The azure sea, but a lonely, fulfilled life.

Chisa shook her head; she didn't know what was going on either.

Her reaction left Hachiman even more bewildered. This wasn't to say that he was unaware of the situation; on the contrary, he had long known what this belated welcoming ceremony might be for, but he just couldn't understand it.

"Generally speaking, parties are only held when people are happy, right?"

He asked the question, then realized that his statement seemed inappropriate, so he scratched the back of his head.

"Of course, I'm not saying I'm unhappy right now."

He was a little confused. It's like going to the market to buy vegetables. You want to buy cucumbers, but the vendor gives you a carrot. You tell him you want cucumbers, and he tells you both that they're the same and you should just make do.

In short, it's completely baffling.

"What's there to worry about? Just drink!"

Kitahara Iori generously handed him a glass of water. Perhaps feeling a bit surreal about the situation, he drank the water to calm down.

After finishing his drink, he let out a burp and his eyes began to glaze over.

"What did you give me to drink?"

"Water."

Kitahara Iori took out a bottle of water, and upon seeing the words on the bottle, Hachiman immediately collapsed.

Holy crap! 96% alcohol content!

The crowd gathered around, staring at the fallen Hachiman, whispering amongst themselves.

"How come you're using this thing so quickly? I haven't even given you my gift yet."

Kohei Imamura glanced at Iori Kitahara, who was preparing to give away a limited edition, but not unique, life-size, summer body pillow of a lesbian. He was indignant and had already thought of his opening line for recruiting Hachiman into the cult again.

"Didn't I send it out either?"

Kitahara Iori said that he had prepared his most satisfying CD, and that the plot, character appearance, voice acting, and action design were all top-notch.

"What should we do now?" Shinji Tokita asked. Although he hadn't prepared any particularly thoughtful gift, he had made preparations for this moment for a long time. Two VIP tickets to the marine park would allow him to get up close to dolphins and enjoy a free premium ice cream.

"Maybe we should just let him sleep like this," Chisa said, since she hadn't prepared a gift.

"It seems this is the only way things can go." Juryujiro was a little disappointed; without the main character, tonight's party was a waste.

Just as everyone was about to send Hachiman back to his room, he suddenly stood up.

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, he took off his shirt and gave a thumbs-up!

"Drink! Anyone who runs is a coward!"

"Ah! That's exactly what I was waiting to hear!"

The party started inside the store and the lights stayed on until late at night.

Chisa and Nanaka stood by the counter, silently watching the half-naked crowd playing drinking games. Chisa shook her head as she looked at the person in the middle chugging beer, while Nanaka maintained her gentle smile.

"That's good enough, Chisa."

"...They're all idiots."

Chapter Twenty-One: Life Continues in the Azure Sea

Although the fundamental problem remains unresolved, Hachiman has stabilized within 'Grand Blue,' at least that's what others think. As for his own opinion...

When he woke up to find three naked men lying next to his bed, his brain went blank.

Just as Hachiman was trying to recall his memories of last night, he heard a rustling sound coming from under the covers. He looked over and saw a bulge under the covers that was roughly the shape of a human body.

Masaka! He slept in the same bed with someone last night?!

who is it?

Hachiman hurriedly turned his head to look at the three naked men lying in his room.

Tokita-senpai, Hisashi-senpai, Kohei.

He breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed to be Iori.

That's alright... no, it doesn't seem alright at all.

He could tolerate anyone but Saika lying next to him! But according to American gender theory, is Saika considered male? Or is she someone who, while possessing certain qualities common to men, is actually female?

Hmm, that kind of thing sounds a bit weird.

It feels like XP is unacceptable.

Hachiman covered his forehead, a throbbing pain in his nerves. Oh well, it's Iori, at least it's not some weird thing.

[Bang]

"You're awake, Hachiman."

Kitahara Iori, who had just returned from the toilet, opened her sleepy eyes, glanced at him, and then lay down on the tatami to sleep, pulling the blanket covering Kohei over to him.

So why did he bring in a bed after laying down a tatami mat when he was tidying up the room?

After thinking it over, it's probably because he doesn't have the habit of sleeping on tatami mats.

Wait, that's not right!

Hachiman glanced at the fast-sleeping Iori, swallowed hard, and then looked at the bulge on the bed.

If Iori isn't in his bed, then what is this thing? Could it be that there were other people partying last night?

It must be the store manager!

However, the manager is getting old, and last night he said he couldn't drink anymore after drinking half of it, so he went home to rest.

Then that doesn't make you the store manager.

Who else...?

Think back carefully, Hachiman. This is a major event in your life, a turning point in whether this book will ever become an adult-oriented book!

Who else came to join the party yesterday and stayed until the very end?

There are eight people, six of whom are drinking. The manager left first, and Nana-chan wanted to take her beauty sleep, so she dragged Chisa away with her. Huh? Then there's no one left.

Oh, right, Chisa seems to have come back later, saying she was worried they'd catch a cold sleeping on the floor if they got drunk, so she stayed with them until very late.

But the three of them had slept together before, which was a lie. They were probably taking precautions in advance in case someone vomited.

Wait, so that means...

No way, how could that be? Hahaha...

They were drunk, but Chisa hadn't been drinking. Besides, he wasn't drunk last night either, since he always left himself some energy. He just couldn't resist the drowsiness and fell asleep. He clearly remembered that there was no one next to him at the time.

Hachiman stared at the bulge, his hand slowly moving to the blanket.

Okay, it's a choice: either go into adult shows or go into paranormal shows. It all depends on now.

Hachiman, having made all the necessary preparations, pulled back the covers.

[Hmm~]

A life-sized body pillow with a CD pasted on its face appeared before his eyes. The CD cover featured a busty blonde woman striking a seductive pose.

Holy crap, what is this?

Seeing this thing was like seeing a ghost.

[Bang]

"Hachiman, Iori, are you awake? Your sister has already made breakfast..."

Hachiman and Chisa, who was peeking out from behind the door, gazed at each other with "deep affection." His hand was still on the cushion, giving the impression that he was embracing it.

There shouldn't be any problem with this. A body pillow, as the name suggests, is a pillow for hugging. Is there a problem with him hugging it? Is there a problem?

Don't look down on it just because it's a life-size body pillow of a two-dimensional loli character. And don't assume it's a promiscuous body pillow just because it has a pornographic CD pasted on its face. As a human being, you should be magnanimous and know how to save face. That's the proper reaction for someone who sees this.

Instead.

"abnormal."

Those two words were thrown at you so bluntly, it was really hurtful.

"I can explain it, I drank too much last night."

Well, the very first sentence of my opening remarks has dug a hole for me. So, you really need to think before you speak.

"I'm just a messenger, I just need to deliver the message. You don't need to explain to me. Everyone has their own little quirks." Chisa slowly closed the door, the creaking sound making Hachiman's teeth ache.

Using retreat as a tactic to advance, and treating people with courtesy—hey! That was a brilliant move! A ruthless one! On the surface, it's saying you don't need to care, but in reality, it's belittling you and cutting off your escape route. That's a clever tactic, truly clever.

"While I do have some peculiar little quirks, they certainly don't include this one. Someone is framing me."

By seizing the opportunity, one does not deny that the other party's words are wrong, thus both acknowledging the other party's keen observation and demonstrating one's own sincere attitude.

Chisa paused in closing the door, and a voice came from the other side of the door.

"But I remember someone shouting several times that 'Lala is the cutest,' and I think they even said something like, 'This is our public secret.'"

A decisive blow; the evidence is conclusive, no trial needed, just the death penalty.

The sound of the door slamming shut was just like the sound of a judge's gavel striking. Hachiman sat on the bed, outwardly silent, but inwardly shedding tears. His lifelong reputation had once again shattered into pieces.

He was now quite certain who had framed him.

Hachiman turned his head and looked at the two people who were fighting over the blanket in their sleep, his eyes flashing red.

"You two, couldn't you have given me something even more normal as a gift?!"

"Damn it, who kicked me?!"

"No, it wasn't me. I was mixing drinks."

"It wasn't me, I was drinking."

"Fiery bird, beautiful you, Miss Mizuki."

His kick didn't wake Iori; instead, Iori only cried out after sensing the external force while asleep.

What Hachiman didn't expect was that the four of them could actually talk in their sleep together online!

However, Kohei is still not on the server.

Judging from his infatuated expression and listening to his sleep-talking, he was probably seeing his dream idol in his dream. Moreover, he was stretching out his hands as if he were holding a piece of paper and handing it forward. Clearly, he was dreaming about a signing event.

What incredible dedication to anime! No wonder he's a veteran anime fan.

But give up. Voice actors usually only marry and have children with sports stars, creating scandals.

Hachiman shook his head helplessly and looked out at the azure sky.

It's already a new day.

Keep up the good work!

Chapter Twenty-Two: If you have a sister but aren't a siscon, you've got nothing better to do with her.

"Onii-chan, are you doing alright over there all by yourself?"

After breakfast, Hachiman received a call from his world's cutest little sister, who was far away in Chiba. After answering, he heard her energetic and lively voice.

"Why did you choose to call in the morning?"

Walking alone on his way to school, he was biting into a piece of toast. Because of the hangover from the previous night, Iori and the others were still asleep. Chisa wanted to walk with him, but unfortunately there were too many drunk people at home, and she was worried that Naka wouldn't be able to take care of them alone, so she stayed behind.

Hearing her words of concern for him, Nanaka-senpai burst into tears. Her level of sisterly affection was something he could only look up to.

"Komachi, could you please say 'Onii-chan' to me three times right now?"

"Huh? Did you bump your head on the bedside table when you woke up and make yourself stupid?"

A sigh full of disdain came from the other side. Hachiman stood there, suddenly feeling like an idiot.

With tears in his eyes, he swallowed the toast in his mouth and continued walking forward, ignoring the strange looks from others.

"I'm doing fine here, so you don't need to worry."

"I'm not worried about you, you silly old man."

"Then why did you call me?"