The azure sea, but a lonely, fulfilled life.

Still engrossed in the movie's plot, Iori felt he should do something, so he imitated a line from one of the actors in the movie and spoke it out.

"Want to come together?"

Chapter Sixteen: Life Is Not Worth Remembering

"Now, let me explain the arrangements for later. The two seniors will be responsible for tidying up my room. I've already made my requirements very clear, just like Hachiman's. As for Hachiman, you'll come downstairs with me to explain to Nanaka-nee. You're eloquent and can easily make things clear."

Inside the empty room, where all the unwanted items had been cleared away, Kitahara Iori directed the three people present. At this moment, he was like a general on the battlefield, his eyes fixed on the place where the flames of war were.

His expression was very serious, causing the three of them to straighten their backs involuntarily; they sensed his seriousness.

"Still have any questions?"

“Yes, General!” Hachiman raised his hand.

"What? Strategist, please speak freely." Kitahara Iori looked at him.

"General! Why don't you take down that wooden cabinet above your head first? If others see it, they might misunderstand and think you have some bad habits."

Hachiman pointed to the wooden cabinet stuck on his head, and sure enough, he was finally slammed onto it.

"The strategist is absolutely right."

Like taking off a hat, Kitahara Iori pressed down on both sides of the wooden cabinet with both hands and pulled it out with a thud, revealing a bright smile.

"Then, let's get started."

This man is shining with light.

……

"That's how it is. It was all the seniors' idea, and it has nothing to do with me! Please believe me, Nanaka-nee! I've really packed everything up this time. Please invite me upstairs again to see what's in sight!"

Kitahara Iori bowed ninety degrees, sincerely inviting them to view his room once again. This was his last chance, and he hoped his seniors would behave normally this time.

He's already given us a picture, so it shouldn't be too bad. During the time it took him to walk from the room to the stairs, he specifically asked Hachiman about the room's furnishings. It was very ordinary, just like Hachiman himself, so it should be fine.

"It's okay, I didn't really care."

Nanaka Kotegawa smiled gently. After her call with her friend, she understood everything. After all, Iori was a normal man, and it was normal for him to have those things. However, she still had to dissuade him from exposing himself so openly. She didn't mind, but if others saw him, there might be some bad rumors.

"Since you put it that way, Iori-kun, then I'll go up and check again."

Nice! The first step was a success.

Kitahara Iori gave Hachiman a thumbs up; the apology he provided was truly effective! He really is a strategist!

Hachiman rolled his eyes. He still had a bad feeling, but seeing how smug Hachiman was, he didn't say anything.

The three of them walked up the steps and came to the door.

Kitahara Iori stepped forward and placed her hand on the doorknob.

"I don't care that you're a man, or rather, I love you! Fan-kun, I love you to the core."

"Really? Kazutoshi-kun, actually, I love you deeply too."

quiet……

After hearing the sounds coming from the room, all three fell silent. After nearly a second, Hachiman quietly took a few steps back, distancing himself from Kitahara Iori, and remained facing him directly.

I misjudged you, Kitahara Iori. You're not a general, you're a gorilla.

Laughter suddenly broke out, and Kitahara Iori smiled with relief. He pushed open the door and looked at the two seniors who were sticking Hachiman's photo on his pillow. When he looked at the male actor in the DVD whose name sounded similar to his and was holding a petite short-haired boy, his Dao heart shattered completely.

(Don't ask why it sounds similar to Japanese. I'm not going to explain it anymore. We're all Chinese, so let's just use Chinese homophones. Don't argue, or you're right.)

"How about it, Iori? We organized it exactly as you said. Not bad, right?" Shinji Tokita said cheerfully.

“I’ve been looking for this for a long time!” Kotobuki Ryujiro said, pointing to the DVD. “You should thank me, Iori.”

Kitahara Iori watched them silently, then closed the door and turned to Kotegawa Nanaka, whose eyes were vacant.

"Nanaka-nee, I'm not going. It's true, I should stay home tonight."

"Um, Iori-kun, don't be so discouraged. Although I don't quite understand, it's all your personal hobby, and you don't need to care about what other people think."

Nanaka Kotegawa, regaining her composure, blushed deeply. Between embarrassment and the urge to run away, she chose to comfort Kitahara Iori, who seemed about to turn to ashes and drift away in the wind. Truly, she was a gentle and angelic character.

However, we still need to be somewhat concerned about what others think, especially about him.

Hachiman saw a life-size body pillow with his photo on it through a relatively wide gap revealed by the two seniors opening the door, and his feelings were somewhat complicated.

This reminded him of a girl named Ebina Hina from his time at Soubu High School. She was a girl who used a fujoshi (a female fan of male-male romance) exterior to hide her inner vulnerability. During a certain commission activity, she revealed her true self to him, and thanks to this experience, their relationship developed further.

They went from strangers who only knew each other's names to friends who could occasionally talk to each other, but because of this, he rose to the top of the other's list of BL (Boys' Love) stories.

Whenever he gets even slightly close to another man, she gets a nosebleed and starts saying how well-matched they are.

He was mild-mannered and knew she was joking, so he didn't take it too seriously. But now that this was happening to an outsider, he still felt somewhat uncomfortable, since he really wasn't gay.

(Although many of his fanfiction works have been suppressed.)

"Um, Iori, it might be a bit late to tell you now, but the party tonight has actually been postponed."

Shinji Tokita, who was hiding behind the crack in the door and secretly watching everything, spoke up.

"Postponed?" Kitahara Iori turned to look at him, her expression gradually twisting, like a man-eating demon.

"Yes, it's postponed. It seems something happened over there, and they can't come to invite us," Shinji Tokita explained.

“Hehe, hehe…” Kitahara Iori chuckled a few times, then raised his head and forced a smile as he looked at Kotegawa Nanaka. “Nanaka-nee, please go downstairs first. I have some things I want to talk to the seniors about.”

"Um, don't force yourself."

Nanaka Kotegawa was a little worried. She walked over to Hachiman and gave him a look. Hachiman understood and gave her an OK sign.

After Nanaka Kotegawa left, Iori Kitahara lay on the ground as if his spine had been removed, crawling on his hands and feet towards his room.

"My life is no longer worth remembering."

"It's not that bad."

Hachiman crouched down, patted him on the shoulder, and said encouragingly.

"At least you still have wine. Want to have a few bottles? Everything will be alright when you wake up."

"...You are not a competent strategist at all."

"I just have a slightly better score in Mandarin."

Chapter Seventeen: I Am Afraid of the Sea

Although his plans for the evening were canceled, Kitahara Iori still drank heavily all night. When he woke up the next day, he lay on his bed, staring blankly at the white ceiling.

A gentle breeze blew in through the window, causing the sheer curtains to rustle. Kitahara Iori turned her head and saw the sun high in the sky, its dazzling sunlight streaming lightly into the room along the walls, illuminating it.

Oh, right, he was feeling down about tidying up his room yesterday, and at Hachiman's urging, he drank a lot of alcohol.

Kitahara Iori turned her gaze to the right and saw that the various photoshopped images she remembered had disappeared, replaced by inspiring slogans.

[Keep going, you're amazing!] [The pain of hardship will eventually fade with time, keep trying.] [Kitahara Iori, you're going to be the King of Diving!]

What strange words.

Kitahara Iori got up and sat on the bed, seemingly lost in thought.

[Thump!]

A knock sounded at the door, and Hachiman's voice came from outside.

"Are you awake, Iori? The seniors are having a meeting downstairs. If you're awake, please go down and join them."

“Hachiman,” he said.

"what?"

"I wish you were a woman."

"Did you drink too much last night and your brain is acting up? Come down quickly, everyone is waiting for you."

"Oh, here we come."

……

"So, the main activity today is to test the swimming ability of you new members, in order to prevent any accidents from happening during diving in the future," Shinji Tokita said.

At that moment, Hachiman realized what kind of club he had joined.

"A question!" Kitahara Iori raised her hand. "Isn't one person missing?"

Hachiman paused for a moment upon hearing his words, then looked around. Indeed, one blond was missing.

bang——

A gust of wind blew in through the doorway. Hachiman looked at the golden hair that was faintly visible above the wind and was surprised. Speak of the devil and he appears.

"Where is Mizuki Natsuyo?" Kohei Imamura asked anxiously as soon as he entered, panting heavily.

Mizuki Natsuyo? Who is that?

“OK, everyone’s here, let’s go.” Shinji Tokita nodded and said to Kohei. “As for that, it was a lie.”

"What?" Upon hearing this, Kohei Imamura burst into tears as if he had lost his soul. "I missed the premiere of Lala's new episode and rushed over here without stopping."

Did you actually cry over this?

He had never been a fan of celebrities and didn't know what this feeling was like, but it must be similar to the disappointment of unfulfilled expectations.

Mizuki in summer nights, Mizuki...

Strange, I don't recognize the name, but the surname sounds familiar. For Kohei to be so interested, he must be either a voice actor or an actor in a live-action manga adaptation. Oh, maybe an underground idol, but that's a three-dimensional thing.

Has he heard this name somewhere before?

No, I can’t remember.

"Xia Ye is very busy lately, she probably won't have time to come over," the shop manager said, leaning on the table.

"It sounds like she used to come here often," Iori said.

"She does come here often, and we even prepared a special diving suit for her," the shop manager said with a smile.

"A diving suit, huh? Ho~ Can I try it?" Kohei Imamura asked with a serious expression.

This person is a pervert.

Hachiman was starting to admire him; he was actually able to publicly reveal his sexual fetishes like that. He was a pervert on par with Iori.

"I'm motivated! Please teach me how to scuba dive!"

Once I learn to dive, maybe I'll be able to swim in the ocean like my idol someday—that's the message that came from Hachiman's eager face.

"Well, I guess I won't need to," Chisa said, raising her hand. She had participated once before and also had diving experience.

“Well, it wouldn’t hurt to go and take a look, since there are quite a few newcomers this year, and one-on-one matches might not be enough,” suggested Kotobuki Ryujiro.

"Then I'll choose him." Chisa pointed to Hachiman without hesitation. Among everyone, he was the most normal. Although he was occasionally swayed by the other two, he was unlikely to make a mistake in a one-on-one situation.

At that moment, she suddenly remembered something.

"Speaking of which, Hachiman, aren't you afraid of the sea?"

"Ah."

Hachiman nodded, and Iori, who was standing next to him, spoke up at that moment.

"Actually, I can't swim, so diving might be a bit difficult."

“Oh, you told me about this,” said Ryujiro Kotobuki. “But that’s nothing to worry about.”

"How could I not care?"

"Even people who have never learned to swim can learn to dive."

Shinji Tokita patted him on the shoulder and said encouragingly.

"We can only know if something can be done after we try it. As for Hachiman, it's fine. We won't go into the sea today."

……

A group of people arrived at the swimming pool.

In the boys' changing room, Shinji Tokita and Ryujiro Kotobuki were discussing key points for beginners learning to scuba dive and the dangers of not performing certain movements correctly.