WebNovels

Chapter 5 - Chapter 5: The Hunter Becomes the Prey!

"Come on! Just put your handprint on it and you're a member of Pab! Aren't you excited, Iori!"

"Nooo! Absolutely not! My college life! My life can't end like this!"

With his head pressed against the table and his body restrained by three or four seniors, Iori Kitahara finally understood how desperate Miyazawa Yu had felt.

But how the tables had turned. Now, the one facing certain doom was him, while the scoundrel who had dragged him down was calmly sitting on the side, drinking water to soothe his throat.

"Gulp, gulp, gulp... Haaah~ It's great to have nothing to worry about~ Iori! A real man knows when to adapt to a situation. You can't just be a hot-headed fool!"

Having already obediently signed the "bill of sale" of a membership application, Miyazawa Yu's back was no longer sore and his legs didn't ache. Even his taunts were exceptionally powerful.

His expression quickly contorted into a calm, Iori Kitahara's pupils shrank to pinpricks as he glared at this self-satisfied scoundrel.

He decided! Miyazawa Yu was to be his lifelong rival! This grudge, he would remember!

"Three! Two! One!"

"Wait a minute!!!"

Taking advantage of the internal conflict between the two new guys, Iori Kitahara and Miyazawa Yu, Ryūjirō seized the opportunity. He grinned menacingly and pressed Iori's finger into the ink pad.

The rest was simple. The poor Iori was held down by the seniors as his right hand was slowly pressed down. He watched with a face full of black lines as his finger was crushed onto the membership application, leaving a bright red print.

"Dammit... my wonderful college life..."

Two clear tears slowly slid down his face from under his bangs. There was no going back now, he really couldn't go back!

"Everyone! We've recruited new members again! The Izu University branch now has a perfect record of two new recruits! Everyone, welcome the new guys!"

Just like an empty milk carton, Iori, who had no more use, was quickly released.

Ryūjirō shook the completed membership form, showing it off to his like-minded friends from other universities, and was met with a thunderous cheer!

"YOOOO!!! Welcome, new guys!"

"Waaah! The Izu branch has the most new recruits now! I'll drink three cups as a penalty!"

"Don't cheat, you bastard! You can't just drink without playing yakyuuken! Where's the fun in that!"

"Yakyuuken! Let's play yakyuuken!"

The atmosphere became tense again. The passion that erupted when a group of beefy, boisterous college students got together was astonishing.

As the yakyuuken continued, the number of empty bottles and discarded clothes on the floor rapidly increased.

"Woah~ So this is just an excuse to drink under the guise of a welcoming party? Are you okay, Iori?"

Quietly stepping away from the flying clothes, Miyazawa Yu casually picked up a bottle and poked the completely burned-out Iori Kitahara with the narrow end.

If he wanted to become non-recyclable trash, he should do it closer to a trash station. Otherwise, it would be a huge hassle for Sister Nanaka to sort and transport such a large piece of trash to a recycling center.

What if the angel got tired?

"You bastard... you're definitely thinking something awful!"

His face was contorted in tears. Iori Kitahara showed no appreciation for the only person who seemed to care about him.

Although their acquaintance was brief, he had already figured out that Miyazawa Yu was not to be trusted. This fake concern was definitely for some ulterior motive!

"Sigh~ We're just a pair of pathetic people who can't control our own destiny. Now that we're no longer in competition, why should we be at odds?"

He shook his head in disappointment. Miyazawa Yu didn't say anything else. He just placed a cup of water in front of Iori Kitahara with a look of melancholy. "I know you don't trust me, but at least wet your throat. You must be exhausted, right?"

"Water... you're not a complete bastard after all!"

Looking at the plastic cup with condensation on its sides, Iori Kitahara realized that his throat was indeed as dry as a desert. A cup of cold water was exactly what he needed right now!

To think... this scoundrel was actually worried about him! Remembering his earlier rejection, a wave of guilt washed over him.

That's right! Their destinies had already tragically merged with the naked Pab club. Wouldn't it be too pitiful to still be suspicious of each other?

"Then I won't hold back! Arigato!"

He lifted his head abruptly. Iori Kitahara's eyes were filled with new hope, meeting Miyazawa Yu's encouraging gaze.

At this moment! They were on the same wavelength! Their friendship had been completely elevated!

"Gulp, gulp, gulp—"

Without a moment's hesitation, Iori Kitahara grabbed the plastic cup and tilted his head back, chugging all the ice water. The cool sensation instantly traveled down his neck to his stomach, moistening his throat which was dry from all the running and wailing...

Wait a minute! Why did this water taste a little spicy? And!

"Cough, cough! This, this isn't water at all! You bastard! What did you make me drink!"

He fell to his knees with a thud. Iori Kitahara grabbed his burning throat, unable to get up. The liquid he had yet to swallow gathered at the corner of his mouth and dripped onto the floor.

"Huh? What water? Did I ever say there was water in the cup?"

With his goal achieved, the concern on Miyazawa Yu's face instantly vanished, replaced by a sinister smile.

"!!!"

His eyes instantly shrank to pinholes. Iori Kitahara replayed the moment in his head and realized that Miyazawa Yu had indeed never said the cup contained water.

So he had been waiting for him here, with a trap! But why! Why would he do this!

"Senpai Ryūjirō, Iori here didn't even fall down after a cup of vodka. Looks like he can handle his liquor. Can I be excused for now?"

After confirming that Iori Kitahara didn't seem to be a lightweight, Miyazawa Yu immediately went to Ryūjirō Kotobuki and asked to be excused.

He had discussed it with him when he was signing the form. As long as he could get Iori drunk and on the floor, he could leave the welcome party early to go get his apartment keys.

"Oh! You're a hard worker, huh! But being excused is out of the question!"

Ryūjirō shook a single finger in front of Miyazawa Yu. At this moment, he shed his reliable senior persona and revealed a similar sinister smile.

"But..."

A bad premonition arose. Miyazawa Yu tried to reason with him.

He had just arrived in Izu today. If he were to attend some welcome party, he wouldn't have time to get the keys to his place. Even a hotel probably wouldn't let in a drunk guest!

"Well~ As much as I'd like to let you go home, we agreed on getting Iori drunk and on the floor, didn't we?"

"Emmm... How about we loosen the standard a bit?"

Miyazawa Yu's expression grew panicked. His mind raced, and he came to the conclusion that Senpai Ryūjirō had indeed said those exact words to him.

The hunter had suddenly become the prey!

But anyway, Iori was already on the floor. Whether he was drunk or not shouldn't matter...

"Hey! You bastard!"

A hand slapped his shoulder. Miyazawa Yu's plea came to an abrupt halt, as he could feel a menacing aura rising behind him.

He stiffly turned his head, only to see the once-burned-out Iori Kitahara glaring at him, a vein popping on his forehead. The open bottle of vodka in his left hand looked so familiar.

Ah! He remembered! Wasn't that the same bottle he had opened to get him drunk just now!

"Open your mouth! You bastard!"

"No! Not this! I have to go home!"

"It's okay! You can stay with me tonight! After all, we're best! Friends! Right, Uncle!"

"Yep, yep. Yu can stay over! We have empty rooms in the shop!"

Watching Iori furiously press Miyazawa Yu to the ground, stuffing the bottle into his mouth and pouring the alcohol down his throat, Toshio Kotegawa's smile became even more gentle and brilliant.

'Sure enough, homesickness can only be cured by friendship. Isn't Iori voluntarily asking to stay now and even wanting to have a friend sleep over? '

'What a pair of lively and spirited college students!'

"Yameeete! Sister Nanaka, why are you just watching! Help me!"

Iori's strength had somehow increased by more than tenfold. Even though Miyazawa Yu was holding his breath and fighting with all his might, a significant amount of vodka was still being forced into his stomach.

With Toshio Kotegawa doing nothing, he could only reach out to the angel who was also standing behind the counter for help.

"Okay! Okay! Okay! It's wrong to force someone to drink, Iori. Calm down for a bit!"

"Tch! I'll spare this bastard's life for now!"

In response to Miyazawa Yu's wailing, Nanaka Kotegawa showed a surprising amount of gentleness. She actually came forward and talked the enraged Iori down.

Miyazawa Yu was extremely grateful. However, for the sake of his own safety, his first instinct after getting up was to grab his stuff and run.

But Nanaka Kotegawa grabbed his wrist. She asked, confused, "Yu-kun, where are you trying to go?"

"I... home?"

His feet froze on the spot. Having failed to escape, Miyazawa Yu could only confess honestly.

Hearing him say that, Nanaka Kotegawa made a big 'X' with her hands and explained, "No! If you run away while drinking, you won't be able to make friends in the future!"

"So..."

"Yakyuuken! Iori can't force you to drink, and Yu has to take it seriously. That's fair!"

"Oh! Is it a yakyuuken match between the new guys! Everyone, come and watch!"

Hearing that the new guys were going to have a yakyuuken match, the seniors who had been fighting among themselves all flocked over and took sides. At this point, Miyazawa Yu had no choice but to agree!

"System! Give me a mission! Just let me easily defeat this guy, Iori!"

[...]

[Mission: Entering a club filled with burly men! Please obtain the most sincere "awesome!" from the seniors to solidify your status in the club!]

[Mission Reward: Something the Host might need the most!]

...Obtain the seniors' approval? That wasn't something he could do in a few minutes. What kind of useless system was this? It didn't want him to easily get a reward that would let him crush Iori!

But... it was just yakyuuken. His opponent was just a mere Iori Kitahara. He wouldn't lose!

Throwing away the idea of cheating and winning with the system's help, Miyazawa Yu's eyes blazed with endless fighting spirit. His art style immediately became a Jojo-like one.

Staring at Iori Kitahara, who was also rolling up his sleeves, his mouth curled into a wide grin, and his body covered in Araki's signature style, a life-or-death battle was inevitable!

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