Men are boys until the day they die

After another day of training, Akagi Shinji decided to soak in a hot spring after dinner.

Everyone in the Jashin Cult might look vicious, kill without a second thought, and hold life in utter contempt.

But when it came to enjoying themselves, these executioners and lunatics never skimped.

There was a large open-air hot spring behind the sprawling base.

He didn't particularly like bathing with that crowd, though, so he took a detour to a smaller, more secluded hot spring pool.

But when he arrived, the person he found there surprised him.

"Hidan, you idiot?"

"Shinji, you bastard!?"

Of all the places to run into his nemesis...

Shinji clicked his tongue twice as he looked at Hidan, who sat in the hot spring looking as though he'd seen a ghost. Annoyed as he was, Shinji didn't immediately turn around and leave.

If he left now, Hidan would undoubtedly take it as him running away out of fear, which would only fuel the guy's arrogance.

That went against the basic rules of pickup-artist manipulation.

First, he had to make Hidan doubt himself and start imagining things. Only then could he try giving him a little reward.

Repeat that enough times, and he'd probably start seeing results.

So, figuring he was already there anyway, Shinji ignored Hidan outright, quickly stripped off his clothes, and entered the water as far away from him as possible.

Then he let out a long, contented breath.

Watching Shinji enter the water and slowly close his eyes, Hidan seemed to breathe a sigh of relief too.

At first, he'd thought Shinji had come specifically to mess with him. After all, he'd experienced firsthand just how "terrifying" the guy could be.

But now it seemed to have been a misunderstanding. He'd been jumping at shadows.

Was this guy really just here for a soak?

Tch, just my rotten luck!

Even here, I still run into him...

Hidan thought sourly.

The thought that he'd come to such a remote spot at this hour and still managed to run into that detestable bastard Shinji made him especially pissed off!

The more he tried to put up with it, the angrier he got. The more he tried to back down, the more cheated he felt.

Fight him again?

There really wasn't any need. They fought every day, so what difference would one more or one less make?

Besides, even if he scraped out a win, it'd still be hard to drive Shinji away.

More importantly, his plan to enjoy a nice, relaxing soak would go completely down the drain!

Was there some other way to get even?

Hidan thought it over, and an idea suddenly came to him.

If I lasted longer than that bastard, wouldn't that prove that the great Hidan was still better?!

Hidan's eyes immediately lit up. Without bothering to inform Shinji, he decided on this utterly inexplicable contest all by himself.

Whoever caves first is the loser!

Hidan chuckled, and even his tense body relaxed completely. It seemed he was already awarding himself a mental victory.

Sensing something, Shinji opened his eyes, looking utterly baffled.

This guy... why does his gaze look so sleazy!

Shinji frowned slightly. Don't tell me this guy's gay?

A chill ran through him, and he nearly broke out in goose bumps.

Ugh, why bother competing with an idiot? Forget it. I'm leaving.

Just as Shinji could no longer stand Hidan's "heated" gaze and was about to leave, the bizarre system suddenly triggered another mission!

He froze for a few seconds before checking it.

[Your bond-linked character, Hidan, has challenged you!]

Mission: [Hot Spring God of War]

Objective: Stay in the hot spring longer than Hidan.

Rewards: Cursed Treasure Map ×1, cursed soul points ×500, bond points +20

PS: I've reserved this entire fishpond for you... pfft, no! There can only be one "standing god" in this hot spring.

When rivals meet on a narrow path, the brave prevail! So draw your sword, young man! Accept?

Fuck!

Even though this had happened before, Shinji still had more complaints bottled up inside him than he could possibly spit out!

Draw your fucking sword?

What, are we playing hide the sausage here?

Believe me, the mighty censor will pop out and swallow you whole any second!

And what the hell is that moron Hidan even thinking?

Does he really think this is a bathhouse? Or a sauna?

For the sake of some inexplicable male pride, he'd rather get cooked alive than leave first, just so he could prove who was better?!

How childish can you get!

[Accept?]

[Accept!]

Shinji accepted the mission without the slightest hesitation, a perfect example of eating his own words.

Complaining was one thing, but he still had to do the mission. After all, he welcomed rewards no matter how small!

Hidan, you really are Daddy's good boy! Shinji couldn't help sighing inwardly.

This wasn't the first time he'd milked Hidan for rewards. Apart from him, this lousy system hadn't triggered a single mission involving anyone else.

How infuriating was that!

So even though he knew better than to keep fleecing the same sheep, he had no choice. Hidan would just have to experience the world's pain ahead of schedule.

Shinji took a deep breath and closed his eyes again.

He was ready. He would soak in this hot spring until the end of time, and no one could talk him out of it!

Meanwhile, Hidan was secretly digging in too, determined to outlast him.

And so, in this muddled fashion, the two began a battle of wills!

Time ticked steadily by...

It wasn't until the next morning, when Cult Leader Takihata arrived at the Training Room, that he discovered something strange: neither Hidan nor Shinji was there?!

"Where are Hidan and Shinji? Why aren't they here yet?" Cult Leader Takihata asked expressionlessly.

Someone beside him hesitated, then answered awkwardly, "The two of them... are soaking in the hot spring."

"Hm? Do they have any idea what time it is? Why are they soaking in a hot spring this early in the morning? Hurry up and bring them here!"

"That's not quite it, Cult Leader. Actually... they've been soaking there since last night. I sent people to fetch them ages ago, but from the look of things, they're at loggerheads again. Neither of them is willing to get out first."

"Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!"

Cult Leader Takihata seemed angry. He turned and headed outside, determined to see what those two troublemakers were up to!

When he reached the hot spring, he discovered that quite a few cult members had already gathered there.

They had probably all heard that the two had soaked in the hot spring all night and still refused to come out, and had come specifically to watch the spectacle.

"What are you two doing? Why haven't you gone to the Training Room?"

Cult Leader Takihata stepped past the crowd, walked over, and looked into the pool as he questioned them.

Honestly, most people couldn't withstand being watched by so many others without nerves of steel and an exceptionally thick skin.

But clearly, neither Shinji nor Hidan was the sort to care what others thought.

One was after the mission rewards, while the other simply didn't want to lose.

So even with the Cult Leader personally ordering them, neither would get out.

They both had [Immortality] anyway, so they might as well keep waiting each other out!