Uneasy daily life

Principal Haibin was both skeptical and somewhat convinced. After all these years of being sly foxes, how could they not smell that lewdness?

But that's impossible! Putting everything else aside, Bai Ying gave a speech to the parents and students at the beach!

……

"what happened?"

Yui Yuigahama watched a disheveled middle-aged man leave, with another middle-aged man standing beside him, hands behind his back and smiling. She wondered, "Why would that man ask Shiro such a strange question as whether he's a student at Soubu High School?"

Hachiman Hikigaya pondered, "Perhaps it's Principal Haibin? Didn't the chairman go to Haibin to become an advisor? Maybe he misunderstood."

"Huh? You know Principal Haibin?"

"I don't know him, but I do know that the person next to him is our principal."

"Huh? That's our principal?!"

"...You're the student council accountant, after all."

"Hehehe, I don't report to the principal..."

The two chatted casually as they walked toward the venue where the ball would be held.

Hachiman Hikigaya, dressed in a plain suit, gazed at the scenery with deadpan eyes. Everywhere on the street, one could see students in various formal dresses, dance gowns, and suits... Well, the girls' outfits were characterized by their versatility, while the boys' outfits were characterized by changing colors to create different styles; they were all suits.

Even though school uniforms are now blazer-style, formal attire for events is still suits. Is it because men's clothing is too hard to make money from?

Yui Yuigahama nudged him with her elbow: "What's Hachiman thinking about?"

Hachiman Hikigaya said thoughtfully, "Considering the value orientations of gender differences—women have so many clothes and cosmetics, isn't that a kind of 'you need to be more beautiful' implication? If so, then it means that all girls think they are not that beautiful..."

boom!

Ruthless hand chop!

"Stop! Stop! Don't remind me of Komachi!"

Hachiman Hikigaya's forehead was covered in cold sweat.

Yui Yuigahama blew on her palm and said smugly, "Hehe~ that proves I imitated it very well..."

"No, it reminds me of the student council president." Hachiman Hikigaya gasped, his voice filled with anguish. "The student council president is too devilish! He's completely imitating Komachi, trying to create a mental inertia in my brain!"

Yui Yuigahama asked, bewildered, "Is it really that exaggerated?"

Hachiman Hikigaya thought for a moment and then suddenly said, "Let's go to the toilet together!"

"what?"

"You're thinking of Miura and Yukino, aren't you?!"

"hiss!"

"Do you understand?" Hachiman Hikigaya sighed heavily. "The human brain blurs a lot of information, forming labels, and then connects these simple labels, creating leaps and leaps between different labels. That's association... The president actually wants to associate me with Komachi in my mind. That's terrifying! If every time I see Komachi, I'll hear the president's voice... Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh!"

Hachiman Hikigaya's brain is trembling!

"Hey! Little Qi, calm down, stop thinking about it!"

Yui Yuigahama quickly grabbed Hachiman Hikigaya and shook him vigorously, blurting out, "Can't you even look at me?!"

Hachiman Hikigaya glanced at Yui Yuigahama instinctively—her lips were adorned with a touch of crimson, she wore a light white blouse with lace trim, and a long black skirt that cinched her waist…

He suddenly turned his head to the side.

Yui Yuigahama lowered her head and mumbled, "Ah, time's almost up, let's hurry to the venue!"

Then, the girl grabbed the boy's arm, as if running away or being dragged along, and walked through the fading twilight to the outside of the venue, which was decorated with gorgeous lights.

As more people gathered around, Yui Yuigahama quickly released Hachiman Hikigaya's arm and casually glanced around, saying, "I wonder if they've arrived yet, or if they've already gone inside."

"Yeah, yeah... um?"

As Hachiman Hikigaya looked around, he suddenly made eye contact with one of the children in the group.

The elementary school student in the dress exchanged a few words with her classmates, telling them to go to the venue first, and then walked over with a nonchalant expression: "Hello, Hachiman, who likes cheesy love stories."

Hmm? The kid doesn't seem very friendly.

Hachiman Hikigaya looked around with a slightly strange expression: "You...you weren't lying in wait for the chairman, were you?"

Rumi Tsurumi's expression changed quickly, then quickly returned to normal: "I just wanted to express my gratitude... um, thank you for helping me understand some things and accomplish some things."

"Thank you...?" Yui Yuigahama's expression was subtle.

"Thank you..." Hachiman Hikigaya's expression was also quite subtle.

"Is there a problem?" Rumi Tsurumi asked, somewhat puzzled. "Didn't you also participate in the performance? If not... well... since Shiro-senpai deliberately scared the other students, I didn't have a chance to break free from my isolation."

Hachiman Hikigaya coughed and said, "Is it possible that the president's original script was just to give you elementary school students who like Tiga a piece of your mind? In the original ending, Gatanothor killed Tiga, you know."

"Impossible, Senior White is also a fan of Ultraman Tiga." Rumi Tsurumi said seriously, "If we're talking about the script, it's clearly the clichéd love story arranged by Hachiman that's so heartbreaking."

Hachiman Hikigaya rolled his eyes: "If it's not cheesy, why would it be worthy of hurting the chairman's heart? To make it effective, I've watched several films that Director Nian imported... Well, if we're talking about liking Ultraman Tiga, the chairman probably likes it a lot, but the chairman doesn't necessarily like people who like Ultraman Tiga."

Tsurumi tilted her head in surprise, not understanding what Hachiman Hikigaya was saying.

"Anyway, kid, I advise you to wake up." Hachiman Hikigaya patted the elementary school student's shoulder, his face heavy. "Don't let your mind wander, or you'll be killed on the spot by the student council president. You should be grateful and proud of your courage, not the student council president who's hurting you—think about it carefully! Have you forgotten those painful memories?"

Rumi Tsurumi gently slapped away Hachiman Hikigaya's hand and argued earnestly, "Shiro-senpai is clearly a gentle person, but his methods are a bit unusual—his methods are so unusual that they seem unusual precisely because they are effective! Can the status quo be changed by following those correct but useless platitudes like 'everyone should be good friends' and 'everyone should get along amicably'? On the contrary, it is precisely because everyone is limited by these correct statements that we cannot solve various difficulties!"

"Senior Bai's method may not be correct, but he is definitely a kind person!"

Yui Yuigahama and Hachiman Hikigaya both leaned back, as if a familiar, pitiful figure flashed before their eyes.

I thought you were a smaller version of Yukinoshita, but it turns out you're actually a smaller version of Iroha Isshiki?!

"Tsurumi, listen to me! You need to be confident!"

Hachiman Hikigaya solemnly placed his hands on Rumi Tsurumi's shoulders and said earnestly, "Remember, worship is the emotion that most easily attracts the president's attacks! Mutual attack is the way to get along with the president! Although he is vengeful, petty, and highly aggressive, he is also genuinely gentle and never harbors resentment or hatred! In short, you must become a warrior to be qualified to stand before the president, otherwise you will only suffer a painful blow! Don't worship, please be confident!"

Snapped.

The child was unhappy, shook off Hachiman Hikigaya's hand, and walked away disdainfully to the side, continuing to wait for someone while pretending not to care.

Hachiman Hikigaya smirked: "...Another soul bewitched by the president. Haven't you heard the saying that all of Shirokage's fans are haters?"

Yui Yuigahama asked in surprise, "Where did this come from?"

“The president engages in intense online debates with a bunch of fans every day, the kind that involves indiscriminate attacks,” Hachiman Hikigaya quipped. “Can you imagine someone who seems to be a female fan leaving a comment saying ‘You’re so handsome!’ and the president replying, ‘Thank you for the compliment, I feel more confident in front of my girlfriend.’”

Yui Yuigahama: "Uh...that hits the nail on the head."

"Huh? Wait a minute! Little Qi, how did you know?"

"..." Hachiman Hikigaya gazed into the distance slightly, "I occasionally spar with the president on keyboard techniques."

After they became a couple, I thought about calling Xiaoqi at night to chat several times, but I kept hesitating and didn't take any action... and then Xiaoqi and Xiaobai started interacting enthusiastically online every day?!

Yui Yuigahama blinked, then suddenly blurted out, with a hint of sarcasm, "Does this count as having a long phone conversation?"

Hikigaya Hachiman: "Norikō Raku, Jitsu, Won, Six Flavors Complete?"

Yuigahama Yui: “Huh?”

Hachiman Hikigaya thought for a moment and said, "Yes."

Although I don't know what happened, I inexplicably felt like I was being mocked!

"Stop, stop, stop! Don't film, don't film, don't film! I'm just demonstrating internet slang! Look, look! The president and the others are here!"

Walking towards you along the main road is—

Yukino Yukinoshita, Shirokage Yukinoshita, Haruno Yukinoshita

Toyohama, Hana, Angelina, Sakurajima Mai

The scene was the envy of many, but in reality... it was prisoners being escorted to the execution ground.

Yukino Yukinoshita said something earlier.

"I want to dance the first dance of the Christmas ball with Baijun. You guys go line up."

It vividly illustrates what it means to turn a small matter into a big one, and a white shadow into a big deal.

Hmph! Trying to trick me into singing a sad love song, huh? Trying to film a music video on the spot, huh? You granular white fungus, let's see what you can do about it!

As Bai Ying pondered a solution, she suddenly noticed Tsurumi Rumi, who seemed hesitant to enter or leave the meeting room.

"Hey! Brave Mini, Merry Christmas!"

Bai Ying immediately greeted him, a brilliant idea flashing through her mind—if I invited the brave mini to be my dance partner, how would you respond? Would you take a child's argument seriously? No way, no way!

laugh!

Rumi Tsurumi immediately came running over, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the white figure. She hesitated for a moment, then tried to greet him naturally, "Um, Shiro-senpai, Merry Christmas..."

Why are you chasing after celebrities at such a young age?

Let's kill them as soon as possible.

Bai Ying nodded with a smile, then raised her arm in a powerful shout.

"Ultraman Tiga will not lose!!"

Chapter Eighty-Nine: The Waltz of Death

"Well……"

Ultraman Tiga will never lose, so what!

Although he should have been confident and assertive, and it was something he had said himself, it was still a bit embarrassing to be shouted at like that in public, away from the performance and the stage.

Rumi Tsurumi stood stiffly at the doorway, staring resentfully at the white figure. She had come over to greet him cheerfully. Is this how you greet me?

"just kidding."

The white-clad figure shrugged, hands in pockets, looking nonchalant. He casually asked, "How are you feeling?"

Feelings? Oh, how do I feel right now?

Rumi Tsurumi pursed her lips, a little embarrassed, and said, "Um... it's probably alright. Thank you for your help, Shiro-senpai. If it weren't for you, I might have felt a little regretful. Even if I went to junior high, I wouldn't be able to say goodbye to any of my classmates... and I might not be able to make any new friends in junior high..."

"I didn't ask you that," Bai Ying teased. "Brave Mini, you made a splash, don't you feel pretty cool?"

"A little?"

Rumi Tsurumi muttered.

"What obedient child?" Yukinoshita Haruno looked at Yukinoshita Yukino thoughtfully.

Yukino Yukinoshita gave her a cold look: What are you looking at?

"Aren't you happy to be popular?"

Bai Ying resembled an elderly father concerned about his daughter's social life.

"I'm happy... but not too happy, I guess?" Tsurumi frowned as she thought for a moment. "I just feel less depressed and uncomfortable. I can't find anyone to talk to... Hmm, it's actually quite noisy to be popular. Everyone is talking. There are some things I don't understand, and some people are very boisterous, shouting to themselves. Some classmates always say useless things, while others don't talk much. I can't figure out what they're thinking..."

Bai Ying raised an eyebrow: "Everyone's different?"

"Aren't we all different to begin with?"

"Really?" Bai Ying brought up the old story again. "Didn't you think everyone was the same before? Just swept up by the atmosphere, thinking about what to do depending on who was loudest, everyone acting like they didn't like you, all just a bunch of childish kids playing house with their best friends..."

Rumi Tsurumi held back: "...Before, before is before."

Bai Ying revealed a gentle smile: "What happened before?"

"Hmm... I'm being a little stubborn," Tsurumi Rumi said shyly in a low voice. "Everyone is really an idiot. They've probably all forgotten about the breakup game, but they're still keeping the habit of isolating me. And I'm an idiot too. I just keep remembering what happened before and I'm always wary and resistant towards everyone... Everyone ostracizes me, and I ostracize everyone, but I don't want to stay in this uncomfortable state—everyone is an idiot who has even forgotten their mistakes, but I'm also an idiot who's struggling with myself."

Bai Ying patted Tsurumi Rumi's head with one hand and nodded seriously, saying, "Hmm, hello, you awkward little idiot."

Tsurumi shook her head with a sour face, shaking off the white shadow's claws.

Yukino Yukinoshita had a cold expression on her face, and her gaze shifted slightly, transforming into a flying knife.

"But is this really okay?" Bai Ying asked with concern. "You're already in sixth grade, right? You'll be going to junior high next year. You've only just become friends with everyone, and in a month or two you'll be going your separate ways. Even if you meet again, you might already be strangers."

Rumi Tsurumi scratched her temple and shook her head, saying, "Does the fact that we will part ways mean that our current friends are no longer friends, but strangers in the future? Is it any different from inviting sadness by using the sadness of the future to replace the happiness of the present? Besides, it's not appropriate, just like how teachers and parents like to tell me not to be sad now by saying that I will be happy in the future—I used to think that I wouldn't be ostracized when I got to junior high school, but that was just running away from the problem and hoping that the problem would disappear on its own."

"Sadness is sadness, and happiness is happiness. Talking about the future is just deceiving the present and yourself. For me, becoming good friends with everyone is one aspect, and another... is that I've become a little braver, right?"

The elementary school student smiled broadly, his demeanor and words appearing far more mature than those of a typical elementary school student.

Yukinoshita patted Tsurumi Rumi on the shoulder and praised her with a smile, "What a capable child! Much cuter than my sister who just keeps arguing all the time."

Yukino Yukinoshita glanced sideways and said, "It must be because little Tsurumi doesn't have an older sister."