"D-Did I actually agree to that?"
"Yep. Agreed on the spot, didn't hesitate for a second. You were also mumbling something about a semi-truck, a goddess, and reincarnation — stuff that made no sense. Sebastian, have you been under a little too much stress lately?"
Sebastian looked at the old uncle and felt something go wrong in his entire being.
He knew that when he got drunk, his mouth sometimes ran away from him — but surely not badly enough to let something that important slip out?
Or was he really under that much stress lately?
He shook his head and tossed those thoughts aside, then turned to glare in irritation at the two muscular upperclassmen still snoring face-down on the floor.
Those two had taken advantage of him in a moment of weakness and tricked him into signing that thing. Since they were still lying here, the application form should still be on them somewhere.
Seeming to read Sebastian's thoughts, the uncle across from him smiled faintly.
"A real man doesn't go back on his word. I can't say what those two might do if you tried."
"Outrageous!" Sebastian fumed. So he really had no choice but to join this Peek-a-Boo club, did he?
But then again — he looked at the two naked men on the floor, then considered his own current state, and his expression darkened again.
"Uncle, forget everything else for a moment — but our clothes... why are they like this?"
"Oh, that? That's all you young people's doing. You all got a little too excited last night and insisted on something 'thrilling.' These old bones of mine couldn't keep up, so I sat that one out."
"Wait. Hold on. That explanation sounds way too convenient!"
Sebastian quickly cut the uncle off before he could continue, his eyes drifting — seemingly by accident — to the two well-built men planted face-down on the floor with their backsides in the air.
Had he really been that impressive?
"It was just rock-paper-scissors. Strip rules. Losers had to take something off — what were you thinking?" The uncle gave Sebastian a slightly puzzled look.
"Huh? Oh — just that? Oh thank goodness, what a relief, haha...." Sebastian had no choice but to cover with an awkward laugh.
"Anyway, I'd appreciate it if you could tidy up the shop a bit later. My distant nephew should be arriving today to get ready for the new semester, and I need to go pick him up from the station."
"Of course, leave it to me. I'll have it cleaned up." Sebastian answered promptly.
"I'll be off then. Don't forget to wake up Kotobuki and Tokita — I think those two have somewhere else to be today."
With that, the uncle pushed open the front door, climbed into his little flatbed truck, and putt-putted off down the street.
Sebastian watched him go, then turned back to the two naked men behind him and let out a sigh.
Never mind them for now. The reservation log didn't show any customers today, but he should still tidy the place up a bit.
He righted the overturned tables, sorted and bagged the empty bottles. The stains on the floor needed a proper scrubbing with some cleaner.
After roughly half an hour of work, Sebastian wiped the sweat from his brow and exhaled. He turned back toward the two still fast asleep on the floor.
"Hey. Get up!!" He walked over and prodded their backsides with the handle of his broom.
"Mmhh...." The two hungover men slowly opened their eyes. Sebastian had already poured two cups of warm water and held them out.
"Drink up. The uncle says you two have things to do today, so I'm waking you."
"Right... yeah, we do have something today."
"Glug glug glug — ahhhh! Who knew you had it in you, Sebastian? That's genuinely thoughtful."
Kotobuki and Tokita drained their cups, then swayed upright, stretching out a yawn.
"So. Today's roughly the day all us Peek-a-Boo members gather for a drinking party."
"What?" Sebastian stared blankly at the two big men now rummaging around for their underwear. "Didn't you just drink last night?"
"Yeah. So?" Kotobuki gave Sebastian a mildly puzzled look.
These two really aren't afraid of dropping dead, are they....
Sebastian had been about to say just that, but when his eyes landed on the muscle packed across their frames and that robust, sun-bronzed skin, the words died in his throat.
"Alright. We've still got things to do, so we'll be heading out."
The two of them got dressed — or more precisely, pulled on their underwear — said a brief goodbye to Sebastian, and made for the door.
Sebastian watched the pair rush off and didn't even have the energy to complain.
Apparently, these two had no intention of bringing up the little matter of the club application form he'd already signed.
They were probably planning to spring it on him at some random moment and use it as leverage to force him into joining.
"Built like tanks, but they've got more tricks up their sleeve than you'd expect," Sebastian muttered, then turned and shuffled back behind the counter to doze off alone again.
When you got down to it, it was just joining a club. He'd show his face at the start, and then they'd never see each other again for the next four years. It wasn't like he hadn't been through that before in his first go at university.
"Excuse me, are you...?" The door to Grand Blue swung open without warning.
Sebastian, still lost in thought, snapped awake at the soft feminine voice and looked up in a hurry.
Standing before him was a beautiful girl with long golden hair, gentle features, a wetsuit hugging every curve of her very generously proportioned figure.
Water was still dripping from the wetsuit — she had clearly just come up from the sea.
Sebastian, whose vision had been assaulted all morning by a rotating cast of naked men, felt his spirit heal itself on the spot at the sight of something so easy on the eyes.
"U-Um, my name is Sebastian. I'm a first-year at Izu University, just started working here." He'd stared for a good two or three seconds before remembering to introduce himself, and turned a little red for it.
"Sebastian? What an unusual name... But what a coincidence — I have a younger sister who's starting at Izu University this year too."
The beautiful girl smiled, then seemed to realize she hadn't introduced herself either and quickly added:
"Oh, how rude of me. I'm Nanaka Kotegawa. The shop owner is my father. I work here as the face of the shop and as an instructor. Since you'll be working here too, I hope we get along well!"
"Of course — likewise!" Sebastian said, though his eyes were quietly wandering elsewhere.
"My sister Chisa works here sometimes too. She's a bit busy these days, but I'll introduce you when the chance comes up — you're classmates, after all." Nanaka said with a smile.
"Oh, that would be wonderful, thank you."
The two exchanged pleasantries, and Nanaka settled in behind the counter, trading easy conversation with Sebastian between lulls.
Time flies when you have good company. The dull hours of minding the shop seemed to vanish.
Before long, the sound of a vehicle pulling up drifted in from outside.
Is that the uncle back already? He said he was going to pick up his nephew — that was fast.
Sebastian was still thinking it over when the door swung open.
It was not the uncle, nor the mystery nephew he had yet to meet. It was Kotobuki and Tokita — back again after barely leaving — along with a swarm of roughly a dozen more burly men filing in behind them.
"Oh, Nanaka's here too. School's about to start, so Peek-a-Boo is thinking of throwing a welcome party. Mind if we use the place?" Shinji Tokita called out to her.
"Go right ahead — there's barely any customers today anyway." Nanaka said with a smile.
"Um, Miss Nanaka, is this really all right?" Sebastian glanced at the lovely woman beside him. She seemed quite familiar with this mob of deviants.
"It's fine, really. Tokita and the others help out around the shop all the time. Something like this is nothing."
Nanaka laughed as she explained.
An angel, Sebastian thought, watching her smile.
Then he remembered another certain someone who called herself an angel.
"Honestly, between that sadistic little gremlin and this gorgeous woman, who's the real angel here?" he muttered under his breath.
On reflex, he raised a hand to cover his throat.
Sure enough — a gust of cold air swept past in an instant, like a pair of tiny ice-cold hands reaching for his neck.
"Hey, you little — I can hear you trash-talking me, you know! You're not even trying to hide it!"
Angel's indignant voice arrived directly in his ear.
This time, Sebastian decided to return the favor and ignore her completely. He let her shout and stomp in his ear without acknowledging a single word, and turned away with a placid smile directed at Miss Nanaka.
Or rather — at those sublime, untouchable peaks.
"Yeah. Now that's a real angel."
Angel, apparently stung by that, huffed in outrage and vanished without another word, refusing to give him the satisfaction.
Heh... A small, petty revenge for all the times she'd brushed him off. Sebastian felt thoroughly satisfied.
That satisfaction lasted until he noticed what the dozen-odd Peek-a-Boo members trailing in behind Kotobuki and Tokita were carrying in their arms.
His face went white.
"Hold on — isn't this a little much?"
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