At the station entrance.
"You're sure you haven't forgotten anything?"
Nanaka smiled at the five carrying luggage, like a mother worrying her children might have left something behind.
"Nope!" ×5
Shiro and the others all said in unison, their faces brimming with excitement.
Finally…
They were going to Palau!
"Starting diving and already heading to Palau, huh?"
"How extravagant."
Two upperclassmen nearby joked around.
But they weren't wrong. In the past half year, this group had gained as much diving experience as most people would in a few years.
Palau was a must-visit for any serious diving enthusiast!
"We're mainly going there for work, though."
Iori smiled as he explained. But this explanation made Shiro's expression turn subtly strange.
Going abroad… for work… with high pay...
This…
Even Shiro started getting cold feet. His internal scam-detection instincts were going off like crazy!
Bam~
Just as he was wondering whether Palau was secretly a hub for human trafficking or something, a sweet scent hit him in the face—
Azusa jumped into his arms!
"Waaah, Shiro~ I'm gonna miss you so much!"
Thinking about how long Shiro was going to be gone, Azusa suddenly got emotional, burying her head into his chest like a spoiled kitten.
Seeing this,
Shiro froze for a moment, his expression softening as he raised a hand to gently pat her head. "Azusa nee…"
"Mm… If you leave, there'll be no one to watch movies with me anymore! And I won't have access to the latest ecchi magazines. Oh right, Shiro—where did you hide your ecchi games? I went to your room yesterday and couldn't find any—"
WHAM!
"Ah! That hurt! (／_＼)"
The hand that was about to pat her head turned into a clenched fist, and he gave her a sharp bonk on the head.
Unbelievable!
He knew this woman was up to no good—trying to get her hands on his games?!
Good thing he was prepared! To keep himself from getting homesick in Palau, of course he brought a few "comfort items" from home with him~
Seeing that she didn't get what she wanted, Azusa instantly "flipped" on him. She pouted and pulled away from Shiro's embrace—
Then suddenly sprang up and gave him a vigorous noogie!
Just like that, she went from a delicate girl to her usual wild Hamaoka Azusa self.
"Don't forget to bring me back some local beer!"
"..."
Shiro rubbed his face, still feeling the softness lingering on his skin.
Yep—this was classic PAB chaos.
The senpais nearby were discussing advanced diving licenses with Iori and the others.
One of the reasons they were working in Palau was to save up for those certifications.
Though Shiro didn't really need to save up...
Still!
He could treat it as "field research." Surely Miss Hanabi would understand~
(Hanabi: "I will END you!")
"Train's about to leave~"
Because of the train schedule, the senpais didn't linger. The five exchanged cheerful goodbyes.
"We'll bring souvenirs back~!"
"Chisa~"
Just as Chisa was about to walk into the station, her sister called out to her. She stopped in her tracks, confused.
"Remember to say hi to Mom for me~"
For a moment, Chisa stood frozen. The blurry image in her memory suddenly became a little clearer.
"…Yeah."
Narita International Airport
Shiro glanced at his ticket. "Looks like we're transferring in Guam."
"Yep. That means we're technically entering the U.S."
"I've never been to the States before. Is there anything I should watch out for?" Aina asked, visibly excited. Though it wasn't America that thrilled her—just the idea of traveling with everyone. She hadn't stopped smiling the whole time.
She even mumbled quietly to herself, "This trip has to make it into my perfect youth album!"
"Oh, nothing special. Just don't mess with their obscenity laws."
"Kouhei, that means you better behave. I hear they're pretty strict over there."
Iori chuckled. Surely no one would be dumb enough to cause trouble, right?
But in the very next second...
Kouhei immediately backed into a corner sticking to the wall, eyes full of suspicion as he stared at the four of them!
Huff… huff… huff…
He looked just like a wild animal guarding its food.
"..."
Everyone stared blankly. Something clicked.
"…Hand over the bag."
"What exactly are you trying to bring to Palau…?"
"If you get blacklisted, it'll be a huge pain."
Under group pressure, Aina successfully snatched away Kouhei's backpack.
Inside, they found piles of anime doujinshi and adult games.
"We're going to work, not some kind of pervert convention!"
Aina pulled all the questionable items out of Kouhei's bag while he watched in utter despair.
As for the fate of those items…
Well, best not to say~
Shiro stood there frozen, too stunned to even feel bad for Kouhei.
"…Th-that stuff shouldn't count as violating obscenity laws, right?"
He nervously pointed at the stack of adult games.
"Hmm, well, you never know. U.S. customs rules are… capricious. Huh? Why are you sweating so much?"
Iori gave Shiro a puzzled look, then suddenly smiled with realization. "Wait a second… don't tell me you—"
Huff huff huff!!!
Same crouching posture, same corner of the wall—Shiro now mirrored Kouhei's suspicious stance, eyes alert.
Smack!
Chisa groaned, rubbing her forehead. She knew it.
In comparison, Iori was starting to look relatively normal.
But then...
During the layover in Guam, Chisa realized she'd been way too optimistic.
Same backpack, same sneaky behavior, same huffing sounds of a man guarding treasure.
Did he really think obscenity laws only applied to outbound trips?!
Palau was the final destination, not Guam—so what kind of logic was it to buy hentai books in Guam?!
Aina, one of the only two sane people in the group, had given up all hope. This trip to Palau… was going to be hell.
Thankfully, their layover in Guam was long enough for the three degenerates to finish reading their haul right in the airport before boarding.
They looked quite content afterward. Except…
Everyone at the airport was staring at them like they were aliens.
Well...
They didn't care. Shiro and the others had learned to ignore that kind of thing long ago.
Poor Chisa and Aina had to endure the side-eyes from strangers all alone.
If she hadn't been afraid of getting arrested, Chisa would've knocked all three idiots out cold before boarding.
Absolutely mortifying!
And even on the plane, the three couldn't stay quiet—arguing over bentos, pestering the flight attendants for alcohol…
Thankfully, their English skills were practically nonexistent. Otherwise, Chisa really would've worried about the air marshals getting involved.
Still...
Watching the clouds out the window, a small smile tugged at Chisa's lips.
This feeling wasn't so bad.
Palau—
Here we come!
"Yeah."
"Not bad at all!"
"Had pizza and played games in the lab."
"Went camping with Kaya Mizuki on a deserted island."
"And just came back from visiting Iori and Shiro's hometown."
"Hey hey! I wasn't there for the first two at all!"
Aina was almost in tears. These people were reminiscing without a care in the world. Didn't they know she missed out on all those beautiful memories?
"Eh? Zombie-beast, didn't you have your own unique memories? I mean, not many people get the chance to go wild on a tractor in the countryside."
"..."
Facing Shiro's teasing gaze, Aina launched a relentless attack on his waist.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you?!"
What she wanted was youth!
Driving a tractor didn't count as youth!
"By the way, how's your watermelon field doing?"
Iori asked curiously. They had all been too busy to ask for an update before.
Seeing that, Shiro also stopped running, still clutching his waist, just as curious. He wondered whether their method would work in Japan.
"Eh? I don't know either?"
Aina blinked. She hadn't paid any attention to it since she left the countryside.
To ensure a perfect vacation, she even blocked her grandpa's number.
Only now, facing everyone's curious looks, did she remember.
She took out her phone, unblocked her grandpa, and shrugged.
"..."
Watching her, Shiro gave a thumbs-up with admiration.
He finally realized… these were some truly filial children.
Without noticing, the five of them arrived at the pickup point.
Contrary to Shiro's expectations, it wasn't some cute girl picking them up, but a middle-aged uncle around the same age as Uncle Kotegawa…
Well, come to think of it, it made sense. No way would the shop owner send a beautiful girl.
Just recalling that person from memory made Shiro shiver.
She wasn't exactly the friendly type. Who knew if her personality had changed after all these years?
"Yo! Hello there, I'm John Kimura."
The uncle introduced himself in surprisingly fluent Japanese, surprising the group.
Only then did they remember—Palau was a country friendly to Japan.
The dumb trio visibly relaxed. Their English was trash-tier, after all.
As for that name…
Yup, totally a background character name. The kind that never gets a second scene.
"Hello."
"Thank you for coming to pick us up."
"Sorry for the trouble."
Chisa and the others greeted him politely. It was late at night, and he had come just for them.
After getting in the car, Kohei suddenly realized something serious.
"Wait… Do any of you even know what kind of work we're doing?!"
Dragged abroad for a job he didn't understand—Kohei finally clued in.
He had zero idea what his actual job was!
"Emmm, based on TV dramas, going abroad for high pay usually means gambling operations or phone scams. If you try to escape, your final destination's usually some shady hospital ship on international waters."
Recalling a recent movie, Shiro solemnly explained the "truth."
Kohei looked like he was ready to jump out of the car.
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
How could this guy say something so horrifying so calmly?!
Wasn't he also working abroad?!
(???)
"You idiot, you didn't actually believe that, did you…"
Iori shot Kohei a look like he was a complete moron.
"This job was introduced by Uncle, and Chisa's here too. There's no way it's the kind of gig where you wake up missing a kidney."
"Oh… yeah, that makes sense."
Kohei rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Idiot…
He must've left his brain back in Izu before coming to Palau.
"But seriously, what are we doing?"
Ignoring Kohei, Aina posed the question again. She was genuinely curious.
"If it's 'Dolphin,' then probably retail?"
Iori pondered aloud. It was a big chain diving gear store, after all.
"…And why do you think anyone would hire you for retail?"
Shiro's mouth twitched. Did this guy have no self-awareness?
He barely wore clothes most of the time—who would trust him with customers?
Unless Aunt Kotegawa wanted to tank the business on purpose!
"Probably not. This is a new shop. I think our job is mainly assisting tourists with diving."
Chisa explained from the side. After all, it was her family's store, so she knew a little.
"Ohhh! Then we get to be diving instructors?!"
Aina lit up.
Diving instructors—how cool!
They had only been learning for half a year and already reached that level? Amazing!
"Uhhh…"
Seeing her so fired up, Chisa didn't have the heart to crush her dreams.
They were… probably just doing odd jobs.
And so—
Amid their dreams of future diving glory, they arrived at their new home for the next two weeks!