T/N:
I thought this fic is a pure Grand Blue with no other mix in it, imagine my reaction when I found traces of solid evidence(20 ch from now) that this will be a mash-up.
So yeahh, theirs a chance that our boi here will probably have a harem.
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After a thorough discussion between a scumbag, an idiot, and an otaku, they finally came up with a perfect plan to deal with Chisa's natural airheadedness!
"Get Chisa drunk and take away her ability to make rational decisions!"
"Then, trick her into signing up for the beauty pageant!"
"If we fail, we're going straight to jail and eating prison pork cutlet, got it?!!!"
Shiro immediately regretted everything. He had definitely boarded a pirate ship.
Sure, Chisa was a natural airhead… but she wasn't alone, she had a female demon right beside her!
Damn it, 50,000 yen wasn't enough, he was raising the interest next time!
"Oh man! Kohei, Kamishiro, it's really hot today, isn't it?"
"Yeah, Iori, getting heatstroke now would be bad~"
"Let's prepare some refreshing, cooling drinks for everyone, Iori~"
At this point, Shiro had no way of backing out, so he simply followed along as the other two struck exaggerated, cringe-worthy poses.
But seriously, why the hell were they posing just to say a few words? Were they afraid people wouldn't notice they were up to something?!
Azusa, watching their theatrical performance, smirked.
If it were just Kohei and Iori, she might not have suspected anything.
But she knew Shiro too well; the moment she saw him like this, she knew they were plotting something.
No way.
No way in hell was she going to let these clueless kids start some nonsense before they even learned how to properly make Okonomiyaki~
Unaware that they had already been exposed, the scheming trio proceeded to prepare their special drinks!
Naturally, this task was left entirely to Shiro.
After all… there was no way they were letting him anywhere near the iron plate again! The last time he touched it, the whole thing smelled like it had been dragged straight out of hell!
Shiro grabbed a bottle of alcohol in one hand and a bottle of regular oolong tea in the other.
Since their target was only Chisa, they only needed two drinks! Kitahara could deliver it for them.
As for Azusa-nee?
Yeah, no way in hell were they giving her anything! That woman was too damn sharp!
Finally, the drinks were ready!
One PaB (Pure Alcohol Bomb) Oolong Tea and one regular Oolong Tea sat in Shiro's hands!
He shot Iori a look, the one on the right had alcohol!
With alcohol this strong, Chisa wouldn't possibly be able to stay sober!
Iori received the message loud and clear. Without hesitation, he picked up both drinks, plastered a bright, innocent smile on his face, and approached Chisa.
"Chisa! Here, have a drink!"
"Sorry, my hands are full right now. Maybe later."
Chisa, fully focused on her Okonomiyaki, rejected him without even looking up.
At that moment, Azusa 'coincidentally' appeared, and promptly took the other drink from Iori's hands.
"Then I guess this one's mine~"
Iori was left standing there, frozen, holding the PaB version of the Oolong Tea.
"You're not drinking? But if you don't, you'll get heatstroke~"
Azusa smiled at Iori, a devilish glint in her wisteria-colored eyes.
"There's nothing weird in here… is there~?"
Her gaze shifted towards Shiro, sharp and knowing.
"Ahaha, of course not, Kitahara! Drink! Let's drink right now!"
Shiro, trembling like a rabbit cornered by a tiger, immediately forced the PaB Oolong Tea down Kitahara's throat.
Sorry, Kitahara, but I'm not changing the interest rate!
The burning sensation made Iori suffer, but in order to not get caught, he forced himself to drink every last drop!
Azusa, satisfied, nodded and returned to guiding Chisa.
Gotta say, Chisa had serious talent for making Okonomiyaki!
"What the hell is wrong with you?!"
The moment the devil left, Iori snapped back to life, grabbing Shiro by the collar.
"That was completely out of my control!!!"
Shiro protested, he had no other choice! If Kitahara hadn't drunk it, they would've been exposed!
"Give me another chance! Azusa-nee already drank one, so there's no way she'd take another!"
Shiro was determined. He had to provide his ATM machine—er, Iori—with top-notch service!
That was the duty of every service professional!
Though reluctant, Iori had no choice but to trust Shiro again. He needed to learn how to make okonomiyaki from Kohei.
If there wasn't enough okonomiyaki by noon, he had no doubt their seniors would devour them instead!
As Iori walked away, Shiro reopened the whiskey and vodka.
This time, he had to succeed!
"What are you doing?"
Before he could begin, a voice from above sent chills down his spine.
With a stiff turn of his head, he saw Chisa looking at him with a puzzled expression...
Chisa?!!!
She glanced at the alcohol in his hands and instantly understood what was happening.
With a sigh, she poured herself a cup of regular oolong tea.
"You guys really like playing these kinds of games, huh?"
"Eh?"
Shiro had already planned how to pin all the blame on Iori and Kohei once he got caught.
But… what did she mean?
"You're making this for Imamura and Iori, right? One cup won't be enough. Here, take this. But don't go overboard."
Shiro silently took the cup Chisa handed him, then looked at the alcohol beside him and the girl who had no intention of leaving.
He was enlightened.
Kohei, Iori… I suddenly feel a little sorry for you guys.
Step, step, step.
Shiro walked with heavy steps towards his two unfortunate comrades.
"Kohei, Iori, have some tea!"
Due to their financial dealings, neither of them had any suspicions and downed the oolong tea in one gulp!
The burning sensation in their throats instantly sent them into a comedic fit, their faces twisting in agony.
Surrounded by the two glaring figures, Shiro turned his head away, unable to meet their eyes.
"Sorry, guys. This was an act of God..."
"What the hell?! How does this look like an act of God?! Also, I didn't even do anything! I was just making okonomiyaki! Why do I have to drink this stuff?!"
"Did you betray us?! I PAID for this service!"
The two were now doubting Shiro's loyalty!
"Impossible! We service workers have integrity!"
At Iori's accusation, Shiro instantly stood firm.
He had been providing excellent service for so long and was widely praised! He couldn't let Iori tarnish his reputation!
Iori and Kohei hesitated. Could he really have some kind of service philosophy?
"Hmph! You dare question your service provider?! With guests like you, I usually blacklist them! So, your service is now TERMINATED!"
Shiro waved his hand, unilaterally ending the service and sprinting off in the opposite direction!
Smack!
Two powerful arms locked around Shiro.
With expressions like terrifying giants, Iori and Kohei loomed over him.
"So you were planning to run, huh?!"
"Running away with the money?!"
"..."
"Uh… calm down, guys. Service providers are human too… we have emotions, right?"
But the two enraged men ignored his pleas and unleashed a relentless barrage of punches!
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
"Noooo!!!"
Chisa silently sipped her oolong tea as she watched the scene unfold.
She wasn't surprised in the slightest. The moment Shiro had reached for the alcohol, she had foreseen this outcome.
Though, there was one thing she was curious about.
"Didn't you guys notice it was all alcohol?"
Hearing Chisa's words, the two paused their beatdown and thought about it seriously.
Now that she mentioned it…
"Not at all."
"Honestly, everything has tasted like alcohol lately."
"Yeah, I even thought my apple cider had fermented."
"..."
Chisa stared at the three of them and suddenly felt this was all incredibly absurd.
Was there really any point in saving them? They seemed to be enjoying this lifestyle.
"I think… you three should consider changing your ways."
Being the kind-hearted person she was, Chisa decided to give them a word of advice. Whether they listened or not… wasn't her problem.
"Hey! You guys, get back to practicing!"
Azusa called out from the side.
They couldn't afford to waste time bullying Shiro! There was always time for that later!
"Coming!"