"Yo! Kid, here to rent some diving gear? Our prices are the best around!"
Unlike the Pab members who were getting high off their naked man brawls, Tokugawa Toshio, standing behind the counter, was just about to drive off to pick up his nephew. Seeing a customer walk in, he casually greeted him.
After all, it wasn't summer yet. Aside from a few pros, only hardcore diving enthusiasts bothered at this time of year.
From the way Miyazawa Yuu came in empty-handed, he clearly wasn't a seasoned diver. Probably just some newbie curious about the shop.
"Ah! A normal person!"
In this place overflowing with indescribable sights, spotting someone who was actually wearing clothes was salvation itself! Even if it wasn't a beautiful girl, to Miyazawa Yuu this man was a hero sent to rescue him from hellfire.
Scrambling frantically to avoid the core zone of men-on-men chaos, he bolted to the counter and asked in horror, "Uncle! This is crazy, right?! It's way too crazy, right?! This diving shop!"
"Huh? Crazy? You mean Uncle's apron? Hah~ never thought a customer would mention it too. Guess it's about time I changed it."
"That's not it!"
He slammed the counter with his fist.
Sure, the middle-aged man's pink apron was odd—but compared to that!
A whole crowd of half-naked philosophical freaks packed into the store made the apron look perfectly normal!
"Huh? Not my clothes? Then what do you mean?"
"Their clothes! Or rather, their lack of clothes!"
His face twisted like some grotesque manga panel, Miyazawa Yuu pointed a trembling finger at the big men still playing their naked sumo game.
Sure, a diving shop might not stock much clothing… but this was going way too far!
Especially that black-haired, buzzcut gorilla—what was he doing?
He was taking it off!
Miyazawa's eyes felt like they were being assaulted. With a loud thunk, he banged his head against the counter. If this was all a dream, please, let him wake up now!
"Whoa, careful kid! But this is pretty normal, isn't it?"
"Normal my ass! He stripped down right in front of me! What if Angel Nanaka sees this?!"
He didn't care about himself anymore. If he remembered correctly, Tokugawa Nanaka had gone to change. By now, she'd be coming back.
Terrifying! If that pure angel saw this hellscape, she'd be scarred for life!
"No worries. Nanaka told me she's going to swim another round with Chisa. By the way, you mean Nanaka brought you here? I'm Tokugawa Toshio, her father. Nice to meet you."
Calmly motioning for the boy to relax, Tokugawa Toshio looked completely unfazed.
It was just naked sumo. Nanaka herself sometimes joined in. Chisa, though, hated it.
"I-is that so? Thank goodness… Uh, hello, I'm Miyazawa Yuu, a new student at Izu University. I came here looking for the Pab Diving Club. Sorry for not introducing myself right away."
Trying to compose himself, Miyazawa felt a tiny ray of hope after learning Angel Nanaka wouldn't be back so soon.
But realizing that this overly relaxed man was actually her father—damn it! He had barged in yelling and panicking. What a disastrous first impression!
"Oh, so you're the new recruit Ryujiro mentioned!"
Stroking his chin, Tokugawa Toshio recalled that Su had bragged last night about roping in a newbie.
Sizing the kid up, he thought: yeah, a bit weird in the head, likes smashing his own forehead on tables—but definitely Pab material.
"Ryujiro! The newbie you wanted is here! Treat him well! I've gotta go pick up my nephew."
"What?!"
Yuu spun around just in time to see Ryujiro, mid-match, distracted. He lost immediately.
But Su Ryujiro didn't care about cheap tricks. He grinned wide, peeling off the rest of his clothes as he strutted over to Yuu with a terrifying smile.
"Wait! Don't come closer! Don't you dare come any closer!"
Cornered against the counter, Miyazawa Yuu stared in horror as the only clothed man left without hesitation. Reaching out desperately, he cried, "Uncle Toshio, save me!"
"Save you? Relax, kid. We seniors really care about our juniors. I'm Ryujiro. And you must be… 'Lord of the Crystal Palace,' right?"
Ryujiro casually threw an arm around Yuu's shoulders, dragging him back into the circle of half-naked men, shouting his online handle for all to hear.
"Don't yell that so loud! Y-you're really Ryujiro-senpai?!"
Surrounded like a rare animal on display, Yuu felt like a kidnapped bride about to lose his life—and maybe more.
And yet… the name Ryujiro was familiar. He had chatted with him online. A respectable senior, talking about work and bartending.
So why, in reality, was this man a musclebound nightmare who stripped without hesitation?!
"Yup, that's me! Welcome to Pab! Let's all drink to celebrate our new member!"
"Yeah! Welcome!"
"Woohoo, I've been waiting for this!"
The men raised their bottles and downed them in one go. Yuu broke into a cold sweat.
Why did he have this sinking feeling—
That his joining wasn't the point at all. These guys just wanted another excuse to drink.
"Um… actually, I haven't agreed to join yet."
Timidly raising a hand, Yuu tried to resist.
A club that celebrated new members with heavy drinking? No way this was a legit group! Definitely not worth his future.
He came to Izu University for one reason—to build a harem. Joining a diving club made sense: diving required no makeup, swimsuits were mandatory, perfect conditions to find targets.
But with this many naked gorillas around, no girl in her right mind would ever join!
"Hah? What are you talking about? Once a newbie shows up, of course they join, right, Tokita?"
"Yup yup, that's just how it is!"
Tokita Shinji, wearing nothing but briefs, pretended to think deeply for two seconds before nodding firmly.
To the Pab club, letting a newcomer leave was unthinkable. That was just common sense!
"Common sense my ass! I walked in and you guys were stripping! Of course I need time to think before deciding to join!"
He tried to stand, but resistance was futile. For once, Yuu missed the unsealed muscles of his cursed triangle build. At least back then he could fend off freaks like these.
"Hmm, fair point. We've been rude, haven't we, Tokita? We didn't even offer the newbie a drink."
Ryujiro smacked Tokita's boulder-like shoulder knowingly. "Quick, pour our newbie some water."
"Got it! Leave it to me! I'll make sure Yuu feels our passion!"
Smiling kindly, Tokita left Yuu's sight.
Seeing that the seniors weren't mad, Yuu relaxed a little. Maybe just one glass of water and he could leave without offending them. After all, they'd be on campus together—it'd be awkward otherwise.
"Here you go! Water for our newbie! You must be tired from traveling."
Tokita returned with a glass, offering it solemnly.
The coldness of the glass soothed Yuu's palm. Smiling with relief, he thought, See? They're not that bad after all. They even brought me cold water.
Thinking so naively, he raised the glass to his lips.
Gulp gulp gulp—
A sting. Maybe it was the ice. But as it slid down, the burn grew hotter, spreading to his stomach, racing up his throat.
This wasn't water at all!
His eyes bulged, the glass slipped from his hands, smashing on the carpet. He fell to his knees, clutching his throat, convulsing as if flames licked his insides.
"The newbie drank it! Everyone, another round!"
"WOOOOOH!"
Their scheme succeeded. Seeing that his face wasn't even red, they realized his tolerance was high.
Grinning like devils, the Pab members roared, raising bottles and drinking even harder.
Through burning lungs, Yuu's voice cracked into the vilest curse he could muster:
"You… you alcoholic naked bastards!!!"