"The orientation ends here! Students, please exit in an orderly fashion!"
On the podium, the stern teacher with glasses closed his notes, scanned the packed auditorium, and was the first to stride out quickly.
"Student! Your mask—"
"Wait a second, Officer! Look behind you! There's another O-type pervert back there! Just arrest him instead, right?"
Already having prepared an excuse, Miyazawa Yuu cut off the security guard before he could finish, pretending to behave while shifting the blame to Iori, hoping this underhanded tattling would secure his own safe passage.
"Oh?"
The guard frowned. During the meeting, he had kept all his attention on Miyazawa Yuu and hadn't noticed that there might actually be another hidden culprit in the hall.
Following Yuu's pointing finger, he rubbed his chin in thought but eventually shook his head. "That person looks weak. He probably wouldn't cause any trouble. Compared to that, betraying your classmate makes you far more suspicious, doesn't it?"
"!!!"
Wait—he's a normal person with a functioning worldview!?
Yuu's eyes widened in shock. After only half a day hanging around the twisted seniors of the Pab Club, hearing such normal reasoning again actually felt uncomfortable.
But the situation left him no time to adjust. Self-reflection could wait—security wasn't going to stall.
Helpless, Miyazawa Yuu stood up, preparing to follow the guard to the security office to see if he could find another chance.
"Wanna go check out the clubs?"
"Sure! Which one first? I heard the tennis club's really popular!"
"Ehh~ no way we can join that. Let's check the swimming club. I heard there are lots of upperclassman girls there!"
Meanwhile, Kitahara Iori listened to groups of students chatting excitedly about club visits, deep in thought.
If—just if—he could hurry and join a club before the Pab Club submitted his forced application, then maybe the unfair contract he had signed would become invalid due to double registration, right?
His eyes shone with sudden brilliance. The more he thought about it, the more foolproof this plan seemed!
Except… first, he didn't know where the club booths were. Second, he wasn't wearing any clothes…
Glancing around, Iori's eyes landed on Kotegawa Chisa, who hadn't yet left.
She instantly broke into a cold sweat, black lines covering her face as she hastily gathered her bag to leave—but was intercepted before she could escape.
"Chisa, I never got the chance to greet you properly yesterday. Are you going to visit the clubs?"
"…Don't talk to me when you're dressed like that!"
Remembering what she had seen the previous night, Chisa's cheeks flushed as she quickened her pace. Only when she reached the doorway, ready to bolt, did she reluctantly answer.
"Now that you mention it… you're right."
Rejected, Iori looked down at himself in resignation.
Because he had stood up, something dangling and protruding below had become even more noticeable with a faint jingling sound.
"Although I'd like to go change, I have no idea how to get back!"
Having joined the Pab Club less than half a day ago—and most of that time spent hungover—Iori at least retained the common sense that you should wear clothes outside.
But since his seniors had dragged him straight to the auditorium, he didn't even know how to leave campus, let alone return to Grand Blue to change.
"I'm heading home…"
"Yosh! That's perfect!"
Not wanting to get involved with an O-type maniac, Chisa turned to go.
Seeing this, Iori immediately followed after, completely oblivious to how it looked.
"Why are you following me!?"
Chisa's face darkened to pitch black.
If she were photographed on the very first day of school being tailed by an O-man, even as a side character she'd instantly become infamous.
"Isn't it obvious? I need you to show me the way."
"Absolutely not!"
"Why not?"
"Do I really have to spell it out for you!?"
Her eyes flicked downward. Iori's "good buddy" got another close-up shot, but despite that, he shamelessly bowed and pleaded. "I kind of get it already! But please, just take me home!"
"You'd better understand more clearly! I already said—absolutely not!"
Crossing her arms in front of her chest to form a big X, Chisa stood her ground.
Just then, Miyazawa Yuu happened to pass by and was instantly petrified.
Because he had been too busy playing wild strip-rock-paper-scissors last night, he had no idea Chisa was Iori's cousin.
From his perspective, Iori—this perverted O-man—was persistently begging a random girl to take him home. What kind of monstrous behavior was this? Pure animalistic degeneracy!
"Hey! Officer! Isn't this guy way more dangerous? He's literally asking a girl to take him home!"
Sneaking over to whisper in the guard's ear, Miyazawa Yuu was desperate to drag Iori down with him like a drowning ghost clutching for company.
"Uh… well, since there's been no physical contact yet…"
The guard felt awkward. After all, he had just declared Iori wasn't a threat, and the next second Iori started harassing a girl.
But he had a hunch there was more to the story. Maybe they were cousins or something, in which case going home together was perfectly normal.
"That's it! I'm leaving!"
"I get that you don't want me to follow you, but I'm in a bind too! So… could you at least give me your clothes?"
Unaware he was being closely monitored, Iori sighed, realizing Chisa wasn't budging.
Reluctantly, he retreated a step—his eyes landing on her outer jacket.
It was almost summer anyway. The weather was hot. Giving him one piece of clothing wouldn't be too much, right?
"Wha—You're asking a beautiful girl to strip for you!? Bravo, Iori-kun!"
Yuu, deeply impressed, nearly saluted on the spot. Such shamelessness—this man was a role model!
He never thought this bastard Iori, who didn't look very bright, could be so ruthlessly cunning.
Directly asking a girl to take off her clothes for him? Truly underestimated him.
"Eh!?"
While Yuu admired from behind, Chisa froze in shock, unable to believe what she had just heard.
It was only their second meeting, and already her long-lost cousin had once again shattered her perception of his bottom line.
Just then, the teacher from earlier happened to walk by. Chisa immediately rushed over to complain. "Teacher, there's a half-naked pervert demanding I give him my clothes!"
"Hmm!? Is that so?"
"Wait! That's not how it is! We're cousins, right? My problem is your problem—help me out here, Chisa-chan!"
Feeling the teacher's sharp gaze pierce him, Iori broke into a cold sweat, rushing to Chisa's side with tears streaming down his face.
It was only the first day of school. He hadn't wanted to get drunk, pass out naked in front of the auditorium, or now beg his childhood friend to undress.
But clothing—clothing was something he desperately needed!
"Don't say that! Don't say stuff like this so loudly!"
With Iori's tears literally splattering onto her clothes, and their cousin relationship now exposed, Chisa felt a wave of heat rush up her cheeks.
She lowered her head, mortified, backing away to distance herself from this disgraceful guy.
"Stuff like this?"
Not understanding what she meant, Iori took another step forward, unwilling to give up this last shred of hope to save face.
"I mean… don't tell people we're cousins!"
Turning her head away, the thought of saying the word "cousins" out loud nearly killed Chisa with shame.
But her flustered state didn't awaken any conscience in Iori.
Seeing her avert her gaze, he clapped his hands in realization, then raised a finger and declared, "Ah, I get it! So how about this—if you won't give me your clothes, then I'll spread rumors about us living together!"
A direct critical hit!
Staring blankly at his raised finger, Chisa felt the last filter shatter inside her heart. But if he really spread it around…
Grinding her teeth, her face darkened as she clenched her fists and came up with a plan.
"Don't… don't tell anyone…"
Tears welled in her eyes as she hugged herself with one arm, grabbing at the hem of her dress with the other, as if ready to lift it.
"I'll strip! Isn't it enough if I strip!? Please, just don't spread it around!"
"Wait a second! The way you're saying this, it'll sound criminal to anyone else listening!"
Cold sweat trickled down Iori's forehead. Watching Chisa's Oscar-worthy performance, his instincts screamed something was very wrong.
And indeed it was!
"Ahhh—! Extortion! This has to be extortion! Officer…"
From the shadows, Yuu's jaw dropped to the floor. He never imagined Iori would actually go this far.
But before Yuu could finish, the security guard shook his head, signaling there was no need to say more.
"I can't believe such a vile incident could happen under my watch…"
He exhaled deeply, eyes sharpening as his aura shifted, even the art style around him suddenly heavy with Araki-style hatching.
"Evil… must not be forgiven!"
After delivering this line, the guard lowered his cap, leaving Yuu with a stoic half-profile, then strode forward with resolve.
He clamped a hand onto Kitahara Iori's shoulder. "Young man, how about a one-day tour of the police station?"
"!"