You say this is a love game?

"Ah."

"Rika Nishimura? After she quit the student council, she went to play house with them? That's really interesting... And this Mizutani Makoto? Five girls and one boy to form a dating club? He's really lucky."

"Mizutani Makoto, he seems to be..."

"That slightly famous guy? I knew him. I noticed him at the entrance ceremony, but I didn't expect that the students seemed to value his looks more than his talent."

At this time, the girl had the final say: "He is indeed good-looking."

Shion Yajima held her chin, hummed noncommittally, and continued to look at the application form. The names of the necessary professions such as president and accountant were filled in. The president was of course Mai Yajima, and the vice president was Makoto Mizutani. The accountant was a girl named Akemi Ota. Below were the club's goals, activity schedule, and some nonsense that seemed to make sense but was actually empty and meaningless.

What does it mean to “study the love psychology of human adolescents”?

Also, why is “volunteering” considered part of romantic activities?

What kind of mentality could one have written such a rare arrangement of words as "the throbbing of love grows in the hard work of selfless dedication"? Is there any necessary connection between these words?

Nursing home? Kindergarten? Street?

She couldn't understand whether these people were studying love or volunteer service. If they really liked serving the public, they might as well just find an organization and become volunteers.

Shion Yajima rubbed her brows, feeling that her inner annoyance was about to come back again.

What are these guys doing?

She asked Nishimura Rika to contact Yajima Mai, and thought that she would hear the news of the sudden death of Nishimura Rika and the girl accompanying her in a while, but she never thought that Nishimura Rika could become friends with Yajima Mai... She publicly apologized and withdrew from the student council, which was really a shameless act.

Holding back her displeasure, Yajima Shion asked, "Do they have a counselor? Why don't I see the counselor's signature?"

The man replied, "It's not on the application, and it's also very unethical... I don't think any current teacher would want to be called a 'Dating Club,' would they? They'd be laughed at if they told anyone about it. Should I just use the advisory teacher as an excuse and have the application rejected?"

Yajima Shion casually said, "There are plenty of reasons to fight back, so why bother picking on the advisor?"

"So now we have to..."

"Let's find them a mentor."

"what?"

"She wants to apply for a dating club, doesn't she? Then let her apply. The school will give her the green light anyway, so you don't have to worry about it... Tell her that as long as she passes the preliminary review, she can go back and prepare to answer the school's inquiries."

Shion Yajima threw the application on the table.

She looked dimly towards the corner of the office, where there was a shadow, as if something was wriggling inside.

……

……

at the same time.

Mizutani Makoto also successfully finished preparing the lunch box that Yoshiko's mother brought for her older son.

The main change for today's lunch is the special plum rice balls. The grilled eel brushed with honey is very fragrant, and the fried pork cutlet is not very technical. It seems that Kako's mother secretly put some private goods in it before leaving. I guess she also wants to eat fried pork cutlet at home at noon.

With the growth of his physique, Mizutani Makoto is now considered a half-big eater. Fortunately, no one understands Mizutani Makoto's growth better than Yoshiko. After stuffing this lunch box, Mizutani Makoto feels his stomach is heavy, and a satisfied smile appears on the corner of his mouth.

After packing up the lunch box, he gently patted his bloated stomach.

Ha, he's a pure talent, gifted, so naturally there's no difference between a fitness meal and an indulgence meal. How would he have the energy to hunt monsters in the cracks if he wasn't full? This is a matter of great concern to the world crisis!

There is still some time during lunch break.

He stood up and walked towards the library.

outdoor.

The summer solstice has passed, and the weather at the end of June is gradually getting hotter. We have officially entered the period of being tamed by the air conditioner.

In the early morning, you can still feel a little tenderness from the sky, but by noon, the sun becomes extremely scorching. There is a steaming moisture floating in the air. The originally thin clouds have long disappeared, and the sky appears to be a dazzling blue. Occasionally, a breeze blows, but it only brings a scorching breath, and makes a weak rustling sound when it blows through the treetops.

Walking on the cobblestone path, Mizutani Makoto squinted his eyes and raised his hand to block the direct sunlight. After a while, sweat began to seep from his forehead, leaving a tiny mark on his skin.

...not heat-resistant.

His physical condition has improved greatly compared to the past. The improvement in his physical condition has indeed made him more resistant to heat and cold, but the human body has a physiological limit to its resistance to temperature changes. Apart from anything else, the change in water content in the body alone is enough to make people suffer. As long as he is still a human being, he will not be able to avoid dry mouth and tongue when exposed to the sun.

Trying to swim in lava is a sure death.

Mizutani thought sincerely and couldn't help but quicken his pace. He saw the familiar white building of the library from afar, and suddenly felt a sense of "promised land" in his heart.

When I opened the glass door, the cold air hit me in the face.

The library was quiet and cool, the murmur of the air conditioner barely audible, the only sound being the occasional thud of a page turning and the distant creak of a janitor's cart. Sunlight streamed in through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, but the chilly air muted its intensity, casting neat streaks of light across the floor, dividing the space with exceptional brightness.

Mizutani Makoto took a deep breath and relaxed completely.

How many modern people have not been domesticated by air conditioning?

He greeted the administrator on duty. He had been coming to the library to read books quite frequently recently and had become familiar with the female administrator.

Misaki Kondo is a life counselor at Yomi High School. She also works part-time as a librarian. This unspeakable legendary profession seems to be related to her personal interest in reading.

Makoto Mizutani was standing in front of the counter facing the door. In front of him was Ms. Kondo, a woman of about 27 or 28 years old. She was quite beautiful and had a gentle and elegant temperament. Unfortunately, no one is perfect. As a compensation for her appearance and temperament, the teacher's figure was somewhat ordinary.

Even so, Mr. Kondo has already found a goalkeeper for Xiao Lei's party who loves Xiao Lei exclusively.

Kondo-sensei held the pencil in his hand and twisted it around.

She also liked the young man Mizutani Makoto, mainly because he was handsome, had good grades, and always went to the library. At first glance, he was a good candidate for a high-quality man. Even though she was no longer at the age of sparking romance with young men, the idea of ​​looking at handsome guys was something that would never go out of style at any age.

"Have you finished reading all the previous school history?"

"Yeah, there's only one book worth reading. The others are just the same old stuff, with nothing new to say. They're not as good as some urban legends."

"Urban legend..."

The female teacher muttered, "Instead of those trendy things, it's better to read some literature, whether it's classical or modern. With your looks and your love of literature, wouldn't it be easy to pick up those girls?"

"Teacher, you're joking. Reading or not doesn't affect my perfect appearance at all."

"puff……"

The female teacher laughed immediately, but since this was the library after all, her laughter was restrained. "I don't believe what others say, but when you say it... it seems to make sense. You've been coming to the library to read more often lately, and even more female students are coming here."

"You don't know, someone came to wait for you yesterday. As soon as they entered the door, they looked around furtively. Who would believe you if you said they were here to read books? They came to see you, maybe they were even trying to create a chance encounter with you."

"A chance encounter?"

The teacher pointed to the bookshelf in the distance. Mizutani Makoto turned his head and looked over. If he remembered correctly, there seemed to be an area nearby where "light novels" were stored?

Seeing that he was so clueless, Mr. Kondo could only sigh and took out a novel with a beautiful girl on the cover from under his elbow.

She pointed to the light novel - "Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai".

"A girl just came to return it."

"Wow, it looks so wild?"

"How should I know? But where's Yajima? She wasn't following you around today?"

Makoto Mizutani thought of Mai Yajima who ran out of the classroom mysteriously, and he couldn't give an answer for a while.

But the small talk was almost over. After all, he came here to look for books and information, so he asked Kondo-sensei about "Fudoki".

Fudoki is actually Japan's "local chronicles", which specifically records the customs, geography, history, agriculture, myths and legends of a place. However, ancient Japan was not as developed as its neighboring China, and many of the ancient Fudoki have been lost.

Mizutani Makoto wanted to find the Fudoki on a whim after reading Gu Chun's memories.

"If you're looking for Fengtuji..."

Kondo Misaki knocked on the counter, a thoughtful expression on her face. "After reading the school history, you're now reading the local chronicles. So you're a history buff?"

"Well, I'm more interested in history."

Unfortunately, there is not much history to read in this small place. To know that many historical archaeological excavations in Japan, one even has to borrow the records of the elders next door. Even the so-called "Fudoki" was influenced by the "local chronicles" of the elders, and this tradition gradually developed.

This sounds very much like a story about father and son, but looking at the East Asian cultural circle, Rome in the East is still standing on the other side of the sea. From the perspective of cultural origin, these troubles between China and neighboring countries can basically be summarized as the story of an old father and a bunch of rebellious sons.

"The local customs you want are a little hard to find. I'll go with you."

Mizutani Makoto followed Kondo Misaki, and the two of them climbed up to the second floor with familiarity. Passing through rows of towering bookshelves, the female teacher's eyes gently swept over the book covers, finally stopping in front of a yellowed old volume.

Mizutani Makoto pulled out the book. The cover was slightly mottled and the corners were slightly curled up. When his fingertips brushed across the spine, fine dust was raised. It was obviously not a popular book.

"I suggest you be careful with antiques like this. If you break them, you'll have to pay for them."

"must."

He found a seat by the window and opened the first page. The paper was a little rough, and the handwriting was neat but a little blurred by time. The advantage of an old book is that it doesn't have a bunch of useful and useless prefaces. The opening chapter directly cuts into the history of Yomi City, and then you can read about the local topography, customs and people...

It looks quite bland.

But Makoto Mizutani still found the key words.

During the Heian years, a strange phenomenon occurred at the southern foot of the mountain. Villagers reported hearing the roar of an ape-like beast, the sound of thunder...

At the management staff seat, Kondo Misaki was holding a kettle and brewing cups. Soon the burnt and bitter smell of instant coffee wafted over. The second hand of the old-fashioned wall clock cut through the stagnant air, pushing time forward bit by bit.

According to Gu Chun's memory, the old monk finally left behind the only son of the Hiiragihara family.

The only son had no name in history. Even after the record that was suspected to be related to "Nue", a long time later, a "Hirahara man" was mentioned. He was in his thirties and fought with a tiger to save a family. He was seriously injured and died after fighting the tiger that came down the mountain. He left behind a pair of children and died miserably.

Considering the timing, this should be the boy who was let go.

As mentioned before, the monks and the Yin Yang Masters jointly cast a spell that actually sealed the spiritual vein here. The Hiiragihara family was said to be managers, but they were more like grave-guarding criminals. Unable to draw on the power of the spiritual vein, they were just ordinary people, and they were also an ordinary family that was almost executed.

But even so, they still stood up again.

What does it rely on?

It is the support of local people.

Ancient Japan was in turmoil. Although Night Light City was located in a remote area, it was not immune to the disaster. There were often ferocious beasts and evil spirits causing trouble. The existence of nobles who could protect the area was necessary at that time.

The Hiiragihara family meets all the requirements.

They were originally from an aristocratic family, and their descendants mostly focused on doing good deeds and accumulating virtue. There was even an incident where three generations of family heads led troops to fight against bandits and died in the battlefield... Mizutani Makoto's eyes swept across the record. The most important incident was the incident where the fifteen-year-old Hiiragihara boy put on armor and volunteered to fight, but died in the battlefield, leaving behind a half-year-old baby and almost leaving his family line extinct.

Are they really good people?

This was quite unexpected for Mizutani Makoto.

But it was precisely because of the Hiiragihara family's contribution to Yotsuga City that they climbed up from obscurity until they were re-crowned as nobles by the emperor. They had a large number of local followers and were supported by the people.

Is it true that the more dire the times, the more able one can forge a resilient and innocent heart?

No, it simply depends on education and the individual. Perhaps it is the inheritance of the spiritual vein that has allowed them to always know what they are carrying... Now that times have passed, Mizutani Makoto is unable to guess what the ancients were thinking.

"..."

Mizutani Makoto was watching when he suddenly heard footsteps. He turned his head and thought it would be Mai Yajima, but he never expected that the person he saw was Kei Matsushita wearing glasses. The boy was holding a book in his hand and looking at him with a conflicted look on his face.

Mizutani Makoto immediately understood and gestured for Matsushita Kei to sit down.

There were almost no people in the library during lunch break. They happened to be in a corner on the second floor, so they wouldn't disturb others even if they chatted.

Matsushita Kei finally raised his head and looked at Mizutani Makoto in front of him seriously.

Needless to say, he knew that it was Mizutani Makoto who saved him.

He died once.

His life was frozen in the scene where he had a heart-to-heart talk with Makoto Mizutani. When his consciousness sank after his death, those discussions about "regrets" and "wishes" echoed in his mind dozens or hundreds of times. It was Makoto Mizutani who reminded him that he was dead, and it was also Makoto Mizutani who awakened him to the fact that he still had regrets and wishes. He finally crawled back from the gates of hell, and this was definitely due to Makoto Mizutani.

Just like in the TV series... Onmyoji?

Matsushita Kei is an outsider among outsiders. He has buried himself in his studies for a long time. After class and school, he goes to the cram school chosen for him by his parents. As a result, there are almost no entertainment things in his life. Even TV dramas, he rarely watches them. Most of the time, he watched them with his sister when she was still alive.

With a layer of mysterious filter and the identity of a savior, he seemed very reserved when he sat down in front of Mizutani Makoto.

He is socially anxious.

Fortunately, Makoto Mizutani was not so slow as to let a socially anxious person start the conversation.

Mizutani Makoto asked directly: "How do you feel now? Have you experienced any special changes since you woke up last night?"

"……what?"

Matsushita Kai's eyes were blank.

"For example, increased strength, improved stamina, or some other more subtle change... have superpowers emerged?"

Such straightforward words completely confused the child.

However, this matter must be made clear to Panasonic.

Mizutani Makoto buried the spirit core of the ancient tsuba in the heart of Matsushita Kei. With his obsession and the vitality accumulated by the ancient tsuba for hundreds of years, the young man crawled out of the jaws of death and was reborn.