The azure sea, but a lonely, fulfilled life.

Chisa tilted her head and gave a playful smile. She was now certain that what he held in his hand was definitely not oolong tea. If she wasn't mistaken, it should be the bar tea made with whiskey and vodka last time.

But she won't expose them now. If they want to prank someone, they should be prepared to be pranked in return. Although she doesn't know why they want to get her drunk, it's definitely not a good thing.

"Haha, I think I prefer coffee to tea."

[Please! There's something important!]

While making excuses, Hachiman winked at the two people not far away. If they didn't come to his rescue soon, he would fall asleep first, and whether he was really drunk or not, he would just collapse.

[You bastard, you wasted such a good opportunity.]

Iori, who was being carefully instructed by Azusa, almost bulged the veins on his face when he saw the signal. This was a big deal. If Chisa found out something because of his mistake, he would have to dress up as a woman and sleep with a man!

[What do we do now?]

Kohei, who was slicing cabbage into shreds to prepare the ingredients, looked at him questioningly.

[It's very simple.]

Iori also looked at Kohei with her eyes.

Hachiman saw them being all lovey-dovey and thought he might come up with a good idea, but the two of them simply turned their heads away and pretended not to see anything!

He could even see the cold-hearted answer they were giving from their departing backs.

Either die or participate in male-only activities. Choose.

Wait, why are you muting messages in your team's voice chat? I only saw me being forced to drink, didn't I see that you said there was important information?!

Hachiman looked at Chisa, who was smiling silently. Based on his many years of experience as a human observer, he felt that she might have already discovered their intentions, but the fact that she did not expose them said something.

She wanted him dead too...

"Is this tea absolutely necessary?"

Now that he'd been discovered, there was no point in pretending anymore. He gripped the paper cup, ready to make one last desperate attempt.

"Ah."

Chisa gave a sweet "Mmm".

Alright, those who cheat others will be cheated in return. Since you two have been unkind to me, then I'm going to drag you two into hell!

Hachiman glared fiercely (actually, he just had normal dead fish eyes) at the two people with their backs to him, held his breath, and drank all the sake in his cup in one gulp.

"tasty?"

"belch."

His cheeks flushed slightly as he gave a thumbs-up.

"That's strong! I'm still a bit thirsty, so I'll have yours too."

Although Iori said that cup was tea, what if he had made two preparations in case he turned against him? If Chisa got drunk, wouldn't those two guys have gotten the kill for nothing? No way, why should someone take down his K/D with just a basic attack when he's dealing so much damage?

"Okay."

Chisa smiled and handed him the cup. In fact, she would have given it to him even if he hadn't said anything.

Hachiman took the paper cup, put it to his lips, and tears streamed down his face.

It turns out he was really unlucky.

Hachiman collapsed after drinking the real oolong tea.

"Really, even if it's delicious, you can't overindulge."

Chisa spoke in a gentle voice devoid of emotion, squatting down to look at him as indifferently as if he were a dead man.

[He's completely useless, what should we do next?]

Kohei glanced at Hachiman's miserable state and was quite worried. It didn't matter that he was dead, but it would be bad if the secret was exposed.

[Let's make a smoothie; girls usually love this kind of dessert. Remember to make the syrup specially, and add plenty of sugar so it doesn't smell like alcohol.]

Iori is a strategist. Lately, he's been spending a lot of time with Hachiman and has become more inclined to use his brain. For this reason, he even went to learn how to play the card game "Three Kingdoms Kill".

[OK!]

Just as the two were discussing countermeasures, Hamaoka Azusa walked to Chisa's side, looked at Hachiman lying by the glass window with a lifeless expression, and asked in confusion.

"What's up with him?"

"It's nothing, he's probably dead."

"Eh?"

Hamaoka Azusa stared at Hachiman in astonishment. As expected of a junior whom even Nanaka couldn't understand, could he really die so easily? She thought that what Hachiman said on the phone about seeing his soul floating out was a lie.

She crouched down and poked Hachiman's cheek; it was quite bouncy.

"Can he still live?"

"...Yeah, that's right, my luck is just that bad. I've never won a 'buy one get one free' when buying drinks, it's always 'thank you for trying it.' And often, I'll buy a game, and the next day the platform will announce that the price of that game will be reduced. Even when I aim correctly when I go to the toilet, it still comes out at an angle..."

Hamaoka Azusa listened to his rambling and laughed awkwardly.

It seems like he won't survive for the time being.

Chisa, who also heard his words, snorted. No matter how much she tried to play the victim, she wouldn't regret it.

"Chisa, this boy is quite interesting."

"What's so interesting about him? He's just a loser with terrible eyesight."

Chisa couldn't understand where Azusa got her conclusion. This girl had said she wouldn't embarrass herself anymore, but she still followed Iori and the others in doing some silly things. Although she had improved in the last few days, it was clear that she hadn't changed her nature.

"Haha, that's true, but if you don't look at his eyes, he's quite a handsome young man."

Hamaoka Azusa looked at Hachiman, who was lost in thought, and said.

"Sister Zi, you should get a new pair of glasses."

"So, Chisa, do you have glasses?"

"Glasses?" Chisa shook her head. "No one in my family is nearsighted. My father does have a pair of reading glasses, but he doesn't wear them often."

"I see. That's a pity."

Hamaoka Azusa said with some regret, feeling that if she just covered her eyes, there might be unexpected results.

"Glasses? Hachiman has his own."

Iori's voice rang out above them as he held two servings of special shaved ice and looked toward Hachiman's slightly bulging shirt pocket.

"He usually keeps it in a drawer in his room, but sometimes he takes it out. Look, it's in his pocket."

Hamaoka Azusa's eyes lit up when she heard this, and she reached into his pocket and took out an eyeglass case.

"It's quite pretty, but isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

Chisa looked at the glasses case that had been taken out. The white box was like a blanket of snow, with resilient plum blossoms blooming and large, bright red buds.

"I'm just trying it on; I'll put it back carefully afterwards."

Hamaoka Azusa smiled and took the glasses out of the box. They were a pair of high-quality, plain black square-framed glasses. Chisa, who was closest to her, seemed to see a word engraved on the right frame of the glasses in a flash.

She squinted and saw the character for "snow".

He really does like snow.

"Chisa, look, isn't it pretty good?"

Her thoughts were interrupted by Hamaoka Azusa. Chisa looked at Hachiman wearing glasses, a hint of amazement flashing in her eyes. Indeed, the boy with his eyes covered could not exude a decadent aura. On the contrary, with the glasses, he revealed a cold temperament.

"It does look a bit like a typical 'socially fulfilled' person."

Kohei commented, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of which, Chisa, would you like some shaved ice?"

"No, I'm full. You guys eat."

Chapter Thirty-One: The Final Plan

Fifteen minutes had passed before Hachiman snapped out of his reverie. He looked at Chisa, who was making okonomiyaki beside him, rubbed his head, and stood up.

"Sorry, I was talking to myself again."

This problem often occurred after graduating from high school, and he himself did not know the specific reason. He could only attribute it to the will of the world.

"It's okay, we're almost ready anyway."

Chisa placed the finished assorted okonomiyaki into the warmer and replied calmly. She picked up a paper cup from the side, the water of which she had poured herself, without Iori and Kohei's intervention.

She handed the water glass to Hachiman: "Have some water, I poured it myself, I didn't add anything."

"Thanks."

Hachiman took the paper cup and frowned slightly, looking at Chisa who was wiping the griddle. After wiping it, she took a rag and went to the sink to wash it.

"Why aren't you looking at me?"

From the moment she started speaking, whether she was handing him a paper cup or something, she didn't look at him once.

In the past, he would never have asked this question, since he was often ignored. But this time was different, because there were two scoundrels next to him. He had good reason to believe that those two had drawn a turtle on his face while he was distracted.

"Why should I look at you? Are you that good-looking?" Chisa said.

Hachiman, who had been inexplicably stabbed, pinched his cheek with his fingers, then smelled it; there was no scent of watercolor pens.

It seems he was overthinking it. But speaking of which, did Chisa have a sharp tongue? I always thought she only used the word "pervert" to refer to Iori…

Feeling that staying by her side wouldn't do any good, Hachiman approached Iori and the other two and asked in a low voice.

Don't you have a Plan B?

"Plan B? We've already used Plan C."

As he approached, Iori took a few steps back, looking rather uneasy, which made Hachiman even more puzzled.

No, why is everyone avoiding him like he's a plague god after he woke up? Could it be that he said something strange while talking to himself? Impossible, he has an emergency self-awakening function.

"What's wrong? Do you have prickly heat?"

Something's not right. Hachiman looked at Kohei and saw his wandering expression, so he knew that asking him probably wouldn't get him anything.

"Do not."

Iori didn't know how to start the conversation. Could he be honest and say that Azusa thought they were gay, so he should stay away from her to prove his innocence?

That's just asking for trouble. Besides, if they really distance themselves, others might just see it as confirmation of the truth.

He was like a mute eating bitter herbs, unable to express his suffering.

Even though I've already explained that it was just a misunderstanding, Sister Zi doesn't believe me at all. Look, she's still staring at me with wide eyes.

Sigh, let's leave this matter aside for now. The most important thing is to get Chisa to participate in the women's beauty pageant. He really doesn't want to participate in the men's pageant.

"I still have one last plan, Plan D, but the chances of it succeeding are very slim."

"Do you mean you strip naked and prostrate yourself on your knees to beg her?"

Hachiman waved his hand, his expression sincere.

"Impossible, there's no hope."

“Of course I know I can’t do it with my abilities,” Iori said with a smile, patting him on the shoulder.

Hachiman looked at his smile and realized something was very wrong!

"So you go."

"I reject."

"Then let's die together."

Hachiman sighed. He felt that things didn't have to be this way. After thinking for a moment, he spoke.

"Should we ask someone else for help?"

"For example?" Iori glanced at him.

"Azusa-senpai or Nanaka-senpai, their words should be effective for Chisa. The main problem is to get them on our side. Nanaka-senpai is a sister-complex, so we can say that Chisa can show her beautiful side, and she should agree. The problem is Azusa-senpai's attitude."

Hachiman glanced out of the corner of his eye at Hamaoka Azusa, who was intently watching him. He sensed a chill in her relieved yet anxious gaze.