The azure sea, but a lonely, fulfilled life.

Hachiman, standing on the stairs, and Iori, standing on the platform, looked at each other. At this moment, the all-powerful "Greed" and the all-consuming "Gluttony" were like two equal weights on a scale, and the final victory would be determined by their own collision.

An invisible chessboard unfolds.

"My turn!" Iori pulled out [Rage] from her pocket and threw it at Hachiman. The bouncy ball, thrown with her superb skill, drew a perfect arc in the air, and a blurry afterimage appeared in its trajectory. That was Mitarai, with tears in his eyes, being forcibly pulled down with his underwear pulled down!

"Heh, the same trick again?"

Hachiman already knew about this special skill of his opponent back in the women's beauty pageant. Now, to try and use the same trick again is naive, incredibly naive! A true warrior will not be defeated by the same old tricks!

[Sigh]

Iori looked at the fallen Mitarai, then at the object in Hachiman's hand in disbelief.

"Defense, Yamamoto's treasured DV."

Hachiman was holding up a DV with a provocative cover; it was the very thing he used to defeat Mitarai.

"Your turn is over! It's my turn!" Hachiman summoned an item from behind him. "Summon Monster! Mitarai's Underwear!"

Kitahara Iori suffered ten points of damage due to mental pollution.

"My eyes, my eyes!"

Iori covered her eyes in anguish. Mitarai was wearing such flashy red lace underwear! Was this his zodiac year?

"I won't admit defeat!"

His eyes were bloodshot as he pulled out four wooden plaques representing lust, sloth, pride, and envy. At the same time, four enormous figures appeared behind him.

"What?!!!"

Hachiman was stunned, feeling as if he had been punched several times.

[Hachiman Hikigaya is injured by four livestock and is on the verge of death.]

Iori walked to his side with an indifferent expression, looking down at Hachiman.

"how come?"

"What you didn't expect is that I have a group of reliable comrades-in-arms."

Yamamoto, Fujiwara, Nojima, Mitarai, he will never forget your voices and appearances.

Adhering to the idea that villains die from talking too much, Iori took out the photo from his pocket, turned it over, and stared at the bright red words "Gluttony".

"You've lost, Hachiman."

"Yeah, I lost."

Hachiman chuckled helplessly and tossed something to Iori: "This is your prize."

Iori reached out and caught it, holding it in her hand.

He opened his right hand, and in it lay the very thing that symbolized the end: greed. Everything was over.

Hmm? Why are there uneven marks on the back of this sign?

Iori flipped over, staring at the marks carved with a knife above.

"Happy birthday?"

As the lights came on and cannons fired, the members who had been hiding in various parts of the room appeared in the living room.

Iori looked at them and saw that not only Chisa and her seniors, but also Fujiwara and Yamamoto, who had already died, were there.

"What's going on?" He was a little confused and asked blankly.

Nojima and Kohei put their arms around his shoulders with a big smile. Nojima nudged his chest and said, "We were just wondering what happened. You didn't even tell us about your birthday, which is such a big deal. We're your best friends."

"Yeah, Iori, birthdays are more fun when everyone celebrates together." Hamaoka Azusa raised her glass, clearly already in high spirits.

"Sister Zi."

"Happy birthday, Iori. Here, take this as the birthday person."

A birthday crown was placed on his head.

"Happy birthday." Chisa walked up to Iori with a gift box and handed it to him.

Following her was Mana, her face flushed with embarrassment. She looked away and muttered softly, "Happy birthday, Iori."

Iori, who had inexplicably accepted two gifts, turned to look at Hachiman, who was getting up from the ground. His mind was in a mess, which meant it was time to activate his external brain.

"What exactly is going on, Hachiman?"

Wasn't this supposed to be a prank game? How did it suddenly turn into a happy ending with everyone making dumplings?

Hachiman smiled faintly: "Isn't it already quite clear?"

-

Time returns to morning.

He'll make those despicable bastards pay! He'll show them what a real surprise is!

"Speaking of which, Iori's birthday is coming up soon."

Cast the line, make a slight movement, scoop it up, and you're out.

Toshio Kotegawa kneaded the bait as if it were nothing and placed it on the hook, ready to feed the fish.

"Iori's birthday?" Hachiman asked in confusion, as this was the first time he had ever heard of it.

"Yes, July 3rd, my birthday."

The store manager replied.

-

So that's the situation.

Considering that the other party was about to face an important day in their lives, Hachiman wanted to punish them while also making Iori feel happy, so he came up with this game.

After punishing each person, he would inform them of the news, and they all cooperated so that their best friend could have a happy birthday.

"So Iori, it's not that there's only one mole, but only one player."

His words stirred Iori's emotions. He looked at everyone, then at the "Happy Birthday" banner they had made behind him, and couldn't help but cover his face with his hands to hide his tears.

"But today isn't my birthday."

The smiles on everyone's faces froze instantly.

"I was born in the last month of the lunar calendar, which is December."

"But the store manager said it's your birthday today!"

Everyone turned their attention to Toshio Kotegawa, who looked completely bewildered: "Iori, isn't today your birthday?"

"Uncle, you're mistaken. Today is Xiao Kan's birthday."

His sister's birthday is July 3rd.

Kotegawa Toshio opened his eyes slightly, and after a long while, he let out a soft "Ah~" as he touched his dwindling hair.

"Oh dear, I'm getting old, I get confused."

The lively atmosphere at the scene fell silent at that moment.

"So, everything we did was for nothing, right?" Yamamoto's words broke the silence.

Chisa looked at Hachiman, who also had an unexpectedly hesitant expression. She walked to his side and tugged at his sleeve. As her partner, Hachiman understood what she meant, so he turned slightly to listen.

Iori stood in the center of the crowd. He seemed to have ruined the fun, but he didn't want to suddenly become a year older. Otherwise, he might be called "uncle" by the little kids.

"How could it all be for nothing?"

Hachiman spoke calmly as he walked over to Iori, patted him on the shoulder, and Iori turned to look at him. Hachiman gave him a reassuring look.

"Since the ceremony has already been prepared, let's just change the person who should be celebrating the birthday to someone else."

"Hachiman, do you mean to replace her with Iori's sister?" Hamaoka Azusa smiled, understanding what he meant.

"Yes."

“But Iori’s sister isn’t here right now.”

Nojima said awkwardly, "Can a birthday celebration even count if the main character isn't there?"

"It doesn't matter. No matter how far away the blessing is, it will surely reach the person who is being blessed."

Hachiman took a step forward, his back to Iori. His not-so-broad figure made the latter feel especially at ease. As expected of his strategist, he could easily bring the atmosphere back on track.

"Besides! Iori's sister isn't here, so we can find someone to impersonate her, don't you think, Iori?"

"That's right!"

Trusting the other party and caught up in the current emotions, Iori agreed to Hachiman's words without hesitation.

After he finished responding, he smacked his lips, as if something was off.

Who can impersonate Xiao Shiori?

All eyes were on him, and Iori finally realized what was happening, his face displaying a particularly comical expression.

"Could it be..." He pointed to himself with a trembling hand.

Hachiman patted him on the shoulder again, leaving no need for words.

Mana Yoshihara: "It seems my wig is still in the event room."

Hamaoka Azusa: "I brought lipstick~"

Chisa: "I have a few clothes I don't need that I can lend you. As for makeup, you can leave it to your older sister."

Nanaka: "Eh? What? Chisa's request? I'll definitely do my best."

Iori looked dejected. He thought he was the winner of the game, but in the end, he was still going to be the one to get messed with.

This prank is absolutely awful!

Shinji Tokita and Ryujiro Kotobuki exchanged a glance. Although they didn't understand why things had turned out this way, they decided to drink up and forget all their unhappiness!

This is more like their 'pab' style!

--split line--

It was late at night, and Iori sat at the table, tapping the keyboard on her phone with two fingers.

[Xiao Kan, today is your birthday. Happy birthday! I've made many good friends here, and after learning it was your birthday, they specially threw you a birthday party. I attended on your behalf, and they wish you a happy birthday too.]

……

Friends? That good-for-nothing older brother actually made friends?

Are there still women present?

No, what if that guy really gets a girlfriend and doesn't want to come back?

It seems I need to go there and take a look.

Chapter Thirteen: Chisa's Heartfelt Thoughts

After the birthday mix-up that day, everyone in 'pab' had a peaceful period of time.

Chisa's Room

In front of the bright full-length mirror, the beautiful girl was holding a pink dress in front of her, trying it on. Her beautiful eyelashes trembled slightly, and her pearly white teeth unconsciously bit her lower lip. Every subtle movement expressed her dissatisfaction with the dress.

She's going to a concert tonight, but she hasn't decided what to wear yet. She's not satisfied with either casual wear or a dress meant for formal occasions.

The former would make her seem perfunctory, while the latter would make her seem very serious; she doesn't want people to know that she's looking forward to it.

Chisa picked up a light gray textile shirt and held it in front of her for comparison. Two seconds later, she threw the shirt down and collapsed onto the bed, her cheeks puffed out slightly, making her look just like a chipmunk hiding its food.

This one is not good at all!

What should I wear to a rock concert?

The girl buried her face in the pillow, rolling around on the bed until she could hardly breathe, before finally putting the pillow aside.

Her cheeks, flushed from lack of oxygen, resembled a tender pink peach. Chisa stared blankly into her watery, light brown eyes at the square wall lamp on the ceiling. She couldn't quite understand why she was worried about such a thing.

Is she really that interested in rock music?

I'd never really heard of it before.