Uneasy daily life

"Hayato! I like you, please go out with me!"

Shirai Yumiko approached again and reiterated her confession.

Hayato Hikigaya looked troubled and didn't answer.

Shirai Yumiko opened her arms and pounced on him: "Hayato—!"

"Wait! What are you going to do next?!"

Shirai Yumiko pouted, her lips stretching like a fish's: "A deep, painful kiss—!"

"Stop! I agree!"

……

Miura Yumiko's eyes widened: "This is what you call the best strategy?!"

"To do a good job, you must first have the right tools—prepare love letters, flowers, even banners, the more serious the better. Stir up trouble and intimidate—use your network of connections to secretly spread the word about your confession, making sure it's a huge public spectacle. Make sure the confession scene is surrounded by all your and the other person's friends, and attract the largest possible number of onlookers who love a good show. Press hard and finish them off—make sure Hayama Hayato gives a direct answer in front of everyone, leaving him no room to maneuver!"

The white-clad figure said firmly, "This is the do-or-die strategy! Not only are you going to burn your own bridges, but you're also going to ruin Hayama Hayato's plans and sabotage his career. This is called pulling the ladder away after someone climbs onto the roof!"

Miura Yumiko thought this guy had something wrong with his head, and slammed her hand on the table, asking, "What's the use of this?!"

"Of course it's useful. Didn't we analyze the enemy before? Given Hayama Hayato's tendency to be swayed by the atmosphere, he would never refuse you on the spot. As long as you don't back down, Hayama Hayato will definitely agree. He can't handle situations where everyone expects it. The more you give your all, the harder it is for him to simply deny you."

Bai Ying analyzed methodically: "If Hayama Hayato agrees, at least during high school, you will be the only one with the official trademark of Hayama Hayato's girlfriend. Isn't that wonderful?"

Yumiko Miura was stunned.

Hachiman Hikigaya's eye twitched... Given Hayama's insistence on being a nice guy, he probably really couldn't refuse. At most, he'd agree and then secretly try to break up with Yumiko Miura, or maybe he wouldn't even talk about breaking up, but would just wait until they graduated high school and naturally separate.

Yukino Yukinoshita commented: "Intrigue and deceit are despicable."

"This is war! Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated!" Bai Ying argued. "The same principle applies to catering to someone's preferences. What gifts does the other party like? What are their interests? What kind of women do they like? That's what I do too. I know their personality, their weaknesses, and how to exploit their vulnerabilities. The essence is the same."

Yukino Yukinoshita intensified her criticism: "Absurd! Even if Hayama agrees according to your plan, what's the point? It's just a choice forced by circumstances. A false connection is still a false one no matter what. Even if Hayama agrees, he'll quickly find a way to break up."

“This is called being legitimate. With the status of a girlfriend, the relationship undergoes a subtle change, and you can use this relationship to cultivate feelings—have you ever heard of stories where fake girlfriends or fake boyfriends eventually become real?” Bai Ying said confidently. “My best strategy is the way to break the deadlock. If we don’t break the deadlock, no matter how we change things, we’ll still be trapped in this circle.”

Yukino Yukinoshita fell silent for a moment, her heart pounding with excitement.

"No way!" the client objected. "Let's find another one! This 'best option' is too outrageous!"

The strategist sighed, "Very well, then let's use the middle strategy, the plan of borrowing a route to attack Guo—Biqi Valley, advance!"

……

"Hayato-kun, please go out with me!"

Because Yui Yuigahama strongly refused, a certain random woman surnamed Bai had no choice but to put on a show and take matters into her own hands.

Hayato Hikigaya said expressionlessly, "I refuse. You are an excellent person, but I am not currently interested in romance. Private Marseille."

"Whoa, whoa..."

The woman surnamed Bai ran away, and Bai Youyu returned, saying, "Hayato is so popular, I wonder how many times he'll have to refuse before he can have some peace and quiet."

Hayato Hikigaya chuckled dryly: "Ahahaha..."

“I also find it quite troublesome. There are always guys who don’t even remember me coming to confess their feelings.” Shiro Yuko laid out the groundwork for a moment, then suddenly said, “How about we pretend to be a couple? That way it will be quieter and we won’t have people coming to confess their feelings so abruptly.”

Hayato Hikigaya: "Ah, this..."

……

"Once you establish the fake couple relationship, you can naturally act as his girlfriend. After opening a gap, you can then use subsequent operations to win over Hayato Hayama."

Bai Ying painted a picture of the future.

Yumiko Miura nodded repeatedly: "This is good!"

“Unfortunately, the success rate of the middle strategy is low. Even if you find someone to make a fake confession to temporarily influence Hayama Hayato, the chances of you fooling him are still very low…” Bai Ying shook her head and said, “Putting aside your acting skills, you might stutter when you carry out the plan. Secondly, it’s not easy for Hayama Hayato to be fooled—the gap between the enemy and our heroes is too big, I’m afraid it’s 0-8.”

Yumiko Miura has collapsed.

"Is all you know how to do, Haku-kun?" Yukino Yukinoshita teased. "You use coercion, deception, and bribery. There's not a shred of sincerity in all of this. It's really disgusting."

Bai Ying leaned back in her chair and asked with a smile, "Alright, a sincere defeat, who among you is willing to accept it? Who can accept it willingly?"

It's a bit quiet.

Hachiman Hikigaya spoke up: "Sincerity doesn't necessarily lead to failure, I've seen examples of that."

The white figure exclaimed in surprise, "Hachiman, have you forgotten your painful past?!"

“No, I just saw other people’s success.” Hachiman Hikigaya shook his head and said, “In the end, it’s the minister who is generalizing from a single case.”

“That’s right.” Yukino Yukinoshita said smoothly, “The correct approach should be to find a way for Miura to fall in love with Hayama, so that the request can be completed naturally.”

"Yukinoshita can occasionally say something pleasing to the ear."

Yumiko Miura rallied her spirits and frowned, saying, "Shirokage, can't you come up with something useful?"

“Then there’s only one strategy left.” Bai Ying said, spreading his hands. “The worst strategy is the ‘deceive the heavens and cross the sea’ plan. There’s no need to demonstrate this plan. The content is indeed very simple—you need to gradually make more intimate actions than you are now, such as bringing a lunchbox, acting together, etc. For this plan, you don’t need to confess or say much. It’s best to hide your feelings and use the actions of boiling a frog in warm water to gradually confuse Hayama Hayato.”

"Until one day you feel you can't wait any longer, then confess your feelings, or wait for Hayama Hayato's response, or pretend someone is going to confess to you and test Hayama Hayato's attitude."

Yumiko Miura retorted, "Your method is practically useless."

“You don’t dare to do the big thing, and you can’t do the clever thing, so what’s left but the stupid thing?” Bai Ying shrugged and said, “Of course, I have some other special strategies, but you didn’t even choose the best one, so I don’t think you would choose those methods.”

Yukino Yukinoshita raised her head and said softly, "Haku-kun, among those methods you didn't mention, kidnapping wouldn't be one of them, would it?"

Bai Ying was startled: "The hero actually guessed it?"

“Kidnapping?!” Miura Yumiko exclaimed.

Bai Ying rambled on: "From a common-sense perspective, in relationship problems, women are often seen as the ones who 'lose out,' while men are seen as the ones who 'gain an advantage.' The kidnapping here isn't real kidnapping, but rather using the advantage of being a woman to cover up the truth by appearing to be 'losing out' in the eyes of others, so that she can 'gain an advantage'..."

Yumiko Miura slammed her hand on the table in anger: "Rejected! What do you take me for?!"

Bai Ying pressed on: "Alright, there's another plan. You could try to get some high-tech stuff to modify Hayama Hayato's brain and make him fall in love with you—this method is very simple and perfect, I call it..."

"The elephant-in-the-refrigerator plan?" Yukino Yukinoshita sighed softly. "It's completely impractical now, Haku-kun."

Yumiko Miura slammed her hand on the table again: "Rejected! Is that something a human could do?!"

Bai Ying persisted relentlessly: "Alright! I have another plan! As the saying goes, if things can't be done, leave some men and some ground! Of the thirty-six stratagems, retreat is the best! Acknowledge the tactical failure, make a strategic retreat, and find another target..."

"climb!"

Yumiko Miura stormed off in a huff.

In the activity room, several people looked at each other, their expressions varied.

Bai Ying crossed his arms, looking like he was working very hard, and said, "If we're talking about who deserves the most credit for this mission, then it should go to me, to the Aid Department..."

“None of the solutions proposed by Haku-kun were useful,” Yukino Yukinoshita shook her head and said. “None of them solved Miura’s problem.”

"Tsk! Damn it! Next one! One more!"

The white figure looked towards the door, shaking its thigh and eagerly awaiting the arrival.

The problem hasn't been solved... or perhaps it has already been solved.

Hikigaya Hachiman pondered to himself that beneath the department head's elaborate schemes lay a clear underlying point—Hayama Hayato's feelings for Miura Yumiko weren't romantic. Once Miura Yumiko stormed off in anger, she would eventually realize that this wasn't a request the Aid Department could handle, or perhaps the department head simply didn't want to take on the task.

This isn't about devising strategies or coming up with brilliant plans; it's clearly just a constant stream of exclamations of "I wish I could..."

Yui Yuigahama thought to herself, "Love is really difficult. Does it really require a bunch of messy strategies?"

Yukino Yukinoshita looked down at her book, her emotions churning.

Is he openly referring to Miura, but subtly alluding to himself?

Chapter Thirty-Nine: You Like Me

"Sigh, why hasn't anyone come to commission me yet..."

The white figure propped its chin on its hand and exclaimed, "I'm so bored!"

"Yeah, maybe we're not well-known enough." Yui Yuigahama rummaged through her bag without looking up as she spoke. "Besides, when people ask for help, they probably wouldn't immediately think of coming to the club."

Yukino Yukinoshita lowered her eyes and turned the pages of her book, saying calmly, "And with someone's notorious reputation to go, it probably takes a lot of courage to come to this place."

"That's true. After all, the hero is known for being aloof and difficult to talk to, so people tend to avoid him."

Bai Ying deeply agreed.

The three of them stared at the white figure with rather subtle expressions.

Without looking up, Yukino Yukinoshita calmly said, "Haku-kun is really good at pretending not to understand."

Bored, the white figure turned its head to the side, pressed its face against the conference table, and moved its head up and down, twisting and turning like a button.

"What's wrong with Shiro?" Yui Yuigahama pulled out a pile of books and pens, asking nonchalantly, "Is he exercising his neck?"

"I'm trying to apply a force to the gaze, so that it can bend and land on the hero's face."

Bai Ying said seriously, "Let's see if the hero has the ability to play dumb."

Yuigahama Yui: “?”

"It's too early for humans to understand Haku-kun's behavior. Yuihama, don't be confused. Just be understanding and forgiving." Yukino Yukinoshita calmly flipped through the book and said, "Precious time should be used for studying and homework."

"Mmm!" Yui Yuigahama opened her workbook and began to study earnestly.

Bai Ying paused for a moment, propped herself up, and peered over to observe Yui Yuigahama's study habits. Then she turned to look at Hachiman Hikigaya, who was reading a light novel, and sighed softly, "Hachiman, is it really okay to spend all your time reading novels and slacking off? Look at Yui, who is studying so hard. Hachiman seems to be a bit lazy lately."

Yukinoshita, you despicable bastard, how dare you divert fire in such a way?!

Hachiman Hikigaya: "Minister, that's only because you didn't see me when I was working hard, but you saw me when I was relaxing. You took it for granted when I was studying, but you thought it was absurd when I was having fun. That's why you came to such a biased conclusion."

Bai Ying tapped the table: "Can't you learn from Yui Hama?"

"What the captain said isn't quite right," Hachiman Hikigaya countered with a sudden shift in perspective. "The top student in the grade is Yukinoshita, so can't the captain learn from Yukinoshita?"

"Shall we learn from the hero?"

Bai Ying pinched her chin and looked at the girl sitting by the window, observing her closely.

The sunlight shone brightly, making the brushstrokes depicting the young girl glow. The pages turned casually between her fingers; her head was bowed, her brows lowered, concealing her gaze—her focused expression and movements were like a perfectly composed painting…

"Haku-kun, I think your gaze is extremely lewd and evil. Please tone it down." Yukino Yukinoshita's voice turned cold. "That's enough evidence."

The white figure glared: "Pay me back!"

Yukino Yukinoshita looked up in surprise: "What are you talking about out of the blue?"

The white figure patted his forehead and sighed, "What are you saying, hero? I was just a hair's breadth away from having an inspiration..."

"Let's forget about Haku-kun's inspiration." Yukino Yukinoshita closed the book in her hands and teased gently, "Being able to prevent a crime in advance is already a great deed... Did Yui get stuck on the problem? Which step in the solution went wrong?"

Yukino Yukinoshita begins tutoring Yui Yuigahama in her studies.

Seeing this, the white figure turned and stared at Hachiman Hikigaya.

Hachiman Hikigaya carefully closed the light novel in his hands, looking troubled: "Captain, math is something you just can't do..."

Bai Ying asked with a chuckle, "You don't know how?"

The minister's smile could mean the difference between life and death!

Hachiman Hikigaya slowly said, "It's unlikely. Instead of me being the one dragging the team down, Captain, you should try to perform exceptionally well and directly take first place in the grade."

"Kicking the hero's butt is all about timing, location, and people. I'm confident in science subjects, but for humanities, it depends on the examiner's attitude." Bai Ying sighed for a moment, then asked, "I know you really want to slack off and escape the vast ocean of math. What if Komachi were there to cheer you on and give you intensive praise and encouragement?"

Hachiman Hikigaya's expression twisted as he leaned back: "Minister, why don't you come up with a new trick? Using the same method all the time doesn't really showcase your creativity."

“That makes sense,” Bai Ying said, deeply agreeing. “As the saying goes, one hand should hold the stick, the other the carrot. I’ll talk to Komachi about it and have her give you some tangible rewards before the final exams…”

"No need to trouble the minister," Hachiman Hikigaya said seriously. "As a student, it is my duty to rise to the challenge! No matter how difficult math is, it can be overcome. Not knowing something means there is still huge room for improvement! This is my responsibility, how can I trouble the minister?"

Putting away his light novel, Hachiman Hikigaya took out paper, pen, and exercise books from his bag and plunged headfirst into the vast ocean.

We absolutely cannot let the Minister get any closer to Komachi! Whether it was the Minister cooking with Komachi last night and their similar tastes in food, or Komachi referring to the Minister as 'white garbage sauce'... the alarm bells for a sister complex are about to go off!

I'm not afraid of being disliked by my girlfriend, I'm afraid of being dumped by her!

Hikigaya Hachiman was filled with grief and indignation. "That treacherous minister who bewitched Komachi!"

"Yes, yes, that's the idea! You're great, you're very smart! Much better than the Deadly Chef! Of course, you also owe a lot to my brilliant guidance, which far surpasses that of the Hero!"

The white figure pointed and gestured.