Ten minutes later—
Kamishiro walked back looking utterly dejected, with a calm-looking Kohei following behind him.
Seeing the scumbag's gloomy expression, Iori raised an eyebrow.
"What? Didn't manage to explain it clearly?"
"Well… I explained it pretty clearly, actually…"
"And then?"
"She didn't believe me…"
"..."
Perfect. That's so 'Azusa'.
Iori snickered to himself and quietly gave Azusa a thumbs-up. It'd been a long time since he'd seen Kamishiro get shut down like this.
What Iori didn't know was that the moment Kamishiro realized he couldn't talk his way out of it, he'd dragged Kitahara down with him without hesitation.
Now, the three of them were in a thoroughly tangled relationship in Azusa's eyes.
"Alright, alright. So what's your plan to let Kohei go out safely?"
Even if he didn't care that much about going out, if there really 'was' a way, Iori certainly didn't want to stay on some kind of wanted list forever.
He'd just carefully read through the forum comments—those beasts were already discussing how to harvest kidneys!
For the sake of his future happiness, Iori decided he should play it safe.
Who could guarantee that there wasn't someone from that lunatic group hiding in this hot spring inn?!
At this point, every stranger Iori saw felt dangerous…
Beside him, Kohei was also staring at Kamishiro with burning eyes.
He wanted to go to Akihabara!
"Ah, that? It's actually pretty simple. Kohei just needs to say he's Ikegoe."
???
???!!!
"Holy crap?!"
Iori immediately swore out loud. Kamishiro was even more of a scumbag than he'd imagined!
Ikegoe is getting married tomorrow! And today 'Ikegoe' gets photographed at an Akihabara maid café?!
Please, have mercy on the poor man!
Unlike Iori, Kohei's eyes grew brighter the more he thought about it.
That's right!
He'd just completely assume another person's identity!
He already had two prior experiences doing this—one more wouldn't matter, right?
And Ikegoshi even seemed pretty willing to let him substitute for him.
So this time, he'd take the initiative!
With a fiery glint in his eyes, Kohei stood up and headed for the door.
Iori: Σ(￣ロ￣lll)
"Wait—seriously, bro?! You're actually going?!"
Iori hurriedly grabbed Kohei.
"Hold on! There might be other ways!"
If Kohei rushed out and really got photographed by paparazzi—and then this idiot even accepted an interview—then tomorrow Ikegoshi's wedding 'and' reputation would both be doomed.
"Are there other ways?"
"Of course!"
Iori nodded confidently, then turned his gaze to Kamishiro.
As his 'good brother' since childhood, he didn't believe for a second that Kamishiro was the type to behave himself.
With no game console here, there was no way Kamishiro could stay put all day!
There had to be a backup plan.
And sure enough, Iori really was one of the people who knew Kamishiro best.
But he'd overlooked one thing.
Sometimes, even more effective than a backup plan is… not caring about your life at all.
At that moment, Kamishiro had once again equipped his stealth three-piece set. Hands on his hips, he looked at Iori with an arrogant expression.
Yes.
That's right.
That arrogant, overbearing vibe—so obvious you could feel it even with sunglasses and a mask on!
(′-ι_-｀)
Iori's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"Don't tell me… this is your backup plan?"
"Of course! This is called 'the great path is simplicity'!"
"..."
If it's 'simplicity,' then take off those three items already, damn it!
Iori: "You don't seriously think people won't recognize you like this, right?"
Kohei: "If I may be blunt, you look even more suspicious."
Kamishiro & Iori: ???
The two of them stared at Kohei in horror.
How the hell did 'you' dare say something like that?!
Since when did a pervert wearing a down jacket in the middle of summer while tailing junior high school girls get to voice an opinion?!
Choosing to selectively ignore Kohei, Kamishiro walked toward the door with a look of disdain.
"Don't forget my other identity."
He slid his sunglasses down slightly, a wicked smile on his face, absolute confidence flashing in his eyes.
"I'm the phantom thief who's been hunted in Tokyo for three years without ever being caught~"
With that, Kamishiro raised his eyebrows and walked out without looking back.
Next up—
He had big things to do!
Mere mortals should just obediently wait for his return!
"..."
Watching Kamishiro's carefree back—and recalling that last gesture—Iori suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of greasiness.
Is 'this' how he pulled off a hundred conquests?
Was it just his imagination?
Or… do girls these days really like this greasy style?
For a moment, Kamishiro's whole performance actually made Iori feel a little less confident.
But one thing was absolutely certain!
Kamishiro was a true warrior!
Going out now—how was that any different from reporting straight to hell?
Did he really enjoy dancing on a blade, throwing life and death to the wind?
Iori shook his head, feeling a bit emotional.
This guy really would throw his life away just to chase girls.
Wait?!
Chasing girls?!
???
That bastard really deserves to die!
They were here hiding in fear, while that scumbag went off to enjoy himself?!
No way he was going to let that slide!
What?
Maybe it's not about chasing girls?
…
Sorry—he genuinely couldn't imagine that scumbag going out for 'any' other reason!
Die!
---
At this moment—
Unaware that he had already been targeted by Iori, Kamishiro stood at a crossroads in life, greedily inhaling the air of the big city.
'Inhale!'
Σ_(???」∠) Ugh!
"Damn it, who just let out a fart?!"
After gagging once, Kamishiro glared viciously at the backs of the people who had just walked past him.
Damn it—he'd been about to strike a cool pose, and instead he got hit with this.
So embarrassing!
He gave an awkward smile to the girls nearby who were watching him, then quickly walked away.
Sure enough, even the heavens were telling him not to waste time on the road and to hurry to the meet-and-greet!
Meanwhile, the girls watching Kamishiro leave began whispering among themselves.
"Was that guy just now a celebrity?"
"Or maybe a pervert? In Tokyo, no celebrity would cover themselves up that tightly, right? He completely hid his face!"
"That's scary… Tokyo is scary. Was he just looking at us?"
"Should we call the police?"
"He already left…"
Clearly, once that face was gone, the aura around Kamishiro had degraded to Iori's level~
And even worse—Kamishiro hadn't realized yet that he was currently in a faceless state!
Completely unaware, he kept striking exaggerated poses along the way, hoping some cute girl would stop him and ask for his contact info.
Just like before~
…
Twenty minutes later.
Kamishiro arrived at the meet-and-greet venue with a puzzled expression.
"Strange. Not a single girl tried to hit on me. Have Tokyo girls become this shy now?"
He remembered that when he left, Tokyo girls were pretty open.
They'd even sent him off with a threesome farewell before.
No, he had to get to the bottom of this!
This was serious—aside from at the pub, his charm had never dipped this low before!
"Something's off… hmm?"
Kamishiro was just about to imitate Conan and stroke his chin in deep thought, when—
(′-ι_-｀)
The moment his hand touched his chin, he understood everything.
After a brief silence, Kamishiro quietly tugged his mask up a bit and pretended nothing had happened as he walked toward the venue.
So embarrassing!!!
He was so embarrassed he wanted to dig out a three-bedroom apartment right there on the spot.
Thankfully, only he himself knew about it.
If anyone else had been around… Kamishiro might honestly have tried to invent a time machine on the spot.
Still cringing, Kamishiro even started walking with his hands and feet out of sync, which immediately made the security guards lock onto him with their eyes.
Just imagine it: as a security guard, if you saw someone wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a mask, walking awkwardly and suspiciously—what would your first reaction be?
That's right!
Call for backup!
As an experienced guard, there was no way he'd handle this alone.
Going solo was dangerous!
Even though this guy didn't have a backpack—so he probably couldn't pull out some suspicious homemade pew-pew—a knife would still be enough trouble.
And for such a low monthly salary, even guarding an AV actress's meet-and-greet wouldn't get him any close contact with the goddess herself.
In that case, why would he gamble on whether this person was dangerous or not?
Watching his junior colleagues slowly close in, the cautious guard still felt uneasy and quietly took out his phone.
If anything seemed off, he'd immediately call the police!
With years of gatekeeping experience, he wouldn't be surprised no matter what crazy thing these fanatic fans did.
There had even been a fan who pulled out a Barrett rifle on the spot before.
Though honestly… with that size…
You could only say: admirable courage!
After all, anyone who can show their shortcomings so openly is bound to achieve great things!
Like that guy—apparently he'd gone into the medical field, determined to turn his little brother into a big brother!
At this moment—
Kamishiro had no idea he was being watched. After that embarrassing episode, all he wanted was to hurry up and find a bathroom to deal with a biological need.
He'd heard that feeling the urge to use the toilet after being embarrassed was a sign of good kidney health.
Walking briskly, he completely failed to notice that two burly men were gradually closing in on him.
Eventually, Kamishiro stopped walking.
Not because he noticed the guards around him—
But because…
When you're walking with your head down and suddenly a middle-aged man's face pops up right in front of you, wouldn't anyone stop?
{(°△°; "}}!
Seeing that suddenly big face, Kamishiro recoiled in shock.
That was close!
If he hadn't noticed in time, wouldn't he have gotten scammed?
If the guy had collapsed on the ground and made a scene, his meet-and-greet trip would've been over.
Then it'd be either pay up, or get "politely" escorted out by the guards—wait?!
Guards?!
After stepping back, Kamishiro finally realized the man was wearing a security uniform!
So they don't even consider height when hiring security now?
Bang!
Because he was so startled, Kamishiro took a few more steps back and bumped into something.
That familiar sensation—it felt like…
Kamishiro stiffly turned his head.
Sure enough—it was a chest.
Behind him stood a massive man in a security uniform, built enough to rival his seniors, hands on his waist, staring at him warily.
"..."
Alright. Kamishiro retracted his earlier comment about not considering height.
This guy alone could take on several people—but could they maybe consider facial aesthetics too?
With that rough face and serious expression, Kamishiro felt like he was about to get punched any second!
Gulp—
He swallowed hard and obediently turned his head away.
Compared to dealing with this obviously unfriendly brute, the middle-aged guard in front of him seemed much more approachable!
{{(°△°; "}}!
"Um… Mr. Security Guard, what exactly is going on here?"
As he spoke, Kamishiro wore a grave expression and began fumbling around on his body.
Damn it!
Judging by the situation, he was about to bleed money—this had to be one of those legendary "extra fees."
What a world—security guards shaking people down now?
At this point, seeing Kamishiro stop, the middle-aged guard let out a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to explain, his sharp eyes caught Kamishiro's little movements.
His pupils shrank instantly as he shouted,
"Don't move! Hands where I can see them!"
!!!
The sudden shout startled Kamishiro. Before he could even process it, he kept rummaging in his pocket—he was just about to pull something out, and now he was told not to move?
But the next second, Kamishiro felt himself lifted off the ground!
(' [] '!!)
"Whoa, big bro, what are you doing?! I know the rules!"
Has Tokyo really become this chaotic?!
This was basically robbery now, wasn't it?!
And in broad daylight, in front of so many people?!
Where the hell were the Tokyo police?!
"Stop!"
As if answering Kamishiro's thoughts, a tall man in a police uniform, cigarette in his mouth, strode quickly toward them!
In that moment, Kamishiro felt like he was seeing a hero!
"Hijikata san! There are two vicious criminals disguised as security guards here!"
"Officer! There's a suspicious person here who may be hiding dangerous items!"
Kamishiro and the middle-aged guard shouted at the same time.
As soon as the words fell, the two stared at each other in shock.
This criminal (suspicious person) was way too bold?!
…