Meanwhile, at the washing station, things were getting tense.
"Sorry to take up your time."
Otoya-kun said shyly. He hated being a bother, but there was something he had to ask.
"It's fine. So, what do you want to ask?"
Chisa casually shook her head. She'd just picked up a rash guard when Otoya called her over, saying he had a question.
Seeing her respond, Otoya didn't hesitate—he asked the question that had been on his mind:
"Do you have… a boyfriend?"
The sea breeze stirred their hair, and amid the gentle sound of waves, the boy took a bold step forward.
A flush spread across his cheeks—so innocent and youthful—but his eyes were full of determination.
"..."
Chisa froze. The sudden confession left her unprepared. She opened her mouth but said nothing.
She did like this boy—his enthusiasm matched hers. But she'd never really thought about romance. All she cared about was diving.
She'd assumed he felt the same way…
As she was wondering how to gently let him down, the boy spoke again:
"Sorry for asking you something like that out of nowhere.
But… I just can't stop thinking about it."
To her surprise, the boy took a deep breath and shouted from the heart:
"I really think…
Kitahara-senpai is an amazing person!!!"
"..."
Splash—
The waves rolled in again, but this time, all the romantic bubbles had burst.
Chisa could almost hear the ocean laughing at her.
Her gaze turned blank.
So when he asked if she had a boyfriend, he meant that idiot?!
Which meant—this beautiful boy was…
Suddenly, the world seemed a bit too loud for Chisa.
She thought this kind of relationship only existed in Kamashiro Shiro's weird stories.
She hadn't realized that the diving buddy she'd just made was actually—
And his crush was that idiot Iori?!?
Looking at the boy's handsome face filled with excitement, Chisa suddenly felt that Iori had been having it too easy lately. As expected, all the dirty and tiring work should just be dumped on him.
Damn it!
What the hell did that idiot do to deserve this!?
Imagining the two of them together, Chisa suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. Coupled with what Kamishiro often says about the "Great Big Bird Swirling Club"...
(／_＼)
Love-idiot Chisa felt she just couldn't handle something so avant-garde yet!
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible. Both of them are completely obsessed with diving. There's no way they'd have those kinds of desires."
Iori waved his hand dismissively, still refusing to believe any sparks could fly between those two.
Although he hadn't spent much time with Otoya-kun, he knew Chisa far too well. A girl so completely devoted to the ocean couldn't possibly have time for romance.
She might as well date the sea itself.
"Oh? I actually think it's pretty possible."
Kamishiro shrugged. After all, people's yearning for love often defies logic. That's why so many people become love-struck idiots.
And as for Chisa and Otoya-kun, he thought they were quite a good match in many ways.
Bang!
Drained from earlier antics, Iori slumped onto the table.
"Whatever, doesn't matter. If we're curious, we can just ask them when they get back."
"..."
Shiro looked wordlessly at his childhood friend. Sometimes this guy really was just a moron.
Just as Shiro was about to say something, Chisa crept into the room like a thief.
"…Do you have landmines set up at home or something?"
"Chisa, you're back!"
!!!
Chisa was startled by the greeting, especially upon seeing Iori. She couldn't even look him in the eyes.
Shiro immediately noticed this subtle change, and a sly smile crept onto his lips.
Without knowing from where, he pulled out a bag of sunflower seeds and started munching.
There's gossip brewing…
The ever-oblivious Iori didn't notice anything strange and merely gave Shiro a puzzled glance.
Then he asked,
"Where's Otoya-kun?"
The two of them had clearly gone out together. Why was only Chisa back?
!!!
Hearing Iori mention Otoya, Chisa couldn't help but picture the two of them together again in her mind.
Aaaaaah!
My eyes!
Trying to appear natural, she said,
"He… said he went to buy juice."
"Oh~ juice, huh~"
"Yeah, since we can't drink alcohol, right?"
Shiro and Azusa nodded while munching seeds, understanding her explanation.
Wait a sec!
Shiro turned to Azusa with suspicion,
"Weren't you getting cozy with Nanaka-nee?"
"Ah, she went back to take care of the store. Forget that—tell me how far things went!"
Seeing the strong gossip fire in Azusa's eyes, Shiro sighed and turned to Iori.
Then, he quietly recounted the earlier conversation.
Thus, they officially became:
The Gossiper Duo!
(???)
Iori looked at the two speechlessly.
This was totally normal stuff, wasn't it!?
Choosing to ignore them, he figured if he asked Chisa directly, the truth would come out.
"Hey, Chisa."
"What…?"
"What did you and Otoya-kun talk about just now?"
!!!
This question hit Chisa like a horror movie jump scare. She squirmed in place, and her face flushed red.
（λ?_??）
Seeing her reaction, the gossiper duo's eyes sparkled like streetlights.
Big news! Confirmed!
Thump thump~
Shiro could practically hear Chisa's nervous heartbeat.
The innocent Chisa kept glancing around, trying to act normal—but it was far too obvious!
"Why… why do you want to know that…?"
She spoke in a weak tone, clearly trying to dodge the topic.
But the more she did, the more curious Iori became.
"I mean, you two were gone for a while. So what did you talk about?"
Gulp
Under the heat of three intense stares, Chisa knew she couldn't avoid the question.
But!
How could she possibly tell Iori that!?
Blushing furiously, she stammered,
"It's… just something I can't tell you!"
Then she ran off in a flustered panic.
Well, at least in the eyes of the three, it looked like a shy girl's panicked escape.
Click.
Iori stood frozen. That tone… that expression!
Could Shiro's outrageous guess actually be right!?
"Yare..Yare, things really are heading that way…"
Azusa sighed. She had suspected it from the moment she heard the story.
"That can't be!"
Iori clutched his head, unwilling to accept the reality.
"I thought Otoya-kun was totally a herbivore type!"
"Come on, there aren't that many herbivores like me out there."
(???)
Azusa and Iori glared at Shiro.
If he was a herbivore, then there were no carnivores left in the world.
Shiro, utterly unaware of the irony in his words, patted Iori's shoulder reassuringly.
"Face reality, Kitahara. Honestly, I think they're a good match. Their future might just be all diving every day."
Bang!
Iori slammed the table.
The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt.
"Feeling crushed?"
"Mm, yeah. But it's not the romantic kind of crushed.
It's more like… like my little sister just got confessed to."
"..."
So in other words, cousin = sister, huh.
BANG!
Just as the gossipers were about to disperse after confirming Iori's feelings, a powerful hand slammed the table!
A demonic face loomed behind Iori—
"REALLY?!"
Kohei had been summoned by the mention of his sister!
"You're still alive…?"
Shiro twitched. If he remembered right, Kohei had been drinking with the seniors just moments ago.
And now he was here!?
Just hearing the word sister made him turn into Superman.
Forget world-saving—just give the guy a sister, it's eco-friendly!
Kohei ignored Shirou, frantically asking,
"Was it her that got confessed to?!"
"Her?"
Chisa's face flashed through Iori's mind. He sighed.
"Yeah, pretty much."
!!!
"This kind of thing actually happened?!"
Kohei clutched his hair in disbelief and shouted at Iori,
"And then what happened?!"
(′｀;)?
"Then? What do you mean then?"
Was he supposed to have a scripted scene or something?
"Then why the hell are you just sitting here like a side character?!"
Kohei shook Iori furiously, exasperated.
"Now's not the time to be a background extra!"
"Huh? This whole thing has nothing to do with me from any angle though."
Iori said genuinely. His girlfriend being confessed to by his friend didn't seem like something he needed to interfere with.
"How can it not be related?! YOU'RE FAMILY!"
Family.
Fam...
..ily.
Those words jolted Iori awake.
Yes, he was Chisa's family!
In that moment, he finally understood. He smiled.
"Kohei, you're saying I should evaluate him as a family member, to see if he's worthy?"
"Exactly! If he's not good enough, we'll kick him out immediately!"
Iori closed his eyes. Yes, this was just like his friend.
"And if he is good enough, then as men—"
"—we'll act like men!"
Kohei nodded solemnly, but the next moment, his expression turned serious, his eyes filled with murderous intent
"Kill him!"
"..."
Iori fell silent. What exactly had driven his buddies to this point? Wasn't Chisa supposed to be his "girlfriend"?
Was this... what friendship looked like?
The two bystanders munching on sunflower seeds quietly tucked away the shells.
"They're probably not talking about the same thing."
"Yeah, definitely not."
"Idiots, both of them…"
—
"I'll go grab the props!"
Kohei dashed off to Iori's room—judging by his energy, he was probably off to fetch some kind of deadly weapon.
"Jeez, your room's basically a junk shop now. Might as well just officially turn it into a storage closet," said Shiro Kamashiro seriously, thinking of the mess inside Iori's room. Honestly, it was originally a storage space, so maybe it should just go back to being one.
(?ò?ó)
"You're one to talk! You guys are the reason my room ended up like this in the first place!"
Veins bulged on Iori's forehead. It had been these guys who took it upon themselves to "clean" his room and turned it into a disaster zone—piling it with all kinds of random, useless junk.
And they never learned. They just kept tossing more stuff in!
Don't they know he doesn't clean his room?!
"Forget it, forget it. That's small stuff. Honestly, if you started living like a decent human, I'd just feel sad."
"You really are a complete piece of trash."
"Thanks for the compliment. So, what are you gonna do about that over there? Just gonna leave it? Or do you want me to go ask for you?"
Shiro tilted his head toward where Otoya was chatting and laughing with Chisa again.
He could hardly contain himself anymore—after all the tragic high school years, he'd never had the chance to gossip about anyone's love life!
Back in high school, his relationships with guys weren't great, and with girls… well, things tended to escalate in a different direction if they talked too long.
So tough.
Only after coming to Izu did things finally start to normalize.
Shiro had thought about why, and his conclusion was: Kitahara—this guy's sheer stupidity had pulled down the group's average IQ, making everyone immune to Shiro's natural charm.
"Don't you dare stir up more trouble!" Iori stopped the increasingly excited Shiro. This called for a gentler solution.
He knew that interfering in a girl's date by sending a parental figure was the epitome of bad taste!
"I already have a plan. Just watch!"
"Can I ask… what kind of plan?"
"Hmph! It's simple—ruin the mood so badly they can't stay in it!"
At this point, Iori's entire expression shifted. He might not be a master at creating romantic atmospheres, but when it came to destroying them?
He was a pro.
Shiro watched eagerly as General Kitahara marched off to war!
—
Back with Chisa and Otoya, things seemed peaceful and natural on the surface.
But—
Sweat beading at Chisa's temple betrayed her inner turmoil.
Her mouth might've been discussing diving, but her mind was definitely elsewhere.
What on earth did Iori have that could interest someone like Otoya?
"What's wrong, Miss Chisa?"
As a fellow diving enthusiast, Otoya could tell she was distracted.
Chisa blushed slightly, took a deep breath, and made up her mind.
"Um… I have a question. It might sound a little weird though."
"It's fine, ask away~"
Otoya smiled warmly, like a prince from a fairy tale.
Which only made it harder for Chisa to connect him with the idiot Iori.
But this was her chance to fish for answers—maybe she was misunderstanding things.
"What kind of person do you like, Otoya-kun?"
"Hmm, let me think."
Otoya seemed genuinely thoughtful. "Well, I don't eat much, so I kind of admire people who can eat and drink a ton!"
"Cheers!"
At that moment, Iori, not far off, launched into his mood-killing act—chugging drinks like a man possessed!
"..."
"Someone who casually plays the guitar after coming out of the ocean, maybe?"
Buzz buzz buzz!
Iori started strumming his guitar like a maniac!
"..."
Otoya's gaze turned even more admiring.
Chisa facepalmed. What was this idiot doing?!
Seeing this absurdity, Chisa grabbed Iori by the arm and dragged him off.
"You, come with me."
"Eh? What? I'm in the middle of something important!"
"Move it!"
Shiro's face twitched. Something important…? You were just messing around! Chisa left—what more was there to ruin?!
Still…
(λ?_??)
Shiro snuck after them, ignoring Otoya's confused expression. This was his jam—his specialty!