"Yo, Iori! Yuu! Homesickness cured yet?"
The door creaked open. From behind the counter, where he'd been calmly reading a newspaper, Kotegawa Toshio lowered the pages—only to see his nephew tossed inside like a bag of trash.
Even so, Kitahara Iori still wouldn't let up, spinning around to hurl insults back and forth with the boy who'd just been dragged in, Miyazawa Yuu.
Already made a friend before classes even start? And they seem so close, too…
How youthful! To forge bonds of trust in just a few words—seeing it made even Toshio's old bones stir with passion.
"In any case, Iori, shut your mouth! Uncle Toshio, hurry and help us out! This is your store, right? Letting the seniors drink here like this is trouble, isn't it?"
Tossed in right after Iori, Yuu ignored the squabbling to plead desperately with Nanaka's father instead.
Surely a whole bunch of naked men drinking in the shop would hurt business! Kick them out, manager!
"Not a big deal. Besides, they're all important customers. Don't throw tantrums about homesickness—get used to it already."
"I keep telling you, I'm not homesick! And why should I get used to stripping down and drinking?!"
On his knees, Yuu howled in anguish. His worldview was being torn apart.
What kind of proper storeowner allowed half-naked men to drink and play wild games in his shop?
"This isn't normal! It's totally not normal! Right, Iori?!"
"Much as I hate you, you're not wrong about that one! Uncle Toshio, there's no way this is normal!"
Yuu turned to Iori for backup, demanding soul-deep validation. And though Iori hated this backstabbing bastard, he couldn't bring himself to argue.
Yes—that was what normal people should look like! Unlike these seniors, stripping and drinking—what kind of disgrace was this?
Wait… did this mean he'd eventually have to turn into that too? If so, his college life was already ruined!
"Huh? You mean you're not homesick?"
Arms folded, Ryuujirou and Shinji tilted their heads in suspicion.
Didn't they both just say they wanted to go home? Obviously, that was homesickness!
"Of course not! I only ran because I walked in and saw all of you naked! Anyone would be scared off!"
Seizing the chance to recover, Iori shot to his feet. Still fully clothed, he stood small but courageous before the naked beasts.
Meanwhile, Yuu smirked. With no one paying him any mind, he began crawling backward at a steady five centimeters per second.
This time he had a plan: if he couldn't win in speed, he'd win in brains!
Once outside the shop, he'd hide along the wall, wait for them to chase Iori, then quietly slip away.
Sorry, Iori-kun. Our paths were destined to diverge. Don't blame me for being cruel!
"You think we like stripping down like this?"
"Uh… isn't that the whole point?"
Unaware he was being used as a shield, Iori actually considered the question seriously.
But the next moment, Tokita Shinji tilted his head back with solemn conviction. "On that point alone… we don't deny it."
Ryuujirou nodded firmly. After all, the sheer freedom of baring it all was addictive once you tried it.
"Perverts! You're nothing but perverts!"
They'd toyed with his feelings! Iori cursed himself—how could he have believed a single word from these naked freaks?
"I'm home—huh? Dad? Why are my guests crawling on the floor?"
"Ah, Nanaka-chan! Well, all sorts of things happened… But look! Iori and Yuu are already such good friends!"
Meanwhile, Yuu's grin spread wider. Just one step away from the open door—the radiant doorway to freedom—Nanaka Kotegawa herself walked in, bathed in a halo of light.
No swimsuit this time, just a blouse and skirt. But her gentle, nurturing aura shone all the brighter, drawing the eye irresistibly.
"Uncle! Who'd ever be friends with that guy—wait, you bastard! Were you about to run?!"
Iori turned to denounce Yuu for betrayal—only to see him standing literally one step from the exit.
This scoundrel had planned to ditch him all along!
Rage and jealousy surged. Dark flames rose behind Demon King Iori as he bellowed to his two devils: "Ryuujirou-senpai! Tokita-senpai! I report—Miyazawa Yuu is trying to escape!"
"Impossible!"
"Yare yare… never learns, does he?"
Beasts unchained. Once you joined Pab, you didn't get out. If Yuu escaped now, their Izu University chapter's reputation would be in tatters.
The two seniors lunged—
But Yuu calmly stood, raised one hand, and blocked them both.
"What is it, Yuu? Something you want to say?"
Ryuujirou's whole body bulged with muscle, posture still coiled to strike, breath steaming like a warhorse.
"Yes! I must make my case! This is my lifelong request!"
Faced with the impact of a freight truck in human form, Yuu narrowed his eyes and turned toward Nanaka.
Her hair and skirt fluttered in the breeze as she tilted her head, puzzled by his intensity.
"Kotegawa-senpai, please—answer me honestly! This concerns the rest of my life!"
Eyes blazing with the determination of a man joining the Party, Yuu seized Nanaka's hand and pressed it to his chest, offering his heartbeat as proof of sincerity.
"Ah… alright! I'll answer you, whatever it is!"
Though she found his gesture a bit forward, Nanaka couldn't help but mirror his seriousness.
"Senpai! Do you really think this shop… is normal?!"
"Eh…? Well, I mean…" Peeking past him at the familiar customers and their familiar drinking games, she hesitated. "I suppose… there's nothing wrong with it?"
"Yosh! I understand, Nanaka-senpai! Then, Ryuujirou-senpai!"
Releasing the angel's hand, Yuu turned back, eyes gleaming. Casting a contemptuous glance at Iori, he stepped forward, bowed deeply, and declared:
"I hereby request to officially join Pab! Please take care of me!"
"Ah… he's just blinded by a pretty face."
"Mm, definitely blinded by a pretty face."
The two seniors spoke in perfect sync. Yuu's intentions were blindingly obvious.
"Heh. It's nothing but a necessary sacrifice. I've long been prepared!"
Laughing lightly, Yuu spread his arms wide. No shame, no hesitation—only grand, self-righteous resolve.
If you never enter the tiger's den, how can you catch the cub? Since Nanaka said Grand Blue was fine, then Grand Blue was fine!
Poor Iori would never have expected it—Yuu's resolve wasn't limited to sacrificing others.
No, he'd even stake his own worthless life to build his harem! That was his resolve!
"You bastard! What are you even fired up about? For Nanaka-senpai, you'd throw away your shame too?!"
Iori couldn't make sense of Yuu's chuunibyou pose, but every instinct screamed something was wrong.
If Yuu defected to the enemy, he'd be left utterly alone! That would be disaster!
"Hmph! My heart and actions are as clear as a mirror—everything I do is justice!"
"Justice, my ass! Snap out of it, Yuu-kun! Justice needs you!"
"My mind is made up! Speak no more!"
"Nooo! Ryuujirou-senpai, what are you doing—don't make me sign the application! I don't wanna join Pab!!!"