"Hey, Iori! Yu! Has your homesickness been cured?"
The door slid open with a whoosh. Toshio Kotegawa, who had been diligently reading a newspaper behind the counter, put it down and saw his nephew being thrown onto the floor like a piece of trash.
Even so, Iori Kitahara was still turning around and trading insults with Miyazawa Yu, the young man who had just arrived at the shop.
'They've already made friends before school even started? And they look so close!'
'How youthful! To build such a relationship of mutual trust in just a few words. It's making my old bones feel a little hot-blooded!'
"In any case, you shut up first, Iori! Uncle Toshio, please help! Isn't this your shop? Wouldn't it be a problem for the seniors to drink here?!"
Miyazawa Yu, who was thrown into the shop right after him, ignored Iori Kitahara. He once again sent a distress signal to Sister Nanaka's father.
'A large group of naked men in the shop must be bad for business, right? Get them out of here, Boss!'
"It's nothing, and everyone here is an important customer. Stop acting like you're homesick and get used to it!"
"I'm not homesick at all! And why should I get used to drinking naked?!"
Kneeling on the floor and wailing in pain, Miyazawa Yu felt his worldview was being seriously challenged.
What kind of respectable shop owner would allow a group of men to play yakyuuken and drink, and what's more, without any clothes on?!
"This isn't normal! This is completely abnormal! Right, Iori?"
"Even though you're annoying, you're right about this! Uncle Toshio! This is clearly not normal at all!"
Miyazawa Yu turned and directed a soul-crushing question at the other seemingly normal person.
Although Iori Kitahara hated this bastard who had betrayed him, he couldn't help but agree.
That's right! Because they were acting like normal people should! Unlike the seniors, who were drinking and running naked. How undignified!
Speaking of which, was he going to become like them too in the future? If so, his college life would be completely ruined!
"Huh? You guys aren't homesick?"
Crossing their arms, Ryūjirō and Shinji both gave him a suspicious look.
They had just walked in and said they were going back home, which was definitely a sign of homesickness, right?!
"Of course not! I walked in and saw all of you naked, so I ran away! You guys scared me away!"
Iori Kitahara, who was on the verge of death, sat up in a panic. Seeing that the situation seemed safe, he quickly got up and retorted. Dressed in his clothes, he stood small and weak in front of the naked men, but he was undoubtedly brave!
Seeing this, Miyazawa Yu sneered. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to him, he once again began to crawl backward at a steady pace of five centimeters per second.
This time, he had a plan. Since he couldn't outrun them, he'd outwit them!
Once he got out of the shop, he would squat down by the wall and get out of their line of sight. These two muscular seniors would surely not react in time. He would then quietly find his way out and leave.
'I'm sorry, Iori-kun. Everyone has their own path to walk. Don't blame me for being cruel!'
"Do you think we like taking our clothes off like this?"
"Uh... isn't that the case?"
On the other side, Iori Kitahara, completely unaware that he was being used as a human shield, began to seriously ponder whether there was some hidden reason for the seniors' nudist behavior.
But the next second, Shinji Tokita looked up slightly and answered his own question with a surprisingly serious tone, "This is the one thing we do not deny."
Ryūjirō, standing next to him, nodded in agreement. After all, the feeling of being unhindered was truly a feeling of freedom—a top-tier pleasure that was addictive once experienced.
"You're perverts! You're complete perverts!"
His feelings had been played with! Iori Kitahara was so angry his eyelids were twitching.
He must have had his brain corrupted by foolishness to believe the nonsense of two naked scoundrels!
"I'm back~ Oh? Dad! Why are my guests lying on the floor?"
"Ah... Nanaka-chan, well, all sorts of things happened, but Iori and Yu are already good friends!"
On the other side, just as Miyazawa Yu was watching the clueless Iori Kitahara, his wicked smile gradually widening.
The door to freedom, which was right within his reach, was thrown open. The angelic Nanaka Kotegawa, glowing with a holy light, walked in wearing casual clothes.
Even without her figure-hugging swimsuit, a simple shirt and skirt were enough to bring out her gentle and kind demeanor, the kind that makes a perfect wife and mother. A single glance was enough to make one feel a deep longing for her.
"Uncle! Who's friends with that guy... Aaaaah! You bastard! You're trying to run away, aren't you?!"
He turned his head, about to say that Miyazawa Yu, who had just stabbed him in the back, wasn't worthy of being called a friend.
He then saw the other man's current position, which was a mere step away from the door.
This scoundrel was trying to run away and leave him behind while he was standing up for them!
In an instant, the two deadly sins of wrath and jealousy took over. The great demon king, Iori Kitahara, with a black flame rising from behind him, loudly commanded the two fiends under his command, "Senpai Ryūjirō! Senpai Tokita! I'm reporting that Miyazawa Yu is trying to escape!"
"Impossible!"
"Yare yare! It seems he hasn't learned his lesson yet!"
The beasts were out of their cages. Once an underclassman entered the Pab club, they could not be let go. If they let this guy, Miyazawa Yu, escape, it would tarnish the reputation of their Izu University branch!
However, just as Ryūjirō and Shinji lunged forward to give their underclassman a lesson in love, Miyazawa Yu stood up calmly. He raised a single hand firmly, stopping both of the menacing beasts in their tracks.
"What is it? Do you have something to say, Underclassman Yu?"
Because of the sudden stop, Ryūjirō's muscles were bulging, and he was still in a hunting pose.
As he spoke, his completely blacked-out pupils gave off a frightening, matte glare. A long stream of hot air shot out of his nostrils, hitting the wooden floor with a resounding thud.
"Yes! I want to plead my case! This is the request of a lifetime!"
Facing the impact of the air current, which was no less than that of a truck, Miyazawa Yu gritted his teeth, enduring the sense of isekai déjà vu. He narrowed his eyes and turned his head toward Nanaka Kotegawa.
At that moment, the skirt of the young woman was lifted by the wind, and her hair flew in the air.
Nanaka Kotegawa held her skirt down with one hand and looked back at Miyazawa Yu with a confused expression. She had no idea what this underclassman was trying to pull.
"Senpai Kotegawa, please, answer me seriously! This concerns my future life!"
His eyes were as determined as if he were about to join a political party. Miyazawa Yu grabbed Nanaka Kotegawa's hand and pressed it to his chest, using his heartbeat as proof of his sincerity.
"Ah... okay! I understand! Go on, Underclassman!"
She didn't know what was happening, but it felt important!
Nanaka Kotegawa didn't immediately realize that Miyazawa Yu's actions were a little out of line for a new friend. Instead, she was moved, and her expression became more and more serious.
"Here's my question! Do you, Senpai Nanaka, think this shop is okay?!"
"Eh~ Even if you ask me that..." Nanaka Kotegawa looked past Miyazawa Yu at the familiar customers in the shop and the familiar game of yakyuuken. "I guess... it's okay?"
"Yosh! I understand, Sister Nanaka! And now, Senpai Ryūjirō!"
He let go of the angelic Sister Nanaka's hand. Having made up his mind, Miyazawa Yu's gaze became sharp. He glanced back at the cowardly Iori Kitahara, then lifted his chin slightly in a show of contempt.
He then walked toward Senpai Ryūjirō's aura, bent over, and bowed in one swift motion. "I would like to formally join the Pab club! Please take care of me, Senpai!"
"Ah... He's motivated by lust!"
"Yep! It's definitely motivated by lust!"
Ryūjirō and Shinji said in unison, revealing the truth. Miyazawa Yu's scheme was so loud it was practically deafening!
"Hmph, it's nothing more than a necessary sacrifice. I've long since resolved to do this!"
He let out a light chuckle. Facing his seniors' teasing, Miyazawa Yu showed no sign of shame or timidity. Instead, he spread his arms out with an air of noble righteousness.
As the saying goes, 'You can't catch a tiger's cub without entering the tiger's den'! Since the angelic Sister Nanaka thought Grand Blue was okay, then Grand Blue was okay!
Poor Iori-kun, you didn't see this coming, did you? My resolve, Miyazawa Yu's resolve, is not just about sacrificing others!
That's right! Even if he had to bet his despicable life, he would add a brick to his crystal palace! This was his resolve!
"Hey! What are you getting so fired up about! For Sister Nanaka! Are you even willing to give up your sense of shame?!"
Iori Kitahara had no idea what Miyazawa Yu was getting so fired up about with his chuunibyou pose, but he instinctively felt that something wasn't right.
If this guy Yu also joined the enemy, wouldn't he be left in a state of complete and utter despair? This couldn't be good!
"Hmph! My heart and my actions are as clear as a mirror; everything I do is righteous!"
"So what are you getting so fired up about! Snap out of it, Yu-kun! Your friend in righteousness needs you!"
"My mind is made up! There is no room for discussion!"
"NO! Senpai Ryūjirō, what are you doing! I don't want to sign the membership application! Noooo!"