The next day—
Shiro waved a pile of IOUs in front of Iori.
"Hey, Iori, it's already 250,000 yen. Even if it's in yen, that's still a big amount, you know. With just your allowance, there's no way you can pay this back~"
Seeing that stack of IOUs, Kohei backed away frantically, staring at them in shock.
"What the hell kind of shady deal are you two making?!"
A vivid scene flashed through his mind: poor Iori, swindled emotionally and financially by the Gay Club president, forced to borrow money from Shiro.
"You're imagining something weird again!"
"You bastard! Are you planning to silence me now that I've figured it out?!"
Strange wavelengths had been detected. In some twisted way, it was like the three of them shared a single brain…
As for the new addition to the debt, of course it was from yesterday—Shiro had blackmailed him with photos.
Originally, he aimed for 300,000 yen, but since that number was a bit overwhelming, they haggled it down to 250,000. Shiro planned to tack on the remaining 50,000 later as interest.
Iori did a rough calculation.
Even at an hourly rate of 2,000 yen, he'd have to work 125 hours—no eating, no sleeping, just working for almost six days straight…
Yeah, maybe it's better not to repay it. Scumbags don't deserve sympathy!
"How about I introduce you to a job? Haven't you always wanted to graduate from being a virgin? This job could help you with that~ Plus, it pays really well. You could pay off your debt quickly and even save up a fortune!"
The devil's temptation whispered in Iori's ear. Even though he knew nothing good ever came out of this scumbag's mouth, he shamefully wavered!
Come on! This was his chance to stop being a virgin!
Suddenly, Iori's tone became serious. "Can I ask what kind of job this is?"
"It's exactly what you're thinking~"
Iori was even more tempted!
"Okay, what about the age?"
"Some of them are around your age."
!
Perfect, Iori was seriously considering the job now. If they're the same age, it might not be that bad!
"Last question—location!"
He was already seriously debating whether to take the job.
"A gay club!"
"…"
Iori's face darkened. He knew he shouldn't have trusted this guy!!!
"You bastard, what the hell are you thinking?! I'm not giving my first time to a guy!"
Iori grabbed Shiro's hair. Was this guy possessed by Azusa or something?
"Ehhh… girls are possible too. But… for girls, we need some equipment…"
Iori blinked, confused. Equipment? Why would you need equipment for girls?
Until he saw Azusa watching from behind him with a mischievous grin.
"…"
"You damn pervert! When did 'virgin' start meaning this?! Apologize to virgins everywhere!"
"How else are you gonna pay me back?!"
"I'll win the lottery and pay you back then!"
"Hah? So you're not planning to pay me at all?!"
The two slammed their heads against each other, clearly not using what little brainpower they had left.
"This scene is… really intense."
"Hey Kohei, don't you want to join in?"
The two seniors looked at Kohei with kind eyes. For some reason, it always felt like Kohei couldn't quite integrate with them.
(メ｀ロ′)/
"What makes you think I'd want to get involved?! I'm a normal person—I'm not messing around with these two idiots!"
…
"Alright, enough playing around. Today we'll dive in these teams!"
Nanaka said with a bright smile, patting Shiro's head. She had already divided everyone into four groups.
Kouhei – Tokita
Chisa – Iori
Aina – Azusa
Nanaka – Shiro
Kutobuki will take photos!
Everyone seemed happy with the team arrangements—except Iori.
He was panicking inside, terrified that Nanaka would sense something and leave him buried under the sea…
"Okay, let's go change into swimsuits!"
Nanaka said. Before diving, they needed to put on swimsuits first. But…
"Eh? We still need swimsuits? I thought we just wear wetsuits?"
"Feels like it's been a long time since I last wore a swimsuit."
"Well, we used to dive completely naked, after all."
The three from the main group and the two seniors weren't even considering swimsuits. They used to dive naked under their wetsuits!
Aina's face turned bright red as she watched the five of them start stripping right there on the street.
"What are you doing?! Nanaka-senpai, you too?!"
Σ(ﾟДﾟ;≡;ﾟдﾟ)
Just as Aina was about to shout for help, she saw Nanaka and Azusa also casually taking off their tops.
One was used to wearing a swimsuit underneath, the other was just used to taking clothes off…
Even Chisa took her top off without hesitation. For her, wearing a swimsuit before diving was just routine.
Poor Aina, with zero experience, was practically turning into a steam engine, desperately pushing the two senpais and Chisa toward the changing room.
"This is the first time I've seen someone embarrassed about wearing a swimsuit."
The two seniors laughed. Since this club was formed, no one had ever really liked wearing clothes…
"Well, technically I'm still sort of a girl when I'm not wearing makeup," Aina mumbled.
Shiro mused while gazing at the sea. Every time he looked at the ocean, he felt drawn to it all over again~
…
At the Dive Shop
Everyone waited for Aina's arrival.
As a newbie, she deserved a bit of special treatment. Eventually, she'd get used to stripping down like the rest of them.
Tokita nodded in satisfaction at how well the main trio had blended in. Nothing made the club president prouder than seeing new members integrate quickly!
If more newbies joined, he'd definitely use the same method again!
Unaware they were the test subjects of this method, the trio was curiously playing with Kutobuki's camera—a high-end device meant for underwater photography. It was way more advanced than Shiro's, and officially part of the club's gear.
Chisa had always wanted one…
"Man, Aina sure is taking her time."
Shiro grumbled.
He couldn't wait to dive, it had been a month since their last session.
"Ugh, can't stand people who aren't used to stripping down."
"Yup, everything takes practice!"
Iori and Kohei chimed in. All three had conveniently forgotten that they were once normal, fully-clothed people too.
SWOOSH!
Just as they finished speaking, a figure appeared right in front of them!
"Ta-da! Now I'm not scared of wearing a swimsuit anymore!"
The Makeup Monster had returned! And this time, it had evolved into Swimsuit Makeup Monster! Still flat-chested and still stingy…
Shiro silently turned away and handed Iori and Kouhei a towel and a bottle of makeup remover.
"Σ(ﾟДﾟ;) W-Wait! Don't be violent to a lady!"
"Let's get rid of that disgusting makeup right now!"
"Are you trying to pollute the ocean?!"
"Are you sure you're not here for a sea burial, wearing a wig to go diving?!"
The three of them forcefully wiped off Aina's thick makeup. Once it was gone, Aina shrank into the corner like a little girl who had been stripped bare, eyes full of tears.
"…"
For a moment, Shiro felt like some kind of creepy predator. So your real form is the makeup and wig, huh?!
…
Everything was ready. The group pushed their oxygen tanks toward the sea.
Watching Chisa march ahead like a general heading to war, Shiro turned to Nanaka and asked,
"Nanaka-nee, did you pair Iori and Chisa together so they could clear up their misunderstanding?"
That was the only reason he could think of. For Nanaka, a hardcore siscon, to give up being in a team with her sister—she must be serious.
"That's right~ I don't know exactly what happened, but it's never good for people to fight~"
Seeing Nanaka smile so brightly, Shiro was at a loss for words. Did she not realize that Kitahara was a complete idiot? Wasn't she worried it might backfire?
"Don't worry, Shiro. Once Chisa's underwater, she's easy to handle~"
Azusa whispered into his ear with a smirk, and Nanaka nodded in agreement. "That's right~ Little Chisa just loves diving~"
"…"
Shiro suddenly felt bad for Chisa. She was being sold out by the two of them?
But seriously, why were they telling him this? Iori was already trembling in fear!
From Shiro's perspective, he saw Chisa saying something serious to Kitahara. Probably something like, "If you drag me down, I'll kill you," or the like?
Look, that idiot's face had turned into a Titan's expression. Sigh~ Poor buddy, hope you manage to pay back that 250,000 yen before you die.
But in reality, Chisa was just carefully explaining safety procedures. The Titan-face was all Iori's imagination…
Splash!
They dived into the water, and the beautiful underwater scenery unfolded before them.
Even though it was just shallow sea, and even though this wasn't their first time, Shiro was once again awestruck. It was so beautiful, like something out of a dream.
Suddenly, he felt his right hand being held. Turning, he saw a pair of eyes as beautiful as the ocean itself.
For a moment, it felt like he had returned to when he was ten, lying in a field with Nanaka-nee watching over him with a gentle smile.
Letting her guide him through the water, he looked ahead.
Clumsy, overwhelmed newcomers. Warm, patient seniors. Within the vast blue ocean, they painted their own vibrant picture of youth.
Truly, the sea never disappoints.
…
After the Dive, Back at the Shop
Originally, they had planned to throw another drinking party, but due to certain reasons, it had to be postponed.
As for those reasons…
Let's just say it had to do with Iori, now on his knees in the center, apologizing.
Originally, after the dive, his relationship with Chisa had returned to normal. But then the idiot said, "Your butt has the most amazing curves!"
And just like that, their relationship was back in the freezer.
"Why would you say something so unnecessary…"
"This isn't just sexual harassment—it's on a whole new level."
"Try focusing more on the scenery next time."
"If you see something, use a 'look over here' signal, please!"
"…"
.....................…..
"Haa~"
Shiro walked down the road back home, half-naked and looking exhausted. Behind him was Azusa, stretching lazily while wearing one of his t-shirts.
"Ahahaha, I knew it, nothing beats a drink after a good dive~"
Azusa said with a satisfied grin.
In the end, they had their drinking party anyway. No way they were going to cancel just because of Iori.
Apparently, Iori got a little too drunk and decided to go talk to Chisa while he still had courage from the alcohol.
Whether he managed to explain things or not was unclear. All Shiro knew was that when he finally found him, Iori was lying face down on the ground foaming at the mouth...
"That was just too cruel, Azusa-nee, you were totally ganging up on me with the others."
Walking ahead, Shiro let out a sigh.
Another day of being the group's punching bag. He hadn't even been back home in forever—just last night, he ended up crashing at Kitahara's place because he was too tired to go back.
At this point, Shiro was starting to question the whole point of renting his own place.
That "Dragon and Tiger Love Motel" wasn't half bad.
The owner might've looked scary, but he was actually pretty welcoming. Shiro wondered if they offered yearly VIP plans...
He began calculating the feasibility of the idea in his head. He had a feeling he might be going there often in the future...
He really liked those two alphabet-themed rooms.
"Ahaha, well, it's your fault for having such a strong final line of defense, Shiro~"
Azusa teased him with a mischievous look. That underwear really was a legendary artifact—thanks to it, Shiro was basically unbeatable in strip rock-paper-scissors!
"…In the end, you guys still yanked it off."
Shiro's face darkened. Did they have any idea what it felt like to have the last layer of defense ripped away by wild beasts?!
When the whole group pinned him down and Tokita leaned in to yank off his boxers… He couldn't even feel his little buddy anymore. That was trauma—emotional trauma!
"Haha, it's fine, it's fine. Once we're back, we can play just the two of us~"
Azusa leaned close to his ear, whispering in a devilish tone. The scent of wisteria flowers and that seductive tone immediately reminded Shiro that his little buddy was still alive!
Hell yeah!
He spotted his apartment door up ahead and dashed over. He couldn't wait to start gaming! (ꈍᴗꈍ‵)
Creaaaak~
Hadn't been home in days… kinda missed it, actually. Just look at that vibrant yaoi poster on the wall, and the scattered garbage giving the place a nice artistic vibe. Even those mysterious papers lying around were—
(⊙﹏⊙)
Shiro quietly closed the door, his face twitching.
No, no. He was definitely hallucinating just now. Aside from that yaoi poster (which he had sealed away in the deepest pits of hell), none of that other stuff should be in his room!
What the hell just happened?!
"Not going in, Shiro?"
Azusa tilted her head behind him, clearly having forgotten the mess she made.
"...Azusa-nee, I think I walked into the wrong apartment."
"But you already opened the door, didn't you?"
"…"
Shiro didn't reply. He pushed the door open again. Maybe it really was a trick of the eye.
But no miracle awaited him. The room was in the exact same state as before, maybe even worse now that the door was wide open.
Pfft~
Azusa couldn't help but burst out laughing when she saw the state of Shiro's room.
That single laugh instantly exposed the culprit!
Only he and Azusa had keys!
And what kind of thief eats chips in someone's room and leaves the wrappers all over the place?!
"Azusa-neeeee~"
A dangerous glint flashed in Shiro's eyes. The culprit must be punished!
"Pfft, hahaha! Don't be like that, Shiro, that tickles~!"
…
After their roughhousing, Shiro was left cleaning the room, grumbling the whole time. He didn't even gain the upper hand during the tussle. That scissor lock move was totally overkill for a junior!
Meanwhile, Azusa was preparing for a long-overdue tradition. It'd been a while since the two of them had a private drinking session~
Seeing her busy with the drinks, Shiro didn't say much. Things had been hectic lately, he really hadn't had time for just the two of them. He'd need to manage his schedule better moving forward.
He wondered… if he suggested limiting daily drinking to just one hour, would the senpais agree?
With that dangerous thought in mind, Shiro walked over to a pile of strange papers.
They weren't tissues like he expected, but rather regular A4 printer paper.
He picked one up and unfolded it—and found illustrations of Fireworks, the protagonist from his light novel.
And they were incredibly accurate. Way better than anything he had drawn himself.
"Azusa-nee, what's this?"
He looked toward Azusa, who was sneakily eating sushi with a guilty face.
"Ahh (￣～￣), that? Just something I doodled when I had time. I mean, your drawings were way too bad to use as actual illustrations, right? But don't worry, those are just failed attempts~"
Caught red-handed, Azusa didn't look embarrassed at all as she popped another piece of sushi in her mouth.
RIP!
Shiro froze up, his eyes wide in disbelief as he accidentally tore the paper in half from sheer shock.
This woman… she wasn't just a drunkard—she could draw?! And even better than him?!
"Judging by your expression, you're probably thinking something really rude right now…"
Azusa shoved a piece of sushi into his mouth. What was that look of betrayal supposed to mean? She was more than capable of going toe-to-toe with the art club, you know!
"Mmmph (￣～￣), I was just surprised. But hey, Azusa-nee, you're so good at this—how about becoming my illustrator?"
Shiro tried to recruit her. That way, he'd save a ton of time and goof off more!
"Eh? Illustrator, huh? I guess I could. So how much are you planning to pay me, Shiro?"
Azusa thought it was a pretty good idea. Drawing wouldn't take too much time, and she wasn't about to work for free.
"…Azusa-nee, don't you think we're close enough that talking about money feels wrong?"
"No free labor!"
"…Sigh."
Shiro let out a long sigh. So hard to trick these days. He totally missed an easy bargain.
"By the way, Shiro—why do all the characters in your novel, aside from the main cast, have letter placeholders instead of names?"
Azusa asked while flipping through a stack of manuscripts. She had already finished reading volume one out of boredom earlier. There were barely any names besides the core characters.
As for her thoughts? It was definitely a story only a scumbag could've written.
That said, the content did match the novel's title. But seriously—is this really what Japanese high school life is like now?!
Azusa found herself worrying deeply for Japan's education system~
"Meh, that stuff's not important. I'll just make up random names later."
Shiro waved it off casually.
It's not like he had some system to help him, he barely remembered the names of the side characters himself. The plot was mostly built off memories of scenes he had imagined long ago, so it was normal for some parts to differ from the "original."
"I see…"
Azusa nodded, then handed him a beer.
It was officially drinking time!
"Hurry, hurry, I found a new one that's super good!"
"Not a yaoi, I hope!"
.....................…..
"Wow! The sea here is so beautiful—I really want to go see it!"
"Miyako Island... I've never been there either."
"It does look nice. But it's in Okinawa, right?"
Chisa, Aina, and Shiro were looking at a magazine featuring the beautiful scenery of Miyako Island, their faces filled with longing.
Aina especially—ever since she experienced diving for the first time, her passion had been completely ignited.
The three of them were flipping through the magazine, searching for the best diving spots.
As for Iori and Kohei, ever since they arrived this morning, they'd been hunched over in a corner with their phones, clearly up to something.
"Oh! Are you guys researching diving?"
"Looks like you really enjoyed your first dive, huh?"
Two upperclassmen walked in and smiled warmly at the scene before them. It seemed their way of introducing newcomers to diving had been a success.
"Yeah, senpai! I want to get my license as soon as possible so I can go diving more often!"
Aina replied enthusiastically, completely captivated by the stunning underwater scenery she saw during her first dive.
And besides… wasn't this exactly the kind of college life she had dreamed of?
That statement left Chisa momentarily stunned. She hadn't expected the most enthusiastic member of the diving club to be a newbie!
"Well, speaking of which…"
"HAHAHAHAHA! Kamishiro, this is you, isn't it?!"
"You've hit number one on the forum! That's so lame!"
Before Shiro could even get a word out, Iori and Kohei zipped over to him, holding up their phones.
Judging by the smug, gloating looks on their faces, Shiro knew immediately—whatever it was, it couldn't be good.
Sure enough, the post title read…
"Freshman Shiro Kamishiro is a Scumbag!"
The post detailed how Shiro was flirting with multiple upperclassman girls at once. On top of that, it accused him of bullying Kudou, the president of the tennis club, and even included a photo of him entering a love hotel!
With all these juicy keywords, the thread exploded, shooting straight to the number one spot on the forum!
The comment section was a chaotic mix of guys gleefully mocking him and girls expressing disbelief.
"Oho? Someone's true nature has been revealed, huh? Looks like you're going to be the campus pariah now~"
"Being blasted on the forum like that… how embarrassing, Kamishiro~"
"..."
Looking at the two with their gloating giant expressions, Shiro didn't even know how to respond.
These two had monopolized the top forum spot for so long, how could they say this with a straight face?!
Could they seriously not see it? The second-place post was about them!
"…Can you two seriously not see what's in second place?"
"Hah? What second place? Kamishiro, stop trying to change the subject!"
"Yeah! Don't think you can weasel your way out of this!"
The two had entered a state of selective blindness—they were only capable of seeing Shiro's post at #1!
Hearing the commotion, Azusa and the others came over and took one look at the photo of Shiro entering the love hotel…
"Eh? For real. Wait, when did you go there, Shiro? And by yourself?"
Azusa asked in confusion. Even if it wasn't at night, who goes alone to a place like that?
Shiro twitched at the sight of the photo. That was from this morning.
He passed by the place on his way here and, out of curiosity, went in to ask about getting an annual membership.
He never expected someone from school to snap a photo of it…
Sigh… Talk about rotten luck. Not only did that shady manager accuse him of being a perv and refuse him service, but now this?
Looking through the post again, Shiro was struck by how well-organized and detailed it was—but seriously, were these college kids just not aggressive enough?
Compared to his high school days, this was nothing!
"Who would've thought… Kamishiro finally getting his comeuppance!"
Iori was ecstatic. Rarely did he get a chance to see Shiro take a hit.
"Yeah yeah, but wait… Kitahara, why is the account you're using named Yamamoto?"
Shiro squinted at the username—Yamamoto's selfie as the profile pic.
No matter how much of a perv Kitahara might be, even he wouldn't use Yamamoto's face as his profile pic… right?
{{(°△°; "}}!
Iori snatched the phone back, his face pale. He hadn't even noticed. Damn that Yamamoto!
"…Don't tell me both your accounts are gone? (??ω??)"
Shiro looked at them mockingly. The moment he saw the account, he'd figured it out. Just a few days ago, he saw Iori and Kouhei's accounts going wild in the comments under their own leaked nudes—filthy language and all.
Even he was appalled.
He was just wondering why they'd been so quiet lately. Turns out they'd been banned by the moderators.
The two of them were seething. Of all people, they really didn't want Shiro to find out!
"That's not the point! The point is you got posted on the forum! No more flirting with girls now—and just wait till the seniors catch wind of this, you're dead meat!"
Images of their own cafeteria ambushes came to mind. Shiro was definitely going to be buried behind the school if he didn't cough something up.
"(???) Oh? Is that all?"
"..." ×2
The moment they saw Shiro calm, almost zen-like expression, their smug grins froze.
"You're not scared?"
"Scared? Why would I be scared? This is nothing compared to high school. Back then, I topped the 'Most Wanted Dead by Male Students' list. And yeah, I got exposed for juggling multiple girls too."
"But whatever. If anything, I should thank them—if I wasn't exposed, my schedule would've been completely overbooked~"
Shiro finished with that smug, punchable face of his.
Iori and Kouhei's faces darkened. That was it—they couldn't take it anymore. They lunged at him.
"What kind of high school life did you even live?!"
"Just a normal one!"
"You scumbag! What kind of 'normal' high school has an assassination list?! Who the hell racks up over 100 conquests in high school?!"
"My school was full of delinquents too, okay? And my idol is Johnny-sensei!"
"Don't you dare drag your degenerate role model into this!"
＼(`Δ')／×3
The two upperclassmen watched the three of them brawling from a distance, smiling warmly. This was great, Kohei was finally fully engaged.
…
After their scuffle, the three were dumped onto a sofa by the upperclassmen.
"Well, we know you guys are close, but maybe tone it down a bit. Next time, let's just drink."
Kotobuki sighed as he looked at the three swollen-faced morons. At first, PaB didn't allow fighting. But once they realized this was just the trio's unique bonding method, they let it slide.
"Who's close with these two idiots?!" ×3
The upperclassmen stared at each other with dot-eyes. Clearly, these boys were just too shy to express their love openly.
"Anyway, let's get to the real reason we're here. Did you bring what I asked?"
Tokita changed the subject. They were gathered here today for a proper club activity!
"Of course!"
"Brought my casual gear, just like you said!"
"So what's today's activity?"
The three showed off their casual outfits. Aside from Kohei's idol costume, Iori and Shiro were in normal athletic wear—they were genuinely looking forward to today's club activity.
And most importantly, they already knew it wasn't a drinking party!
If the diving club's activity wasn't drinking, then there could only be one thing left!
"We're entering a doubles tennis tournament!" ×2
The two seniors whipped out tennis rackets, beaming with excitement.
"Hold up a second!!" ×3
Why is the diving club's activity a doubles tennis match?!
…
.....................…..
Tennis Court
Shiro lazily sat on a chair, casually admiring the shy girl across from him dressed in a tennis outfit.
The whole scene looked like a delinquent forcing an innocent housewife into something indecent.
"You look good. But… knowing your personality, I didn't think you'd wear something like that."
Shiro looked curiously at Chisa. The tennis outfit completely accentuated her graceful figure. Had she decided to stop hiding her charm after winning the beauty contest?
"Ugh…"
Chisa shyly grabbed the hem of her skirt and shot Shiro a fierce glare.
It's not like she wanted to wear this outfit! When she went to the girls' locker room, the clothes she originally prepared had already been swapped out by her sister and the others—this was the only thing left…
"Ah~ Chisa, you look so cute!"
Out of nowhere, Nanaka appeared and hugged Chisa tightly, rubbing up against her like a creepy guy on a train. She then dragged Chisa off like some sketchy old man to go take pictures.
"Hmm~ Playing tennis once in a while isn't bad, huh?"
Azusa handed Shiro a water bottle and sat down beside him.
He took a sip and glanced at everyone warming up. The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.
"Why did we agree to this challenge again…?"
A tennis match between the diving club and the tennis club?
Do those two sports have any overlap whatsoever?!
"Well, there's no helping it. The TB club president lured Tokki and Bukki in with prize money. You know they have no resistance to that kind of thing."
Shiro turned his head as he saw Azusa's eyes turn into money signs. "Looks like you're not very resistant either…"
"It's just that the club's funding is too tight. Diving is expensive. If we had more prize money, we could have a wider range of club activities. Besides, doesn't this feel kinda sportsmanlike?"
…As soon as money is involved, the sportsmanship vanishes!
"I think if we cut out the alcohol parties, we could afford to dive a few more times a month."
"Where's the fun in diving without drinks?!"
"..."
What kind of club even is this?!
"Eh? Shiro, you're not joining in?"
Azusa, watching the six people warming up on the court, just noticed Shiro wasn't playing.
"Ah, I don't know how to play tennis… Actually, I suck at all land-based sports!"
"Wait, that's a thing?"
"Of course! All those sports are sweaty and gross, no way would I ever want to do them!"
Seeing him proudly say that, Azusa's eyes turned into dots. That just ruled out over half of all sports.
Suddenly, Shiro who had been counting the clouds above, noticed the sky had gone dark?
He looked forward and narrowed his eyes.
Who's the jerk interrupting his beautiful alone time with Azusa?
"You bastard! Why haven't you replied to my messages?!"
Ah~ It's our dear Club President Kudou~
Seeing the pitiful expression on Kudou's face, Shiro pulled out his phone, confused. He didn't remember saving Kudou's contact… And why did Kudou-senpai look so heartbroken?
Wait a second!
Shiro quickly grabbed Azusa and stepped back, holding up his phone screen.
"See? Nothing here, Kudou-senpai. Maybe you've got the wrong guy! The one you confessed to should be that one over there warming up!"
He pointed at Iori, who was totally unaware he was being sold out again by Shiro.
Azusa watched with awe—Shiro's speed at throwing his friends under the bus was becoming a passive skill.
Kudou's face turned pitch black, his mouth twitching violently.
Of course he knew that cross-dressing guy was over there. The real culprit was this sneaky, squinty-eyed devil in front of him!
If it weren't for him, everyone would've just laughed the incident off. It wouldn't have blown up on the forum like this. He had to call in so many favors just to push that post down to third place!
And worst of all, the new TB club members now looked at him with eyes full of fear.
Several of them had even said they wanted to quit the club. At this rate, TB was going to fall apart under his leadership!
Kudou took a deep breath, trying hard to control his anger. PaB's muscleheads were around—violence was not the answer…
He forced a calm voice. "Not that! I mean the messages from a stranger!"
He had to go through so much trouble to get this squinty guy's contact info from the girls in the club, only for this jerk to completely ghost him!
"From a stranger, huh…"
Shiro gave him a strange look. Was this guy actually some kind of pervert? What normal person just DMs strangers like that?
Wait…
DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING!!!
As soon as Shiro enabled the "stranger messages" setting, an avalanche of messages poured in, freaking him out so badly he immediately shut off his phone.
Too scary. Even though he was in college now, those beasts from high school still hadn't let him go.
Cold sweat dripped down his forehead. He absolutely couldn't reveal his location—what if they tracked him down?!
The reason Shiro had disabled messages from strangers in the first place was because in high school, he got death threats daily. There were so many, he just turned them off entirely.
Let them rage in vain, it was kind of satisfying.
Looking at Kudou-senpai now… his vibes were exactly the same as those guys~
(｡•́︿•̀｡)
"So you see, Kudou-senpai—it's not that I didn't want to reply. I just physically couldn't."
Kudou's mouth twitched again. In over 20 years of life, this was the most absurd person he'd ever met.
He took another deep breath. Today, I swear I will break this squinty bastard's calm!
"Hmph! Kamishiro-kun, doesn't it suck being the #1 trending topic on the forum?!"
He smirked wickedly. He had personally taken a picture of Shiro entering a love hotel alone and posted it online!
That's right—he, Kudou, was the one who made Shiro the top of the school forum!
He swore he'd make this guy suffer just as much as he did!
He could already picture Shiro grinding his teeth, helpless and furious. Just thinking about it made him giddy!
(≖ᴗ≖✿)
"…It's not bad. Pretty well-written, actually."
Σ(ﾟдﾟlll)!!
Kudou was stunned. This reaction wasn't what he imagined at all!
"You're not mad?!"
"Why would I be? That was basically my everyday life in high school. People flamed me all the time, but I still turned out like this."
Shiro shrugged innocently, his face full of nonchalance.
"Pfft, hahaha~"
Azusa couldn't help but laugh. That innocent expression—Shiro should seriously consider acting.
(╬｀ロ´)
"What kind of high school did you even go to?! Just you wait! We'll settle this on the tennis court!"
"Oh, I'm not participating in the match…"
POOF!
Kudou straight-up passed out from rage. This was not how he thought things would go!!!