The azure sea, but a lonely, fulfilled life.

"Tea, yes!" Iori appeared and handed a cup of brown liquid to Hachiman. "Oolong tea."

Hachiman held the liquid in his hand, raised his eyes and looked at him with a puzzled expression. Was this bastard really that kind?

He brought the glass close to his nose and smelled it; the pungent smell of alcohol hit him right in the head, and he almost dropped the glass.

"Senior Shou, do you have a lighter?"

"Yep."

Hachiman took the lighter and pressed the button above the rim of the cup.

He stared expressionlessly at the rising blue flames as he looked at Iori.

"Kitahara-kun, could you please explain to me why oolong tea can be ignited?"

"Tch, failed?" Iori bit her finger, not expecting this guy to be so cautious.

"You bastard! You were up to no good! What happened to being my best friend?"

"When we were all kicked off table C, this friendship was gone forever! Now all I want to see is you die!"

“kisama!”

"Hey, stop arguing! You all need to drink some water and calm down."

Two glasses of water appeared before them. Iori and Hachiman looked at the person holding the water and simultaneously took out their lighters.

'Click'

Fire appeared on the water.

"Tsk~"

Kohei pretended nothing had happened, looked up and whistled.

"What do you think?" Hachiman glanced at Iori and asked.

"I just want to see rivers of blood!" Iori grinned sinisterly, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"Hey, ha, don't joke like that! Wait, ahhhhhh!"

Kohei gave an awkward smile, and then, with the combined efforts of the two of them, let out a blood-curdling scream.

Staring at the pale-eyed, blond-haired 'corpse' lying on the ground with traces of wine at the corners of its mouth, Hachiman asked.

"What was that oolong tea from earlier?"

"Vodka + Whiskey".

"I never knew you could be so ruthless to yourself."

"It's obvious I didn't adjust it."

Iori replied.

"I just wanted a cup of oolong tea."

"The colors are the same, right?"

"How did you know?"

Nonsense, he ended up in this situation precisely because of this ridiculous knowledge. Who on earth would put such a misleading leather cover on the outside of a bottle of liquor?

"It's all tears, I don't want to explain."

Hachiman lightly covered the corner of his eye, his voice choked with emotion.

Iori sighed when she saw his expression.

"You also have your own untold suffering."

"Hey, what are you doing?" Shinji Tokita walked over, glanced at the 'corpse' on the ground, and said with slight dissatisfaction. "If you're going to have a showdown, you should follow the rules of 'Pab'."

"Standards?"

“Yes, the ‘Pab’ style of staring at each other is a tradition passed down through generations!” Shinji Tokita raised his glass and laughed. “The rules are simple: one person has a drink in their mouth, and the other person is responsible for making them laugh. If the drink is spat out, the other person loses.”

"Um, we don't have any conflict, right, Iori?" Seeing that things were not going well, Hachiman gave Iori a look, signaling him to play the emotional card.

"Of course, we're best friends, don't you agree, Kohei?"

"Tengping?"

Hachiman and Iori turned around abruptly and saw a person lying on the ground with his hands raised, his two middle fingers standing upright, as if silently expressing his grievances.

If we're going to die, we'll die together! No one can escape!

"Okay, let's go then!" Shinji Tokita smiled and grabbed the shoulders of the two men, pulling them towards the center of the party under their lifeless gazes, which seemed to have been drained of their souls.

Chapter Eleven: Strict Punishment and the Dark Side of the Female College

"Staring at each other, Peek a boo!"

"Hmph, I was the one who attacked first!" Kohei Imamura chuckled smugly, raising his head slightly and placing his index and middle fingers on his forehead, striking an invincible pose.

Kitahara Iori stared at him with beer in her mouth, her cheeks puffed out like balls, her eyes lifeless.

We can't lose, because losing means death.

Even if it's just for a second, he'll outlive those two.

"So……"

Kohei Imamura turned around and fiddled with something. When he turned back, two short wooden sticks were sticking out of his nostrils, and his face was so distorted that he could have entered the World's Most Distorted Face Contest.

"..."

What is this guy doing?

Iori sneered, "If that's all there is to it, we can win!"

"Not working? Then try this trick again!"

Seeing that this trick was ineffective, Kohei grabbed his cheeks and pulled them apart, revealing an even more bizarre expression. Hachiman thought that in his current state, he might not even be noticed if he blended into the Baki crew.

[Boxer briefs, boxer briefs]

Seriously, the opponent is too weak, so weak that he almost laughed out loud, but he can't, he has to hold back, in another thirty seconds you will all be dead.

"Kouhei, talking about serious matters in a situation like this is one way to go. Usually, in serious situations, this is the easiest way to make people laugh," Kojiro Suzuki reminded him, with a look of anticipation.

"Shall we get down to business?" Kohei gently stroked his chin, making up his mind.

"Actually, I've been having a problem lately." He tilted his head, his expression defiant. "Don't tell anyone, but despite my current appearance, I used to be a total shut-in."

"Pfft! Cough cough cough."

Upon hearing this, Iori couldn't help but spit out all the wine in her mouth.

"Hmph, are you surprised that I used to be a homebody?"

"I'm just surprised you're really that mentally ill!" Iori angrily pointed at Kohei. Who would keep something so obvious as a secret?!

"Come on, Iori, it's time for the penalty drink." Shinji Tokita smiled gently and handed over a cup of 'oolong tea'.

"How can it be repaired!!!"

After downing the oolong tea in one gulp, Iori wiped his mouth, looked at Hachiman who was already prepared with a ferocious smile, and gave him a resentful look.

What does this bastard want?

Hachiman's brow twitched; a bad feeling crept into his heart.

"Staring at each other, Peek a boo!"

"Hehehehe." Iori sneered, covering his face with his hand and waving it up and down. When he put his hand down, he had already put on the hair clip that Hachiman had given him, and his expression softened.

He put his hand to his mouth, his voice sweet and cloying.

"Chu, Hachiman Onii-chan~"

"Cough, cough, cough—"

As he sprayed the sake, Hachiman grabbed a sake bottle, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "This will give you nightmares, it will definitely give you nightmares!"

The thought of seeing Komachi in his dreams from now on, only to turn around and find that she has this bastard's face, made him want to throw the thing in his hand at her face.

"Alright, alright, there's still sake in the bottle, don't waste it." Tokita Shinji quickly grabbed Hachiman's hand and dissuaded him.

"So, does that mean you can just throw it at me when you're out of alcohol?!"

Human life is less important to them than alcohol!

"A bet's a bet, Hachiman, drink the penalty sake."

Holding the water in his hand, the strong aroma of distillation hit him in the face. Hachiman, with tears in his eyes, swallowed it in one gulp. It was so damn spicy!

"Senior, may I request to do this with three other people?" he asked, raising his hand.

"Eh? Of course, no problem!" Shinji Tokita waved his hand and laughed.

Kitahara Iori, you're going to die!

“I object!” Iori raised her hand in rebuttal.

"If your protest is ineffective, just bear with it as if you're going to die once."

"No normal person could endure this kind of pain!"

“But you’re a pervert,” Kohei shouted, raising his hand to answer.

"The reasons are valid, so let's begin!"

"Staring at each other! Beek a boo!"

"You bastard!" Iori puffed out her cheeks and glared angrily at Kohei, who was also drinking.

Kohei gave a wicked smile and started combing his hair. He was ready to spray the wine in the face of the dead-fish-eyed man no matter what he said.

How dare they insult the purity in his heart! How could this perverted man utter such an affectionate term of endearment that should belong to a cute younger sister to her older brother?!

Hachiman glanced at the two who were like oil and water, sneered, and began his performance.

He bent his arm, slowly raised his fist, tapped it with his head slightly tilted, then stuck out his tongue and winked at the two of them.

"go to hell!"

The ugly expression paired with the cutesy actions, along with the vicious curses, made everyone present lose their composure and involuntarily start rubbing the goosebumps on their arms.

"Puff!" x2

The two people most severely affected by the attack immediately turned their heads toward each other and sprayed the other person's face with alcohol.

"Kisama!!!"

"Iori, Kohei, Hachiman, all three of you will have to drink a penalty shot this time!"

Friends for life, those days are gone.

One sentence, a lifetime.

A lifetime of love, a cup of wine.

……

What am I doing... Ugh, I feel like throwing up.

Holding onto the handrail of the stairs, Hachiman walked on the road leading to the rooftop. When you've had too much to drink, you should be alone, quietly enjoying the cool breeze and looking at the blue sky to cleanse your eyes.

Damn, they really did take their clothes off at the end of the drinking session! Why were they dressed in the first place?! Did they enjoy the act of taking off their clothes more than the pleasure of being naked?!

No, just thinking about it makes me want to throw up.

Hachiman covered his mouth and nose and quickened his pace.

With the finish line within reach, he pushed open the rooftop door, and the fresh air rushed in. The warm, sunny scent in the wind calmed him down, and he could finally have some peace and quiet by himself.

Ah! How wonderful this is! No alcohol, no naked men, no perverts, no deceit, only a clear blue sky, bright sunshine, a comfortable environment, the faint scent of lavender, and a girl standing on the edge of the rooftop, seemingly preparing to jump.

This is truly the greatest blessing in life...

No wonder!!!

With a slap, Hachiman slapped his hand against his eyes.

Why can't we just let him calm down by himself for a bit?