Water Chapter Incoming~

"Water Style! Great Dam Water Rush!"

"Cut it out."

Satoshi Satonaka elbowed Naoki Shimizu, who was splashing around nearby, and let out a sigh with a look of utter helplessness.

"Ow..."

"Exactly, exactly," U Amakusa chimed in.

You two aren't any better, Satoshi Satonaka silently retorted in his mind. Playing with water while doing the dishes? Are you children?

At least finish the dishes before you start messing around, honestly.

The three of them were dealing with the dishes from dinner; one person scrubbed with detergent, the second rinsed with clean water, and the last dried them with a towel.

It had to be said, their coordination had evolved from their initial clumsiness into something resembling a factory assembly line.

Since the workload wasn't heavy to begin with, the dishwashing was finished in just a few minutes.

U Amakusa thought this was actually quite nice—a simple, unadorned school life with a few close friends, occasionally spiced up with a bit of romantic comedy.

His frequency of chatting with Sakura on Line was gradually increasing, though he knew that he alone wasn't enough to make her truly step out of her own world.

In fact, he didn't even consider himself a real friend to Sakura, given that U Amakusa admitted he had ulterior motives regarding her.

At the very beginning, U Amakusa had only intended to coast through life, eating and drinking his fill.

However, every person from the Middle Kingdom has a certain obsession: since you're already here, you might as well go all the way.

Wouldn't it be a disservice to himself if he didn't build a harem?

"Alright," Satoshi Satonaka clapped his hands, as if to say the job was done. "Want to play something? It's still early, anyway."

They had eaten dinner together, and since the Advanced Nurturing dorms were all in one massive building—the kind where boys and girls lived in the same complex—the only difference between the genders was the floor they lived on.

"Sure, sure! What should we play?"

You're the most eager one here.

As soon as he heard the word "play," Naoki Shimizu reacted as if triggered, scrambling over to sit at the table.

"I'm fine with anything."

U Amakusa took their suggestions, placed a few bottles of drinks on the table, and sat down to the left of Naoki Shimizu.

He looked at the drinks on the table; three were carbonated, and only one was barley tea. U Amakusa placed the barley tea directly in front of Sanada.

"Thanks."

Sanada whispered his thanks, pulled the tab on the bottle with one hand, took a sip, and set it back on the table.

That bottle of barley tea had been prepared specifically for Sanada, as U Amakusa and the other two could be said to be birds of a feather.

But then again... perhaps not entirely? Theoretically, they were all carbonated drinks, yet they were all different.

Naoki Shimizu was drinking Mitsuya, while U Amakusa and Satoshi Satonaka were both drinking Cola—though one was Coke and the other Pepsi.

The two of them had even argued about it before; U Amakusa thought Coke was better, while Satoshi Satonaka preferred Pepsi.

In reality, both had their own merits—one was just fizzier, and the other was a bit sweeter.

(A conclusion drawn from the author's years of experience drinking Cola.)

"What are we playing? You brought it up, Satoshi Satonaka, so you decide," Naoki Shimizu said, unable to sit still.

Satoshi Satonaka scratched his head and said, "Uh, I haven't thought of anything yet. I just figured since we'd be lying around on our phones anyway, we might as well play something together."

U Amakusa suggested, "Video games?"

Sanada asked, confused, "A mobile game that all four of us can play together?"

"..."

Right. U Amakusa's room didn't have any equipment for four-player gaming; all they had were their phones.

U Amakusa quickly waved his hand. "Never mind, then."

It wasn't that there weren't four-player mobile games, but it was obvious that Sanada would have to download one, and he didn't look like the type to be into gaming.

Just as the three of them were at a loss, Sanada stepped up.

"How about... Truth or Dare? I have these cards in my room; some girls from class left them here after they finished playing."

"Sure, sure!" Naoki Shimizu agreed without a moment's hesitation.

U Amakusa couldn't help but roll his eyes; he was certain that if someone suggested shoveling manure, Naoki Shimizu would still say "sure."

"I'm down, I guess."

Seeing that both U Amakusa and Naoki Shimizu agreed, Satoshi Satonaka didn't want to refuse, as he truly didn't know what else they could play.

In truth, part of the reason was U Amakusa; his room was minimalist, and there was almost nothing interesting in it.

If he really had to name something, it would only be Orange.

"Meow~"

When Sanada returned to his room to retrieve the Truth or Dare cards, Naoki Shimizu pondered the situation from every angle, feeling that something was not quite right.

"Why would a girl's belongings be kept at Sanada's place?"

Naoki Shimizu posed the soul-searching question.

However, U Amakusa and Satoshi Satonaka did not fall into confusion; the two exchanged a glance and smiled imperceptibly.

"?????"

U Amakusa shook his head and reached out to pat Naoki Shimizu on the shoulder.

"Remember what I said before? There are some things you are better off not knowing."

"Huh?"

Satoshi Satonaka spread his hands and said, "Look at us—which one of us isn't a handsome guy? Leaving things with Sanada gives them a reason to seek him out again; it's obviously intentional."

That may have been the case, but such a situation never occurred for U Amakusa or Satoshi Satonaka.

Satoshi Satonaka was perhaps too eager to stand alone, keeping others at a distance, so naturally, no one would cling to him.

As for U Amakusa...

It seemed there was no need to say anything more.

"So, how shall we decide who draws first?" Sanada placed the cards on the table and looked at the three of them to ask.

"Let's just use rock-paper-scissors; it's simple and fast."

"I agree."