aircannonsinc Page 44
Page 44
The voice wasn't quiet, and Hikigaya, who was sitting to the right rear, heard it immediately. He was chatting with Totsuka Saika at the time, and his originally pleasant mood suddenly turned sour.
This is outrageous! Caijia is my tennis partner! They're trying to steal my only tennis partner! Isn't this forcing me to team up with the wall again? You're all courting death…
"Hachiman, it's alright." Although his dead fish eyes still had the same nasty look as usual, Saika could still clearly sense what Hachiman was thinking at this moment.
Caijia's voice was as gentle as the first ray of sunshine in winter, piercing through the cold and bringing endless warmth and reverie. It had none of the roughness of a boy, but instead exuded delicacy and shyness.
"I... I'll only be your partner, Hachiman."
What does that mean?! What does that mean?!
If Ayaka were a girl, she would definitely confess her feelings right now and get rejected!
Oh well, so what if I get rejected!
Damn it, why isn't Saika a girl!
Hachiman was overwhelmed with shock. The destructive power of Saika was simply too great for Hachiman, who had such bad memories. For a moment, he even felt that Saika was radiating a faint light.
He glanced away and replied, feigning calmness.
"I see... Thank you."
……
Hachiman was having a great time, but Su Qing was still having a headache.
"Um, may I ask Su what her relationship is with the angel from the next class?"
A boy wearing glasses asked timidly, but when Su Qing looked at him, he quickly hid behind someone else and whispered.
"I didn't mean any harm, we were just curious."
Several boys around him nodded in agreement.
"Relationship? We're just good friends, can't you tell?" Su Qing thought for a moment and then spoke slowly.
"But I feel like the atmosphere between you two is really great, aren't you dating?" someone asked, and several boys around them nodded in agreement.
What, are you all going to follow Zhang Fei's example and say "Me too"?
Su Qing explained with a smile, "We're really not dating. I've only been here for a short time. Don't spread rumors and slander me out of thin air."
The boy seemed relieved, as if he had taken the advice to heart, and then they started talking about serious matters!
Chapter 60 Calm daily life
"Su, which Pokémon do you think will get new Mega Evolutions in the latest Z/A?"
"Well, I heard it should be something like the blue crocodile or the grass snake."
"Thai pants are hot, I can't wait to play with them..."
……
Su Qing didn't reply after that, she just nodded and smiled faintly. The boys chatted for a few words and then quickly returned to their seats.
Instead of the boring scenario she had imagined, such as "Shiina is my boss's crush, see you at the gym after school this afternoon," Su Qing was quite satisfied with the outcome.
After all, nobody likes stepping in dog poop on the street. Even if you know that you can just rub it on the ground a few times and then rinse it off, you'll forget about it the next day. But it's always better to avoid trouble.
Ultimately, college students are still obsessed with shipping couples. Even if two guys or two girls get a little close in anime these days, there's a risk of them being shipped. Sigh, the nine-star shipping emperors are truly terrifying.
"Is Xiaoqing tired?" Yui Yuigahama, who had been itching to join in, asked with concern after the boys finally left.
"What's tiring?" Su Qing didn't understand what Yui was thinking for a moment, and subconsciously replied.
"Exactly, I feel like you'd get tired being surrounded by so many people asking you questions..."
"Pfft, no way, they're not going to eat me." Oh, so it was me in their head then. Never mind then. Su Qing was amused by Yui's thought process and laughed.
"That's good." Yui patted her proud chest, relieved, and then took out a few candies from her pocket and handed them to Su Qing.
"Here."
"Thanks, why did you suddenly think of giving me candy?" Su Qing took it, opened the wrapper of one of the candies, and ate it. It tasted pretty good.
Upon hearing this, Yui's cheeks flushed slightly, her eyes flickered, and she stammered, "Oh, no, I lost a game with Yumiko and the others, so I went to buy water for everyone. And I just happened to buy these candies too!" As she spoke, she stuck out her little tongue, her playful and cute demeanor making Su Qing want to tease her a bit.
"Oh? By the way..." Su Qing deliberately dragged out her words, her eyes filled with a hint of mockery, "Then why don't you join us and play? Your skills shouldn't be too bad, right?"
Upon hearing this, Yui's cheeks flushed even more. She lowered her head, gently twisting the hem of her clothes with both hands, her voice barely audible: "I... I actually kind of want to, but I'm afraid of disturbing you... Besides, I also want to see you play more."
"..." Su Qing was silent for a while, then chewed the candy in her mouth and said as if it didn't matter.
We're just friends, and besides, you're my friend too. Next time you want to play, come over and play together.
"Eh? Then..."
"You should get along well with Shiina, it's okay." Su Qing interrupted Yui's concerns. In Su Qing's opinion, Shiina's angelic smile at school wasn't all that beautiful. Yui, that silly girl, should be able to get along well. But all of this would have to wait until she asked Shiina.
"Okay, okay. Um, Kiyoshi..." Yui seemed to have something to say.
"Well, what?"
"Is that candy tasty?" Yui asked, blinking her eyes.
"It's pretty good, would you like one of this flavor too?" Su Qing took a few of the flavors she was holding and handed them to Yui, but Yui waved her hand and said with a grin.
"I don't want to eat it, as long as it tastes good, hehe."
"Alright then." Su Qing didn't insist that the other party accept it, after all, it was the other party who bought it, and she didn't need to act like a big shot. She glanced at Yui, who had been inexplicably happy about something after she said it was delicious...
Yes, this candy is indeed quite delicious.
……
"Good afternoon, Yukinoshita-kun."
"Um, good afternoon..." Hachiman was still a little uncomfortable and greeted him awkwardly.
"Hello, hello." Yukinoshita remained aloof, glancing at the two before continuing to peruse the book in her hands.
After sitting down, Hikigaya seemed to have mustered up his courage and spoke to Yukinoshita.
"Um, there's a classmate in my class named Totsuka Saika... He asked me to join the tennis club, and I was thinking of saying..."
"Rejected." It wasn't Yukinoshita who spoke, but Su Qing.
"Hey, I haven't finished speaking yet..." Hachiman looked at Su Qing with a puzzled expression, not expecting to be interrupted.
"I don't know why, but I have a feeling that you, Hachiman, are trying to use joining the tennis club as an excuse to get out of the Service Club, right?"
"No, it's not like that..." Hachiman said hesitantly, as if his secret thoughts had been exposed.
"Really not?" Su Qing stared intently at Hachiman, as if she could see right through him.
“…Okay, but I can explain!” Hikigaya couldn’t stand Su Qing’s stare and raised his voice a few decibels.
"Hmm, tell me about it."
……
"So, the tennis club members were slacking off in training, so they wanted to pull you in?" This was the first time Su Qing had heard such a reason.
"Well, I guess so." Hachiman also felt that this reason was strange, and replied weakly.
"No, I don't accept that reason." Yukinoshita closed the book, her beautiful eyes glaring at Hachiman.
"Uh..." Hachiman turned his gaze to Su Qing, hoping to get help from her.
"Leaving aside whether the people in the tennis club you join will train diligently, just think about Hachiman, do you think your tennis skills are good enough?" Su Qing thought about Hachiman's relatively weak physique compared to her own and said.
"It seems... it really isn't enough." Hachiman chuckled awkwardly. His tennis skills were certainly not bad, as long as they were recognized by Totsuka Saika, but compared to Su Qing, this freak, they seemed insignificant.
"Then that's it. Let's give up on this idea. There are many ways to solve the problem," Su Qing said with a shrug.
Just then, the door to the Service Department was knocked on again.
"Please come in," Yukinoshita replied as the department head.
"Why is it you?" Yukinoshita frowned and asked in confusion after recognizing the person.
"Hey, why does it feel like Xue isn't very welcoming to me?"
"No, it's just that I'm not used to your presence." Yukinoshita looked at Yuihama getting closer and closer, feeling wary.
"That phrase means the same thing to girls!" After greeting Su Qing and Hikigaya, Yui pulled up a chair from behind and sat down next to Yukinoshita, excitedly saying this.
"Hey Xiaoxue, these are cookies I made myself yesterday when I got home. Consider it my way of thanking you. I think making cookies is quite fun."
"Um, thank you... but could you please not use the nickname 'Xiaoxue'?" Yukinoshita was clearly uncomfortable with such an intimate title and hesitated.
But Yui seemed not to hear her and moved even closer to Yukinoshita, "You really have to try your best at everything. Why don't you try making a bento next time?"
"Also, Xiaoxue, I'm actually quite free after school, could I come help you with club activities...?"
Seeing Yukinoshita being unilaterally attacked by Yui, Su Qing had no intention of helping her out. Watching Yukinoshita's embarrassed look was not without its own amusement. After giving Hachiman a look, the two of them laughed and left the classroom, leaving the two girls alone.
"Next, you get one too." Su Qing tossed a cookie to Hachiman, noticing that the packaging was the same as the one given to Yukino.
"Me too? I don't think I did anything..."
"Yes, didn't you reveal your past story?" Su Qing explained with a smile.
"Shut up, I already said it's my friend's business." Hachiman, as if his Achilles' heel had been exposed, chose to accept the biscuit without hesitation.
"By the way, Yuihama made this especially for you, right?" Hachiman took a bite of the cookie; it wasn't very tasty, barely edible.
"What do you think?"
"Tch." Hachiman clicked his tongue to express his dissatisfaction with the popular type, but didn't say anything else.
"Hachiman." Su Qing suddenly called out, gripping the railing.
"what happened?"
Is self-destruction, a method that harms oneself, really a good thing?
"..." Hachiman didn't speak, but continued eating his cookies until he finished before saying anything.
“I’ve always done it this way…there’s nothing wrong with it.”
"Even if this method hurts the people you love?" Su Qing turned to look at Hachiman, her gaze deep and unsettling.
"I……"
"When the time comes, let me complete your request." Su Qing patted Hachiman on the shoulder, ending the conversation.
A cool breeze, carrying a hint of chill, blew in his face as dusk approached. Hachiman felt the breeze and remained silent.
……
P.S.: This is so tedious to write! By the way, have you read this far enough for a review?
Chapter 61 The Night Before the Walk
Life is often a repetitive cycle, with little excitement to describe.
However, if you observe carefully, you can still find some differences in daily life.
As time went by, the Service Club received no new requests. Instead, Yui Yuigahama started participating in the Service Club's activities after school, just as she had said, adding a touch of energy to the otherwise quiet trio.
Triangles are stable, but unexpected variables breaking the balance may not be a bad thing.
[Su Qing updates information on Snow Underneath]
Yui's obvious affection for Yukinoshita, despite Yukinoshita's outward resistance, was met with a mix of reluctance and acceptance. Su Qing believed that it was only a matter of time before she gradually got used to it.
If she truly hated and resisted, she wouldn't act this way. Su Qing wouldn't question Yukino's honesty; she wouldn't deny established facts, just like with that vending machine incident—always facing things with honesty.
So, you're not good at making friends? That's somewhat similar to Hachiman Hikigaya, but it seems much more serious for him...
……
Friday night arrived quickly.
For most students and working professionals, the most anticipated time of day might not be the weekend, but rather the evening before the weekend holiday.
To give an analogy, it's like the ambiguous period before becoming a couple. The two are only a thin layer of paper between them, and once that layer is broken, they know that the relationship will usher in a sweet "honeymoon period." Life seems so wonderful, and happiness is within reach, or rather, it's already in their hands.
So even though you're itching to get closer, you still enjoy this time at your own pace. If the "she" or "he" beside you is there, even if it's just because your heart is racing and your breathing unconsciously switches from automatic to manual mode, and you force yourself to take a deep breath while trying to suppress your nervousness, you can feel the ambiguity in the air and can't help but feel secretly happy until a smile keeps creeping onto your lips.
Then, the two exchanged a knowing smile, the red glow of the setting sun tinging their cheeks. They dared not linger on each other's faces for another second, yet their hearts were filled with an irresistible longing.
Thinking, "Just one more look, just one more look, I hope I won't get caught if I just sneak a peek, right?"
But everything is just such a coincidence. Just when you finally make up your mind to glance at them casually, your eyes meet.