The azure sea, but a lonely, fulfilled life.

Iori angrily ripped off the white paper covering her face, rubbed her back, and stood up.

"What if?" Nojima replied softly.

"...Are you perhaps driven by lust?"

"I do indeed possess the honor of beauty, but unfortunately I can only admire it in solitude."

It is a great misfortune in the world that no one understands his beauty.

"No, I'm talking about lust, one of the seven deadly sins."

Iori has been watching a lot of movies lately, from horror to suspense. He has selected many well-received ones and watches them alone in his spare time.

Therefore, when he saw the sign with the word "pride" hanging on Kohei's body, he guessed that the other party was judging and punishing them according to the seven deadly sins mentioned in the Bible.

Kohei's arrogance likely refers to his disdain for the three-dimensional world, believing that the two-dimensional world is the ultimate and most beautiful existence. Therefore, he was punished by having the most filthy place desecrate what he considers the most beautiful thing.

That's why there's a picture of a lace on the back of that sign.

As for Fujiwara, the reason he was associated with sloth was probably because he didn't do much to punish the demon that night. Therefore, his punishment was to become a bound turtle.

Turtles are incredibly lazy creatures; they can sleep for days on end when they're not actively engaged in any activity.

If we calculate it this way, there are still five kinds of sins.

These are greed, wrath, gluttony, lust, and envy.

...How should we categorize them? It seems like they all have every symptom. However, if we're going to be particularly accurate, Nojima is probably jealous. He once told Hachiman that he was no worse than him.

Yamamoto is a lustful man. He once bluntly stated that he was a scumbag who didn't discriminate against any woman, and his sexual repression was simply outrageous.

As for what he and Mitarai corresponded to, he couldn't figure it out. In addition, due to the insufficient number of people, there was one more crime, which further affected the speculation.

"What's next?" Yamamoto asked, feeling a bit tired. He had already done more exercise today than in the last three days combined.

"We can only go to the beach or the supermarket to take a look."

Iori said helplessly, "I hope they can bring the culprit to justice this time."

"Want to go together?"

"That's too inefficient. Let's split into two teams."

-

"Kitahara, actually, I've wanted to ask you a question since earlier," Mitarai said on the way to the supermarket.

"What's wrong?" Iori held her head in her hands and walked slowly forward.

How was Fujiwara killed?

"Huh? Didn't I tell you? Hachiman hid in the toilet and then ambushed Fujiwara while he was using the toilet." Iori didn't understand why he was asking again, so he repeated what he had just said.

"Was there absolutely no sound during that time?"

What's strange about Mitarai is that Fujiwara is the most physically robust among them, so how could he be ambushed and unable to make a sound?

"I didn't hear anything strange."

Iori was also curious about this, but he really didn't hear anything at the time. Of course, it's also possible that he was thinking about something and got distracted.

"There seems to be some coincidence involved."

Putting aside why Fujiwara was taken down without resistance, it's strange that Hachiman knew they were going to the toilet and had ambushed them there beforehand.

"You mean there's a mole among us?"

Iori looked at Mitarai strangely.

"You can't just say that carelessly."

They all betrayed "Jesus" that night; they were all Judas. How could there be a traitor in such a situation?

"I'm just saying that."

Mitarai, of course, didn't believe that anyone among them would choose to betray their best friend, but his alertness made him feel that there must be something they didn't know about.

It was as if an invisible eye was watching them intently.

"Don't overthink it, a puzzle game is almost being turned into a deathmatch."

Iori smiled casually, her emotions stirred by the other person's words. This was really exciting, much more interesting than their previous mutual sabotage.

Ah, if only I had a can of beer right now.

They were just about to go to the supermarket, so this was a good opportunity to buy it.

Wait a minute... perfect timing.

Hehe, surely they wouldn't have even considered this much.

but……

There is a high possibility that there is a traitor among us.

Iori glanced back at Mitarai, who was squinting, and then looked away under the other's questioning gaze.

Why is Mitarai suddenly telling me this? Isn't he afraid I'm the traitor?

Once the seed of doubt is planted, the final outcome is already set.

What kind of person would believe that someone else is not a traitor?

Very simple.

"welcome."

The two walked into the supermarket together. The cashier, as usual, said the opening remarks. Looking at the dazzling array of goods in front of her, Iori's eyes became inscrutable.

"I was a little thirsty, and they actually sell Asahi here!"

Mitarai took out a beer from the shelf; he hadn't drunk this brand in a long time. He turned around to pay, but Iori, who had come in with him, was nowhere to be seen.

The fact that the automatic sensor door wasn't completely closed indicates that the other person left not long ago, most likely while he was holding a beer.

"Kitahara?"

Perhaps there is a traitor among us.

This phrase came to Mitarai's mind.

The most suspicious person at a crime scene is often the first person to discover it.

Scenes from the diving shop and the men's restroom flashed before his eyes, and it seemed that the person who first discovered the victim was the same one.

The supermarket lights shone on the silvery-white floor. Looking at the closed sensor door, Mitarai felt a surge of emotions.

Chapter Nine: The Seven Deadly Sins—Lust, Wrath (Part Three)

"Nojima, what are your plans after capturing Hachiman?"

Walking along the coastal road, with the outline too vague and the sea surrounding Izu in all directions, Yamamoto and Nojima could only take their time, taking a leisurely stroll to re-examine the scenery. It was a novel experience, as they usually only gathered together and headed towards a specific destination when they had a clear goal.

This time, it's not that he has no goal, but perhaps it doesn't carry any utilitarian purpose. Nojima is now feeling a strange sense of excitement. He seems to have put himself into the positive role of a police officer chasing a murderer. While cracking clues and searching for the killer's trail step by step, after witnessing his best friend's tragic death and the bizarre methods of execution, he shamefully finds it as interesting as an office worker looking at the Mona Lisa.

"What's the plan? Of course, it's to have that guy organize a social event."

They've already gone so far as to strip people naked, what kind of even more degrading punishment could there be? Tsk, I should have taken a picture and used it as leverage. Sigh, what can I do? He doesn't have the habit of taking pictures of naked men; just looking at them is enough to give him a sty.

"You're still fixated on this point?"

Sometimes even Yamamoto couldn't figure out whether he was in a hurry to fight the Red Tassel with the Silver Spear, or whether this guy was in a hurry to escape from the Five Finger Mountain.

"Don't you want him to organize it?"

"Of course I want to!"

Those are all beauties similar to Kotegawa; if he were to be chosen by one, he'd be laughing in his sleep.

only……

"Those girls all have close relationships with Hachiman, right? Are you sure it won't be just a few of us witnessing him opening his harem?"

As he spoke the last few words, Yamamoto's gums trembled, a surge of intense envy welling up from the depths of his heart. He couldn't accept it, he just couldn't accept it! Dog food is for dogs! He's a human being! A living, breathing person would never eat dog food! Humans have dignity! Unless a girl is willing to hand-feed him!

"It's impossible to achieve this just from the perspective of Japanese law."

Nojima quipped, "This isn't ancient times where you could have three or four wives. Nowadays, if you want to marry several wives at the same time, you'd have to change your nationality to another country."

A salty sea breeze blew in, and Nojima said calmly, "Besides, don't you think this is a good opportunity?"

"good chance?"

"Yes, although Hachiman is a womanizer, it's undeniable that he's never been promiscuous. That means those girls are still pure. Girls who remain virgins in college are either unwanted or very conservative. The former is impossible, since they are all beautiful and must have many admirers. So it must be the latter. Yamamoto, do you think conservative girls would accept sharing their boyfriends with other girls?"

"impossible."

“That’s right. If that’s the case, when they find out that Hikigaya is dating Kotegawa, they’ll be heartbroken. That’ll be the perfect opportunity!” Nojima confidently envisioned his wonderful future.

"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!"

Yamamoto gave a thumbs-up in praise, though his mind had already caught on, he still subconsciously retorted.

"What if they aren't heartbroken?"

"Heh, either they don't like Hachiman, or he's just too charming!"

At this point, Nojima paused, recalling what Kitahara had just said.

There are four people and five sins. Could this extra sin be Hachiman himself?

greedy.

He must be greedy!

This game has a final reckoning day! After punishing them, he will undergo his own baptism!

But what are the consequences of greed?

Greed, greed, greed; the opposite of that is integrity, or contentment.

He wouldn't delete all those girls' contact information, would he? As the saying goes, the past is like smoke and dust, and we should forgive and forget.

"Oh no, Yamamoto, we need to find that Hachiman guy quickly!"

Nojima realized something was terribly wrong and quickly turned to Yamamoto to say something.

【Zhi----】

Looking at the electric shocker emanating from his waist, Nojima blankly raised his head and, with his last bit of strength, looked at Yamamoto, who was looking down with an unreadable expression. At that moment, betrayal and suspicion surged into his mind. He couldn't understand why things had turned out this way.

"Yamamoto."

he said softly.

"You son of a bitch."

As the current increased, Nojima collapsed to the ground.

-

Sitting on a bench outside the supermarket, Mitarai drank the Asahi beer he had bought. He felt a little heavy-hearted. Just now, he had mentally prepared himself to believe that Kitahara was the undercover agent. Otherwise, everything was too coincidental. Why was he always the first to discover things when something happened?

Looking back now, it's strange why they went to the place where Hikigaya lived. Knowing that Yamamoto and Nojima would go berserk if they heard about women, Kitahara would unsuspectingly reveal that a girl was looking for him. Wasn't that like handing a torch to the FFF group, who were holding scythes, wearing black robes, and determined to burn all the couples in the world?

All of this may have been a conspiracy from the very beginning.

That guy Kitahara might have pretended to be attacking Hachiman while he was surrounded by enemies, but secretly made some kind of deal with them without their knowledge. For example, he might have made a hateful request to only include him in a social gathering. After Hachiman agreed, he secretly co-hosted the game with them and acted as their informant, constantly passing on information to Hachiman!

The reason he didn't hear anything when Fujiwara was assassinated was because he was the one who did it!

This also explains why Fujiwara, the strongest of the four, was easily defeated without any warning.

Because the last person he saw was someone he knew.

Kitahara Iori, what a wolf in sheep's clothing this man is! He would betray his best friend for such a petty gain. Poor Kohei, he was completely unaware of the scheme orchestrated by his two best friends and ended up in Valhalla.

Mitarai stood up, tears welling in his eyes.

Don't worry, he will definitely get revenge and make Hachiman give out the contact information of those beautiful girls!

He will no longer show mercy!

"Excuse me, could you lend me a coin to make a phone call? I lost my wallet, and I don't have my phone or any change on me."

A tall shadow enveloped his entire body. Mitarai turned around and saw a beautiful woman with shoulder-length purple hair. The moment he saw her, his gaze was drawn to a huge mountain range.