The azure sea, but a lonely, fulfilled life.

Chapter Eleven: The Seven Deadly Sins - Envy

Upon realizing that Yamamoto/Mitarai was not the traitor, Nojima/Iori immediately had a bad feeling.

Despite the bad weather, it still didn't rain. The water molecules condensed in the air seemed to wet their shoes, making their steps even heavier.

Along that road lined with shops that had witnessed so many stories, Iori and Nojima met. Noticing each other's reluctance to speak and the hint of regret in their expressions, they knew that the worst had happened as expected.

They remained silent, separated by a guardrail standing on the road. If they had walked together, they would have met in less than five steps, but they did not move, as if they were wind-up toys.

A muffled clap of thunder sounded, and Iori slowly took out a wooden plaque with the word "Lust" written on it from her pocket, while Nojima took out the small ball representing "Wrath" at the same time.

"[Lust], is it?" Nojima stared at the bouncy ball and gave a bitter laugh. "It really suits Yamamoto."

“【Rage】ah.” Iori sighed, recalling the roar Mitarai had let out before Hachiman hung up the phone that morning. “It suits Mitarai quite well.”

"How did Yamamoto leave?" Nojima's mind was a complete mess. He still couldn't understand how someone who had ambushed his ally could die so mysteriously when he was about to retire with great success.

"Someone tied him to a telephone pole with a rope and burned his favorite action-romance movie right in front of him." Iori calmly played with the ball in his hand. While cleaning up the scene, he found a torn corner of the movie poster.

"Where's Mitarai?"

"I'm not a professional coroner, but judging from the visual inspection, he must have drunk a very strong liquor. Also, his underwear is missing."

"Your underwear is gone?" Iori was stunned. He could understand if you took off your whole body, but why only your underwear? Ugh, I can't think about it too much, it's too much for my eyes.

“I think it might be because I need to cool down after the [rage].” Nojima said with a strange expression, explaining his guess.

"..." That actually makes a lot of sense.

After exchanging pleasantries, the two looked at each other.

Nojima took off his glasses and wiped them with his clothes.

"Now it's just the two of us left, Kitahara. It seems like the scales of victory are no longer tipping in our favor."

Seeing his dejected expression, Iori clenched her fist in frustration and encouraged him, "Don't give up, Nojima! After we win, we'll both reach our dreamland!"

“No, you don’t understand.” Nojima put on his glasses, revealing a smile that was more like a grimace. “Just now, at the moment Mitarai sacrificed himself in front of me, an absurd idea suddenly popped into my head.”

"What are you thinking?" Iori asked softly, gazing at his pained expression.

"I suspect I'm the mole."

Nojima's eyes were empty. He was now quite certain that there was indeed a mole among them working for Hachiman. This person knew them well and was ruthless.

However, only the two of them survived, which means the mole could only be one of them.

"Kitahara, you are a comrade-in-arms who can be trusted."

The initial rebellion was led by Kitahara Iori, who was the undisputed Judas and could not possibly be a traitor.

"Nojima..."

Iori reached out, trying to grab her best friend's figure.

"Don't come any closer! If you get too close, you might die!"

Nojima rebuked, but a calm smile remained on his face.

"I guess it's jealousy. Compared to Yamamoto's lust, Fujiwara's sloth, and Mitarai's rage, my feelings are purer."

He turned around, his unzipped clothes billowing like a cloak, making him appear so dashing.

"I've been obsessing over this. I just really don't understand why I'm almost twenty and still can't find a single female friend, while Hachiman has so many beautiful young women around him. So I was jealous, and I betrayed our friendship."

This is already beyond redemption. As someone driven by jealousy, I have no power to contend with him, you know that? Kitahara, the last sin.

Iori watched his retreating figure. Two sins remained: gluttony and greed.

"What exactly are you trying to say, Nojima?"

Nojima smiled calmly: "He is one of them too."

Iori's expression changed instantly; he stared in disbelief, "You mean, Hachiman is also...?"

“That’s right! He is [Greed]! He is [Greed] who wants to have everything!” Nojima affirmed his words and sang loudly. “He is the highest sin, and I cannot fight against him, but Kitahara, you are different. You are [Gluttony] who can devour everything.”

His expression became listless, as if he had aged more than ten years in an instant. Nojima coughed, and a stream of bloody liquid was spat out of his mouth.

"Nojima! What's wrong?"

Iori looked nervous and was about to step forward when he saw the gesture that blocked him. He held up two fingers and tapped his forehead from a distance.

"You can definitely do it."

"What nonsense are you talking about! How can I fight them alone! I need your help, Nojima!"

Iori gripped the bouncy ball tightly and shouted loudly.

Nojima laughed, a very happy laugh.

"Haven't we always been by your side?"

Upon hearing this, Iori was taken aback, but he quickly realized something and took out the wooden plaques for "Sloth" and "Pride" from his pocket. He now possessed a total of three plaques.

Seeing this, Nojima tossed the bouncy ball representing "rage" to Iori, then reached into his pocket, took out something else, and tossed it high into the air.

Iori caught it easily; it was a die with the word "jealousy" written on it, which belonged to Nojima...

He looked at Nojima, his gaze blank, a sword stuck in the right side of his abdomen, one side of the sword still bearing the color of bright red.

"The rest is up to you, Kitahara."

Nojima smiled and slowly fell down, revealing a man with beautiful blond hair who looked more like a prince than an assassin, hidden behind him.

It turns out there was no real traitor.

From the very beginning, the chess piece next to the king was someone who had already died.

"Plowing."

"Long time no see, Kitahara, or rather, [Gluttony]."

Kohei Imamura bowed gracefully, a bright smile on his face.

"why?"

“A generous reward can make even ghosts work, so I have returned from hell.”

Iori gazed at him intently and spoke softly.

"Did you do this to Fujiwara and Yamamoto?"

"Isn't it perfect?"

Gengping asked rhetorically, his tone full of praise for art. He had been studying rope art for so long and could finally use it today, but it was a pity that he was tying up two men.

"Where is Hachiman?"

Faced with his provocation, Iori was not angry. He calmly inquired about the whereabouts of the mastermind.

"He's waiting for you, they're all waiting for you."

Geng Ping's tone was unpredictable and varied, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense.

"them?"

"The person you wish to see." Kohei smiled and slowly stepped back. "Go find the answer to the clues; once you obtain it, you will know of the existence of [Greed]!"

Iori didn't choose to chase after him. Instead, she quietly squatted down beside Nojima, straightened his body, and placed him on the outside of the road.

He woke up on the beach, and he must have left on the beach as well.

Gazing at the surging waves in the distance, Iori felt an unprecedented sense of peace.

[A place where the wind howls]

Yes, the wind that day,

Really big.

Chapter Twelve: Game Over - The Final Gluttony

When Iori arrived at the pier, the sun had already set below half the horizon, and the remaining rays of the setting sun, split in two, scattered the last embers of the day across the world. A cool sea breeze was carried to his side by birds. This was the place where the wind howled, not a supermarket, nor a massage parlor, but the place where they went into the sea for the first time.

He walked slowly forward and sat on the wooden bridge by the dock. After watching the sunset quietly for a while, Iori turned his head and took out the photo that was under the stones.

This is a group photo of everyone from [pab] taken together after the club activity ended.

The reason this photo is here is simple and clear.

Their final destination was the diving shop they had first discovered, which was also the actual club activity room of [pab].

Hachiman was always there, hiding in a corner they couldn't see.

Could it be a choice between Nanaka-nee and Chisa's room? Iori's face was somewhat numb. Even if he had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to sneak into their room to check when they weren't home.

But didn't Nanaka want to teach Hachiman a lesson herself? The beautiful cousin, who had become a siscon for some unknown time, started to feel unsettled after learning that Hachiman had given Chisa the music tickets, which indirectly led to Hachiman being tied to the execution platform.

She shouldn't be able to help Hachiman unless she already knows that Hachiman doesn't have a second music ticket.

Thinking about this, Iori couldn't help but complain out loud.

"He's clearly a seasoned pro at the flower market, so why is he acting so foolish?"

Could it be that Hachiman and Chisa are truly just friends? Or has he really fallen into a sea of ​​suffering from which there is no turning back?

Iori couldn't understand it. People say that those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly. But now that he was involved, he couldn't understand why he liked someone but couldn't say it.

He inexplicably thought of Azusa-senpai, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. At the Izu Spring Festival, she had openly stated that she liked Nanaka-nee and Tokita-senpai. However, during their time together, he only sensed that she was eager to get close to Nanaka-nee, while as for Tokita-senpai, she showed only basic friendliness and no other emotions.

Perhaps Azusa-senpai prefers women to men? Even with dual-wielding, there might be a difference in the order of preference.

Why is he suddenly worried about Hachiman, when they are clearly enemies now?

Iori's face twisted in pain. That bastard, if there's no reasonable explanation, he'll definitely make him suffer naked for thirty days!

They've come here and are drinking without taking off their clothes! Do they even have a shred of the 'Pab' spirit? As the leader of the new students, he has a duty to stop this unhealthy trend!

Damn it! The more I think about it, the angrier I get! He can't afford to lose face!

Damn! Watch as he swiftly returned to defense and slashed that scoundrel under the bottle!

-

Following the road, Iori ran quickly back to 'Grand Blue'. He pushed open the door and looked into the dimly lit environment inside.

"Hachiman Hikigaya, you come out here! You dare to steal a man (Kohei)? Come out here if you dare!"

A thud came from the darkness.

What kind of talk is that? When has he ever stolen a man?

Hachiman slowly walked down the stairs, stopping halfway down the wooden steps. Shadows covered his face as he looked down at Iori.

"You're the only one left, Kitahara Iori. The crucial moment is about to arrive."

"You heartless, despicable scoundrel, bring on whatever tricks you have up your sleeve! I'm not afraid!"

Whether it's strong liquor or being stripped naked, he's used to it all! He now embodies everyone's power, and his level has surpassed its limit! He is the most perfect Glutton!

Iori walked slowly forward, and seeing his resolute expression, Hachiman's lips began to curl upward.

"Wow, instead of running away, they're actively approaching me?"

"If I don't get closer, how can I vent all my resentment?" Iori pointed with one hand, her eyes sharp. "I'll take all your clothes off!"

[Bang—]

A loud thud came from behind the sofa not far away, as if someone had bumped their head.

Hachiman's upturned lips began to twitch involuntarily. Is this guy even this funny when he's supposed to be a hero? He's about to lose his composure. And why is he taking off his clothes?

Chisa, hold Yoshihara down tight, you're almost there.

Behind the sofa.

Chisa tightly covered Yoshihara Mana's mouth. This girl, who had not yet been fully baptized by 'pab', was frightened by Iori's shocking words.

After stopping the other party to prevent exposure, Chisa sighed helplessly. Since when did she become indifferent to such ambiguous words?

Maybe it was after realizing they were all a bunch of idiots.

-

The thunderstorm finally arrived, and the sky darkened in an instant.