Comics, daily stories

......

What is youth?

Nomiyama finds this question difficult to answer, but if you think about it carefully...

It was probably the cherry blossoms in spring, the torrential rain in summer, the black tea from the Service Club, the endless sarcastic remarks from Yukinoshita, the quiet and ordinary companionship of Megumi, Eriri's attempts to speak were always interrupted, Haruno's occasional calls from the Air Force, Miyami's unchanging home-cooked meals, Sayuri's daily bento boxes, and the three people at the next table passing notes with great enthusiasm.

Thinking of this, Nomiyama's eyes paused, and he stopped scanning the comic.

Isn't this kind of youth a little abnormal?

He closed the comic book, his expression thoughtful.

"What is Kaze thinking?" Kato Megumi paused her finger on her phone, glanced at him, and asked curiously.

"I've been thinking about being a bit busy lately, and I'd really like to take a break." Nomiyama glanced at Megumi beside him, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

"Can I take a day off? Sure, as long as Kazehaya likes it." Kato Megumi's reply was full of support.

"Yeah, I need to take a day off." Nomiyama slumped onto the long table, looking listless. "It's almost summer, time to stare at the fan, eat chilled watermelon, or stock up on orange soda."

However, Nomiyama remembered something else: this weekend, he should go to Megumi's house to meet her parents.

"Busy, indeed. It seems like Nomiyama-kun has been getting along really well with the people in the class lately." Yukino Yukinoshita looked up at him and smiled.

Startled awake by the sudden chill of early summer, Nomiyama said with a hint of displeasure, "Yukinoshita, it's not like I can't make friends, just because you can't."

"Make friends? I've heard that Nomiyama-kun put his arm around his partner on the tennis court."

"That was just an accident." Nomiyama mumbled. It was during PE class that day. He was watching his classmates play tennis when Yumiko suddenly fell and her face was about to hit the ground, so he went over to help her and caught her. He just didn't expect that the news would spread all over the forum afterward.

"An accident? I saw it on the forum..."

Yukino Yukinoshita hadn't finished speaking when the Service Club's door was finally knocked on again after a long time.

"Cough cough."

Yukino Yukinoshita quickly adjusted her voice, raising her hand to form a fist.

"Please come in."

The visitor opened the door to the Department of Service.

Nomiyama raised an eyebrow.

Yukino Yukinoshita looked puzzled, then subconsciously glanced at him.

Nomiyama returned an innocent look.

Although I often watch Mai-senpai dramas and movies, I don't have any other thoughts about it.

That's such a misunderstanding.

Chapter 202 Mai Sakurajima's Youth

youth.

As Mai Sakurajima watched the male and female students chasing and playing in the corridor, the word came to mind subconsciously.

One side pretends to be angry, while the other deliberately provokes, using this as a spice in campus life. This is undoubtedly youth, and a youth with a romantic, pink and peach-colored hue.

What about the others?

The bonds forged through sweat and dedication within sports clubs are perhaps the embodiment of a positive and sunny youth.

What else?

There are also the private whispers between girls, their playful banter while shopping, a sweet youth with the scent of oranges.

And the students who listen attentively in class, take notes, and review and do exercises after class naturally exude a quiet air, diligently preparing for the future. This is also youth, a slightly ordinary but not gloomy youth.

We should also include some people who are happy and content with their lives; when they think of this word, they subconsciously think of beautiful things.

Spring cherry blossoms, summer downpours, autumn sunsets, winter snowstorms, and a life that is as plain as water yet filled with happiness.

However, none of this concerns her.

Mai Sakurajima walked past her classmates, through corridor after corridor, her steps never faltering.

She certainly had a youth, and her life could be described as hard-working and fulfilling. From another perspective, it could even be described as radiant.

Chiba's Daughter, Nation's Daughter, Nation's First Love

These labels were attached to her a few years ago. She was a household name in Chiba, a darling of the spotlight, and a friend who lived on screen and accompanied her peers as they grew up.

She was also an outstanding student, and after Kasumigaoka Utaha went to Tokyo, she became the undisputed number one in her class.

Balancing acting and studying, no matter how intelligent and hardworking one is, one will still be extremely busy.

It's not that I hate working hard, it's just that I'm finding it hard to keep up.

Perhaps feeling tired, or perhaps getting annoyed, after a certain incident, Mai Sakurajima went against her mother's wishes and chose to leave the entertainment industry.

She started attending classes and leaving school normally every day, just like her classmates. The only difference was that she was quite conspicuous.

Fortunately, she can now make herself inconspicuous.

The problem is that she's become too inconspicuous now.

Reaching out, Mai Sakurajima opened the door to the Service Club, looked inside, and focused her attention on the two people inside.

A boy lazily leaning on the table, a girl sitting upright with a cool and aloof air.

"Good afternoon, everyone in the Service Department."

......

"Good afternoon, Mai-senpai."

Nomiyama greeted him, stopped slouching at the table, sat up, and became a little more serious.

"Good afternoon, senior." Yukino Yukinoshita's voice returned to its serious tone. "Is there something you need?"

"Yes, I heard from Hiratsuka-sensei that your club provides some assistance to students who encounter difficulties."

Mai Sakurajima walked a few steps into the room, pulled out a chair on the side of the long table where no one was, sat down properly, and smiled sincerely: "I've come to ask for help."

"I understand." Yukino Yukinoshita nodded. "So, what kind of trouble did you encounter, Senpai?"

Nomiyama silently turned his head to look at the little golden-haired man who had shrunk behind Yuki, and couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth.

Mai Sakurajima also looked at the blonde junior who was hiding behind the junior under the snow. She was cautiously looking around.

Yukino Yukinoshita noticed their gazes and turned around to meet Eriri's eyes.

"Yukino, how did you summon a demon..." Eriri Sawamura swallowed hard, still hiding behind her, her voice timid, "I won't do this request."

Kato Megumi simply watched the actions of the people in the room without saying a word. She felt that this situation was somewhat familiar.

"Did you summon a demon?" Yukino Yukinoshita frowned, looking at her senior and waiting for an explanation.

Mai Sakurajima said calmly, "It's probably like this: in the eyes of most of my classmates, I no longer exist. In Sawamura-senpai's eyes, the chair I'm sitting in is being pulled by a ghost. You and your junior are also talking to a ghost."

"ghost?"

Subconsciously, Yukino Yukinoshita's fingers twitched slightly, preparing to use her Qi to sense things.

“Alive,” Nomiyama interrupted her next move.

He nodded with certainty: "Yes, I can still hear Mai-senpai's heartbeat, it's very strong."

"Huh? My heart is starting to race."

A hardcover book flew across the long table and headed straight for Nomiyama's forehead.

Yukino Yukinoshita's icy voice rang out: "Are you still going to say that you can smell your senior's scent?"

Nomiyama took the book, glanced at her, and without saying a word, simply opened the book.

If he thought about it, he could indeed smell it; his body was just too good to handle.

Yukino Yukinoshita took a deep breath and looked at her senior: "Could you please explain this to me, senior?"

Mai Sakurajima shook her head slightly: "I don't know much either. Have you heard of 'puberty syndrome', junior?"

Yukino Yukinoshita frowned: "No, is it a kind of illness?"

“It’s probably an illness,” Mai Sakurajima sighed slightly. “But it’s more likely an urban legend that people who contract ‘puberty syndrome’ will naturally possess some supernatural abilities, such as ‘hearing other people’s thoughts’ or ‘seeing other people’s future’.”

"And this symptom manifests in me as being undetectable and unobservable, as if I don't exist at all."

Nomiyama stopped looking at the two discussing 'puberty syndrome' and instead looked at Megumi beside him, who was waiting for his explanation. After thinking for a moment, he said, "It's that Mai Sakurajima, the big star, the senior who's a year ahead of us."

Kato Megumi looked at him, who was not lying, and tried hard to think it through, then a rare look of doubt appeared on her face.

Nomiyama looked at Megumi, whose expression had become more lively and even cuter, reached out and smoothed her slightly furrowed brows, and said helplessly, "I used to wait in front of the TV every day for Mai Sakurajima's dramas."

Kato Megumi paused slightly, then certain images flashed through her mind. She turned her head and looked at Sakurajima Mai, who had somehow arrived at the Service Club: "Good afternoon, Sakurajima-senpai."

Nomiyama withdrew his hand, lost in thought. Just like last time, he ignored some irrationalities and rationalized his understanding based on the current situation.

However, he didn't think about it anymore, but turned his head to look at Eriri who had come to his side.

Eriri Sawamura carefully moved behind him, glanced at Yukino and Megumi who were talking to thin air, and reached out to grab the hem of his clothes.

Nomiyama grinned, his voice brimming with barely concealed pleasure: "Eriri's afraid of ghosts?"

Upon hearing the word "ghost," Eriri Sawamura instinctively gripped his clothes even tighter, but she still stubbornly insisted, "I'm not afraid, I am, I am..."

“It’s Mai Sakurajima, the superstar upperclassman.” Nomiyama noticed her exertion and stopped teasing her.

"Huh?" Eriri Sawamura asked, bewildered.

Nomiyama thought for a moment.

"Yes, it's the one I often look at in her doujinshi, the one by Mai Sakurajima."

Eriri Sawamura's brows furrowed instantly, her brain racing.

He recalled it, then glared and kicked.

Nomiyama got up and hid.

"Nonsense! Mai Sakurajima is an actress!"

At the same time, Yukino Yukinoshita's voice came from the other side.

"Understood, we'll take on this task."

203. Commission, Bet, Air Force Guy

Nomiyama reached out and touched Eriri's head, then ignored her short, inaccessible hand and looked at the three who had already made their decision.

"Could you please explain the details of the commission?"

Yukino Yukinoshita looked over there, focusing on Eriri who was merely attacking thin air, and sighed.

If you can't hit him with your hands, kick him.

Kato Megumi glanced at Eriri, then looked away and met his gaze: "Help my senior find a way to control this superpower, or make it disappear completely."

"I understand." Nomiyama thought for a moment, "Then let's do an experiment first."

"An experiment?" Mai Sakurajima looked at him curiously.

"Well, an experiment. I want to know if, with the four of us around, someone will notice you without warning," Nomiyama simply stated his thoughts.

Yukino Yukinoshita lowered her head and pondered for a moment before agreeing, "I can give it a try."

Then she looked at the senior student over there.

Mai Sakurajima gently shook her head: "Since you've entrusted this to me, you can do whatever you want, just tell me what to do, and I'll cooperate. I have no objections."

So Nomiyama turned around and looked at Eriri, who was still reaching out to pry at the air. He moved his hand and no longer simply pressed against her head, but rubbed it.

"Okay, stop fooling around."

The movements of his hands gradually slowed down, then weakened, and stopped.