Chapter 9: So I Must Be the One That Goddess Nüwa Threw Out with a Whip
Soon, the two of them walked out of the classroom and, as expected, saw Hachiman Hiratsuka…
"You two, club time is here. Don't even think about running away," she said.
"I wasn't thinking of running away at all," Duan Siqi rolled his eyes, feeling a bit speechless.
Compared to Hachiman, Duan Siqi was much less resistant to the Service Club, after all, from yesterday's situation, as long as you don't actively provoke Yukinoshita, she wouldn't come over to cause trouble.
Hiratsuka grinned widely, showing a gentle expression. "You don't mind, right, Hachiman?"
"No…" Hachiman glanced at Hiratsuka's fist warily and nodded.
"Great, then let's go," Hiratsuka nodded and walked ahead.
As they walked, Hiratsuka seemed to remember something and spoke up.
"By the way, it's settled then. If you try to escape again, your match with Yukinoshita will be automatically considered a forfeit, and there will be a penalty. Don't expect to graduate in three years."
Hachiman: "…"
His heart was exhausted…
"Rather than letting you run off and regret it later, dragging you along will give me less psychological burden," Hiratsuka suddenly seemed happy.
"That reason is too bad!" Hachiman loudly complained.
"Being frank is more likeable. Always looking at the world with cold eyes, you shouldn't be able to find happiness, right?" Hiratsuka started lecturing.
"Not everything in the world is happy. Moreover, you can always find happiness within a tragedy," Hachiman immediately countered.
"These comments are very typical. Looks like you've caught the high schooler's disease, the second-year syndrome," Hiratsuka said, giving Hachiman a bright, beaming smile, declaring him to be sick.
The two then continued discussing the topic of second-year syndrome…
Soon, under Hiratsuka's lecture, they concluded:
"Second-year syndrome is a common thought pattern among high schoolers, who often say 'it's lost if you work' or mention that they like an author or a manga artist's earlier works before they became popular."
"They look down on popular things and appreciate niche things. They also look down on fellow otaku, always acting like they've had an epiphany, saying awkward things. In simple terms, they're a group of annoying people."
"Annoying people… Damn! I practically meet all the conditions, I can't even refute it!" Hachiman gritted his teeth.
"No, I'm praising you. The students recently are so impressive; they're willing to compromise with reality, making teachers feel like they're just working in a factory," Hiratsuka said, casting a glance at Duan Siqi.
Wait a minute, why are you looking at me? I'm not compromising! This is called the doctrine of the mean in Confucianism, following the Tao in Taoism, and letting things happen in Buddhism. Why do you have to praise one and scold the other like this!!!
Duan Siqi didn't show it on his face, but in his heart, he was already complaining.
"So, after spending a few days with you two, what do you think of Yukinoshita Yukino?" Hiratsuka quickly changed the topic.
"A hated person," Hachiman immediately replied without thinking.
"How about you?" Hiratsuka then looked at Duan Siqi.
"Yukinoshita…" Duan Siqi didn't reply immediately, instead lowering his head to think for a moment.
"I only met her yesterday… It seems like she lacks flexibility? Such a personality probably wouldn't be very popular…"
"As for the rest… we've just met. It's not realistic to give an accurate evaluation right now…" Surprisingly, Duan Siqi answered quite seriously.
Ahead of them, Hiratsuka had already stopped.
"Are we there?" Duan Siqi instinctively looked at the door plate, and sure enough, saw a blank one.
It seemed like they had arrived. He was thinking this when Hiratsuka spoke again: "No, not yet."
She then smiled wryly. "It feels like your evaluation is quite negative…"
"She's a very good student… but everyone has their own troubles. Anyway, she's a very gentle child."
How is she gentle? Hachiman immediately retorted in his heart.
Duan Siqi also didn't quite agree. If Yukinoshita was excellent, Duan Siqi wouldn't say much, but calling her gentle…
Couldn't see it at all!!!
"She must have some kind of illness. She's always so gentle and understanding."
But the world isn't gentle or understanding… Listening to Hiratsuka's words, Duan Siqi couldn't help but think with a bit of a twisted sense of humor.
"I'm just worried you won't be able to adapt to society, which is why I want to bring you all together," Hiratsuka continued.
"That place isn't a quarantine room, right…" Hachiman couldn't help but retort.
"A mental hospital…" Duan Siqi added.
…
Soon, Duan Siqi and Hachiman opened the door to the clubroom, and in front of them was Yukinoshita, sitting as she had the day before, reading.
"…"
Although they had opened the door to the clubroom, neither Hachiman nor Duan Siqi knew what to say.
Would it be rude not to greet her? Duan Siqi thought to himself.
Compared to Duan Siqi, Hachiman wasn't bothered. He simply gave a mental greeting, then stepped inside.
Yukinoshita's gaze lingered on Hachiman for a moment, then immediately returned to her book.
"This place is so small, and she's still ignoring me…" Hachiman couldn't help but feel a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead as he complained.
Duan Siqi was speechless. Clearly, you were the one ignoring her first, okay…
"Your way of greeting is strange. What tribe are you from?" Yukinoshita retorted.
"…Hello." Hachiman, unable to tolerate her sarcasm anymore, could only greet her in a kindergarten-like manner.
Duan Siqi, feeling a bit nervous, glanced at Yukinoshita and awkwardly greeted her: "Good… good afternoon."
Yukinoshita nodded, showing a smile: "Good afternoon."
Though they had known each other for a short time, Duan Siqi couldn't help but admit that this was the first time he had seen Yukinoshita smile.
Duan Siqi watched her. When she smiled, she had dimples and little canine teeth peeking out.
Also, he noticed that Yukinoshita's long hair on both sides was tied with a red decorative ribbon, making her look quite cute.
Honestly, her smile was almost unfair.
Duan Siqi now believed that when Goddess Nüwa was creating humans, she must have used two methods—one with clay and one with a whip.
…
Sitting down, Duan Siqi once again took out the heavy Book of Han, but he felt something was missing.
After flipping through a few pages, he suddenly realized—it was because there was no desk...
He turned back to look at the large pile of desks and chairs in the back, and hesitated.
Should he go and move one over? Would that be too awkward…?