Crossing over, and then being blocked by a rich JK.

Chapter 495 Helping You Stand Out

In fact, what Ishikawa Natsumi was worried about did not happen. As one student after another went on stage to perform, the atmosphere became more and more enthusiastic, and the familiarity between the students in the two classes was visibly increasing.

The two who had previously made a bet were now sitting quietly, showing no intention of confessing their feelings.

In other words, with double insurance, she can rest assured for now.

"OK, thank you for the wonderful performances from the previous students. Now let's take a short break and chat for a while, but it definitely won't be aimless chat. It has to be a purposeful and targeted chat."

Ishikawa Natsumi coughed lightly, and after everyone looked at her, she raised her eyebrows and brought up the topic she had prepared beforehand.

"So, let's talk about campus romance and everyone's views on the act of 'confessing one's feelings'."

Her thinking was clear: this kind of problem is better addressed by guiding rather than blocking.

Because this is not something you can simply put aside and pretend it doesn't exist, or even if it's been solved. If this kind of problem can't be solved, it's like a time bomb that could explode at any moment, and who knows when it will blow up a hole.

Of course, she was also aware that her thoughts were somewhat inappropriate and out of line. To put it bluntly, she had no direct connection with that boy in Class C. They were neither relatives nor friends, and she had no reason to consider the other party's feelings to this extent.

However, people will always have those moments of irrational empathy, when they do things that bring no real benefit but satisfy their own sense of heroism.

"But doesn't our school not oppose campus romances?"

A girl from Class C raised her hand and asked a question, somewhat puzzled.

In her view, there was no need to discuss a problem that even the school didn't object to.

"Yeah, that's why we can have such a free discussion. If the school objects, do you think we'd still have a chance to talk about this? Look."

Natsumi Ishikawa shrugged and gestured for the girl to look to her right, where Risa was sitting and watching the show with great interest.

If the school opposes this, there won't even be a chance to start the discussion.

After all, high school students' feelings are sincere and passionate, like a powder keg. Once someone starts talking about this topic, it will be impossible to stop. And once this topic is discussed, it's not far from going wrong.

Students in this age group are like Don Quixote to windmills, always launching fierce charges on a whim.

"...Yeah, that's true."

Upon hearing this, the girl from Class C paused for a moment, then lowered her raised hand with an embarrassed smile.

Thinking about it carefully, that's definitely true.

So, who wants to speak freely first?

Ishikawa Natsumi didn't intend to make things difficult for her. After coughing lightly, she steered the conversation back on track.

Although some people may question whether this topic was slightly beyond her expectations, from another perspective, it is precisely because some people questioned this topic that she was able to answer their questions in advance. In other words, in terms of the outcome, this is a good thing.

"I'll go first."

Kiriyama Kazuma stood up, and after moving his slightly numb feet a bit, he coughed softly and began to explain his views.

"I think campus romance has its pros and cons, but personally, I think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages because... it allowed me to look at the issue from a different perspective."

Since he started dating, his perspective on issues, his starting point, and his overall judgment of problems have become much more comprehensive and nuanced than before. In Maki's words, he is now much more composed than before.

"A different perspective?"

Ishikawa Natsumi pondered those four words for a moment, then looked at Kiriyama Kazuma with curiosity, waiting for the latter to continue.

"To put it another way," Kiriyama Kazuma carefully considered his words, "compared to before, when I do something now, I consider other people's thoughts more, rather than acting unilaterally."

Looking back carefully, he did sometimes make assumptions, including but not limited to some things that now seem like embarrassing moments in his past.

All I can say is that they've gone too far in letting themselves go.

"Actually, before..."

Ishikawa Natsumi hesitated for a moment, but ultimately couldn't bring herself to say, "You weren't actually that arrogant before."

"Relax, I know very well what I was like before." Kiriyama and Ma shrugged nonchalantly. "I've changed now, so isn't that good enough?"

"Right."

Upon hearing this, Ishikawa Natsumi dropped her hesitant expression and smiled with relief.

In a sense, Kiriyama's past actions can be seen as a reflection of his true self.

“Kiriyama is right,” a boy from Class B who was in a relationship chimed in. “After dating her, I have indeed become more attentive and more perceptive of the emotions of those around me.”

The only downside is that he has to be careful about his distance from women at all times, because someone is extremely jealous.

"But precisely because of this, when dealing with certain things, I can no longer forge ahead as bravely as before."

Kiriyama and Ma shrugged and sighed in deep sympathy.

When he wasn't so perceptive before, he could think things through and just keep his head down and move forward. But now, because he's too perceptive, he sometimes becomes hesitant in his speech and actions.

"So, wouldn't you say this is some kind of shackle?"

A bespectacled boy from Class B pushed up his glasses and made a pointed remark.

He had thought about confessing to the girl he liked, but after hesitating for a long time, he put the idea back. Later, he watched helplessly as she accepted someone else's confession and became someone else's girlfriend.

Although they eventually broke up, this incident remained a knot in his heart.

If—and he meant if—he had been braver back then and spoken his mind, would the ending have been completely different?

Of course, his rationality told him that the reason why the person he liked accepted someone else's confession was ultimately because she had feelings for the person who confessed to her; otherwise, she would definitely have been friend-zoned.

In other words, even if he mustered up the courage to confess, the final result would still be a three-person movie, and he wouldn't have a happy ending.

Even though he understood this, he still couldn't let it go.

Because he still fantasizes, what if he succeeds in confessing his feelings?

“Hmm… I personally don’t think ‘shackles’ is a very appropriate description.” A girl from Class B raised her hand and joined the conversation. She also had a boyfriend. “I think ‘responsibility’ is a more appropriate description.”

Going from being single to having a partner requires more than just emotional or financial sacrifices; it also involves taking on responsibilities.

That's true.

Kiriyama Kazuma sat down, then turned to look at his girlfriend beside him before looking away and adding a comment.

He used to think that married men would keep their distance from other women in public social situations because they were afraid of being misunderstood or to avoid suspicion. Now he thinks that it may be more than just avoiding suspicion; it may be more about taking on his own responsibilities.

"Then, what about confessing your feelings?"

"Words of confession..."

Perhaps it was because the discussion had gotten off to a good start, or perhaps Kiriyama had really stirred up the atmosphere, but in any case, after Ishikawa Natsumi, the host, brought up the topic again, the once quiet classroom suddenly became lively and bustling.

Many students joined in the conversation, chatting away and having a great time.

In terms of sheer excitement, this was far more bustling than watching people perform on stage.

"So..." Looking at the students discussing enthusiastically, Jiang Tianqian lowered her voice and tugged at Watanabe Yu's sleeve, "Watanabe-nii, do you still need to go up and sing?"

To be honest, she really wanted to hear him sing, but she also liked the harmonious and friendly atmosphere they were in right now.

It's a bit of a difficult decision. "I don't know," Watanabe Yu shook his head honestly. "I can choose to go or not."

It mainly depends on what everyone thinks, rather than his personal will.

"If you're not going up, can you sing softly here?"

Jiang Tianqian knew she was being presumptuous, but she still said those words.

“Sure,” Watanabe Yu readily agreed. “Anytime is fine.”

Since everyone was making a lot of noise, it wouldn't be a big problem for him to warm up his voice and sing a song.

"Really?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Tianqian's eyes lit up.

"real."

Watanabe Yu nodded slightly, giving an affirmative answer.

This is nothing difficult; it can be solved easily.

"Cough cough."

Suddenly, the young lady coughed softly.

"what happened?"

Watanabe Yu turned his head and looked at Amamiya Ayana.

"Nothing much, I just wanted to ask you, do you think the bet that Kiriyama made with that person will still come true?"

Ayana Amamiya raised her eyebrows and looked towards Class B. A mischievous glint appeared in her beautiful eyes; she was clearly enjoying the spectacle.

"It's possible, it's not possible, in short, it's hard to say."

Watanabe Yu shook his head.

As it stands, he feels that those two are a bit unpredictable.

Judging from Kiriyama's current attitude, it seems he has no intention of confessing, or rather, he doesn't plan to confess on the spot.

Now that Tongshan has quieted down, that guy from Class B probably won't say anything more.

"I thought you would give a more assertive answer."

The young lady stuck out her pink tongue and then made a cute face.

Despite her complaints, Yu's answer was indeed not unexpected.

"That's one thing at a time."

Watanabe Yu shrugged, then closed his eyes and tried to get into the zone.

Since he promised to sing for Qian, he wouldn't break his promise.

"What do you want to hear?"

Seeing that Mr. Troll had closed his eyes, Ayana Amamiya turned to look at Akane Eda.

As her bedmate, she knew perfectly well what it meant when You showed that expression.

only……

Given his skill level, does he really need to find his form again?

In her opinion, he had reached a level where he didn't need to find the right state of mind; he could speak fluently and spontaneously.

"First Love!"

Without a second thought, Eda Akane gave her answer.

"Did you hear that?"

Ayana Amamiya chuckled softly and asked in a low voice.

"Ah."

Watanabe Yu opened his eyes, nodded, and then began to hum a melody softly.

Before his time travel, he had come across a post that said singing a cappella is the best way to test a singer's skill, citing JJ's and Zhang Jie's cappella performances as examples of high quality and representativeness.

Later, in the spirit of learning through practice, he tried it out in a KTV and finally concluded that it was indeed true.

With accompaniment and vocals, as long as the pitch isn't too badly off, the minimum standard can definitely be maintained. But once the vocals are removed, it becomes a bit like a chaotic dance. If the accompaniment is removed as well, it's like tearing off the loincloth that was meant to cover up the shame.

Anyway, in his memory, none of his friends could sing popular songs well without the accompaniment or backing vocals. Among the art students in that circle, there was only one.

Moreover, according to the person involved, his singing was actually just average.

But now, with Tongzi's help, he can sing quite well a cappella.

This song, "First Love," might need a slight change in its singing style, or perhaps a small adjustment to the vocal technique for the sad and sentimental parts.

For example, make it more cheerful.

and so……

He paused thoughtfully for a moment, then his eyes lit up with sudden realization.

Since "First Love" has a strong narrative, and it is precisely because of this strong narrative that it can evoke that sense of sadness, why doesn't he just find the narrative within himself?
Just think about his first encounter with the Holy Maiden, their conversations, and those past events, and the feeling immediately comes back.

Then, he started singing.

He never expected that as he began to sing, the discussion in the activity room would gradually subside.

"Shh!"

Kiriyama Kazuma, who always enjoys watching a good show, got excited as soon as he confirmed that the singer was his good friend.

He first shushed everyone, signaling them to be quiet, then gave them a meaningful look, indicating that they should look towards Watanabe Yu.

Perhaps it was because of the fame he had built up during this period, or perhaps it was because Watanabe Yu's highly recognizable voice was indeed too captivating when he calmed down.

In short, everyone obediently looked in Watanabe Yu's direction.

"No, what are you doing?"

Maki Takakura lowered her voice and muttered something in a whisper that only the two of them could hear.

"I'm setting up the stage."

Kiriyama Kazuma also gave a quiet reply, then took out his phone, opened the music app, and after finding the instrumental track for "First Love," he tried dragging it to the spot where Watanabe was singing.

Then I clicked play.

The thing he likes to do most is to help his brothers stand out!

(End of this chapter)