Uneasy daily life

"So, did Chitanda-san ask you for a favor? Could you please tell me what happened... hiccup."

Amidst the stern, calm, and composed voice, a discordant noise suddenly broke out.

Yukino Yukinoshita pursed her lips, her expression indifferent, as if nothing had happened.

A white figure walked past, phone in hand, then suddenly grinned, revealing teeth: "Hiccup!"

At this moment, Yukino Yukinoshita wanted nothing more than to open her mouth and denounce this person for kicking someone when they were down, to look down on them with a vicious tongue, and to point fingers and criticize them relentlessly.

She couldn't speak, and after hearing that incredibly lifelike hiccup, her whole body involuntarily convulsed.

Humans are too weak; they can't even defeat a hiccup.

"Hahaha—hahahahaha—hahahahahahaha!"

The white figure laughed wildly, clutching his forehead, and judge Iori Yagami gave it a high score.

"As expected, I am the Demon King destined by Heaven. Today, the hero has been cursed by me and given a gag order. He must not utter my name or disobey me. Brilliant!"

“Uncle Bai, this isn’t right!” Chitanda Eru bravely spoke up, “Hiccups are a very normal thing…”

"Laughter is normal. My niece Eru sat back down obediently. What does a little girl like her know about the cruelty of the adult world?"

Bai Ying sat back on the throne in a cheerful mood. As for Yukino Yukinoshita, she could only use her weak and sharp eyes to fiercely glare at him. The process was dull, and the effect was like wearing boxer shorts, highlighting her weakness.

"Now, let's discuss the delegation issue."

Bai Ying instantly switched to a mature and composed mode: "Niece Eru, please repeat the contents of the request again, so that the guy who was sleeping in and absent can listen carefully."

Yukino Yukinoshita wanted to speak, but her body twitched again, and she could only grit her teeth in frustration.

Angelina casually said, "Yukinoshita, take a deep breath and hold it. That should cure your hiccups. My mom used to tell me to do that when I had hiccups."

Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes lit up, and she immediately took action.

Bai Ying cast a long, lingering gaze at his subordinates.

Angelina was taken aback, realizing that she had seemingly aided the enemy, and quickly looked away, pretending not to know anything.

……

……

"Make the school trip destination the Jinde area of ​​Kamiyama City?"

Yukino Yukinoshita frowned as she pondered, "Chitanda-san, what's your reason for doing this...?"

“Eru, leave the task to your uncle. I’ll show you the might of Bai Ying Fengxian, who rides the Red Hare of Guan Gu and cuts through the evil forces.” Bai Ying said crisply as he typed on the keyboard, “The school has already said that the school trip will be within Japan, so the key is how to get the students to vote for this place.”

Yukino Yukinoshita, not to be outdone, analyzed: "Although it is a group vote, due to the influence of common sense created by various propaganda, the impression of Okinawa as a beach city, Kyoto as a cultural city, and Tokyo as a bustling city has been created, far exceeding the Jinde area of ​​Kamiyama City, which is unknown without deliberate research. For example, this year's senior high school students went to Okinawa in their first year, Kyoto in their second year, and Tokyo in their third year."

Bai Ying added, "That's right. In a short time, trying to fight against common sense with just a few of us is tantamount to digging our own grave. The vote is next Monday, and the best time for us to influence other students is during these two days at school. We can't exactly go door-to-door handing out flyers on the weekend."

Chitanda Eru fidgeted, asking, "Th-what should we do?"

"Let's get some bombs."

"To catch the thief, catch the king."

The two ministers gave conflicting answers.

Chitanda Eru looked left and right, unsure of who to ask.

"I'd like to see what brilliant plan the hero has."

With a disdainful smile, Bai Ying gestured for the other party to go first.

"Within the ecosystem of high school students, there are some rather special individuals who have considerable influence."

Yukino Yukinoshita, speaking with the air of an animal expert, said, "Most students don't perceive school trips as school trips, but rather as travels. They would probably prefer a week-long school trip to become a week-long holiday—they don't really want to go to a particular place; it's just that the school requires them to choose a place."

“From their habits, some individuals have extraordinary influence. Many people who are used to following will make the same choices as those individuals, and others, seeing this, will also make the same choices, thus evolving into a phenomenon of conformity.”

"Among the famous students in the first year of high school, besides the fearsome Shirai-kun, there's Miura Yumiko, who's very popular among the girls, and Hayama Hayato, who's popular with both boys and girls. If we start with these two and persuade them to choose the Jinde district of Kamiyama City, and then spread the word, we should be able to get a significant number of students to vote."

Although Yukinoshita's description seemed a bit suspicious and subtle, it did sound like a reliable method.

Chitanda Eru nodded: "Hayama-kun is indeed very popular throughout the entire grade. I often hear other students talking about Hayama-kun, who isn't even in the same class..."

"Hmm?" Yukino Yukinoshita asked, a little confused. "Isn't it Miura?"

Chitanda Eru nodded and thought for a moment: "We're not very familiar with each other, after all, we're not classmates."

Hachiman Hikigaya casually remarked, "Miura's main strength lies in his strong personality and style. If we're talking about being a 'normie,' he's at most a 'normie' in Class F. He's not the same as Hayama, who's popular across classes. Actually, Yukinoshita, the key to your plan isn't Miura, but Hayama. If Hayama were to vote for a place, Miura would definitely vote for the same place."

If I had to put it in perspective, it's more like Miura Yumiko was trying hard to imitate Hayama and to present herself in a way that made her appear closer to Hayama Hayato.

Wait, did I overlook something...?

"You think you'll grow thorns all over your body if you don't backstab people every day? I think you're just full of rebellious spirits!"

A white figure delivered a karate chop to Hachiman Hikigaya's neck.

"rua——"

Hachiman Hikigaya stuck out his tongue and pretended to be dead, trying to get away with it by being cute.

The white figure sat back down and began typing on the keyboard.

"Ultimately, the strategy was flawed from the root. I'll just consider you as the Ugly Phoenix Chick who devised the chained plan, causing the overconfident Prime Minister Cao to link the boats together with iron chains."

Chapter Sixty-Seven: Who is the person who possesses both beauty and wisdom?

"What insightful opinion does Mr. Bai have?"

Yukino asked, her hands tucked into her sleeves.

"Bribing the principal, power will solve everything—of course, that's unreliable."

“Threatening the principal, violence can solve everything—but of course, it’s still unreliable.”

Bai Ying said solemnly, "Therefore, we need bombs."

Chitanda Eru forced a smile and said, "Uncle Haku, is there any more reliable way?"

"The law is not to be passed on to six ears, and the Way is not to be passed on to non-humans."

The white figure turned and urged in a friendly manner, "Brave warrior, quickly use your ingenious plan of linking the boats together with iron chains!"

While others analyzed their methods and concluded that Hayato Hayama was the key, Yukino Yukinoshita was already considering rejecting the approach herself.

Her sister annoyed her, her mother frightened her, and the white shadow professionally lowered her blood pressure.

Even though she and Yumiko Miura had personality clashes and didn't get along very well, and it was likely that she would be the one to be sarcastic and Yumiko would lose her temper, she didn't dislike Yumiko Miura. At most, she would occasionally think that Yumiko Miura's brain was lacking in nutrition.

She only disliked Hayama Hayato.

When I returned to Japan to attend high school, the first thing that bothered me was that I was in a car accident during the opening ceremony. The second thing that bothered me was that I discovered that Hayato Hayama was also at Soubu High School—it was probably my mother's intentional arrangement, or my sister was secretly doing something.

Since this was a method I came up with myself, I should try it until it fails.

The main thing is the white shadow's kingly disdain, that look that says you can't do anything, which makes people especially angry.

"Then Shirafuji can slowly set up your bombs. Yuihama, can you contact Hayama?"

"I have Hayama's account here."

"Let's invite him to the rooftop. Yuihama, you'll come with me too."

If being alone were to unexpectedly lead to rumors about Hayato Hayama, Yukino Yukinoshita felt that it would be an even greater test of her blood pressure than being exposed to a white shadow.

“Then I’ll help too!” Chitanda Eru raised her hand.

Ha, all the clients have been drawn away by me, what do you have to fight me with?

Yukino Yukinoshita felt recognized, and her fighting spirit suppressed her displeasure at having to meet Hayato Hayama later.

Oreki Houtarou then suggested, "I'll stay here and listen to another idea."

"Then I'll leave Uncle Bai to Oreki."

Excellent, energy saving successful.

Houtarou Oreki enters power-saving mode.

Watching the three girls leave together, Bai Ying said, "The troublesome guy is gone, so let's discuss what kind of bomb to prepare."

Hachiman Hikigaya hesitated, "Minister... Yukinoshita looks a bit..."

The white figure smiled at him, then turned to Angelina and Houtarou Oreki, introducing them in a lively and cute voice: "Since we're all on the same team, let's skip the formalities. Let me introduce you to my right-hand man—Hachiman Hikigaya! He's also my older brother! His seemingly ordinary, dead-fish eyes conceal a wisdom that sees through others! Whenever the moon rises, he goes into a frenzy, lying on his bed in the dead of night, turning his blanket into a cloak, and reciting youthful, melancholic literature..."

"Minister! I was wrong! Let's discuss the bomb!"

Hachiman Hikigaya has no time to dwell on the slander; the only solution is to decisively admit his mistake and shut the minister up!

Bai Ying glanced meaningfully at Angelina, making an example of her as a warning to others, and then said in a deep voice, "To revise tradition and common sense is wishful thinking, and we don't have that much time. What we need to do is to make the name of the Shenshan City Zhenchu ​​District known in a short period of time. We don't need them to remember it for long, we just need to make them know about it and develop a strong interest in it within these few days, so that they will vote for the Shenshan City Zhenchu ​​District."

Hachiman Hikigaya mustered some enthusiasm: "Oh, so this is what a bomb means?"

"Advertising?" Angelina gave an example.

"The bomb I want isn't your average bomb. Printing a bunch of flyers, finding some photos, writing a few advertorials, and then handing them out to other students? That kind of thing is too boring. The sun doesn't need to make a fuss; nobody can escape it."

Bai Ying crossed her arms and rested her chin on them: "What do you think can spark widespread discussion and create a buzz among students?"

Let's consider this from a male perspective: "A game?"

"Fashion? Desserts?" Angelina asked from a girl's perspective.

"Study," Oreki Houtarou said, throwing out an option that was guaranteed to be instantly defeated.

"Wrong—what can truly excite almost all students, spark trends, generate discussions, and change their voting preferences is love!"

"On the sports field, when a girl walks by, I try to stand up straight, feeling an urge to show off and be cool! In the monotonous study of the classroom, an unintentional lapse in concentration can etch a certain flutter into my heart! It's a feeling that's hard to express or even know, yet it's a vague, restless stirring!"

"The bomb I'm making is a love bomb! I need to accurately grasp the needs and strengths of my target users, fine-tune the product to a perfect fit, touch their hearts with a ticklish touch, and plant the seeds of inducing their behavior beneath the surface of laughter!"

"Come on! Let's make this school trip fun!"

Bai Ying, like a passionate boss, put forward one goal and pursuit after another.

Hachiman Hikigaya carefully packed his things.

Angelina asked curiously, "What exactly is that long... white shadow going to do?"

*Snap.* A hand pressed down on Hachiman Hikigaya's shoulder, pinning him to his seat.

Bai Ying exclaimed excitedly, "Of course, we'll put on a grand theatrical performance! A tender, shy, and unspoken love story! Considering the ancient charm of the region, the setting will be an ancient princess! We can even ride on the popularity of Princess Kaguya! Oh my gosh—inspiration is flowing!"

No, it's the power of social anxiety that's surging, but unfortunately, there's no escaping it now.

Hachiman Hikigaya thought sadly.

Angelina, who hadn't seen much of the world, was quite interested and very involved: "Princess Kaguya? I've heard my mother tell this story. Who's going to play Princess Kaguya? Chitanda and Yukinoshita? They seem like they'd be perfect in terms of looks and personality..."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Bai Ying shook her head and said in a deep voice, "Isn't there someone more suitable? Someone who is both beautiful and intelligent, as radiant as the bright moon."

Hachiman Hikigaya's brow twitched.

Angelina's heart skipped a beat, and her ten fingers instinctively began to interlock, forming a knot. A little hesitant, she stammered, "Um... I... I don't really have any confidence..."

"What are you thinking about?" Bai Ying asked curiously. "Of course it's me, Bai Ying!"

Angelina tilted her head: "Huh?"

Hachiman Hikigaya's eyes widened, and he immediately jumped up like a live fish waiting to be slaughtered—Yukinoshita! Go and get your cat! Yuihama! Immediately get your biscuits and feed them to the captain! Someone help!!

Houtarou Oreki finally stopped slacking off. He noticed Jiraiya's unusual behavior and slowly moved towards the door. He was then grabbed by a white figure.

"Actors! Tomorrow is the day we go on stage. Today, let me carry on the spirit of the troupe leader and give you an emergency training session!"

The white figure shoved the two men aside and rushed out the door.

Angelina took a step somewhat bewildered, then subconsciously followed.

……

……

"Hmm? I feel like I heard Oreki-san's silent lament..."

As she went upstairs, Chitanda Eru looked around in confusion.

"I think I heard Little Enterprise's cries of agony too?"

Yui Yuigahama also found it a bit strange.