"You guys! Eavesdropping on others buying things is not a good habit!! And how could you hit so hard!"
"Shut up! A guy preparing to buy poisonous fish to murder others is not qualified to speak!"
In the rented villa, sitting on Iori, Kohei Imamura gazed deeply at the sparkling sea outside the window. The afterglow of the setting sun was still dazzling, causing him to instinctively shield his eyes with his hand.
It must be said that although he was a blonde, the long, narrow phoenix eyes viewed from the side gave him a slight feminine feature while also genuinely elevating his handsomeness to another level.
"Iori... listen to me, although Yu is ugly, foul-mouthed, and cheating on two women, you shouldn't go as far as poisoning him."
"Ha? What are you talking about, Kohei?"
"No need to pretend..."
Brushing the fringe from his forehead, Kohei Imamura chuckled and patted the still-struggling Iori's butt, his expression being a mix of nonchalance and a hint of free spirit.
"I understand! It's truly too much that he's thinking of scoring when we don't even have girlfriends, but can you bear to make Nanaka-nee a widow!"
"It's completely unrelated! It has nothing to do with Nanaka-nee!"
"Is that so? It was because of Chisa after all..."
His eyes dark and uncertain, Yoshikawa Aina sat on the floor looking at the horizon where the water met the sky, her expression clearly showing a longing for something unattainable.
"Listen to me, Iori! The banana boat was just an accident. Chisa and I are just poor people cursed..."
"I said... what kind of craziness have you two been on about since just now."
Chisa's hogtie was exceptionally tight. Unable to endure Kohei and Aina, who were completely immersed in a melodramatic atmosphere, Iori Kitahara struggled without success and could only explain loudly with resignation.
"Actually, this fish wasn't meant for Yu to eat at all, it was meant for the two of you!"
"Eh?"
"Why?"
Kohei Imamura, who originally thought Iori was heartbroken and resorted to this desperate measure to deal with Yu, had all his comforting words choked back into his stomach right at the start.
His face alternated between green and white several times, and his free-spirited and handsome face was instantly replaced by a savage smile. Fear washed over him at the same time—
That was close! Is this what they mean by good deeds are rewarded? It seems I unwittingly dodged a fatal situation!
"...Why do you need so many whys?"
He couldn't possibly say that he was afraid of being the only one who failed and wanted to drag everyone down with him, could he?
Iori Kitahara realized that his brain had short-circuited at a time when he shouldn't be clarifying things, so he quickly showed a fawning smile and tried to mend the situation.
"I say~ Since it's a misunderstanding, shouldn't you untie me?"
"Oh! Do you really think I'd be foolish enough to let you go after knowing you wanted to murder me?"
Contemptuously getting up and stepping on Iori's head, Kohei Imamura's face darkened, and he flexed his leg muscles, getting ready to strike first and nip this attempted criminal in the bud!
"I'm back, sorry I'm late, uh... are you guys playing some weird game?"
"Yo! Welcome back, Yu! Iori here insisted on having his hands and feet tied to have a one-on-one fight with me!"
"I see~"
Smilingly ignoring Iori's pain-filled, outstretched hand for help, Miyazawa Yu carried the plastic bag toward the kitchen without looking back.
"You guys carry on. I'll put down the ingredients first."
"Damn it! This kind of scumbag is completely unreliable!"
The hopeful hand smacked down on the ground with a pa, and Iori Kitahara stared fiercely at Yu's back, his veins bulging around his eyes.
However, compared to the life and death situation of being stomped on by Kohei, the failed poisoning attempt was the heart-wrenching problem he found most difficult to accept!
If he survives but still fails the diving certificate test, he will face an embarrassing situation a thousand times more humiliating than death!
What to do? Is there any way to save himself!
Moving his head with difficulty, he reluctantly placed his gaze on the door. He knew that the Pab club didn't only have scumbags, he still had his last hope!
"I'm back!"
"Oh, welcome back, Azusa-senpai. Please, save me! Kohei here is trying to murder me for my money!"
"Eh~ You guys really have such good chemistry!"
"I said... where exactly do you see 'good chemistry'..."
Slapping a book onto her face with a pa, Chisa Kotegawa looked at Azusa-senpai, who was constantly poking Iori's cheek with her finger, and was helpless against the Pab club's fine tradition of ignoring people in distress.
It seemed that if she didn't speak up today, Iori's life would probably end here!
"Kohei, let's spare Iori this time."
"Tch, consider yourself lucky."
"Chisa!!!"
Moved, Iori Kitahara bowed down at Chisa's feet, his eyes brimming with tears despite the size 43 shoe print on the back of his head.
What is true friendship in times of adversity! This is true friendship in times of adversity!
Yu and Kohei, those heartless bastards, are simply not human. At a critical moment, Chisa is indeed the best!
"Ahem~ Everyone come over and draw lots!"
"?"
"What is this?"
Gathering around to look at the slips of paper in Hamaoka Azusa's hand, Chisa and Aina were full of question marks, somewhat suspecting what mischievous plan Azusa-senpai was up to.
"It's to decide the cooking order. We'll pair up, two by two, because our kitchen isn't big enough for everyone!"
"I see..."
Then there were no major concerns. As long as it wasn't one of the weird Pab club mini-games, Chisa didn't have much ill will toward drawing lots.
However, looking at the seven slips of paper in Azusa-senpai hand, Iori Kitahara's expression instantly became serious, even covered with large Araki patterns.
Predictably, his primary task now was to get rid of the bottom-of-the-barrel ranking.
To do this, he must secretly train while the person who might ridicule him is cooking. Plus, he needs a coach, so the best scenario is undoubtedly being paired with Chisa!
"A question, we clearly have eight people, so why are there only seven slips?"
Walking out of the kitchen, Miyazawa Yu looked at the slips in Azusa-senpai hand and asked a soul-searching question.
"Ah~ about that~"
Although she was already prepared, seeing her little trick exposed, Hamaoka Azusa still stuck out her tongue in embarrassment and played cute: "Because I'm paired with Nanaka, so..."
"I see, then let's start drawing the lots!"
Maintaining a smile, Azusa-senpai self-dealing was completely within expectations. If she hadn't rigged it, Miyazawa Yu would have found it abnormal instead.
But it didn't matter, Azusa-senpai was destined not to eat anything tonight anyway.
This tiny benefit of cooking together, he could concede it to her. What goes around comes around!
"Hmm? I got number four. Chisa, don't you think Yu is a little off?"
"Number five. Indeed, he actually gave his sister to Azusa-senpai directly this time..."
Silently observing the jubilant Yu for a while, Chisa Kotegawa suspiciously backed away a couple of steps, wanting to consult with Iori to see if he could offer any unique insight.
However, as the distance shortened, some originally very faint murmuring noises gradually became loud enough to be heard.
Turning her head to look at the latter, who was muttering to himself, Chisa put her hand to her ear and quietly leaned her head closer. The next second, cold sweat seeped out from her fair skin and quickly spread!
"Please let me be paired with Chisa... Please let me be paired with Chisa... Please let me..."
Head lowered, hands clasped together, Iori Kitahara mumbled frantically. His eyes were bloodshot, his pupils contracted to a single point, and even his breathing became extremely heavy.
He couldn't help it. This was his last chance to avoid being mocked by the scumbags!
Only...
"I, Iori..."
Raising her arm over her chest in horror, Chisa Kotegawa suppressed the disgust of being stared at by garbage, and shook the number she had drawn twice to remind him: "I'm number five, the group with only one person~"
"Nani!!!"
Suddenly breaking out of his possessed state, Iori Kitahara rushed to Chisa with a swish and grabbed her delicate hand. The large "5" on the slip seemed to mock his futile effort.
"H-how could this happen!"
Looking at Iori, whose face was instantly covered in tears, who was biting his lower lip and constantly sobbing, Chisa Kotegawa rubbed her arm and instantly moved back several meters with an expression of intense revulsion.
To be honest, the former's manly tears had even reached her physiological limit. Faced with that face, she considered herself well-mannered for not immediately throwing up!
As for caring for the intellectually challenged, and granting Iori's small wish...
It's better not to. After all, the Pab club's ancestral law of respecting the destiny of others must not be changed!
"Then now it's Kotobuki-senpai and Tokita-senpai in one group, Aina and Kohei in one group, and Iori, we are a group of two!"
"Yes..."
Having lost half his life, Iori Kitahara actually didn't care who he was paired with as long as it wasn't Chisa.
However, the next second, unable to refuse, he was dragged into a small corner by Miyazawa Yu, whose arm was around his neck, for a private education, his face filled with terror.
"Iori, I think Nanaka-nee mentioned that your mask clearing has always failed..."
"Quack! How do you know!"
"That's not important! The important thing is, you don't want Aina and the others to know about this, right?"
Instantly awakening the traditional Japanese art form, Miyazawa Yu placed both hands on Iori's shoulders, his tone flippant, his eyes full of a threatening fake smile.
Iori Kitahara was helpless against this, and could only shed tears of humiliation like a violated maiden.
"Don't tell anyone! I, I... I'll do anything!"
"Yosh!"