Kamashiro Shirou was pondering whether to take Iori to check out the Great Bird Spin Club later.
But if he did that, wouldn't it expose his identity as an informant?
Yeah... better to take it slow. If fate wills it, Iori will stumble into that abyss on his own someday~
Just imagining Iori joining the Great Bird Spin Club and then suddenly discovering that Shirou is already a member under iori's name—his reaction would be priceless.
???‵?
Meanwhile, over on Tsukuyo's side...
Facing the curious gazes of the two boys, she took a drag of her cigarette and thought for a moment. There wasn't really anything in there that was particularly off-limits, so she said:
"If you want to look, go ahead. It's no big deal."
As long as you don't have nightmares afterward...
With Tsukuyo's permission, Shirou and Kouhei could no longer hold back their curiosity.
Like a pair of pervy old men peeking into a women's bathhouse, the two boys slightly lifted a corner of the pink curtain.
And then—they saw a scene that would forever be etched into their memories.
The conveyor was flanked by elderly women dressed in kimonos, their faces deeply wrinkled and smiling in an eerie way. It was like looking straight into hell.
Even more terrifying was that one of the old ladies noticed them. Her eyes flashed with surprise—and desire. Smiling hungrily, she beckoned to them with her finger.
Seeing this, both boys let go of the curtain in horror and instantly teleported behind Tsukuyo. At the same time, they each whipped out their phones.
Their synchronized movements were like something out of military training.
Only after pulling up his treasured swimsuit photo album did Shirou's terrified expression begin to ease, though his face remained pale.
Kouhei, on the other hand, clutched his phone and kept chanting, "Rarako, Rarako—ahhh! My eyes!!"
Shirou squeezed his eyes shut in pain. He now fully understood Kouhei's anguish—and finally grasped why that senpai had once thrown himself into the arms of the Great Bird Spin Club.
This is true human suffering.
As he looked at that pitch-dark pink space, Shirou—for the first time—felt a twinge of guilt toward Iori.
Maybe when they get back, he should cancel that 50,000 yen IOU...
"Too horrifying! This isn't Kabukicho—it's a nightmare!"
Kouhei was baffled—deeply baffled. This was hell. How could hell exist in what was supposed to be a paradise of lust?!
What was the purpose of this store?!
Looking at the two boys questioning the very meaning of life, Tsukuyo calmly took another drag of her cigarette. She wasn't surprised in the least.
As the owner of this establishment, she knew exactly how lethal it was to men—though of course, exceptions existed for certain niche tastes.
After all, in a world with so many people, there were bound to be some very unique preferences...
...Ahem.
Back to the "Yoshiwara House."
"If my store's been able to operate all this time, then of course it serves a purpose. Didn't you see the notice at the entrance?"
(′｀;)?
"Notice?"
Shirou and Kouhei looked at each other and saw the same confusion in each other's eyes.
They hadn't seen any kind of notice when they came in. Kouhei had just come along out of curiosity—and now he desperately wanted to go back and slap his past self for being such a fool.
Even now, all he could see when he closed his eyes was that old woman's smile.
He was so traumatized, he couldn't even look at kimonos anymore. Damn it!
"Hm? You didn't see it?"
Tsukuyo seemed a bit surprised. She thought she had made the sign pretty big...
"Is it that thing over there?"
Shirou pointed at a sign in the corner that read "SPIRITUAL CASTRATION" in large characters, with some smaller, blurry text beneath it.
"Ah, that's it. I must've forgotten to put it out this morning—things were busy."
Tsukuyo looked relieved. So that's why these boys had come in totally unprepared. It wasn't just because of this squinty-eyed pretty boy's curiosity.
Kouhei's mouth twitched as he looked at the sign. "Now I'm starting to feel sorry for that idiot... So what is the purpose of this place anyway?"
He was still confused. It was hard to imagine that this kind of place could exist in the heart of expensive, cutthroat Kabukicho—and even crazier that it was free.
Hoo~
At that, Tsukuyo fell silent for a moment. The atmosphere turned somber.
"You know... this industry is a harsh one."
Looking a bit emotional, she sighed. The two boys just tilted their heads in sync. They genuinely had no idea what she was talking about.
(???)
Their perfect synchronization made Tsukuyo's forehead twitch. She suddenly felt the urge to smack them both.
"In short, this is an industry that thrives on youth, and competition is fierce. Once a woman grows old and loses her customers, she has to find another path."
As she explained, the boys began to get it.
"Sounds kind of like programming..." Shirou muttered.
"Yeah, most engineering jobs are like that too," Kouhei added.
They both fell silent, a bit reflective. Was industrial burnout now affecting the adult entertainment industry too? Suddenly they were worried about their future job prospects.
Tsukuyo, watching the conversation drift into a weird social commentary, was totally lost.
(╬◣д◢)
Are these idiots even talking about the same thing as me?!
Sensing danger, Shirou quickly clamped a hand over Kouhei's mouth. If they kept going, they might end up joining Iori in the underworld.
Tsukuyo glared at them and said, "This place exists to ensure these women can live normal lives after aging out of the industry. Most of the women working on this street contribute part of their income to keep this place running.
Usually, only people looking to cut off their desires or those who've messed with the wrong woman and got dragged here will end up coming.
You guys? First time I've seen anything like this."
"..."
Hearing her explanation, the boys finally understood the purpose of this place.
So it was basically like... retirement insurance?
Even the adult industry had social security benefits now...
They didn't know what to say for a while. But at least they'd brought the right person here!
In perfect sync, they nodded. "Yup. Kitahara definitely needs this place to cleanse his soul."
"After this experience, he might finally become a normal person."
Tsukuyo fell silent.
Poor guy... with friends like these...
Doo doo doo~
Just then, as they were talking about Iori, the conveyor belt suddenly sped up.
Which meant—he was coming out!
They held their breath, eyes locked on the exit.
Shirou even pulled out his prized camera, ready to document Iori's rebirth!
They didn't have to wait long. A golden figure was soon spat out by the conveyor.
Shirou and Kouhei's eyes widened. Even Tsukuyo looked surprised.
He... ascended?!
Dun dun dun dun dun… 🎵
As Shiro stared at the golden figure before him, the Journey to the West theme started playing in his mind.
The once-prone Iori now sat cross-legged on the conveyor belt, glowing with holy golden light.
The ropes binding him were gone. Even his clothes had turned into mere rags…
"He reached enlightenment."
"Yeah. And it's golden, too."
Shiro and Kōhei walked up to him for a closer look.
He actually looked like he might be worth quite a bit.
But unfortunately…
"What are boobs? Why are there boobs? Why are there two boobs… boobs…"
Only when he's silent could he be sold for anything.
Listening to Iori muttering nonsense, Shiro became curious about just what kind of inhuman torment he had endured inside.
Recalling the terrifying auntie, he shivered. Could the "boobs" Iori referred to be…
That horrifying possibility made both boys look at Iori with deep sympathy.
"Too cruel."
"This is on the same level as forbidding him from stripping while drunk."
Tsukuyo silently watched their backs, wondering if they'd forgotten who had sent that poor boy in there in the first place.
And what's this about stripping when drunk? Is that some new Kabukicho bar?
But to reach enlightenment in one go…
It seemed those aunties hadn't seen a young man in a long time. Maybe they got a little too excited.
She figured it was time for an employee training session.
If any more boys showed up, this wouldn't do.
…
Meanwhile—
Shiro waved a hand in front of Iori's face. No reaction.
His eyes weren't even focused.
Shiro looked troubled and turned to Kōhei.
"Bit of a problem. He's dead weight now. Got any ideas?"
Kōhei thought for a moment and said to Iori:
"There's an AV actress doing a fan meet outside!"
!!!
At that call, the LSP (lustful soul power) inside Iori began to stir.
His body trembled. His mind was waging a fierce battle.
"Oho! That's our Kōhei! Just a bit more and we can bring him back!"
Shiro was impressed. Even hell couldn't extinguish Iori's LSP!
Even Tsukuyo, watching from the sidelines, looked stunned.
"Heh… after all, he's a simple, single-celled organism," Kōhei said smugly. His brilliant mind had saved the day again.
"Let me finish the job: The AV actress has huge boobs. Very H!"
!!!
At that moment, Iori's already fragile LSP finally died a tragic death.
All he could think of now…
…was sagging.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
The golden Buddha statue turned into a demon, rolling wildly on the conveyor belt.
And it just kept rolling… right back into the pink zone again~
"AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"
Iori's screams left the other two speechless.
Kamashiro's mouth twitched slightly as he looked at Kouhei suspiciously. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
That was like ripping off someone's scab just as it was starting to heal—and then pouring salt on the wound!
(′-ι_-｀)
"Ahem, that was actually… an accident…"
Kouhei's expression looked a little unnatural. How was he supposed to know this boob-loving guy couldn't even hear the word 'boobs' anymore?
"Well, let him rest a bit. That kind of reaction is still somewhat normal."
Unable to watch any longer, Miss Tsukuyo pulled Iori out and kindly wrapped him in a blanket, placing him in a corner. If his two friends kept tormenting him like this, the poor kid might end up with permanent psychological trauma.
…
"So are we just going to stay here the whole time?"
Kouhei asked Shirou, starting to get a bit bored. Plus, after what they just witnessed, he was constantly afraid one of those middle-aged women from the pink zone might pop out.
"We don't really have a choice. This is the safest place. If we just stay he—"
Doo doo doo~
Shirou didn't even get to finish his sentence before his phone interrupted him.
He looked at the screen—it was a call from Nanaka-nee.
"Moshi moshi, Shirou~ How's the job going?"
For some reason, hearing her gentle voice in his ear made Shirou suddenly feel like crying.
(*?????)
If he had known things would turn out like this, he should've just stuck with Nanaka-nee from the start.
"Shirou?"
Her puzzled voice came from the phone, and Shirou realized he'd gotten so emotional he'd forgotten to speak.
"I'm here. I'm done on my end. Nanaka-nee, have you wrapped up over there too?"
"Mmhmm, everything went smoothly. In that case, let's meet up. Iori and the others are with you, right? I heard from Chisa-chan that they went to find you. Did you run into them?"
Shirou glanced at the two idiots having fun in the corner (Kouhei teasing Iori).
"…You could say that."
"(′｀;)?"
"Then I'll wait for you guys at the front gate of that high school, okay?"
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
"Wait, Nanaka-nee, we—"
Doo doo doo~
All he got in reply was a busy tone. She'd already hung up.
"…"
The front gate of that high school—wasn't that just walking into a trap?
But maybe not. As the saying goes, "the most dangerous place is the safest place."
Besides, it's the weekend. Why would there be students on campus?
With that thought, Shirou calmed down a little. Still, things couldn't go on like this forever.
Even if they regrouped, it would just go from three people running for their lives to six people doing the same. They needed a one-and-done solution!
Doo doo doo~
Just as he was thinking about how to end this once and for all, the phone rang again.
This time it was Chisa…
"Shirou, are Iori and Imamura with you? I tried calling Iori but he didn't pick up."
Shirou glanced at the curled-up figure in the corner and said, "Yeah, they're with me—well, their bodies are. As for their souls…"
He wasn't sure if the idiot's soul was still around.
"(′｀;)?"
Chisa, on the other end in Tokyo, tilted her head. Could a person's body and soul really be separated like that?
Oh well, whatever. These three idiots always managed to pull something ridiculous anyway.
"We're supposed to meet at that high school. nee-san just called us. Aina and I don't know where it is though. Can we go together?"
(;?＿?)
"Uh… that might not be so convenient."
Shirou was sweating bullets. How was he supposed to explain that they were currently hiding out in Kabukichō, in a place called Yoshiwara House, giving Iori's soul a spiritual cleansing?
Even he wouldn't believe that if he weren't part of it!
"AAAHHH!! No boobs! Please, no boobs!"
Right on cue, Iori began another round of howling. Hearing his voice, Chisa immediately sensed something was off. Her tone sharpened.
"Where exactly are you guys?"
"In… a place where men grow into men. Anyway, gotta go, Chisa. Let's just meet at the school!"
"Wait! What do you mean, 'where men grow into men'? What are you guys doing?!"
Aina's voice could be heard through the phone.
But Shirou ignored her and hung up.
Whew—
Man, hanging up on people really was satisfying.
"Was that the corpse-makeup beast?"
Kouhei walked over, covering Iori's mouth. He'd recognized Chisa's voice just now.
"Yeah, kind of both of them. We're supposed to regroup at that school later."
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
"Isn't that basically handing ourselves over?!"
Kouhei went pale. He really didn't want to hear the words "that high school" right now.
Seriously, what had he even done to be hunted like this? All he wanted was to visit a maid café and Akihabara!
"Don't worry. Not for now. What kind of student would be at school on a weekend, anyway? Besides, I've got a foolproof plan!"
Looking at Miss Tsukuyo's kimono, Shirou's eyes gleamed with determination.
"For now, our top priority is to wake this idiot up."
Meanwhile, on the other side of Tokyo—
The color had drained from Aina's face.
"The place where men grow up," and "Tokyo."
Put those two together, and it could only mean Kabukichō.
It had to be Kabukichō! Those three bastards were definitely holed up in there!
Just thinking of Iori possibly whispering sweet nothings to some hostess made Aina want to die on the spot.
"Chisa…"
Aina looked at her with teary eyes, hoping for some comfort.
And Chisa did give her that—sort of.
Pulling up the school forum, Chisa said, "It's probably not what you're thinking. They are on the run, after all. But yeah, hiding in Kabukichō sounds pretty likely. Why don't we head to nee-san first? We can ask them when they show up."
"Really?! They didn't go to any of those weird shops?!"
Aina's eyes lit up instantly, clearly having ignored everything after "probably not."
"…Maybe."
Watching the overly excited Aina, Chisa had a bad feeling.
And the next second, that feeling came true.
Aina grabbed her wrist and started dragging her toward the subway. "Nope, not waiting. Let's head to Kabukichō and cut them off ourselves!"
（＞д＜）
Chisa closed her eyes in pain. She just wanted to reunite with nee-san…