I, who advocate giving up, feel like a disqualified person

It’s right not to believe it. You can only deceive innocent girls you don’t know.

"Come to think of it, who wrote that book of yours? Does it really contain the poem you just read? Did you write it?"

It was not until I accidentally glanced at his hand that I realized that there was a book in his hand.

"Well... didn't Haozi and Yunzi tell you?" he said, showing me the cover. "This is indeed my poetry collection... but it was published a few years ago. Rather than saying it's out of fashion by now, it's better to say it was never popular in the first place... ahahaha."

I ignored Mr. Jia's frivolous explanation and stared at the author's name.

逐忆

"...Why... did you choose this pen name?"

The name brought back memories, and her face reappeared in my memory. It's true, once you recall something, you can never forget it easily. The slightest stimulation brings it back instantly.

"Can you tell me why it was named 'Ruoming'?" he asked me.

"Um..."

"The name comes from the phrase 'Floating Life is Like a Dream,' originally a Taoist concept, but it actually comes from a poem by Li Bai. I chose this name...mostly by chance, the line 'Life is like a dream, how much joy can one experience?' suddenly popped into my head."

...This is the first time I've heard of this. It turns out the seniors are more than just a name; they have a wealth of literary knowledge.

"I see... floating life... so, life is actually like a dream... right?"

So, by naming my daughter this...was it really a question of my own fate, like a dream? Something that happened to me...was inadvertently revealed in the name...What exactly happened to her parents back then? She never mentioned it to me until she left.

"Senpai...isn't this word used to express negativity?"

if it is like this...

"Hmm, that sounds a bit negative... I guess I'm just deceiving myself, right? After all, I'm treating reality like a dream."

Are you starting to disbelieve reality? Come to think of it, it’s because of the conflict between your parents.

"In that case...if you have a child in the future, would you consider naming it after him?"

Ah... I always feel that it’s a bit early to talk about this now, but it doesn’t matter.

"Um...I flirt with girls all day long..."

He actually admitted it.

"But I think it's a bit early to say this... I'm not sure if I can find a girlfriend this way."

How could he not find one? With the way he casts a wide net, there will always be some innocent people...

"Don't think too much about it. I'm just asking because I think this word is pretty good. Calling it Ruomeng~Ruomeng sounds pretty nice, doesn't it?"

My face feels a little hot... Is it because I mentioned her name again? It seems like I'm really living in the past. Is this really okay?

"Well... well, although it's a bit embarrassing to say it, my last name is actually quite awkward. Isn't the word Jia pronounced the same as a fake? So those nice-sounding names don't really fit this last name..."

"...Now that you put it that way, it seems to be true..."

So, what was the reasoning behind Jia's parents naming him "Li Du"?

"So... let's not talk about this anymore."

Senior Jia, who I thought was very thick-skinned, actually showed an embarrassed expression.

"okay."

I knew he meant to put an end to the discussion of the name, but I said that to stop thinking about her.

Chapter 32: Reminiscence

"Speaking of which, what exactly are you planning to do?"

When they were about to reach the place designated by the senior, Senior Jia suddenly asked this question.

"...Looks like beach volleyball."

"Have you been reading too many daily comics?"

"It's not something I came up with. If anyone has seen too much, it must be Senior Sun." I quickly distanced myself from the matter.

"Oh my, has that fellow Haozi finally fallen?"

Judging from his expression, he seems happy instead.

"This can't be considered as depravity." Besides, proposing this kind of activity has little to do with reading comics. It's just an unintentional psychological suggestion... I am sure that this idea came from Liu Yan's answer.

"Well..."

Senior Jia did not refute anything further.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

Perhaps because time passed, the temperature dropped significantly compared to noon.

In this slightly refreshing temperature, several familiar figures were dancing on the beach, laughing happily from time to time.

That's right, the girls in my group were playing an activity called beach volleyball. Although a certain company also has a game called "Beach Volleyball", but... after seeing this scene with your own eyes, you might wonder if you have traveled through a dimension.

This scene looks really exciting.

It would be inappropriate to look at anything right now. Staring at girls wearing so little fabric while they were exercising so vigorously was rude.

So I turned my attention to the volleyball... Oh, the referee called a foul, how could she catch the ball with her chest!

"That's great... Isn't this also a kind of romance?"

I asked Senior Jia who was watching the game next to me.

"that's true..."

He must have been fascinated by what he saw and replied to me vaguely.

It depends...it seems like a consensus has been reached.

..............................

"Why didn't you participate?"

I looked at Rinhanekawa on the side.

"Because I'm the referee, who else would decide the winner?" She proudly showed me the scoreboard.

"...You know the rules?"

"I have no idea at all. There's no need to be so particular about the rules. We're just playing casually anyway, so why ask so many questions?" She waved at me impatiently.

"Well..."

That's right, these guys don't have much interest in sports. If the requirements are strict, they might not play.

"Then how do you score..." It can't be that whichever side can prevent the other side from receiving the ball gets the points, right?

"Of course it depends on my mood."

This is a slap on the wrist... I'm starting to doubt her position as student council president. Give me back that responsible image.

"Come to think of it, Rinquanchuan actually listened to you and played that. I thought she was the one keeping score."

After all, she hates sports... although sometimes she runs quite fast and it hurts when she hits people.

"She originally thought so too, but I just used a little trick."

“…”

That's why I want to stay away from Rinhanekawa.

"That's all... I just hope everyone is happy."

"That's true to a certain extent...but there's one person in this group who looks unhappy no matter how you look at him."

"..."

It goes without saying that Rinquanchuan couldn't keep up at all, and... her teammate Yehui was better than her in every way. So she never smiled.

"It's almost time to end it."

"Yeah, the score... I forgot to write it down... I'll just write 25 to 26... to make Izumikawa a little happy."

"Hey..."

Even the scores are made up, and this is a bit biased. You can't get happiness with false grades!

"It doesn't matter. No one cares about the score or winning or losing. She's the only one who cares."

"...Whatever you want."

Too tired to complain, I decided to take a rest on the recliner nearby.

"Wait, where are you going?"

She suddenly grabbed me as I was about to turn and leave.

"What's wrong...I'm going to go lie down over there for a while."

Actually, I had a bad feeling and wanted to retreat... but now it seems that I can't escape.

"It's boys' turn soon, you can't run around."

"Boys want to play too?"

Calorie crisis! Red alert!

"Nonsense! Otherwise why call all the people here?"

That’s not all. In fact, Xiaoye is still sleeping at your house... I feel a little sorry for her.

"What will happen if I don't participate?"

"No dinner."

This is really a simple and crude punishment.

"That...okay then."

Although I don't think she is serious.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"You really brought him back... Where did you find him?"

"From where..."

I always feel something is strange, this tone is like I brought back something...

"It was a restaurant... I happened to see him chatting with someone. Then I brought him back." After thinking about it, it would be better not to say that Senior Jia was flirting with the staff.

"Is that so..." He nodded. "Then, the groups for this competition will be me and Li Du, and you and Liu Yan. That is, the 'senior group' and the 'junior group'."

"...Are we here to fight?"

"Yes, otherwise it would be too unfair for boys to treat girls."

"........."

This is the fairness that a referee should have! Rin Hanekawa on the side quickly learned from him.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

So, we separated temporarily to prepare, just for a short time, and then I would fight against my seniors.

"Liu Yan, what do you think?" I looked at Liu Yan, who had been silent since just now.

"Hmm... Xiaoyou's expression when he didn't catch the ball is indeed cuter." Is this the answer after careful consideration?

"That's not what I'm asking..."

"Oh...ah...um...what did you ask?"

Liu Yan, who had come to his senses, asked me a little embarrassedly.

"I mean, we're going to fight two seniors. Do you feel any pressure..."

Having asked this, there shouldn't be any pressure. There's no penalty for winning or losing...at most you'll just be teased during dinner.

"Oh, oh, oh, oh~ Master, don't you know the saying 'youth is capital'? Since we are the younger generation, we will definitely not lose to them."