"Ahahaha~ I'm a happy little butterfly, a happy butterfly~"
After such a long time, finally getting to drink something with a real alcohol content again made Iori a little too excited.
He was acting a bit high, like he was drunk.
But that was just surface-level. According to Kamishiro's observations, once Iori's alcohol level hit a certain point, a "safety mode" kicked in.
It would automatically revert his body to the good old PaB version of Iori!
But before the reset… he acted like a complete idiot!
??ヽ(°▽°)ノ?
"Ehehe, what was I thinking about just now… I think it was something really important…"
Turns out, even when drunk, Iori retained a bit of memory especially when it came to questions involving his survival.
Not much, but some!
At some point, Nanaka had quietly moved next to Iori, smiling sweetly.
"You said you drank Orion beer… so you went to Okinawa, right~?"
"Oh, right, I did go to Okinawa, hahahaha. The scenery there was beautiful!"
Hearing that, Iori turned around, intending to show off his advanced diving certification to everyone.
But—
The moment he turned around, he was met with a stunning face wearing a smile of death.
Thick, cloying black mist wrapped around him—it felt like facing a medieval witch. He was completely helpless.
((???|||))
At that moment—
Iori sobered up completely. It all came rushing back!
Any thought of bragging vanished. All Iori wanted now… was to survive!
This was a life-or-death moment!
"I-I went with everyone…"
"Oh? With everyone, huh? How were the rooms arranged? Who did you share with? Was there any physical contact while sleeping?"
{{(°△°; "}}!
The barrage of questions left Iori completely overwhelmed—not because he couldn't answer them…
But because with each question Nanaka asked, her aura grew stronger!
Now, the pressure was so intense that Iori could barely breathe!
Someone please save me!
He looked desperately toward Chisa in the back—he felt that she was at least half responsible for this suffering!
(;?＿?)
Chisa averted her gaze awkwardly. Clearly, she had no idea how to stop her sister right now.
She thought it had been the right decision to keep their Okinawa trip a secret from her.
After all, it was Iori who had said they should sneak away!
She wasn't taking the blame for this!
"What did you even say to Nanaka nee to make this happen?"
Kamishiro suddenly grew curious. He hadn't thought about it before—but knowing how siscon Nanaka was, how the hell did she allow the two of them to travel together?!
These days, she wouldn't even go shopping without installing surveillance in Iori's room and the store!
It feels like her behavior is becoming more and more like little Shiori's...
So yeah, sis-cons and bro-cons are truly terrifying creatures.
But Kamishiro totally agreed with what Nanaka-nee did!
Not a single thing wrong with it!
Just think about it—what if, one day, Rize grows up and ends up alone in a room with a guy like Kitahara...
Nope!
There's absolutely no way Rize would ever be in a room alone with another guy!
I am a full-blown sis-con!
Let Rize become a saint in the future!
Poor Rize... still at an age where she's nursing, and her bastard of a brother has already decided for her.
Just imagining himself in Nanaka-nee's shoes gave Kamishiro a deep sense of empathy.
He decided that once this party was over, he was going to install a few more surveillance cameras in the shop!
Especially in front of Kitahara's room and Chisa's room!
What?
Kitahara's privacy?
"..."
Do you really think a guy who can shamelessly strip in front of strangers would care about privacy?
That would only make them more excited!
"H-How did i explain it…" Chisa asked a little awkwardly, glancing at Iori—who was already rolling his eyes.
"I told my sister I'm staying over at a classmate's house for a couple days… Yeah, a female classmate!"
Hearing that, Kamishiro gave Chisa a thumbs-up.
Good job, girl. You're getting used to lying!
Only... the consequences of this lie being exposed would be pretty severe at least it would cost Iori his life.
After all, no matter what, Nanaka-nee would never scold her little sister.
In her mind, Chisa is the kind of girl who'd never lie to her beloved sister.
So clearly, this was all Iori's fault!
It must've been Iori's coercion that made Chisa lie to the sister she loves the most!
Realizing this, Kamishiro already foresaw Iori's grim fate.
He silently drew a cross over his chest and prayed that once Iori went to hell, he'd suffer a little more.
Iori: Save me! Somebody save me!!!
Too bad... no one paid him any attention~
Eventually, it was only because the game was starting its second round that Azusa rescued the half-conscious Iori from Nanaka's clutches.
...
"Okay, okay~ Let's start the second round. I'll come up with the question again—no objections, right~?" Nanaka clapped her hands and smiled at everyone.
Same smiling eyes, but while Kamishiro's smile felt annoying, Nanaka's current smile was downright dangerous.
After the previous question, no one believed Nanaka was an angel anymore.
She was a full-on demon!
And a demon they didn't even dare defy!
Case in point now just look at Iori, with the handprint still on his neck. He almost got sent to meet Satan.
So why does this game have to involve alcohol and max difficulty?!
Chisa and the others looked toward Azusa with pleading eyes, hoping she could do something to tone things down.
Right now, only Azusa could possibly talk Nanaka-nee down.
Though Kamishiro personally felt that Chisa might have better results.
Just as Kamishiro was about to coax Chisa into going, Iori grabbed him tightly.
With eyes like a stray kitten, he stared at Kamishiro.
It was Kamishiro's first time seeing that expression on Iori—it was clear the guy really wanted to live.
Out of sympathy for the idiot, Kamishiro gave up and let Azusa go instead.
Thankfully, Azusa didn't disappoint.
No one knew what exactly she whispered to Nanaka-nee in the corner, but in the end—success!
Amid everyone's hopeful gazes, the once-dictatorial question master agreed to a change.
"For the next round, everyone can write a question on a piece of paper, and we'll draw lots!"
Upon hearing this—
Iori let out a breath of relief. As expected of Azusa, she found a way to satisfy Nanaka-nee while also making things safer.
As long as he didn't draw Nanaka san's question, he should be safe…
Recalling Nanaka san's last question, Iori still trembled. The malice was palpable.
He was even a little curious now—what kind of question would Nanaka write this time?
Sneaking up behind her, Iori peeked.
Whatever it was, it couldn't possibly be worse than the first question, right?
Then he saw it.
Nanaka-nee, with fingers clenched white, wrote a question with enough grudge to practically rip the paper with the pen tip.
"I've slept in the same bed as Chisa."
PFFFFT!!!
Iori nearly spit blood the moment he saw it!
That question was way too targeted!!!
Maybe he was too noisy, because Nanaka san turned to glance behind her.
Iori quickly turned away, pretending to be calmly writing his own question.
But cold sweat was already dripping onto the paper, threatening to soak through it.
He was certain—this question was meant entirely for him!
Among everyone here, only he was that close to Chisa!
And…
They actually had shared a bed before!
Back when Shiori visited... but that was totally just an accident!
Couldn't she have written something more recent?!
Damn it, this was supposed to be an anonymous game, but it felt like a sniper shooting with pinpoint accuracy!
And it wasn't even something he could explain to Nanaka san...
What was he supposed to say?
That during the Okinawa trip they didn't sleep together, just lay on the same bed for a bit, and the time they actually slept together was before that?
Saying that would only make it worse!
At this point, Iori made up his mind.
Absolutely—
Absolutely must NOT draw Nanaka san's paper!
And there was only one way to ensure that—
Iori's eyes flashed, and the next second he dropped to his knees in front of the two senior members.
"Senpai! Please allow me, your humble junior, to draw the lots...!"
Exactly!
Only by taking control of the draw himself could he possibly ensure safety!
Kotobuki: "Such a heartfelt request."
Tokita: "But I think you'd cheat so request denied!"
In PAB, games were on par with diving and drinking—cheating was strictly forbidden!
Besides, they didn't see anything wrong with the questions.
They all seemed pretty normal.
"Tch, how pathetic, Kitahara~"
Kamishiro sneered and took a quick snapshot of Kitahara in his current state, completely naked and kneeling.
"Oh, and by the way I'm the one drawing next~"
He shook the slip of paper in his hand. Azusa nee had just asked him to draw on her behalf.
But in the very next second, the paper vanished from his hand.
Swish!
That speed it was obvious Iori had plenty of practice!
Kamishiro: Σ(っ °Д °;)っ
"Hey! That's cheating! Give it back! You can't peek at other people's questions!"
Kamishiro lunged forward in a panic. They really couldn't let this one be seen!
But he was too late.
By the time he got it back, Iori had already read everything on it.
Tightening his grip on Kamishiro's neck, Iori whispered with barely suppressed rage:
"You trying to get me killed or what?!"
(;?＿?)
Kamishiro turned away, trying to stay in character.
"No, no, I was just curious."
"Curious my ass! You're just preparing to attend my funeral, aren't you?!"
Iori snatched the paper back and shoved it in Kamishiro's face.
It read:
"I've slept in the same bed as Shiori."
!!!
"You seriously just copied Nanaka san's question?!"
Not just the question—even the consequences were going to be the same.
He could already imagine the terrifying look on Kohei's face once this question was read aloud.
"He'll absolutely tear me apart!"
Damn it! It's perfectly normal for siblings to sleep together when they're kids, right?
"Ahem, don't say nonsense. It's just a reference, okay? It's just a game."
Kamishiro casually folded the paper and shrugged smugly. "Even if I did it on purpose, what can you do about it?"
As he spoke, Kamishiro even raised his eyebrows provocatively. He was just a poor soul trying to see if he could impersonate Kitahara to get some living expenses, what evil intentions could he possibly have?
Iori's face darkened as he spoke coldly, "In that case, what do you think will happen if I write, ' Kissed Maya'?"
!!!
The smile on Kamishiro's face froze instantly. He turned pale as he stared at Iori in horror.
How could someone be so vicious?!
This was basically throwing him under the bus!
"You... you know how it works. As long as no one speaks, that lie detector can't pick up on a lie of that level."
After all, it's just a toy!
"Oh really?" Iori didn't seem to care and continued calmly, "What if we add Kohei's death glare into the mix?"
Because when he hears that question, Kohei will definitely stare down everyone in the room with more precision than a microscope.
Never challenge the bottom line of a hardcore fan.
Especially not right after his idol just announced she liked someone else.
{{(°△°; "}}!
Kamishiro shivered.
If that actually happened, he didn't know if Kitahara would die today, but he would definitely be paying God a visit.
"Fine, you win. I'll change the question, alright…"
Kamishiro slumped his shoulders in defeat. Clearly, he'd lost this round of the battle.
Damn it!
He actually lost to this idiot Iori!
So frustrating!!!
"Just changing the question isn't enough."
Since he'd finally won a round, Iori wouldn't let Kamishiro off so easily.
It was time to put this despicable guy to work!
"Don't go too far! I think I can still try what it means to have a heart as calm as still water!"
Kamishiro snapped, clearly trying to resist the threat.
Beastmen will never be slaves!
Beasts are still beasts!
"Oh? Then I'll go ahead and write, what if I change it from a kiss to 'intimate physical contact'?"
"BROTHER! What do you need me to do?!"
Kamishiro dropped to one knee like he'd just seen the Devil himself and offered up his pen and paper with both hands.
Please command your humble servant, Kamishiro!
Iori's eyes twitched. Why did it feel so wrong to win?
He felt no sense of victory at all from this.
"Just draw attention away from me. Make it explosive if possible."
With that, Iori quickly scurried away, Nanaka san was already casting glances their way, so he needed to scram fast!
"Draw attention… make it explosive…"
Kamishiro rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Suddenly—
He thought of something amusing.
If he couldn't write about Kitahara, how about writing about Kohei?
Let's ask what everyone thinks about Kohei!