Morning light spilled across the slope leading up to Izu University. The sea breeze blew gently, carrying a faint dampness. Amemura Ren strolled toward the school gate with his usual lazy stride, shirt collar slightly undone so his collarbones peeked out under the sunlight. This casually sexy look quickly drew plenty of stolen glances from passing girls.
Ah, what a peaceful morning.
He thought back to last night—Hamaoka Azusa sprawled drunk on his sofa, cheeks flushed, waving a beer can and mumbling, "Ren-chan, it'd be so great if you joined the club…"
The memory made Amemura Ren chuckle softly.
Just as he rounded the final bend, he noticed something unusual at the school gate. A crowd had formed a circle, phones held high, like they were watching some rare spectacle.
As he got closer, the answer became crystal clear.
Three men wearing nothing but underwear were lying right in the middle of the gate, striking all kinds of bizarre poses in a neat row.
—It was the two muscular upperclassmen from "Grand Blue," Tokita Shinji and Hisamatsu Ryujiro, with the miserably sleeping Kitahara Iori sandwiched between them.
Amemura Ren raised an eyebrow and sauntered over.
"Are you gentlemen performing a modern version of Sleeping Venus?"
He elegantly crouched down, fingers hovering in the air as if seriously studying Iori's ridiculously stiff sleeping posture.
"Though choosing the exact path the faculty office uses as your stage…" He let out a soft sigh. "Is this bold, or just lacking common sense?"
At that moment, Hisamatsu Ryujiro suddenly reached out in his sleep and grabbed the hem of Amemura Ren's pants.
"One more keg of beer…"
"My apologies."
Amemura Ren calmly moved the hand away. As he stood up, he "accidentally" bumped the nearby signboard.
Clang!
The metal sign fell perfectly onto Kitahara Iori.
"Uwaaa?!"
Kitahara Iori shot upright.
Time seemed to freeze for a second.
He looked down at his own censored lower half, then slowly raised his head. All around him were people holding up phones and stifling laughter. Straight ahead was the faculty office teacher, face frozen in speechless shock.
"Th-th-this—!"
Iori's face twisted into a perfect replica of The Scream.
"Morning, Kitahara!"
Hisamatsu Ryujiro sprang up like a koi fish leaping from the water, his tanned muscles gleaming in the morning sun. He slapped his junior hard on the back, the force making Iori cough.
"See? Sleeping here like I told you means you'll never be late!"
With that, he casually grabbed the nearby club recruitment banner and wrapped it around Iori with a flourish.
"This formal outfit is perfect for the opening ceremony!"
The bright red banner fluttered across Iori's chest with the words "Peek a Boo Diving Club Welcomes You" in huge letters.
After a brief silence—
"Pfft."
Someone burst out laughing.
The laughter spread like a virus.
Kitahara Iori, wrapped in the banner like a panicked rabbit, sprinted away. Hisamatsu Ryujiro stayed behind, shouting:
"Don't forget to come to the club's freshman welcome party this afternoon! Bring swim trunks!"
In the shadow of the school building, Amemura Ren was texting Hamaoka Azusa.
『Ren: Your club's recruitment campaign is truly unforgettable.』
Attached was a photo of Iori dashing away wrapped in the banner, with the two naked upperclassmen giving thumbs-up behind him.
Two seconds later, his phone buzzed.
『Azusa: Ren-chan, you're so mean～ But nice shot! You have to come to the club this afternoon!』
Amemura Ren smiled at the screen, slipped his phone into his pocket, and felt today's campus life was especially enjoyable—especially with Iori's distant wail of "I'm dropping out!" still echoing faintly.
When he entered the classroom, his eyes quickly landed on the corner.
Kotegawa Chisa was sitting with her head down, flipping through a textbook. Chestnut hair fell across the side of her face, making her look like a wary little cat curled up in the corner.
Oh? Still in full defensive mode today.
She was so cute, yet always acted like she had a "no strangers allowed" sign on.
"Morning."
Amemura Ren sat down naturally beside her and lightly brushed his fingertip across the open page of her book.
"Did you come so early just to wait for me, Chisa?"
"N-no, of course not!"
Chisa's head snapped up, cheeks instantly flushing red. She fumbled to catch the book that nearly fell to the floor.
"It's just that you, Ren, always cut it so close…"
"So you even know my habits that well?"
Amemura Ren leaned in slightly, watching the tips of her ears turn red like he'd discovered something fascinating.
Right then—
The classroom door was yanked open with a bang.
Kitahara Iori stood in the doorway wearing nothing but a pair of shorts.
The entire class fell silent.
Under dozens of stares, he shuffled stiffly toward the front-row seat. Classmates parted perfectly, forming a vacuum circle centered on him.
…As expected of Kitahara.
He could still walk in like nothing was wrong.
Amemura Ren rested his chin on his hand, observing, and soon noticed another gaze.
On the other side of the classroom sat a blond boy in an anime T-shirt featuring a giant "Lalako" face. Acrylic keychains of Rem dangled from his waist, clinking with every movement.
The moment Iori's and Kouhei's eyes met in mid-air—
Both boys instantly looked away.
The movement was so perfectly synchronized it looked rehearsed.
As if one more second of eye contact would infect them with some incurable disease.
"Pfft."
Amemura Ren couldn't hold back a laugh.
Chisa glanced over in confusion. He waved it off. "Nothing. Just thinking our class has a lot of interesting people."
The bell rang for the end of class.
Kitahara Iori immediately rushed toward Chisa's desk.
"Hey! Chisa, Ren, let's go check out the clubs together!"
"Shouldn't you put some clothes on first?!" Chisa hugged her books and backed up three steps, staring at him like he was non-recyclable trash washed up on shore.
Amemura Ren chuckled softly, twirling a pen between his fingers.
"Kitahara, you idiot—did you forget how to get home or something?"
Iori clutched his face in despair. "I-I don't even know how I got to the school gate! How could I remember the way home?!"
"As expected of you, Kitahara Iori."
Chisa sighed beside them, her face clearly saying "I've seen this scene way too many times." She hugged her books and turned toward the door.
"Well… I'll head back first."
"Sure!"
Under Amemura Ren's "you absolute idiot" stare, Kitahara Iori struck a "I'm totally normal" pose and strode after her—his single pair of shorts fluttering in the wind.
Slap.
A hand landed on Iori's shoulder.
At some point Amemura Ren had put on a pair of glasses, the lenses glinting coldly.
"Hey, Kitahara." His voice was gentle in a dangerous way. "Have you decided which prison you want to go to? I recommend the one in the south of the city—heard the food's decent."
"Hey hey! Wait, Ren, you bastard! I just wanted to walk home with Chisa!"
Amemura Ren looked Iori up and down—from the top of his head to his toes—every cell screaming "I'm a pervert."
"You look like you're committing a crime right now, Pervert Kitahara."
He turned to Chisa, heterochromatic eyes sparkling with clear excitement.
"Chisa, if you need me to send this pervert to jail, I'm happy to help."
"We're cousins!" Iori roared.
"Wait! Don't say it like that! Don't announce it so loudly!" Chisa's face turned bright red as she tried to flee.
"Chisa!"
Iori broke free from Amemura Ren and leaped in front of her.
"What do you want now?!" Chisa's voice was already shaking.
Iori scratched his head, his expression suddenly turning completely sincere.
"I know you don't want to walk with me… but I'm in trouble right now. So can I borrow your jacket? That way we can both be happy."
"Ren, can you please send him to jail right now!" Chisa cut him off directly.
"With pleasure."
Amemura Ren grabbed Iori's arm and executed a clean takedown, pinning him to the floor.
"Let go! Let go! Chisa! My problem is your problem! Your clothes are my clothes! Shouldn't cousins help each other like this?!"
Iori struggled, his face twisting into the exact "Titan face" from Attack on Titan.
Amemura Ren looked at that expression and couldn't help commenting, "Who taught you that face management?! Reading too many manga is turning real life into anime, you know!"
"Don't say it so loud!" Chisa's face was so red it looked like it might start smoking.
After a few seconds of deadlock.
Iori suddenly stopped struggling, squinted one eye, and raised a hand.
"Hey, Chisa."
"If you won't lend me your jacket—"
"I'll just tell everyone we live together."
The air went dead silent for a second.
Amemura Ren froze.
…Wait.
That move was way too dirty, wasn't it?
Chisa began to tremble, eyes quickly turning red.
"I-I'll take it off… I'll take it off, okay?" Her voice cracked with a sob. "Please, just don't tell anyone about home…"
"Wait, hold on!" Iori panicked and stood up. "The way you said that makes everyone think I'm committing a crime!"
Whispers were already spreading around them.
"Is that pervert threatening a girl?"
"Should we call the police?"
"Isn't that the diving club's Kitahara? Figures…"
At that moment, Amemura Ren returned with two security guards. He wore the pure, innocent expression of a "good student reporting a problem to the teacher."
"It's this student right here." His tone was full of concern as he pointed precisely at Iori. "From the naked sleeping incident at the gate this morning to now harassing a female classmate—he seems to need some special guidance."
The security guards moved quickly.
Iori's scream instantly echoed through the entire floor.
"Amemura you demon—! You set me up—!"
Chisa gently tugged the sleeve of Amemura Ren's shirt and whispered a thank-you, her neck flushed pink.
"Th-thank you…"
Amemura Ren bent down, picked up the hair tie that had fallen to the floor. The silver tie spun once around his fingertip before settling back in his palm.
He handed it to her, his voice carrying a lazy smile.
"Be careful."
"Don't let idiots infect you."