Night.
Under Nanaka's relentless urging, the wandering trio finally returned to the warm hot spring inn.
"Oh? You three are back!"
The moment they stepped inside, they saw Azusa stepping out to greet them in a yukata.
The purple yukata added a touch of charm to her figure. Her languid gaze and the skin visible at her chest were full of temptation.
However, the trio showed not the slightest bit of desire.
What they felt… was grievance. And the urge to cry.
Seeing that familiar figure, Kamishiro could not hold it in any longer. He rushed forward and buried his face directly into Azusa's chest.
Like a little dog, he rubbed against her.
"Ah? Kamishiro, what is wrong?"
Feeling the movement in her arms, Azusa froze briefly, then gently patted his head and asked in confusion.
"It hurts, it hurts…"
Still muffled against that softness, Kamishiro spoke in a dull voice. His body hurt. His heart hurt.
He needed Azusa nee's softness to comfort him.
Hearing this, Azusa looked even more puzzled.
Hurt?
What exactly did you three go out and do?
She looked toward Iori and Kohei. Since the three of them returned together, they must know what happened.
At that moment, Iori and Kohei were glaring furiously at the bastard pressing his face into Azusa's chest.
"Shameless scum!"
"You deserved to get stabbed!"
"Stabbed?!"
Azusa looked startled.
Did these three go to some kind of gang fight?
Without waiting to ask further, she pulled Kamishiro's head out of her chest and carefully examined him, trying to see where he had been stabbed.
Then
She noticed the large tear at the back of his pants.
Her expression slowly shifted from nervous to… mischievous.
Ohhh.
So that is the kind of stabbing.
She did not expect it so Kamishiro was the bottom one.
But was that not a little too intense? The pants were even torn. Were they so impatient that they did not even want to waste time taking them off?
Seeing her expression, Kamishiro immediately knew this fujoshi had misunderstood and quickly tried to explain.
"Wait, Azusa nee! It is not what you think!"
"Oh? Then what is it?"
She smiled brightly at him.
Going out to have fun without bringing her along how cruel.
Kamishiro paused.
Recalling what happened after Yamamoto and the others woke up, he suddenly felt too embarrassed to say it out loud.
Could they just ignore the pants? He really tore them himself!
"Well, here is what happened!"
Seeing Kamishiro's awkwardness, as good friends, Iori and Kohei stepped forward.
How could they let their buddy be embarrassed?
Over the next ten minutes, they enthusiastically embellished the entire story of the day.
They successfully reshaped Kamishiro from a victim into a villain who stirred up trouble out of boredom.
They even added bribing Tokyo police officers.
The more Kamishiro listened from Azusa's arms, the more something felt wrong.
He wanted to refute them but he did not even know where to begin.
In a sense, what they said was not entirely false.
But why had he suddenly become the villain?!
His original intention was just to attend a meet-and-greet!
How did things become this chaotic?!
Eventually, Azusa finally learned how Kamishiro's pants had been torn.
When he woke Yamamoto and Mitarai, Mafuyu had not yet left.
When Kamishiro handed over the golden tickets, Mafuyu stood silently to the side, her eyes filled with curiosity.
She asked him about them.
In return, she received only Kamishiro's guilty evasiveness and the sight of five men huddling together whispering.
At that moment, Mafuyu understood.
Men were still unreliable.
She chose to let her phone find the answer instead.
The golden ticket was easy to identify. With one search, she understood its meaning.
Instantly, killing intent filled her eyes.
As expected.
Men could not be trusted.
She even regretted saving this scumbag.
As an adult, Mafuyu acted decisively.
After realizing she had been deceived, she found a very, very long stick.
And then
Thwack!
What followed was something Iori and the others found highly satisfying to watch.
Afterward, Kamishiro had no grounds to be angry at Mafuyu.
After all
"Compared to what you were planning to do, this is already very gentle. At least this stick is not that thick."
Those were her exact words.
Kamishiro could only remain silent.
She even praised him like that what could he say?
It was just one stab.
Endure it!
Originally, Kamishiro thought that was the end of it.
But unfortunately, that was only physical pain.
Mafuyu was not done.
After knocking him down in one strike, she stepped on his chest with her delicate foot the very one that would drive Kohei crazy.
Then she leaned close to his ear, smiling sweetly.
"If I see your name in one of Momoki's films, you better prepare to collect your own corpse. The students at that certain high school will take very good care of you."
With that, she left without looking back.
She should have let this scum fend for himself.
And so
Kamishiro suffered both physically and mentally. He had to be supported back by Iori and the others.
Now, seeing Azusa, he finally broke down and threw himself into her arms.
That was the full story.
...
Azusa burst into laughter, slapping Kamishiro's shoulder.
"Ahahaha! Kamishiro, your experiences are so rich! Next time take me with you!"
Not satisfied with just patting him, she grabbed his shoulders and pushed his head back into her chest.
She knew that following Kamishiro would never be boring.
Though, considering his situation, visiting his old high school together was probably impossible.
Kamishiro buried his face deeper, utterly aggrieved.
This idiot. What he needed right now was comfort for his wounded heart!
After all that effort, all that scheming he ended up with nothing!
And filming was probably delayed too.
Director Hasegawa's art film was likely impossible now. Mafuyu had already made her threat.
Wear a mask?
Based on what he knew about Mafuyu if he filmed and released it, she really would expose his location.
Wait.
There was one blind spot.
"How did Mafuyu know where I am studying right now?!"
He finally pulled his head out of Azusa's chest and looked at Iori and Kohei in confusion.
There was no way.
The last time he saw Mafuyu was by chance in Tokyo.
They barely exchanged greetings.
And in daily chats, he was always cautious.
So how did she know?!
"No idea. Maybe Kiyoko san told her," Iori shrugged.
"Impossible!" Kamishiro said firmly.
The chance that he accidentally told Mafuyu himself was higher than that.
Iori twitched.
This bastard knew everything and still talked about not dating while building a harem.
Unforgivable.
Just as Iori was considering punching him
Kohei spoke uncertainly.
"Ah… At the venue, Mafuyu asked me which school I attend. That probably has nothing to do with it, right?"
Kamishiro and Iori stared at him in shock.
"You think that has nothing to do with it?!" ×2
Kamishiro lunged and grabbed Kohei by the collar.
"It is all your fault!!!"
The golden ticket was useless now!
"How is it my fault?! She asked about me! She was clearly interested in me!"
Kohei struggled.
A little-sister-type girl talking to him how could he refuse?
Kamishiro was just jealous!
Furious, the two began wrestling.
"Face reality, Kamishiro! Mafuyu likes me now!"
"You are the one who needs to face reality!"
Because of the wound on his backside or perhaps Kohei's sudden burst of strength Kamishiro found himself at a disadvantage.
This guy always broke human limits!
Meanwhile, Iori crouched nearby, phone ready, waiting for Kamishiro to lose.
"Damn it!"
Kamishiro suddenly pushed Kohei away and dragged Iori into the fight.
"Now we team up!"
"Why should I?"
"Since my location is exposed, do you think those beasts will spare you?!"
Iori froze.
Good point.
He immediately grabbed Kohei.
But Kohei shouted, "Mafuyu only exposes locations if it involves Kamishiro!"
Kamishiro's punch was blocked.
Iori stroked his chin.
"That makes sense. As long as Kamishiro does not go, we are fine."
Kamishiro stared at him in disbelief.
"You have no independent thoughts?!"
After serious contemplation, Iori said solemnly:
"Is there a possibility… that you do not go, and I go instead?"
Kamishiro's eyes widened.
Was there anyone more shameless?!
"You are serious?"
"Of course. It benefits both of us."
"Die!!!"
Unable to endure anymore, Kamishiro knocked Iori down, and he and Kohei began beating him together.
Thus, the three-way chaos was finally broken up by the senpai.
In the end, the three, Kamishiro, Iori and Kohei were still separated by the senpai who rushed over.
"Well, even though I know this is your unique way of bonding, after thinking about it… it's still not very good,"
Tokita said, rubbing his chin as he looked at the three who were still baring their teeth at each other even after being pulled apart.
"Indeed, this doesn't really fit PAB's usual style," Kotobuki chimed in from the side. He had long wanted to change the way these three communicated with each other.
"So, we should decide the winner through a game!"
Judging from that earlier brawl, the three of them were completely fighting on their own. For a while, it was hard to tell who was winning or losing might as well use a game to determine the victor.
That's right!
The three were each fighting solo!
At first it had been two-on-one, but because things got too chaotic (and involved deliberate revenge), as they fought on, it turned into a free-for-all…
You could say there was not a shred of teammate loyalty only betrayal and scheming!
Hearing this, Kamishiro let out a cold laugh, disdain filling his eyes.
"A game? Isn't that kind of bullying you guys?"
Not to mention Kohei that little weakling when it came to games, Kitahara had never been his match since childhood.
"Come on! Strip Rock–Paper–Scissors!"
He could take on the entire club by himself!
"Who wants to play strip rock paper scissors with you?!" ×2
Kohei and Iori shouted in unison. They didn't have Kamishiro's rule-breaking underwear!
"It was the senpai who wanted to play a game,"
Kamishiro shrugged, immediately shifting the blame to them.
Iori: "Games aren't limited to strip rock paper scissors!"
Kamishiro: "Huh? What are you talking about? When you mention PAB and games, the first thing that comes to mind is obviously strip rock paper scissors!"
"…"
The two fell silent. They had to admit Kamishiro was right. When it came to games, the first thing they thought of really was strip rock paper scissors.
"Uh… there are other games,"
The two senpai scratched their heads awkwardly. To be honest, strip rock paper scissors had been their first thought too.
But remembering Kamishiro's rule-breaking underwear, they decided to switch to something else.
Those underwear were seriously too unfair!
And it wasn't just one pair, any underwear Kamishiro wore had that same property!
That wasn't scientific at all!
Hearing the senpai say this, Iori and Kohei both breathed a sigh of relief, then smugly looked at Kamishiro.
If it was another game, they wouldn't give up so easily!
Kohei: "So what game is it?"
Iori: "Is there a game that lets me win directly?"
Kamishiro: "Hey, hey, how could there be a game like that? Though if you perform a 'little bird drinking water' for me, I might consider going easy on you later."
Kohei: "…Then I guess I can go easy too."
"..."
?(??? ?-? )~?
The named Iori shot the two of them a gloomy look.
"Don't think I don't know what you two are plotting!"
Win the game but lose at life, right?
No
He might not even win the game!
Based on his understanding of that scumbag Kamishiro, that bastard would absolutely record a video first, then threaten him into throwing the match!
And then he'd say something like, 'It's not that I didn't go easy on you, you gave up yourself.'
That jerk!!!
Just imagining such a future already made Iori furious.
"senpai, what game are we playing? I'm fired up now!"
Iori asked the senpai, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.
He felt that… in his current state, there'd be no problem at all!
After all, novels always said that after being humiliated, the protagonist would suddenly power up and crush their opponent!
Heh!
How laughable!
You're destined to become nothing more than my stepping stone to greatness!
"Ah, the game can wait,"
"There's something more important we need to do first."
"Huh?"
Seeing the smiles on the senpai' faces, Iori's expression stiffened.
He was already fired up!
…
Ten minutes later
At the hot spring pool
"Oh~ So good!"
"Ah~ Life!"
"Feels like all the fatigue has disappeared!"
The three who had been fighting just moments ago were now lying in the hot spring like three salted fish with no dreams whatsoever.
Their vacant expressions made them look like zombies whose brains had been eaten.
As for being "fired up," even the tiniest spark had been completely extinguished by the hot spring~
"Hahaha, after a busy day, of course you have to enjoy a hot spring."
"Pretty nice, right? We deliberately chose the highest temperature."
The two senpai chatted as they spoke. When they stepped into the hot spring, their burly bodies made the water level visibly rise.
"…"
The trio glanced at the senpai' power-packed muscles, then at themselves…
Tch!
It had to be hormones!
They fumed internally. How could anyone train muscles that big?!
And not just one person!
The other PAB senpai had similarly built bodies too this was completely unscientific!
The proof was that they'd seen photos of the afro-haired senior from his freshman year!
How could someone turn into a muscle monster in just two years?!
Hormones!
It had to be hormones!
The trio looked at the senpai warily they didn't want to slowly turn into muscleheads.
Especially Kamishiro and Iori.
One was already very satisfied with his current self, and the other… well, if he couldn't attract the opposite sex now, becoming a musclehead would make it even more impossible!
Excessive fitness only attracted the same sex!
Kohei's attitude was a bit harder to read resistance mixed with a hint of temptation.
Maybe he was wondering whether Maya sama liked the muscular type.
"So, is this pool empty because of the water temperature?"
Kamishiro asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead caused by the heat.
This temperature was indeed quite challenging!
However, upon hearing the question, the two senpai also looked puzzled.
"We don't really know why, but it shouldn't be because of that."
Kamishiro was confused. Was there another reason?
"The owner said this temperature was pretty popular,"
the senpai explained. They'd chosen it based on the owner's recommendation.
Iori: "So the owner got it wrong?"
A shady boss trying to make money?
But that didn't make sense the hot spring was included in the lodging fee, wasn't it?
Kotobuki: "I don't think so. When we were changing, lots of people said they were coming to this pool."
"And then somehow, after we finished changing, they all stopped talking."
"And after you finished changing, they seemed to all go to another pool."
"It's really hard to understand. Are we that strange?"
As they spoke, the two senpai directly pulled Kamishiro up.
In an instant
Spring scenery burst forth!
Compared to the senpai' bodies full of raw, powerful aesthetics, Kamishiro looked much smaller.
Still, his sharply defined muscle lines crushed over 90% of men and matched girls' preferences even better!
Though his physique still lagged behind the senpai', there was one thing where he definitely outdid them~
Iori: ?(??? ?-? )~?
Staring at the three "Truth-Seeking Orbs" that suddenly appeared before his eyes, Iori's previously relaxed expression instantly darkened.
"You three bastards sit down right now!"
He couldn't take it anymore. Okay, okay, we get it you're impressive. No need to rub it in!
What's the use of size alone?!
Stamina matters, you know!
As long as it's enough, size is fine!!!
Seeing Iori completely shattered, Kamishiro's expression grew increasingly lewd.
He finally understood why those people hadn't joined them in the hot spring!
Turns out they had the same mentality as that idiot Kitahara how pitiful~
The two senpai sat back down with blank expressions. Clearly, they still didn't quite understand what was going on.
Their innocent, sweet demeanor only stimulated Iori even more.
On purpose!
This was definitely on purpose!
Damn it!
Why hadn't he stopped this topic earlier?!
After seeing the "orbs," Iori had to admit his resolve was wavering.
He'd always said size didn't matter, that stamina was what counted.
But he knew it was just self-comforting words.
He was a virgin what stamina did he know?!
In the world of men, size was everything!
Thinking this, the once-comfortable water temperature suddenly made Iori restless.
He didn't even dare stand up!
He'd be laughed at he would definitely be laughed at!
With that mindset, Iori endured an agonizingly long ten minutes.His mind was filled with the shape of those orbs!
He had seen them countless times before and shouldn't have cared but this time, for some reason… the memory was painfully vivid!
Damn it!
So this was the terrifying power of comparison and inferiority!
Splash
"Mmm~ Hot springs really are comfortable!"
"Hahaha, don't be greedy. Time's about right."
"If we keep going, it might do more harm than good."
"Yeah, I'm starting to feel a little dizzy."
Feeling their physical condition, Kamishiro and the others stood up jokingly and headed toward the changing room.
Normally, half an hour was about right for a hot spring, but with water this hot, ten-plus minutes was enough.
The weakest one, Kohei, was already feeling drained.
At this moment, Iori's eyes sharpened as he looked at their backs.
A perfect chance!
If he followed behind them, it should be fine, right?
With that thought, Iori prepared to stand up as if nothing was wrong.
However
Before he could act, Kamishiro turned around, looking at him with a half-smile.
"What's wrong, Kitahara? Already can't go on? Need me to come help you?"
Hearing this, the senpai ahead and Kohei all turned around.
"What's wrong, Iori?"
"Need some help?"
"Man, that's pretty lame~"
Unlike the senpai' concern, Kohei's expression was full of smugness.
Land battle god?
That's it? That's it?!
Not even worthy of tying my shoes!
With everyone's eyes on him, Iori's movement froze.
He then shot a vicious glare at Kamishiro!
That bastard!
Just from that half-smile, Iori knew he was doing it on purpose!
Damn it!
The worst thing had happened
That scumbag had seen through his embarrassment!!!
That's right!
Kamishiro had done it deliberately!
He'd noticed early on that something was off with Kitahara.
Expecting an idiot to sit quietly for ten minutes?
Impossible!
There had to be something interesting going on!
For example
He'd heard that in comfortable environments, blood circulation could unconsciously surge.
Kamishiro vaguely remembered a post he'd seen online in his previous life.
A young man experiencing bath scrubbing for the first time since the attendant made him lie down, the slippery feeling combined with friction…
The young man ended up showing off his manhood right there!
It scared the attendant pale; he quit his job on the spot and kept telling his old buddies how terrifying young people were these days.
Apparently, that young man was just a sensitive little virgin.
Which meant…
(??ω??)
Kamishiro's gaze seemed to pierce through the hot spring water, locking onto little Iori~
Feeling extremely uncomfortable under that stare, Iori forced himself not to pay attention.
"Haha… not at all. I just feel like I haven't soaked enough yet and want to stay a bit longer."
As he spoke, Iori submerged himself again, leaving only a guilty-looking eye above the water.
As if to say…
"See? It's so comfortable~"
The senpai were still a bit worried.
"Really?"
"Don't push yourself…"
Even they couldn't stay at this temperature for too long.
If they stayed any longer, it wouldn't be enjoyment it'd be torture!
"Really, I "
"Don't worry, senpai! We'll keep a good eye on Kitahara here!"
Before Iori could finish, Kamishiro cut him off.
He somehow pulled out his treasured camera and, together with Kohei, looked at Iori with a playful grin.
The camera in his hands was already starving~
Kohei, though not understanding what Kamishiro planned to do, immediately stood beside him when he saw the camera.
Whenever Kamishiro took out that big thing…someone was about to be unlucky~
Iori: =????(??? ????)
Seeing the big thing in Kamishiro's hands, Iori snapped, roaring in the hot spring:
"Are you freaking perverted?! Why would you bring that thing to a hot spring?!
What kind of photos are you planning to take?!"
"Well, I didn't bring it with me it's clearly something I just went and got,"
Kamishiro said, picking his ear.
"As for the photos, of course I'm taking something interesting.
Come on, don't be shy stand up and let me see~"
Kamishiro held the camera with a lewd grin, looking exactly like a creepy old man with special tastes.
That only made Iori even less willing to stand up!
This bastard wanted to photograph it and keep mocking him!!!