Uneasy daily life

"Oh, thank you?"

"Ahem, I'll accept your request as well."

Snowfall under the snow is no less impressive than anyone else, and she said sternly, "Don't give up halfway."

Thus, although Mamoru Ishida failed to achieve his original goal, he did receive assistance.

Turbulent times produce heroes... To be honest, the tennis club should be considered to be in the twilight of a dynasty, not exactly in a chaotic era.

Hachiman Hikigaya glanced at Saika Totsuka, the words of the white shadow flashing through his mind...

Chaotic times...

Could it be that the club president is pretending to join the tennis club, then deliberately undermining the club and leaving to create an environment for Ishida to rise to power?

If it were me, I would definitely use this method.

Chapter Twenty: The Overlord Raises His Flag, Why Need a Vanguard?

Having accepted the commission, Ishida Mamoru and Totsuka Ayaka bid farewell and left, awaiting further instructions.

"Ah... what do I do with this kind of request?"

Yui Yuigahama pondered this with a troubled expression. She took out her phone and tapped it, saying, "Our school's tennis club seems to be really bad... There weren't many new members recruited this year, only twenty members across all three grades—that's already incredibly bad, isn't it?!"

"Isn't twenty a lot?"

Hachiman Hikigaya casually said, "Anyway, tennis matches are either singles or doubles. At most, only two people are needed to win the championship. Even if you sweep the top three spots, six people are more than enough."

"Are you sure you're talking about a person, not a Terminator?" Yui Yuigahama retorted.

“Not everyone joins a club with the intention of achieving results. It’s normal for Hachiman to think that way, since he hasn’t participated in many group activities. Let’s be understanding of him, Yui.” Yukino Yukinoshita made a light sarcastic remark before turning her head and asking, “Haku-kun, how are we going to compete this time?”

"I already know what method you will choose to act separately this time, and I am quite certain that our methods will not interfere with each other."

The white figure stood up and greeted, "Hachiman."

Hachiman Hikigaya didn't want to move: "...What are you doing?"

"Go scout the tennis club. This kind of mission requires confirming a lot of things—how much food do they have? How many soldiers do they have? What are the types and quantities of their equipment? Who is their commander? If we don't even know these things, then we shouldn't fight. We should go home and grow sweet potatoes! Scout number one, Hachiman, let's go!"

"Um... Minister, are you Reconnaissance Soldier 2?"

Do you know what a supervisory team is?

"—Mission accomplished!"

The white figure pulled Hachiman Hikigaya into battle.

That seems to be true. Regardless of whether Mamoru Ishida is lying or not, if the other party only holds that view, it may lead to a misjudgment.

Yukino Yukinoshita hesitated for a few seconds, then stood up and said, "Yuigahama, let's go over there too."

"oh oh……"

It's club activity time right now, and the tennis club is naturally holding its own activities, occupying the tennis courts for practice.

The tennis court felt rather deserted and quiet with only twenty people.

This contrasted sharply with the enthusiastic cheers coming from the football stadium.

The four members of the Aid/Service Department secretly observed the situation.

“A healthy and normal club should have many different types of members who can change from one another – those who simply join the club to build up their resumes, those who are only interested in club activities rather than pursuing a career, and those who have certain goals and seriously engage in club activities. Some clubs also have members who join because of friends or a particular person.”

The white figure crossed its arms and asked, "Hachiman, what do you see in your eyes?"

“Saika… cough cough.” Hachiman Hikigaya withdrew his gaze. “Almost everyone is what the minister calls a lazy bum or an enthusiast. Those who have the will are either suppressed or powerless to change the environment. In the end, changing the environment is a stupid thing to do… Just like a friend of mine, who was ostracized in elementary school and given the nickname 'frog' to mock him. When everyone subconsciously says and does the same thing, what can you do?”

"A stagnant pool."

Yukino Yukinoshita frowned and commented sharply, "He only played a few balls before running off to play on his phone. That's not even a warm-up. Ishida has had five or six different opponents, and he doesn't seem to be exhausted at all. Some of the girls deliberately tried to talk to Totsuka, and Totsuka and the others were just picking up balls and acting as referees... It's a really terrible environment. The monkey king is leading a bunch of monkeys jumping around, which makes Ishimori seem like the abnormal one."

A good environment can make people better, while a bad environment can make people worse.

A little observation is enough to detect a tanking atmosphere on the tennis court.

Yui Yuigahama tapped on her phone, exclaiming in surprise, "Our school's tennis club had their best result in ten years last year, reaching the top 16 in the Chiba regional tournament... Ahahaha..."

Regional Round of 16...

Our soccer team is at a level where we can compete in the national tournament.

"Ishida Mamoru doesn't want us to help him win the championship, but to change the current situation of the tennis club."

Bai Ying withdrew his gaze, made a gun gesture with his fingers, aimed at Yukino Yukinoshita, and mimicked, "Bang—the starting gun has been fired."

Yukino Yukinoshita crossed her arms and smiled confidently, "I'll cross the finish line before you."

"Then try challenging me! A hero has his way of being a hero, and a demon king has his way of being a demon king!"

The white figure, who seemed to have gone crazy again, strode away. Hachiman Hikigaya sighed and followed without any enthusiasm.

Yui Yuigahama asked in surprise, "Does this...really mean we have to solve this separately?"

"We used to solve problems separately; otherwise, how would we determine who did a better job?"

Yukino Yukinoshita already had an idea and said confidently, "Yuihama, we can definitely do better than them."

"Oh, hahaha..."

What a strange relationship! Xiaoxue is really quite determined.

Yui Yuigahama couldn't help but comment.

……

……

"Hachiman, what do you think Yukinoshita will do?"

As I walked up the stairs, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, the white figure in front of me asked without turning around.

"Let's ask the teacher for help."

Hachiman replied casually, "A club that has lost its fighting spirit is like a stagnant pool. Most people have chosen to give up. With nothing to do, the environment gradually deteriorates. Third-year students act like kings, putting on airs and ignoring the second-year students. The second-year students then put on airs and make the first-year students do chores like picking up balls, acting as referees, and tidying up equipment. If it gets too serious, it can be considered bullying."

Bai Ying smiled casually: "Hachigaya-kun, the blades of the supervisory team are quite sharp."

Ugh, I was forcibly conscripted into the army.

"Ahem... The clients are Ishida and Totsuka. Totsuka is a first-year student, and Ishida is a second-year student. If they want to rise above their peers, they need to have the ability. Yukino will probably try to give them special training to improve their skills, so that they can openly challenge the captain of the tennis club. They can make a bet where whoever wins becomes the captain."

Hachiman Hikigaya thought for a moment and said briefly, "It's hard to say whether the tennis club captain will accept the bet... Without the determination to make things bigger, or an effective provocation, it's difficult to force the other party to take the field—Captain, what do you plan to do?"

Ask a counter-question to avoid the minister asking you another strange question.

Where do you think we should go?

Damn it! Don't answer questions with questions!

As Hachiman Hikigaya was making his own comment, he subconsciously began to observe his surroundings and think. They had already gone up several floors, so they couldn't be going to a classroom or a teacher's office... This building wasn't the school board's office either... Hmm?

"Student Union?"

Bai Ying turned her head and revealed a sinister smile: "Hachiman is indeed very clever."

Hachiman Hikigaya remarked, "It shouldn't be a simple matter of asking the student council to issue orders to the tennis club, right? I don't think that would be very effective."

The idea that subordinates will wholeheartedly cooperate when superiors issue orders only exists in wishful thinking; people are not programs that can be programmed simply by inputting information.

But the student council has a real power – to allocate funds for student organizations.

For sports clubs that require various equipment, venues, and competition fees, funding is their lifeline, much like a boss who controls the wages of employees or a client who controls the remuneration of service providers. However, the question is not whether they have power or not, but how they use it to make it effective.

"Wow, Hachiman is showing some enthusiasm, is it because of Totsuka Saika?"

"Not?"

"It seems that's it."

In a brief exchange, the two had already arrived outside the student council building.

Hachiman Hikigaya was already thinking of running away; this was definitely not a place I should be in!

Bai Ying straightened her appearance, revealed a sunny smile, and politely knocked on the door.

"Please come in."

A soft voice came from inside.

A white figure pushed open the door and entered, drawing the attention of everyone in the student council room.

Hachiman Hikigaya wanted to turn around on the spot. The awkwardness of being an outsider barging into a busy office made him want to dig a three-bedroom apartment out of his toes.

Sitting behind the desk was the current student council president—a girl with a gentle expression, her hair tied into two braids hanging down in front of her, and a smile on her face, Shiromaru, a second-year student.

Cheng Huixun curiously sized up the two uninvited guests.

He's quite handsome... Hmm? Handsome, come to think of it, isn't he that 'celebrity' from the first year?

...It's troublesome.

Shirowari asked with a smile, "May I ask what's the matter, Junior Brother Shirokage?"

"I'm here to apply for club funding."

Bai Ying sat in the chair and said, "According to the rules and procedures, I should consult with my advisor about the procedures, then submit the application to the student union, which will then determine whether it is necessary to allocate funds and how much to allocate—so I don't plan to go through the normal process."

"Ah...oh..." Shirowari coughed, "So, what are your thoughts, junior?"

This student council president is a bit weak; she was completely shut down by the minister's polite words... A true social expert should be able to smile and continue with polite conversation while turning the tables and driving the minister away. Has she not yet realized that the minister was there specifically to cause trouble?

Hachiman Hikigaya was lost in thought. Luckily, the department head was conspicuous enough that he felt less attention was being focused on him. Good thing, good thing.

Bai Ying: "I'm here to steal funding. Let's give half of the tennis club's funding to the aid department."

Cheng Huixun: "Huh?"

Hikigaya Hachiman: "..."

The student council fell silent for a moment; the sound of keyboards being typed and tables being created disappeared, as did the hushed conversations.

"Junior? I remember there are only two people in the aid department..." Shiromaru glanced at the two of them, "Club activities don't require consumables or equipment, and the funding application standards aren't met, so it's all about fighting over funding..."

Bai Ying observed Cheng Huixun and continued, "The tennis club has not won any honors for many years, and this year it is unlikely to make any breakthroughs either. Sports clubs have always had a high status because they can represent the school in various competitions to win honors. A sports club that cannot win honors is essentially an interest club and should not enjoy preferential treatment. Cutting its funding in half is appropriate."

"Nobody said that you can't participate in tennis matches if you're not in the tennis club, right? Even if only one person is strong enough, they can still win a singles championship, so transferring the cut funding to the aid department is just right."

Shiromaru tried to understand and said, "So, you mean Shirakage thinks you're really good at tennis? Then why don't you just join the tennis club?"

"Does one have to be in the tennis club to play tennis well? Tennis is such an inconvenient thing, and how can one play tennis well with a bunch of insects? Of course, empty talk is unrealistic, so I want to ask my senior for a favor—help me arrange matches for everyone in the tennis club next weekend, so both sides can show their skills. Funding is only for the strong! I also ask my senior to be the referee, so that they won't be afraid to accept the challenge!"

Bai Ying placed an application form on the city patrol desk, then got up to take her leave.

What kind of madman is this minister?! How could such an outrageous request possibly be agreed to...?

Hachiman Hikigaya's inner monologue was enough to drown out the ocean. As he turned to follow the white figure away, he glanced back and saw that Jun Shiromai was looking at the application form with a slight frown... His expression was neither puzzled nor surprised, but rather serious.

serious?

A flash of lightning streaked through my mind.

The words spoken in public were not intended to persuade the student council president, but rather to express those specific points.

The key to persuading the student council president wasn't in his words, but in the application form.

The challenge was scheduled for the weekend in order to minimize the impact of the situation.

As he descended the stairs, Hachiman Hikigaya gradually saw through everything and couldn't help but ask the white figure in front of him, "Captain... have you ever heard of the saying 'the nail that sticks out gets hammered down'?"

"Do you want to be that bird?"

"It's not impossible... if the minister insists that I do it that way."

Hachiman Hikigaya chuckled twice.

"Hachiman is so smart and kind—you know too much! So let's train together!" Bai Ying exclaimed.

"Huh?! Is it...does it mean tennis training?"

"When a hegemon raises his flag, what need is there for a vanguard? To avoid being betrayed again, I have no choice but to strike first!"