What they didn't know was—
Not far from them, two figures holding ice cream crepes were secretly observing them with their phones.
One of them, a black-haired man, asked his glasses-wearing companion, "So, Hidenori? Is it those two?"
Hidenori pushed up his glasses and carefully examined his phone.
"Don't rush, Tadakuni. This kind of thing needs to be checked carefully. If we get the wrong people… we might end up eating pork cutlets tonight.
Not only would we miss the reward, we'd also miss one of the most important moments of our lives!"
As he spoke, Hidenori looked toward the venue, his eyes burning with passion.
That's right!
These two were none other than two of the most active members on a certain high school's forum—Tadakuni and Hidenori!
They had originally come to attend the meet-and-greet for Goddess Momo sama, but midway through—
They encountered two extremely suspicious "ladies"!
With their rich experience, they immediately sensed something was off.
It wasn't the makeup—honestly, even they couldn't spot any flaws there.
The main issue was… their builds!
Most girls in Japan were quite petite.
Now suddenly, two tall girls with no bust at all appeared on the street—wasn't that just a bit too suspicious?
And the most suspicious thing was…
That sense of familiarity!
Yes!
That exact sense of déjà vu!
Because of all the "rewards" involving the girls, the beasts from that certain high school had gone wild.
They made photos of the three of them into phone wallpapers and watched them over and over again!
Most importantly—
Tadakuni glanced at his best friend's phone. On it were not only the photos posted on the forum…
But also countless photoshopped images of them in all kinds of outfits!
Even Kamishiro, wearing a stealth outfit was on there!
This meant that as long as they saw Kamishiro in that getup, they could lock onto him instantly!
There were all kinds of photos of Kamishiro—if they couldn't do it, it was only because they hadn't thought of it!
And not just Kamishiro—there were versions of Iori and Kohei too!
The reason the two of them felt these "ladies" looked familiar…
It was because they had seen gender-bent photos of them before!
Aside from the bust and height, everything else was exactly the same!!!
A glint flashed across Hidenori's glasses as a smile spread across his face. "Confirmed. It's those two."
Hearing that, Tadakuni's grin stretched wildly. "Awesome! Let's go inform everyone else!"
He pulled out his phone, ready to post Iori and Kohei's location.
However—
Smack!
A hand grabbed his wrist!
Tadakuni froze, looking at Hidenori in confusion, not understanding why he stopped him.
"Wait a second," Hidenori said, pushing up his glasses again. "What if… we don't notify anyone?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said."
Hidenori's smile became extremely suggestive. "Tadakuni! Those are girls' stockings!
Think about it carefully—without Kamishiro, just the few of us wouldn't stand a chance with any girl at all!"
Tadakuni: (′-ι_-｀)
Thanks a lot, my dear friend!
Even if it's true, you didn't have to say it out loud!!!
But Hidenori was already on a roll. Grabbing Tadakuni's shoulders, he continued crazily:
"Tadakuni! You feel the same way, don't you? That was nothing but meaningless jealousy!
Instead of handing them over just to vent that tiny bit of anger, why don't we take a gamble?"
A flash of madness passed through Hidenori's eyes. "The forum has rewards for dating girls!
If we can force those two to tell us where that scumbag Kamishiro is… and then hand him over to the girls…
Maybe… just maybe… we can finally get rid of our virgin titles!!!"
Hearing this, Tadakuni's pupils trembled, the balance in his heart slowly tipping to the other side.
Now—
Only one last straw was needed!
"Isn't this… kind of wrong?"
A smile appeared in Hidenori's eyes. He knew Tadakuni was just one excuse away from agreeing!
And that excuse—he had already prepared it!
"Well, if you don't want to, I won't force you. But if Mei ever finds out that her brother sent her favorite senpai into Tokyo Bay…"
"I'M IN!"
Tadakuni cut him off with a firm answer before Hidenori could finish.
Seeing this, Hidenori revealed a triumphant grin and, like performing a magic trick, pulled two burlap sacks out from behind him!
"Worthy of my good brother! Let's make this big!"
"Yeah!!!"
Since the decision was made, they'd go all out!
Hehehe~
"Hm?"
Kohei, who was using his "scent-tracking technique" to hunt down the scumbag, twitched his nose, his expression stiffening slightly.
He patted the shoulder of the suspender-wearing "beauty" beside him and asked, "Kitahara, do you smell something strange?"
"A strange smell?"
Iori instinctively sniffed, and a wave of extremely cheap, awful odor rushed into his nose.
"Holy crap, you're right!"
"And it's getting stronger!"
In an instant, both of their faces twisted.
This search environment was way too brutal!
Just as the two of them were about to turn their heads to look for the source, darkness suddenly descended!
{{(°△°; "}}! ×2
The abrupt blackout left both of them stunned for a moment. Immediately after, they felt a heavy blow strike the back of their heads!
With such a fierce hit, even Iori—the so-called "land combat god" staggered, let alone the weakling Kohei, who went straight down and sprawled on the ground.
Then came a flurry of punches and kicks.
Kohei: "Damn it! Who is it?! Shit—don't hit my face, you bastard!"
Iori: "Kamishiro! I know it's you, you asshole! Let us go right now!"
The moment they heard the name "Kamishiro," Hidenori and Tadakuni instinctively hit even harder.
They hadn't picked the wrong targets after all!
As qualified hunters, there was no way they'd make a rookie mistake like villains who talk too much and die because of it.
They had agreed beforehand to not utter a single word until these two were beaten down!
One minute later—
Iori and Kohei gradually stopped shouting.
At this point, a question surfaced in both their minds.
Was the one beating them really Kamishiro?
Setting aside the number of attackers, just this strength alone… something felt off.
As "close friends" who frequently sparred with Kamishiro Shiro, the two of them were extremely familiar with how hard he could hit in all kinds of states!
None of them matched the force they were feeling right now.
This level of strength… how should they put it?
Too… amateurish?
If it really were Kamishiro Shiro, he should be hitting them with the intent to kill.
Forget fists but if he used bricks or baseball bats, they wouldn't be surprised at all!
No doubt about it, that scumbag was absolutely capable of doing that!
Why were they so certain?
Of course because… if they had the chance, they wouldn't hesitate to do the same thing either!
Don't underestimate the bonds between comrades!
As for the strength hitting them now, put bluntly even the seniors "massaging" them hit harder than this!
If that was the case…
Under the sack, Iori and Kohei exchanged a perfectly synchronized, cruel smile.
Whoever you are, are you ready to be sunk into Tokyo Bay?!
Finding an opening between the punches, Iori, who was lying on the ground, executed a gorgeous roll and kicked out!
After being beaten for so long, even with their eyes covered, they knew exactly where the enemy was!
Die, you bastard!!!
At this moment—
Hidenori was panicking inside.
Was this guy even human?!
Why was he already exhausted, yet this person still hadn't passed out?!
Didn't movies say that a single karate chop to the back of the neck was enough to knock someone out?
He should've gone down with the first hit!
So why was this guy still bouncing around?!
Wait—
It went quiet?
Looking at the sack gradually becoming still, Hidenori let out a long sigh.
Finally passed out…
Sure enough, anyone who could be friends with a scumbag like Kamishiro wasn't easy to deal with!
If this still hadn't worked, Hidenori really would've bailed and let the main force handle it.
However, just as he completely relaxed—
The sack in front of him suddenly flipped over!
Then he watched in horror as a size-43 foot kicked straight toward him!
((???|||))
Hidenori's body froze, his mind going completely blank.
Why was the "corpse" that should've been lying there suddenly alive again?!
And worse—about to cripple him!
Sure, his eyes and brain followed the kick just fine…
But his body didn't!
By the time he tried to dodge, it was already too late!
He even heard a faint sonic boom!
Could humans really do this?!
At that instant, a slideshow of memories flashed through Hidenori's mind.
Thinking of his "wonderful" high-school life, a smile appeared on his lips as a tear slipped from the corner of his eye.
Goodbye, Tadakuni. Goodbye, Yoshitake.
It's all my fault for being stubborn and misjudging the difference in combat power.
Goodbye, my manhood, which ended before it ever truly began!
"Hidenori!!!"
Bang!!!
Without the slightest surprise, Hidenori flew out like a cooked shrimp, his body curled up midair!
Seeing this, Tadakuni could no longer stay calm. He shouted Hidenori's name and sprinted after him, trying to catch his flying friend—
But then…
He didn't catch the bespectacled Hidenori.
Instead, he was grabbed by a big blond brute!
That's right!
Thanks to the opening Iori created, Kohei completely broke his seal!
With a ferocious grin, he locked Tadakuni's neck in a hold.
"So you were the one who hit me just now, huh? Kid, you've got guts!!!"
Tadakuni: {{(°△°; "}}!
Looking at Kohei wearing a maid outfit with bulging muscles and a ferocious demonic face, Tadakuni admitted he was panicking a little.
So panicked that he even forgot to check on his best friend's injuries, forcing a stiff smile instead.
"Um… big bro, I swear the guy who hit you already ran away. I was just passing by. You believe me, right?"
"Oh? He already ran away?"
"Y-Yeah! How about you let me go and I'll help you chase him down?"
Kohei said nothing, just stared at Tadakuni with bloodshot eyes and a savage grin.
After a long pause—
Just when Tadakuni thought the blond giant had frozen up, Kohei spoke, his expression even darker.
"Do I look like a fucking idiot to you?!"
Startled, Tadakuni subconsciously nodded.
"Hmm?!"
Seeing Kohei's even more displeased gaze, Tadakuni snapped out of it and frantically shook his head.
Just as he was about to explain himself again, a voice that filled him with terror sounded from behind him!
He knew this voice all too well he had just heard it screaming for over a minute!
"Kohei, don't waste words on him. For people like this, judgment is something hell should handle."
{{(°△°; "}}!
Tadakuni hurriedly turned around.
"N-No, big bro, this is really just a—"
He couldn't finish his sentence.
The scene in front of him completely froze him in place.
He saw—
Iori, now free of restraints, looking like a demon freshly escaped from hell, stomping viciously on a "corpse" beneath his feet venting all his humiliation.
And that corpse was none other than Hidenori, who had just been beaten into unconsciousness.
The body wasn't even cold yet, trembling with every stomp.
"Hi… Hidenori…"
Tadakuni's whole body shook violently.
Living a peaceful school life, when had he ever seen something like this?!
Sure, he was often involved in chasing that scumbag Kamishiro…
But they'd never actually caught him!
So this kind of scene had never happened!
They'd just been loud and aggressive, that's all!
Seeing this, Tadakuni suddenly felt how childish he'd been.
Even Kamishiro's friends were this brutal—
Then Kamishiro himself, who had never been caught…
Fear crept into Tadakuni's heart.
So this was the kind of dangerous bloody thing he'd been involved in all along?
Before he could even regret it, he heard the devil's voice behind him once again.
"Yo, kid. Let me teach you a lesson—never turn your back on your enemy~"
Tadakuni: !!!
The moment he heard that voice, his pupils shrank.
He knew he'd made a fatal mistake.
Unfortunately, by the time he realized it, it was already too late!
Bang!
With a crisp sound, Tadakuni slowly lost consciousness.
Thud—
Looking at the two who were now completely unconscious, Iori and Kohei didn't feel relieved at all.
Instead, their smiles grew even more demonic.
Kids—the real hell is only just beginning!!!
Bang! Crack! Thump!
"Ah! Big bro, stop!"
"This is all a misunderstanding!"
"I was wrong!"
"We were just trying to catch that scumbag Kamishiro Shiro!"
"Spare us!" ×2
Under their relentless beating Tadakuni and Hidenori were forcibly beaten awake, crying and begging hoping to awaken even a shred of human sympathy in these two demons.
However—
Demons don't have that kind of thing at all.