Let's do it again, Yukino.

I feel a little cold.

Because I was in the light drizzle,

Going alone

My palms and forehead were wet.

I don't know when it started, but I've become so gloomy.

It seems that as long as we stay here,

It can bring light.

Tell me about your day.

Trivial matters that I neither knew nor expected.

The quiet and sweltering daytime,

Everything is quietly changing in the whispers of the raindrops.

I listened to these sounds.

I don't know when, but I fell asleep again as usual.

—From "The Words of Rain"

Chapter Three: People Like Me

"Kasuga-kun, is there something you need from me?"

In Group F, Aizawa Shoko looked at the handsome young man who had approached her. Her flustered expression softened her voice, making her voice sound unnaturally gentle.

After not seeing her for many days, her face, which had been made up with light makeup and looked radiant, now had an even more rosy glow.

"It's like this..."

After leaving Yukino-sensei's office, the second person Kasuga thought of after getting Yukino-sensei's recommendation was this girl she had met shortly after her rebirth.

After all, her first impression of this girl was really not good, and she was the only girl she had ever bullied or laid a hand on since her rebirth. To be honest, Chunri felt a little guilty and apologetic.

Compared to the girl's unruly demeanor and the fiery impetuosity of a hot girl when they first met, Aizawa Shoko now exudes the composure of a quiet young woman.

Perhaps this is what people often mean when they say that girls grow up faster than boys can imagine.

Thinking about it carefully, perhaps every girl has experienced a period that only her younger self considers "worthy of praise and tears." The sudden, sharp pain in the chest, the monthly aches and pains in the lower abdomen at the beginning, and the warm, dull ache when thinking of someone.

When all three pains happen at the same time, she thinks she has become the saddest person in the world. However, as she gradually gets used to the pain, it means that she has truly grown up.

Is not it?

After finding a quiet place, Aizawa listened attentively to the boy's story, then looked at the recommendation book in Haruhi's hand and asked a question in return.

"I see. So you're the student council president? I can just fill in my name here, is that what you mean?"

"Well, if you don't want to, you can choose to refuse, and I won't blame you."

"It's not that I'm unwilling, it's just that I'm curious, why did you choose to become the student council president, Kasuga-kun?"

Although he had liked the boy in front of him, objectively speaking, in Aizawa's first impression, the boy in front of him did not seem like the kind of boy who would sacrifice himself for the students of the whole school.

In her opinion, the boy had no need to run for such a thankless and demanding position.

Do you really have to tell me?

"If you don't want to tell me, Kasuga-kun, I won't force you."

The girl shook her head, naturally accepted the recommendation book that Chunri handed her, and wrote her name on it.

Aizawa Shoko

The handwriting is quite delicate and beautiful, reflecting a quiet and refined style.

"Heh...you know, guys, doing things they're not really good at, there aren't many reasons for that, right?"

He chuckled dryly, and even he, who was usually thick-skinned, became a little shy.

"...I know, it's the girl Kasuga-kun mentioned to me before, right?"

She was no longer the simple, hot girl she used to be. Seeing Haruhi's expression, Aizawa Shoko nodded knowingly and said nothing more.

"Well, that's all I can do. As for the rest, I wish you success, Kasuga-kun. I will definitely support you. I really look forward to Kasuga-kun becoming the student council president of Soubu High School."

"Thank you,"

Haruhi couldn't continue chatting with the girl in front of him. He took the notebook, glanced at Aizawa, and seemed to recall the scene of the girl crying and biting his wrist. He smiled awkwardly.

"I am the one who should thank Kasuga-kun. You made up for my regret back then. If it weren't for you, Yukino-sensei's departure might have been a knot in my heart that I could never get rid of for the rest of my life. Thank you so much for allowing me to correct my past mistakes. Thank you so much, Kasuga-kun."

The girl took a deep breath, bowed to Chunri, and expressed her gratitude to him.

Haruhi shook her head: "You're welcome. Besides, Aizawa, you really are a good girl. You'll definitely meet the person you truly like in the future."

Let past confessions be like scraps of paper scattered by the wind, buried deep in our hearts.

"Thank you for your kind words. I will do my best. If there is nothing more for me, then I will take my leave. Take care, Kasuga-kun."

It seemed there were things she wanted to say, but in the end she didn't. The girl stared blankly at the boy's face for a moment, then lowered her head, her bangs covering her eyes. She bowed to Haruhi again, then left without looking back, taking small steps.

"Take care of yourself, Aizawa Shoko."

Springtime gazed silently at the girl's retreating figure and said the same words: "Take care."

It seems like we should say goodbye. As the movie says, those who have said goodbye will definitely meet again.

……

…………

"Next, who should we look for next?"

Chunri walked down the corridor with the recommendation book in her hand, still imagining who would be selected for the next spot. To be honest, she didn't have many close friends.

but……

It's been almost a year since that guy's last meeting; I should probably go see him again.

A figure appeared in my mind: Chunri touching her chin, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Ten minutes later,

A bulky figure rushed out of the classroom in the corridor of the second year of Zongwu High School. While running away aimlessly, he shouted at the guy following closely behind him with tears in his eyes.

"Why are you chasing me? I've already told you, I haven't done anything to you, Kasuga-kun. I'm just an ordinary fat otaku. Please leave me alone. I just want to write light novels and eventually find a female voice actress to marry. I don't want to join the yakuza so early."

"Wait a minute, and where did you learn that stupid talking habit from?"

Kasuga chased Zaimokuza all the way to the rooftop, finally cornering the chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) boy Zaimokuza.

"Don't come any closer, or I'll yell. Even if you're a boy, you can't."

"Screw you."

In spring, he imitated his master Hiratsuka's elegant movements and smoothly kicked the woodwork stand in the buttocks.

“Write your name on this, then go back to your classroom.”

Spring Day mercilessly tossed the notebook in her hand into the arms of Fatty, who was slumped on the rooftop, and touched her nose.

"Huh? You still say it's not a contract of servitude!"

He didn't dare open the register, and the man in charge of the timber stand looked like he was about to cry but had no tears.

"It's just a list of nominees for the student council president. We need thirty nominees in total, so you'd better write your name down honestly."

"what?"

Zai Muza stared at Kasuga, a delinquent who he didn't think he had ever met before but was famous throughout Soubu High School, and didn't react for a moment.

"Hurry up and write it. Remember to write your favorite character honestly. If you dare to write General Yihui, believe me, I'll put all your cringey novels on the school's bulletin board."

"I'll write it, I'll write it, okay... But how did you know about my past, Kasuga-kun?"

"It's a secret, I can't tell you right now, I'll tell you when I have the chance. Once you're done writing, get out of here."

Zaimokuza Yoshiki,

Five words

Although it's not as neat and beautiful as the previous ones, it's still quite tidy.

If it weren't for this, Zaimokuza might have forgotten its real name because of light novels and chuunibyou (delusional) settings.

As she put away the register, springtime, which she had originally planned to leave, was suddenly reminded of something.

"Hey, you're still writing novels even now?"

Upon hearing the word "novel," Yi Hui, who had been dejected, suddenly brightened up. He quickly sat up from the ground, clutching Chunri's hem, and spoke to the boy with great enthusiasm.

"What? Kasuga-kun, you're interested in light novels too? Want to learn how to write novels with me? I can be your beginner teacher."

"Write my ass! I'll never touch writing again in my life anyway. You can waste your time on this stupid thing, Zaimokuza."

"It's not a stupid thing at all. As long as you keep going, one day your work will be adapted into an anime, and your favorite voice actor will be the one to voice it."

"That's just wishful thinking. Japan has no shortage of light novel writers and manga artists, but only a very small number of them actually become famous. Yoshiteru, you should really start to think about yourself more seriously."

Even though I'm almost a senior in high school, I still have some of the bad habits from my teenage years and fantasize about things that aren't very realistic.

This is one of the reasons why he asked Xiaoxue to indirectly persuade Yihui to give up writing light novels.

"Once upon a time, there was a guy who always pursued his ideals, but many years later, he became a young man who would burst into tears at banquets whenever his ideals were mentioned."

Even if you say that, I will not give up my only hobby, absolutely not!

"Pursuing ideals is a good thing, but we cannot be too blind, otherwise, ideals will become empty talk and a mirage."

He patted his friend from his past life on the shoulder, looked at the silent Zai Muza, and suddenly his tone became gentle.

"By the way, I recently met an artist friend who also writes light novels. She told me she has a friend who is a famous author. If you're not afraid of being turned away, why don't you go and visit him? Even if you're pursuing your dreams, you should still learn how to write good novels properly, right? Don't you think so, Yoshiteru Zaimokuza?"

Today is so similar to yesterday, so if we want to change tomorrow, we must change today.

The little lion will probably help, maybe, perhaps.