BZZZZZZ!!!
The chainsaw roared again!
At the same time, Kamashiro Shirou had already started working with the cement. He had red-eye syndrome—he just couldn't stand warm and fuzzy scenes like this!
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
"That's exactly why you're the most dangerous one!!!"
Iori was starting to panic. At this rate, his 100,000 yen would be totally wasted! These two were nothing but trouble!
Especially Kamishiro—this bastard had a serious jealousy problem!
This was the same guy who, as a kid, got jealous of a sparrow flying in front of him and tore apart the bird's entire nest! Absolute scum!
"Anyway, just get back already!"
"I don't wanna!"
"Don't let her go back!"
"If it's inconvenient for you, then let Shiori stay at my place!"
With a righteously noble expression, Shiro pulled Shiori over to his side. His bed was big enough—even with two people, there'd still be plenty of room.
(???)
"You scumbag, do you even hear what you're saying?! There's only one bed in your room! This is the kind of thing we should be calling the cops for!"
"Actually... I can sleep under a bridge or something. Let my little sister take the room instead!"
The blond one's face turned completely red. Sleep? Sleep his ass!
Just the thought of a cute middle schooler being in his room was enough to keep him too excited to even lie down!
He wouldn't even need to go in—just taking a whiff of the air left behind would be more than enough!
(???皿??)??3??
"That's exactly why you two are the biggest threats here—absolutely not happening!"
To be honest, these two were the greatest danger to the sibling duo!
"None of you three are safe, alright?!"
"Shiori stays with us!"
Chisa and Aina tightly shielded Shiori. These three? Not safe at all!
One wanted to kick her out, one was a degenerate, and one was a straight-up pervert…
When you put it that way… why did the club suddenly feel so tragically pitiful?
"Sheesh, stop arguing already."
"I said it before, didn't I? At times like this, we settle it with games!"
Thankfully, the upperclassmen were dependable enough to step in and stop the chaos.
Of course…
If only their proposed solution wasn't a game…
The main debate was whether or not to let Shiori stay.
As for the actual living arrangements…
Obviously she'd be staying at Grand Blue! No way they'd leave Shiori with some degenerate or pervert!
She and Iori were blood-related siblings, after all!
"In that case, let's settle this with a team competition!"
"And we'll be the referees!"
The upperclassmen quickly split them into two teams. All four of them would serve as the judging panel.
Team 1: Shiori, Kamashiro, Kouhei, Aina, Chisa
Team 2: Kitahara, Iori… and, uh, one guy with titles like "Idiot" and "Dumbass"…
"..."
"Don't you think the teams are way unbalanced?! Just slapping on some extra titles for Team 2 isn't gonna make up for the numbers, damn it!!!"
Smack!
Iori immediately wrapped his arms around Kamishiro and Kouhei's necks. "You two—help me out!"
"I refuse."
"Are you still half-asleep or something…"
They both rejected him flatly. Of course they wanted Shiori to stay a few more days—why the hell would they help this bastard?
"I see... then I guess I'll just have to fabricate and spread some of your dark past to Shiori."
!!!
???
"WHAT?!"
Kouhei looked at him in horror. How could someone be so evil?! This guy was definitely the devil!
He glanced at Shiori… then back at Iori. Why the hell was he being forced to make this kind of choice?!
At that moment, he felt like he was being tested with the infamous trolley problem that had shocked the world.
No, this was worse than the trolley problem!
His eyes darted between the two of them—eventually, he turned to Kamishiro for help.
He really had no idea what to do!
Seeing Kouhei's look of desperation, Kamishiro solemnly nodded. "Do what you believe is right!"
At that moment, Kouhei understood everything.
BANG!
With a loud crash, cracks spiderwebbed across the wall—and Kouhei's head was bleeding profusely!
"There… now I don't have to choose either side…"
Just now, to avoid making a choice, Kouhei decisively slammed his head into the wall. The scene was positively gruesome.
"He's dead."
"Didn't expect him to go that far."
"He died like a samurai."
The upperclassmen watched from the side, all murmuring their evaluations. Kouhei's actions had truly left them stunned.
To die so tragically for a desire that could never be voiced… truly impressive.
Even Kamishiro was touched by this pervert's resolve. Though honestly, he had hoped Kouhei would side with Shiori…
What a shame. And he'd completely overlooked something very important.
Not everyone in this group is a good person...
Take a certain Iori, for example—he was currently making up lies about Kouhei to his sister.
"Listen, Shiori, this guy's main diet is actually insects."
"Eh?!!"
Shiori was shocked. With how strange this club was, she honestly couldn't tell if he was lying.
After all, insect protein is richer than beef…
"You're a demon, aren't you?"
Kamishiro looked pitifully at the already-dead Kouhei. In the end, not only did he lose his body, he couldn't even protect his reputation.
"Alright then, you're next, Kamishiro! Are you sure you're not gonna side with me?!"
Iori stared him down, completely unrepentant, not a shred of guilt for what he'd just done to Kouhei. Truly a scumbag to the core!
(.-ω-)
"I'll stick with Shiori. You can say whatever you want about me—I mean, Shiori knows what kind of person I really am~"
"So she knows about that time you were swarmed by naked men, too?"
"HELL NO, YOU BASTARD!!!"
Kamishiro grabbed Iori by the collar. He admitted defeat—he had completely underestimated this asshole!!!
The slander came flying way too naturally!
"Tch. Fine. One-man army it is. I'll show you what a God of War looks like!"
He'd already taken out Kouhei—this wasn't a total loss.
Iori decided to check what the game was first. What if it was marbles, his specialty?
For fairness, everyone submitted suggestions. It would be a best-of-three game format.
Unfolds paper...
Bad news: no marbles.
Good news: Round One was the childish game of "Drop the Handkerchief"!
"Drop the handkerchief?"
Chisa tilted her head. "Isn't that the kind of thing we played when we were really little? Even kids barely play it anymore."
"So who suggested this?"
"I did!"
Shiori raised her hand—and everyone gave a knowing smile.
She really is just a kid~
Iori ran over, patting his little sister's head nonstop. "Haha, seriously? You actually wanna play this? Shiori, you're such a little kid!"
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
Kamishiro looked at Iori in sheer horror. This idiot was patting a tiger's head!
As someone who had known her for over a decade, could he really not realize what Shiori's version of "drop the handkerchief" meant?
Even if he didn't, shouldn't he have remembered how he ended up mysteriously passed out on the floor this morning?!
Wasn't he even the least bit curious?!
Kamishiro quietly took two steps back. He'd already experienced her version this morning—and had no desire to be collateral damage again.
When they were younger, Shiori loved this game—and her favorite playmate was him, Kamashiro Shirou!
Years of playing made him develop a resistance to tranquilizers, which was why he didn't pass out completely this morning…
But a miscalculation like that only needed to happen once. And if nothing went wrong, today's dose was likely several times stronger than what she used earlier.
Godspeed, dumbass...
Just as Kamishiro predicted, while Iori was still laughing…
Shiori quietly pulled out her personal handkerchief and gently pressed it against her brother's nose and mouth.
THUD!
Without any dramatic twist, Iori collapsed straight to the ground. The back of his head lovingly kissed the floor.
"Hehe… foolish big brother… this is the 'drop the handkerchief' I was talking about."
Shiori crouched down and picked up the handkerchief from Iori's nose and mouth. At the same time, she shot a cold glance at Kamashiro Shiro, who had witnessed everything not far away.
{{(°△°; "}}!
That glare scared Kamashiro Shiro so much he immediately turned his head and rushed over to "rescue" Kohei. No way was he going to kiss the floor next!
"Hmm? Iori?"
"What are you doing?"
At that moment, everyone had been discussing how to clean up the venue, so aside from Kamashiro Shiro, no one saw what Shiori had done.
Everyone simply assumed Iori was up to his usual antics again.
"He said he suddenly got sleepy~ Must be the exhaustion piling up over time~"
"And then, seeing his little sister again made him let out a sigh of relief?"
Aina followed Shiori's lead in explanation. That was the only way to rationalize why Iori suddenly fell asleep.
"..."
Hearing this, Kamashiro Shiro's hand froze mid-rescue.
Accumulated exhaustion?
That bastard Kitahara is already doing good if he's not the one tiring everyone else out! Who else do you know shows up to a party completely naked because they're "exhausted"? Use some logic, will you!
Too bad…
Shiori's image in everyone's eyes right now was that of a perfect, loving little sister. No one would ever believe that she had orchestrated the whole thing.
"Chisa-senpai, could you tell me where my brother's room is?"
"I'll take you there."
"We'll help carry Iori."
"I'll help too."
With cheerful laughter, the two seniors carried Iori off to his room. In no time, only three people — and one possibly unconscious person — were left in the living room.
"Whew… It's been a while and Shiori's pressure has gotten even stronger."
Kamashiro Shiro wiped the nonexistent sweat from his forehead and immediately abandoned Kohei mid-rescue.
Everyone's gone — no need to keep pretending to be an ostrich.
"Shiro, you seem really scared of Shiori? Weren't you the one who wanted her as your little sister?"
Azusa looked puzzled. Based on how Shiro usually acted, he liked Shiori a lot. So why so scared?
(′｀;)?
Kamashiro Shiro was equally confused. "Aren't those two things compatible? It's totally normal for a big brother to fear his little sister!"
"You've really just kicked Iori out of the equation, huh… But aren't you jealous of how Shiori treats him?"
"Jealous? Nope."
Far from it — he was mentally praying for Kitahara.
The gentler Shiori smiled, the more ruthless her methods. Kitahara was already a lost cause.
"Emmm… something feels weird."
As a true siscon, Nanaka thought there was something off about the way Shiori liked Iori.
But she just couldn't quite explain it…
"Shiro, do you know what's going on?"
Both big sisters turned their gazes to Kamashiro Shiro. They felt like they were missing something important.
"Eh? Me?"
Kamashiro Shiro, who had just sneaked a sip of beer, was caught off guard and looked totally blank. When he realized what was happening, his eyes started darting around like mad.
(;?＿?)
"Ah, well… it's a little complicated. As for how it's complicated…"
"Shiro-nii~"
Σ(｀艸′;)!!
Shiori's gentle voice suddenly cut him off. No one knew when she had appeared behind him — smiling sweetly as she stared directly at him.
"Could you come outside for a moment?"
"…Can I say no?"
Her reply was still that sweet, angelic smile~
A refreshing breeze, carrying the sea's salty scent, brushed over the two sitting on the beach.
In the end, Kamashiro Shiro had been dragged outside by Shiori. They now sat side by side on the sand, comfortably watching the beautiful seascape ahead.
If there had been a sunset in the background, it might've looked like a scene straight out of a world-famous painting.
"Just to be clear, I didn't spill your true self."
Kamashiro Shiro opened with a self-defense statement. Shiori suddenly showing up behind him earlier had scared him badly.
"Hah? 'True self'? That is my true self, okay."
Shiori stretched her legs and propped herself up on the sand with her arms, her whole posture relaxed.
…Though wearing a kimono on the beach did look a little out of place. Who wears a kimono to sit in the sand?
Her face was still smiling, but unlike her earlier gentle facade, this smile was more genuine — lively.
Sitting on the beach, enjoying the salty sea breeze and gazing at the vast ocean, Shiori started to understand why her idiot brother didn't want to go home.
This life really was more fun than staying cooped up in that old-fashioned inn.
But still…
She also wanted to enjoy this kind of life. She didn't want to be stuck in that inn forever.
"Oh, come on. That smile earlier was totally fake."
Kamashiro Shiro clicked his tongue. This brat really just couldn't be honest with herself.
(?ò?ó)
"Could you not talk when someone's trying to enjoy the moment?!"
Her mood had been nice just now, and he totally ruined it!
?(???)?
Kamashiro Shiro spread his hands in surrender. If she kept thinking like this, she was going to go full emo. He patted her head gently.
"So… you snuck out this time, huh?"
Shiori stiffened. She looked like she wanted to argue, but thought better of it, and just turned her head away in a pout.
"All because of that idiot brother of mine — sneaking into Chisa-senpai's room in the middle of the night!"
"So in the end, you're a brocon."
"As if! I just don't want that idiot to bail on inheriting the inn. I'm not getting stuck there alone."
She pouted again. Ever since their dad decided her brother was a hopeless idiot, he had pinned all his hopes on her. Every day she had to deal with all sorts of guests. That's why she wore that fake smile all the time.
Seeing her like this, a flicker of pain crossed Kamashiro Shiro's eyes.
He had watched Shiori grow up — she was heartbreakingly mature.
Because her brother was an idiot, she had taken on inn responsibilities early. But that didn't mean she didn't long for the world outside. She was only in her teens!
Why should she be trapped inside that old inn? She should have a whole world to explore!
"Shiori, come live with me instead. Then you won't have to inherit the inn!"
Wham!
The headbutt came late — but it landed!
"You still haven't given up?!"
Shiori's face turned bright red with anger. Go live with Kamishiro?
That would just be jumping from one cage into another! And the two cages weren't even 500 meters apart!
Back when Shiro wrote her a letter with this suggestion, she nearly marched straight over to murder him.
What kind of decent person comes up with such a hellish idea?!
Just imagine…
If she really did go live with him, and her idiot brother still didn't know how to run an inn…
Wouldn't she end up running the Kamishiro family tea estate and teaching her dumb brother how to run the inn at the same time?
Aaaaaaaaah!!!
Just thinking about it made her want to die.
It was like one of those posts online:
"You're 60 years old. You've never been anywhere. You've worked hard all your life. Every morning you wake at 6 to cook breakfast for your unemployed 30-year-old kid, a few grandkids, and two elderly parents, before dragging your tired body to work… All while trying to figure out how to ask your boss for time off to celebrate your 60th birthday."
Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!!
What a hellish life!
Even if her case was different, Shiori felt like if she really went to live at Shiro's, she'd still be worrying about everything even at 60.
And worse…
Shiro was a total flirt — who knows how many kids he'd end up having!?
Thinking that, she automatically imagined herself as some poor soul raising someone else's kids. She glared daggers at Shiro!
"Hmph!"
(′｀;)?
Shiro blinked, confused. Even with his perpetually squinty eyes, blinking was still necessary.
Why did Shiori's stare just now feel… hard to decipher?
"I'm doing this for your sake, you know. Your family's inn is big, but being stuck in there your whole life is depressing. A tea estate is totally different — you can even go hiking sometimes!"
"…You're just dumping the harvest-checking duties on me, aren't you."
(;?＿?)
"Ahem — that's called hiking."
Kamashiro Shiro guiltily turned his head away. If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have taken this brat to the tea estate so many times. Now she found it boring.
"Then may I ask, Mr.Kamishiro, what exactly will you be doing?"
"Traveling the world!"
Wham!
"Scumbag!"
Shiori knew this scumbag would never change!
"Hmph. Just give up on that idea. If you don't want to inherit, you could just give it to Rize— she seems into tea stuff."
"Huh? You can't just give it away like that. My dad would kill me if I did… wait. Who's Rize?"
???!
Shiori looked at Shiro in shock. "You don't know who Rize is?!"
(′｀;)?
(p.s ; no there is no man eating ghoul arc)