Uneasy daily life

Stepping out of the rehearsal room, the elementary school students slowly descended the stairs, about to cross the courtyard in the middle of the schoolyard to head to the playground...

"Sister, your lyrics..."

"What's wrong? Is there something wrong with Xiaoyang's lyrics?"

"...Aren't these lyrics a bit strange? They don't quite fit the atmosphere of a Christmas ball."

"Impossible! Didn't Yukino-chan say that sweet, child-inducing songs wouldn't work? Then sing some sad love songs to persuade people to break up!"

"Do you only have two perspectives? It's either 1 or 2, can't you just choose the middle one?"

"Forced childbirth + melodrama... Oops! Yukino-chan, isn't it a bit inappropriate to sing a cheating song at the Christmas ball?"

"#!"

Choosing the middle option is to help coordinate things, not to force you to surpass others!

Yukino Yukinoshita and Haruno Yukinoshita discussed the program as they walked. The former was clearly getting a little tired of the latter's nagging, and after reviewing the lyrics again, Yukino's feelings became somewhat complicated: "Sister, this song... gazing at her love from afar, every argument echoes back. Pressing the piano to produce long notes, it's like their background..."

Yukinoshita blinked, feigning ignorance, "Is there a problem?"

"What do you think?" Yukino Yukinoshita took a deep breath, her mind racing—it seemed like her older sister was complaining about the situation, right? After all, she had to go to university in Tokyo and didn't have much time, and after graduation she'd have to think about finding a job, so she was naturally dissatisfied with her busy schedule…

Yukino Yukinoshita pursed her lips, wondering if she should remind Haku-kun, but then she thought it would be strange for her to do so. Then she thought again that with Haku-kun's keen senses, he should be able to sense her sister's unhappiness...

After thinking it over and over, my mind is completely tangled.

“Hahahahahaha!”

Yukino couldn't help but pat her sister's shoulder, then suddenly looked like she was laughing so hard she could hardly breathe.

Yukino Yukinoshita asked irritably, "What's your problem?"

"Yukino-chan, you're always throwing tantrums, aren't you~?"

"What do you mean by 'frequently arguing'? Please provide specific examples of the incidents."

"Anyway, I'm just in a bad mood sometimes," Yukinoshita Haruno laughed. "You've been sulking before, so you're sulking right now, right? I'll go get that jerk and teach him a lesson—"

Yukino Yukinoshita quickly grabbed her older sister's wrist, stopping her from running away: "Ahem! I misunderstood..."

"Of course, Yukino-chan misunderstood. Creation is about capturing a pure and vague emotion and expressing it concretely and realistically," Yukinoshita Haruno said casually. "You can't have a song that starts with 'Today is so happy,' then 'Suddenly unhappy,' and finally 'cheating,' right?"

Yukino Yukinoshita adjusted her thinking and examined the song from the perspective of the work itself... Hmm, although it's a bit melancholic, it also has some positive and uplifting parts. Her sister's skills are also guaranteed, and it does feel quite suitable for the Christmas ball setting.

Since it's an entertainment and performance-oriented event, getting too hung up on the overall tone and main theme would only make it boring—whether Bai Jun's preparations are good or not is another matter, but they'll definitely spark one discussion and excitement after another, so I need to learn his approach.

"Now that it's settled, Yukino-chan, remember to make time to practice with Haruno~"

Yukino suddenly grinned and reached out to vigorously rub her younger sister's head. Before Yukino could react, the older sister skipped away.

Seriously—act like an adult.

Yukino Yukinoshita watched her sister leave with a disgruntled expression. She took the documents and prepared to go to other classes to inquire about their preparations when she saw Rumi Tsurumi slowly walking towards her from the front.

The two people, one big and one small, exchanged a glance, then casually looked away.

Yukino Yukinoshita stopped first and asked, "How's it going with the play rehearsals lately? Haku-kun's been quite a handful, hasn't he?"

"It's alright." Rumi Tsurumi felt something was off. "Well... aside from liking to call people by nicknames, nitpicking and criticizing their acting, and frequently changing lines and the script on set..."

Nickname? Yukino Yukinoshita blinked: "You weren't called a hero by Haku-kun, were you?"

Rumi Tsurumi: "Brave Mini—what about you?"

Yukinoshita Yukino: "Brave."

"You're the prototype?" Rumi Tsurumi had a wildly unfounded thought.

"Are you satisfied with yourself now?" Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly asked directly.

"Huh?" Tsurumi Rumi's face was blank. Was there a change in the topic from before?

Yukino Yukinoshita explained in detail: "Simply put—what are your thoughts on being subjected to undeserved misfortune, being ignored, isolated, and subjected to cold violence by others, and being powerless to do anything about it?"

"...What does this have to do with you?"

Rumi Tsurumi couldn't help but ask, "Do all high school students like to meddle in other people's business? You guys..."

"Because you and I are somewhat alike, Hayama-kun is concerned about whether he can help you. Hachiman-kun is just being a nice guy and wants to be friends with you? Shiro-kun..." Yukino Yukinoshita pondered, "Aren't you the only one being ostracized?"

"Correct."

“Compared to most children who follow their instincts to be happy or sad, you are a special child who is more interesting, which is why Haku-kun came to you,” Yukino Yukinoshita said subtly. “Of course, it’s hard to say whether he will help you, but what is certain is that he is particularly good at making you feel upset.”

Rumi Tsurumi's eyes widened in surprise, and after a moment's recollection... It really is?!

So, how do you see yourself now?

"...I guess it's because I hate it."

P.S.: Ugh... It feels so watery... Hiss.

Chapter 704, Chapter Seventy-Nine: Reversing the Heavenly Gang!

I hate myself.

Yes, I hate this helpless, pathetic, and tragically isolated version of myself.

The strange guy named Hayama was indeed wrong—he didn't refuse the classmates who came up to him to ask about theatrical performances because he disliked them or held a grudge.

Because hating and resenting 'everyone' is a meaningless thing, and it's something that makes you feel increasingly powerless once the emotion fades.

I hate myself and I fear connecting with others.

"In the end, this is just a bonus brought by the event. Plus, I was inexplicably given a job recruiting extras by Bai Ying. When people are organizing the event, they will 'forget' that they are isolating me and will naturally think that they have a good relationship with me, as if the isolation never happened."

"Then after the event ends, everyone can act as if the event never happened and continue to isolate me as if it were perfectly normal."

"For everyone, the more seriously you take things, the more you deserve to get hurt; the smarter you are, the more foolish you appear."

Rumi Tsurumi muttered to herself, yet she knew the deeper reason.

As Yukino Yukinoshita said, she was simply afraid, so she chose to be timid and run away.

As long as you don't make friends, you won't break off your friendships.

If you don't start, you'll never have a chance to end.

I really hate my own weakness. If only I could be as thick-skinned as Bai Ying, laughing and saying random things, accepting whatever reactions others might have, and never feeling fear or worry about interpersonal relationships...

Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but utter her words again.

[Bai Jun won't help you—of course, given your timid and escapist nature, you're probably afraid of being disliked, and even if you wanted to ask for help, you probably wouldn't dare to speak up, right? So you can only save yourself. At most, Bai Jun will create a lot of trouble to give you a chance to save yourself… Well, don't think this is Bai Jun's kindness, and don't thank him for it, because he won't help you; he's just looking for excitement and fun in the process. So even if you do nothing, he won't blame you.]

Rumi Tsurumi couldn't help but sigh softly with melancholy.

Is it true that being willing to believe is the hardest thing, rather than choosing what to believe?

They dare not trust "everyone," feeling that simply reaching out could change their isolated situation, yet they cannot trust themselves, ignore other people's affairs, and take being isolated lightly, focusing on studying and immersing themselves in their own things...

"Zepelion Ray—! Zzzzz!"

"Useless! Dark Zeperion Ray! Zzzzz!"

Two naive elementary school boys are exchanging energy waves in the air, each adding their own voiceover.

Recently, Ultraman dramas have become a hot topic in our class, and there has been a significant increase in discussions about Ultraman Tiga.

"Although Tiga is handsome, Dark Tiga is even more handsome."

"Indeed, it looks really cool."

...a foolish elementary school student.

Rumi Tsurumi, who was pondering the story of Ultraman Tiga, turned her head and said, "Dark Tiga isn't cool at all. He chose to believe in himself, but he couldn't even control his power. He was just arrogant. Even though he was rejected by humans, Tiga who still believed in humans was the coolest..."

"Tsurumi-kun!" a boy asked curiously, "Is there Dark Tiga in the theatrical performance?"

"Yeah, yeah, who exactly are they going to show Ultraman fighting?"

—Foolish elementary school boy! It's a very meaningful story, but all he cares about are boring questions like when Ultraman fights the monster, which monster he fights, and whether the monster is cool!

Rumi Tsurumi pursed her lips, hesitated for a long time, and then spoke.

"If you want to know, you can come and rehearse together."

Several cheers erupted around them, accompanied by shouts of "I want one too!", and more students gathered around.

……

After today's rehearsal, Hayato Hayama was dealing with a group of excited children.

The white figure looked at Tsurumi Rumi meaningfully, a playful smile on its face without uttering a word.

"..." Rumi Tsurumi said coldly, "As per your request, I have found people willing to be extras for you."

The white figure smiled.

Rumi Tsurumi took a breath and earnestly explained, "I didn't consider them friends; I was just doing what you asked me to do."

The white figure shook its head and smiled.

"...That's just how it is!" Rumi Tsurumi's forehead veins bulged as she made up her mind.

"As long as I don't treat them as friends, and they become like strangers after the event, and I'm subconsciously isolated by them, I won't feel sad." Hachiman Hikigaya put his hands in his pockets and nodded slightly. "Very good, very good."

Rumi Tsurumi: "You—"

Hachiman Hikigaya shrugged: "How should I know? Have you forgotten my friend's story? My friend used to think the same way."

Rumi Tsurumi: "I—"

Hachiman Hikigaya retorted, "You're overreacting. The chairman hasn't even said anything yet, and you're already trembling with embarrassment. I advise you not to be hypocritical in front of the chairman, or to speak incomplete sentences, or you'll be so ashamed that you'll want to kill yourself on the spot."

With a dark expression on her face, Tsurumi resolutely took heavy steps and left the rehearsal site.

"As expected of a subordinate general, you've already grasped some of the essence of acting," Bai Ying said with satisfaction. "Subordinate general, what do you think of this theatrical performance?"

What do you think?

Hachiman Hikigaya fell into deep thought. He had originally planned to use flattery to brush off the white shadow's sudden question, but after a second thought, he honestly said, "It's quite unexpected that it's an Ultraman defeating a monster in the end."

Generally speaking, even when writing fairy tales, the author should at least give children a powerful emotional impact at the end—for example, the Ugly Duckling becomes a swan, but then grows ugly as it gets old; or after being rescued by the hunter, Grandma starts asking Little Red Riding Hood if she has finished her homework, etc.

As a creator of tragedy, the president is utterly unrepentant in this regard.

“That’s right. After all, the best performance can’t be acted out by a group of kids. Only unexpected, sudden, yet logical developments can create the best performance.” Bai Ying put her arm around Hachiman Hikigaya’s shoulder and began to whisper, “Commander, you have a special mission… Spoiler alert… Spoiler alert…”

As Hachiman Hikigaya listened, his expression gradually became strange and subtle. The content he heard intertwined with the content of the rehearsal, vaguely outlining a classic white-style script.

"Ahem! President, such a difficult task should be given to... Angelina!"

"Commander, you are the most suitable person! Unleash your negative energy and push the performance to its climax!"

"This one……"

"Komachi will be applying to Soubu High School next year, and the student council will be recruiting..."

"Leave it to me! I guarantee I'll get the mission done!"

In order to reunite with his sister, Hachiman Hikigaya resolutely sacrificed his insignificant reputation.

Because everyone's eyes must be sharp—it's all the chairman's conspiracy!

……

Learning dance, rehearsing plays, and occasionally rethinking scripts and music...

As an advisor, he participated in the activities at the beach, actively issuing a "declaration against Soubu" to promote unity among all students at the beach. As the student council president, he also gathered intelligence at Soubu to observe how the hero planned to make his move...

One minute I'm sleeping at Mai Sakurajima's house, the next I'm sleeping at Yukino Yukinoshita's house, making it feel like every place is my home.

During the preparation time for the event, the white figure wandered around and inadvertently attracted a lot of attention.

Inside the principal's office at Zongwu High School, the principal was in a good mood lately. With just a little effort and a slight check, he could suppress the arrogant Bai Ying.

Hmph! Let me make you reflect on your actions. If you don't take your student council work seriously, plenty of others will!

If you do less of these things—deceiving your superiors, lining your own pockets, and indulging in personal desires—you still retain the real power of the student council president.

The principal hummed a tune as he turned on his computer. He first looked at the event webpage created by Yukino Yukinoshita. Although it lacked a bit of impact, it was an excellent promotional website in terms of layout and content. There were a few scattered comments in the comment section open to people outside the school.

Excellent, excellent! The school's image has been promoted very well.

Hmm? Why is there a strange comment here?

[The Northern Expedition to the Central Plains, Restoring the Han Dynasty: Average, nothing special, and judged to be inferior to the speech contest at the Seaside Comprehensive High School.]