Chapter 203
He blew on the steaming brown liquid and took a sip.
"What's so strange about it? I noticed it as soon as she invited me to do it, because it was so obvious."
The dopamine from sugar, combined with the energizing caffeine, seems to have some effect?
"She probably would rather I be your rival or enemy than a friend."
"You know what? Then why are you still...?"
"So what?" Seeing her stop moving, he met her confused eyes. "I agreed only because I wasn't uninterested. As for whether this is someone else's trap or not, what does that have to do with me?"
"Just because someone else's plan includes something you want to do, does that mean you won't do it in order to show your rebellion?"
"Then it would be far too easy for others to deal with you."
"Phew~" He put down his teacup, stretched, and continued working. "But Miss Haruno's trick was indeed quite clever. Perhaps it's a woman's unique kind of cunning...?"
"If I really become your opponent, that's exactly what she wants. If I become your friend, she won't lose out either; she can even argue that that was exactly what she meant."
"There's really no solution." Yukino Shita Yukino shook her head helplessly, admiring her older sister's cunning.
She only puts in her utmost effort and thought when she's trying to harm others; she focuses all her energy and cunning on herself.
"Do we only need to solve problems when we encounter difficulties that are detrimental to ourselves? Do we need to solve problems that don't harm anyone?"
He pointed out her misconception. "Instead of being unwilling to follow her plan, shouldn't we be more grateful that she provided such a plan?"
"If you're really not convinced, then next time use your own strategy to make her experience the same feeling."
Yukino Shita Yukino gave him a deep look, pondered for a moment, and then said, "You're right, that's exactly how it should be."
He retorted with the same joke she had used before, "I didn't expect you to accept it so easily."
"Hmph, admitting mistakes and being open to criticism is just one of my many virtues, and it's not even worth mentioning." She pressed her hand to her chest, closed her eyes, and looked completely unconcerned.
"I bet among your countless virtues, humility, prudence, and open-mindedness are definitely not among them."
"Oh dear, excessive modesty only makes one appear arrogant, don't you even know that?"
"On the condition that you've shown me even a hint of humility."
Yukino Shita Yukino glanced at her sideways. "If your eyesight isn't good, I can recommend an eye hospital I know."
Sakurakoji Talent retorted cleverly, "You should see an endocrinologist instead of my eyes; hormonal imbalances are bad for your health."
"..."
"..."
Chapter 258 Being called "senior" by a cute girl
They spent the preparation time bickering and arguing with Yukino Shita Yukino, and then busily selling their food, until they had sold out almost everything they had made, at which point they slowed down.
"I didn't expect it to sell out so quickly." Yukino Shita Yukino wiped the dew from her forehead and looked at the crowd of onlookers not far away.
When she was around, Sakurakoji Talent refused Ichiji Nijika's offer to help, allowing her to focus on organizing band practice.
To put it nicely, it's about trusting Yukino Shita Yukino's abilities; to put it bluntly, it's about taking advantage of free labor.
It seems that he is unconsciously trending towards becoming like Ichiji Hoshika, which is not good—he reflected on himself, but had no intention of changing his mind.
Naturally, with only 3 points of physical strength, although these simple tasks were not difficult for her, the continuous physical labor still made her a little tired.
Consider it a PE class to help her get some exercise; looking at it that way, he actually did a good deed!
"Wasn't it the day before yesterday? It's not like we've met for the first time." He picked up on her words, poured her a cup of Black tea, and said, "Here, this is for you."
"Thank you." She didn't refuse, accepted the drink with Hands, and gracefully began to drink it, her expression serene.
"Did you know?" Sakurakoji Talent turned to the crowd.
"What?"
"When I first came here, there weren't nearly as many spectators as there are now."
"..." Yukino Shita Yukino curled her lips, her expression one of disdain, and said, "Are you trying to say that this is all your doing?"
"Of course there is, but what I'm trying to say is that seeing the number of customers gradually increase is quite fulfilling." He didn't deny it, but shifted the focus slightly.
Yukino Shita Yukino pinched her chin, imagining this experience in her mind, and nodded. "I can understand."
"So don't you think that people's actions, besides enjoying themselves, should ideally also have this kind of purpose and spiritual pursuit?"
"You mean to say..." She roughly guessed what he wanted to say.
"Do you feel the same sense of accomplishment as me when you're doing service activities at school?"
"Aside from the scarcity of events, it's alright, though I don't know if it compares to your feelings." She thought for a moment, spoke the truth, then looked up at him with her eyes lowered.
"Even if I come here every day, the number of customers here can't keep increasing."
"Most importantly, even if I am really free, I will not allow you to use me like a tool. We agreed on once, so it's just once."
She saw through his hidden meaning, her expression playful.
"... We've been discovered?"
What do you think?
"Ahem, never mind then," he coughed lightly, then continued, "But I still have a suggestion for you. If you really want to continue club activities, it's best not to focus your main attention on campus, but rather on off-campus activities."
"You'll never surpass your sister if you only focus on your own little corner of the campus."
Yukino Shita Yukino paused, stared intently at the scene, and sighed, "Is this advice?"
"It's just my humble opinion; you can listen to it or not, it's up to you."
"Since you've put it that way, how can I not listen? Wouldn't that be slapping myself in the face? You're just as cunning as her."
She just mentioned that one of her strengths is her willingness to accept advice; she can't just contradict herself so quickly.
Knowing this perfectly well, yet saying it under the guise of doing it for her own good, she naturally felt that he was just as cunning as Hino.
It seems that besides technology, there are many other things she can learn from them, such as their despicable way of thinking.
"Thank you, I'll take that into consideration, but I don't plan to give up on school activities either. After all, I'm still Club President." She didn't make a decision immediately, but instead prepared to observe for a while first.
While she can certainly access many things outside the school that are not available on campus, it remains to be seen whether it is worthwhile for her to take action.
However, what he said makes a lot of sense. Compared to Yukino Shita Hiyori, who had already started working, attended university, and was active in social circles as the heir of the Yukinoshita Family, she was now incredibly naive.
Only compared to the ordinary students in the school could she be considered unattainable, but even that was just standing out from the crowd and didn't really mean anything.
Is the reason she's remained safely at school studying because she hasn't realized this, or is she subconsciously afraid of going outside and directly competing with Hino?
Ultimately, her feelings for Hino weren't simply a matter of dislike or disgust...
The reason he didn't say it outright is probably because of his gentleness—perhaps he wasn't just boasting when he said he was gentle?
"That's enough. As long as you find it interesting." Sakurakoji Talent nodded and said no more.
Intelligent people don't need to say much—because the other person will fill in the blanks themselves.
As for whether what I've imagined is right or wrong... who knows?
Tsk tsk, you people with high IQ and high EQ are really interesting. You're all just like the people of Kyoto (implying something). Aren't you tired? Do you think you're some kind of Kyoto Gentleman?
Oh, he really is. Never mind then.
"That's about enough. Let's go in and check on them."
"Huh?" Yukino Shita Yukino tilted her head, puzzled, and asked, "Don't we have to worry about the work here?"
Even though the snacks were almost sold out, people might still come in for refills of Drinks.
"Then let someone else handle it. You finally got out of here, what's the point of just working in the kitchen and front desk? You should learn from Classmate Yuihama."
After saying that, he called out to the other black-haired beauty who was the only one who was unharmed, "Teacher Shizuka, could you please come over and keep an eye on things for us? We're going in to check on them."
"You brat, you dare order me around? I finally got off work." Hiratsuka Shizuka glared at him unhappily, a lollipop just like the one Ichiji Hoshika had in her mouth.
But she didn't refuse. She scratched her hair, turned her head, and waved at him irritably, "Okay, go ahead."
She also wanted the aloof Yukino Shita Yukino to participate more actively in activities and make friends, since the Service Club was established for this reason.
She wouldn't refuse such a small favor.
"Thanks!" After expressing his gratitude happily, he said to the stunned Yukino Shita Yukino, "Look, someone helped us. Let's go."
Then he walked straight to the back.
Yukino Shita Yukino thanked Hiratsuka Shizuka and quickly followed.
Led by Sakurakoji Talent, the two arrived at the recording studio that Yamada Ryo and the others often used, pushed open the door, and went inside.
The faint sound of the performance, which had been playing just moments before, suddenly enveloped them, and their bodies vibrated as the sound waves rippled through them.
Yukino Shita Yukino curiously observed the interior of the room. The last time she came, she had been honing her skills in the kitchen and hadn't explored the room like Yuihama Yui.
This was the first time she had ever seen a band rehearsal like this.
Inside the room, the five members of the Kessoku Band stood together, each with their own role. At the front was Kita Ikuyo holding the microphone, at the back was Ichiji Nijika pounding the Drum Kit, and in the middle were three people holding their instruments.
In the corner, Yuihama Yui also had a guitar hanging from her body, watched their rehearsal with great interest while casually strumming the strings, producing a sound that was almost imperceptible in the room.
Noticing the two people entering, she jogged over first, approaching them and calling out loudly, "Little Yukino, you're here too?"
"Listen to me, listen to me! Nijika-chan and the others are really amazing!"
Yukino Shita Yukino gave her a perfunctory response, focusing her main attention on their performance.
This is a band? She'd heard of them before, but she didn't think she'd ever seen anyone play a band at Soubu High School.
Of the five, the lead singer sang fairly well, but not exceptionally well. The Bass seemed to be quite skilled, exceeding the scope of their hobby. The Drum Kit was also decent, but not as good as the Bass.
Guitar... one of them is incredibly skilled, is he really not a professional? And that kid is so young! How did he even reach that level of skill?!
And Kawaii!
With her adorable little face, heterochromatic eyes, and short silver-white hair, she looks just like a kitten!
Her face was slightly flushed, and she stared intently at Kanau, her breathing becoming much heavier.
As for the other guitar, which was of extremely poor quality, she no longer wanted to pay attention to it.
She wondered if she could touch her hair... That was the only thought in her mind right now.
The piece ended not long after.
"Mr. Talent, Miss Yukinoshita, you've arrived!"
"Talent-senpai! Yukino Shita senior! Welcome!"
Sakurakoji Talent was quite used to Ichiji Nijika's greetings, but the other one...
He stared at the sunniest corner of the room, his face flushed with cherry Kita Ikuyo, and asked hesitantly, "Senpai?"
"Ugh~!" Under his direct gaze, Kita Ikuyo struggled to stay upright, her skin glowing even brighter, as she squeezed her body together to explain, "Hi! Because Talent-senpai arrived at Starry before me, he's my senior!"
"Miss Yukinoshita and Ms. Yuigahama are a year older than me, so they are my seniors, just like Ijichi- senpai!"
"I see." I thought you just enjoyed the feeling of being called a senior and being protected.
Judging from this, apart from the mascot, Kanau, it seems that she and Bocchi are indeed the youngest in this room, both being first graders.
He doesn't count; he's actually older.
Hmm... But being called "senpai" seems pretty good, especially when cute girls call out to you.
This was the first time in a long time that someone had called him that; he now had another nickname for him, and he smiled smugly, clearly pleased with himself.
"Yukino Shita- kun, what did you think of their performance?" he asked, voicing his concern.
After returning their greetings, Yukino Shita Yukino looked away from Kanau and answered his question, "I don't know either, because I don't know much about the band, but I think everyone did pretty well... except for this guy's guitar."
Chapter 259 Under the Yukino Shita, Have You Ever Experienced Failure?
Following her finger, everyone saw Gotou Hitori Ichiri trembling and crouching on the ground, trying to crawl inside.