"Seriously, if it's a reverse-prank, at least say something! You scared me to death!"
"Well~ since the goal is a viral hit, authenticity is key. Miss Aina's performance was great, we caught a lot of interesting footage!"
Starry night, BBQ, and endless drinks. The water park lived up to its reputation of being wealthy and generous, directly arranging grills and coolers for the filming crew to hold their celebration banquet within the park.
Sitting aside with the director to discuss how to edit the footage—specifically how to pad out the boring segments from the morning—Miyazawa Yuu turned his head helplessly, wearing an irritating expression that screamed, "I'm doing this for your own good!"
But the fact remained: variety-show effects either come from the tourists or from the cast themselves. Takahashi Aina understood this perfectly.
Her "complaining" now was merely the playful banter of friends.
After her heart stopped racing, Takahashi Aina was actually very grateful for everyone's support. After all, if this episode had been a "Game Over," she wouldn't have had a good time afterward.
"Ugh... and even Keiko joined in. Traitor!"
What little she had eaten at noon had long been burned off. Taking some skewers from Nanaka-san, who was in charge of the grill, she finally sat down on the bench next to Oshima Keiko with a resentful gaze.
Cold sweat broke out on Keiko's forehead. She had indeed spent the entire afternoon acting as a guide for the "enemy." Blushing, she turned her head away and focused on eating.
No matter how much Aina nudged her, she didn't dare speak, determined to stick to a cold-treatment policy of zero responsibility.
"Keiko couldn't help it. When Miss Aina was scared to tears, it seemed Miss Keiko was also crying into her handkerchief~"
"Miss Nanaka!"
"What's the harm~"
Wearing an apron, Kotegawa Nanaka placed a plate of fried noodles in front of Keiko so she wouldn't have to continue "eating intensely" at the few grains of rice left on her plate.
Smiling, she walked past the two of them and finally stopped behind her young boyfriend, pressing her warm, slightly greasy hands—fresh from grilling—against his cheeks.
"Yu, how are things here? Is there anything you want to eat?"
"It's mostly settled. The rest can be left to post-production. Where are those guys?"
"All over there."
She raised a hand toward the staff dining area. Following Nanaka's finger, Miyazawa Yuu squinted, his expression instantly becoming speechless.
He hadn't even made it to the table yet, but Yamamoto and Nojima were already drinking joyfully with the logistics crew.
Thanks to the alcohol tolerance they had built up under the three PaB seniors, they had effectively become the shining kings of the party!
However, aside from those two, the two "missing men" he expected to see were nowhere to be found. After searching the banquet, he finally spotted Iori next to Miss Aina.
"I say, you didn't happen to awaken some weird fetish, did you? Did you get addicted to wearing that maid outfit?"
"Go to hell! If I had a change of clothes, who would want to walk around in this!"
With his hands behind his head, Kitahara Iori was ungracefully lounging with his legs crossed while bragging to Takahashi Aina. The next second, hearing Yu's voice, he immediately switched back to scumbag mode.
With dead-fish eyes and amidst Miss Aina's screams, he unhesitatingly lifted his long maid skirt, pointing at the bloodstains on his trunks that wouldn't wash out, and flipped Yu the bird.
"Even if it's fake blood, it's too hard to wash! These are my favorite trunks!"
"It's not like trunks get more comfortable the more you wear them. I'll buy you a new pair when we get back. Don't be so stingy."
"Ah! By the way, Iori-kun, what exactly was that thing you and Chisa pulled out?"
Speaking of which, Takahashi Aina suddenly recalled the horror scene in the restaurant. She tilted her head curiously and pressed for an answer: "I know about the fake blood, but was that bag some kind of prop?"
"Nope."
With a calm face, Kitahara Iori turned to Takahashi Aina and patted his stomach twice. The maid uniform immediately deflated a small amount.
"It was just a pig's stomach borrowed from the kitchen. Rest assured, we definitely didn't give it back to be reused and served to customers!"
"The reuse isn't the point! How could you carry something that grotesque on your person!"
She covered her mouth in shock. Takahashi Aina had thought Iori and Chisa were using some prop from the water park; she never expected they were using the real thing!
Furthermore, Iori was one thing, but why did Chisa also dare to hide a pig's stomach against her skin? As a fellow girl, Aina felt she was far too weak!
"Eh? This level of stuff is simple. After all, Iori is a genuine freak!"
"Ya~ if you keep praising me like that, I'll get embarrassed~"
"That's still not okay! Where is Miss Chisa? I need to thank her in person!"
Seeing Iori and Yu laughing and trading business-like flattery, Takahashi Aina stood up and shook her head firmly. She had to apologize to Chisa no matter what.
Except...
"Um... where is Miss Chisa?"
"You mean Chisa? She seemed a bit tired just now, so she's resting in the lounge for a bit."
Pointing toward the rest shed directly opposite them, Kitahara Iori hesitated for two seconds, rubbed his head, and stood up. Putting down his beer can, he said, "It's about time. I'll go wake her up. By the way, Yu, Kohei and the others seem to have gone toward the Ferris wheel."
"Is that so..."
Dropping the casual joking, Miyazawa Yuu stood up after Iori left and walked past the spot where the latter had been sitting. He reached out and grabbed the beer bottle Iori had opened.
It was heavy; it was likely he hadn't even taken a single sip after opening it.
A scumbag who usually loves getting dead drunk had voluntarily given up drinking. Although this kid looked careless, he was clearly keeping an eye on Chisa at all times. He had a bit of a conscience after all.
"Chisa-chan is being stubborn again~"
Concern colored her gentle eyes. Kotegawa Nanaka rested her face in one hand, appearing very hesitant, but her toes pointing toward the direction Iori had left signaled her decision.
However, before she could make an excuse to follow, Miyazawa Yuu caught her wrist and shook his head gently.
"Let the kids handle their own problems. Interfering might not lead to a perfect ending, so trust Iori for now~"
"...I understand."
In Kotegawa Nanaka's eyes, Chisa was forever her most precious little sister, a treasure to be protected in the palm of her hand.
If it were six months ago, if someone dared to say they were dating or even marrying Chisa, she would have instantly turned dark and gone berserk to let them taste the wrath of a "sister-con"!
But now that even she was immersed in a passionate romance, her wish had naturally become for Chisa to find her deserved happiness as well...
"Well, don't make it look like I'm the one bullying people~ Although Iori is a bit of a lowlife, a bit of a pervert, and has poor grades..."
Seeing the visible disappointment in Nanaka after being stopped, Miyazawa Yuu could only pull her in and pat her head, trying to offer a rational explanation to put her at ease.
But as he spoke, he realized that even if he racked his brain, he couldn't think of a single virtue Iori possessed!
To the point where the issue had shifted from a "young and beautiful college romance" to "I seem to be pushing Chisa into a fire pit!"
"..."
Watching her young boyfriend go from calm to visibly panicked, Kotegawa Nanaka could only lean into his chest and remind him in a muffled voice: "Gentle!"
"Right, right, right! Although Iori is a massive scumbag, at least he's a gentle scumbag!"
"Alright, let's go find Kohei and the others. I really don't know how you guys can be so close while despising each other so much..."
...
"Chisa? Are you awake?"
"Mm..."
Kitahara Iori pulled back the curtain of the tent. Inside, it was pitch black, with only Chisa's muffled response and the rustle of fabric.
Fumbling his way to the edge of the metal bed, he lifted the hem of the maid skirt that had dragged onto the floor back onto the bed, and sat down with a thud.
"..."
A long silence followed. At first, Kotegawa Chisa was waiting for Iori to speak, but as time passed, she realized this bastard had only come to confirm she was still alive!
Furthermore, if he was going to sit on the bed, fine, but why did he have to sit on her skirt!
Frowning in the darkness, the girl gently pushed against Iori's massive backside. Finding it useless, she huffed and increased her strength, pushing harder!
"Mm-hmm, looks like you still have plenty of energy. I'm relieved then!"
"Idiot..."
"No problem, I'm an idiot. So, can Miss Chisa tell me directly why you're unhappy?"
Having long ago developed a thick skin, Kitahara Iori looked down at those stubborn orange eyes in the darkness, maintaining his bastard-like stance of refusing to offer comfort proactively.
"If you're unhappy with the trip, go find Yu. Venting your anger on me won't work!"
"...I'm not unhappy with the trip."
That was the truth. Although the filming was busy, Kotegawa Chisa had enjoyed the aquarium without lines and the signature water slides.
If she had to mention a grievance, the point of her inner conflict was only one thing: Iori's attitude!
Thinking of this, she bit her lower lip and looked up at Iori, finally asking the confusion buried in her heart that she had never expressed.
"Iori, what would you say our relationship is right now?"