Back at the camp, aside from two seniors arguing, there was no sign of Shiro or Kouhei!
Realizing this, Iori decisively turned around and headed back.
You expect him to face two wild beasts alone?
Nope!
Absolutely not!
He still valued his life!
(′｀;)?
"Iori? Why are you back?"
Asuza, who was outside the tent taking care of Maya, looked at Iori in confusion. Even the booze couldn't lure him in?
"Um, Asuza san, where did Shiro and Kouhei go?"
Iori asked directly. He had a feeling he missed a lot while passed out.
"Oh, Shiro and Kouhei?" Asuza nodded knowingly. "You three are so close. I'm not sure about Kouhei, but Shiro called just a while ago. You can call him and ask."
"Oh? Call him?"
Iori finally remembered that humanity had invented telephones. But… why did Asuza san look so convinced they were that close?
And those gossip-hungry eyes—this woman definitely misunderstood!
Iori shut his eyes in pain. Oh right… to her, he shared a "special interest" with her…
Thinking of that, he quickly turned and left. If he stayed any longer, she'd probably be fantasizing about the three of them getting married!
Ugh!
Iori dialed Shiro's number, convinced those two were together—and hiding something from him!
Beep beep beep~
Looking at the caller ID,
Shiro, who had been debating whether to call the senior girls or keep trying the big sisters, tilted his head.
Then he thought of something and grinned like a demon—
...
"Not picking up? Even if he's a dumbass, he can at least relay a message."
Kouhei reached to press the answer button, but Shiro stopped him.
Shiro looked at Kohei with a serious expression. "No, we can't say that. Kohei, think about it—what kind of face would that guy make if he knew we were stuck at the bottom of a hill with an idiot?"
"Who're you calling an idiot?!"
Kudo shouted from the side. Revived from his ashen state by the prospect of a phone call, he immediately overheard them badmouthing him.
To Kudo's aggrieved complaints, Shiro and Kohei merely gave him a dismissive glance and ignored him…
Everything was said in silence~
Pfft!
That contemptuous look stung worse than their earlier insults!
Damn it!
These two would get their comeuppance someday!
"That jerk would definitely stand at the top of the hill mocking us!"
Kohei's expression shifted. Knowing Iori, he'd absolutely gloat from above.
"Oh my~ Isn't that Shiro and Kohei? So careless~"
"Drunk, maybe?"
"Or doing something unspeakable with Kudo-senpai? Azusa-nee would love to hear~"
"Hand over some cash, and we'll let you up~"
THUD!
The more they thought, the angrier they got. Their faces twisted as they declared in unison, "We cannot let this happen!"
The booming voices startled Kudo, who slunk to another corner to wait for rescue.
He had a feeling someone was about to get screwed…
"So what do we do? Ignore his call?"
Kohei looked troubled. They'd forgotten about Iori. Even if the seniors found them, that jerk would come to mock.
Shiro smiled faintly. He'd already considered this.
"No worries. We just need to…"
As Shiro explained his plan, Kohei's eyes widened, his grin growing sinister.
What a brilliant idea~
Good friends should stick together!
…
"Beep~ Hello, this is Shiro…"
The call connected, and Iori heard Shiro's slightly unnatural voice.
In that moment, Iori's eyes changed. The last time he'd heard that tone was with Mitarai.
Back then, Mitarai was about to complete a certain graduation ceremony with his girlfriend.
Shadows veiled Iori's eyes, his voice cold. "Shiro, where are you?"
"Ahem, uh, Kitahara, I'm kinda busy. Half an hour—no! One hour, and I'll be back!"
Shiro moved to hang up, but coincidentally, before he could, other voices slipped through.
"Shiro-kun, what're you doing? Hurry up~"
"Mmm~ Shiro-kun, feel how soft this is~"
"Look! I bought these thong panties just for this~"
"Beep~"
Like an accident, Shiro hurriedly ended the call.
Leaving Iori sitting alone in the darkness.
Iori recognized it—two girls on the other end, sounding like the ones from the beach!
After sitting in silence for a long time, Iori dialed again, only to find the phone was off.
In the dark, a smile curled his lips.
Whoosh!
He stood, striding resolutely into the woods.
This time, he had no companions behind him!
But he was filled with their spirit!
He had to stop that walking, horny mutt!
"Is that it? No problems now?"
Staring at the fully blacked-out phone, Kohei's tone carried a hint of worry. If that idiot didn't come, they'd be stuck in this cold, creepy place.
"No problem. I trust that idiot!"
Shiro's voice was firm. Look at Mitarai—this kind of provocation was unbearable for Iori.
And his plan was flawless!
It included Kohei mimicking the girls' voices. No way Iori wouldn't take the bait!
Kohei nodded. As a participant in the last operation, he knew how much resentment those beasts harbored over this.
The two exchanged a look, devilish grins spreading across their faces~
A family should be neat and tidy~
{{(°△°; "}}!
Kudo shivered nearby. Were these guys really friends?
It was just a rescue mission! Why make it so complicated?!
"So… how do you lure him down?"
Kudo swallowed, asking nervously. He'd eavesdropped on Shiro's plan, which aimed to trick Iori down here.
But he thought…
"Unless it's someone really important, no one would just jump down, right?"
"With a bit of caution, they'd notice people at the bottom. That doesn't match your rescue scene…"
Kudo's voice shrank as he spoke, because he realized—these two jerks were grinning at him!!!
(.;゜;:益:;゜;.)
He stepped back, an ominous feeling rising.
The next second, that dread came true~
"Kudo-senpai~ As a senior, you should help ease your juniors' burdens, right~?"
???????‵?
"Not bad build, just a bit dark-skinned. But in this darkness, Iori won't notice."
Shiro brazenly lifted Kudo's shirt.
Gotta say, the senior had some assets—at least six-pack abs, a magnet for female wolves.
"AH!!!!"
"What're you doing?!"
Stunned by Shiro's brazen move, Kudo froze for seconds before scrambling back in terror, arms shielding himself.
"Don't… don't come closer!!!"
Facing Shiro and Kohei's sinister grins, Kudo roared, trying to muster courage.
He hadn't expected these two to swing that way!
He'd only seen this on TV and had zero experience!
Why were a shut-in and a playboy into this? And from their talk, Iori was too?
Was he the prey all along?!!
Kudo paled, recalling PAB's muscle rumors!
Word was, too much gym time attracted same-sex attention, and PAB was full of muscleheads…
Shiro and Kohei had no interest in explaining. They lunged.
"No… no… don't come closer!!!!"
"AAAAAHHH!!!"
Kudo struggled wildly, but he was no match. Humiliated, he lay on the ground as they stripped his clothes.
Tears of regret streamed down his face. He never imagined he'd face this day (っ╥╯﹏╰╥c)
…
(???)
"Alright, stop crying. We didn't strip you bare. Just play a guest actor. Don't get so worked up."
Shiro waved dismissively at Kudo, who huddled in a corner like a violated girl.
How clueless was this guy to think he and Kohei were into him?
Looks-wise, they outclassed him.
"You jerk! Say that first! Who just starts stripping?!"
Kudo roared. At least explain—he'd cooperate!
╮( ??ω?? )╭
Shiro shrugged, pulling out his precious camera. "If I'd said it, I wouldn't have gotten such viral photos."
The screen showed Kudo, humiliated on the ground, tears and snot mingling.
!!!
"You're a devil! You're definitely a devil!"
Kudo's eyes dimmed. He could already imagine tomorrow's forum posts.
"Shock! A certain club president has this fetish!"
"Shock! Senior Kudo caught late at night…"
"AAAAHHH!!! Let me die, let me die!"
THUD THUD THUD!
Kudo bashed his head on the ground. If this got out, the Tennis Club would die by his hand!
Steal the camera from Shiro's phone?
"…"
If he were that bold, he wouldn't be in this mess.
"Alright, I'm not that devilish. If you perform well next, I'll delete the photo~"
Shiro patted Kudo's shoulder, tempting him. It was up to him now.
"Your orders, sir!"
In that moment, Kudo's eyes changed, transforming into a samurai awaiting his mission!
"..."
"No need to be so dramatic."
"Alright, next, all you have to do is hide in that corner and just stick out your lower body."
Shiro pointed to a hidden spot nearby. He had studied it carefully earlier—if someone hid there, they wouldn't be visible from above.
Kudo just had to show his lower half, and then Kohei would imitate a girl's voice. There was no way that idiot Kitahara wouldn't fall for it!
A devil!
Having listened to the entire plan, Kudo felt like he was dealing with two absolute devils.
How could such intelligence be used for something so stupid? If only these two had shown such enthusiasm earlier, they might have escaped already...
"Um… Are you sure he'll bring his phone? What if it suddenly runs out of battery or he left it at the campsite or something?"
Kudo asked weakly. He had pretty much lost hope when it came to the pab members' phones.
If yet another guy shows up without a phone, they might as well just start playing mahjong down here.
Whoosh!
Just as he finished speaking, he noticed two pairs of crimson eyes staring at him.
Shiro patted his senior's shoulder very kindly. "Senpai, you need to believe in Kitahara. But if you keep jinxing things, I can't guarantee what might show up on the forums tomorrow~"
{{(°△°; ")}}!
"Got it!"
At this moment, Kudo was terrified. He didn't want to become famous in that way again.
Seeing this, Shiro nodded in satisfaction. "Alright then! Operation 'Capture the Idiot' begins!"
In the forest
Iori was wandering aimlessly, using his phone as a flashlight to search.
Since Shiro and the others weren't answering their phones, he could only rely on sound to find them.
It sounded ridiculous, but his determined expression said it all.
He wasn't giving up!
"Mmm~ Shiro-kun~"
Just as Iori passed by a slope, he suddenly froze!
He heard it!
A woman's voice!
Found you, Shiro!
Iori's expression twisted with glee as he looked down the slope. Down below, there was a figure wearing only underpants... moving suggestively?
Because of the angle, Iori couldn't see the person's face, but he was sure—that had to be Shiro!
He even heard the same girl's voice from earlier that day!
"Shiro-kun~ Come over here~"
"This is so exciting~"
"And here I come, baby~"
That gross voice—it was Shiro without a doubt!
At that point, Iori couldn't hold back anymore. He leapt down toward the half-naked figure.
Time for justice!
"Shiro!"
Bang!
A cloud of dust burst into the air. Iori didn't see any girl—only two mocking faces.
Shiro? Kohei?
And…
"Why am I always the one who gets hurt (´Д`)?"
A nearly-crushed Kudo-senpai~
（λ?_??）
Welcome to the bottom of the slope!
At the bottom of the slope.
The four of them sat on the ground. After hearing the whole story, Iori's expression shifted through a mix of emotions.
He… might have been tricked?
"So… the truth is you two were stuck here, and to avoid being laughed at, you dragged me into this too?"
"Actually, it's three people."
Shiro pointed at Kudo, who was curled up and mentally shut down. You can't forget anyone when it's time to assign blame.
"Oh, three huh." Iori nodded to show he understood, then—
"You're even proud of it?! How could you use such a ridiculous reason to pull me into this?! Is that what you think of me?!"
Iori roared. He felt like his character had been insulted.
Did they think he was the kind of guy who'd abandon his bros?
"Yes!"
"Could you at least wipe that smug smile off your face? It's too obvious."
(¬_¬)
Shiro and Kohei looked at him coldly. This idiot had clearly let his true feelings show.
Could this moron stop yelling in rage while grinning like a creep? It's so off-putting!
Hearing their comment, Iori instinctively touched the corners of his mouth. They were curled upward...
Awkwardly, he sat down. He had accidentally revealed what he was actually thinking. He had even planned out how he was going to mock them already.
"..."
Silence returned. Faced with the smirks of his two mischievous friends, Iori could only endure it quietly.
These bastards...
How could they come up with such a wicked plan?
Everything was interconnected—there was no escape!