…
Some time later—
The four first-years successfully returned to the campsite.
They had set out as two guys, one girl, and one beast.
Now they were returning as one guy, one girl, and two beasts…
(′｀;)?
"Shiro, why do you look like a pig's head again?"
Azusa looked at Shiro in confusion. Ever since the deserted island trip, he'd been turning into a pig-head way too often.
At her question, Shiro's face immediately turned pitiful. Tears welled up in his eyes.
Then he threw himself into Azusa's arms.
"Uwaahhh! Azusa-nee, you have to stand up for me!!!"
(*?????)
"Eh?"
Feeling the contact on her stomach, Azusa's body tensed up. That was way too sudden…
But seeing Shiro's pitiful expression stirred her maternal instincts again. She gently patted his head.
"There, there, Shiroi. Don't cry. Even as a pig-head, you're still very handsome~"
"UWAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
Shiro sobbed even harder. Even Nanaka came over to comfort him.
Watching this scene, Iori gritted his teeth hard enough to nearly break them.
He also wanted to be a pig-head right now!
Who wouldn't want to snuggle up in a gentle onee-san's embrace?
"Kohei!"
While Iori was lost in his dark thoughts, Maya called out to Kohei.
She looked a bit awkward as she brushed her bangs aside. "Sorry about earlier, Kohei. I asked Kanako… turns out it was just a joke…"
Pfft—!
"No—No problem!"
Faced with such a bashful and cute Maya, Kohei couldn't hold it in—his nose spurted blood.
Still, it was a lot better than before—at least he didn't faint this time.
"Um… are you okay?"
Maya asked worriedly. That amount of blood loss didn't look normal.
"No problem, Maya! Just a little internal heat!"
Kohei patted himself proudly, showing he was totally fine—just shedding a bit of "hot-bloodedness"!
"Phew, good. But next time, be more natural, okay? We are friends, after all."
Relieved to see Kohei okay, Maya smiled, gave his shoulder a pat, and headed over to Shiro.
"…Wasn't that going a bit too far?"
Chisa looked at the still-crying Shiro with concern. That earlier scene had been a little too brutal.
(???)
"Nah, it's fine. That guy was loving it."
Iori pointed at Shiro's head with a gloomy face. Shiro was still nuzzling against the chests of the three big sisters…
"..."
Seeing this, Chisa once again gave him that look—like she was looking at a cockroach.
"Scumbag!" ×2
"…Kohei, why aren't you saying anything?"
"…Kohei?"
"OH CRAP! WHY'D YOU FAINT?!"
"GET THE AIR PUMP!!"
At that moment, the two upperclassmen who had just finished cooking looked at the chaotic scene and scratched their heads.
Were they… really that hungry?
*( ⊙~⊙)
"Let's play something we've never played before!"
"Something that'll become a cherished memory of our time on this uninhabited island!"
That way, when everyone plays this game again in the future, they'll remember this night on the island.
Ah, too bad the Zombie Beast isn't here~ What a shame.
"Then let's play that game Kudou mentioned before!"
Shiro exclaimed excitedly. This was his moment of triumph. Too bad he couldn't rope in the two girls from their group—they were actually pretty cute.
Although... he felt like he had seen them somewhere before. Maybe near someone he knew?
Forget it. Can't remember. It's not that important—he could always get to know them later!
"Oh, that one?"
"Sounds great!"
The upperclassmen agreed with a smile. Although they had shot it down before, that was only because it came from Kudou. The game itself was actually really good—kind of like a "King's Game."
"Then Nanaka and I will handle the preparations~ Just drop your punishment slips in this box!"
Azusa handed out paper and pens after everyone agreed, smiling as she added, "But there's one more thing~"
She turned to Maya with a mischievous grin creeping across her face. "Hey, Maya~ if someone writes something naughty, where's the line, hmm~?"
"Y-you perv, Azusa~"
Maya blushed and lightly tapped Azusa. "As long as it's not full nudity or too naughty, I'm fine with it~"
Though she was an idol, Maya was pretty open-minded—as long as it was with friends and within reasonable bounds.
But if the one doing it was Shiro… she might not have a lower limit at that point? (´艸｀)
"Then I'll just write whatever I want~ (λ՞ਊ՞)ノ"
Hearing Maya's response, Azusa grinned like a maniac. She was already imagining her glorious future, arms around two beautiful girls!
Why didn't she ask anyone else?
They were all veterans. What's there to ask?
Even Nanaka was more daring than she looked~
But then...
"I suggest keeping things a bit more normal…"
"Some people might not be able to handle it."
Shiro and Iori simultaneously turned to look at the collapsed figure of Kouhei.
The nosebleed he had just managed to stop was gushing again. As he mumbled, "Lady Kaya! I must join this game!"
"…That's the situation."
"If things get too spicy, this idiot might actually die here."
( *⊙~⊙)
Everyone twitched at the corners of their mouths. Maya's effect on Kouhei was… a bit too intense.
Taking Kouhei into consideration, they all toned down their punishment slips to avoid anything involving direct physical contact.
After all, it was all about the drinking!
...
"Punishments without physical contact, huh…"
Looking around at the group, Iori found himself at a loss.
Honestly… was there even a single normal human being here?
Regular punishments wouldn't get them hyped—if anything, they'd be a buzzkill.
Hoping to "learn," Iori sidled up to his childhood friend. This guy had always had the most wicked ideas. Time to take notes.
Peeking over, he saw Shiro grinning like a perv as he wrote:
"Apologize while showing your belly like a cat to one squinty-eyed player in the group."
(°言°〃)
"..."
Iori stared deadpan at the sleazy Shiro, who was so engrossed in his scheming that he didn't notice someone looking over his shoulder.
This is cheating, right?
This has to be cheating!!!
Rip!
For the sake of fair play, Iori snatched the paper from Shiro and tore it to shreds.
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
"Oi! What the hell are you doing!?"
Noticing Iori only now, Shiro grabbed him by the collar in fury.
"You're not only peeking but destroying other people's masterpieces?!"
"Masterpieces? This is just your sleazy trash!"
"Rubbish! There's no physical contact in there! It's the same as that strip rock-paper-scissors we played before!"
"Well… I guess you're right," Iori nodded. Compared to that, this wasn't so bad. But the real issue was…
"What's with the 'squinty-eyed player' part!?"
"Tch, busted huh."
Shiro clicked his tongue in annoyance. He thought he could sneak it past everyone—curse that idiot Kitahara!
Borrowing other people's punishments? What a moron!
"You just want to rig it for yourself!"
"What do you mean 'rig'—you're just mad because you don't have squinty eyes."
Shiro said shamelessly. He hadn't named names, so technically it wasn't against the rules… probably.
"...You may as well just say 'apologize only to me.' Nope, you need to change it to 'choose someone to apologize to while showing your belly.'"
(?⊿?)?
Shiro gave Iori a confused look. Did this guy really think anyone would choose him?
"Wait, why does it have to be an apology?"
Clearly, Iori hadn't picked up on it yet. Why not make it something else?
"Because it's a catgirl, obviously! Imagine it: a cute girl with cat ears lying on her back, blushing, showing her belly while whispering 'I'm sorry' to you. Slurp~"
!!!
Iori stared at Shiro in disbelief. This guy really knew how to play. While Iori was still stuck thinking like a rookie, Shiro was already adding some spice.
It was like his mind had just been unlocked. He clapped his hands and said,
"Got it! I'll write: 'Confess your love to someone whose name contains the characters for Kitahara!'"
"That's cheating! Plagiarism!!"
"How is it? It's totally within the rules~"
Iori wore an annoying smirk like a smug detective in a crime drama. "A scholar doesn't plagiarize—he borrows with style."
Just as he was about to write it down...
"Bastard!"
Shiro, enraged, tore the paper to shreds—exactly like what happened earlier.
The punishment-writing session had devolved into a paper-tearing contest...
"What are you two doing?"
A pale-faced Kouhei returned, having replenished his blood. His rational mind told him not to get involved, but somehow, his body just walked over on its own!
The two glanced at him and decided to explain. After all, Kouhei had no interest in 3D girls who weren't voice actresses.
"…You two are idiots."
"Huh?" ×2
That comment ticked both of them off. Of all people, they didn't want this broken bloodbag calling them stupid.
"Have you even considered the possibility that one of the senpai might draw your slip?"
Kouhei pointed coolly at the upperclassmen.
Right now, they were scribbling down their punishments with horrifying expressions—like demons risen from hell.
°△° "
At that moment, both Shiro and Iori froze.
They imagined the upperclassmen lifting their shirts and shyly confessing to them…
( ꒪ཀ꒪ 」 Bllleeegh!!!
HELP!!!
"Alright, let's begin the first round!"
Maya announced cheerfully, hugging the punishment box like it was a treasure chest—inside were the crystallizations of everyone's sin!
"OOOOHHHHHHHH!!!!"
With the start of the game, the room erupted in excitement. The Russian Mary Game: PAB Version was officially underway!!!
Unlike the original, all the drinks in this version had alcohol—only the concentration differed.
And that one special drink? Of course, it was their classic actor—Aqua Vitae
Colorless, tasteless, and hard to detect in the original drink mix.
And with nearly half the cup being pure Spirit of Life, it was no walk in the park. (λ՞ਊ՞)ノ
"Okay, our first punishment iiiis—"
"Confess your love to the person on your right—with genuine emotion!"
"Right side?"
Shiro saw the punishment and wasn't fazed at all. On his left was Nanaka-nee, on his right was Azusa-nee—either way, it was a win!
Although… "Confession," huh. Didn't expect Azusa's punishment to be this close to what that idiot Kitahara tried writing.
He glanced at Iori—who was trembling.
This punishment was extremely unfriendly to him!
If he drew it, it'd be fine—his right was Chisa.
But if the person to his left drew it…
He didn't want to be confessed to by a beast after watching that same beast eat a banana again!
Realizing the implications, Shiro shivered.
Thank god Kouhei warned him earlier. He had revised his punishments thoroughly. Even a sliver of risk facing the beast was too much!
"Russian Mary Game!!!"
"OOOOOOHHHHH!!!"
"Nooooooo!!!!"
With Iori's anguished scream, the first round of the game began. Everyone downed the mysterious drink in their cups in one gulp!
Then, simultaneously, they all pointed at Chisa, who was covering her mouth with a pained expression.
Too obvious!
"The punishment game begins~!"
"Confess your love passionately to the person on your right~!"
Shiro instantly whipped out his beloved camera—because sitting to Chisa's right was none other than Nanaka-nee!
This precious moment had to be captured! It could be sold to Nanaka-nee at a high price later!
Of course, he'd also accept "special favors" in trade~
(λ?_??)
"You okay with this?"
Iori asked with some concern from the side—after all, Chisa had never really liked these kinds of games before.
"Hmph, don't underestimate me. Something this trivial is a piece of cake!"
Chisa stood up and glanced contemptuously at Iori. Just a confession? And to her own sister? What's the big deal!
"Phew…" Chisa took a deep breath. Still, she was a bit nervous.
But then…
"For a long, long time, and from now until forever—I've always loved you the most~"
!!!
Seeing Chisa put on such an affectionate expression, Nanaka-nee couldn't hold it in—she covered her mouth and burst into tears.
This… this was heaven!!!!
Sob sob sob~
Amidst everyone's praise, Nanaka-nee lunged straight into Shiro's arms.
"I already… I already…!"
"There, there~"
Shiro patted her on the head like he was petting a cat. As expected, Chisa's impact on Nanaka-nee was just too strong.
Off to the side, Iori mocked Chisa,
"Your acting sucked. Everyone saw you were the one who got the punishment."
Chisa scoffed,
"You don't get it! I lost on purpose to liven up the mood!"
"Oh?"
Iori looked at her in surprise. Something felt different about Chisa today—she was unusually spirited?
It didn't quite feel like her…
But that didn't matter. Since Chisa was actually playing along, he grinned wickedly and said,
"So if you take it seriously next time, you won't lose?"
"Of course! I'm the queen of stone-faced poker!"
Chisa replied stubbornly, though honestly, she was already struggling with the alcohol level.
"Alright, time for round two!"
The second game began. Unsurprisingly, everyone's finger once again pointed at Chisa.
This adorable girl was just too easy to read~
Her pained expression while trying to blame Iori was just too cute!
"Balance dissolves, ocean surface evaporates, and with a flick of the magic wand—transform into Magical Girl Rarako!!!"
There was no need to even think—everyone knew who had to perform this punishment.
Kouhei looked disappointed,
"I really wanted Maya to do one!"
"Alright, on to round three!"
"Act like a cat and beg for affection in front of everyone!"
The moment this punishment was revealed, Tokita Senpai seemed to freeze.
Then… he broke into a demonic grin!
"Nya~ your good kitty, Gold Shaman is here~"
"AAARGHHHHH!!!"
"MY EYES, MY EYES!!"
"MY CAMERA SCREEN JUST CRACKED!!!"
Everyone collectively spat blood. Who could possibly resist a two-meter-tall muscular man acting like a cat while calling you master?!
And for authenticity, Shiro even kindly provided cat ears…
As for Shiro himself, he was now lying on the ground weeping blood, deeply regretting every decision in his sinful life.
Of course, this was just a small mishap in the game. No one had died yet, so the drinking and playing continued!
In the time that followed, everyone went through punishments that included—but were not limited to—heavy makeup, binge drinking, and singing songs written by Iori!