On the yacht, Maya smiled brightly.
"Ahh, sea breeze! It's been so long since I had fun like this!"
"Well, what can you do? You can't really go places with crowds."
"An uninhabited island is definitely the best!"
Azusa stretched lazily—then suddenly hugged both Nanaka and Maya by the neck, a pervy grin spreading across her face.
Ehehehehe~
The two were already used to Azusa's antics and didn't think much of it.
"This time there seem to be people from other clubs too…"
"As long as there aren't too many people, it's fine."
Maya wasn't afraid of being recognized—she was more worried about large crowds causing inconvenience to others.
"Then no problem! Shiro, you better work hard—rent out the whole uninhabited island!"
Still holding both girls close, Azusa reached out and poked fully-disguised Shiro with her finger.
She looked just like some ancient tyrant enjoying a decadent harem.
"Azusa-nee, you're giving me way too much credit..." Shiro's mouth twitched. Just because his family owns land doesn't mean they're sitting on a gold mine!
And besides, why the hell would he go out of his way to rent an uninhabited island? To conduct secret experiments?
He didn't think that was necessary. There were already enough weird people on this boat.
Queen Azusa on one arm, Princess Chisa who uses perverts as stools on the other, and of course, the eternally Otaku slacker prince, Kohei...
He glanced around and realized the two buff senior guys were the most normal ones here?!
Shiro held his head in his hands. This trip was already starting to feel beyond comprehension.
"So what did you do this time, you idiot?"
Shiro's dead-fish eyes behind his sunglasses locked onto the pervert Iori, currently being used as a chair. He didn't even need to ask—if Chisa was acting like this, it was obviously because this pervert had done something morally corrupt again.
"Nothing much, I just prepared an extra change of clothes for Chisa!"
Iori, being used as a chair, seemed to enjoy himself as he recounted the situation with a straight face.
He had given Chisa a pair of very suggestive panties earlier, and to make sure they didn't get ignored, he stuffed them into her change-of-clothes bag!
"..."
Shiro was silent. The fact that this guy hadn't been tossed into the sea yet was proof of Chisa's saintlike mercy.
"Chisa, maybe get off him now. It's easy to fall into the sea like that, and… why are you rewarding this idiot?"
!!!
Chisa, who hadn't thought much of it before, immediately stood up with a look of pure disgust—as if she were looking at a cockroach.
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
"That's slander! You're slandering me!"
Freed, Iori hurried to explain. "Though it's true that Chisa has nice curves and her butt—"
GRAB!
Before he could finish, he felt a hand gripping his head.
That familiar killing intent… yep, definitely Chisa.
"Chisa… I was just trying to explain."
"Is that your final statement?"
"Eh?! Why is it suddenly a final statement?! Calm down, Chisa!"
"..."
Watching this everyday bickering between the 'couple,' Shiro sighed helplessly. What else could he do?
He just pulled out his top-grade camera and started capturing the moment for posterity~ (λ?_??)
"You two sure get along well~"
As he was happily snapping photos, he suddenly felt a warm breath on his ear.
Turning around, he saw Maya smiling beside him.
!!!
That bit of excitement in Kamishiro quickly turned to cold sweat. Just now, he might've spoken in his real voice while chatting with Kitahara and the others…
It's been a while, so maybe she wouldn't remember his voice, right?
"Ahem… Well, they're a couple, after all."
Just to be safe, Kamishiro altered his voice a bit, even if it made him feel kind of guilty.
But!
As long as she didn't remove his mask and sunglasses, she had no proof!
[morally justified bluff.jpg]
However, Maya didn't seem to notice. Still smiling, she said, "Ah~ a couple, huh? No wonder. I'm so jealous~"
Although she said that, her eyes never left Kamishiro's face, as if trying to see how he'd react.
Too bad—his mask and sunglasses perfectly hid all his expressions. She couldn't see a thing.
"Haha, but you're super popular, Kaya Mizuki. Though I guess it's tough for idols to date openly, right?"
"I'm a voice actress, not an idol~ It's totally fine if it gets out~"
Kamishiro wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but her tone seemed to carry a deeper meaning.
Luckily, everyone was on the yacht, so Maya didn't press the topic. Instead, she dragged Chisa into a flurry of girl talk, asking what she liked about Iori—the vibe suddenly shifted into teen gossip mode.
Poor Chisa was racking her brain, trying to think of any good points about her "boyfriend" Iori.
Five minutes later—
Chisa, holding her head and trembling, turned around and muttered, "He… he eats a lot, I guess."
{{(°△°; ")}}!
Even Maya was taken aback. Was this sweet girl really choosing her boyfriend based on such a simple standard?
"Uh… anything else?"
Maya smiled awkwardly, still trying to dig something up.
But after another five minutes, she seriously regretted asking.
Because—
"He… he chews his food thoroughly."
"..."
The last time Maya heard praise like that, it was from a parent talking about their toddler.
Was this pair really dating?
"Oh, my love, can't you say anything about my gallant deeds besides my eating habits?"
Iori stepped forward. He felt there were plenty of things to talk about—like his athleticism.
"You can do addition, maybe…"
!!!
That pushed Iori over the edge. What kind of insult was that!?
"Is that all you think I can do?! I can subtract too, you know!"
"..."
"Pfft~"
Watching this bizarre couple, Maya chuckled. She didn't fully understand how their dynamic worked, but she could feel their rhythm and harmony.
Off to the side, Kamishiro looked at Maya, her face glowing with laughter, and felt his mind drift—as if he'd returned to Tokyo, seeing that lonely girl drinking by herself like a heartbroken teenager.
"Shiro, did you know Maya before this?"
As he got lost in thought, Azusa's voice snapped him back.
"Huh…? N-No, I didn't."
Kamishiro stammered, trying to deflect.
"Is that so?"
Azusa nodded as if she believed him, but her sharp instincts had clearly noticed something off.
Leaning in close to whisper in his ear, she teased, "Lying is bad, Shiro~ This whole outfit of yours—it's to hide from Maya, isn't it?"
!!!
"YAHOO!!!"
"So this is the uninhabited island!"
"Let's have a blast out here!"
"Barbecue, barbecue! Let's get the grill going!"
"Hahaha, Iori, you're always so impatient. We haven't even set up the tents yet."
"Oops, too excited and forgot."
Iori scratched his head sheepishly. He'd gotten too worked up and forgot about setting up. But still… something felt off?
Looking back, he noticed one of his best bros had turned into a dried-up fish, while the other was crouching on the yacht, contemplating life.
(′｀;)?
"What's up with Kamishiro?"
Iori looked at Azusa, confused. Wasn't he fine just a moment ago? Did he and the island have bad chemistry?
Azusa chuckled as she looked at Shiro's back. Teasingly, she said, "Who knows, maybe he's wondering how to survive now~"
Without giving a clearer answer to the still-confused Iori, she took her two "consorts" and went off to learn how to pitch tents with the camp uncle.
Still not understanding, Iori decided to find out for himself. As he approached Shiro, he saw the guy staring at his phone.
Searches:
Ways to make someone lose their memory
Where to hit someone with a rock to cause amnesia
How to get away with accidental manslaughter
Chances of a body being discovered if dumped at sea
Uninhabited island…
Seeing those horrifying search terms, cold sweat trickled down Iori's back. In the middle of summer, he actually felt a chill.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Iori snatched the phone away. He was terrified this guy might actually start binge-watching Detective Conan for reference.
If the targets were just the two senpai guys or Kohei, fine—but if it was him, that'd be way too terrifying!
For his own safety, Iori decided to cut the problem off at the root.
"Oh, it's just you, Iori…"
Shiro leaned against the yacht in despair, looking like his soul had left his body.
"What's wrong? Not having fun?"
"No, I'm just lamenting… this may be the last time I ever get to have fun."
"Did you take the wrong meds today...?"
"..."
Shiro didn't respond, just quietly gazed at the sky.
Earlier, when Azusa nee saw through his lie, he tried to bluff his way out.
But then she told him something crucial—
"Maya usually doesn't initiate conversations with strangers… especially about love."
In that moment, Shiro felt his life flashing before his eyes.
Didn't that mean Maya was this close to recognizing him?
Even if she hadn't figured it out yet, she was definitely suspicious.
Which is why Shiro had decided—
Strike first. Eliminate the threat before it strikes back.
Even if the "threat"… was just a fish.
Even if it's a prince, a dead fish should stay in the sea!
"So what do we do with this salted fish? He's not completely dead yet. Where's the air pump? We might need to pump him up."
Iori poked the still-unconscious Kohei and said as he pulled out an air pump from behind, examining whether to pump from the top or the bottom.
"Just throw him into the sea. I just saw a shark nearby!"
"Did you just return from hell for training or something...?"
Looking at the dead-serious Shiro, Iori seemed to realize who this scumbag was trying to kill earlier.
Although he didn't know the whole story, he could sense that there was a lot of history between them.
...
Bang bang bang!
At the camp, Shiro and his group of three were setting up their tent together. Watching the highly energized Kohei, Iori muttered, "You should be back to normal by now, right?"
"I've been temporarily resuscitated, but Kitahara, can you tell me why my butt hurts so much?"
Kohei's expression was grim. He felt like something extraordinary had been inserted into his butt, and there was still gas in his stomach.
(;?＿?)
"Well, maybe it's just a side effect of the resuscitation."
Shiro and Iori guiltily averted their eyes. After debating the top or the bottom, they had ultimately chosen to pump from below.
Surprisingly, Kohei's body structure was quite amazing—just pumping some air brought him back to life.
The old biology professors at school would probably be very interested in studying his body. (λ?_??)
"What the hell kind of resuscitation did you guys do?!"
Seeing their expressions, Kohei already guessed that the method wasn't exactly proper.
"Ahem, that's not important. Your idol is just over there. Aren't you going to say hi?"
Iori gestured with his chin for Kohei to look. What happened at the pier earlier couldn't be considered a greeting—he fainted before he even started.
"Huh? What kind of stupid thing are you saying?"
Surprisingly, Kohei looked at Iori like he was an idiot.
Even Shiro looked shocked. "You're the one talking nonsense..."
This was a rare chance to be close to his idol. Most people wouldn't miss it.
"Hmph, think with your pig brains. If I hear Mayai-sama's voice from that close, my personality will collapse on the spot.
I definitely don't want to be resuscitated by you two in that way again."
(???)
Shiro gave Kohei a big thumbs-up. This guy would forever remain an insignificant fan.
"What kind of deity have you made her into?"
Iori's mouth twitched. This guy could start his own religion.
"At times like this, it's enough to just watch from afar!"
Kohei clasped his hands together and looked to the sky as if gazing upon a divine angel.
"...Well, I'll go say hi alone then."
Shiro started walking toward the girls, deciding not to run away anymore.
It's been so long... maybe Maya already forgot.
Besides, having a private chat was better than getting caught off guard suddenly.
The more he looked at Kohei now, the more afraid he felt. (╥_╥)
That guy practically worshiped Kaya Mizuki as a goddess. If he found out he had desecrated his goddess, he might just send him to the guillotine...
Smack!
Just as Shiro turned around, a veiny hand grabbed his shoulder with an iron grip.
"You bastard, I advise you to behave. Standing up recklessly is a great way to die horribly."
"..."
Just from that demonic voice, Shiro could imagine how twisted the expression behind him was.
But...
This was all part of his plan!
"Why not go together? That way you can have close contact with your idol."
Shiro smirked. He had great faith in Kohei's weakness—if he got too close to Maya, he'd definitely faint again!
Then it would just be him and Maya—alone, together~
Hehehe!