"Oh! Yu, looking full of spirit! Your special mix is ready—it's the new model 'pure water'!"
"Yoshi! Serve it up fast! I can't wait anymore!!!"
Returning to Grand Blue felt like coming home. Surrounded by the enthusiastic seniors, Miyazawa Yuu shouted as he charged into the mob of naked men, unable to pull himself out.
Two glasses of "pure water"—a blend of Spirytus and vodka—hit his stomach, and the fatigue throughout his body was instantly swept away. All that remained was the shimmer of joy in his moistening eyes.
"Refreshing~ This is what I call real alcohol!"
"..."
Kitahara Iori and Imamura Kohei stared at Aina while pointing simultaneously at the rude guy who started drinking the moment he stepped in. Their meaning was clear:
You think a guy like this could recruit a girl? What decent person would join the Pab club knowing our penchant for naked drinking!
"I'm sorry! I admit my attitude was a bit lacking just now... Sumimasen..."
Covering her face and weeping silently, Yoshiwara Aina mourned her foolish imagination. She was such an idiot for having faith in a guy like Yuu!
Now, she didn't even ask for a girl; even a normal boy would do. As long as they wouldn't instantly join the naked carnival, she could accept them. The current scale of naked men was already a massive eyesore!
"You bastard! Ignoring us after being gone so long? Looking for a fight, are you!"
"I heard you were swinging your 'bird' in Tokyo and got chased by the police. I thought I'd have to buy a ticket to Tokyo just to visit you in prison!"
Having shattered Aina's unrealistic fantasies, Kitahara Iori and Imamura Kohei nodded in satisfaction, glad the girl wouldn't suffer from excessive hope. Then, they stripped off their underwear and dove into the crowd of revelers.
Newcomers aside, it was the first time in two weeks they hadn't seen their brother! They had to celebrate properly!
"Nanaka-san told you? Daijobu! As long as I run fast enough, the charge of disturbing public order can't catch me!"
Being gone for two weeks, Miyazawa Yuu actually felt a bit out of place without the two bastards who usually added chaos to his life. However, Busujima in Tokyo had somewhat patched the "scumbag deficiency" bug in his life!
Thinking of this, he suddenly clapped his hands, realizing he'd been so excited he forgot to introduce the newcomer to the seniors!
Swapping drinks with the swarming scumbags, Miyazawa Yuu flashed a smile that could only be described as eerily sinister, right under Yoshiwara Aina's strange gaze.
Aina had seen that smile many times. Usually, it meant Iori or Kohei were about to suffer—or quite possibly, both!
But she couldn't guess who it was that could make her two scumbag colleagues feel dread...
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed through her mind. Aina's eyes widened as she looked toward the door. A proud shade of pink seemed about to jump out of her thoughts!
"Um, seniors, listen up! At least put on some underwear!"
"Eh? We're just getting into the groove!"
"Urusai! Show the new member at least a shred of respect, okay! It's enough for Iori and me to be the first impression of naked bodies!"
Raising two middle fingers at the dissatisfied seniors, Miyazawa Yuu gripped the doorknob with a fierce look, indicating there was no room for negotiation!
Knowing well how much psychological damage a "naked start" could cause, as a victim himself, he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't break out the "Strip Rock-Paper-Scissors," but he at least had to give the newcomer time to adapt! Even a second would do!
"So troublesome. It's just a guy anyway, what does it matter..."
Reluctantly pulling on his Rarako underwear, Imamura Kohei sighed and tilted his head with contempt, quite dismissive of Yu's excessive caution.
If this guy can actually bring a girl back, I'll eat my underwear on the spot!
"Hiss..."
On the other hand, Kitahara Iori, sensing something was off, glanced at Line and found that Busujima's location was actually in Izu. Didn't that girl go back to Tokyo?!
"Yoshi! Everyone, please welcome the Pab club's precious fifth girl, our old friend Busujima Sakurako!"
"Hello, seniors! I am Busujima Sakurako, a first-year at Oumi Women's University. I am voluntarily joining the Pab club during the summer vacation!"
It had to be said that the Pab club lived up to its reputation. Even before entering, she felt a thick, ominous black aura. Busujima Sakurako lowered her eyes and bowed with composure. "Please look after me, seniors!"
"No problem! Our Pab club is very friendly!"
"Oh! Impressive, Yuu! To actually trick... recruit a girl into the club! You've got skills!"
"!!!"
She seemed to hear some truth, but Yoshiwara Aina, who had walked into the trap herself, didn't have time to think about why she had joined this drinking club in the first place.
Because more important than that was: What kind of monster did Yu recruit?! Bringing his girlfriend's love rival into the club—what kind of "nice boat" plot was this!
"Chi... Chisa, does Yu want to open a fishpond in the Pab club? Are we going to..."
The curse of the banana boat surged back into her heart. Aina turned to look at Chisa, who was calmly flipping through a Palau diving guide as if she'd known about Busujima's joining all along.
"It's okay. Sister told me that Sakurako was 'fiercely educated' by Yu, and she seems ready to start a new life!"
"Is... that so?"
A gal turning over a new leaf sounded inspirational, but Aina felt like something was still wrong.
Since she didn't know the Pab club was Yu's testing ground for fixing Busujima's bad habits, she could only watch on suspiciously...
"By the way, due to certain reasons, I might have had some friction with some people in the Pab club..."
With a warm smile, Busujima Sakurako bowed deeply and then looked up with confidence. Abandoning her usual "gal" persona of despising boys, she repented: "Now, money and such things are no longer important. My only pursuit is beauty—I especially like kind and delicate handsome men!"
"Ah~ Liking handsome guys is perfectly normal. Any requirements for drinking?"
"Yes! Although I can drink a bit, it would be better if I could sit on the girls' side~"
"Ugh—!!!"
Looking at Senior Kotobuki holding a liquor bottle and Busujima, Yoshiwara Aina's body instantly petrified. Her horrified expression was like seeing Medusa from Norse mythology.
Actually, in her eyes, Busujima was no different from Medusa!
Liking handsome men... In the Pab club, there were no normal humans except for the new trio. And among the trio, Kohei was the pinnacle of beauty, plus he had a gentle and delicate personality...
"Gulp!"
Her throat bobbed. Although Busujima Sakurako hadn't shown any fangs, Aina instinctively categorized her as a "MASSIVE THREAT!"
In terms of figure, looks, and even breast size, she had no advantage except for being there first!
And as everyone knows—the phrase "But I was here first!" usually comes from a losing childhood friend, and childhood friends are no match for a girl who falls from the sky!
"?"
Detecting three particularly intense gazes in the crowd, Busujima Sakurako ignored her two old enemies and turned to look at Aina, smiling with her head tilted.
This girl is extremely flat; Yu couldn't possibly like her. Although I haven't mapped out the internal relations of the Pab club yet, she's not a love rival. We can get along well!
"Aina? Aina?"
Sensing something was wrong with Aina, Kotegawa Chisa put down her book and waved her hand in front of her, but couldn't wake her up.
"Hmm? What's wrong? Is Aina so happy she finally has a companion who dislikes drinking that she just died?"
Attracted by the commotion, Miyazawa Yuu, completely oblivious to his own role in this, nodded and sighed. I really am the number one person for looking after Aina; I deserve an award!
"Um, everyone, wait a moment!"
"Yuu! Come with us!"
In the next second, however, his neck was caught in the joint stranglehold of two arms bulging with Araki-style muscle. He was calmly dragged behind the crowd and pressed against the counter.
"You bastard! You're looking for death, aren't you! Look what you've done!"
"Bringing Busujima to the Pab club—you don't want to live, do you!"
"Sigh~ don't be so resistant, Iori, Kohei. Aside from being unable to read the room, having a foul mouth, and being nitpicky, Busujima is actually a good girl."
Two grotesque "facial expression" faces loomed before him. Facing these ugly mugs that only had detail at times like this, Yu felt no emotion—he actually wanted to laugh.
It was just Iori and Kohei. What was wrong with letting them taste the suffering he'd endured? Besides...
He pointed his thumb behind him at the "strongwoman" who had already drained two large mugs of draft beer to blend in with the seniors. He unscrupulously egged them on: "If you're not satisfied, you can voice your opinions to the seniors. I'm sure they'll give you a kind reply."
"Those guys won't care about our plight! As long as they can drink, they don't care who joins the Pab club!"