Uneasy daily life

Yukino Yukinoshita took out a paperback book, her eyes filled with fighting spirit.

"Brave warrior, come and challenge me! Hehehe!"

Bai Ying improvised a vocal shift, highlighting a hoarse and gloomy villainous style.

Their gazes collided, sparking a thunderous roar. Behind the white figure emerged an arrogant dragon, swallowing clouds and spitting out mist, stirring up storms. Behind Yukino Yukinoshita emerged a chilling white tiger, whipping up wind and howling thunder, treading mountains and chasing the sun.

Ten days have passed in the blink of an eye...

The Service Department/Aid Department still hasn't received any requests for help.

In the after-school activity room, Yukino Yukinoshita turned a page of her book. Her fighting spirit, which had been burning brightly, had already waned, and her once fierce spirit had turned into that of a sleeping orange cat. She said calmly, "Haku-kun, how about you go and promote this in your usual carefree way?"

When it comes to helping others, it all comes down to ability. Since we're all in the same classroom, regardless of who the person seeking help first turns to, the one who solves the problem is the winner.

The white figure leaned back in the chair, completely relaxed, exuding a lazy aura. The green worm, no longer the arrogant one, curled up into a ball, choosing comfort: "Yukinoshita-kun, how about we ask you to make a friend for us? Even heroes need companions to defeat the Demon King."

"Are there companions who run away when faced with difficulties?"

Yukino Yukinoshita closed the book, turned her head and asked in return, "If you want to make friends, I can help you complete this request."

Bai Ying said without looking to the side, "There are requests only when there are needs and difficulties—I have plenty of friends."

"...Didn't you say you didn't have any friends?"

"Yesterday I felt that my male friend wasn't a friend, so I cut him off. Today I regretted it and added him back."

"hehe."

In short, is he a liar who can lie without batting an eye? Yukino Yukinoshita thought to herself.

boom!

The sound of the door opening interrupted the two salted fish's splashing and leaping.

"Hey! Looks like your club activities are in trouble. I've brought you your first request!"

"Teacher! Please knock before you come in!"

Yukino Yukinoshita relaxes her tense body and launches into a pointless lecture.

"Haha, sorry, sorry..."

Ok? !

Bai Ying suddenly noticed a faint gaze scrutinizing her.

He abruptly grabbed that gaze, following it to a figure moving towards the door, and shouted, "Were you spying on me?! JOJO!"

Hiratsuka Shizuka, who was apologizing, suddenly turned around, and the person who was trying to slip away froze.

The rabbit, caught in the tiger's gaze, has lost its chance to escape.

Hiratsuka Shizuka smiled and reached out to pull the other person back, saying, "My request is to correct this guy's twisted personality. Also, his name isn't Jojo..."

"That line is a reference in a comic..."

The rabbit under the tiger's paws, with dead fish eyes, grumbled, "It's not that the teacher can't understand if he hasn't read young people's comics... *gulp*!"

"What a naughty child, hahaha."

Tiger affectionately hugged the half-dead rabbit and grinned, "His name is Hachiman Hikigaya, a first-year student in Class F. This request is likely to be a troublesome long-term job—let's have him temporarily join the club and help with club activities!"

Chapter 5 Dead Fish Eyes Won't Meet Angel Boys

With his stubborn ahoge and listless, dead-fish eyes, Hachiman Hikigaya sat in a chair, enduring the scrutiny of two pairs of eyes.

Hey, hey, hey, what kind of torture is this?

The girl is... Yukino Yukinoshita, right? She's the top student in her grade, and has a great reputation as an ice queen.

The boy should be Bai Ying, second in the grade? He seems to be the transfer student known for his eccentricities, and apparently has experience in theater...

Why am I, someone from the bottom rungs of society, being examined by two Brahmins here?

Why don't you go and celebrate your foolish youth, instead of crowding together in this weird place?

I should have known better than to write "I want to be a bear" on my science homework.

They underestimated the violent female teacher's mobility and predatory abilities.

Next time, I'll change it to being a shark. It's a creature that can survive on its own and isn't afraid of tigers.

Hachiman Hikigaya's divergent thinking and wandering mind are like a suspect in the police station who refuses to admit wrongdoing, resolutely contradicts others, and is always ready to give up.

"Do you know where this place is?"

The boy clasped his hands together, supporting his chin. His voice was inexplicably mature and deep, and his gaze was like a spotlight shining on his face. On the left was written "Confess and you'll be treated leniently," and on the right was written "Resist and you'll be punished severely." He was just short of pushing a bowl of salted vegetable and pork chop rice over his shoulder.

Hachiman Hikigaya thought of the two strange signs outside the classroom: "Service Assistance Department?"

Honestly, a name like that is not only suspicious, but it wouldn't be surprising if the police were called.

"Please do not associate the Service Club with the name of such a dubious organization."

Yukino Yukinoshita sat on another chair, three meters away from the white figure. She made a gesture between the two with her palm raised and said coldly, "That's the Aid Department over there, and this is the Service Department over here."

Hachiman Hikigaya, positioned in the middle, looked around and decided to hold back, asking, "Is there any difference?"

“We are all clubs founded with the goal of helping others, but due to differences, we are currently operating independently.” Bai Ying stroked her chin and looked the other person up and down, saying, “As the first request, I will try my best to complete Hiratsuka Shizuka-sensei’s request.”

Yukino Yukinoshita smiled like an angel: "Yes, either join the Service Club and I will heal your twisted personality, or join the Aid Club and he will execute you on the spot."

In my opinion, there is no difference between the two.

Hachiman Hikigaya quickly shook his head and said, "I don't think there's anything twisted about me, and I don't need any correction at all!"

“There’s really no cure for something as natural as appearance.” Yukino Yukinoshita thought for a moment. “Then, tell me what stupid thing you did that led to your teacher bringing you here.”

"Hahaha, I just wrote some thoughts on my homework and ended up getting bitten on the neck by a tiger."

Hachiman Hikigaya remarked, "It's hard to imagine that a teacher like that would appear in a high school."

If Ms. Hiratsuka notices you, you're definitely a problem child. You act very unnaturally during conversations, your eyes wander, your hands are on your lap one minute, scratching your back the next, your feet tap the ground occasionally, and you shift your bottom a few times, as if there are thorns on the stool... You seem uncomfortable talking to others, but there's something strange about you...

An unpopular character in the class?

With a general idea in mind, Yukino Yukinoshita's fighting spirit rose, but she was also a little puzzled as to why the white shadow was not making any moves. She glanced to the side and said, "Admitting defeat in advance is not a bad choice."

Bai Ying said with interest, "Those who pop champagne at the halfway point may not be the ones having the last laugh."

"The white fungus is making no move; doesn't it look like it's at its wit's end?"

Yes! That's it, let's start arguing!

Hachiman Hikigaya breathed a sigh of relief, silently concealing his presence, deciding to slip away during a lull in the Brahmin battle, relying on his inconspicuous nature...

"Hikigaya-san."

"exist!"

Hachiman Hikigaya subconsciously responded, then immediately clicked his tongue inwardly. Damn it! Was he subconsciously using such a submissive tone because he assumed the other person was of a higher level? My training isn't strong enough—

"The hero thinks you need to heal your twisted nature, while the demon king thinks you don't need to change."

Yukinoshita Yukino: “?”

Hachiman Hikigaya: "Ahahaha, that's perfect."

Is it some kind of psychological manipulation tactic to gain someone's approval and then smoothly proceed with treatment? Hachiman won't fall for it!

Bai Ying said firmly, "If you think everyone around you is a fool, then believe it! If you think your personality is great, then stick to it! If you think people who praise youth are all liars, then that's perfectly fine too!"

Yukinoshita Yukino: "??"

Hachiman Hikigaya cautiously replied, "Ah... well... I never thought about something so self-conscious."

Damn it! My resolve is wavering! This man is a bit scary! Did I say those things just now?! Could it be that he read that little essay I suddenly wrote on a whim?!

"Look! Don't you think those who conform to the group and form a group are like a bunch of spiders?"

The white figure stood up, walked to Hachiman Hikigaya's side, and said in a deep voice, "The spiders weave a web to bind others, and also to bind themselves—that web is so fragile that no one dares to stretch their body, for fear that if they are not careful, the web will break and they will fall off the web."

"Lies become a stable adhesive, and repression becomes the prerequisite for coexistence! Fools tirelessly numb themselves, as if everything on this web is the truth!"

From gentle narration to intense emotion, from subtle description to radical expression.

Hachiman Hikigaya's eyes widened in surprise; he couldn't tell that this person was lying or deceiving him.

The other person's words touched me deeply... No, that's not right, that's just my own assumption! Don't readily resonate with others' words; it might just be your overactive ego! Hachiman won't fall into the trap of past mistakes!

Yukino Yukinoshita's expression was a little out of control: "Shiraki, you also look like you really need treatment?"

But how to say...

Yukino Yukinoshita found herself emotionally agreeing with the other person's views, yet rationally rejecting them, causing her feelings to become subtly complex.

"Ah!"

The white figure circled halfway around Hachiman Hikigaya on the chair, then raised a hand and pressed it against the other's shoulder. With his back to Yukino Yukinoshita, he asked, "Yukinoshita-kun, why did Don Quixote charge at the windmill?!"

This question... if we're talking about the textbook answer... no, is this asking about Yukinoshita?

The hand pressing on the shoulder tightened gently, conveying something that even the person in question could understand—it was asking themselves a question.

Hachiman Hikigaya doubted, hesitated, and was confused. Was he really asking himself? Really?

Memories flooded his mind: it was in junior high, when he had no friends and couldn't fit in, yet a gentle girl would often talk to him—she must like him! That illusion was born, and it brought back painful memories!

Gentleness is merely a persona created for social convenience, so being gentle to everyone is a facade filled with lies and traps!

Those with an excessive sense of self will only be utterly destroyed by the truth hidden beneath the surface of gentleness, leaving them alone in bed, wailing in agony!

But the figure in white is a boy, isn't it? And the hand on his shoulder is tightening; even without turning around, he can feel the other person's gaze fixed on him…

Yes, he was asking himself the exact question, the answer that only he knew!

That's an answer only those of the same kind, comrades, and fellow soldiers would know!

Yukinoshita Yukino spoke.

"Embodying the spirit of upholding justice, in Don Quixote's eyes he was not charging towards windmills, but towards the giant of evil..."

shallow!

formulation!

Stereotypical!

A ridiculous answer that tries so hard to get a few more points!

"Ah!"

Hachiman Hikigaya felt the burning heat of the hand on his shoulder, and his whole body was filled with power. He actually let out a sneer at the Brahman, interrupting the other's long and eloquent speech, and then slowly stood up. His dead fish eyes seemed to have been sublimated into brilliance, and he gave a resounding answer.

"Of course it's because he wants to!"

There is no illusion, no reality, no upholding of justice and chivalry, no educational or practical significance—Don Quixote wanted to do it, so he did it!

A white figure stood before Hachiman Hikigaya, extending his hand with a smile. His voice was deep and powerful, as if giving a coded message: "It wasn't loneliness that chose me—"

Snapped!

"I chose solitude!"

Hachiman Hikigaya gripped the white shadow's hand tightly, feeling a warmth seep into his heart. It was a recognition that brought tears to his eyes, a feeling of something real, without falsehood, a mutual understanding that could be confirmed without repeated explanations or communication.

The other person's figure was like an angel spreading its wings, its halo casting warmth, making even that hateful handsome face seem incredibly kind.

"You, you..."

Yukino Yukinoshita leaned back in shock, her composure failing her, her thoughts in turmoil. What were these two saying? Were they really speaking Japanese? She couldn't understand, she couldn't understand at all—were she and these two in front of her the same species?

The conversation between myself and Hachiman was filled with a question-and-answer rhythm, the exchange remaining superficial for a while. Yet, how could Shiroki have so quickly gotten the notoriously difficult Hachiman to open up? There was a feeling of deep resentment, no, not just the resentment of losing once, but a more profound sense of powerlessness and dejection…

The two held hands tightly, exuding an aura of impenetrability.

The white figure extended a calm and powerful invitation: "Join the Aid Department, Hachiman! Even loneliness—no, even the most solitary have their place!"

Hachiman Hikigaya nodded vigorously: "Alright! Kage!"

"Call me Bai Ying! Don't force yourself to follow the etiquette here. In the end, all so-called etiquette and norms are just hypocrisy!"

"You're absolutely right!"

Hachiman Hikigaya couldn't help but smile. Yes! That's it, that's the feeling... Even though they have different nationalities, grew up in different societies, and have such drastic objective differences, they can still truly understand each other. It's the kind of understanding that doesn't require complicated explanations, repeated confirmations, or worrying about being overly self-conscious or that the other person can't understand!