My daily life in various anime crossovers can't possibly be this sci-fi.

"Good morning, Jinghua-kun." Honoka smiled. "What would you like to talk about?"

"..."

Jiang Jinghua took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down as much as possible.

“Everyone is very worried about you.” He decided to get straight to the point.

Honoka seemed a little puzzled: "Why are you worried about Honoka? Honoka is perfectly fine now."

“We can’t be sure if it’s really ‘perfectly fine’,” Jiang Jinghua shook his head. “I’ve discussed this with Qinli before, and both of us feel that your recent behavior is very unnatural. There are just too many signs of you deliberately imitating others.”

"Wh...nothing! Honoka didn't deliberately imitate anything!" Honoka Kousaka frowned and replied righteously, "I, I really don't..."

"As for your reasons for doing this... I guess it's to avoid making everyone feel discouraged, right?" Jiang Jinghua ignored Honoka's explanation and continued speaking according to his own logic and rhythm.

Honoka shuddered violently, her self-defense abruptly halting. She unconsciously bit her lip hard, her lowered eyes becoming unfocused.

"I completely understand that. As the team leader, if you're discouraged, it will definitely affect the team members, right? That's why..."

"Stop talking."

"But look, everyone is in high spirits now, and most of them have recovered from the shadow of failure, except for you..."

"Dangdang!"

A loud bang brought Jiang Jinghua's speech to an abrupt halt.

The loud noise came from Honoka Kousaka's hands hitting the table.

She quickly stood up and looked down at Jiang Jinghua.

Honoka Kousaka stared directly at Jiang Jinghua: it was the first time in Jiang Jinghua's life that he had ever seen Honoka with that look in her eyes.

"I said shut up right now, you hopeless idiot!" Honoka shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Honoka? Honoka, what's wrong with you!" Even Kinuho Kousaka at the counter was alarmed and rushed over in a panic.

Jiang Jinghua stared at Honoka's face, speechless.

The face he knew so well, always radiating a vibrant and innocent smile, was now twisted and distorted by anger. His once pale cheeks were now crimson like the sunset due to the congestion of capillaries, and his moist eyes seemed to be burning with two flames.

This was the first time Jiang Jinghua had seen Honoka Kousaka like this.

"Who do you think you are? Do you think you know me or something? You... what... what do you know..."

Just seconds ago, it was full of energy, but now it has shrunk like a balloon that has suddenly been deflated.

Honoka Kousaka sobbed, weakly sitting back down in her seat, covering her tear-streaked face with her hands, letting out intermittent sobs. If the Honoka before was like a fierce, glaring Vajra, then the Honoka now had become a clay figure softened by soaking in water.

"So, what exactly happened?!" Kinuho Kosaka looked helplessly at her crying daughter. "What did you just do, Ko-san?"

"..." Jiang Jinghua remained silent, unsure how to defend himself.

However, a slight smile subtly appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Although the outcome was unexpected, he had already succeeded.

It wasn't that I successfully made Honoka cry, but rather that I successfully fulfilled the prerequisite needed to achieve another goal.

"Mom..." Honoka sobbed, her words broken, "Jinghua-kun... he... did nothing wrong... it was me... I don't know why..."

“Auntie,” Jiang Jinghua looked at Kosaka Kinuho, “I’m so sorry for what I did to Honoka. Could you give me a little time? I believe I have a way to solve Honoka’s problem. Please trust me.”

"..." Jin Sui didn't say anything, but silently retreated back to the vicinity of the counter.

Jiang Jinghua turned his head and quietly looked at the crying Honoka. He didn't try to comfort her or say anything; he just watched her silently.

what

Section 105, Chapter 104: After Shedding the Shell of "Miracle" (Part Two)

After what seemed like an eternity, Honoka's tear stains were finally wiped away.

"...I'm sorry, I made you see something ridiculous."

Honoka lowered her head and apologized in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"Feeling better now than this?" Jiang Jinghua asked, ignoring Honoka's apology.

"..."

"At least, they shouldn't hate me so much now, right? They won't think I'm a 'hopeless idiot' anymore, will they?"

"...Stop talking..." Honoka lowered her head in embarrassment.

"See, after venting a little, my mood immediately improved, didn't it?" Jiang Jinghua said with a smile. "So, if you have negative emotions, you must vent them in time, and then nothing will happen."

Honoka lay silently on the table, lost in thought.

“Of course, not wanting to pass on negative emotions to your best friend, not wanting to drag others down with you because of yourself… While this viewpoint may be technically debatable, the motivation is perfectly sound.” Jiang Jinghua looked at Honoka and said slowly.

"So... if you really can't find anyone to vent to, how about you just make do and come to me?"

"You and I are neither relatives nor close friends, at most we're just slightly acquainted strangers... So, you don't need to worry at all that venting your frustrations to me will make me feel bad or anything. Because what I think has absolutely nothing to do with you, right?"

"..." Honoka's eyes were filled with tears, and she remained silent.

"Moreover, and more importantly, if you're going to pretend nothing's wrong, then at least make it look convincing."

"...I mean, do you know how heartbroken Kotori is to see you like this?"

"Huh? Kotori, what happened to her?" Honoka's voice was distorted with sobs.

"I'm telling you, for your own sake and for everyone's sake, I advise you to stop pretending like this."

Jiang Jinghua's smile gradually faded, and his tone grew increasingly cold.

"You just called me an incurable idiot, and I'll return that name to you verbatim. You think you're doing this for everyone's good, but you have no idea how worried everyone is because of your inexplicable behavior!"

Jiang Jinghua spoke faster and faster.

"In short... for everyone's sake, just be honest with me. It's normal to feel pain, resentment, and regret after failing, isn't it?"

Honoka's tears had stopped flowing sometime ago. Her expression was calmer than ever before.

"Hey, Lord Jinghua."

"……What's up?"

"Come with me."

As soon as she finished speaking, Honoka stood up and walked towards the stairs leading upstairs on her own.

Although somewhat confused, Jiang Jinghua still followed.

Honoka led Jiang Jinghua to the second floor, then went into her own room on her own.

"Come in, it's fine."

She suddenly wanted to do something... Jiang Jinghua walked into Honoka's room, completely puzzled.

He looked around: the furnishings were simple yet surprisingly tidy. A faint fragrance permeated the entire room.

Honoka quietly walked to the door, closed it, and then turned the handle to lock it.

...Wait, what is she trying to do by locking the door?

A sense of foreboding rose in Jiang Jinghua's heart. What exactly was going on here?

After finishing all of this, Honoka sat down on her bed.

"sit down."

Jiang Jinghua banished the strange thoughts from his mind and sat down on Honoka's bed.

"By the way, is it okay to just sit on it like this?"

"Never mind that."

Honoka lowered her head, her expression calm.

“Jinghua-kun is right.” Honoka said calmly, as if she were telling someone else’s story. “I really am an incurable idiot. Really, completely incurable.”

"I have absolutely no talent... There are plenty of people in this world who are better at illusions than me. My science knowledge is a complete mess, and I've never had the perseverance to stick to physical exercise. Whether it's singing, dancing, or handicrafts, I'm only second-rate, and I know absolutely nothing about music theory. And yet, I... proposed to become a school idol, and I even harbored a dream that was so big it was almost laughable."

"The saying 'ambition overcompensation' probably describes someone like me... I'm the kind of idiot who has no skills at all but always thinks I can go anywhere."

“But someone like me has managed to gather such a reliable group of partners…” Honoka smiled wryly. “Umi is good at writing lyrics and Japanese dance, Kotori is good at costume design and handicrafts, and she is also very approachable as an idol. Hanayo and Nico have a deep understanding of idols, and Rin has excellent athletic ability and is a great dancer.”

"Maki is quite talented in both singing and composing... and Tojo-senpai always guides μ's in the right direction. Ayase-senpai is a professional dancer who studied ballet..."

"Among these nine people, I'm the only one who's a complete waste of time and has no special skills."

"I asked...I asked Kotori-chan..." Honoka began to sob intermittently, "I asked her what made her decide to become an idol with me..."

"She said she was inspired by my never-give-up spirit and positive and optimistic attitude, which is why she did it."

“Now, Jinghua-kun, do you understand… No, someone like you, Jinghua-kun, probably wouldn’t understand.” Honoka shook her head vigorously. “You seem to know everything and are so hardworking, you’re completely different from me…”

"You wouldn't understand... for someone like me..."

"A positive and optimistic attitude is everything to me! Everything!"

"Besides being positive, optimistic, and never giving up..."

"...I've got nothing left!"

That was practically a scream.

Immediately afterwards, Honoka burst into a wail that could only be described as "desperate".

Is that... really Honoka? That Kousaka Honoka?

Looking at the face that had lost all its vitality from crying and looked almost ugly, Jiang Jinghua couldn't help but have this question.

……No.

It is extremely rude to ask such a question.

That is undoubtedly Honoka Kousaka.

The real Honoka Kousaka.

If we deny the existence of someone like Honoka Kousaka, who would burst into tears...