The NPCs all opened their eyes.
To their disappointment, Kohei had still fallen!
That dull thud from earlier had been the sound of his body hitting the floor.
The twist they had imagined did not happen.
The pig-headed boy had directly fallen into baby-like sleep.
Judging from the sound, he was not going to wake up easily either.
A few burly men among the NPCs had a glint flash through their eyes.
Sure, he looked like a pig-head right now… but they had seen Kohei's true face before.
A handsome young man, like a celebrity.
And now—
That young man was in deep, defenseless sleep.
That unguarded state stirred certain questionable impulses in some people's hearts.
However, after noticing the two muscular senpai nearby, they gradually regained their rationality.
They could not win.
The crowd's gaze shifted from Kohei to the truly prince-like shining youth—
Kamishiro.
Since there was no twist, why had his voice sounded so furious?
Following Kamishiro's line of sight, they saw—
The ping-pong ball he had just served was tightly clenched in Iori's hand!
The hero had made his move!
However…
It seemed he had targeted the wrong person.
Unlike the confused crowd who had closed their eyes earlier, Chisa and Aina had witnessed the entire scene clearly.
This so-called hero, in order to defeat that ridiculously handsome Demon King across the table—
Had directly knocked out the protagonist?!
That was right, Kohei had not been taken down by Kamishiro at all!
Iori had chopped him unconscious with a clean hand strike and to show off, he had even stylishly caught Kamishiro's serve at the same time!
Clutching the ping-pong ball, Iori revealed a sinister grin.
"Looks like Kohei is a little tired. No helping it—I will take his place!"
Without giving Kamishiro any time to react, Iori kicked Kohei toward the senpai.
The crude way he cleared the "battlefield" made the audience twitch.
Are you a dark hero or something?!
Iori ignored the reactions. After Kohei's interference, his heroic image was already in shambles anyway.
Now—
All he wanted was to teach Kamishiro a proper lesson!
"Ready, Kamishiro? I am serving!"
Without waiting for a reply, Iori crouched.
Toss.
Straight shot.
Target: Kamishiro's eye socket.
Fire!!!
Kamishiro: ????!
"What the hell?! You are serious?! That is shameless!"
Seeing the ping-pong ball flying toward him at high speed, panic flashed in Kamishiro's eyes.
If this were before he had been drinking, he could easily smash it back—
Even with a slipper.
The problem was—
He had drunk an unknown amount of "water of life" already!!!
Returning it was impossible!
Why did he have so little confidence?
Because—
There were four balls!
Which one was he supposed to hit?!
Yes.
Like Kohei, Kamishiro was seeing double—no, quadruple.
He could not even dodge, let alone return it.
The ball seemed to be coming from all directions. Real or illusion he could not tell anymore.
Watching it approach, Kamishiro shut his eyes in resignation.
A sneak attack?!
Fine.
As long as he did not fall he would show Iori what hell meant!!!
However—
Things did not unfold as he expected.
Just as the ball was about to strike his face, a large hand blocked it.
Just like Iori had done for Kohei earlier.
The difference was this time, the one who blocked it did not knock Kamishiro unconscious.
Kamishiro opened his eyes in confusion.
Tokita-senpai!
The referee had appeared!!!
Excitement flashed in his eyes.
He knew the senpai would not allow such underhanded tactics to stain this sacred game!
"Well, Iori, that is a bit unfair," Tokita said awkwardly. "We are short on alcohol."
Huh???
Kamishiro stared at him blankly.
That is your focus?!
Even Iori froze. "There is still a bunch over there."
"That is for punishment."
"…Not even four cups?"
With the current score, he only needed four more to win!
Unfair?
He was subbing in for Kohei. Naturally he should inherit that idiot's score!
"Not even one cup!"
The senpai spoke righteously. They were very serious about games.
Kamishiro: You are serious about drinking, not the game!
He should never have placed his hopes on them.
That shameless guy would not give up.
He needed a plan!
Kamishiro scanned the area for allies.
First—
Eliminate the NPCs.
Useless!
He even cursed them internally: may all of you suffer constipation for a hundred days!
After that vicious curse, he felt much better.
Genius idea.
Maybe tomorrow he could sell laxatives here and make a profit.
Truly a genius.
Now—
Time to find a savior.
First target: Azusa.
Noticing his gaze, Azusa smiled seductively and subtly tugged at her collar—
From Kamishiro's angle, a flash of skin filled his vision.
There was nothing under her yukata.
Between youthful blood and alcohol—
He reacted instantly.
Yes. That kind of reaction.
Fortunately, shame still existed in Kamishiro's heart.
He forced himself to look away and shuffled closer to the ping-pong table to hide himself.
He could strip naked in public—
But absolutely could not stand at attention in public!
That would make him no different from Yamamoto!
"Kamishiro, are you okay?" Nanaka approached with concern.
"I am totally fine!"
He quickly stopped her from coming closer.
One Azusa was hard enough to handle.
If Nanaka joined in, the ping-pong table would not be tall enough to conceal him.
Meanwhile, Azusa's teasing eyes revealed she had noticed everything.
If they were alone or alone with Nanaka she might have made a move already.
But given the situation, she merely blinked playfully.
Nanaka, confused, wondered why she suddenly felt chilly.
Kamishiro had no time to worry about their thoughts.
He needed help!
Azusa? Skip.
Nanaka? Skip.
Kotobuki-senpai?
He had a reliable smile Except he was still pouring alcohol into a giant bucket.
Skip!
The senpai would crush Iori, yes—
But likely drag Kamishiro down with them.
Unacceptable!
NPCs? Skip.
That left—
Chisa and Aina.
The two girls instinctively stepped back at his bloodshot stare.
He first considered Chisa.
But then—
A thought struck him.
Aina's feelings for Iori.
Water.
Let him win.
Kamishiro's grin turned wicked.
Aina, nervously rubbing her bruised forehead, hid behind Azusa.
"What are you trying to do?!"
Without answering, Kamishiro leaned in and whispered in her ear:
"Hehehe… Aina, you would not want your feelings for Kitahara to be exposed to the other party, right?"
Aina froze.
Her temperature shot up instantly.
She hurriedly dragged Kamishiro aside.
"You… what do you want?!"
"Just a small favor~"
Before he could elaborate—
"Wait!"
Iori suddenly rushed over!
To everyone's shock—
He began stripping Kamishiro's clothes!
"What the hell are you doing?! Stop! I am not into that!"
The NPCs perked up again.
Another twist!
Even Azusa pulled out her phone to record.
Weaker from alcohol, Kamishiro could not resist.
But Iori was not continuing for that reason.
"Found it!!!"
He triumphantly held up several small bottles—
More water of life.
Kamishiro's face went pale.
He had forgotten they were on him!
Before he could signal Aina—
Iori clamped a hand over his mouth.
Grinning, Iori turned to the senpai.
"Now we can continue, right?"
Shameless!!!
Kamishiro felt despair creeping in.
Hero!
Someone save me!!!
Then—
The senpai's voices rang out:
"Hahaha, no problem! Seventeen cups!"
They placed the alcohol in front of Iori.
At that moment—
Kamishiro saw hope again.
A hero had appeared.
"Urgh… I can still… drink…"
Looking at Iori lying on the ground like a dead dog, Kamishiro's lips curled into a wild, arrogant smile.
"Get up, hero~"
Staggering over, he crouched down and patted Iori's cheek.
"Come on. Did you not want to compete with me? I agreed. Hurry up and defeat me."
Right now, Kamishiro's expression and behavior made him look exactly like a petty villain who had won through trickery.
From the NPCs' perspective, he truly looked like the Demon King.
Unfortunately for them—
The Demon King had won.
As for how things ended up like this…
We have to rewind about ten minutes.
…
When Tokita-senpai handed over the alcohol, Iori's heart rejected it outright.
He politely accepted the bottle and asked, "Um, senpai… what is this for?"
He did not remember any rule that required drinking before the match.
The senpai blinked at him in confusion.
"Of course you have to drink. That is how we ensure fairness!"
They were extremely serious about games.
At that moment, Iori finally realized—
He and the senpai had never been on the same wavelength.
He pointed at Kohei, trying to explain what a substitute meant.
Before he could speak, the senpai anticipated it.
"There was no rule about substitution. But since it is our fault for not setting that rule…"
Iori blinked, confused. That sounded contradictory.
What did your rules have to do with me drinking?
The next second, he got his answer.
"So! We will punish ourselves with a drink first!"
The two senpai immediately lifted their bottles and chugged.
The bold display made the NPCs cheer: "Real men!"
Iori and Kamishiro both twitched at the corners of their mouths.
If they had not seen the senpai swallow eagerly beforehand, they might have believed it was truly self-punishment.
You were just thirsty!!!
They silently waited for the senpai to finish quenching themselves.
Once they were done—
Their fate would be decided.
Kamishiro struggled to stay conscious.
There was still a chance!
He could not fall here!
"Ahh! That hit the spot!"
After downing half a bottle, the senpai reluctantly set them aside.
"In theory, substitution was not included. But to compensate Iori, we will temporarily add it."
"So! Iori! Drink up!"
Iori: ???
The bottle reappeared in his hands.
After that long explanation, there was still no logic?!
"Senpai… the seventeen cups… those are Kohei's score, right?"
"Yes." ×2
"If you substitute for Kohei, you substitute for everything."
"Including his condition."
Kotobuki-senpai patted his shoulder warmly—
Except the pressure on that shoulder was absolutely not negotiable.
You two are absolutely messing with me!!!
What kind of substitute has to drink the previous score first?!
Go look up what "substitute" means!
Iori wanted to protest—
But seeing the increasingly sinister smiles of the senpai, he swallowed his words.
They had decided.
He could not change it.
Seventeen cups.
If he endured it, he could defeat Kamishiro.
He imagined posting victory photos online—
Girls liked strong men.
He pictured admirers flocking to him.
All for justice!
After fierce "inner struggle," Iori steeled himself and agreed.
And thus—
We returned to the present.
…
"Urgh! I can still go!"
"Ping-pong! I want to play ping-pong!"
"I will defeat that scumbag Kamishiro!"
Iori crawled on the floor in a twisted manner until he reached Kohei.
Still clinging to obsession, he waved his slipper wildly.
Smack smack smack smack—
The only sound in the room was slipper meeting pig-head face.
Perhaps Kohei's swollen face had good feedback—
Iori's speed even increased.
Kamishiro instinctively pulled out his beloved camera.
He had once dreamed of becoming a photographer.
No condition could stop his desire to record!
"Hmm? Why does this angle look weird?"
Azusa burst into laughter.
She walked over, took the camera from him—
And under the jealous stares of the NPCs, pulled Kamishiro into her soft embrace.
Instantly—
Sleepiness washed over him.
Yes… this feeling…
Wait—
Just as Azusa was about to carry him off—
Kamishiro suddenly lifted his head.
Yes. The upper one.
"Ah—!"
Even Azusa blushed slightly.
This was unfair.
She looked at him with teasing eyes.
Normally when he got drunk, he behaved.
But now—
Kamishiro's eyes were dazed—
Until he spotted his target.
"Kitahara! Kohei! You lost… you must accept punishment!"
He staggered toward them.
Even with fading consciousness—
He wanted to see them finish that entire barrel.
The NPCs could only think:
Does forced drinking count as negligent homicide?
Is this even human?
They developed deep respect for three letters:
PaB.
The inn owner swore he would put up a "No PaB Members" sign next time.
Terrifying.
Thus, PaB's first battle in Tokyo—
A success.
Another establishment unofficially banned them.
…
In the end, Kamishiro fulfilled the victor's privilege.
Since moving the unconscious duo was impossible—
He brought the barrel to them.
With the senpai' help, they positioned it nearby.
But a problem arose—
They were unconscious.
Tokita-senpai stepped forward.
Under their operation Two giant funnels were stuffed into Iori and Kohei's mouths and tied in place with rope.
Where did the rope come from?
Do not ask. Essentials.
Watching the alcohol flow down the funnels, Kamishiro let out villainous laughter.
"Kekekeke..Hahahahahahahahahahahaha"
Beat me?
Dream on.
After snapping a commemorative photo, he handed the pouring task to the senpai then staggered back to Azusa.
Thud.
Under murderous glares from the NPCs, he found a soft pillow and shamelessly snuggled in.
Azusa, accustomed to it, gently stroked his hair like petting a cat.
And thus The bizarre ping-pong match officially ended.
Winner:
Kamishiro!!!!
There was no cheering.
Instead, the NPCs fled.
Not because of the group but because the alcohol fumes were overwhelming.
Watching liquid spill from the unconscious pair's mouths and evaporate instantly they understood this was not their league.
They might get drunk just by breathing.
Better to escape with dignity.
…
The PaB members ignored the fleeing crowd.
The senpai were focused.
"Such waste…"
"Cannot help it. They are half unconscious."
Even with funnels, there were flaws.
"Maybe reduce the flow?"
"Or use bigger funnels?"
They experimented seriously.
As referees, they had to ensure proper punishment—
Even if the contestants were half unconscious.
Aina's lips twitched.
The senpai were too serious about games and alcohol.
She glanced at her near-drowned crush.
"Honestly… you are hopeless."
Why challenge the Demon King after waking from unconsciousness?
Seventeen cups of strong alcohol?
Overestimating yourself.
That was Iori's biggest mistake.
Under normal conditions, his tolerance was between Kohei and Kamishiro.
He gambled believing willpower would carry him through.
But he forgot he was not healthy.
He had just regained consciousness.
Idiot. Total idiot.
And Kohei too.
Aina sighed.
Originally, Azusa had suggested she take revenge by force-feeding Kohei.
But the senpai' methods were already brutal enough.
She turned to leave with Chisa.
They had to wake early to pick outfits for a wedding.
She had to look beautiful.
A celebrity wedding It would be glamorous.
As she pondered dress styles—
A voice whispered in her ear:
"Aina~ Iori is drunk now. Are you not going to take care of him?"
???
Her face went pale.
Azusa san?!