(′｀;)?
"What's with him?"
Kudo asked, confused. How'd a chat lead to circle-drawing?
"Oh, probably thought of something happy."
Shiro waved it off casually. Kohei's social skills were only slightly above an amoeba's.
"So, you're not worried about missing girls' messages? I recall you're a scumbag too."
Undeterred, Kudo pressed on. Shiro must be like him—surrounded by girls, right?
He'd never met a popular guy whose phone was off!
But Shiro got fired up at Kudo's words. "What's that supposed to mean?! I'm not a scumbag—I just want to give every girl a home!"
"…Ugh!"
Kudo clutched his face in agony. Did this guy have *no* self-awareness? That was textbook scumbag talk!!!
"Phew!"
Taking a deep breath, Kudo forced himself to calm down, playing along. "Then aren't you worried the girls won't find their 'home'?"
"Huh? Why wouldn't they? Just message them the next day. Replying all the time would kill me. Isn't that how it works for you?"
Shiro stared, baffled, at the supposedly super-popular Tennis Club president.
This guy?
Could someone *actually* popular ask that?
How could anyone keep up with dozens of girls' messages~
*Pfft!*
Shiro's words pierced Kudo like a blade. He recalled his old self.
Back then, he juggled several girls, constantly checking his phone, terrified of missing a message.
Worse, if he ignored one for a night, he'd spend the next day groveling…
It hit him—he was a total simp!
He didn't deserve to be a scumbag!
His urge to apprentice under Shiro surged, but his pride wouldn't let him.
Instead, he shuffled to a corner to join the yellow-haired guy, drawing circles in silence.
One looked like a delinquent but was a shut-in; the other seemed popular but was a simp.
Life was too hard!!!
(っ╥╯﹏╰╥c)
「(°ヘ°)?
Shiro scratched his head, confused. Had he said something?
Why were they both moping?
Was this some circle-drawing contest?
The next Magical Seashell?
Unable to figure it out, Shiro shook his head and kept cranking the generator!
His phone would boot up soon!
So exciting!
…
"Done! It's on!!!"
Shiro shouted, thrilled, as his phone screen lit up. He was sick of this hill!
No cute girls—just two smelly guys!
how could they compare to girls and booze?!
He couldn't wait to return and have a 300-round showdown with three hot older girls!
"Really?!"
"Call someone quick!"
Kudo and Kohei perked up, equally fed up with the place.
They didn't dare wander off, fearing they'd get truly lost.
"Wait! One problem!"
Shiro held up a hand, dead serious, pushing their faces back. "The phone's on, but… I don't know how long it'll last. We need the *right* target!"
"Right target?"
"Someone who'd notice we're gone first!"
Kudo and Kohei froze, grasping the gravity.
They'd been missing for about half an hour. Logically, the seniors should've noticed.
But… it was drinking party time… would they even realize?
They turned to Kudo.
He was their team's captain. Surely his teammates would notice their leader's absence…?
Facing their stares, Kudo hesitated, then stepped back awkwardly. "Uh… I mentioned earlier, right? We were prepping for a test of courage. Disappearing for a bit is normal…"
His voice trailed off, too ashamed to meet their eyes. He could already imagine their scorn!
A captain reduced to this was pretty pathetic (*?????)
But contrary to his fears, they didn't mock him—they comforted him!
"Don't sweat the details. Games like this, it's normal."
"Plus, we don't have your teammates' contacts, so no worries."
!!!
"You guys…"
Their words touched Kudo, making him teary and a bit aggrieved.
He wanted to slap his past self and apologize for his hostility toward PAB.
"Ha."
Lowering his head, he chuckled, his smile carefree. Then he bowed deeply to them.
"Sorry for before. I didn't realize you were such warm people. Maybe we could try being friends!"
Kudo's sincere apology echoed at the hill's base, marking a man's transformation!
But all he got was endless silence~
（λ?_??）
Silence, endless silence~
After a while, unable to bear the lack of response due to his aching back, Kudo looked up to see what Shiro and Kohei were up to.
Wasn't this the part for Neon's traditional mutual apology frenzy?
Sadly, he'd never truly hung out with PAB and didn't know them at all~
Lifting his head, Kudo witnessed the darkest moment of his life!
Shiro and Kohei were grinning ear-to-ear, mocking him.
Shiro even whipped out his precious camera for a deathly ten-shot burst!
Kohei, not to be outdone, mimicked Kudo's pose, twisting mockingly. "Maybe we could be friends~ Hahahahaha!!!"
"Hahahahahaha!!!"
Their devilish laughter petrified Kudo.
In that moment, he saw the true darkness of human hearts.
Their mocking voices and "Maybe we could be friends~" looped in his ears.
"AAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"
Kudo broke, turning into a white statue.
He'd never trust anyone from PAB again!
Luckily, Shiro and Kohei knew priorities. After mocking Kudo into a breakdown, they focused on choosing a call target.
They'd never planned to call Kudo's teammates—asking was just to mess with him???????‵? In times like this, their own crew was the reliable bet!
"Hm…" Shiro stared at the lit screen, pondering. "How about one of the three big sisters?"
In his mind, Asuzasa-nee, Nanaka-nee, and Maya were pretty dependable.
Plus, he'd been gone so long—they must be worried sick. Time to call and ease their minds!
But as he moved to act, a hand stopped him.
(???)
"You sure they're reliable when they're drinking?"
"…"
Kohei's words silenced Shiro. They *should* be reliable… probably?
"Let's try! My phone can hold out!"
Eyeing the 4% battery, Shiro nodded firmly. Half an hour gone—they *had* to have noticed!
"Call Lady Maya!"
"…"
Under a certain fanboy's threat, Shiro reluctantly chose Maya. This guy never missed a chance to hear her voice.
Meanwhile, at the camp
"(*ˉ?ˉ*;) *Hic*~"
Overjoyed at reuniting with her crush, Maya had overdone it. Tipsy, she sprawled in Asuzasa's arms.
She didn't even notice Asuzasa's sneaky hands slipping under her clothes.
Instead, she nuzzled Asuzasa's chest. "Heehee, Shiro-kun, your pecs are so soft and big~"
She even gave a squeeze~
!!!
This fanned the flames in Asuzasa, who was already worked up. She wanted to drag Maya into a tent for some *hehehe* right then!
The pressure was intense!
For a moment, she even missed Shiro.
She couldn't go too wild—not with Nanaka nearby.
If she did, she'd expose her thing for girls!
No way!
Not in front of Nanaka, at least!
(っ╥╯﹏╰╥c)
If only Little shiro were here to distract her.
Where *was* that guy?!
Asuzasa kept scanning, realizing the kid had vanished.
Had he gone to meet those two girls?
She recalled the Tennis Club girls from earlier, growing more convinced.
Just as she was about to get up and look around, Maya's phone started ringing.
Asuza instinctively glanced over and saw the caller ID: "Shiro".
Speak of the devil… Asuza watched Maya fumble for her phone with an adorable look on her face.
Very considerately, Asuza answered the call for her. "Moshi moshi, this is Asuza. Shiro, where are you?"
???
Hearing Asuza's voice, Shiro looked at the screen in confusion. It clearly said "Maya" on the caller ID—so why was it Asuza on the line?
Kouhei looked even more disgusted. His fiery excitement was instantly extinguished. He had gotten all worked up, only to hear… this?
This was like buying a colored DVD, getting your pants off and tissues ready, only for it to start playing… Hulu Brothers!
"Asuza nee? Where's Maya?"
Unable to make sense of the situation, ShiroShiro took the direct route—just ask!
"Oh, Maya? She's on my lap right now. What's wrong, Shiro? Planning to do something naughty to our adorable Maya~?"
(λ?_??)
Asuza had a mischievous expression. Calling Maya at this hour? It was hard not to let one's imagination run wild.
She wanted to apply for a photographer's seat!
"On your lap?!"
Shiro couldn't help but picture the two beauties tangled together.
Slurp~
Kinda spicy…
Wait, no! Now's not the time for that!
Looking at the white human statue in front of him, Shiro suddenly remembered why he called.
It didn't matter if it was Asuza or Maya—anyone human would do!
"Asuza nee! Listen to me! We're trapped at the bottom of a slope surrounded by trees! Come find us!"
Shiro spoke as fast as he could, trying to explain his situation. While his description of the location was absolute garbage, at least he managed to say they were trapped!
However…
Reality often differs slightly from expectation.
Step step step
"Hello?"
"Shiro-kun, you can't…"
"Maya? Asuza nee, are you listening?"
"..."
The only response Shiro got was endless silence—and the sound of static.
When he looked at the screen again, the call had ended.
When he tried to call back, the phone was turned off…
"..."
Shiro's mouth twitched. So… did Asuza actually hear his cry for help?
He had a bad feeling about this.
Elsewhere – The Camp
Asuza, who Shiro had placed his hopes in, was now looking at Maya with an extremely complex expression.
Just moments ago, she had witnessed a medical miracle.
Maya, previously dead drunk, suddenly snatched the phone from Asuza's hands, muttering "Shiro-kun, you can't go out with other girls!" as she bolted toward the ocean.
Then, with amazing accuracy, she threw her phone directly into the sea.
Feeding the fish with a bit of electronic bait—a cyber-feast!
Afterwards, she even threw up a victory sign before collapsing.
Everyone around was dumbfounded. This was even more dramatic than Chisa earlier!
Asuza could only hold her forehead and laugh-cry. Maya would definitely regret this once she sobered up.
Her longed-for chance to spend alone time with Shiro—now tossed into the ocean~
But wait… Shiro should be fine, right?
Asuza tilted her head innocently. She hadn't really heard the call clearly before Maya snatched the phone. All she caught was a "Asuza!"
She figured Shiro probably just wanted her to hand the phone to Maya.
(λ?_??)
She suddenly found herself looking forward to tomorrow~
Beep beep beep~
"Sorry, the number you dialed is currently unavailable…"
"..."
Beep beep beep~
"Sorry, the number you…"
"..."
After several attempts, ShiroShiro hopelessly put down his phone. He had tried all three big sisters' numbers.
Unfortunately, except for Maya's number, neither Asuza nee nor Nanaka nee's phones were responding.
"Is Miss Maya okay?"
Kouhei asked with concern. He thought he heard her voice earlier—could something have happened to her?!
(???)
"You're not thinking of rescuing her, are you? I'm still counting on her to save us."
Shiro sighed. Then… he saw Kouhei trying to climb the slope!
Miss Maya had apparently triggered Kouhei's athletic instincts!
Unfortunately, that didn't change the fact that Kouhei was garbage at sports.
He barely climbed a meter before falling flat again.
Thud
Shiro facepalmed. His teammate's IQ was seriously concerning.
"Relax, Maya has Nanaka nee and Asuza nee with her. She'll be fine.
Maybe the reason they didn't answer is because they're busy taking care of her."
…
And sure enough, as Shiro guessed, Asuza and Nanaka were currently taking care of a drunken Maya. They had no time to check their phones.
By the way, they had also just helped up the couple who had passed out in a tent together…
"Ow…"
Iori stood up holding his head, wobbling for five seconds before he realized what had happened earlier.
Looking at the still slightly tipsy Chisa in front of him, he understood—it was all Shiro's setup!
That bastard must have predicted all this when he left so decisively. Damn him!
Shiro: "(°ヘ°) He honestly didn't think that idiot would actually go in there…"
"Nanaka san, what's going on here…?"
Still dizzy, Iori looked at the starlet in confusion. Why was another person passed out now?
"Oh, Maya just drank a little too much. Don't worry, Iori, go join the party. We've got her."
"Oh… okay…"
Iori looked at the three busty older women and reluctantly nodded. Thinking about the tent scene… he suddenly felt like risking another beatdown just to peek again.
He shook his head, ridding himself of impure thoughts, and decided to go find his bros to vent his frustrations.
He had just wanted to grab a bottle of life-giving liquor—how did he end up ambushed like that?
However…
After circling the area, he realized—
His buddies were gone?!