Back at the familiar telephone pole, the familiar duo stood.
Shiro sipped his milk tea calmly, a faint lipstick mark still on his lips.
"That was clearly an accident. And you were the one who moved in, technically…"
"Shut! Up!"
Nibutani's face was fully scarlet.
Because during that moment…
They had kissed!
Not lip-to-lip, and not on purpose—
But it still happened!
And to outsiders, it probably looked like she initiated it!
(Of course, it was an accident—she'd been trying to pull back, but the crowd jostled her straight into Shiro's arms, her lips landing on his cheek!)
Aaaaaah!!!
Why was he even leaning in?!
The memory made Nibutani want to vanish into the earth.
All she could do now was chomp on her straw, trying to calm down.
The poor thing was nearly chewed to shreds…
Ugh, she was supposed to be the Goddess of Pure Love!
How did her first kiss end up with a playboy?!
Wait…
Did she even have a first kiss left?
A certain smug, twin-tailed girl's face flashed in her mind.
(╥﹏╥)
Now she was even sadder!
Shiro watched her silently, wisely choosing not to console her—lest he get bitten.
But as his gaze lingered on Nibutani's flushed lips, he licked his own.
Hmm.
They were…
Sweeter than the milk tea.
After savoring the faint taste of lipstick, Shiro decided to drop the topic.
Pushing Nibutani further might just earn him a one-way trip to the ocean floor.
Besides…
Time wasn't exactly on their side.
After tossing a set of gear to the still-stunned Nibutani, Kamishiro Shiro dragged her along to resume his private detective antics.
"What's this?"
Nibutani stared blankly at the face mask and sunglasses in her hands. When she looked up at Kamishiro Shiro again, she realized he had completely disguised himself.
The sunglasses and mask covered his entire face thoroughly.
"..."
The situation was so absurd that Nibutani temporarily forgot they had nearly kissed just moments ago.
She stared at Kamishiro with a black line on her forehead. "You… seriously weren't planning this?"
Who normally walks around carrying this stuff?
"Of course not. Just a coincidence. But these are essentials when going out. If you're not used to it, I actually have a cloak too."
After the Tokyo incident, Kamishiro Shiro had learned the importance of sunglasses and face masks. And to be even more discreet, he had brought a portable cloak!
Nibutani's gaze shifted to Kamishiro's shorts—they were loose and baggy.
She couldn't figure out how he managed to fit a cloak in there!
She even began to question where exactly he had been carrying those glasses and mask…
To avoid any weird smells, Nibutani politely declined his offer.
"No need. I doubt your friends would recognize me anyway."
After all, she was a second-year student and hadn't exposed her identity. The chances of them recognizing her were almost zero.
Kamishiro thought about it carefully—it did make sense. So he didn't argue and just pulled Nibutani along.
There were no utility poles up ahead to hide behind.
"I just don't get it. Are they really on a date? They look so happy watching that kind of movie?"
Looking at the two people ahead chatting and laughing, Kamishiro began to doubt his earlier conclusion. After all, Aina didn't seem like the kind of girl who would enjoy watching men fight in a movie.
That woman's brain was filled with love. Even a zombie would complain she was too obsessed with romance.
Still, he didn't want to jump to conclusions. Kamishiro leaned toward the theory that this was a date.
He could smell the sickening stench of romance!
And it was coming from right nearby!
Wait a sec… Why does it feel like people around me are looking at me weirdly?
Kamishiro looked around and noticed people whispering and glancing his way.
He was confused. This never happened back in Tokyo. Maybe people in Izu weren't as open-minded about eccentric outfits?
Just as he turned to ask the all-knowing Mori-sama, a serious-looking uniformed officer suddenly appeared before him.
"Sir, please release this girl and present your ID. Also, explain your relationship with her. Otherwise, we may need to take you in for questioning."
{{(°△°; "}}!
The officer appeared so suddenly that Kamishiro froze. He couldn't even remember what law he might've broken.
Following his friends shouldn't be illegal, right? Wait—did he just say "girl"?
Kamishiro turned to look at the girl he was holding—Nibutani.
All he saw was a cute face flushed red with embarrassment, and big shy eyes misted with tears.
In those pure eyes, Kamishiro saw the reflection of a suspicious man in a mask and sunglasses.
"..."
In that moment—
Kamishiro realized exactly why he was being questioned. Not only that, he now understood where that smell of romance had been coming from…
They were being creepy stalkers! Could they at least act a little more professional?
And Nibutani… do you have Stockholm Syndrome or something?!
…
After Kamishiro's persistent explanations, the wary police officer finally believed he wasn't a human trafficker.
Before leaving, the officer even patted Kamishiro's shoulder and gave him a look of pity.
Why? Because Kamishiro had claimed he wore a mask and sunglasses due to a sunlight allergy.
He even showed the officer his "symptom"—lipstick at the corner of his mouth that hadn't been wiped (licked) clean.
Possibly because the newly appointed officer didn't have a girlfriend, he failed to notice anything wrong and moved on with his patrol.
Watching the young officer's back, Kamishiro sighed. This was the second time something like this had happened.
The first time was with Mafuyu-chan…
Back then, he hadn't worn a mask or glasses and got taken straight to their base of operations.
Now that the crisis was over, it was time to deal with his pig teammate!
Kamishiro looked at Nibutani with a tired gaze. "Nibutani-san, I know I'm extremely charming, but you didn't need to look so lovestruck. Your expression was like a stray kitten that finally found a home."
"Who's lovestruck?! That was just an accident!"
Nibutani blushed fiercely and yelled back. At the time, she had seen the two in front and thought, 'Ah, dates are nice.'
Then she realized she was still holding Kamishiro's hand. The warmth snapped her out of her daze—and their scene looked even more like a couple than the pair in front.
And those onlookers' stares had sent her spiraling into daydreams…
So really, it wasn't her fault—it was an accident!
"I… this was my first time holding hands with a guy…"
Nibutani mumbled quietly. In high school, thanks to a certain twin-tail girl, she'd never had the chance.
Because they were standing so close, Kamishiro still heard her soft words.
His body trembled slightly, and his expression subtly softened. "That's… kind of sad."
(??_?)
In that moment, all Nibutani's shyness vanished. Now she just wanted to punch him!!!
"Welcome—oh… welcome, handsome… uh, Mister Pighead and beautiful lady."
At the diving gear shop, the clerk at the entrance greeted them with a forced smile.
She had repeated this welcome countless times, but this time, she could barely get the words out.
If you only looked at the guy's physique, he could be a top model. But that head…
Even with sunglasses and a mask, his face was clearly swollen!
Hearing the clerk's awkward greeting, Kamishiro's mouth twitched. He, too, felt that something was off with his face.
He turned and stared at the culprit. "Did you have to hit that hard…?"
(;?＿?)
"It helps hide your identity better."
Nibutani looked away guiltily. Clearly, she also realized she might've gone overboard. She pressed a cold pack against his face.
They were just superficial injuries. Compared to those beasts, she was an angel.
And somehow, their relationship had gotten a bit closer through this incident.
At least now Nibutani could stand close to Kamishiro without recoiling.
Watching this, the shop clerk's face darkened. Flirting in public, huh?!
Okay, we get it, you're in love—go inside already. The coworkers inside love couples like you.
Meanwhile, I'll just die silently at the door, fresh from my breakup…
(╥_╥)
The couple was completely unaware of the emotional damage they had just caused the clerk.
At the moment, they were focused on locating Iori and Aina. That police officer had delayed them quite a bit.
Luckily, Kamishiro had been to this shop before—he'd come here with his senpai last time.
They quickly found the pair in the swimsuit section.
"Your friend's buying new swim trunks?"
It was phrased as a question, but Nibutani was already certain. The rack was entirely swimwear.
"Ah, right. That idiot's swim trunks got ruined before the last dive."
"Wait, diving?!"
Nibutani looked at Kamishiro, shocked. These three didn't look like divers at all.
"Yep, we're from the diving club—PAB. You've never heard of it?"
"I have. That's why I'm surprised."
"Hm… never mind then."
Kamishiro turned away with a blank expression. Seems like their club's reputation had already spread through the girls' school. No wonder no new girls joined—except Aina.
Turns out there weren't many fans of muscles and beer…
Fully aware of what his club was actually like, Kamishiro skipped explaining the "diving" part. He'd seen what happened during recruitment—those soft freshmen couldn't even pass the first challenge!
"Can't believe you're actually in PAB. I can already picture your future self~"
Nibutani smirked teasingly. From what she'd heard, the club was full of muscle-heads.
Some of them looked normal in their freshman year, but now…
（λ?_??）
"No way! Absolutely not! You witch, don't curse me—I'll burn you at the stake!"
Kamishiro shook his head frantically. He craved strength, sure, but not at the cost of his physique! Overtraining only attracted other guys!
"Give it up, Kamishiro. This is Mori sama's prophecy!"
Nibutani raised her chin proudly, forgetting how much she used to protest that nickname.
"You…"
Just as Kamishiro was about to remind her, a voice from Aina's side caught his attention.
"Wow, is he your boyfriend~?"
The bubbly shop clerk who loved couples leaned in next to Aina and teased her while eyeing Iori.
Aina's face instantly turned red. She waved her hands furiously. "N-No! W-We're not… like that!"
Seeing the shy Aina, the clerk's face lit up with an auntie-like grin. "Aww, really~? But you're already shopping together—that's super couple-like!"
She even winked at Aina, who looked like she was about to boil over.
"N-No! We're really not that close…"
Even while explaining, anyone could see Aina was just being shy.
Even Nibutani couldn't hold back an auntie-smile. She nudged Kamishiro with her elbow. "Didn't expect your friend to be so pure."
(;?＿?)
"You sure?"
Kamishiro, who had seen Aina drunk before, couldn't associate pure with her at all.
"Of course! Her blushing face is so cute~"
Nibutani's eyes sparkled. It reminded her of her high school days, shipping couples.
Back then, she was a matchmaking master—two of the couples she shipped even got married!
However—
Love expert Nibutani-sama didn't remain happy for long. A single sentence from Aina made her feel like she had plunged straight into hell.
"I actually see his naked body all the time."
The moment those words landed, Nibutani's pupils dilated. She pointed toward Aina, looking at Kamishiro Shiro in complete disbelief.
Did such a shameless line really just come out of this pure-looking girl's mouth?!
There had to be some higher being pulling the strings just now!
Unfortunately—
This is reality. There is no "higher being."
Kamishiro Shiro's nod shattered all of Nibutani-sama's fantasy.
"What exactly is the relationship between those two?! For something like this to happen, they must be a couple!"
"Damn it! They even pretended not to know each other before, just to mislead me!"
Nibutani bit down hard on a handkerchief she pulled out from god knows where.
Though she loved to ship couples, she hated realizing halfway that the people she was shipping were already an old married couple. That just made her feel cheated!
Only Kamishiro Shiro calmly dug at his ear and gave Nibutani a condescending look. He suddenly felt like this Mori-sama was completely sheltered. Was this really such a big deal?
Also, though what Aina said was technically true, it wasn't what Nibutani thought.
"You've misunderstood. Those two aren't in a romantic relationship. That's exactly why I was surprised to see them alone together."
"Not in a romantic relationship?!"
Reality struck Mori-sama with another heavy blow.
Not in a romantic relationship, yet she's seen him naked all the time— isn't this the stuff of legends?!
Nibutani looked at the two with growing horror in her eyes. She never would've guessed that the seemingly dull guy and the pure girl were so… open!
(;°Д°)
"It's also not the kind of relationship you're imagining."
Kamishiro Shiro didn't even need to ask—he could tell exactly what Nibutani was thinking from the look on her face.
"But she said she sees him naked all the time!"
"Just as she said—literally. Not just Iori's nudity. She's probably seen all of PAB's nudity."
╮(╯▽╰)╭
Kamishiro Shiro gave an innocent shrug. This... felt pretty normal, honestly?
At least within PAB, that was the case!
"..."
Nibutani fell silent. She didn't know why, but even though she was just one year older than them, she already felt like she had been left behind by the times.
"So what the hell kind of club is this?!"
It was too much. Nibutani-sama's brain crashed completely—
The Pure Love War Goddess has fallen!