July had arrived, and there was only one month left until the school's final exams. But for the students of Class B, they were nothing to worry about.
"Ying, want to go celebrate Watanabe's birthday together after school?" Hamaguchi asked Ying.
Ying didn't usually interact much with Watanabe Norito, but the students of Class B were very close-knit. Whenever someone had a birthday, they all celebrated together.
"I'll check whether the Student Council has anything going on first." Ying enjoyed food and fun, but going to parties every day was a bit exhausting. This time, Ying wanted to use "being busy with Student Council stuff" as an excuse to get out of it.
"This one's just for the guys. We can play some games that girls wouldn't feel comfortable joining in on~" Hamaguchi coaxed.
"Hmph, do you think I'm that kind of person?" Ying considered himself a gentleman through and through. How could he possibly join those lowbrow people in playing games they'd have to hide from everyone?
"Tetsuya, I just have one question for you." Ying looked Hamaguchi in the eye and asked seriously, "What kind of birthday present does Watanabe like?"
"Tetsuya, is this the game you said girls wouldn't feel comfortable joining in on?" Ying asked, looking at the noisy crowd.
"Yeah. Ying, don't tell me you don't think it's fun?" Hamaguchi replied as if it were obvious.
"No, but who has to hide from girls just to play video games?" Ying looked at the boys from Class B in the Esports Party Hall, his eyelid twitching.
"Can't you just play properly?" Hamaguchi said, exasperated.
"What the hell am I supposed to play with these garbage teammates you gave me?! I'm trying to play properly, but they won't let me!" Ying cried in anguish.
"Now you know why they don't let girls play with them." Hamaguchi glanced at the teammates on Ying's team.
"Yeah, if they were teamed up with girls, they'd just drag them down. But why do they have to drag me down now? Losing normally would be fine—it's just a game. But why does the loser have to pay?!" Ying really couldn't carry them. Even though he had a reason he couldn't afford to lose, he'd still lost.
Personal Points: -10,000...
After they finished gaming, Ying suddenly had a question. "Tetsuya, when's Ichinose's birthday?"
Hamaguchi thought about it before answering, "I don't know. She hasn't had a birthday since the school year started, anyway."
"Now that you mention it, I think I remember. Ichinose's birthday is sometime in July, but I've forgotten the exact date," Shibata said.
Ying and Hamaguchi exchanged a glance, then both messaged a certain girl.
"Amikura, do you know when Ichinose's birthday is?"
"I told Hamaguchi."
"...Okay."
"I know. Ichinose's birthday is July 20, two weeks from now," Hamaguchi said.
Ying smiled mysteriously and put an arm around the two of them. "Ichinose has done so much for our class, and her birthday's coming up. Shouldn't we do something for her?"
"Uh... get her a birthday present in advance?" Hamaguchi offered.
"Do a bit more for Ichinose?" Shibata suggested.
"Are you two idiots? Isn't that obvious?" Ying said, exasperated, and flicked each of them on the forehead. "Ryota, tell them what we should do." Ying called out to Beppu, who was walking behind them.
"What were you just talking about?" Beppu asked.
Ying: ...
Then Ying explained the whole thing to Beppu.
"Obviously, we should prepare a surprise."
"Tetsuya, Sata, take notes. Ryota really is the one who understands what I'm thinking." Ying folded his arms.
"So... you want to prepare a surprise for Ichinose?" Hamaguchi asked.
"Of course. And I'm not doing it alone—you're all helping. We should get a few more people involved, and tell the rest of the class ahead of time so they can keep it a secret."
"So, Ying, what do you have in mind?" Shibata asked.
"You still don't trust me? I always do things perfectly."
Everyone: It's because you do things that we don't trust you.
Ying set up a secret group chat and began discussing the surprise.
＜Class B Secret Group (23)＞
Codename Ying: "Everyone, hurry and add all the people in Class B."
Chihiro: "Okay."
'Ichinose joined the group chat'
'Ichinose was kicked out of the group chat by Codename Ying'
Codename Ying: "Don't add Ichinose!"
Yume: "Huh? Why? Does Byakuya want to ostracize Ichinose?"
I'm Ichinose's dog: "Byakuya wants to ostracize Ichinose? You little punk, are you trying to die?"
Chihiro: "Ostracizing people is wrong! Also, the name above is disgusting."
Codename Ying: "No, you've got it wrong. We want to throw Ichinose a surprise birthday party!"
TetsuTetsuTetsuTetsu: "That's right. Ichinose has helped us so much, so we should do something for her, too."
'The group chat was renamed ＜Ichinose's Birthday Surprise＞ by Dashing and Heroic'
Chihiro: "But Ichinose is right next to me. I don't know if she saw my terminal."
'Chihiro was kicked out of the group chat by Codename Ying'
'Chihiro was added to the group chat by Asako'
Asako: "I'm with them. Ichinose isn't peeking at my screen. Byakuya, are you out of your mind?"
Codename Ying: "Sumimasen! (Sorry)"
"So, does anyone have any ideas? Like what Ichinose likes, or anything?"
Ying stared at the flood of suggestions on the screen, feeling overwhelmed. Was throwing a surprise party really this much trouble? Could he still back out?
"No, seriously, how are we supposed to decorate so the party feels pure and heartwarming, full of youthful energy, nostalgic and retro, and so immersive it gets everyone fired up, while also including lots of interactive activities and making sure everyone has an amazing experience?!"
Ying was at a loss. Weren't those two completely different styles? Could they really be combined?
In the Student Council room, Ying was distracted as he worked on his assigned tasks.
"Byakuya, one page is missing from the materials you revised. Can you please pay more attention?" Tachibana scolded Ying, holding a stack of papers.
"Sorry... By the way, Tachibana-senpai, have you ever helped someone throw a birthday party?" Ying asked.
"Yes. Why?"
"I wanted to ask how to throw a heartwarming, youthful party," Ying said.
Tachibana thought for a moment, then said, "You could decorate with lots of balloons and decorations in light colors. You could also prepare some background music and add a few plants."
Is that how it works? Ying wondered.
Ying stopped by Dorm 401 and found it surprisingly lively. The three stooges were actually studying!?
"Ying! You have to save me! Finals are almost here, but I still can't even pass math!" Sudo pleaded with Ying.
"Uh..." Ying tutored the three stooges in math for a while. When the three were about to leave, Ying remembered the party and asked them:
"Do you know how to decorate for a nostalgic, retro birthday party that really gets everyone fired up?"
"I know all about this!" Ike put an arm around Ying, excitedly saying,
"First, the most important thing is the surprise! You need a huge contrast that gives everyone a completely fresh impression. Like, it looks like an ordinary box, but when someone opens it, it sets off a whole chain reaction: explosive lighting, music suddenly starts playing, and everyone comes out from somewhere. You need to prepare a script ahead of time and assign everyone a role."
Is that so...? Ying wondered. So could these two styles really be combined?
Ying wandered through the park on campus, trying to sort out his thoughts. Then he spotted a strange girl.
She had long purple hair and was meditating beneath a tree, even though there was a bench right in front of her. Ying glanced at her, then went back to thinking about the party...
"少年, what's troubling you?" the girl suddenly asked as Ying passed by.
"Wh... How did you know?" Ying was shocked.
"I can hear it," the girl said.
"You can hear my thoughts!?"
"No, I can hear the whispers of the forest. They say you're troubled."
"!? If I could hear the forest too, could it help me solve my problem?" Ying asked hastily.
"It's possible, but it won't be easy."
"I am willing to give it a try."
"Byakuya, what are you doing?" An hour later, Kanzaki passed through the park and saw Ying hanging upside down from a tree, with a girl meditating beneath it.
"Kanzaki, I'm listening to the voice of the world... Why are you upside down?" Ying said slowly.
"Baiye Ying, can you hear it now?"
"No, Morishita Ran. I'm not quite there yet."
"Is that so? Well, I'll be going." Kanzaki had a bad feeling about what was about to happen.
"I... I think I've figured it out! But, Kanzaki, are you using some evil dark magic? Why is my vision gradually going black?" Ying stared at Kanzaki.
"Byakuya... what are you talking about? Byakuya! Byakuya!"
Before Kanzaki could finish, Ying fell from the tree and passed out.
At the infirmary, the doctor told Kanzaki that Ying had fainted because hanging upside down for too long had caused blood to rush to his head. He'd be fine after resting a bit. Still, it was the first time the doctor had seen someone take that long to pass out from hanging upside down. (Dangerous stunt. Do not imitate.)
On the bed, Ying suddenly opened his eyes.
"I... figured it out!"
Before you continue