"I'm telling you, why don't you just go out…"
"Hurry up and get out there to take your punishment already!"
"You two are just watching from the sidelines like it's none of your business! Don't forget how I ended up like this!!!"
In a grassy area on campus, a trio was hiding.
Outside, a beautiful girl wielding an iron rod was prowling around. Judging by her expression, if she found them, she would tear them apart!
This made Shiro feel like he was playing a live-action version of Identity V.
But… this whole situation had nothing to do with him or Kohei, okay?!
Chisa was after that idiot Kitahara! They were only dragged into this mess by force!
"You should go out, it'll be over in an instant."
"Yeah, an instant before I end up in a body bag, right?! You two bastards aren't getting away either—"
!!!
The three of them trembled and shrank into the grass.
Just now!
At that very moment!
Before Iori could even finish speaking, all three of them felt an overwhelmingly terrifying presence!
As for how they could tell… well, it was pure survival instinct honed from running away from beasts!
If they didn't have at least this level of awareness, there was no way they could survive in PaB!
"Is… is it Chisa?"
Shiro swallowed hard. That aura just now was bone-chilling. Something was watching them!
"It's not Chisa…"
Iori crouched lower. He was way too familiar with Chisa's presence. This wasn't the same. This aura…
"This is the smell of heavy makeup!"
"Found you!!!"
A hand reached into the grass, followed by a face like a ghost!
!!!
The sudden appearance of the figure scared the trio so much that Shiro nearly fainted. If it weren't broad daylight, he probably would have passed out on the spot!
"That makeup…"
"It's the Makeup Monster!"
They immediately recognized the devilish figure. Thankfully, the sun was still up—otherwise, there might have been a real accident!
"Hey, you!"
The Makeup Monster grabbed Kohei by the shoulder. She had found her target!
"W-What is it…"
Kohei panicked, his mind racing through everything he'd done in the past few days. No way… Just a moment ago, Iori was the one being hunted, and now it's him? Had he interacted with a real-life girl recently?!
"Go out with me…"
A shy voice rang in their ears. The girl's eyes darted away. If it weren't for the thick makeup, they might have seen her blushing.
The trio froze.
This… this was something they never expected to happen!
"Go out… with you?"
Kohei was dumbfounded. Was he just… confessed to?
"Yes! What's the problem?!"
The Makeup Monster leaned in closer to Kohei, her thickly powdered scent wafting into his face!
"Hold on a second! I don't even know your name…"
Kohei was panicking. He wasn't against dating or anything, but not with the Makeup Monster! Couldn't it be a voice actress?! Or at least someone with similar interests?!
"Yoshiwara Aina! First-year student at Oumi Girls' Academy! That's enough, right?!"
The Makeup Monster shouted at the top of her lungs. She was already shy enough—this took every ounce of her courage!
"No, no, not even a little bit!!!"
Kohei struggled desperately. There was no way he was dating someone who didn't even know how to apply makeup properly! Plus, this girl was probably as much of an idiot as Kitahara!
"Ah, congratulations, Kohei. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness."
"Boohoo, love really comes when you least expect it. Don't worry, I'll pass on the good news to our seniors. Oh, and how about using 'Aqua Vitae' for your wedding toast?"
Iori and Shiro backed away furiously, offering their "blessings." Shiro even looked like he was about to cry, as if Kohei really was getting married.
SLAM!!
Two hands, veins bulging, grabbed onto them. "You two were just going to leave me?!"
"Well, we just wanted to give you some private space."
"Yeah, don't worry, just try not to get killed."
"You bastards!!! Trying to ditch me at a time like this?! And what do you mean by 'try not to get killed'?! We're talking about the Makeup Monster here!!!"
"So what? When the sun sets, she—"
"What the hell are you two even talking about?! And Kohei, you were the one who acted like you didn't even know me during the beauty pageant!"
"..."
The Makeup Monster stared at the bickering trio, and the courage she had just barely built up crumbled completely.
"Enough already!"
She yelled before turning and running off. There was no point in dragging this out any longer.
The trio stopped fighting, watching her leave with bewildered expressions.
"…What just happened?"
"That was a girl from the daytime tennis club, right?"
"Kohei, your love life is taking off. If you ignore the makeup, she actually has a nice face."
"..."
"You guys were here all along."
Tokita's voice rang out behind them. He and Kotobuki had been searching for them for ages. They never expected to find them hiding in the bushes. If it weren't for the ruckus just now, they might not have even noticed.
"What were you guys doing just now?"
Kotobuki asked curiously. He thought he saw a girl running away from the bushes.
Hearing the question, the trio was left speechless.
Especially Kohei. This whole situation once again made him realize how terrifying reality could be.
"…Even if you ask me, I don't really know how to explain it."
What was he supposed to say? That he was just confessed to by the Makeup Monster? Or that he was abandoned by these two assholes?
"Well… I guess you could call it youth."
Even if it was the Makeup Monster, it was still a confession. Maybe… this was what they called youth.
"Ah, Kohei almost got into a passionate encounter out here and wouldn't let Kitahara and me leave."
!!!
Kohei looked at Shiro in horror. Do you even hear the nonsense coming out of your mouth?!!!