Uneasy daily life

The two instinctively looked at the white figure.

Why are you all looking at me?

Bai Ying said with dissatisfaction, "Do you think my art and that fraudster Bai Yinghua's art are the same kind of thing?"

Whether it's artistic or not is hard to say, but the Scarlet Theatre Company is probably all the same kind of thing.

"Wait! What do I have to be fooled about? How could I be fooled?"

Hachiman Hikigaya snapped out of his daze and pointed out the flaw.

Impossible, absolutely impossible! How could I possibly be deceived by someone?

“That’s right.” Bai Ying nodded in agreement. “My subordinates have always only ever lied to themselves!”

“Yes…” Hachiman Hikigaya subconsciously replied, his cheek twitching as he sat up straight. “Anyway, what evidence do you have?”

"Evidence?" Yukino Yukinoshita looked up in surprise. "Could it be that you, Hikigaya-kun, are the kind of delusional person who fantasizes about a mysterious beautiful girl paying attention to you and suddenly coming to you one day to make a sincere confession?"

puff.

An attack with minimal effect.

HP-0.

"Hahaha, how could I possibly fantasize about such a thing? If you're just saying I was scammed, at least provide some evidence, right?"

Hachiman Hikigaya was in a state of confusion, struggling fiercely—Impossible! Absolutely impossible! How could that person…

Yukino Yukinoshita said helplessly, "Hachigaya-kun, you should know, right? I won't lie."

"That's just that you don't lie subjectively, but you might lie objectively! You can even maintain your subjective stance of not lying, but use rhetoric, silence, or abstract expressions to achieve a misunderstanding in others, which is an objective lie!" Hachiman Hikigaya pointed out in a booming voice, "There's another possibility: you were deceived by Shiro Eika, and subconsciously feel that anything unusual is Shiro Eika's doing!"

Hachiman Hikigaya, driving the correct logic recklessly down the wrong path, suddenly exclaimed, "Did you stumble upon Shiro Eika confessing her feelings to the club president, and then get tricked?!"

"Little Qi! Calm down!"

Yui Yuigahama panicked.

The white figure, who had somehow appeared, sat down next to Hachiman Hikigaya and slammed his hand on the table, exclaiming, "That's right! The hero must have been fooled by Shiroi Hana! That's why he thinks his subordinates were fooled too!"

Hmph! I have the minister as my teammate...

Was I really scammed?

Hachiman Hikigaya immediately deflated, a look of self-doubt appearing on his face.

"#!"

Yukino Yukinoshita's expression gradually turned cold, but her tone became exceptionally gentle: "Since Hachiman-kun refuses to accept reality, then I will correct you—first of all, do you know that girl's name? Rumor has it that she was wearing the Soubu High school uniform, do you know which grade and class she is in? You don't know, and even the students who are discussing this matter don't know, to the point that they don't even know who they are talking about. Is that evidence?"

"Huh? That seems to be it..." Yui Yuigahama couldn't help but take out her phone and search on the forum. "Some people are asking who the girl is, but no one can say for sure who she is..."

Ugh! What's wrong with these people? They all seem to really like that girl...

Perhaps? Such a bold, dazzling, beautiful, and controversial girl.

"Objection!" Before Hachiman Hikigaya could speak, Shiro slammed her hand on the table and retorted, "Don't underestimate the power of makeup and dressing up! An unremarkable person can completely transform into a different person in other people's eyes by carefully tidying themselves up and changing their image! In addition, that girl claimed to have no friends, so it's normal that students wouldn't be able to find her through interpersonal relationships!"

Is this really normal?

Hachiman Hikigaya nodded tentatively. Wait a minute, how did I end up on the debate stage again?!

"Ha... White Fungus, don't just blindly join in the fun."

Yukino Yukinoshita let out a long breath, hesitated for a moment, and then said directly, "The White Flower's deception often has obvious flaws, the kind of flaws that you don't think about at the time but become more and more obvious the more you think about them—Hachigaya-kun, what are you thinking about?"

"Huh? Why?" Hachiman Hikigaya gestured vaguely. "The obvious flaw is..."

"Because the victim doesn't realize they've been scammed, it's not a complete scam with a beginning and an end, and it's not a lie."

Yukino Yukinoshita was clenching her teeth a little.

“Exactly, so that guy’s performance always has a deliberate clumsiness.” White Shadow shrugged. “Like when an online scam is trying to get you—these are the kinds of steps that become more and more obvious and full of flaws the more you think about them.”

Hachiman Hikigaya tried his best to recall the situation at that time, and the more he recalled, the more stiff his expression became.

Really? False? Possibly? Impossible?

Wait a minute……

A picture suddenly became clear in my mind.

'I can happily enjoy solitude on my own, I don't want to become a teenage idiot like you.'

The mysterious girl, who claimed to have fallen in love at first sight, refused the invitation to be friends. Instead, she turned around with a charming and lively expression and made a face.

'Explode! You social butterfly!'

The lighthearted banter still seems to echo in my ears.

So here's the question: as we've seen before, the girl who resembles herself, is lonely, and falls in love at first sight, musters up the courage to confess her feelings, only to find out it was just a momentary impulse born of her own overactive imagination, and the person she wanted to confess to had no feelings for her at all...

Replace the girl with myself.

Shouldn't one feign composure, quickly make a exit, go home, wrap oneself in a blanket, and wail and roar at the wall?!

Why would someone suddenly be so tolerant and open-minded in joking?

Because they're scammers!

Hachiman Hikigaya has been transformed into a bodhisattva sculpture.

"The deception of the heart - give them what they believe, let them be fooled, and then let them realize they have been deceived."

The white figure reached out and patted Hachiman Hikigaya on the shoulder, saying with a serious expression, "My subordinate, open your eyes! Aren't you lonely, just waiting to meet another lonely person? Aren't you passive, just yearning for a soulmate at first sight? This is the time to strike back fiercely! You are proud and aloof, she is your soulmate, you have absolutely not been deceived!"

"Ha, hahaha... So it was all an act? Wow, that's some amazing acting..."

Hachiman Hikigaya rallied his spirits and gave a self-deprecating laugh: "I never thought that someone who prides himself on being an observer of humanity would be deceived. As expected, there is no disappointment without expectation, and one cannot be harmed without interacting with others. I haven't reached that state yet... But why is the captain just watching? Watching Shiraeka do whatever she wants?!"

Hachiman Hikigaya noticed the blind spot and changed the subject: "Could it be that the minister and Shiro Eika are in cahoots?!"

Yukino Yukinoshita frowned, realizing that things were not so simple, and looked at someone with a deep gaze.

"The actors on stage are, of course, all one team! We must bring this drama to its highest point!" Bai Ying clenched her fist and said passionately, "But who is the most dazzling protagonist, who will have the most screen time? Hmph... how can false lies conceal the truth?!"

Hachiman Hikigaya couldn't help but retort, "Please don't drag irrelevant bystanders onto the stage."

"The stage is right beneath your feet, so why bring up the other side?" Bai Ying chuckled and said, "You seem to have recovered by now?"

"That's right, I've grown up."

Hachiman Hikigaya muttered to himself, "Ha, I've once again stepped into the river of excessive self-awareness. It's pathetic to be drowning, but growth requires overcoming trials to wash away the illusion of foolishness..."

Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but show a speechless expression.

Hikigaya-kun is surprisingly stubborn, but being stubborn in front of Haku-kun is a very dangerous thing.

Could it be that the blow was too severe, making it impossible to even assess the risks?

"Ugh?!"

Yui Yuigahama exclaimed in surprise while holding her phone, then looked at the others with a strange expression, before glancing at Hachiman Hikigaya, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

"Say what you want to say." Hachiman Hikigaya showed an indifferent expression, calm and composed. "Anyway, it's just some boring talk from the forum. I'm fearless after all these battles! When you die, you don't get hurt... Wow, as expected of me, saying something so philosophical."

Very good, very energetic, looks like he's half-crazy.

"Uh..." Yui Yuigahama said awkwardly, "Hachiman, you've leveled up."

“Of course I know,” Hachiman Hikigaya said solemnly. “I have indeed leveled up and completed a growth. Only by overcoming one’s own foolish corpse can one stride forward and gain wisdom beyond the ordinary… Just like the me of the past, with an excessive sense of self, I thought that it was unusual for a girl to talk to me, who was aloof, and that unusual meant she was interested in me, so I confidently confessed to her…”

I'm different now, I've grown up! Not only do I possess physical and magical resistance that cannot be destroyed by combat or effects, but I also can't be targeted!

Hachiman Hikigaya closed his eyes and chuckled, "Ha, those were truly immature days."

He actually abandoned his friends? He's not just half-mad.

"The Seven Eccentrics of the Campus".

Yui Yuigahama took a deep breath and looked sadly at Hachiman Hikigaya: "Hachiman, you're now the second-ranked member of the Seven Monsters of the School, and your original title has changed."

Hachiman Hikigaya: "What have you become? A scumbag? A disgusting man? A toad or a frog? Hahahaha!"

Yui Yuigahama: "A real social butterfly."

puff!

Hachiman Hikigaya bravely retorted, "Heh, I never thought I'd be called a 'normie' one day, and a really big one at that..."

"You truly deserve to be my subordinate. I admire your unwavering spirit."

Bai Ying patted his shoulder with relief, "Bai Yinghua must be lying. All those teenage idiots at school are just making a fuss. You're definitely not a social butterfly!"

"..." Hachiman Hikigaya responded with a wary look.

Bai Ying frowned: "Hmm? Could it be that you're a 'normie' type?!"

Hachiman Hikigaya immediately replied, "Of course not!"

"That's right! Joining the Aid Department was forced! It was all under threat!"

"you're right!"

Hikigaya Hachiman is truly sincere; the department head is my Waterloo!

Bai Ying declared passionately, "Other characters such as Oreki, Yukinoshita, and Yuihama are merely feigned flattery born of chance. I have no friends!"

"..."

"Visiting other schools' cultural festivals, planning sports festivals, attending fireworks displays, and doing things commissioned by the student aid department are all activities that only happen because I haven't expressed my dissatisfaction. Actually, I don't want to participate in those group activities at all!"

"and many more……"

"What's this about girls liking me? What a joke! Either she's trying to mess with me, or she's blind, or she's just overthinking things like I used to be, making her seem incredibly stupid! Anyway, no one could possibly like me. Anyone who does is suspicious!"

"Well……"

"Hey? Why aren't you saying anything?"

"The minister has finished speaking, and I have nothing more to say."

Why are you sweating?

"Haha, it's really hot in autumn."

Why are you looking away?

"This is a vision problem."

Bai Ying was slightly surprised, then revealed murderous intent, "You wouldn't happen to be a 'normie' who betrayed the philosophy of solitude, would you?!"

"I'm not, I don't exist..."

"Then why don't you dare answer? I think you're rebellious by nature!"

"..."

If what I just said is true, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave this door today!

Snapped.

"A lie can bloom brilliantly because it is rooted in the truth."

The white figure patted Hachiman Hikigaya on the shoulder and chuckled, "Explode! You social butterfly!"

puff--!

Invincible Penetration!

Debuff detonation!

HP forced to 0!

Under the sorrowful or helpless gazes of Yui Yuigahama and Yukino Yukinoshita, Hachiman Hikigaya froze into a statue, blown away by the sweeping cold wind, gradually drifting away...

My lonely coming-of-age story, did something... go wrong at some point?

Hachiman Hikigaya, withered away.

Chapter Ninety-Nine: To Hurt Everyone!

pat.

Open the front door and step into the entryway.