"Yuu did this?"
"I just gave Aina a little talking-to. Expecting Kouhei to take the initiative is less likely than expecting the Earth to explode tomorrow. At least the Earth is guaranteed to explode eventually."
Compared to Iori and Chisa, who hadn't even figured themselves out yet, seeing Aina and Kouhei get a step closer brought matching "shipper" smiles to the faces of Miyazawa Yuu and Nanaka.
Those two were a case of feelings developing naturally over time, like water forming a channel. They loved watching the push-and-pull of a romance filled with such "artistic" tension!
"Ah~ well, that's that settled. Everyone, get ready to head out to sea!"
"Huh? We can still go diving?! Great, let's bury this guy in a big fish's belly!"
"You bastard! Let go of me! I already told you it was an accident!"
Showing zero psychological burden about engaging in a brawl in front of a strange beauty, Kitahara Iori pinned Kouhei down to avenge the punch. His veins popped as his hand hooked into the latter's throat, seemingly trying to perform a deep-throat PCR test.
Imamura Kouhei, suffering from the dual debuffs of being logically in the wrong and physically weaker, could only struggle desperately. Aina, meanwhile, hesitated on whether to intervene in this "scum-clash."
As a girlfriend, I should give my man enough space. Interfering in everything will make him dislike me. That was the wisdom Azusa-senpai had taught her.
As for Chisa, she just wanted to get as far away from these two embarrassing idiots as possible. Fighting like that in front of outsiders? They should apologize to their hardworking, evolving ancestors right now!
"Yes, the Manager said only today is suitable. After all, once the shop opens, you'll all be working back-to-back like laborers..."
"In any case, thank you so much! Alright, Iori, let Kouhei go this once~"
Rejoining the scum duo, Miyazawa Yuu easily separated Iori and Kouhei, succeeding where the helpless lead girl had failed.
He had heard that diving in tropical areas like Palau was incredibly cool. Since there was a chance to dive, there was no reason to refuse. These two better behave themselves~
"Miyazawa-kun, please wait a moment while I find a suitable wetsuit for you!"
"No need. Actually, I lied about something."
Calling Kujo Maki back before she went to the trouble, Miyazawa Yuu placed his hand on his chest and flicked upward. Before Kujo Maki could see what was happening, she found the light in front of her blocked.
"Whoa, what a terrifying physique!"
"Size-shifting on the spot! It's actually real!"
Stars twinkled in her eyes as she looked at the muscular monster before her. Kujo Maki was first amazed by his undressing speed—that kind of hand speed probably couldn't be mastered without stripping dozens of times a day!
Secondly, Uncle Toshio hadn't lied. Someone who could transform from a fresh-faced handsome guy to a hunk in one second really existed!
"Lead! Lead! With this, we won't have to carry the heavy equipment ourselves! He's a top-tier beast of burden!"
"While that's true, don't shout it so loudly..."
With a slap, the dark-skinned lead girl swatted away Maki's waving hand. Her eyes also flickered with a strange light—not out of admiration for his physique, but out of a thirst for labor!
"Eek..."
Feeling uncomfortable under their stares, Miyazawa Yuu changed into the wetsuit he had brought and looked askance suspiciously. "You guys wouldn't happen to have that British tradition of working something to death just because it's useful, would you?"
"Of course not~"
A voice filled with relaxed laughter came from behind. Kotegawa Chisa whipped her head around, and the oxygen tank in her hand slipped, smashing right onto Iori's foot.
"OH HO HO! Chisa, what are you doing?! That hurts!"
"Mom... is smiling!"
Chisa's finger trembled as she pointed. Seeing her like this, Kitahara Iori clutched his foot and turned around; his wails gradually faded until they vanished completely.
With a faint smile on her face, Kotegawa Sayaka walked back into the hall without her sunglasses under the terrified gazes of everyone, gently placing her hands on Nanaka's shoulders.
"What's wrong, everyone? Weren't you going to go diving? But Nanaka, could Mom borrow your boyfriend for a bit?"
"???"
Nanaka's danger instincts screamed. She looked up at her mother, knowing she should refuse, but the smile on the woman's face made her want to preserve the moment at all costs.
She turned her gaze toward her young boyfriend. Miyazawa Yuu had already taken a half-step back in a clear defensive stance!
Having dealt with her mother often, she was absolutely certain that her mother was radiating a terrifying black aura. Contact with her right now would definitely not end well!
But faced with Nanaka's longing gaze, he could only grit his teeth and nod in agreement.
"Wonderful~ I really wouldn't have known what to do if you said no~"
With a clap of her hands, the sharp corners of her eyes were softened by a curved arc. Kotegawa Sayaka let out a sigh of relief as if a troubling problem had finally been solved.
Stepping forward to take Yuu's hand, she radiated a full "mother-in-law" aura as she quickly led him away.
"I'll be taking Yuu with me. Have fun, everyone!"
"..."
Yuu had been taken. Yes, taken! Because as he left, there were tears glinting in the corners of his eyes, but everyone else could only watch like incompetent husbands witnessing a tragedy they were powerless to stop.
"Auntie... has she been so angry her brain stopped working?!"
After a long silence, Kitahara Iori, eyes wide and pupils constricted, was the first to voice a wild theory. Unfortunately, no one attempted to refute it.
Even the gentle Nanaka had to admit this was the first time she had seen her mother smile so beautifully—like the most radiant black pearl of the South.
But the facade was an illusion. What supported that smile was undoubtedly a roiling, infernal rage.
"Chisa, no matter what, if you get so angry you hit your limit, please don't smile. I'll get so disgusted I'll throw up!"
"Drop dead!"
With a dark expression, Chisa pushed away the "nauseous" Iori. She thought to herself that if she had been hit with a "Special Move" during a diving rehearsal like her mother had, she too might have displayed a rare smile.
It could only be said that Yuu had been "dancing on the edge" of her mother's bottom line. He got exactly what he asked for!
As for the punishment, isn't being unable to dive the harshest punishment of all?
Hopefully, he rests in peace.
...
"That cursed woman, actually dumping me here as manual labor..."
Ten minutes later, in the name of being a "son-in-law," a bewildered Miyazawa Yuu was stuffed into some 18th-tier small film crew.
On the surface, he was there as a "family representative" to supervise. But the moment his back was turned, Kotegawa Sayaka told the director he could be used like a beast of burden.
And so, here he was. Because there was to be a report on Dolphin's opening tomorrow, Yuu—though reluctant—had to follow the director's orders to build sets in the sweltering heat and organize the temporary warehouse.
"Ugh... honestly, is there really a need to categorize this junk? Or do audiences nowadays just love that 'rustic' look..."
Heaving another small wooden boat into a slot to secure it, Miyazawa Yuu stuck out his tongue and exhaled a large breath. Wiping the sweat from his chin, his eyes were full of condemnation for his unscrupulous mother-in-law!
"Retribution came so fast. Having to work in this hellish weather—is there any harsher punishment in this world?!"
"Dammit! No matter what I do, I can't get recognition—is there any harsher punishment in this world?!"
"???"
There was actually someone else in this dump, and they were stealing his lines!
Hearing the familiar voice, a string of question marks appeared over Yuu's head. He furrowed his brow and followed the sound. If he wasn't mistaken, that voice belonged to...
"Huff... puff... huff!"
On the other side of the warehouse, Ichigoe Yuuichi, a member of a popular idol group, had been invited to participate in the promotional shoot for Dolphin's opening. However, even if the goal was just to boost his fame, the filming process was not going smoothly.
Though he was born with a handsome face, Japan was not a place where one could rise to the top on looks alone. Without a sufficiently interesting persona or behavioral pattern, the audience wouldn't buy it!
The problem was that "interesting" personas didn't appear out of thin air. Reheating a senior's "leftovers" would only lead to a faster career death. He had hoped to break through as a "Diving Idol," but his persona was still being torn to shreds by the director!
"Chikusho! Can't a guy with a weird behavioral pattern just appear in front of me right now?!"
With a heavy punch to a pile of souvenirs, Ichigoe Yuuichi's eyes were filled with unwilling resentment. Tears flowed unbidden from his eyes, tracing paths down his cheeks and dripping onto his arms.
But he knew that was impossible...
After venting, the stifling air in his chest cleared. It really was the right choice to temporarily leave the film crew and run to this abandoned little warehouse; at least he could find a moment of peace.
Thinking this, he wiped his tears and straightened his hair—wet from diving—preparing to return to the set so the director wouldn't worry.
However...
"Kouhei?"
A shout came from behind. Though it wasn't his name, Ichigoe Yuuichi shivered. If he was caught by someone sneaking off to a shack to cry, it would be another major blow to his career!
"Hello, sorry to bother... Eek!"
He turned around in a panic to explain, but as a certain sight entered his vision, Yuuichi froze for two seconds. Then, from the depths of his throat, he let out the terrified scream of a maiden—"Aaaaaahhh!!!"