"Hmm? Where's Iori?"
Miyazawa Yu was battling with the oolong tea in the corner. It looked like he wouldn't give up until he had forced himself to drink the entire bottle. Seeing his miserable state—he would take a sip, retch in agony, and then shed a few tears—Ryūjirō Kotobuki realized that Iori had been unusually quiet. Usually, he was the happiest when Yu was in a bad spot. This time, he hadn't joined in on the frenzy or even mocked him. Had he finally grown up?
"You mean Iori? Wasn't he with us the whole time..."
Shinji Tokita was also confused and turned to look for him. It was then that he realized Iori had never entered the classroom. He was cautiously peeking his head out of the door like a guerrilla, his eyes darting to every corner of the room, as if he were on high alert for something.
"Hey, Iori, why are you hiding?"
"Shh! It's because Chisa is angry!"
When his name was called, Iori Kitahara flinched like a startled bird and tried to run, but Shinji Tokita quickly held him in place. With his escape plan foiled, Iori could only grimace and put a finger to his lips, terrified that Shinji Tokita's voice would summon the monster.
"Ah, is this about the skirt-lifting incident at the beauty pageant?"
"But you have to face what you've done. Iori, you should prepare for the worst and just go confront her!"
"Whose fault do you think this is! Don't you feel any shame for setting me up!"
Upon hearing Kotobuki-senpai's words, Iori Kitahara's eyes instantly turned fierce. If the seniors and Yu had done as they promised and lifted Chisa's skirt together, how would he have ended up in this situation! And even if he was going to apologize, he couldn't do it while Chisa was still in a rage! He didn't want to get turned into "Iori-chan" by her steel baseball bat!
"I'm out of here first! As an apology, the rest is up to you guys!"
The very thought of it was terrifying. A bead of cold sweat ran down his forehead. He had come here to seek refuge from Nanaka-san. Since she wasn't here, it was better to just go back to Grand Blue and get it over with...
Pat!
A hand landed on his shoulder, and a chill went down his back and into his shirt. Iori Kitahara's expression froze. After a moment, he slowly turned his head.
Chisa Kotegawa's beautiful, expressionless face was only inches away, but he had no desire to appreciate it.
"Um... you've got the wrong person."
"I haven't said a word yet."
He stiffly turned his head back, pretending to be oblivious. But in response to Iori's foolishness, Chisa Kotegawa just continued to close the distance, her piercing eyes fixed on his.
Unable to handle the immense psychological pressure, Iori Kitahara finally gritted his teeth and used his ultimate move.
"No, Chisa! I only did that because I wanted you to show your charm! I really just wanted to make you look cuter—"
"Really?"
Chisa Kotegawa lightly kicked her childhood friend, who was prostrate at her feet. Her expression finally softened slightly.
"Really! Really! I swear I didn't see anything!"
"Oh well... fine."
"...Huh?"
Iori Kitahara looked up in disbelief, watching Chisa sigh softly and walk into the classroom. He then touched his head to make sure he hadn't been hit with a baseball bat and felt a great sense of relief. He immediately bowed and pledged his undying loyalty.
"Arigato, Chisa! As a token of my gratitude, I'll buy you some more elegant underwear next time!"
"!!!"
Keyword extraction! Miyazawa Yu was in the corner of the classroom, forcibly conditioning his stomach. When he heard Iori say he was going to buy Chisa some elegant underwear, he shot his head up, ignoring the drool at the corner of his mouth. His eyes widened as he tried to figure out what was happening to cause such a perverted conversation.
He then saw a trembling, enraged Chisa looking at him with a twisted expression and was scared out of his mind.
"PS! PS! Iori, shut up!"
He scrambled behind Kohei to share the pressure. Miyazawa Yu carefully spoke to get Iori's attention, wanting to remind him that the more he spoke, the more he would expose himself!
However, Iori, who thought he had escaped, was now exceptionally talkative and completely oblivious to Miyazawa Yu's increasingly horrified expression.
"But seriously, pure white is a bit too plain. It has to have some lace, right~"
"Is that so?"
"Of course! Uh, I think... so?"
It's too late! Miyazawa Yu's heart pounded as he watched a horrifying rage start to form on Chisa's face. Although the Pab Club didn't usually believe in collective punishment, if Chisa really went crazy and dragged him and Kohei into it, they would be in for a world of hurt!
"He finally got forgiven, but he's still fanning the flames. Does Iori like this kind of excitement?"
"I don't know, but he's definitely a little pervert. Chisa, do you want a drink?"
Although he didn't really want to save Iori, who was asking for it, he still had the "Handsome Men" to participate in later. Shinji Tokita could only try to distract Chisa with alcohol and save Iori's life for the time being.
"Fine, I'll have a little."
Although she didn't say it outright, Chisa Kotegawa saw that even Tokita-senpai was covering for Iori. She could only take a deep breath and suppress her murderous intent.
But a death penalty could be avoided, while a life sentence could not!
"The time is 6:00 PM. School is now closed to the public."
As Chisa officially sat down, the school's broadcast announced the end of the Izu University Spring Festival's public hours.
"Seal released!"
"Whoaahhhhhh!"
"Now that the guests are gone, we can play however we want! Hurry and bring out the oolong tea!"
Clothes and pants flew everywhere. The moment the broadcast ended, dozens of tough, naked men appeared in front of Miyazawa Yu.
But looking at the seniors' carefree antics, he didn't feel weird at all. Instead, a relaxed smile appeared on his face. He felt like he was home.
"Here, Yu! Oolong tea. Here you go~ You worked so hard."
"No, no! I should be the one thanking you, senpai."
With complete trust, he took a sip of the familiar tea-colored liquid. The familiar feeling was back! Miyazawa Yu didn't hesitate. He took off his clothes and joined the seniors' wild party.
"...Yu is completely broken."
"Yeah, he's more like a Pab Club senior than a freshman now. It looks like he'll be able to stand on his own soon!"
Iori and Kohei huddled together in gloom. They had thought the seniors had changed their ways, but it was just an act. They mourned their own lost innocence and the loss of the normal Miyazawa Yu who had joined them in rejecting the Pab Club's absurd customs. Now, his appearance felt foreign to them, and in his unrestrained antics, they seemed to see a reflection of their own future!
"No! We can't become as depraved as Yu! I still believe that a normal college life exists!"
Iori Kitahara slammed his fist on the ground. He couldn't imagine himself becoming a pervert who ran around naked in the moonlight. With tears in his eyes, he swore, "I will not drink a single drop of alcohol tonight!"
"Iori! Yes! Together!"
Kōhei Imamura was moved by his righteous partner. He never thought that with Yu's fall from grace, he would have such a role model by his side. He was ready to follow his lead.
But before he could make his vow, a bottle of 4-liter undiluted shochu—a sight Miyazawa Yu would recognize instantly—was placed in front of them.
"Chisa..."
"Drink it! And all is forgiven!"
Their eyes met. Iori Kitahara looked into Chisa's cold eyes and swallowed hard.
"Drink it, you mean the shochu..."
"That's right!"
"But you said you weren't angry about the beauty pageant anymore?"
"Do I need to answer that?"
Her eyes turned cold. Chisa Kotegawa slammed the plastic bottle on the ground again and calmly said, "It's okay. Yu drank this much by himself. With two of you, it won't kill you~"
"What, me too? But the bouncy balls were all Iori's fault..."
"Huh?"
"I'll drink..."
The cold stare was on him. Kōhei Imamura instantly lost all his strength and all his excuses. He knelt down obediently.
"Can... can I just drink this much? Please have mercy..."
Five minutes later, Iori was on the floor, covering his mouth as shochu came out of his nose. His legs were twitching uncontrollably. He had drunk a full liter and a half in one go!
"He actually drank a liter and a half in one go!"
"What guts!"
"Just as expected from Iori!"
In the Pab Club, alcohol tolerance was often directly proportional to the amount of respect you received. But the crowd's cheers did not move Chisa Kotegawa. She took out a ruler and measured the liquid left in the bottle. She then clapped her hands and said in a soulless voice, "There's still a little bit left, a little bit more—"
"Chisa!"
"That's not a little bit! One more drink and Iori is going to die!"
The crowd let out a chorus of protests. Iori Kitahara felt that if he drank any more, he would be a goner for sure. Seeing that Chisa was unmoved, he ran towards the door.
"Kohei! If Iori runs away, you have to drink the rest."
"What?!"
Kōhei Imamura sat down and didn't even turn to look at the fleeing Iori. He had long figured out the nature of the three freshmen—they would always turn on each other. Chisa Kotegawa's casual remark instantly caused Kohei, who had been holding the bottle to help Iori escape, to turn on him.
He stuck out his leg, tripping Iori. He then straddled him and, hugging the bottle, forced another liter of alcohol down the throat of the poor victim before stopping.
"Glug, glug, glug— Chisa, I've finished it all..."
After another five minutes, Kōhei Imamura's stomach was bloated like a pregnant woman's. He had a constipated look on his face as he hugged the empty bottle and fell to the ground, incapacitated.
"Hiss... how pathetic."
Miyazawa Yu carefully looked at the defeated Kohei and Iori from the corner of his eye. He was so glad he had joined the seniors' revelry. After being in the Pab Club for so long, those two still hadn't figured out that people who were drinking were "untargetable" in a game-like sense?
Did they think he was so drunk he couldn't even think straight?