...
"Stop! Stop! STOP!"
As the scene dangerously drifted toward an 18+ plotline, Aina quickly halted the interview.
Her face flushed bright red as she pointed at Kamishiro, scolding,
"What kind of interview is this?! Who gropes people's thighs during an interview?!"
"There are totally interviews like this!"
Kamishiro nodded with conviction, his hand still resting on Azusa's thigh.
"You need to understand—there are scumbags in every workplace. Right now, I'm playing the role of the sleazy senpai who tries to exploit new hires!"
Aina was dumbstruck. How could anyone say that so casually?!
Are you sure you're acting?!
Beside him, Iori and Kouhei also nodded seriously.
"Makes sense. Totally realistic."
"Next time, let me play the sleazebag!"
They both looked regretful, cursing themselves for being too slow and letting Kamishiro grab the role first.
Though even if they had, they wouldn't have gone as far as he did.
They simply weren't on the same level!
Kamishiro's smooth moves, pervy face... There was no way this guy wasn't a repeat offender!
"Azusa-senpai, aren't you going to stop him?!"
Seeing her teammates were hopeless, Aina turned to the other party involved.
No normal person would accept being "interviewed" like that, right?
"Well, I didn't really want to... but since it's Shiro, I figured it's whatever."
Azusa smiled and ruffled Shiro's hair.
Anyone else would be a big no-no—but Shiro? Of course he's fine!
They've even shared a bed, after all!
Upon hearing this—
Kamishiro's eyes lit up again, his dream of starting his own company reigniting.
And when he did, he'd personally hire Azusa as his secretary!
He would... interview her himself!!!
"..."
Aina's lips twitched as she watched the two being all sweet with each other. Even though she knew they weren't actually in that kind of relationship...
It still felt like she was being force-fed a giant bowl of dog food.
Seriously, are you sure you two aren't actually dating?!
She was starting to have doubts. At this rate, her poor best friend was racking up more "rival hats" on her head...
So unfair!
The pile of hats was almost taller than the person—when was Kiyoko going to be able to stand up?!
"No, no, this is a proper interview!"
For the sake of her best friend's happiness, Aina hurriedly pulled Kamishiro back to his original position, speaking irritably, "The interview continues!"
"Ehhh…"
Kamishiro sighed in disappointment, but he understood that helping the senpai with this mock interview was more important right now. As for the other stuff—of course they could do that later at home.
After all, the two of them often spent the night at each other's places anyway—what's one more time?
"Well then, Miss Hamaoka, what are your hobbies and special skills?"
Seeing the interview resume, Azusa sat up straight in an instant, though the corners of her lips still held a faint, playful smile.
"My hobby is also diving."
"As for my special skill… it's… s…x…"
Just at that crucial moment, Azusa sneezed, so none of the four interviewers clearly heard what she said her skill was.
"Sex"?
Or maybe...
"Sax"?
As a properly degenerate interviewer, of course Kamishiro chose "sex"!
He instantly teleported to Azusa's side, put his arm around her shoulder, and started walking toward Iori's room.
"How about we move to another room and take a closer look at your body?
Let's see if you're really suited for the role of secretary~"
???????? ‵?
"STOP!!!"
"What the hell are you saying?!"
Aina blocked Kamishiro again. If this kept going, the interview would completely derail!
"This scene feels awfully familiar…"
Iori stroked his chin thoughtfully. It all felt strangely déjà vu.
Looking more closely…
At the scene:
One naked male interviewee, one degenerate interviewer, and one voluptuous female applicant.
All the elements were there!
Iori had a sudden realization. "This is just like that new plot in Tsukasa Aoi's latest film!"
Kamishiro recalled it too—and yeah, it was pretty similar.
If you just removed the useless extras, it'd be a perfect match!
He looked at Aina helplessly and said, "This one's not on me. Logically, and based on a man's desires, that sneeze would definitely lead to this kind of scene!"
Kohei: "Yep, makes perfect sense!"
Iori: "No man could resist that kind of temptation!"
Aina: "..."
Is their entire brain just full of pervy trash?
She seriously wanted to vacuum out all the lewdness in their heads and see what was left!
"Get your dirty minds out of the gutter! She clearly said 'sax'!"
Thanks to the sneeze earlier, no one had heard clearly whether it was "sex" or "sax."
And the only reason "sex" came up at all… was because Kamishiro and the other two's brains didn't have the word "sax" in them to begin with!
Especially Kamishiro, whose English vocabulary was criminally bad.
Like right now, he was still looking at Aina suspiciously.
"'Sax'? Did you make that up?"
"...I seriously wonder sometimes how you even got into Izu University.
'Sax'! As in saxophone!"
"Ohhh!"
Kamishiro had a revelation. That's why the word sounded so familiar.
Come on, it's just saxophone, no need to make it sound all foreign and fancy.
"So it really is a saxophone?"
Kamishiro looked at Azusa with doubt. He couldn't quite believe it. If it really was true—
Then the senpai in their club were ridiculously multi-talented.
First piano, now saxophone—they were practically stealing the music club's thunder.
Azusa's eyes sparkled mischievously as she brought her hand to her lips and said sweetly, "Of course—the kind you use your mouth for~"
Kamishiro: "Okay, yeah, it's definitely 'sex'!"
"NOT AT ALL! Saxophone uses your mouth too!"
Aina's face turned red with embarrassment as she yanked Kamishiro back again. "How could anyone's special skill be sex?!"
"Eh? Mine is."
"..."
Looking at Kamishiro's innocent expression, Aina was speechless.
Come to think of it… Kamishiro might be right.
Aina suddenly regretted her idea to hold this mock interview.
Or at least… letting Kamishiro be an interviewer was a huge mistake!
Thankfully—
Out of jealousy, Iori and Kohei dragged Kamishiro off to have a "heart-to-heart talk."
And after a series of emotional beatings, the topic was finally put to rest.
…
"Phew, seriously… I'll ask the next one."
Once the bruised and battered trio returned, Aina sighed. "You three just stick to scoring, okay?"
Under Aina's intimidating gaze, the three obediently picked up their pens like they were the ones being interviewed.
Then Aina turned to Senpai Tokita. "Alright, let's continue. Please tell us: what did you work hardest at during your student days?"
Upon hearing the question, a heartfelt smile appeared on Tokita-senpai's face. "It was club activities!"
That was more or less what everyone had expected. Aina nodded and asked her to elaborate.
This question didn't even require preparation for Tokita-senpai.
After all… they'd shared so many bonds through it!
Tokita: "I always worked hard to help everyone feel a part of the group.
When someone wasn't very skilled yet, I'd step in to help them out.
We all came together to face difficulties as one!"
Just listening to Tokita-senpai's responses, it all sounded great. Very positive and wholesome—if a little generic.
But!
To Kamishiro and his two buddies, those words had very specific meanings.
Every time Tokita-senpai spoke, a vivid image popped into their minds.
"Becoming part of the group" meant being stuck in an endless loop of drinking parties.
"Helping others" was forcing glass after glass of hard liquor on them to boost their tolerance.
"Facing difficulties together" referred to mixing different spirits together and drinking it as a "boiled pot cocktail"!!!
Just thinking about it, the three of them already knew how they'd score him.
"Minus two points right off the bat."
"Got it!"
"Totally agree!"
Tokita: Why?!
He was confused—those were the bonds they shared, after all!
Aina didn't say anything. She didn't really get it, but she didn't interfere with their scoring either.
It's normal for interviewers to have different opinions.
Her eyes turned to Azusa. "And you, Miss Hamaoka?"
"Mine was club activities too."
Azusa's eyes glimmered with nostalgia. "I wanted to share the joy of discovering a new world with everyone, to explore new values together and build irreplaceable bonds!
That's what I worked so hard for!"
Upon hearing that—
Aina and Kohei, unaware of the truth, were visibly moved.
They had no idea Azusa cared so much about diving!
Only Kamishiro and Iori, curled up in the corner, were trembling in fear.
New world?
She was definitely talking about dual-wielding!!!
This woman was just as terrifying as ever!
…
Next was the stress test segment.
Uh…
That part got skipped by unanimous agreement of the interviewers—they genuinely couldn't think of anything that would actually stress those two out!
In fact, far from putting pressure on them, having them sitting there made Kamishiro and the others feel crushed under pressure.
Lastly came the group discussion.
Since Kamishiro and the others didn't know anything technical, the only thing they could talk about was drinking culture and social etiquette.
And then…
Tokita: "I think pressuring people to drink is the worst behavior."
Azusa: "Everyone who drinks should be properly educated!"
Tokita: "Dressing appropriately is the most basic form of manners."
Azusa: "We should always be aware of our behavior and decorum!"
Interviewers: "..."
Do you guys even hear yourselves???
Are you seriously saying that?!
You could be textbook bad examples of everything you just said!
And they were the most classic two, too!
Anyway, whether this mock interview was effective for the seniors is unknown.
But for Kamishiro and the others… it probably just made them want to throw in a lot of snarky comments.
Because these were not the seniors they usually knew!
…
While putting on his clothes, Tokita asked, "How was it?"
"Did we answer okay?"
"..."
Kamishiro and the others twitched at the corners of their mouths. "How should we put this…"
"If we didn't know what you seniors are usually like, your answers would've been perfectly fine."
"Honestly, we don't even know what counts as 'good'..."
At those words, Tokita and ASUZA finally remembered—these guys weren't professionals. They were still just first-years who had only been in school for half a year.
"Ah…"
"That's kind of a shame."
The two of them looked a little disappointed, and just as they had calmed down after the mock interview, tension crept back in.
Just as they were about to wrap it up, Kamishiro and the others interrupted their thoughts.
Iori: "But… interviews are really about evaluating someone's inner qualities, right?"
Kouhei: "Yeah."
Aina: "If that's the case…"
Kamishiro: "Then our senpai just need to act like their usual selves, and they'll be totally fine."
They opened their evaluation sheets—filled with "Pass" and scores of 100.
Just like the seniors had thought earlier, they had too many bonds tying them together.
The four truly believed—if it's their senpai, they'll definitely be fine!
Seeing the smiles on Kamishiro and the others' faces, and the mock interview score sheets in their hands, Tokita froze.
Then, he smiled.
As expected—these are the best juniors ever!!!
"Hmph, just act like usual, huh…"
He got it now!
…
The next day
Kamishiro and the others fell into deep thought as they watched a video from the alumni reunion party that Tokita-senpai had sent them.
This… was supposed to be an alumni event, right?
Weren't alumni gatherings usually like mini job fairs disguised as cocktail parties?
People chatting formally, handing out resumes politely—that was the image they had in mind!
Not whatever chaos this was in the video—more like some kind of PAB drinking party!
Also, why was Tokita-senpai naked, standing on a table playing strip rock-paper-scissors?!
Seeing the stunned looks on his juniors' faces, Tokita explained, "This is just my everyday life."
"..."
Kamishiro and the rest didn't even know what to say. Did this guy do anything else besides strip and drink?!
What about your skills…?
Show them off!
Just not your physical "skills," please!
Kamishiro opened his mouth, wanting to comfort his senpai. Judging from the video, it was clear Tokita hadn't found a job. What he needed now was support and encouragement!
Even though they usually messed around, at the end of the day, he was a respected senior.
Just as Kamishiro reached out to pat Tokita on the shoulder—
Tokita said, "Oh yeah, the interviewer seemed to like me a lot and gave me a business card."
At that—
Kamishiro's hand froze in midair staring in disbelief
Iori and the others also looked at Tokita-senpai in stunned confusion.
"WHY?!?!" ×4
Are interviewers really into this kind of thing nowadays?!