"Huff huff!!!"
Hearing the heavy breathing of rage and urgency in his ears, Kamishiro was completely frozen.
He felt like death was right around the corner!
He even started wondering whether his tombstone should be solemn or witty.
Wait—would he even get a tombstone?
Or should he confess now and secure a full-body burial?
While Kamishiro was spiraling over his life choices, the people around him—except for Hanabi, who looked concerned and confused—were all calmly watching the scene. Clearly, they knew the backstory.
Even though no one knew exactly how far things had gone between Maya and that bastard, one thing was clear:
There was definitely something shady between those two!
Even Chisa could tell—there was something fishy about the way they looked at each other!
Only poor Kohei was still in the dark.
Because whenever those two were together, they would subconsciously avoid Kohei.
Probably for this exact reason…
Once it got exposed, it could turn dangerous!
"What's going on… That 'Maya Sama,' is she Kaya Mizuki?"
Hanabi asked Chisa and the others. Although she worked in the light novel industry, she had some knowledge of voice actors due to anime adaptations.
Kaya Mizuki—definitely a top-tier beauty.
And this dumb pigeon has something to do with her…?
"..."
Beauty. Dumbass.
Hanabi probably guessed the whole story. This two-timing, womanizing pigeon deserved to die!
"Yeah, Kohei's a huge fan of Maya san. As for Kamishiro…"
"This is just the ending he deserves!"
Iori directly cut off Aina's explanation.
At that moment, he was gleefully taking pictures with his phone—close-up shots of Kamishiro's face!
Hanabi was full of black lines. Wasn't this way too excited? Are you guys really friends?
"You bastard, stop taking photos and do something!"
Kamishiro roared. He wasn't ready to die yet!
"Sorry, nothing I can do. Just accept your fate. Don't move—I'm taking your funeral photo.
Smile, okay? You don't want your memorial pic to show you looking all scared, right?"
"..."
Kamishiro's mouth twitched. No need to think about funeral portraits right now!
He believed he could still fight back!
At this point, Kohei was still in the same aggressive state, growling, "What's your relationship… with Maya sama!!"
Clearly, he had lost his mind. Iori and the others' conversation hadn't even registered with him.
That realization brought Kamishiro a bit of calm.
He figured it out.
Kohei still didn't know the truth about him and Maya.
The only reason he was acting like a madman was because, in his heartbroken daze, he heard a few triggering keywords.
Like:
"Maya"
"Connected to Kamishiro"
It was all just assumptions!
In that case… no need to panic at all!
Kamishiro's lips curled into a small, confident smile. He had a plan!
His terrified expression slowly shifted into one of sorrow.
He no longer resisted Kohei, as if resigned to his fate.
"Heh, you ask what my relationship with Maya is? Actually… I'm just a pitiful admirer."
Maybe Kamishiro's acting was too convincing, because Kohei paused, his eyes regaining some clarity.
"An… admirer?"
Seeing this, Kamishiro celebrated wildly in his mind.
It worked!
As a seasoned playboy, Kamishiro's acting skills were top-tier!
No matter how thrilled he was inside, he kept his expression sad.
"Yes, that's right! Just a poor admirer," he said, eyes brimming with fake tears. "From the moment I first laid eyes on Maya, I knew—I had fallen hopelessly in love!
But I know my sins are too heavy… I don't dare get close!
Now, I just want to admire her from afar, like a fan…
Kohei! You understand this feeling, right?!"
At that point, Kamishiro suddenly burst out, shaking Kohei's shoulders excitedly—like a true fanatic.
Of course, it was still toned down compared to Kohei's level. Can't overdo it~
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
Kohei was stunned. This wasn't what he thought at all.
No, wait—he hadn't even really thought, he had just instinctively imagined Kamishiro as the one Maya liked.
But thinking about it… no way. He wasn't blind.
If anything had happened between them, he'd have noticed right away!
With that realization, Kohei deflated like a balloon, slumping back into his depressed state.
But this time, unlike before, his eyes lit up. He looked at Kamishiro with a mix of excitement and grievance—like a stray puppy reunited with its master.
WHAM!
Kohei threw his arms around Kamishiro. "Kamishiro! I knew it! We really are best friends!!!"
If Kamishiro had just been chasing after Maya's looks, Kohei would've brought out the cement already.
But Kamishiro had been smart—he played the role of a fellow fan.
He knew Kohei wasn't one of those insane, possessive fans.
Aside from being a little twisted, Kohei was basically the ideal fan!
"..."
Watching this "touching" scene, Iori and the others all fell silent.
Yep—no matter what breed, golden retrievers really are easy to fool.
I really wonder what kind of expression Kohei would make if he found out that the person he was hugging with such emotion right now… was the very person he wanted most to kill.
When that time comes, Kamishiro is definitely going to be in big trouble…
Wait a minute!
Aina suddenly came up with a brilliant idea to avenge her best friend!
Heh heh~
It's time to teach this scumbag a lesson!
"Oh? So Kamishiro, you're actually a fan of Maya san? I thought you…"
That's right!
This was Aina's scheme—to pretend she didn't know that Kamishiro was a fan of Maya san.
That way, Kohei would start doubting the authenticity of it all!
After all, if even she didn't know, then clearly the so-called "relationship" wasn't just idol and fan, right? ~
Unfortunately, Aina's plan failed… Faced with Kamishiro's half-smiling expression, she just couldn't continue her line.
Because…
Just now, that bastard Kamishiro silently mouthed two words at her!
"Iori"
"Like"
AAAAHHHHH!!!
That's too despicable!
She had never seen anyone this despicable before!
Why… why does Kamishiro know about that?!
Aina glanced over at Kohei, whose face was pale, and she suddenly felt betrayed!
Kohei: ???
What's wrong?
Kohei looked at Aina, puzzled. "What's the matter, you makeup freak? What else did you think?"
"…" Aina's mouth twitched involuntarily. "Oh, nothing… just that Kamishiro's fondness for Maya san might actually be about the same level as yours."
What else could Aina do?!
She was desperate too—there's no way she'd put her own life on the line!
Confess on the spot?
She wasn't mentally prepared for that yet!
She could only hope Kohei would get jealous and go argue with Kamishiro.
But—
Aina had once again underestimated Kohei!
Upon hearing her words, Kohei not only didn't get angry, but even patted Kamishiro on the shoulder.
"Of course! He's my best friend, after all! Though if we're comparing, he's still a little behind me.
Oh, right, Kamishiro, do you want to join Maya sama's fan group? You're not fighting this battle alone!"
Seeing how enthusiastic Kohei was, Kamishiro couldn't find a reason to refuse. He mechanically took out his phone.
A few minutes later—
Kamishiro got his first taste of how terrifying Maya fans could be (excluding Kohei, of course).
Staring at the bounty image in the group chat targeting a "mysterious man" (a certain Kamishiro), Kamishiro fell silent.
He swore—
He would never let anyone in this group find out his identity!
"AAAAAAHHH!!! MAYA Sama!!!"
Pfft!
The joy of gaining a best friend evaporated completely upon seeing that bounty.
Kohei coughed up blood again and went back to his half-dead state.
"Maaan, so scary…"
Just then, a creepy voice suddenly rang in Kamishiro's ear while he was busy misleading group members.
The voice was so sleazy that Kamishiro felt he might get kicked at light speed any second.
{{(°△°; "}}!
"Ki—Kitahara?!"
Kamishiro looked in horror at Kitahara, who had suddenly appeared behind him.
With that sleazy smile, Kamishiro had a very bad feeling.
Wait a second… hadn't Kitahara been way too quiet just now?!
This guy definitely wasn't up to anything good!
Sure enough—
In the next second, Iori draped an arm over Kamishiro's shoulder and whispered in his ear:
"What do you think will happen if Kohei finds out that the person he's been searching for… is the very person he just made his best friend?"
!!!
Damn it!
Kamishiro's usual squinty-eyed look vanished in fear. He knew that line too well.
He always used it when he was about to blackmail someone!
Damn it!
This is big trouble!
Kamishiro forced himself to stay calm. At the moment, they didn't have any concrete evidence about his involvement with Maya.
"Heh, I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just a poor, innocent little fan."
As he spoke, Kamishiro even blinked innocently.
Acting? He was a pro at it!
"Well then, I guess I'll just go tell Kohei the truth right now."
With that, Iori turned and slowly walked toward Kohei—his pace deliberately unhurried, as if waiting for something.
Kamishiro's expression darkened as he watched. He knew exactly what that bastard was waiting for.
He was waiting for Kamishiro to rush over and stop him!
If that happened, then when it came time to negotiate the blackmail, that bastard would have the upper hand!
Damn it!
Why did this idiot suddenly grow a brain at a time like this?!
Staring at Kitahara's back, Kamishiro couldn't help it anymore. He grabbed his arm!
"Wait! I think this kind of 'trivial matter' doesn't really need to be brought to Kohei!"
'Trivial matter'—
Those two words were squeezed out through Kamishiro's gritted teeth!
Even though that bastard didn't have absolute proof of his involvement with Maya…
If he let him go and warn Kohei, Kohei would definitely start keeping a suspicious eye on him.
If that happened, his whole plan with Maya would be in jeopardy!
He didn't want to have to be on guard around Kohei every time he was with Maya!
Hearing this—
Iori's grin nearly reached his ears.
He knew—he'd won!
"Well now, there's no need to tell Kohei then. Come on, let's go have a little chat over here!"
The three girls watching the scene play out saw the very different expressions on the three guys' faces and couldn't help but think—
"Three idiots!"
(???)
...
Kamishiro and Iori moved to a secluded corner.
"Say it—what's your condition?"
Kamishiro's face was dark. Normally, he was the one extorting others—who knew the tables would turn?
This must be karma.
"Don't be so serious~ I just want to talk about that little IOU situation~"
Iori looked extremely smug. Finally, finally—he could settle his debt problem today!
Kamishiro winced—just as he had feared. This bastard was after his money!
"At most, I'll give you 50% off!"
That was Kamishiro's bottom line. A 50% discount already hurt like hell!
But Iori wasn't satisfied. He shook his head and clenched his fist. "I want it ALL!"
Bang!
That was it—Kamishiro lost his composure!
"That's 400,000 yen!!!"
"…"
(???)
Iori silently stared at Kamishiro. If he remembered correctly, before coming to Okinawa, didn't he only owe 300,000?
Kid, your interest rates seem a bit steep, don't they?
"Why don't you calculate exactly how much you inflated the numbers…"
Iori genuinely had no idea when he racked up such a huge debt!
The amount he borrowed from Kamishiro definitely wasn't even 100,000!
And he had already repaid a good chunk of that!
"Ahem…"
Kamishiro coughed guiltily. "You know… prices have been going up lately."
"What does inflation have to do with loan amounts?!"
"Well if prices go up, then of course the interest goes up too! Otherwise how can I afford the things I want?"
(?°?д°?)
"You're just adjusting the interest rates based on your own personal desires!"
Iori was furious. No—this time he had to get the debt situation sorted out.
He wasn't about to start sophomore year a million yen in debt!
This was worse than a loan shark!
"Don't get worked up, don't get worked up—actually, you can choose something else."
Kamishiro advised, after a brief moment of contemplation. He still felt a bit of a sting over the money.
Although he had kind of forgotten exactly how much Kitahara owed him, the IOU was solid.
100,000 yen is still money!
"There is no other option! I'm settling the debt today! Otherwise you'd better be ready to constantly endure Kōhei's death stares!"
"So… even if I set you up on a date with a girl who has feelings for you for the whole day, you still wouldn't agree?"
"Of course not—wait, hold on. A girl who has feelings for me?"
"Mhm, yep~"
"...Does she look like a makeup zombie or something?"
"That's really rude, Kitahara. She's actually someone a lot of people like."
!!!
"Do I know her?"
"Not well."
Iori's brain was scrambling, trying to recall any girl who had a crush on him, was attractive, had tons of admirers, and that he even vaguely knew...
Nothing came to mind!!!
Suspicious, Iori eyed Kamishiro. "You're not lying to me?"
"Of course not! I'll even get you guys tickets for your outing. Don't worry, you'll totally hit it off!
By then, you'll be the object of everyone's envy!"
"Deal!!!"
By this point, Iori didn't even think it through and agreed on the spot.
What?
The debt?
As long as Kōhei is alive, there'll be plenty of chances to avoid paying it back!
The two locked eyes, each filled with smug disdain.
'I totally came out on top!' ×2