To carry out Iori's plan, Kamishiro hid the earpiece in the flower vase on the table.
Once everything was ready, he gave Iori a nod to signal they could begin.
Aina tested it out first, speaking into the earpiece: "Kohei, you should eat with a bit more gusto."
But because the earpiece was still too far from Kohei, he didn't notice the voice at all and kept focusing on eating lobster.
"He didn't even notice…"
"This won't work."
Aina and Chisa were a little disappointed — they'd hit a wall again.
However, both Kamishiro and Iori remained completely calm.
Iori took the earpiece and said, "That's because it's our voices."
He fiddled with his phone, and Maya's sweet voice rang out again.
"Kohei."
This time, the voice was even softer than Aina's — yet Kohei reacted immediately!
He frantically looked around, searching for the source of the voice.
"Kohei, don't look over here."
Hearing this, Kohei suddenly sat up straight, frozen like a statue.
Seeing this, Kamishiro couldn't help but be impressed — Maya's charm was truly something else.
Even the developers of this software probably didn't expect anyone to fall for it this hard.
"Start filming."
Kamishiro told Iori. No matter what, they had to get some footage, or the production manager would cry when he woke up.
"No problem!"
Iori gave an "OK" gesture and continued operating the phone.
"That dish... I made it."
Boom!
Kohei looked like he'd been struck by lightning, staring at the lobster on the table in shock.
He shakily picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks.
He chewed slowly, as if savoring the most precious delicacy in the world.
"So good…"
Kohei muttered. But his voice was too quiet for the others to hear — all they saw was him lowering his head and going silent after eating.
"Um, Ikegoshi…sa?"
Aoi called out cautiously. She felt like "Ikegoshi" was acting completely different now.
BANG!
"Delicious!"
The sudden bang on the table made everyone jump.
Kohei had slammed the table and jumped to his feet, shouting, "I've never eaten anything this delicious in my life!!"
Not only that, he even picked up the lobster, showering it with praise: "This divine nectar from the heavens… It goes perfectly with the scenery of this southern island and the descending fairy! The music—!"
His whole demeanor wasn't just someone describing food — it was like he was worshipping it!
"This… might be a bit too much."
Aina twitched at the corner of her mouth. It's just lobster — why is he making it sound like some god-tier ambrosia?
"Well, it's a TV show. A little exaggeration makes it more entertaining. Don't you think that kind of over-the-top delivery grabs attention better?"
Kamishiro looked very satisfied. Finally, something to show the producer when he wakes up.
"That's true… Even I kinda want to try it now just to see if it's really that good."
She thought about shows she'd seen before — actors always overreact when eating good food.
"Keep it going!"
"Leave it to me!"
Iori gave a knowing smile. They only needed to get one good take~
"Kohei, how's the wine?"
"Mmm, this glass of wine has a silky texture and a fruity aroma of white peach—it's absolutely wonderful!"
Aina Takahashi: "I... I think so too."
Cold sweat trickled down Aina Takahashi's forehead. She had no idea why "Ikegoshi san" suddenly became so good at this.
It was putting her under a lot of pressure!
With Iori's support, the shoot was going exceptionally well. At this rate, they'd wrap up the scene in no time.
Seeing the thumbs-up from the cameraman, Kamishiro knew the time had come.
He discreetly signaled Iori with a glance.
At that moment, Iori was basking in praise from Chisa and Aina. When he caught Kamishiro's signal, his smile grew even broader.
"You're doing great."
"kohie, you're amazing~"
"It's nothing, really~"
As he casually responded to their compliments, Iori secretly operated his phone. Now it was time for the finishing blow!
"I thought you'd definitely take this chance to get revenge on Imamura…"
Chisa trailed off mid-sentence as she suddenly recalled that Iori had handed Kamishiro a piece of paper earlier.
A drop of cold sweat ran down her forehead. Something felt off. Hesitantly, she said,
"Umm… you're not really going to get back at him, right?"
"What are you talking about?"
Iori waved dismissively, the harmless smile still on his face.
"No way I'd do something like that."
"Exactly," Aina agreed. After all, it clearly hadn't been Kōhei's fault before. Iori wouldn't be that petty.
Relieved, Chisa exhaled and smiled again.
Watching this peaceful scene unfold, Kamishiro shook his head. These two were still too naive.
They had no idea—
the more innocent Iori acted, the more likely he was plotting something truly evil!
The very next second—
"DIE!!!"
Iori, having received Kamishiro's cue, frantically tapped away on his phone.
"Eh?!" ×2
Chisa and Aina were stunned.
He said he wouldn't get revenge?!
They rushed to stop him—but it was already too late…
"Kōhei."
"I'm here, Maya sama."
"I have a favor to ask."
"Can you… eat the shell?"
Without hesitation, Kōhei grabbed the shell on the table and shoved it into his mouth.
Crunch! Crunch!
Crack! Crack!
The scene quickly turned gruesome.
"Ikegoshi san?!"
Aina Takahashi was horrified.
Why had he suddenly changed like this?! There wasn't a single warning sign!
Wasn't it about time Ikegoshi san went for a check-up at the Aoyama 4th Mental Hospital?
Kamishiro's mouth twitched. Even he hadn't expected Iori to be this ruthless.
Then he quickly ordered the cameraman to capture every second of it!
This could totally be used as behind-the-scenes footage!
"Food so delicious, Ikegoshi san ate the shell!"
Thinking about how viral that clip would go once the show aired, Kamishiro couldn't help but praise himself.
He was born to be a director!
Maybe…
He didn't need to audition as an entertainer for the IP Agency after all. That would only risk getting discovered by the beasts at school.
Nope—bad idea!
With this talent, he could become a director instead!
That way, he could preserve his signature moves!
What?
Directors can't hang out with their idols?
Impossible!
Being a director would let him go wild even more!
(λ?_??)
The more he thought about it, the more Kamishiro felt his plan made perfect sense. He nearly pulled out his phone to call the IP Agency on the spot.
But he restrained himself—he didn't have a portfolio yet!
That wouldn't look good in an audition. So instead, he turned to Kōhei, who was still chewing on the shell.
Assistant director was still a kind of director, right?
If you round it up, this was basically his work!
Kamishiro's eyes sharpened. He told the cameraman again:
"Close-ups! Make sure to record my artist's performance in detail!"
The close-ups were essential to his masterpiece!
"Got it!"
The cameraman didn't fully understand, but he happily complied.
This was way more thrilling than before!
Urah!
"What are you doing?!"
Back at Iori's side, Chisa and Aina tried to grab his phone, but he used his height advantage to keep it out of reach.
"This is all for the show!"
"But you just said you wanted him to die!"
"You misheard!"
"…"
How could anyone mishear that?!
To avoid further complications, Iori sped up the commands.
"Kōhei, have some Water of Life too!"
"I want to drink the Water of Life!"
Bang!
Following orders, Kōhei suddenly pulled out a bottle of Water of Life from who knows where and started chugging.
Everyone around was stunned.
Who the heck carries Water of Life around with them?!
"Hey! Iori!"
"Cut it out!"
"I'm not done yet!"
"Now spin three times and jump into the water—I really wanna see that!"
Splash!
The scene had descended into total chaos.
Iori was barking out crazy orders. Chisa and Aina were chasing him in a panic.
Meanwhile, Kōhei obeyed every absurd command without question.
Behind him, Kamishiro and the cameraman stuck close, filming everything without missing a beat!
Absolutely wild!
Splash!
Maybe it was the cold sea water, or the crowd's frantic shouting—
Kōhei, who had been acting like a mindless puppet, gradually regained his senses.
He leapt out of the pool, confused.
"Weird… something feels off."
"A little off?! It's a total disaster!"
Aina Takahashi was on the verge of breaking down.
If she'd known Ikegoshi san was like this, no amount of money would've convinced her to show up!
Just as Kōhei seemed on the verge of realizing what was going on, Iori hurried to reassert control:
"Kōhei, you have to trust me."
!!!
"There's nothing off! Nothing at all!"
In that moment, Kōhei's faith was absolute.
No one could resist that line!
"..."
Kamishiro fell silent.
Yeah… this guy's beyond saving.
Still, the next scene wasn't exactly suitable for broadcast. Kamishiro was just about to step in and end the madness when—
An accident occurred on Aina Takahashi's side!
Trying to calm "Ikegoshi san" down, Aina Takahashi accidentally knocked over the bottle of Water of Life that Kōhei had just pulled out.
That wouldn't have been a big deal—
Except the crew had placed a lit candle on the table to create a romantic mood.
The 96% alcohol burst into flames the instant it met the fire.
The tablecloth was instantly engulfed, and the fire surged toward Aina Takahashi!
And to make matters worse…
The building was made of wood!
If the fire wasn't stopped, the whole shop could go up in flames!
"What do I do…"
Realizing her mistake, Aina Takahashi panicked. She needed to stop the fire from spreading.
Just then, she spotted a kettle nearby!
It was originally meant to serve water to the cast—but now it might be her salvation!
"Watch this!"
Without hesitation, Aina Takahashi grabbed the kettle and splashed the contents onto the fire.
But instead of putting the flames out—
the fire exploded, growing even more ferocious.
"Aina Takahashi, run!"
"It's too dangerous!"
At that moment, people from the filming crew were also shouting—now more than ever, personal safety had to come first!
"I..."
But Aina Takahashi was completely frozen in place, her eyes welling up with tears. She could already foresee the consequences of her mistake.
Just when she didn't know what to do, a large hand suddenly wrapped around her waist and pulled her backward.
Right after that, a shirtless man stepped in front of her.
"Hey, you guys are taking this way too far."
Although Kamishiro's tone was filled with helplessness, his actions were swift. He threw the wet shirt he had just taken off directly onto the table.
With that move, the previously wild flames were instantly smothered—leaving not even a spark.
"Phew... that was close."
Kamishiro wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Although he looked calm while putting out the fire, his heart was anything but.
He had already pictured Aunt Kotegawa hanging him upside down and beating him if the shop burned down.
Thankfully, this kind of fire was nothing to someone used to drinking strong liquor.
In a pub where people treat high-proof alcohol like water, knowing how to effectively put out fires was essential!
"Are you okay?"
With the danger averted, Kamishiro turned to Aina Takahashi and asked with genuine concern. Just moments ago, this girl had been so frightened she couldn't even move.
"Mm..."
Aina Takahashi clearly hadn't recovered from the scare. Still in a daze, she just nodded instinctively.
"That's good then."
Kamishiro patted her head comfortingly, his face showing a reassuring smile.
At that moment, Aina Takahashi suddenly felt a little lightheaded.
Even though the mistake was hers, he didn't scold her at all—only showed care and comfort.
Looking at his smile, a blush crept onto Aina Takahashi's cheeks.
This man isn't just popular because of his looks...
No!
I must have this man!
Aina Takahashi silently made up her mind. Just as she was about to say something, an angry shout came from Iori's direction.
"You bastard, how dare you trick me with Maya sama's voice!"
"It's because you ruined my moment earlier!"
"Hmph! You have no proof!"
"Asshole! It's all your fault!"
"..."
"So noisy~"
Director Kamishiro sighed and shook his head in frustration.
Great… their plan had now been exposed by Kohei. Things were probably going to revert to how they were before.
What a pain. Better to just call Shiori directly—
Since fake isn't working, it's time to bring out the real deal.
Feeling pleased with his cleverness, Kamishiro took out his phone to dial Shiori's number.
But—
A large hand on his shoulder stopped him!
Kamishiro froze—he had been in this kind of situation too many times before!
His instincts told him to run.
But…
After carefully sensing the size of the hand, he noticed it didn't match any of the usual suspects in his memory. He gradually relaxed.
Right, he was still the director now—it was probably just someone from the filming team.
With that thought, he let out a breath and turned around with a relaxed smile, "What's up? The location's been clea... clea... Huh? Mr. Director?!"
{{(°△°; "}}!
Gulp...
Looking at the supervisor's dark expression, sweat began to bead on Kamishiro's forehead.
The footage I shot... should be okay, right?
Unbeknownst to him, the director hadn't even looked at Kamishiro's footage yet.
All he wanted to know was—how the hell did he pass out?! And why was the filming location on fire when he woke up?!
(*?????)**
Thinking back on everything that had happened, the director silently shed a tear.
He never wanted to come to Palau again.