Zongman, gain super powers after helping others

“Even if you don’t say it, Rumi Tsurumi will realize it sooner or later. In fact, she already does realize it, but she’s just avoiding it.”

“…Escape is indeed a method, but my actions just now have blocked that method,” Yukinoshita said softly.

This reminded her of herself; when she followed her mother's arrangement to go abroad for junior high school, was there also an element of escapism in it?

You chose to run away back then, but now you're blocking other people's path. What kind of behavior is that?

Upon realizing this, Yukinoshita suddenly felt nauseous, and the nausea almost instantly swept over her entire body.

Seeing the girl's face suddenly turn pale, Lin Qianshu knew that she was getting stuck on something again, so he decided to use some serious tactics.

Lin Qianshu raised her voice slightly and said, "Yukino Yukinoshita, aren't you overestimating yourself?"

"A person determined to escape is unlikely to change their mind because of a few words from others. Besides, how long have you known Tsurumi Rumi? An hour? Two hours? How many words have you exchanged? Probably less than ten!"

"To that child, you are at most a stranger. Why are you so arrogant as to think that she will definitely develop in the way you expect? In the end, you and I are just bystanders. All we can do is offer words of advice. The only one who can truly decide what to do is Tsurumi Rumi herself."

"Besides, you've only used your methods to help her, while I haven't even made my move yet. You think Tsurumi Rumi can't reintegrate into the group and want to help her adapt to 'loneliness' as soon as possible, but I don't think so."

Lin Qianshu's words seemed to have some effect. After listening, Yukinoshita was silent for a moment before looking Lin Qianshu in the eye again and asking, "What do you plan to do?"

"Since this group doesn't accept Rumi Tsurumi, why not find a group that can accept her?"

No one in the world is indispensable, and no group dares to say that the world would stop if they were absent.

Even without Butcher Zhang, the principle of not eating hairy pork remains applicable everywhere.

Can you find it?

"Then let me ask you, Yukino, do you know what's most important when you're out having fun?"

"……happy?"

"Wrong, it should be 'come out'."

Lin Qianshu felt that the incident involving Tsurumi Rumi had a much greater impact on Yukinoshita than she had imagined, to the point that this girl, who had always appeared extremely intelligent and clear-headed, lost her composure.

Perhaps this is a case of those involved being confused while bystanders see things clearly.

“You can’t get anything done if you’re timid and hesitant. If you’re still going to have this kind of mentality, Yukino, you might as well just admit defeat. Surrendering means you’ve lost half the battle, and you can just wear half of your maid outfit then,” Lin Qianshu said.

Wearing only half a garment? Is this even suitable for broadcast?

Upon hearing Lin Qianshu's words, Yukinoshita subconsciously conjured up some explicit images in her mind, and immediately forgot all about sentimentality, replying irritably:

"It's not even completely dark yet, and you're already dreaming. In just three days, let alone whether you can find a suitable circle of friends for Tsurumi Rumi, even if you do, it's still a question of whether they will accept the child."

"Then don't worry about it. There's no time limit. Tsurumi Rumi's elementary school was affiliated with Sobu High School. If nothing unexpected happens, she will also go to Sobu High School's affiliated high school in the future. They're both in Chiba City, so there will be plenty of opportunities to meet in the future."

"Then how do we determine who wins and who loses?"

"It's simple. We'll know if she has any friends with her next time we meet." Lin Qianshu didn't intend to drag it out any longer.

Both Yukinoshita and Hayashi Chiki knew very well that a situation like Tsurumi Rumi's could not be resolved in just three days and two nights of summer camp. Therefore, leaving the outcome for their next meeting was the safest option.

"However, if you can make Tsurumi Rumi Mega Evolve, then I'll admit defeat," Lin Qianshu added.

He didn't care about winning or losing this competition; he only cared about Yukino Yukinoshita's feelings and the golden wish request above her head.

If wearing a maid outfit would allow him to accept Yukino Yukinoshita's golden wish request, then Lin Qianshu would do it without hesitation. Even wearing only half of it wouldn't be a problem. Of course, if he wanted to take a picture as a souvenir... he would have to hesitate.

To be honest, even after knowing Yukino Yukinoshita for so long, Lin Qianshu still has no clue about the golden wish request hanging on Yukino Yukinoshita's head.

It's not that I have no clue at all; I do have some clues, but I don't know how to proceed. I feel a sense of helplessness, like a 'sleeping husband'.

Not long after Tsurumi Rumi left, Hayama also successfully escaped the elementary school students surrounding him.

It's not that he's unpopular, but rather that it's time for the elementary school students to go back to their dormitories.

Although elementary school students don't go to sleep immediately after returning home, they probably have to wander around and play for a while to completely burn off their boundless energy before obediently returning to their dormitories to rest under the teacher's arrangement.

But all of this is no longer relevant to these high school student volunteers; at least from now until tomorrow morning, they are free.

Hayama spotted Yukinoshita and Hayashi Chiki. He had actually been keeping an eye on the situation here while he was surrounded by the elementary school students.

"Is she alright?" Ye Shan asked.

"Hard to say."

Lin Qianshu spoke the truth.

Yukinoshita showed no intention of speaking to Hayama. Her expression was completely different from when she was chatting with Hayashi Chiki. It became cold and full of resistance.

Yukino's indifference towards ordinary people is merely a means of isolation. But her indifference towards Hayama carries a genuine chill; anyone could see that Yukino dislikes this well-known good-natured person in the class.

"So you've really run into trouble... Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Not yet."

"If possible, I would like to help her within my capacity."

Hayama reiterated his intention to offer assistance.

Hayama was essentially a gentle person, but it was precisely that gentleness, which treated everyone equally, that ultimately led to the tragedy.

After seeing Hayama's stubborn persistence, Yukinoshita finally spoke up.

"You can't do it with your strength, right?"

“…That’s right…but this time is different.” Hayama replied, looking at Yukinoshita.

Hayama knew very well why Yukinoshita treated him this way. It was indeed his fault back then, which caused Yukinoshita's situation to not only not improve, but to worsen further.

Ultimately, Tsurumi Rumi and Yukinoshita are different, and she herself has grown a lot over the years. If they could do it all over again...

"The same, essentially the same." Yukinoshita's beautiful eyes were devoid of any emotion, her words cold and flat.

What she couldn't do back then, she can't do now. Compared to Hayama, Yukino Yukinoshita now has more faith in herself... and in Chiki Hayashi.

"If you want to do something, you can do it, but only if you are really confident in your ability to do so."

After saying that, Yukino Yukinoshita turned around and left the scene without hesitation.

Seeing this, Lin Qianshu shrugged at Ye Shan and then followed her back to the camp.

It's fair to say that Hayama was unlucky; of all times, he had to come knocking on his door, which just happened to be the perfect opportunity for Yukino to fire.

They even said they could offer help. What's the difference between that and rubbing salt, cumin, and chili on a wound under the snow?

Faced with this situation, Lin Qianshu naturally stood on Yukinoshita's side without hesitation, as for Hayama... he wasn't familiar with him.

Firstly, Ye Shan wasn't his brother, and secondly, the other party wouldn't use any wish points. Why would Lin Qianshu risk Xue Xia's misfortune for his sake?

Even if Ye Shan could really generate wish points, Lin Qianshu wouldn't do it.

After all, while the wish-granting points are fragrant, Yukinoshita is his friend and could potentially be the mother of his child in the future. How can you compare them?

------

PS: I'll post 6K first, and another 4K later (it's really late, probably around midnight).

Also, a big thank you to reader "亡炎" for the panties, the boss is so generous (*^▽^*)

Chapter 125 The battle between Yukinoshita and Yumiko reignites (4.5k)

Back at the camp, it was completely dark, but that was still early for the high school students; there were still several hours before bedtime.

So Hiratsuka Shizuka simply gathered everyone together, under the guise of arranging volunteer work for tomorrow, to let everyone get to know each other.

This might sound a little funny, after all, everyone has been classmates for a semester, and they still need to sit down and get to know each other like this.

However, the reality is that it is indeed necessary, because apart from Yuihama being relatively familiar with Hayama and the others, people like Hayashi Chiki, Kawasaki Saki, Hikigaya Hachiman, and Totsuka Saika are not actually that familiar with the "normie group".

Totsuka Saika is alright; he's popular in class and can occasionally chat with Tobe, Hayama, and a few others. But the other three are completely isolated from the "normie" group.

Take Lin Qianshu for example. Among the entire group of popular people, the person he is most familiar with is Miura Yumiko, followed by Hayama Hayato. Apart from that, Lin Qianshu is not familiar with anyone else. He can remember the names and appearances of others, which is thanks to his photographic memory.

As for Hikigaya, it goes without saying that he harbors prejudice and resentment towards every member of the popular group equally.

As for Kawasaki Saki... she doesn't care about anyone in her class at all. Besides the scholarship, the only person she can talk to is Lin Qianshu, who has actually helped her.

In this situation, to put it nicely, everyone is a classmate; to put it bluntly, they are strangers who were randomly put together to go to school, and their relationship is even worse than that of colleagues in the same company.

Occasionally, colleagues will chat with each other for a bit!

"That concludes tomorrow's work schedule. Now, everyone is free to speak freely. Share any interesting things that happened today, or vent about any work-related troubles you may encounter." Hiratsuka Shizuka quickly summarized the general arrangements for tomorrow's schedule, far more efficiently than the student council leaders.

If Hiratsuka Shizuka were to have the opportunity to run for school leadership one day, I believe everyone present would cast their vote without hesitation.

I'd go through fire and water for you, Sister Jing.

"The problem we encountered today, it's still that child, isn't it?" If Yuihama's mention of that child is indeed Tsurumi Rumi.

In fact, Yuihama and the others knew Tsurumi Rumi even earlier than Hayashi Chiki and Yukinoshita.

"That child? What problem did you encounter?" Hiratsuka Shizuka asked.

If it were just a casual sharing of interesting stories, Hiratsuka Shizuka wouldn't interrupt, but when it comes to students, even if those elementary school students aren't her students, she feels obligated to care as a teacher.

“One of my classmates was being ostracized by the other students…” Ye Shan explained.

After they finished speaking, whether it was a telepathic connection or something else, they all turned their gazes toward Hachiman, including Hachiman's younger sister, Komachi.

That's a stereotype.

"Hey, what's with everyone staring at me?"

“That child looks quite pitiful,” Miura Yumiko added, ignoring Hikigaya’s question.

"Am I not pitiful too?" Hachiman felt that he was also being ostracized.

"That kid Rumi is a bit pitiful, and what you said... is a bit ridiculous." Yuihama's ability to insult people has been steadily increasing since she joined the Service Club, especially when facing Hachiman, where she often manages to deliver critical damage.

"Looking for trouble?" Hachiman cast a death stare at Yuihama. And you have to admit, that death stare and dead fish eyes really do go well together; it actually looks kind of intimidating.

Unfortunately, Yuihama has developed an immunity to Hikigaya's dead fish eyes and is not afraid at all.

After the jokes, let's get back to the main topic.

Compared to Hayama's limited understanding of Tsurumi Rumi's situation, Yukinoshita, who knew more about the inside story, took the initiative to step forward and briefly explain the situation to everyone.

It's not that Yukinoshita hoped to gather everyone's wisdom and call on everyone to come up with a solution to the problem; what she did was more like reporting her actions to Shizuka Hiratsuka, the instructor of the Service Club.

Although it was just a brief summary of Tsurumi Rumi's situation, Yukinoshita's concise and clear wording allowed everyone present to easily gain a clear understanding of Tsurumi Rumi's condition.

If you put yourself in that situation even slightly, you can feel that suffocating sensation.

"It feels a little scary."

When Miura Yumiko said "it's a bit pitiful" above, it was more about showing empathy than genuine pity. But this time, saying "it's a bit scary" was a heartfelt expression.

"So, what do you plan to do?" Hiratsuka Shizuka asked Yukinoshita.

Hiratsuka Shizuka knew that Yukinoshita wasn't the kind of person who liked to do useless work, and since she had stepped forward, it meant that she already had a concrete idea.

“Naturally, we will use all means to solve this problem…if she needs it,” Yukinoshita replied without hesitation.

"So, does she need it? Or did she ask you for it?"

“…Not yet.” Yukino Yukinoshita shook her head.

"Since the other party hasn't made a request, what reason do you have to help her?" Hiratsuka Shizuka continued to ask.

"..."

Faced with Hiratsuka Shizuka's questioning, Yukinoshita was speechless for a moment. It was Hiratsuka Shizuka's words that made her suddenly realize that Tsurumi Rumi had never asked them for help from the beginning, and the so-called help was nothing more than her and Hayashi Chiki's 'wishful thinking'.

What if Tsurumi Rumi herself doesn't want them to get involved?

Just as Yukinoshita began to ponder this question, Lin Qianshu spoke up: "Is it possible that, because of her previous experiences, even if Rumi wanted to ask for help, she simply couldn't bring herself to say it?"

"After experiencing betrayal from a friend, it's understandable that she would be wary of everyone after such a blow, isn't it? Instead of worrying about whether she needs help, it's more practical to think about how to help her."

If done properly, no one would refuse well-intentioned help, let alone a primary school student like Rumi Tsurumi who is in a helpless and isolated situation.

Putting everything else aside, the fact that she was willing to reveal to us the reasons for being ostracized shows that she actually longed to be saved.

Thinking of this, Lin Qianshu inexplicably thought of the name Yukino Yukinoshita. Since the other party had 'entrusted' Yukino Yukinoshita to her, was it possible that she also wanted to see the possibility of redemption through Yukino?

This idea only lingered in Lin Qianshu's mind for a moment before he temporarily set it aside.

The main problem at present is with Tsurumi Rumi, as for Yukinoshita Haruno, we'll have to wait until after summer camp at the earliest.

After listening to Lin Qianshu's answer, Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at the others and asked, "Do any of you have other opinions?"