank goodness for the good weather."
Everyone sighed in satisfaction. The scenery really made the long detour worth it.
And also…
Shiro stared in amazement at the rice ball in his hand and the many dishes on the picnic cloth.
"…Did you make all this?!"
He looked at Kouhei in disbelief, like someone realizing their roommate was secretly a billionaire.
"Yup. Zombie Beast drove the van. Iori and I did the cooking."
"Perfect division of labor!"
Kouhei and Iori proudly gave each other a thumbs up. Their smug faces made Aina blush a little.
"…Sorry I'm bad at cooking."
She'd chosen to drive because her cooking skills were… nonexistent.
"It's fine. You'll get better with practice."
"Yeah! Not everyone can be born with my level of talent! Om nom nom~ (￣～￣) "
"..."
Everyone shot a disdainful look at Shiro, who was already wolfing down food.
Seriously—you didn't do anything!
Shiro noticed the glares but wasn't fazed. Nothing could distract him from a good meal.
"Nom nom… Kouhei, surprisingly, this is really good!"
Seeing Shiro's reaction, the others grew curious too. They each grabbed a rice ball and took a bite.
!!
"Delicious!"
They all showed the same expression as Shiro just now. It really was tasty—no worse than anything sold outside.
"So what do you mean surprisingly?" Kouhei asked, a few veins popping on his forehead. Was his cooking really so unexpected?
"Well…"
"'Idiot,' 'clumsy athlete,' 'zero life skills'—aren't those your main traits?"
"Also, when you talk about shut-in otakus, people usually think of someone living in a messy home, surviving on instant noodles and takeout, right?"
"...You guys are too much! And Kamishiro, what you're describing is a total societal parasite!"
(;?＿?)
"Aren't you one?"
"Of course not!" Kouhei sighed as he looked at everyone's confused expressions. "Looks like you all really don't understand."
"Isn't being good at cooking a basic trait for male protagonists? And what's more, being able to cook a meal for your little sister—how lucky is that!"
As he spoke, Kouhei got more and more excited. He already possessed all the qualities of a perfect older brother—he was just missing a younger sister!
"I see."
"That explains everything!"
Shirou Kamishiro and Iori had expressions of sudden realization. Thinking about it that way, it made total sense that Kouhei could cook such delicious food.
Wait a second... this kind of ability is basically a bug! If a little sister asked for a time machine, would Kouhei manage to build something like Steins;Gate?
Tsk tsk... as expected, among the three, Kitahara is still the weakest. He doesn't even have any special abilities.
"..."
(?ò?ó)
"You're definitely thinking something rude right now."
Even though Kamishiro didn't say a word, Iori, his childhood friend, could already read the pity and disdain in his eyes.
He knew that look all too well. Kamishiro had been giving him that expression since they were kids. Don't think you can hide it just because your eyes are always squinting!
And seriously!
How did this bastard connect any of what Kouhei said to him?! Not a single word mentioned had anything to do with him!
Just as Iori was about to interrogate Kamishiro, he suddenly heard sobbing nearby.
Everyone turned their heads—Aina was crying while eating the rice balls Kouhei had made.
Her expression made Kamishiro suspect she might have a tragic backstory—like maybe Kouhei's rice balls reminded her of her mother's cooking or something.
"Aina?!"
"Why are you crying while stuffing your face?!"
Chef Kouhei was totally dumbfounded. Other people usually exploded their clothes when they ate his food because it was so good. Why was she crying?! It's not that deep!
Noticing everyone's stares, Aina sobbed even harder. "I just can't believe... even Kouhei is better than me... Waaahhh!"
(?°?д°?)
Kouhei, who was initially worried, instantly darkened. "You guys are so rude!"
Smack
Kamishiro patted Aina's shoulder. "I understand how you feel. But don't give up—someday you'll reach my level."
"That's... really unnecessary."
Hearing Kamishiro's words, Aina was so frightened she forgot to cry. Kamishiro's level of turning anything edible into a hellish dish... just the thought of it was terrifying!
"So... in your minds, what kind of image do you guys have of me exactly..." Kouhei was on the verge of a breakdown. He felt like, in their eyes, he was just some degenerate loser with no redeeming qualities.
"And besides... if you've got complaints, go yell at Kitahara who's broke and couldn't afford to take us out to eat!!"
Instantly, all eyes turned to poor, penniless Kitahara.
That's right—their original plan wasn't to come here. They were actually going to hang out in the city.
Unfortunately, someone's fortune had run dry.
Yep. Not only dry—he was deep in debt too. ~
"Too much!"
"You perverted composer!"
"Broke-ass composer!"
"Stop bringing up composing already!"
Iori buried his face in his hands. He had completely lost all dignity—this was pure social death!
...
Since it was still early, the group spent time enjoying their rare vacation in the fields after eating.
Taking selfies with cows, milking cows, drinking milk~
Fishing~
Goofing around~
Playing hide-and-seek~
Smiles bloomed across everyone's faces. In that moment, they let go of all their daily worries, running and laughing freely through the countryside.
It was like shedding all their burdens and returning to the purest days of childhood.
Once they were tired from playing, they just lay down on the grass, enjoying the gentle breeze.
Kamishiro lay on the grass with his eyes closed. Unlike the others, he used to do this often as a kid and thought it wouldn't affect him much.
But this time, something was different.
Kamishiro felt an incredible sense of relaxation—like the first time he went diving—like he was back in his mother's arms.
He was surprised. He had lain in grassy fields countless times and felt that earthy wind countless times...
But never had it felt like this.
This feeling was so comfortable, so intoxicating, he wanted to understand why.
Unfortunately, he had no clue.
Until...
"Kamishiro!"
"Wake up, we're getting ready to go!"
"If we don't leave now, we'll miss the bonfire party!"
"Hurry up, hurry up!"
Kamishiro opened his eyes to see the smiling faces of his four friends.
With the blue sky as a backdrop, their smiles were so warm, so joyful.
Click—
Kamishiro mentally pressed the shutter button in his mind. This image—he might never forget it for the rest of his life.
And—
He felt like he'd finally found what he was looking for.
In the sunlight, the shadows of the five friends stretched out and eventually overlapped.
In that moment, seeing each other's smiling faces, they could feel it—they had grown even closer. Maybe that had been their senpais' intention all along.
"Hurry up, hurry up, the senpais might already be there!"
"Relax, the main characters are always the last to arrive!"
"Get real—if you're the main character, then this whole story must be a gag comedy."
"What's wrong with gag comedies? Life's already so tough, we need more laughs!"
"What part of your life is tough?! You're a total winner in life. I'm the one who's got it rough—Shiori hasn't sent me any allowance in ages! (╥_╥)"
"(???皿??)Are you showing off the fact that you even have a younger sister?! You're totally bragging about having a sister!"
"You three, stop arguing! Come on, we've still got a bonfire party to attend. I need more memories for my Youth Photo Album!"
"Next stop—training camp, let's go!"
"Senior Azuma!"
After arriving at their destination, Kamishiro and the others greeted (Afro)Azuma Senpai enthusiastically.
Sure enough, they had played too much on the way—by the time they got there, all the upperclassmen had already arrived.
"Sorry we're so late."
Kamishiro scratched his head awkwardly. Making their senpais wait really was kind of rude.
Looking at the five slightly guilty juniors, Azuma Senpai just smiled casually. "Haha, no worries. We just got here a little earlier to prep some stuff."
"Prep?"
"You could've told us—we would've helped."
In response to Iori and Kouhei's offer, Azuma Senpai's smile turned a little mysterious. "Don't worry about it."
Gulp...
Feeling something was off, Kamishiro swallowed nervously. His sixth sense, trained from childhood, screamed that something was fishy.
Especially since Azuma Senpai was still fully clothed!
Normally, if the senpais had arrived early, they would already be deep into the drinking party. Azuma Senpai should be at least half-naked by now.
There was definitely a conspiracy here!
"Please put all phones and valuables into this box."
Called it.
They were already collecting phones—meaning something was definitely about to go down!
But the other four didn't suspect a thing. They obediently followed Azuma Senpai's instructions, looking like perfect little sheep.
The four little lambs were already getting excited about the upcoming festivities~
"I can't believe we get to stay overnight at an elementary school!"
"And we get to have a bonfire in the courtyard! So cool!"
"Sleeping in the classroom beds feels so novel."
"We even get to light fireworks! I got some super pretty ones just for this!"
"Hope we don't disturb the neighbors!"
"I really did find the perfect spot this time."
"This time, I will fill out the perfect youth photo album!"
Kamishiro quietly glanced at Aina.
Nice. She hadn't even arrived yet and had already jinxed herself to hell with all those flags. With his foresight, Kamishiro had already figured out the senpais' plot—he just needed to stay alert now.
Looking at the four little lambs skipping ahead, Kamishiro felt reassured. He even stood up straighter.
With these four around, maybe he'd have it easier. After all, bullies always go for the softest target, right?
But...
Kamishiro was about to find out just how dead wrong he was.
He was the softest target.