Kitahara Iori's shoulders trembled, and tears welled up in his eyes. These must be tears of emotion—his sincerity had finally been acknowledged.
"I... haven't had a proper night's sleep since I got here..."
(￣д￣;)?
Beside him, Tokita looked puzzled. He clearly remembered Iori sleeping quite soundly the last two times.
"If you paid attention in class, your sleep should be more than enough."
(￣д￣;)?
This time, Shiro was the one confused. Bastard! What do you take the sacred act of attending class for?! Of course, this mainly hit Shiro where it hurt, he was the type to sleep in class too...
Still… you should apologize to your parents for wasting their tuition money!
Kitahara Iori ignored Tokita. He was too shaken.
"Now that I think about it, I really haven't set foot in my own room..."
"Exactly~
I understand that becoming a college student makes you want to go out and have fun, but staying out for three nights straight isn't okay~
Tonight, just stay home and sleep properly~"
Nanaka wagged her finger at Kitahara Iori as she spoke. After all, his aunt and uncle had entrusted him to them, so they had to take responsibility.
"That's great, Kitahara! Nanaka-nee is so kind. Now you don't have to avoid sleeping at home just to avoid bothering others!"
Shiro patted Kitahara on the shoulder, deeply moved. Although Kitahara didn't deserve such kindness, this outcome was still a happy one.
"What the hell are you imagining?! Are you sure I didn't go home because I didn't want to?!"
Kitahara's forehead veins popped at Shiro's absurd words. This guy never fails to say something ridiculous!
"But Nanaka-nee is right. Tonight, I'll obediently stay home."
Suddenly, Kitahara spun around and looked at the two seniors and Shiro with a smug expression.
"As you can see, I won't be attending tonight. That's fine, right?"
The two seniors sighed in resignation.
"Well, there's no helping it."
"Iori can't attend, huh..."
"Wait... Can you guys at least let go of me before saying that?"
Shiro's face darkened. After Kitahara declared he wouldn't be attending, Shiro somehow found himself tied up!
"Well, it can't be helped."
"If Iori isn't going, then Shiro has to! We promised to introduce the freshmen!"
"..."
Thank you so much! That was completely unnecessary!
Shiro shot a murderous glare at Kitahara. It was all this bastard's fault!
"Oh my, I truly, deeply, incredibly regret not being able to attend the drinking party tonight!"
At this moment, Kitahara Iori had the most infuriatingly smug face. Not only had he dodged the drinking party, but he also successfully screwed over Shiro.
This feeling was amazing! Praise be to Nanaka-nee! Praise be to my long-lost, never-before-seen bedroom!
"It's fine, there's nothing we can do about it."
"Tonight's drinking party is an exchange event with Aomi Women's University, so we won't be short on people anyway."
"..."
Silence.
Not only did Iori fall silent, but Shiro also froze in place.
BANG!
Shiro suddenly broke free from the ropes restraining him.
And in just one second, no one knew how, but he had somehow acquired a can of hairspray and a rose.
With the rose clenched between his teeth, he carefully adjusted the hairstyle he had miraculously styled in just one second.
"I believe we should head straight to the party venue. After all, gentlemen should always arrive early when meeting ladies."
"Ah, I see. Well then, let's go."
"It can't be helped. The guests canceled, and Iori couldn't join anyway."
BANG!
A loud noise erupted behind them, making all three turn around in curiosity.
There, Kitahara Iori was kneeling in a perfect seiza position before Nanaka. His clothes were neatly folded beside him, leaving him in nothing but his underwear!
"I've already gone this far, so please have mercy on me!"
Iori pleaded with extreme sincerity, making Nanaka feel slightly flustered.
Shiro sneered at Kitahara. As expected, this guy from an all-boys high school completely lost his rationality the moment he heard "women's university."
Such a pathetic display, Kitahara Iori!
"I… I've finally realized what kind of club I actually joined!"
"Isn't it the diving club?"
"No! I refuse to believe I joined such a club!"
"..."
Well, at the very least, Kitahara Iori had one redeeming quality, his attitude shift was incredibly fast. He'd make a great doorman.
"So please, Nanaka-senpai! Let me go to the drinking party!"
Nanaka looked flustered, not just because of his seiza posture but also due to his nearly naked body!
"Uh… first, put on your clothes and lift your head."
"And why did you even take your clothes off…?"
Even Chisa couldn't help but comment. Who strips down just to make a request?
Maybe in doujinshi…
Shiro silently thought about how this scene resembled something out of a doujinshi. But in those, it's usually a beautiful girl! Kitahara Iori, get lost!
"This is a display of my pure and honest sincerity!"
More like an act of perversion and intimidation!
The righteous Shiro decided to record this moment. This could be future evidence against Kitahara Iori. After all, that guy still hadn't paid back his debt, it was about time to charge some interest!
"Listen, Iori-kun, I understand that you want to have fun as a college student, but this kind of lifestyle isn't good!"
"But…!!"
"No means no! Your parents entrusted me to take care of you, so I can't let you go astray!"
"Please, just this once!"
"No way! Tonight, Iori-kun, you will properly unpack your luggage!"
"..."
-----------
In an empty room on the second floor, four people sat cross-legged.
"So, what do you guys think is the best way to get permission?"
Kitahara propped his chin on his hands, deep in thought.
"Forget it. She made it pretty clear."
"Want some help unpacking?"
"Fake your death?"
"Oh… faking my death, huh…"
Iori pondered for a moment before instantly appearing in front of Shiro. "You bastard! Are you telling me to die for real?! What kind of normal person suggests that?!"
"You idiot! I was just coming up with ideas! Think about it, escaping from a hospital is way easier than escaping from home, isn't it?"
"I see… that makes sense."
Hearing this, Iori let go of Shiro and started seriously considering the plan's feasibility.
"He's actually thinking about it…"
"Man, young people these days are even wilder than we thought."
Tokita and Kotobuki looked on in amazement.
"Any other suggestions?"
"How about paraquat?"
"You bastard, you're still trying to kill me!"
Iori exploded again, realizing that for a moment, he had actually been considering this scumbag's idea!
"Maybe we should just give up…"
"No way! I won't give up!"
This time, Iori's determination was unwavering in front of his two seniors!
"What exactly is giving you this much motivation?"
"It's a little embarrassing to say… but it's my sexual desire!"
"Wow, that's really embarrassing."
"Hah, virgin."
"You bastard!!!"
Iori couldn't take it anymore. Shiro's mocking sneer completely shattered his rationality.
The two immediately started wrestling, using the dirtiest, most disgraceful moves possible. It was a fight unfit for the eyes.
"Alright, alright, calm down now."
In the end, it was Kotobuki's overwhelming strength that separated them.
"Anyway, how about we start by organizing your luggage?"
"Yeah, if you do that, maybe Nanaka will agree."
But Iori felt like something was still missing.
"No! That's not enough!"
"Not enough?"
"Probably not."
"Then, you just need to transform your room into the perfect space for a man who can stand on his own!"
Kotobuki declared with absolute confidence.
"But even if you say that…"
Iori started to agree with him, but the problem was; what exactly did a real man's room look like?
Slap!
Shiro's hand landed firmly on Iori's shoulder, his voice filled with assurance.
"Don't worry, Kitahara. You have your seniors here! Can't you tell? These two are the epitome of independent, reliable men!"
Iori flinched and turned to look at them. True enough, no matter how he looked at it, they were mature, fully-fledged men!
Proud of being praised, the two seniors thumped their chests.
"For our adorable junior, we'll lend you a hand!"
"Let's create a room that, at a glance, screams 'I'm a real man'!"
"Senpai…!!!"
Iori was so moved he almost cried. He had misunderstood them all this time!
"Alright, go take a break outside for a bit. Trust us. We'll take care of everything. Just make sure to be my wingman later, got it?"
Shiro draped his arm over Iori's shoulder and led him to the door.
Iori was so touched that he immediately pulled 10,000 yen from his pocket. He had misjudged Shiro before!
Shiro, seeing this unexpected income, casually stuffed the money into his pocket.
Kitahara Iori, debt remaining: 90,000 yen!
"Alright, I'll leave it to you guys!"
"Don't worry, we'll give you the ultimate man's room!"
BAM!
The door shut. The nuisance was gone. Now…
The three men inside the room exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with excitement!
"Eh? You're already done organizing?"
"Of course! Swiftly and flawlessly. After all, I am a fully independent adult, hahaha!"
Nanaka and Iori's voices came from the hallway. Completely blinded by lust, Kitahara Iori didn't even bother checking his new room before bringing Nanaka in.
Creak!
The door to Kitahara Iori's room opened.
What greeted them was a room filled to the brim with 18+ material!
Erotic magazines stacked high on the desk, a bed covered with adult DVDs, and posters of AV actresses plastered across the walls!
The moment Iori processed the scene before him, his entire body turned to stone. He looked like a lifeless corpse.
"Ahhhhhhhh! No, Nanaka-nee! It's not what you think! This is—"
Nanaka was equally stunned, her face burning red as she averted her eyes. Like a malfunctioning robot, she stiffly walked away with unnatural, synchronized arm and leg movements.
"Ah… Iori-kun is a guy after all. Makes sense…"
"..."
Creak~
The door opened once more, and three heads peeked inside.
"So, Iori?"
"Pretty damn perfect, isn't it?"
"It suits your desires perfectly."
"You goddamn bastards!!!"
Kitahara Iori roared in frustration. Why the hell did they think this was the room of a real man?!
"Eh? Did we fail?"
"Why would you even think this setup was a success?!"
"When a mother sees her child's erotic books, isn't her usual reaction something like, 'Ah, my child has finally grown up'?"
"That makes perfect sense. I remember my momt had a big reaction back then."
Shiro nodded in agreement, reminiscing about his mother's reaction. It was quite amusing, actually.
"That's not what I meant! And, Shiro, you piece of trash, you were only ten when your mom found out, right?!"
Kitahara Iori pounded the floor in anger. His entire plan had been ruined by these idiots!
"Eh? Shiro, you were that mature at such a young age?"
"Didn't see that coming."
The two seniors looked at Shiro with newfound curiosity. They had always thought he was just a well-behaved boy; his innocent, squint-eyed, puppy-like face had completely deceived them.
"Well, you know, I've been through a lot~"
After all, in his past life, he had already lived for 20 years.
"This isn't the time to discuss that! I just want a normal room! A room that looks like it belongs to a regular first-year college student!"
Iori cut them off before they could go any further. He didn't want to hear any more nonsense, he just wanted to go to the drinking party!
"That's all? You should've just said so."
"Yeah, that's easy enough."
"But wouldn't that be too boring?"
"…Stop!"
Iori interrupted them and began tidying up on his own.
"I was too naive to rely on you guys. I'll handle it myself. Just take this crap and leave."
"Eh? You're really throwing it all away?"
"Of course I am…"
"I see."
"What do you mean, 'I see'?"
Iori glanced at Tokita in confusion. This guy had been acting weird for a while now.
"Well, you see, Kotobuki was planning to give you a special gift to celebrate your enrollment, one that you'd really like."
"..."
Iori's hands froze mid-cleanup.
—
Outside Kitahara Iori's Room
Chisa was carrying a display case as she walked down the hallway. It was originally meant to be discarded, but since Iori was cleaning his room, she figured she'd ask if he needed it.
Since her hands were full, she didn't bother knocking and simply pushed the door open.
"Hey, Iori, do you need thi—"
"Oh yeah! Oh yeah!"
No one noticed Chisa's arrival.
All four of them were gathered in front of the TV, watching a DVD. The plot was surprisingly decent; a blonde, blue-eyed woman engaging in a fierce battle against three… well-endowed, dark-skinned men.
"Mhmm, not bad. I'd give it a 78."
Iori rested his chin on his hand, evaluating the scene.
"What the hell? Not a perfect score? I had high hopes for this one!"
Tokita felt like Iori's standards were way too high.
"Well, mainly because the girl doesn't look great on camera. I've seen her in real life, way better than this!"
Shiro commented nonchalantly. He had actually met the actress at an AV fan event before. He had almost gotten to know her better too.
"What?! You lucky bastard—wait… Chisa? What are you doing here?"
Only then did Iori notice Chisa standing in the doorway.
But right now, her eyes held the same expression one would have when looking at garbage.
Even Iori, whose emotional intelligence was practically negative, realized something was very wrong.
As the host, he felt obligated to do something.
"Uh… wanna watch with us?"
BAM!
—
Chisa left.
Her departure left Iori with a small souvenir—a display case lodged onto his head.
"This is all your fault! I've been completely misunderstood!"
Iori glared at the three in front of him. His image in Chisa's mind was utterly ruined!
"I don't think it's a misunderstanding."
"Most people wouldn't invite someone to watch that kind of thing."
"This plot… I think I just saw something similar on TV. Iori, were you trying to reenact it?"
THUD!
Iori pulled the shattered display case off his head.
"Anyway, I need to get this room cleaned up. To purge this filth, I'm kicking you all out. Oh, but leave the DVDs."
"Wait, Iori! This is a matter of our honor now!"
"Yeah! You don't think so too?"
The two seniors refused to back down. The drinking party was still hours away, and this was a direct insult to their pride!
"Please don't. Your ideas are only making my life harder. Just go home already!"
"How about another one?"
Tokita pulled out his trump card, another premium erotic magazine! Without hesitation, Iori smoothly accepted it.
"Alright then! I'll trust you guys one more time! Oh, and I'm taking this piece of trash with me!"
He grabbed Shiro and started dragging him away. After thinking things over, Iori concluded; this guy was probably the root of all his problems!
"Hey! What does this have to do with me?! I was just documenting life!"
"Hah?! Shut up and help out! Don't forget you already mooched a meal off me!"
"Dammit, Kitahara! You're acting like the master of the house already! Weren't you homeless just a while ago?!"
"Shut up, scumbag!"
The remaining seniors silently watched them leave. They reached out as if to say something, but the two were already gone…
"A fresh new room for a freshman, huh…"
"But the freshman just left."
"Well, no choice then. Let's call in another one."
"Guess we have to."
—
"Yo! Iori, Shiro, what were you guys up to? Chisa looked really mad just now."
"Seems like it's because only we received gifts from our seniors."
"I see. That girl, really... How can she get mad over something like that?"
Shiro looked at Kitahara Iori with admiration, this guy's ability to lie had already reached such a level?
"I even invited her to watch with us."
No, that was straight-up sexual harassment!
"Ah! Shiro, Iori, you guys are here!"
Nanaka, who was tidying up, greeted them with a smile.
However, the moment Iori saw her, he panicked. "Nanaka-nee! Please let me explain what happened just now!"
"No need, it's fine. I didn't take it to heart~"
"No! That's not the issue here!"
"By the way, I just called a friend to ask about it. My friend said that boys like Iori-kun doing things like that is very common~"
Shiro stared at Nanaka in horror. How could someone with a normal body temperature of 37 degrees say something so chilling? This was practically the equivalent of declaring someone's chuuni ramblings to be their final truth!
Nanaka-nee is a natural airhead!
"Anyway, that room earlier wasn't arranged by me; it was Shiro messing with me, hahaha."
Kitahara Iori threw an arm around Shiro, who had been inspecting some diving equipment nearby, mercilessly shifting all the blame!
(-ι_-)
Scumbag!!!
Shiro was furious. He finally realized why this bastard Kitahara had dragged him down here, it was to ruin his image in front of Nanaura-nee!
"Nanaka-nee, it's not like that! It was Kitahara who—mmph!!"
Shiro tried to explain, but the bastard Kitahara quickly covered his mouth!
"Ahaha, Shiro says he feels really guilty, hahaha!"
"No! It's—mmph!!"
The two immediately started grappling with each other. A scumbag deserves no sympathy!
"Pfft~ You two really get along well~"
Seeing this, Nanaka laughed, her gaze soft and warm, it reminded him of her of ten years ago.
(?°?д°?)
"Who the hell gets along with this bastard?!" ×2
"..."
"Manager, thanks for lending me the tape!"
The two, still struggling, suddenly heard a familiar voice. They turned their heads to see Kouhei returning a roll of tape.
Tape. Newcomer. Room organization?
The two instantly connected the dots, and Shiro's smile turned deviously perverse.
"Oh my, I'm sure Nanaka-nee will be looking forward to the new room~"
Scumbag!!!
Iori screamed internally, but there was no time left. He dashed upstairs!
Creaaak!
Iori flung open the door to his room, only to find that all the adult magazines had vanished. In their place were posters, DVDs, and manga of shoujo anime!
Kouhei was still diligently putting up posters. When he saw Iori enter, he greeted him casually, "How's it, Kitahara Iori? The comfy room I designed for you?"
But Iori ignored him. He strode straight across the room to a certain Lalako poster.
Rip!
"Why the hell is this bastard here?!"
"Ahhh no!!! My Lalako!"
The way Iori tore that poster felt like he had ripped out a piece of Kouhei's soul.
"You bastard! You actually ripped my prized Lalako!"
"Shut up, you damn idiot, Kouhei! How dare you taint my room with such disgusting things?!"
Creak~
The door opened again, two upperclassmen Shiro had returned.
"How is it, Iori? Pretty perfect this time, huh?"
"Since it's a freshman's room, of course, it should be arranged by a freshman!"
"Truly an amazing room~"
"This is nothing like what I asked for!!!"
Iori was losing his mind. How could they possibly think that Kouhei was a normal freshman?!
"Then what kind of room did you want?"
"The complete opposite of this one!!!"
Iori shouted, unable to understand how such a simple thing had gone so horribly wrong. The upperclassmen froze. "Oh, so that's what you meant."
"If that's the case, you should've told us earlier."
Iori felt utterly drained. Why the hell do I even have to spell this out for them?
Kouhei placed both hands on Iori's shoulders. "I understand now. I'll remake this room right away!"
"No need. Just go back, I'll handle it myself."
Iori had completely given up on letting this idiot do anything else!
"As if I'd give up a drinking party with middle schoolers who call me 'big bro' and just go home!"
Shiro stared at the two upperclassmen in shock. How the hell did you guys lure him over here? And Kouhei, do you even have a brain?! Middle schoolers aren't allowed at drinking parties!!!
"Even so—"
"Iori~ Come here for a second~"
Just as Iori was about to argue, Nanaka's voice called out.
"Go on, Kitahara. You're staying at someone else's place, you should at least help out. Leave this to us!"
Shiro patted Iori's shoulder heavily, his face radiating reliability.
"Idiot! That just makes me trust you even less!"
Iori spat viciously.
Then suddenly—
A thought struck him!
A normal person...?
There was one right in front of him! Shiro might be a total scumbag, but at least his taste in room decor was normal!
As much as he hated this idea, there was no other choice.
"Shiro! I'm leaving my room to you! Please, set it up just like yours!"
"...Can you not say my name like that? It gives me a weirdly disgusting feeling…"
"Don't sweat the details! Shiro!"
"I said don't call me that, you bastard! And didn't you say you wanted the opposite of this room?"
"I believe your room is the opposite of this one!"
"But—"
"No buts! That's final! I'm counting on you, Shiro!"
"Stop calling me that!"
Iori didn't give Shiro a chance to refuse. He slammed the door shut and left.
Shiro was left alone, staring at the three upperclassmen.
"...So, just like my room, huh?"
—
A while later.
"Man, I never expected Shiro's room to be... this extravagant."
"...This was an accident."
Creak~
Iori opened his door again, expecting to finally see a normal room.
Instead—
Not only was the room a complete mess, but the floor was littered with beer cans and an extra-large bra. More importantly, the walls were covered in erotic posters and DVDs! And many of them featured male-male and female-female pairs!!!
Iori instant-transmitted to Shiro and pulled off a full-on exaggerated facial expression.
"You bastard! Are you screwing with me?!"
Shiro's eyes were dead inside. "...This was an accident."
Two nights of hangovers—how the hell was I supposed to clean my room?! My room really does look like this!
As for all those male-male and female-female things? That was all Azusa-san! The extra-large bra too!
"You bastard, what kind of life are you even living?! You absolute scumbag!!!"
At that moment, Iori's gaze landed on the extra-large bra on the floor, and his eyes welled up with blood tears!
He and Shiro had gone to different middle schools, so he wasn't aware of Shiro's illustrious achievements. He called him a scumbag simply because Shiro used to mess with him when they were kids!
"…This was also an accident. I haven't slept properly for two nights…"
"You mean you've been partying all night, you bastard!!!"
Iori was on the verge of dropping dead, he could not accept that his childhood friend was living a better life than he was!!!
That was worse than death!
"By the way, what's on these discs?"
"Just pop one in and find out!"
The two upperclassmen weren't involved in the chaos; they were too busy discussing the discs that Shiro had brought.
"Iori-kun~"
Just then, a familiar voice called from the doorway—Nanaka. Iori immediately abandoned his battle with Shiro.
But as he turned around, cold sweat drenched his back.
I absolutely CANNOT let Nanaka see this room!!!
Without another word, he bolted out and blocked the door.
"A-ha-ha-ha, Nanaka-nee! What's up?"
"I was just wondering if you've finished tidying up. Do you need any help?"
Nanaka smiled gently, as if she had completely forgotten about the previous incident.
"No, no! There is absolutely no way you can see what's inside my room right now!"
Iori panicked. If Nanaka saw this, forget the drinking party, he might not even be allowed to step outside again!
"Huh? Is it because of what happened earlier…"
"I don't mind that you're a guy."
"I see. Actually, I feel the same about you."
"..."
Silence.
A vast, soul-crushing silence.
Nanaka's eyes lost all light once again.
"A-ha-ha… Sorry, Iori-kun, I need to go make a quick phone call to a friend!"
With that, Nanaka once again ran off in a bizarrely uncoordinated manner!
"I HAVE TO MAKE THE PERFECT ROOM AND GO TO THAT DRINKING PARTY!!!"
Upon re-entering his room, Iori was burning with an unparalleled passion. At this point, simply tidying up his room was meaningless!
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Then we'll help you out, so calm down a little."
"I think drinking pesticide would be a better solution."
"How about swapping the posters for ones of LaLako?"
"..."
Iori, now resembling the CEO of a company, stood before the four others and held a strategy meeting.
"In short, we need to create a room that Nanaka-nee will love!"
"Nanaka's favorite…"
"If it were that easy, we wouldn't be struggling right now."
"How about we put up my photos?"
CRACK!
Shiro was dead. Cause of death: his neck was twisted off…
"Listen up! Nanaka-nee dotes on her little sister, Chisa! Which means, the kind of room she'll like is a pure room!"
A gleam of revelation shone in Iori's eyes, he had found the key to victory!
When Shiro regained consciousness, everything around him had changed. The posters and decorations were still there, but now; every single person's face had been replaced with Chisa's!
"(´・｀;) Am I dreaming? Why is Chisa everywhere? Wait, just now… I think I even saw my great-grandmother."
Shiro curiously looked around, only to see four absolute perverts feverishly pasting Chisa's photos over every image in sight.
"Uhh… What are you guys doing?"
"Creating the perfect room for Nanaka!"
(-ι_- )
Shiro took another look around… then back at Iori, the idiot leading this madness.
He was serious.
Shiro took a silent step back. How the hell is this moron pulling off something this deranged while staying at someone else's house? Does he have no fear of being beaten to death?!
Then suddenly—
Shiro noticed the time!
The drinking party was about to start!
"Uh… Senpai, shouldn't we be heading to the party?"
At Shiro's words, Tokita finally snapped back to reality and said, "Oh, I forgot to mention, the party got postponed due to some issues."
"I see, well… I guess it can't be helped."
Shiro sighed in understanding. This meant he'd actually have the energy to clean up his own room tonight.
However—human joy is never universal.
Iori stood before Tokita, looking utterly betrayed.
"Postponed?"
"Postponed."
"Not today?"
"Not today."
"Wait, WAIT! HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!!!"
Iori's face twisted in agony.
"THEN WHAT THE HELL WAS THE POINT OF EVERYTHING I JUST DID?!!"
Squeak~
"Iori, have some tea..."
Chisa walked in once again without knocking, carrying a tray of tea and snacks.
And then she saw a scene that looked like a crime scene.
How should one describe it? If Shiro took a photo of this room and showed it to the police, Iori might as well go ahead and experience the taste of pork cutlet rice in prison.
—
"Well, don't be so down, Kitahara. Isn't this situation actually pretty good?"
"It completely fits your ideal image of an ordinary freshman."
"Yeah, anyway, let's have a toast to celebrate Iori's new room."
"Cheers!!!"
The four of them somehow got their hands on some alcohol and started drinking right in Iori's new room.
Only Iori himself was kneeling on the floor, utterly devoid of will to live.
Because…
His entire plan had been ruined! He had been kicked out and moved into a storage room-like space!!!
"Ah~ I haven't slept this well in a long time~"
Looking at the grand entrance of GB in the distance, Shiro stretched his body with satisfaction.
Yesterday, he had finally tidied up his room into what a proper college student's room should look like. Although most of the bookshelf was filled with light novels and game discs, and the desk still had unfinished manga on it…
But!
It was still a college student's room!
After all, Shiro was also a bestselling light novel author, so having a room with a bit of an otaku vibe wasn't an issue, right?
Lately, he had been planning to start a new book. He wanted to turn Scum's Wish into a light novel (Hanabi is just too cute!).
Though, while he personally saw no issue with this work, he wasn't sure if his editor would approve.
Thinking of his beautiful editor who had just graduated from college, Shiro felt reassured; since they were both adults, Scum's Wish shouldn't be shocking for her at all~
Today was the day for new members to gather at the club, so Shiro had deliberately gotten up early and dressed up a little.
Now, his appearance was more like that of a harmless little puppy.
Thinking about it, with Iori and Kōhei as contrasts, wouldn't Shiro stand out and rise above them all?
His goal was to win over all the new female members this year!
—
Ding-dong~
Shiro pushed open the door leading to a brand-new world.
"Good morning, Shiro~ You're looking even more handsome today~"
Greeting him was a cute big sister!
Shiro instantly felt like today was going to be a great day.
"Good morning, Nanaka-nee, Chisa."
He greeted them warmly while scanning for other new members like himself.
Hmm… Found one, Kōhei. Alright, excluded! And then… no one else?!
Shiro froze in place.
He checked the time, it was almost 10 AM. Could it be that the others hadn't arrived yet?
Yes! That must be it!
"Good morning, Iori-kun. You actually dressed properly today, how impressive~"
Nanaka's voice pulled Shiro back to reality. He turned around and saw Kitahara walking out of his room with the two upperclassmen.
So… what exactly had happened while he was gone?
"That's a really unacceptable way to give a compliment."
Kitahara didn't look happy at all at Nanaka's remark. Though, was that even a compliment in the first place?!
"Club activities?"
The store manager glanced at the group and asked.
"Yeah, we're planning to do some exercise with the new members."
"How many new members do you have this year?"
Nanaka looked curious. Last year, their club hadn't managed to recruit anyone. With a smile, she raised four fingers. "So far, four!"
Crack!
Shiro's body gradually turned to stone, and without warning, cracks began to form.
Four people!!!
Didn't that mean it was just himself, Kitahara, Kōhei, and Chisa?!
Had he gotten up early and dressed up… for nothing?!
These people… were they really worth waking up early for?!
No, they weren't worth it at all!!!
Ignoring Shiro's existential crisis, the two senior members were very pleased with the four juniors they had recruited.
A playboy, a natural airhead, an idiot, and an otaku!
PaB's future looked promising!
"Wait… hold on. Weren't there a lot of new students at the drinking party?"
Shiro desperately clung to the last hope that maybe this was all a joke.
"Oh, you mean them? Yeah, I thought that was strange too. After the drinking party, it seems like they all chose to decline joining. I really don't get why…"
Tokita scratched his head in confusion. He thought that the drinking party had been a huge success.
Shiro fell silent.
After witnessing that horrifying scene, any normal person would have declined, right?
So why the hell had he stayed behind?!
(??????ω??????)
Tears welled up in Shiro's eyes. He felt like he had just made a decision that would affect his entire youth.
"Hahahaha, Kamishiro, just accept your fate and stay here. We're family, after all!"
Iori patted Shiro's shoulder in an infuriatingly smug way. He had already come to terms with it—since he was boarding at the diving shop, leaving wouldn't help him escape the drinking parties anyway.
Since he couldn't avoid it, he might as well enjoy it! Plus, he could watch others suffer while he sat back and laughed. Bwahahahahahahaha!
"Speaking of which, Kōhei, it's pretty rare to see you seriously participating in club activities."
After messing with Shiro, Iori turned his gaze toward Kōhei, who looked unusually excited.
"That's because I got an urgent recruitment message from my senior!"
Kōhei excitedly pulled out his phone and showed it to everyone.
"At noon today, voice actress Mizuki Kaya will be visiting our shop. Meet at the store by 10 AM!"
"That's obviously a scam."
Shiro, who had somehow returned to normal, leaned over to Kōhei and immediately shattered his fantasy.
"Really?!"
Kōhei looked at the seniors in disbelief.
"Yeah, we totally tricked you."
Tokita was refreshingly honest about it. Since their goal had already been achieved, exposing the lie wasn't a big deal anymore.
Crack!
At that moment, Kōhei turned into a carbon copy of Shiro from a few minutes ago. That feeling of having your dream shattered was truly fascinating.
"I remember Mizuki Kaya is a big name who even performed at the Red and White Song Festival. Why would she come to our shop?"
Iori tried to console Kōhei, this was the kind of lie that should be obvious at first glance.
"Kaya-chan is probably super busy right now, so she won't be able to come for a while."
However, the store manager's words interrupted Iori.
Iori turned back in confusion. "Uncle, the way you're talking… it sounds like she used to come here often?"
"Yeah, she came here pretty often~"
Nanaka confirmed it with a nod.
"Really?!"
Kōhei, who had been eavesdropping, was instantly revived!
Even Shiro looked at Uncle Kotegawa in surprise. Was this shop really that famous?
"Wait! You guys aren't fooling me again, right? You're definitely trying to toy with my emotions again!"
Having been tricked once, Kōhei had learned his lesson and wasn't going to fall for it so easily this time!
"Hahaha, we wouldn't lie to you…"
"If you don't have proof, I'm not believing a word of it!"
"Proof, huh… I think her diving suit is still hanging over there."
The store manager thought for a moment before responding. But then again, something like that wasn't exactly solid proof.
"Diving suit, huh…"
Kōhei placed a hand on his forehead. "Then… can I have a taste of it first?"
"..."
Kōhei's words stunned everyone into silence.
Even Shiro and the others, who had been enjoying the spectacle, had to take a moment to process his sheer level of depravity.
"Amazing. He didn't even hesitate…"
"Saying something like that so casually is just beyond imagination…"
"This year's freshmen are truly remarkable."
"Hey, police? I think I've found a pervert here…"
"..."
"Hahaha, let's put aside the whole 'tasting' thing for now. As long as you stick with diving, you'll definitely get to meet her someday."
The store manager, ever the businessman, smoothly redirected the conversation while also securing himself a new customer.
Bang!
"I suddenly feel incredibly motivated! I want to learn diving!"
Kōhei was suddenly bursting with energy like he had been injected with pure adrenaline. As expected… a pervert's potential was limitless!
"Leave it to me!"
"This is exactly why we gathered today!"
Seeing Kōhei's enthusiasm, the seniors were just as fired up!
"Wait a minute!"
Shiro looked at them in shock. "You're telling me club activities are related to diving?"
"(′｀;)? Of course! We're a diving club, after all."
"The oxygen tanks contain actual oxygen, not alcohol?"
"…Of course, it's oxygen."
"We're going into the ocean, not into a vat of alcohol, right?"
"…There's not that much alcohol."
"…"
Upon receiving a definitive answer, Shiro shed tears of joy. Finally… these people finally remembered what kind of club they were in!!!