Just as Kamishiro reached the burger place, the rain started letting up. Hanabi immediately stashed her umbrella.
They also noticed the two cars that had overtaken them earlier were now leaving one after the other.
So it was true—movies don't lie!
Cruising = burgers, fries, and soda!
Except…
A banner had fallen off the kei truck.
Kamishiro couldn't help but pick it up.
"'AV Filming in Progress'"
Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
!!!!
Holy crap, real life really is more outrageous than fiction!
Shooting an AV in a light truck?
How big of an imagination do you need to come up with something like that?!
Damn it!
If only I had driven a bit faster earlier, I might've seen which teacher it was.
What a lucky encounter!
I have to support them when I get back!
...
"What's wrong?"
Hanabi took the fries and asked, puzzled. Why did this pigeon look so regretful?
"Ah, it's nothing. I just got a little emotional."
"Emotional?"
"Yeah... My imagination is really lacking!"
"..."
What's this now?
A self-critical novelist?
Although she didn't really get it, Hanabi still tried to comfort him.
"It's okay! Even if it's short, it's already great!"
"...You better be talking about the story."
"Is there something else it could be?"
Looking into Hanabi's pure eyes, Kamishiro suddenly felt a strange urge… to corrupt her.
Ahegao?
He shook his head, throwing out that unrealistic thought.
He couldn't keep thinking like that. If he did, she'd definitely catch on—his beautiful editor was incredibly sharp when it came to guessing what was on his mind.
That's something to think about at night. For now...
"Hold on tight, I'm going to speed up a bit."
Since the weather cleared up, it was time to restore the convertible's dignity!
"Safety first."
"Don't worry, don't worry! When it comes to driving, I'm very experienced—always safe!"
Hanabi nodded. But for some reason, even though it was a normal sentence, it sounded really off coming from this pigeon.
With mixed feelings, Hanabi took a bite of a fry.
No need to think about anything else—just enjoy the fries and the breeze!
Of course, Hanabi didn't forget to feed some fries to the pigeon driver.
The two looked like a long-time couple naturally enjoying a date together~
Seeing this, two unfamiliar guys driving a work van nearby felt extremely bitter.
The difference between people was just too much!
The two bros silently vowed: once this job's over, they're treating themselves!
They'd order two extra beers at the izakaya tonight!
...
At the same time,
Two vehicles ahead, similar scenes were playing out.
Chisa naturally took the straw and fries that Iori handed her.
Just like Kamishiro and Hanabi, it was a scene full of peaceful vibes.
As for the light truck behind them...
Bang!
"Damn it! Why does this scene feel so natural to me?"
Aina slammed the steering wheel, looking utterly devastated.
What kind of things were those two doing in private to create such perfect couple vibes?!
"Hey hey hey, cakey, don't do anything crazy. If that's all it is, I can give you the same experience!"
Kohei gripped his seatbelt tightly, scared Aina might drive them straight into the ocean.
"Huh?"
Aina looked at Kohei, dumbfounded. Then her cheeks turned slightly red. W-Was he saying what she thought he was saying?
"Here, open your mouth."
Upon hearing that, Aina's expression turned unnatural. She really was kind of jealous... but...
Why, why did the atmosphere in the car suddenly become so suggestive?!
Looking at Kohei's handsome face, Aina momentarily forgot to refuse.
Until—
Something thick got shoved into her mouth.
Chew chew
The salty taste in her mouth snapped Aina back to reality.
She knew it!
As if Kohei could understand romance!
She was now chewing on a piece of grilled squid with a blank expression.
Light truck. Grilled squid.
She looked just like a middle-aged man!
"If you want a drink, all we've got is beer."
Kohei picked up a beer. He was used to it—other drinks had no taste for him anymore.
Bang!
Hearing that, Aina hit the steering wheel even harder.
"I don't want alcohol and bar snacks!"
(｀Д´)
Was that something you give to a driver?!
"Sigh, Cakey, you're really hard to please sometimes."
Kohei sighed, completely clueless about what Aina actually wanted.
Real-life girls were just too complicated.
(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
"Maybe take a look at what you're offering! Try reflecting on yourself for once!"
...
"Why does that light truck ahead feel kinda dangerous?"
Hanabi looked worriedly at the truck they had been following. From earlier, its driving had been super weird.
Sometimes it swerved in S-shapes, sometimes it braked hard.
It was like the driver was doing something... unsafe.
"Tch, what an enviable bastard!"
Kamishiro clicked his tongue, annoyed. Clearly, he misunderstood what the light truck was doing.
After all, the banner he'd picked up earlier came from that very truck!
"Huh? Enviable?"
Hanabi looked at Kamishiro, confused. That driving? Enviable?
Why did she feel like this pigeon was hiding something from her?
"Let's slow down. We're not in a rush anyway, and we can enjoy the scenery more."
Sensing Kamishiro's mood shift, Hanabi suggested calmly. Driving while emotional was the worst idea.
"Huff... fine."
Kamishiro nodded. He didn't want to see that light truck anymore either and reduced his speed.
He could've overtaken them, but that felt too risky.
What if he sped past and startled the people inside the truck? That could cause a major accident.
Better to avoid it entirely!
Because of that light truck, Kamishiro and co. reached the beach later than expected.
But...
The moment they saw the blue ocean, all their frustration melted away.
"THE SEA!!!"
Kamishiro shouted with excitement, standing on the shore. It felt just like coming home!
Even Hanabi couldn't help but smile at the beautiful view.
The sea truly never disappoints.
"Time to change clothes! I'm going to take a swim!"
"Mmm, yeah. It's been a while since I last swam—wait! What are you doing?!"
(°ロ°)
Hanabi's smile instantly vanished the moment she turned to look at Kamishiro.
"Huh? What do you think? Changing into my swimsuit, of course. I can't go in naked, even I'd be embarrassed."
He continued undressing—already down to his underwear.
Just as he was about to remove the final layer, a small hand stopped him!
Kamishiro looked up, confused, and met a pair of icy eyes.
"Go. Change. In. The. Car."
"..."
Kamishiro's mouth twitched. He glanced at his convertible—one that didn't even have a working roof.
"...There's basically no difference, though?"
"..."
________________
Hanabi slapped her forehead—she had forgotten that this guy had rented a ridiculous car.
"At least try to hide yourself a little! Never mind, whatever, do what you want. Just change after I leave!"
With that, Hanabi grabbed her bikini and ran toward the restroom like she was escaping.
Clearly...
She was thin-skinned and couldn't bear the embarrassment!
Watching Hanabi's back, Kamishiro let out a disappointed sigh.
"Sigh… Hanabi really has no faith in me at all."
Kamishiro dramatically tossed aside the last piece of his 'seal' and proudly put his hands on his hips.
As long as you've got the goods, it's others who should feel inferior!
Humph humph~
He could already see a few jealous glances from over there.
╭( ￣ ▽￣)╭
Kamishiro flashed an infuriating grin as he leisurely put on his swim trunks.
No matter what, he still had to wear swimwear—otherwise, it'd be hard to explain when the police showed up.
Surely no one would be bored enough to take pictures, right?
...
While Kamishiro was waiting idly for Hanabi to return,
he suddenly spotted a familiar figure!
That face that surpassed most people's, and that silky blond hair…
Kouhei?!
Kamishiro immediately ducked down, staring in shock.
Why was Kouhei here?!
He quickly pulled out his phone and opened the pab group chat. He was worried he'd missed some important announcement.
Did everyone plan a trip to Okinawa?
But...
There was nothing!
Considering the possibility that his phone was malfunctioning, Kamishiro cautiously sent a "?" in the group chat.
A second later—
Someone immediately replied with a "?"
"…"
Of course it was Azusa-nee!
Even during part-time shifts, she still found time to spam the group chat like a pro!
Then came a string of copy-pasted "?"s from others.
Human nature really is just this predictable.
But…
This also confirmed Kamishiro's phone was working just fine. Unless they'd made a secret side group (which he highly doubted, given their senpai's values), he would definitely have been informed.
So…
Kouhei came here on his own?
But why?
There haven't been any voice actress events in Okinawa lately…
As Kamishiro was still puzzled, he noticed the girl next to Kouhei—
A cute, unfamiliar, young woman!
In that moment, everything clicked.
This… must be Ikegoshi!
Yes, it had to be Ikegoshi!
After all, how could a hardcore otaku like Kouhei possibly be vacationing in Okinawa with such a top-tier girl?
Hmm, no cameras around—ruling out the chance this was part of a show.
In that case—
Mystery solved! Ikegoshi must be traveling with his girlfriend for some quality time.
Kamishiro gave himself a mental high-five for his deduction. As expected of him—he had pieced everything together in under five minutes.
Since he was sure it was Ikegoshi, he saw no need to keep hiding and was about to go say hi…
But suddenly, a serious thought struck him!
Kamishiro solemnly opened his browser and searched for pictures of [Yurika].
Back during the beetle incident, Ikegoshi had personally said his girlfriend was the popular voice actress, Yurika.
He even said they were planning to get married next year.
But…
The girl beside him now was definitely not Yurika!
Their styles were completely different!
Staring at the image on his phone screen, Kamishiro suddenly felt he had just struck gold.
The corners of his mouth curled up uncontrollably, nearly reaching his ears.
Kukuku~
If he's an idol, he must have loads of money, right?
Heh heh…
Don't blame me, Ikegoshi. This is just the price of being a public figure~
Kamishiro stealthily snapped a photo and sent it directly to Ikegoshi.
After the beetle incident, Ikegoshi—who knows what he was thinking—had actually added his contact.
Perfect for a little blackmail!
"Kukuku~ Ikegoshi, you wouldn't want Miss Yurika to find out that you went on a trip with another woman, would you?
image.jpg"
Ding~
Message sent successfully!
Seeing this, Kamishiro grinned even wider and stared intently at "Ikegoshi" in the distance, eager to see his reaction to the photo.
However…
Just then, Kamishiro's phone rang—it was a reply from Ikegoshi.
{{(°△°; "}}!
Kamishiro stared dumbfounded at his screen, then looked back at the "Ikegoshi" in the distance.
Wait a minute...
He hadn't even seen that guy take out his phone just now!
Then how did he reply?!
Superpowers???
Confused, Kamishiro opened the message:
"Blondie #2: ???"
"Blondie #2: confused.jpg"
"Blondie #2: That's not me, I'm right next to Yurika right now."
"Blondie #2: holding-hands.jpg"
"Blondie #2: That must be Imamura. That's definitely Imamura!"
Ikegoshi seemed afraid of being misunderstood and was frantically trying to clarify.
Kamishiro felt like if he didn't respond quickly, Ikegoshi would just start a video call.
"…"
Kamishiro silently opened Kouhei's contact and sent a "?" message.
A moment later, a "?" came back.
At the same time, the blond guy not far away started fiddling with his phone.
After a few more tests, Kamishiro stared in disbelief at the pair.
So… that guy with the blonde hair and the hot girl really was Kouhei?!
What the heck?!
The otaku turned into a normie?!
Are you kidding me?!
There's no way that girl is Aina!
Unable to make sense of it, Kamishiro felt the urge to confront them on the spot.
But first…
He opened his chat with Ikegoshi again:
"Sorry, I mistook him. It's actually Kouhei.
By the way, Ikegoshi, I heard that teacher Momonogi is holding a fan meet in Tokyo soon. Think you can get me a ticket?"
"Blondie #2: Huh? Teacher Momonogi… isn't she from the AV industry?! No way! Absolutely not! I'm a legit idol!"
"Ah, that's a shame. By the way, do you think Miss Yurika would be able to tell you apart from Kouhei?, smile.jpg"
________________
Meanwhile, in a luxury apartment in Tokyo—
Ikegoshi stared at his phone, hands trembling.
Why is there someone so shameless in this world?!
He never should have added that stupid beetle just for the sake of his public persona!
Aaaaaahhhhh!!!
Heh heh~
Looking at the "OK" emoji sent by Ikegoshi on his phone, Kamishiro happily put the phone away.
Perfect plan!
He just freeloaded a ticket to Teacher Momonogi's show!
Originally, he was planning to reach out to the event organizer, since last time when Ikegoshi transitioned to a new genre, he was one of the co-directors!
But since they just happened to cross paths, he decided to go with Ikegoshi after all~
（λ?_??）
Definitely not just because he has dirt on him!
...