What Kamishiro and the others had not expected was that this party was actually outdoors!
It was being held on the hotel's rooftop, under a sky full of stars.
Honestly, it looked amazing!
Holding a glass of red wine, Kamishiro gazed at the starry sky and muttered to himself.
Such a beautiful, romantic atmosphere combined with his looks… was this not basically a guaranteed slaughter?!
Kamishiro was already mentally preparing to collect a pile of room key cards.
Yep!
With some proper time management…He could probably visit three or four rooms in one night~
It was perfect!
"Ughhhhhhhhh—!!!"
Just as Kamishiro was lost in his fantasies, a strange sound came from beneath his feet, breaking his train of thought.
(?-ι_-｀)
He looked down at Kohei, who was still twitching uncontrollably at his feet, and spoke with a flat expression.
After using his foot to flip Kohei over like a fish flopping out of water, Kamishiro asked, "Is this guy still not better?"
"There is nothing we can do," Iori shrugged, then flipped Kohei back over again.
"After making such a scene, everyone's eyes are still consciously or unconsciously on him."
From the restroom downstairs all the way to this rooftop party, Kohei had been like this the entire time.
Of course, that was largely because of all the strangers.
Although Ikegoshi had already clarified that he and Kohei were nothing more than good friends, the NPCs were still extremely curious.
After all, they had never seen a real-life look-alike phenomenon before!
If Kohei had not been twitching nonstop, they would have already gone over to strike up a conversation.
Even now, some people were still secretly watching him.
They wanted to know… How long would the twitching last?
And… did they really not need to call an ambulance?
It honestly looked like he was about to drop dead…
Yep. A perfect dead loop.
The NPCs wanted to see when Kohei would stop twitching, but as long as their gazes were on him, Kohei was never going to stop.
"Why has his social anxiety gotten so much worse?"
Iori rubbed his chin. "I remember that before arriving at the wedding he was just nervous at most."
Kohei had even participated in a beauty pageant before. Logically, he should not be shaking like this.
There were plenty of people at that pageant too.
"It is probably because the stimulation this time was stronger," Kamishiro explained after taking a sip of wine. "Back then, the looks people gave him were not this complicated."
As he spoke, he glanced around at the NPCs.
Because of Ikegoshi san, the gazes directed at Kohei were filled with curiosity, shock, disbelief, and all sorts of mixed emotions.
On top of that, Kohei had just received a close-range apology and handshake from the voice actress Yurika herself.
At that point, twitching was honestly understandable.
Hearing this, everyone nodded thoughtfully. That explanation made perfect sense.
So then—
"What should we do now?"
As Kohei's wingman, Aina could not bear to watch anymore and spoke up.
"We cannot just let Kohei keep twitching on the ground like this. It totally ruins the party atmosphere!"
This was a wedding party, after all!
No matter how you looked at it, having someone twitching like a zombie in the middle of it felt unlucky.
"Good point. How about blocking him?" Iori said, stepping directly in front of Kohei.
Instantly, Kohei's twitching slowed down significantly!
"It worked!"
The senpai stared at Kohei in amazement. They had not expected the reaction to be so intelligent and with zero delay!
"Great! If we keep this up, then…wait, why is he twitching again?!"
Seeing Kohei return to his original state, Aina raised her voice in surprise, then immediately covered her mouth.
She glanced around shyly.
A lady! She was wearing a cute dress right now so she needed to act like a lady!
Ladies should not raise their voices like that!
Realizing no one was looking at her, Aina let out a sigh of relief and asked in an even quieter voice,
"What on earth is going on?!"
"..."
(???)
Looking at Aina pretending to be ladylike, Kamishiro and Iori both gave her a speechless look.
How should they put it…
It was that awkward feeling you get when seeing someone you know suddenly act serious.
It made them feel sick.
Before they could say anything, Azusa pointed to the side.
"Looks like everyone just moved to the other side."
Everyone looked up and realized the NPCs had not given up at all.
After Iori blocked one side, they simply moved to the other side to watch.
Very clever.
Not only that,, their gazes were even more gossipy than before!
After all… Yurika had previously implied that there might have been some improper relationship between the three boys.
Sure, it was later clarified.
But!
Once a preconceived notion takes root, clarifications without solid evidence are useless.
When suspicion is planted, people's views can no longer be controlled by others, rather they are fueled entirely by imagination.
And clearly, these people had very dirty minds!
Now that Kohei was suddenly being blocked, they had to be up to something!
Look!They had to look harder!
"I feel like I have seen that look before…"
Kamishiro quietly took two steps back, distancing himself from Kohei and Iori.
That look…It was exactly the same look Azusa had given Iori and Kohei before.
And back then… Azusa had misunderstood their relationship!
This was terrifying.
Tokyo was way too scary.
He remembered people being pretty innocent before he left, what the hell happened in just half a year?
Did the will of Tokyo go wild without his suppression?
Ahem.
Of course, all that "Tokyo's will" stuff was just Kamishiro's imagination.
Tsk tsk—what a bunch of gossip addicts~
Kamishiro stepped back another two steps.
Hmph!
He had no intention of becoming part of the gossip!
At this moment, Iori still had not noticed the NPCs' strange looks.
He was focused on figuring out how to help his best friend recover.
If blocking just one side did not work…
"How about we just surround Kohei?"
Excellent.
A truly galaxy-brain idea.
Kamishiro imagined the scene:
A group of people standing in a circle around a twitching Kohei.
Kohei slowly calms down… then becomes peaceful… then serene…
What the hell kind of cult ritual was that?!
If someone saw that, they would definitely call the police!
Could they please come up with a normal solution?!
Seeing the two senpai eager to try, Kamishiro knew it was time for him to step in.
"Wait!"
He stepped forward and stopped them, then said,
"We do not need to go that far."
"Oh? You have got a better idea?"
Iori's eyes sharpened, this was a challenge to his position as the brains of the group!
"..."
Kamishiro's mouth twitched.
This question was meaningless, any idea was better than that one!
Not bothering to argue, he continued "We can try thinking from Kohei's perspective."
"Kohei's perspective?"
"Yes! First of all, Kohei is a hardcore otaku, right?"
"Mm!"
Everyone nodded. That was undeniable, though Kohei himself refused to admit it.
"Good! That is the key point!"
"Huh?"
Looking at their clear yet empty eyes, Kamishiro sighed and shook his head in disappointment.
None of them could follow his train of thought.
How tragic, all his companions were all idiots.
Giving up on them, Kamishiro explained directly,
"We can use game or anime logic to help Kohei divert his attention!"
Kohei's social anxiety ultimately came from being overly sensitive to others' gaze.
All they needed to do was guide him slightly and distract him with something else.
A perfect plan!
Hearing this, everyone suddenly understood.
"That does sound more reliable than forming a circle."
"It is way more reliable… at least we will not look like weirdos."
"Hahaha, do not say that, It took Iori a lot of effort to come up with his idea too~"
"Well, we can try both!"
"Let's try Kamishiro's idea first."
Hearing their discussion, Iori's face darkened.
Damn it!
Kamishiro beat him to it!
But thinking carefully… this really was better than his own idea.
However there was one fatal flaw.
"So… how exactly do we distract Kohei?"
Exactly!
Without a sufficiently stimulating method, Kamishiro's idea was nothing but theory!
Everyone turned their gaze to Kamishiro again.
After all, when it comes to otaku… there was another one here~
Kamishiro: (-_-｀)
He had a bad feeling these people were thinking something very rude.
"It is simple," he said.
"We just need to do something straight out of a game…like a lap pillow."
As he spoke, he looked toward Aina in her white evening dress.
The white dress did not hide her skin at all.
It was hard to imagine that this was the same girl who often helped her grandparents drive tractors.
Well…her longing for youth did fit her image.
"A lap pillow?!"
Realization dawned on everyone's faces as they followed Kamishiro's gaze to Aina.
Blink blink~
Aina blinked blankly, clearly not having processed what was going on.
"Wait! You are not thinking of having me give Kohei a lap pillow, are you?! No no no no!"
Once she understood, Aina's face turned bright red as she shook her head frantically.
Something as youthful as a lap pillow absolutely could not happen between her and Kohei!
"Well, when you think of Kohei, Aina is the first person that comes to mind, right?"
Kamishiro stroked his chin. Aside from anime and voice actors, Aina was definitely option number one!
"…Do you want to fight?"
Aina shot him a disgusted look. Why was she suddenly being bundled together with that otaku?!
They were just a normal fighter-and-wingman relationship, okay?!
"Huh? Really? I remember back in Okinawa…mmph?!!"
Before Iori could finish, Aina shoved a piece of bread straight into his mouth.
She smiled sweetly at him.
"Okinawa? What Okinawa? I have no idea what you are talking about, Iori~ You must be hungry and talking nonsense. Here, eat more~"
Feeling unidentified objects being stuffed into his mouth nonstop, Iori shook his head desperately.
Please!
It really cannot fit anymore! I am going to throw up!
It is in my throat—!
Iori started rolling his eyes.
Thud!
By falling over, Iori narrowly escaped disaster.
Seeing his miserable state, Kamishiro wisely shut his mouth.
Provoking Aina right now would probably end worse for him than for Iori.
At this moment, Aina froze mid-feeding, her smile stiff.
"Hehehehe…"
Unlike her expression, her heart was screaming wildly.
Damn it!!!
Why bring up that incident?!
That Okinawa trip had been such a disaster.
She had only wanted to stop Iori and Chisa from traveling alone…
Who knew she would end up dragging herself into it?!
Sleeping with Kohei at a love hotel had been a last resort, okay?!
And Kohei had not even been as useful as a body pillow!
Aina was on the verge of collapse.
She had already explained it before, but Iori's reaction just now clearly was not what she wanted!
Absolutely—
Absolutely no lap pillow for Kohei!
Otherwise, she would have zero chance left against Iori!
Seeing Aina's dilemma, the two unusually reliable senpai stepped in once more.
"Hahaha! In that case, leave it to us!"
As he spoke, Kotobuki sat down while Tokita lifted Kohei onto another chair.
Kohei's head was placed squarely on Kotobuki's thick, muscular thighs.
Looking at Kohei's very obviously uncomfortable neck angle, Kamishiro immediately understood—
Kotobuki senpai trained his legs very well.
Now it all depended on the result!
Just like before, Kohei reacted instantly to the lap pillow. Only this time, the reaction was extreme.
If before he had looked like a zombie before now he looked like he had been electrocuted.
That expression…he was definitely having a terrifying nightmare while unconscious.
Still, it was not entirely ineffective. At least Kohei could talk now.
It was just… what he was saying—
"Do not… do not do this…!"
"…Hmm…"
Noticing the NPCs' gazes growing even more gossipy, Kamishiro pondered for a moment.
"…Should we put him down first?"
"Yeah, this is getting troublesome," Kotobuki stood up and scratched his head.
That was strange—
He remembered customers at the bar really liking his thigh muscles.
"Clearly, the senpai' stimulation is having the opposite effect on Kohei,"
Kamishiro stepped forward to observe.
Kohei was shaking even more violently now.
So…
Would Aina's lap pillow still work?
Probably…?
Just as Kamishiro was about to pull Iori up and try persuading Aina again, a familiar voice rang out.
"Oh my, Aina and Kamishiro…you guys are here~"
That voice!
It was Kanako!
"Kamishiro-kun, Aina, I finally found you!"
A pleasant voice rang out beside Kamishiro's ear.
Without even turning around, Kamishiro already knew who it was.
"…Kanako?"
As he spoke, Kamishiro turned around in surprise.
Sure enough—
Kanako was walking toward them with a smile, wearing a dark-colored evening gown, her hair neatly styled.
Bingo!
As a qualified hunter, Kamishiro was extremely sensitive to girls' voices and scents.
So sensitive, in fact, that once he encountered someone, he would never forget them again!
Especially when it was a best friend's close friend and especially someone like Kanako, whom he had interacted with several times!
"Hi, long time no see~"
Kanako waved as she greeted Kamishiro.
Even though she knew he was a scumbag, it was really hard to hate that face.
No, no, Kanako!
You are a pure-love believer!
How could a mere brat disrupt your heart?!
Thinking that, Kanako instantly put away her smile, frowned and tried to look fiercer.
Kamishiro: Huh???
Seeing Kanako suddenly turn adorably fierce, Kamishiro's eyes filled with confusion.
What… what kind of development was this?
It was kind of cute, though.
Unable to figure it out, Kamishiro looked toward Aina, hoping this best friend could help explain.
Noticing his gaze, Aina's mouth twitched. She roughly guessed what Kanako was thinking but she had no idea how to explain it to Kamishiro!
What was she supposed to say?
That Kanako believed in pure love, hated playboys like him, but because she liked his looks, her expression twisted into this state?
Please!
If she said that, Kanako would absolutely kill her!
So… the safest option was to ignore Kamishiro completely.
Aina directly pretended not to notice Kamishiro's gaze at all, forcing a smile as she greeted her best friend.
"What a coincidence, Kanako. You came to Ikegoshi san's wedding party too?"
"Hahaha, yeah. Strictly speaking, we were invited by Yurika nee."
Seeing Aina, Kanako immediately relaxed and returned to smiling.
Putting on a disgusted expression earlier had been exhausting!
"..."
Understanding her best friend's thoughts, Aina could only respond with a smile.
She would definitely kick Kanako out of the "pure love party" when they got back!
This girl was obviously just a face-lover!
"Hehe~"
Kanako knew Aina had already seen through her acting and blinked playfully.
Then, acting as if nothing had happened, she linked arms with Aina and asked,
"By the way, Aina, what were you guys doing just now? I heard a lot of people over there talking about Kohei.
It is so amazing that Kohei actually looks that much like Ikegoshi san!"
Since she had not seen Ikegoshi san before, Kanako only just learned that the two were nearly identical.
Curious, she looked past Aina, wanting to examine the differences up close.
And then…She saw Kohei on the chair, twitching as if electrocuted.
(っ; °Д °;)っ
"T-This… what is going on?! Is this really okay?!"
"Cough, cough, it is fine. We have already found a solution."
Seeing Kanako pull out her phone, ready to dial emergency services, Kamishiro hurried forward to stop her.
"Uh… should he not go to the hospital? Also, what kind of solution are you talking about?"
Kanako put her phone away suspiciously. She seriously felt like these people were plotting to murder Kohei.
"Well, it is simple. Later, we will just have Aina give Kohei a lap pillow—"
"Wait! Do not say it!!!"
Before Kamishiro could finish, Aina clamped a hand over his mouth.
Unfortunately…she was still too late.
Kamishiro had already said everything that should and should not have been said.
The moment Kanako heard the words "Kohei," "Aina," and "lap pillow," her eyes instantly turned into sparkling stars.
Those eyes were overflowing with gossip-driven desire!
Then, right before Aina's despairing gaze, Kanako whipped out her phone and started typing furiously.
"Kanako! Stop! It is not what you think! I have not agreed to anything yet!"
Aina reached out to stop her but Kanako was not Kamishiro!
As Aina's best friend, she had already predicted her move.
Whoosh!
The phone was hidden behind Kanako's back.
All Aina got in response was that perfectly timed smile.
Aina: (???)
"Hand over the phone you are hiding. Now."
Kanako wanted to resist, but when she saw Aina form a Dragon Claw Hand, she silently handed over her phone.
In a one-on-one fight, she was no match for Aina!
However…unfortunately Aina was still one step too late.
"Kanako: Aina and Kohei are together! She is even going to give him a lap pillow!"
"Kiyoko: Seriously?!"
"Keiko: So something really did happen on that Okinawa trip!"
"..."
Even though it was just text, Aina's mind automatically supplied Kiyoko and Keiko's voices and their current expressions.
Great. She was definitely doomed when she got back.
Thud!
Aina's legs gave out and she knelt in front of Kanako.
"So fast at spreading the news…"
"Ah, I am really sorry. I was just too shocked, and I acted on instinct…"
(`ω`)
Kanako covered her face shyly as she spoke.
That kind of conditioned reflex was understandable, right~?
"Your 'instinct' is way too fast and accurate!!!"
Aina absolutely did not believe it was instinct.
This was definitely premeditated!
She had spread the news first so Aina would not dare silence her!
"..."
Seeing Aina's tragic state, Kamishiro felt a chill in his heart.
He felt he needed to reassess Maya's little sister.
That heart, if it was cut open it would definitely be pitch black.
Wait!
Did she just say… we?
"Um, Kanako, when you said 'we' just now, did you mean…?"
Kamishiro asked cautiously, praying like crazy that it was not the answer he feared.
"It is my sister~! My sister and Yurika nee are best friends!"
Kanako made a peace sign near her eye. Having a popular voice-actress sister meant she could attend all kinds of banquets and parties!
And Kanako's sister was Maya!
Thinking of that hugely popular voice actress, Kamishiro instantly became dispirited.
"Ah… life…"
"Huh? What is wrong with him?"
Seeing Kamishiro suddenly turn gray, Kanako asked Aina in confusion.
Unfortunately, Aina was also busy contemplating the meaning of life and had no time to answer.
So Kanako had to think it through herself.
Did Kamishiro not want to see her sister?
That did not make sense, her sister was loved by everyone!
And she remembered that her sister and Kamishiro got along pretty well.
She had even seen them chatting on LINE before…
Wait.
Something felt off.
The more Kanako thought about it, the stranger it seemed!
Because every time her sister met Kamishiro, it was during breaks or "rest trips."
Plus, with Kiyoko around, Kanako had always assumed her sister came back in a great mood because she saw her good friend Azusa-senpai and had time to relax.
But now that she thought about it…
It did not seem that simple at all!
Her sister had gone out alone with Azusa-senpai before too!
And back then, she never wore that kind of smile!
Now that Kanako recalled the smiles she had seen on her sister's face recently—
That was…
That was exactly the same smile Kiyoko had!!!
My sister and my best friend are love rivals?!!!
Boom!
Having deduced this shocking conclusion, Kanako froze on the spot.
She wanted to refute it…But no matter how many times she re-ran it in her head, the result was the same!
All the details she had overlooked before now screamed "signs of being in love"!
Chatting on LINE all the time!
Smiling stupidly at her phone!
Caring more and more about her outfits when going on "rest trips"!
Always saying she would come to visit Kanako in Izu and then disappearing after one glance, not even staying to eat a meal!!!
That was not coming to see her at all!
That was clearly coming for Kamishiro, that huge scumbag!!!
Damn it!
Why did it turn out like this?!
When did those two even get together?!
Kanako could not figure out why her sister would fall for Kamishiro.
Her sister was not even a face-lover!
Sure, Kamishiro was handsome but the entertainment industry was full of male gods!
Some could even rival him!
So why him?!
Why Kamishiro?!
Kanako was on the verge of collapse.
On one side was her dear best friend and on the other was her beloved sister.
What was she supposed to do?!
This was not about who to help anymore, She did not want to help either of them!
This was a fire pit, pure and simple!
In just half a year, Kamishiro's name had already echoed throughout Izu!
At Izu University, practically every student who went online knew there was a ridiculously handsome guy named Kamishiro.
Of course… his reputation was not great.
But!
That did not stop him from picking up girls!
Some even flew straight into the flames!
As for Kamishiro's attitude…As long as they were pretty, all were welcome!
A fire pit!
A pure, unfiltered fire pit!
She had tried to warn Kiyoko before but that girl had some mysterious confidence and just would not listen!
And her sister…
Thinking about her sister's personality, Kanako's mouth twitched.
She was stubborn as hell too!
Aaaaaah!!!
What should she do?!
Should she… just solve the problem at its source?
Kanako's eyes lit up.
If Kamishiro…the root of all evil were to just die, would not everything go back to normal~?
Kamishiro: {{(°△°; ")}}
Gulp.
Seeing the red light in Kanako's eyes, Kamishiro instinctively took two steps back.
He felt an undisguised murderous intent!
Did he just accidentally say out loud that thing about visiting four or five rooms in one night?
And now Kanako wanted to stand up for her best friend?
No…that did not feel right at all!
This felt more like… the final scene of School Days?!
Was this not a bit too rash?!
They had only exchanged a few words and she already wanted to kill him?!
Were these girls' friendships mutating or something?!
Thinking he had hidden his relationship with Maya well, Kamishiro never even considered her.
After all, if it really were about Maya, Kanako would have stormed his place back in Izu already!
There was no way she would wait until now!
She had just been smiling normally a moment ago.
So it had to be something he had said unconsciously!
Yes!
That had to be it!
But… why could he not remember saying anything?
Did he… really say something?
Unable to figure it out, Kamishiro summoned his courage and cautiously asked Kanako,
"Um, Kanako… I did not say anything weird just now, right…?"
As he spoke, Kamishiro slowly edged closer to the senpai.
At times like this, only their burly physiques gave him a sense of security!
As soon as he finished speaking, Kanako who had just looked like a villain suddenly reverted to the image of a pure, well-behaved college girl.
Her smile even grew sweeter, possibly thanks to those deliberately narrowed eyes!
Damn it!
Someone's copying my squinty-eye smile!
Hearing Kamishiro's question, Kanako rested her cheek on one hand and said,
"You did not say anything at all~ But Kamishiro, could you come over here for a bit? I have something to talk to you about~"
Upon hearing that, Kamishiro shook his head frantically and leaned even closer to the senpai.
Her voice had gone full cutesy, there was no way this was anything good!
Even Kiyoko never used that tone when she was being clingy with him!
This was straight-up the final scene of School Days!
Please!
This is someone else's wedding!!!
What are you trying to do at someone else's wedding?!
Are you trying to ruin Ikegoshi san?!
No…wait! Are you trying to ruin Yurika?!
"I-I will not come over. My hearing is pretty good, whatever it is you can just say it here. Um… men and women should not touch casually!"
The moment those words left his mouth, everyone stared at Kamishiro like he was a monster.
Especially Iori!
His eyes were practically bulging out!
Those words…came from that Kamishiro?!
The womanizing carrot, the walking PC peripheral, the man who had cleared the hundred-girl achievement?!
Nothing about his past behavior matched those words at all!
Feeling everyone's stares, Kamishiro said guiltily,
"Ahem, you have all misunderstood me. I am actually a very traditional person!"
The moment he finished speaking, a phone was shoved in front of his face.
On the screen was a forum post from a certain high school denouncing Kamishiro!
Turning his head he saw that it was Iori.
Of course! It was Kitahara, you unfilial bastard!
Could you stop sabotaging me?!
And not only did Kitahara hold the phone in front of him, he even spun around to show everyone and then spun back!
What the hell are you trying to do?!
"..."
Kamishiro forcibly suppressed the urge to punch someone and calmly pushed Kitahara's phone aside.
"As everyone knows, that certain high school is an extremely unfriendly place. They cannot tolerate a traditional person like me, so they have been slandering me nonstop, especially in areas I'm worst at, like relationships between men and women!
Such despicable tactics! They are a bunch of parasites on society!"
The more he spoke, the more emotional Kamishiro became…As if he were speaking the absolute truth.
If everyone present had not known his true nature, they might have actually been fooled by his acting!
This was way better than Ikegoshi san's acting!
As Kamishiro finished his impassioned defense, the scene fell into brief silence.
Clearly, no one had expected a person's skin to be this thick.
Until—
Kamishiro's own impassioned speech suddenly played from Iori's phone.
Kamishiro: (-_-｀)
At that moment, Iori turned his phone around again.
It was still the forum from that certain high school—
But now there was an additional video uploaded there.
A crystal-clear recording of Kamishiro defending himself!
"..."
"Die already!!!!"
Kamishiro finally snapped!
He understood everything now, every move had been aimed straight at his life!
(σ;Д)σ DIE!!!