The Azure Sea is not a warrior with ripped clothes.

Page 197

"Wait a minute! Are these kids a little freak? Are they really that happy to see others tied to trees?!"

Watching Yu being surrounded by two children as she walked to the grill to start a fire and grill meat, Yoshihara Aina loudly complained, "I want to find out where the children's parents are. Don't let the children be led astray so easily!"

However, when her gaze swept over the calm male and female backpackers with smiles on their faces among the seniors who were already queuing with their plates, she suddenly felt that she not only couldn't fit into the Pab club, but also lacked understanding of society.

Is being carefree and heartless the current mainstream parenting method?!

"Ah~ barbecue, I want some too..."

"Even Azusa-senpai? Um... could you wait a moment!"

Before anyone could keep an eye on Azusa-senpai, she was already heading towards the barbecue. After glancing at Kouhei, who was tied to a tree and struggling desperately, Yoshihara Aina chose to have both: save Kouhei and call for Azusa-senpai!

"Hmm? What's wrong, Aina?"

"..."

Taking advantage of Azusa-senpai turning around, Yoshihara Aina quickly ran over and put Kohei down. Holding her breath, she used the teleportation skill that was common to all members of the Pab Club for the first time, "Azusa-senpai, please... please give me some life guidance!"

"Okay~ Silly Ai-chan~"

Chapter 241 What is Gratitude and Love?

In the abandoned classroom, the few remaining desks were pushed together. Hamaoka Azusa sat on one of them, legs crossed, without saying a word, her eyes staring blankly ahead.

Absolute silence enveloped the two girls, which, combined with the occasional chaotic noises coming from outside the window, made them feel especially lonely.

"...Senior Azusa, is there anything you want to ask?"

Returning to the school building that had terrified her, after the screams and the atmosphere of terror dissipated, Yoshihara Aina could only savor the desolate atmosphere from the boundless darkness, much like her Pab Club career that had almost ended.

That's right. Although she didn't show it at the campsite, she knew that she had almost done something irreversible a dozen minutes earlier.

If it weren't for Azusa-senpai's divine intervention that stopped her, even if Kohei hadn't said anything afterward, she probably wouldn't have been able to continue facing the Pab Club, which had tolerated her.

"Sigh~ It's Aina who wants life advice, isn't it?"

The contrasting combination of the wine bottle and the desk collided with a clanging sound. Unlike his usual casualness, Hamaoka Azusa was extremely serious in both her tone and actions at this moment.

She leaned down deeply and placed her hand on Aina's drooping face, gently lifting her chin.

Just as expected, they were a pair of eyes filled with an unusual mix of confusion and bewilderment.

"So if Mana isn't willing to open up first, even Amaterasu-senpai can't help you, Azusa-senpai!"

"..."

After a brief silence, Yoshihara Aina's mind was in turmoil, especially after she calmed down and thought about it. This confusion was amplified, like a spider web stuck to her hair that she couldn't get rid of no matter how hard she tried.

Moreover, a young girl's thoughts are especially private, and her introverted and sensitive nature amplifies her defenses, making her never reveal her true feelings to the outside world.

But at the same time, she also knew that she could not solve these complicated and messy things on her own. Senior Zi was probably her only and best choice!

"...Iori".

The silence was broken, and Yoshihara Aina's lips began to tremble as she uttered those two words. At the same time, her hands unconsciously clenched into fists, as if only in this way could she bring the strength to her mouth.

"I like Iori, but I don't dislike Kohei either, but now it seems like Kohei likes me..."

pat-

She clutched her head, her body trembling slightly, and tried to hold back her tears with her big eyes so that she wouldn't look so disheveled and embarrassed.

"Well... I feel like Kohei is okay with me now, but Iori... I can't refuse Kohei either, I don't want to hurt him, but accepting him would be like falling in love with someone else..."

"Okay~ Okay~"

Although she was prepared, seeing her beloved junior schoolmate crying like this, Hamaoka Azusa couldn't help but sigh with heartache—relationships are truly a pain in the ass, look how much she's hurting the child!

However, I don't think I have the right to criticize Mana. After all, if it weren't for Nanaka, she probably would have cried in bed for a long time before she could recover...

Thinking of this, she put her arms around Aina's shoulders and comforted her, "Relax, Aina, take a deep breath!"

"Hoo—! Sigh—! Burp!"

Deep breathing can help calm your emotions, but it can also cause hiccups.

Aina Yoshihara was so embarrassed by the sudden hiccup that she quickly covered her mouth. However, in her haste to cover her mouth, a snot bubble suddenly blew out with a shiver.

"puff!"

"Waaaaa-senpai!!!"

"I'm sorry~ I'm sorry! I'm professionally trained and I never laugh normally... unless I can't help it."

As expected, Mana was still the same awkward little cutie from the beginning. Hamaoka Azusa shook her head, hiding the smile on her face, and then asked in a lighter tone, "So, Mana, why are you so conflicted? Isn't it great that Kohei likes you?"

"No, it's because of Iori... I've already thought it through. If I like Iori and then accept Kohei, wouldn't I become a bad woman who's two-timing me?"

"Well~"

This was truly the first time I'd ever heard someone say they'd already decided who they liked. Hamaoka Azusa affectionately stroked Mana's head, changing her approach to coax her, "Okay, so why does Mana like Iori? Azusa-senpai, can you give me some advice?"

"...because of the Spring Festival Male Penis Contest."

Without the slightest hesitation, having already started, Yoshihara Aina no longer held back and readily revealed her feelings: "Iori was willing to help me, like a hero rescuing a damsel in distress! That's why I like him!"

"A hero rescuing a damsel in distress—what a classic scene!"

At that time, I think I was still competing with Yu for Nanaka. Hamaoka Azusa timely showed his reminiscence of the past, which instantly won Mana's complete trust!

"Right! That bastard Kudo only uses people and then discards them. Only Iori is on their side!"

"I see. Then why didn't Mana fall for Yu?"

"Ugh?"

Standing there, stunned, Yoshihara Mana, caught up in her excitement, was suddenly struck on the head by Azusa-senpai's question and turned into a complete idiot—

Why did I fall for Yu? Was Azusa-senpai drunk?

However, in fact, Hamaoka Azusa was definitely not drunk. On the contrary, moderate drinking made her mind exceptionally clear, so clear that she could pinpoint the essence of the problem!

"Yu helped back then, right? She even borrowed clothes from me, her love rival, and helped Kohei with his acting. Her role seemed to be more prominent than Iori's, right?"

"But...!"

She panicked instantly. Her mind was already foggy, and Yoshihara Mana was completely stunned as Hamaoka Azusa's combo pierced her brain.

When she forcibly introduced the variables of Kohei and Yu, she suddenly realized that her logic was flawed, just as Azusa-senpai said, if it were based on their roles in the story...

"So, I should like Yu?"

"Wait a minute!!!"

Hugging Mana's shoulders and shaking her wildly, Hamaoka Azusa was completely bewildered by this little cutie. Does rescuing a damsel in distress always mean repaying her with one's body? What kind of ingrained thought process is this, Mana!

And another thing! There are already enough wicked women secretly coveting You, and she doesn't want to create more rivals for her own love!

"Sigh... It's because of communication! Because Iori was the first to have a real conversation with Mana, and that's probably why Mana thought she liked Iori."

"……comminicate?"

"That's right!"

Bringing the overall train of thought back on track, Hamaoka Azusa was relieved that Mana didn't continue to dwell on whether or not she should like Yu, and then sincerely shared her and Yu's judgment.

"In fact, Aina, can you really distinguish between gratitude and love?"

"Should... be okay? Then how does Senior Azusa distinguish between gratitude and love! Wasn't it only after Yu saved the damsel in distress that Senior Azusa fell in love with him?"

"about this……"

Licking her lips, Hamaoka Azusa turned her head away shyly, scratching her cheek as she explained point by point: "First of all, Yu's figure is really to my liking, and we both like Nanaka, so we share the same interests. Just those two points alone are enough to make my heart flutter!"

"Ugh?"

Such a superficial reason! Yoshihara Aina squinted incredulously, trying to find any trace of lying on Azusa-senpai's face, but there was none!

In fact, she thought the other person would say something more romantic like love at first sight, but when the underlying logic of love was analyzed and the advantages were listed and presented, it always gave people a contrasting impression of being shrewd and calculating!

however……

"That's right, the hero saving the damsel in distress was just the trigger. In Kohei's words, it was like gaining a lot of goodwill."

Hamaoka Azusa, who conjures up a universe at her fingertips, is not ashamed of her scheming.

Although she has a naturally easygoing and carefree personality, it would be a big mistake to think that she is just a drunkard who likes to drink!

As a dual-wielding cowgirl, she knows better than anyone what she wants and what she likes, so she would never blindly fall in love because of a momentary feeling.

Yu is the perfect match she discovered through repeated confirmations and adjustments in life; nothing more, nothing to do with surprise or gratitude!

"..."

Yoshihara Aina's small head simply couldn't contain Azusa-senpai's life experience; her expression became blank, and she could only automatically accept the viewpoints conveyed by the other person.

"So, actually I don't like Iori?"

"No one knows the truth. In the end, you can only ask your own heart."

The idea that Miyazawa Yu first proposed was to offer new perspectives for Mana to explore on her own, without expressing any opinions.

Hamaoka Azusa felt this was a bit cruel, but it was the only feasible solution to treat Kohei and Iori equally—leave everything to Mana, only the sober Mana.

……

"Go out and experience it for yourself, without any filters or judgment about who you feel more comfortable with. That's the right attitude towards love!"

With Azusa's final admonition echoing in her mind, Yoshihara Aina sat in front of the bonfire at the banquet, lost in thought. In her eyes, besides the rising flames, were three scumbags fighting over the last piece of grilled meat.

Whom do you feel more comfortable with? That makes sense, since relationships are ultimately based on the premise of marriage and spending the rest of your life together…

I'm talking to you guys!

The fourth fork pierced the large piece of roast meat that the three parties were fighting over. Seeing that someone else dared to interfere, Miyazawa Yu immediately glared at them with a fierce, predatory look!

However, when faced with the scumbag's three consecutive glares, Kotegawa Chisa only frowned slightly, and the scumbag immediately surrendered without a fight.

There's no way around it, this thing is an unreasonable form of suppression, you can't win by going head-to-head with it!

"Really! I haven't even had a taste of Aina yet!"

"Thanks?"

Looking at the grilled meat in front of her, Yoshihara Aina was visibly terrified!

Chapter 242 Has the risk of abolishing the department been eliminated...?

Completely unaware of the psychological damage her daily concern caused to Aina, Kotegawa Chisa glanced at the upperclassmen who were having a great time playing the pole vaulting game and then kept her distance.

You should know that if you lose this game, you have to play the [MagicShow], so if you're not a big shot, it's best to stay away to avoid getting caught in the crossfire!

"Azusa-senpai, how's it going? Why does Mana look like she's lost all her soul and just wants to marry a girl and spend her whole life with her?"

Beside the campfire, Miyazawa Yu put aside his work as a barbecue chef and took a break to check on Azusa's work progress.

The effect was obvious to the naked eye. The drool that seemed to be dripping from the corner of Aina's mouth alone reflected that she was not very beautiful, and her mental state was as if she had been run over by a truck dozens of times.

"Such specific modifiers..."

For some reason, Yu always seemed to give overly vivid evaluations. Hamaoka Azusa was also puzzled as to why Mana, whom she hadn't been looking at properly for two seconds, suddenly seemed so dazed.

But in terms of the outcome of the counseling, it was absolutely top-notch. At least in the end, the other party promised not to deliberately distance themselves from Kohei or Iori, which seems to indicate that they have truly begun to face their own feelings.

"That's good... I hope she can get over her heartbreak soon."

"Speaking of which, how does Yu plan to make it up to Iori?"

Holding up a finger, Hamaoka Azusa suddenly tilted her head and flattered, as if struck by a sudden realization: "They unknowingly missed the opportunity to emulate the sages of the past!"

"Hmm...the difference between people can sometimes be much greater than the difference between people and dogs. I just helped him resolve a chaotic situation! Iori should be thanking me!"

That's what she said, but Miyazawa Yu still looked at Iori, who, even without any talent, still fiercely challenged her seniors, and a trace of guilt was hard-won in her eyes.

Even if the reason is justified, I have genuinely dismantled one of this guy's ladders, which is a serious breach of duty as a brother!

Given this guy's heartless nature...

"Wow! How can someone this short even fit through here?!"

"Don't underestimate your senior, Iori!"

"Wow! Give this kid a little taste of seniority!"