…
"You..."
"What nonsense are you talking about..."
Aina let out a sigh, looking at Kohei with an expression that screamed disbelief.
It was as if she were saying, "I finally got serious, and this is the topic you bring up?"
Iori?
That was completely impossible!
Aina's reaction was definitely beyond what Kohei had expected. "Really?"
"Oh come on, why are you even asking that? Are you drunk?"
"That's why I said, if it was a misunderstanding, I should apologize first."
Seeing her reaction, Kohei casually continued fiddling with the TV remote, as if it were just a spur-of-the-moment question.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"
Aina stood up, bracing herself on the table, then turned and walked toward her room. "I have work tomorrow, I'm going to bed."
Both her words and steps had the feel of a hasty retreat...
"Yeah, good night."
Bang~
As Aina's door closed, the living room once again fell into silence.
Only the static hum of the television remained.
Click!
Annoyed, Kohei turned off the TV, picked up the bottle of liquor and muttered like he was talking to himself:
"So that's what she said, huh. What do you think…"
"You already guessed it, didn't you?"
It wasn't self-talk. Shiro Shiro, who should've been asleep, sat up groggily holding his head in frustration, and grabbed his own bottle.
He had just wanted a peaceful night's sleep, but ended up in this mess instead—frustrating.
Shiro shook his head, took a big swig, and said, "She didn't even get the chance to say how she felt about Kitahara, and Aina just blew herself up."
At this point, even the densest person should be able to see how Aina feels about Iori.
"You knew all along?"
"Well, I am a love master. If I couldn't even see that much, I'd be a disgrace."
"Fair enough."
Surprisingly, Kohei didn't snap back at Shiro this time, only drank in silence.
Seeing this, Shiro probably understood what he was thinking. "You want to help her?"
"Shouldn't we? It's obvious that the Cakey really likes Kitahara."
Kohei replied. After all, this was Cakey—naive and hopelessly romantic. If she really missed her chance, she might cry her heart out.
Just like last time, when she curled up in a corner drinking like a homeless puppy.
"Sigh…"
Shiro rubbed his head, irritated. "Can't you just let things play out naturally? That idiot already forfeited his dating rights for four years, so what's the rush?"
"I think Cakey is pretty anxious."
Why else would she wear padding in her bra—so easy to see through, yet she still insisted it was some kind of 'perverted development'...
So dumb.
"You don't seem too supportive of them getting together?"
Kohei looked at Shiro curiously, then suddenly thought of something...
Could it be!
His face turned increasingly horrified. "You don't have feelings for one of them, do you?
Cakey?
Kitahara?!"
Thud!
Already suffering from a headache, Shiro's headache worsened at Kohei's remark. He directly threw the empty beer can at him. "What the hell?! Can your imagination get any wilder?!"
Kohei didn't get angry. He caught the can and set it aside, asking, "Then why are you against them getting together?"
Shiro twitched at the corner of his mouth. How was he supposed to explain this to this blockhead?
There was also Chisa—who, without even realizing it herself, was developing feelings for that idiot Kitahara.
Tsundere types were clearly too complex for these virgins to grasp~
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Shiro decided to keep quiet for now, since Chisa hadn't realized her own feelings yet.
"Well, Kohei, think about it—if Iori really ends up in a relationship, wouldn't he be showing off all day long?
We can't let that happen!"
Shiro said angrily, as if he truly couldn't stand the idea of Iori living a happier life than him.
"You two really are childhood friends."
Kohei quipped, but inwardly he accepted this logic. After all, that's just how they were.
"So why do you want to help Aina?"
Shiro asked, puzzled. Kohei was supposed to be the kind of guy who had zero interest in 3D romance, right?
"Why…"
Kohei paused. He honestly hadn't thought about that before. He just suddenly got the urge to help them.
Thinking it over, what did it even matter to him whether they got together or not?
Then he closed his eyes and smiled in a carefree way.
"Maybe… it's because I can relate to Cakey's overwhelming, uncontrollable feelings."
!!!
{{(°△°;")}}
Shiro stared at Kohei in horror. That carefree smile...
That overwhelming feeling...
Could this bastard really be in love with Kitahara too?!
Gulp
Shiro remembered something Asuza had said to him before—
"Iori and Kohei are such a perfect match~"
And there was even a time she wanted to lend them some BL DVDs.
So that's what this is!!!
He understood now. He understood everything.
Kohei… was trying to hide his relationship with Kitahara!
To avoid suspicion or perhaps lower Kitahara's guard, he planned to push Aina and Kitahara together!
That way, any intimate actions between him and Kitahara wouldn't raise eyebrows!
So devious!
Wait...
It could be even worse!
This bastard… he's not planning to go full harem mode, is he?!
Has he been brainwashed by BL culture?!
As his thoughts spiraled, the plot of a certain Black Beast anime involving a pink-haired princess flashed into Shiro's mind!!!
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
Why the hell am I thinking about that!?
What kind of messed up AV plot is this?!
As Kohei looked at him, Shiro frantically backed away, putting a safe distance between them. He had no intention of joining this impending imp scenario!
(′｀;)?
"What's wrong?"
Kohei scratched his head, confused. Did he say something wrong? Why did Shiro suddenly look so terrified?
(;?＿?)
"N-Nothing… just thinking, maybe you really were going to save Shiori that time."
Shiro averted his eyes. If he admitted the truth, something terrifying might happen. Better to play it safe!
Hearing that, Kohei perked up. "Right?! And you didn't believe me back then! I was just watching those two foreigners, and you were even sitting on top of me…"
(////)
Stop right there!!!
Remembering what he did back then, Shiro suddenly wanted to cut off his own butt.
That guy... he didn't secretly enjoy it, did he?!
No! No way!
Shower!
Must take a shower!
Ignoring Kohei's grumbling, the once-exhausted Shiro suddenly found renewed energy and dashed to the bathroom as if running for his life.
"I'm taking a shower! Go to bed early. Good night!"
Bang!
(′｀;)?
Watching Shiro's retreating back, Kohei was filled with confusion. Why is everyone acting so weird today?
Something in the water?
Unable to make sense of it, Kohei shook his head and decided not to dwell on it.
Back to figuring out the TV!
He was going to watch anime tonight!
"Good morning…"
"Good morning, everyone!"
"You all look really tired."
The four of them looked as if their energy had been drained, wearing off-shoulder outfits.
"Yeah…"
"We were exhausted yesterday…"
"There wasn't even any anime…"
"And we discovered something scary…"
(′｀;)?
The manager blinked in confusion. Anime? Something scary? What exactly had this group been doing yesterday?
Suppressing her curiosity, the manager knocked on the blackboard.
"Let's begin our meeting. Today's schedule— we'll be getting interviewed by a TV station."
"Interview?!"
"They're interviewing our trial run?"
"Looks like our shop is getting quite a bit of attention."
Everyone was a bit surprised. A TV station coming in for an interview right after opening—this new shop seemed even more popular than they expected.
However, Aunt Kotegawa quickly shattered their fantasy.
"It's not that amazing."
They were still young, after all. This was Palau. No matter how popular the shop might be, there's no way a Tokyo TV station would take the initiative to come all the way out here right after opening.
"I pulled some strings and called in a few favors to get them here to help promote us."
"..."
The atmosphere instantly cooled. So it was money power.
So this is what a rich lady is like?
"Such great business sense…"
"Alright, enough nonsense," Aunt Kotegawa shot a glance at Shiro and continued.
"So we're splitting you into two groups. One will handle odd jobs, the other will receive the TV crew."
"I volunteer for the TV reception team!"
For the image of the new store, Shiro stood up decisively.
He even flipped his hair and struck a pose he thought was super cool.
Smack!
A karate chop landed again. "No need. We don't need a host here."
"I'm not a host! The TV crew reception team needs someone with good looks and charm—I think I'm perfect for it! Besides, if I appear on the show, lots of rich ladies will definitely come looking for me. Believe me, Auntie, this is a conclusion I've reached after working in a host club!"
Shiro looked at Aunt Kotegawa with hopeful eyes. He'd gone this far—surely she'd agree?
To his dismay, Aunt Kotegawa only thought for a moment before landing another hand chop.
"Don't even think about it. Just from the pictures Nanaka sent me, there's no way I'd let you on camera.
And are you sure those rich women won't throw a fit if they come here and don't see you?"
(;?＿?)
"Uh, well…"
Shiro couldn't be certain. Judging by how the host club nearly went under after he left, they probably would throw a fit...
But diving is different!
Just as Shiro was preparing to push again, Aunt Kotegawa suddenly said, "By the way, does Keiko know about your host gig?"
!!
Right, Keiko definitely didn't know. If she found out he'd worked as a host, she'd absolutely beat him senseless!
Thinking of that, Shiro quickly slunk back into the group and declared righteously, "Please assign me to the odd jobs team! I've loved doing chores since I was a kid—if I don't do chores for a day, I feel uncomfortable!"
Everyone silently gave him a thumbs-up at this shameless display.
Iori even opened his phone and started recording.
That's our guy!
Aunt Kotegawa nodded in satisfaction and looked to her manager. "I'll leave the group assignments to you."
"Got it. I've got a plan."
Hearing that, Aunt Kotegawa relaxed. She trusted her manager deeply.
Looking at Shiro and his buddies, she remembered that photo (completely nude).
She warned the three of them sternly, "Listen up. The odd jobs team must not appear on camera!"
"…Got it."
Shiro, who'd been hoping to sneak in a quick cameo, had to quietly abandon that thought.
He could only hope the manager would save him!
Unfortunately—
The manager didn't save him, but at least she avenged him.
Because...
TV Reception Team: Chisa, Manager, Maki, Random Male Staff
Odd Jobs Team: Aunt Kotegawa, Shiro, Aina, Iori, Kohei
"..."
Shiro twitched. Who would've thought—the manager was this bold, directly assigning the boss to odd jobs?
Was she planning a coup? Even Aunt Kotegawa looked a bit off.
After the assignments, the manager clapped her hands. "Alright, everyone—"
"Hold it. Why am I assigned to odd jobs?"
Wearing sunglasses and sucking on a lollipop, the expressionless boss didn't understand how she ended up doing grunt work.
She was the boss, after all!
But the manager's reasoning left her speechless.
"I assigned based on the boss's preferences. When the boss gets nervous, she becomes extremely aloof."
"..."
Aunt Kotegawa, well aware of her own personality, fell silent. As expected of her manager—she really considered everything.
Looks like it's time to work on correcting her manager's one flaw: her weakness for good looks.
She'll mold her into the perfect manager!
"Pfft~"
Seeing Aunt Kotegawa flustered, Shiro couldn't help but let out a laugh.
'Crap!'
Realizing his mistake, Shiro quickly covered his mouth.
Too late.
Aunt Kotegawa, already a bit annoyed, instantly locked onto him.
Shiro swore he saw murderous intent coming from her expressionless face.
However, unlike the hot-headed Keiko, Aunt Kotegawa wasn't the type to lash out.
A karate chop?
That was basically just a head pat~
She walked over with a kind smile, adjusted Shiro's clothes, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Good luck. I'll leave my job to you."
{{(°△°; "}}!
"W-wait, boss… isn't that a bit much?"
"You just said I'm the boss. So what's the problem?"
Damn capitalist!
Shiro looked toward his two best friends for help. Don't think he didn't notice—they laughed earlier too!
But all he got were mocking smiles and gleeful expressions—
He knew it!
In that case…
Shiro resorted to betrayal.
"I report these two idiots laughed too!"
"Alright, then the three of you will split the work."
Aunt Kotegawa waved her hand. The odd jobs were always meant for the four of them anyway—who did more didn't really matter.
The two caught off guard stared blankly, then realized what had happened.
They instantly lunged at Shiro.
"Shiro! You bastard!"
"How could you do this?!"
"Hmph! You left me no choice. We all go down together!"
"Scumbag!!!"
Watching the three suddenly wrestle on the ground, Aunt Kotegawa praised the manager beside her.
"Your team division was spot on."
"Heh…"
The manager forced a smile, not daring to admit she actually intended to assign Shiro in the other place...
Now that she didn't?
It was definitely the right choice!