I am only one world away from Yukinoshita.

You can't do anything.

It was as if they were mocking her.

It was Hiratsuka Shizuka who finally broke the silent standoff between the two.

"If you two want to argue, find another time next time. You're not the main characters today."

Hiratsuka Shizuka's tone was calm, "Tachibana, you should sit down too, the meeting can start soon."

Yes, this farce is almost over.

But her voice was quickly drowned out by laughter and chatter, and no one heard her except Cheng Hui, who was relatively close to the three of them.

Kiyotomi obediently sat back down in her seat, and this time, Haruno didn't bother her again, but just sat quietly in her seat waiting for the meeting to begin.

Most of the people sitting on Hiratsuka Shizuka's side were former student council officers. They all quieted down without prior arrangement, but this did not affect the others' lively conversation. As a result, a strange situation arose in the classroom where one side was quiet and the other side was noisy.

The leader, sitting at the very front of the classroom, seemed oblivious to everything. Yukinoshita, just as mentioned earlier, was still lost in thought. She, as vice-president, had done her best, while the nominal president—

They are leading a lively tea party.

Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't seem to intend to speak, and Haruno also remained silent, with an expression of watching a good show.

"Everyone! It's almost time to begin the meeting, please be quiet!"

Cheng Hui's words were like a pebble thrown into a lake; they sank to the bottom without even creating a ripple.

Helpless, she could only turn to Yukinoshita for help.

"Yukinoshita-san, Sagami-san, everyone's here."

Reminded, Sagami swallowed back the words he was about to say, but Yukinoshita didn't react.

"Yukinoshita-san?"

She only realized what was happening when she heard Sagami call her name.

"what……?"

Fortunately, Yukino quickly grasped the current situation thanks to her extraordinary reflexes.

Their eyes met unexpectedly in mid-air, and both looked away somewhat awkwardly.

P.S.: Humans really do have a lazy streak. I haven't written anything for two days, and I'm thinking of slacking off today too. I hate sensitive words!

Chapter 29, Section 251: The Clown

“Well then,” Yukinoshita cleared her throat, “we will now begin the committee meeting. As Shiro-senpai has informed us, today we will discuss the slogans for the cultural festival.”

The classroom, which had been bustling like a market, quieted down. Yukinoshita calmly presided over the meeting, while Sagami, sitting next to her, was like a mascot placed at the very front.

"Does anyone have any thoughts on the slogan? Please raise your hand."

Just like when choosing class committee members who are always thankless tasks, everyone in the unmotivated group remains silent, waiting for someone to step forward and endure hardship for everyone. The deathly silence also suppresses other people who have thoughts on the matter, afraid that they will be laughed at if they stand up at this time, afraid that they will be discriminated against if they are different from others, so they also remain silent.

It's not like we're in a quiet place, it's like monsters will come and kill them if they speak.

Qinglai observed the committee members; many were distracted or doing their own thing, completely ignoring the slogans.

Yang Nai maintained her spectator-like expression, while Kiyori chose to remain silent for the time being, because—

Sitting opposite him, Hayama was clearly already at his breaking point.

"It might be difficult to come up with any ideas suddenly, so why don't you write them down on paper and then explain them?"

Hayama's idea saved the situation from a temporary stalemate, providing a suitable reason for everyone's silence while also giving Yukinoshita a way out.

“Hmm…” Yukinoshita nodded. “Then please take some time to think about it.”

Under Yukino's instructions, Shiro distributed the blank sheets of paper, but after everyone received their sheets, very few people actually started writing, or rather, very few people were seriously thinking about the slogan. Most people thought, "Let's see what strange things you can write," and placed themselves on a pedestal. They were even unwilling to hand in the blank sheets when Shiro collected them back.

Kiyoyori was not good at slogans or similar things that could motivate people. He held his pen and thought for a long time but couldn't come up with a single word. Instead, he received no mercy from Yono's "mockery".

"Oh dear, Kiyoyori can write a play script, but he can't write a slogan~."

Kiyoshi's smug tone made him want to roll his eyes at the other person.

Because it was a meeting and they couldn't talk loudly, Haruno whispered in Kiyoyori's ear, her fragrant breath brushing against Kiyoyori's hair, while her skin felt like it was being crawled on by ants. Kiyoyori, unable to bear it, could only try to avoid her, but he didn't notice the scrutinizing gaze from not far away.

"The title of 'Number One in Grade' is crying."

If that thing can cry, then let it cry!

"Shut up!"

In the end, Kiyoshi returned the blank sheet of paper to Shiro with an apologetic expression.

Fortunately, within this disorganized group, there was a group of students who were truly willing to contribute to this cultural festival. Although they did not like to stand out, they were quite down-to-earth and conscientious in their work. Ye Shan's suggestion provided these people with an opportunity to express their thoughts even without having to stand in front of others.

The collected papers were neatly arranged, and all the slogans were written on the whiteboard one by one.

The characters under the snow are elegant yet sharp, showing that the writer has practiced calligraphy. The overall effect is very pleasing to the eye.

but--

"Friendship, effort, victory!"

What's with this slogan that looks like something out of a shonen manga?

Kiyoshi slowly shifted his gaze to Hiratsuka Shizuka, who was standing with her arms crossed, looking at the whiteboard with satisfaction.

Speaking of which, Hiratsuka-sensei is a huge fan of Shonen Jump, isn't she...?

However, what Kiyoyori cared about more was an English slogan. Perhaps it was because the English stood out too much among the Japanese, or perhaps it was the meaning of the sentence itself that Kiyoyori found distasteful.

One for all.

I am for everyone.

Are you kidding me?

Such a person is probably either a saint or a fool. The former is a hero with lofty ambitions who disdains to argue with ordinary people, while the latter is a fool who just wants to please others.

It's easier to avoid becoming a fool than to fantasize about becoming a hero who will go down in history.

If I had to choose, I prefer Kiyora.

I would rather betray the world than let the world betray me.

but……

Even someone as selfish as her wouldn't have the courage or the right to say such a thing.

Kiyori's barely concealed disdain made Haruno, sitting next to him, chuckle softly.

Unsurprisingly, she was glared at, which only made Yang Nai's smile even more unrestrained.

Since the other party had no choice, Kiyoyori could only pretend that the annoying person next to him didn't exist. However, he inadvertently saw the interaction between Hikigaya and Hayama on the other side. The two were speaking very softly, but Kiyoyori was able to read the general meaning from their lip movements.

It seems that Hayama resonated with that statement, while Hachiman expressed disdain.

That does suit their personalities.

Hachiman's interpretation of that sentence was as awkward as ever: "Isn't this kind of thing very simple? First, hurt one person, then exclude them, and one person puts everyone else first. Isn't this kind of thing happening all the time?"

Ye Shan's face darkened rapidly. They faced each other in silence. From Kiyoshi's perspective, they were like dogs that had suddenly encountered an enemy while on a walk, fiercely waiting for each other without showing any weakness. If they weren't still in a meeting, it seemed like the two were about to start arguing.

It's just that one of them is Hachiman, so maybe they'll never argue.

Hachiman is right. This is a very common phenomenon in schools, especially in girls' groups. Everyone bands together to exclude another person in order to achieve the illusion of unity that "we are on the same side," especially when the person who was excluded last year joins the group and becomes the one excluding others.

The so-called common enemy.

Something seemed to flash through Kiyoyori's mind, but she couldn't quite grasp it.

Finally, Hikigaya looked away first, and following his gaze, Kiyoyori looked at the whiteboard at the front of the classroom. Sagami was discussing something with his friend who was the secretary, and then stood up and left an eye-catching slogan on the whiteboard.

Despite being written with a black marker, Kiyotaka found the words to be as glaring as fresh blood, emitting a nauseating, fishy stench.

"A cultural festival completed through everyone's joint efforts~"

"This is the slogan we finally came up with!"

With an expectant look on his face, Kiyoshi felt like he was about to throw up his lunch.

"Wow……"

A mocking sigh was uttered without any attempt to conceal it, and everyone turned to look at the person who made the sound.

It was as if Hikigaya had just realized that he had "inadvertently" uttered the words aloud.

P.S.: Weekends are so relaxing. Writing about events like school festivals always makes me think how boring my high school life was, so lacking in any spark, and even my university life was the same. I always feel like I didn't have a youth...emm, how should I describe it? Anyway, in this respect, I'm quite envious of Japan.

Chapter 30, Section 252: The Master of Self-Destruction

"What's wrong? Do you think anything is strange?"

Sagami forced a smile, which looked slightly distorted. Her stiff lips and furrowed brows revealed her anger. She immediately turned her anger towards Hachiman, who seemed to have few friends, which was indeed the case, and who had a weak stance.

Although this could be considered as Hachiman's deliberate act.

"No, it's nothing..."

Hikigaya looked away and deliberately only said half of what he meant.

However, it was precisely his attitude that quickly ignited Sagami's discontent.

Girls of this age are mostly complex and sensitive. Hikigaya's suggestive second half of his sentence, as well as his undisguised tone of dissatisfaction, perfectly tugged at the fragile nerves of Sagami, who already lacked confidence.

This is undoubtedly one of the most infuriating ways to respond.

There are many ways to stir up someone's emotions, and language is only the most superficial one. For example, when you are asked to do something you don't want to do, deliberately sighing in front of the person asking you to do it will convey a very negative will of "I don't want to do it, but I still did it." Such an expression will make the other person feel angry, "If you don't want to do it, then don't do it. Why do it with such an unwilling look on your face?"

Hikigaya knew perfectly well how his actions would steer the entire meeting, yet he did it anyway.

Kiyoshi still remembers the other party saying he wanted to "change the world," but in Kiyoshi's view, doing so only dragged himself into this mess, and it was not worth it.