However…
If Iori knew what Nojima did afterwards, he definitely wouldn't feel any sympathy for him.
Duel Grounds
Nojima, trembling, used Mitarai's phone to edit a message.
The moment he hit send, he closed his eyes in satisfaction.
Drop dead!!!
He didn't lose!
...
"Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!"
While shopping, Aina suddenly sneezed three times.
"What's wrong, Aina?"
The others, also out for a leisurely stroll, turned their attention to Aina—three sneezes in a row wasn't common.
"Did you catch a cold?"
Hanabi asked, glancing around to see if there were any nearby pharmacies.
Aina quickly shook her head, "Uh, I don't think so. I don't feel unwell or anything."
She didn't know the reason, but it definitely wasn't a cold. She hadn't even been diving today because of Kohei—how could she have caught a cold?
"Still, better safe than sorry. Maybe we should call it a day for now. Speaking of which, how come Iori and the others aren't back yet?"
Chisa pulled out her phone to text Iori—she was waiting for him to return so they could sleep.
Aina: Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
No, no, no, don't let them come back just yet!
Right now, Aina was desperately hoping the "criminals" would be just a little more effective.
"Um… I think it'll be a while still."
Hearing the others bring up the topic, Rie handed over her phone with an awkward look.
Just now, her boyfriend's account had sent her a video.
A video of Kamishiro and the others.
Hanabi and the others leaned in for a look—Kamishiro and crew were violently sitting on top of a certain "woman."
Due to the distance, they couldn't make out the woman's face clearly, but based on the figure alone…
Not great.
"…This—"
Before Aina could finish, she felt a sudden chill.
Turning her head, she saw Hanabi glaring coldly at the screen featuring Kamishiro.
She then turned to Chisa and requested, "Miss Kotegawa, can I sleep with you tonight?"
Though it was phrased as a request, the tone left no room for refusal.
Chisa: "Ah… sure…"
Even she could tell—Kamishiro was probably in for a rough night.
________________
The next night, in the end… that bastard Nojima succeeded.
Kamishiro ended up sleeping with Kohei again.
He'd sent messages to Hanabi, but they'd all been read and ignored. It wasn't until he messaged Chisa that he found out where they were.
And also the reason why Hanabi was suddenly giving him the cold shoulder.
Looking at the video Chisa sent, Kamishiro clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white—blood tears welled in his eyes.
That bastard!!!
He went too easy on him earlier—way too easy!
He should've just buried him in cement and dumped him into the ocean!
Hoo…
But this was also a wake-up call for Kamishiro.
He must never again underestimate anyone—these animals were pulling tactics no one could predict.
To break him and Hanabi apart, they were even willing to go this far. Impressive.
Respect aside, explanations were still necessary.
Kamishiro explained the whole situation to Hanabi, even attaching some glamour shots of Nojima in drag to prove the authenticity.
(Which were actually authentic anyway.)
After understanding the full story, Hanabi simply responded with a bland "Got it."
Not a single word about them living together.
This only made Kamishiro even more furious at Nojima.
It's all that bastard's fault!
And that bastard Kitahara too!
All of this was originally supposed to be Kitahara's job! They were just collateral damage!
Kamishiro was so pissed off he almost marched next door to beat Kitahara up.
But then…
He remembered that Kitahara had suspiciously claimed a room to himself.
Kamishiro hesitated.
Was he emotionally wounded and needed some me time?
It seemed Nojima's cross-dressing really was a strong temptation for someone like Kitahara, who had a thing for big boobs and was still a virgin.
Truly… beggars can't be choosers.
Kamishiro shook his head, sighing at the memory of that horrifying scene in the next room.
He decided not to peek.
Before going to sleep, Kamishiro had a nagging feeling that he was forgetting something.
But he couldn't quite remember what it was.
With this kind of internal conflict, it was hard to sleep.
Especially with a deeply emo Kohei lying next to him in the dead of night, muttering:
"Maya sama… Maya sama…"
Kamishiro was almost tempted to tell him the truth: "I'm the one Maya was talking about."
Relax. She won't abandon her fans.
But for the sake of his own life, Kamishiro held back.
He had a better plan.
Kamishiro chose to abandon all thought.
Dump the brain! Put on the headphones!
Sleep!
Good night, minna-san~
________________
The next day, Kamishiro stealthily slipped out of the room.
He had important business to attend to today!
Ten minutes later…
A red Porsche zoomed toward the seaside.
"Haa~"
Hanabi stretched lazily. "It's rare to see you up this early."
Kamishiro didn't answer. He just gave her a resentful look.
He didn't want to be up this early. If it weren't for Nojima and the others yesterday, he'd be sleeping in with Hanabi till afternoon.
"How was it with Chisa?"
Kamishiro asked casually with one hand on the wheel, even greeting random pretty girls on the street like a showy celebrity.
Hanabi rolled her eyes. This damn pigeon is hopeless. Flirting right in front of her?
Such childish behavior…
Yep. She saw right through him.
Kamishiro was sulking over yesterday.
Poor guy. Everything was Nojima's trap.
He already had Hanabi. His taste wasn't that bad to fall for someone like that!
Last night…
Thinking of that pure-hearted girl, a trace of envy flashed in Hanabi's eyes.
She was really pure—like the ocean itself.
And Kamishiro and the others? Just trash polluting the sea… corrupting innocent girls!
With a serious expression, Hanabi turned to Kamishiro.
"You guys should just commit seppuku."
The ocean cannot be defiled!
Kamishiro: ???
Wait… didn't I just ask how things went between you and Chisa?
How did it suddenly turn into we needing to commit ritual suicide?!
What the hell did you two talk about last night?!
Now he kind of didn't want the two of them interacting anymore. If it only took one night to suggest seppuku, would two nights mean actual murder?
"Hmm, but the one who most deserves it is that dopey-looking guy—Kitahara, right?"
"Yeah, I think that's his name. But seppuku's a bit bloody. I recommend cement shoes and a trip to the ocean."
Pain levels are about the same. No cleanup needed.
"..."
You guys have the weirdest relationships I've ever seen.
Hanabi thought to herself—this club surviving this long is already a miracle.
Whoever manages it must be a genius.
"You were shipping them hard before. Why are you suddenly suggesting seppuku?"
Kamishiro was baffled. Yesterday this beautiful editor was fangirling so hard she broke character. Today she's demanding ritual death?
Because of that video?
But he already explained everything.
"Well, shipping and wanting him to commit seppuku aren't mutually exclusive. I just got annoyed seeing Kitahara walk off with Kotegawa this morning."
Hanabi pouted in explanation.
She couldn't exactly say she wanted to keep Chisa all to herself, right?
Damn it. Such an innocent girl—I want to corrupt her so bad!
"..."
Kamishiro's mouth twitched.
He suddenly remembered this beautiful editor's former "preferences"…
Why are all the girls around me so weirdly kinky?!
Stranger than him!
He just hoped Hanabi wouldn't have any deep conversations with Azu-neesan. But if they had to talk...
Count me in!
Still, it's rare for Kitahara to wake up this early… wait, what?!
Screech—
Bang!
The sudden braking made Hanabi, who was happily enjoying the view, clutch her head in pain.
She glared murderously at the culprit.
"You better have a damn good reason!"
That was dangerous, okay?!
Kamishiro felt a little guilty. That really had been kind of dangerous... but that was only because the news had been too shocking!
Taken away?
What the heck were those two doing out so early in the morning?!
"They went out?"
"Yeah, just a bit earlier than you."
(▼皿▼＃)
That part was completely unnecessary!
He knew it!
That bastard Kitahara sneaking into someone's room couldn't be up to any good!
"No way, I'm going after them!"
Even though he didn't know why Kitahara was hiding things from them, that didn't matter!
He just needed to go ruin it!
"…"
Hanabi sighed and rubbed the bump on her forehead.
Male friendship really is a mysterious thing. Is this the legendary saying? "Your own failure is painful, but your brother's success is even more unbearable"?
If that's true, then the dead pigeon deserves the biggest beating...
"Alright, alright. Maybe they just wanted to ditch you guys and go off on their own. Talk about it this afternoon. Don't forget what you're supposed to be doing soon."
Hanabi's words successfully pulled Kamishiro back from the brink of jealousy.
Right!
He had something important to do soon. He couldn't let this minor thing slow him down!
Phew…
"Got it. Don't worry, I won't take long!"
Kamishiro adjusted his mindset. Let that bastard show off for a few more hours.
Once he passed the advanced test, he was definitely going to show off like crazy!
Vroooom!
With his resolve renewed, the red beast roared to life again.
If Kamishiro had been driving with a tourist's carefree mood before, now his eyes were filled with determination!
Sabotaging his bro's plans—at this moment, it was even more attractive than a beautiful woman!
However…
What Kamishiro didn't know was that a small white truck was following them closely—
________________
Vroooom!!!
"Dammit! Don't think you can shake me off that easily!"
Aina's expression turned sharp as she stared at the red flash ahead. She shifted gears and hit the gas!
The racing queen of Mount Akina has arrived!
She was the White Lightning!
"Slow down, slow down,Cakey!"
Kohei, who had been dozing off in the passenger seat, felt the powerful acceleration and instantly went pale. He clutched the overhead handle with trembling hands.
His huge frame curled up into a ball, completely helpless.
Something's wrong here!
Wasn't she driving slowly just now? Why the sudden acceleration?!
At this speed, are you sure you're from around here, Cakey?
You're not even pretending anymore, huh?
"Shut up! Sit still!"
Ignoring Kohei's protests, Aina stayed laser-focused. Her eyes were locked on that red blur ahead!
No way was she getting left behind!
She was going to make up for the hardware disadvantage with skill!
Gas pedal!
Show me your limits!
Vroooom!
The g-force kicked up again—right as they approached a sharp turn!
"We're gonna crash—we're gonna crash, Cakey!!"
Kohei screamed, gripping the handle above his head like it was the only thing keeping him alive.
Seat belts? At this point, they might as well be decorative!
Kohei deeply regretted everything.
Why on earth didn't he just stay in bed? Why did he get in this deathtrap with Cakey to go stalk Kamishiro and the others?!
This has nothing to do with me!!!
Yes—
Kohei was dragged into this sketchy car against his will.