Yes, I Have a Friend...

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka took another sip from his teacup. Rarely, he could feel the peace and tranquility of the campus at this moment, and he could not help pondering the ultimate goal of life.

Perhaps it was coming to the clubroom during lunch break to mooch the president's fine tea.

Just as he was quietly enjoying this beautiful moment, a gust of unruly wind occasionally crashed in from behind him.

Without even turning around, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka knew that lively man had returned.

"Yo, good afternoon, you two. How did you sleep this morning?"

Accompanied by a warm, generous greeting, Bai Yu strode into the clubroom, carrying two bags of unknown contents.

"Good afternoon, Bai Yu. I slept very comfortably this morning."

Shiina Hiyori replied with a smile.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka could not even be bothered to comment on how strange that conversation sounded no matter how he listened to it.

Fortunately, he had already gotten used to it. He turned around and focused on the two bags in Bai Yu's hands.

"President, what are those?"

"Strategic supplies, provisions for the rear, hospitality essentials, holiday gifts."

Bai Yu casually emptied one of the bags.

"Potato chips... instant noodles... coffee... Want Want rice crackers?"

It was fitting enough, but why were these imported crackers considered a holiday gift?

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka did not quite agree inwardly.

Shiina Hiyori slowly opened the other plastic bag. Inside were notebooks and pens, along with writing boards for clipping paper in place and making it easier to write steadily. Was the president planning to archive records of club activities too?

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka could already picture the suffocating scene: someone seeking help came to the Service Club, sat alone on a chair in the middle, and then every club member threw out a question to interrogate them.

While his thoughts wandered, Shiina Hiyori briefly sorted out the notebooks and stationery, occasionally lifting the tea that had just been brewed and was still being kept warm.

She carefully walked over to Bai Yu and offered it to him. "Bai Yu, please."

"Thank you, Hiyori."

Bai Yu smiled like a spring breeze passing through a bamboo grove and reached out to take her teacup.

"By the way, Bai Yu, did you go do something else just now? It seemed like you did not come to the clubroom right away."

"Oh, yeah. I went to check out some other clubs."

Bai Yu set the empty teacup back on the table and answered casually.

"Check them out?"

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka could not help snapping back to attention. Turning to him, he said, "You are not actually planning to pick trouble with other clubs, are you?"

Bai Yu looked at him and gave him a subtle smile. "Not for now."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka asked solemnly, "Is it still too late to quit the club?"

Bai Yu said, "Deserters are executed without mercy."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka swallowed, then promptly shifted the topic to club activities so Bai Yu would not change his mind and decide to drag him off to his death immediately. "By the way, President, how do you plan to handle Karuizawa's situation?"

"Karuizawa..."

Hearing that name, Shiina Hiyori recalled the phone call she had received earlier. Could it still be that awkward method...?

The two of them simultaneously turned their gazes toward Bai Yu.

Bai Yu pulled over a chair and sat down. After pondering for a while, he said, "The one who commissioned us was Hirata, not Karuizawa. And Hirata's request was to prevent her from encountering similar cases of bullying again."

"To be honest, at first I considered simply bringing her into the Service Club. Setting aside whether she herself would want that, joining a club might help with this matter. But after thinking it over carefully, it still would not be reliable. Bullying has always been a difficult problem..."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka analyzed it as objectively as he could. "After all, the Service Club is only a niche interest club. We do not have the large membership of athletic clubs, and our reputation is not prominent enough. Besides, a club's social network alone would be hard-pressed to become someone's safe haven."

"After all, club members are mostly just ordinary classmates to one another."

Shiina Hiyori chimed in at the right moment. She stole a glance at Bai Yu, who was intently considering a solution, then continued, "But if someone were my friend, I would definitely do everything I could to prevent them from going through something like that."

"..."

"What Shiina said does seem somewhat feasible."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka felt that this was currently the most appropriate approach.

"Have either of you experienced anything similar?"

Bai Yu suddenly asked as he thought.

"No. My classmates have always been rather friendly to me."

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka gave Shiina an unsurprised glance and said, "Same here. Or rather, I have not had much interaction with them. Without interaction, there is no conflict."

"Could it be that you, President...?"

Shiina's expression held a trace of surprise.

"Me? Of course not."

Bai Yu realized what she meant and said, "But I know quite a lot about this sort of thing. It is not entirely as Ayanokoji said—no interaction does not mean no conflict."

"Conflict is often started by the side doing the isolating, for no reason at all. Or rather, your very existence becomes their reason for hurting you."

"Bullies often target one prominent trait of their victim, inventing rumors or stories that never actually happened, making their bullying seem justified so they can vent the ugliness in their hearts with a clear conscience."

"In short, it is vile, jealous, bleak, ugly, and boring!"

Bai Yu gritted his teeth. "I have a friend who once transferred abroad alone. At first, it was only because she did not understand the language, and perhaps there were some cultural differences between the two places. Some of her actions looked overly frivolous to the locals, though she did not mean anything by them, so people spread rumors that she was easy and that she was a master key."

"That is absolutely awful!"

As his words fell,

Bai Yu looked up and glanced at the two of them. Shiina wore an expression of pity and sorrow.

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka politely remained silent before delivering a timely, sharp comment:

"Then you really have not changed at all."