I, the mastermind behind the scenes at Soubu High, refuse to be caught in a bloodbath.

Yukinoshita and Hikigaya were bickering on the side.

"We're all still in elementary school, there's no such thing as strength, it's not like we're fighting."

Liu Mei puffed out her cheeks as if complaining.

“Strength is not just about fighting skills. That should only be considered a last resort. It’s best not to use violence to solve problems if possible.”

Author's Note:

PS: Fourth update, please give me some criticism.

Chapter 113 On the Solution: [Himekoji Haruto] Prioritizes Interests

"I don't quite understand—" Liu Mei was silent for a moment, then looked up and said, "Name."

"What about you?"

"Rumi...Tsurumi Rumi."

Rumi Tsurumi is the daughter of Shizuka Hiratsuka's colleague, Shizuka. Shizuka also works in the student life guidance office and has similar authority to Shizuka. However, Shizuka has received help from her and therefore always helps her with many things.

"I am Himekoji Haruto."

"And you—?"

Rumi then looked at Yukinoshita and Hikigaya, who were bickering incessantly.

"I am Yukino Yukinoshita, and this is... Piggy... Piggy, the Piggy Frog?"

"Hey, how do you know my nickname from fourth grade? And in the end, you even omitted the 'Hachiman' nickname, leaving only 'Frog'."

(In Hachiman's memories, he mentioned that his classmates mocked him, "Hey, frog, are you going back already?" In fact, the pronunciation of "frog" and "go back" is extremely similar in Japanese, only the tone is different. Although it's a bit unfair to Hachiman, I have to say that the nickname is really fitting...)

"I am Hachiman Hikigaya."

He then gave a serious reply to the student who had studied in the United States.

“I feel like Himekoji, you’re very different from all of these people…” Rumi looked at him, frowning in confusion, and said, “Should I say it’s inexplicable… or should I say it’s like your mental and physical age doesn’t match? Usually, no one seriously answers a primary school student’s questions, and they analyze and analyze them back and forth.”

"That's called being neurotic and prone to causing trouble."

Yukinoshita offered a sarcastic reminder from the side.

"Hello, little sister, you must be Rumi Tsurumi!"

Yui looked around but couldn't see Hikigaya and Yukinoshita. When she turned around, she noticed that they had already gone up the hillside, so she quickly caught up with them. She had asked Rumi's name before, when she was being pestered by the elementary school students.

"Hey, Himekoji, come here for a second. There are some heavy things here. Go and help Hayama move them."

So Hiratsuka Shizuka called out to Himekoji again, and he said goodbye to the others. Hayama was waiting for him with a smile in the distance.

The heavy crates were covered with tarpaulins, as if to prevent them from getting wet in the rain. There were twelve such crates in total, and each one required two people to lift it easily, mainly because the items were quite large. Otherwise, Himeko could have easily moved them by herself. While working with Hayama, they carried several of them into the hall. Hayama, slightly out of breath and wiping his sweat, asked, "Do you want to rest for a bit?"

"Then let's take a rest."

In fact, Hayama was tired, but he still asked Himekoji for his opinion. The two of them casually sat down in the shade under the eaves of the hall, stretching out their legs and supporting their bodies with their arms behind them in a relaxed manner.

"Ah—, so cool and refreshing, so comfortable."

Are you confident about the football match?

"Ah, of course, I will do my best to work with everyone to achieve victory."

"Is that so...then you'd better do your best."

"Yes! For our common honor, and this event was also organized by our football club itself. If we don't work hard, how can we face everyone who has always supported us?"

"Not bad, not bad, very good awareness."

"Hahaha, Haruto-kun, are the Service Club's activities interesting?"

"To be honest, I've hardly participated in any of the Service Club's activities; I'm practically a ghost member."

"Eh—, I remember Haruto-kun, you didn't go home after you finished your student council work. I thought you went to participate in the Service Club activities."

"Well...no, not at all."

Seeing that Himekoji was unwilling to explain the situation, Hayama stopped talking and simply enjoyed the shade. Not long after, the two of them got up again to move things.

As expected, Hiratsuka Shizuka called me here as a laborer. Oh well, being a laborer is much better than being stuck at home all the time.

After dealing with the heavy loads, Himekoji and Hayama, who had been working hard, were naturally given a break by Hiratsuka Shizuka. The two returned to the clubhouse, drinking cold drinks and scrolling through their phones to rest. Himekoji and Hayama didn't have much to talk about; rather than saying that, it would be more accurate to say that Himekoji wasn't particularly interested in Hayama.

Himekoji and Haruno are somewhat similar in this respect—they simply won't care about things they're not interested in.

As dusk fell, the clatter of pots and pans filled the air. Yuihama and Yumiko waved to Himekoji and Hayama from outside the glass, and the two immediately went out. Dinner was served, and everyone took turns getting their own food. The boys clearly received more rice than the girls.

In the curry that Ms. Hiratsuka was overseeing, the potatoes looked very well-cooked, and the white rice in the rice cooker smelled delicious.

Near the cooking area were wooden tables and a pair of benches, where everyone took their seats after serving themselves their food.

First was Yukinoshita, who unhesitatingly chose the seat furthest to the side. Komachi naturally sat next to her, followed by Yuigahama. The fourth person was rather unexpected—Ebina. Next, Miura sat at the other end of the bench, and finally, Hiratsuka Shizuka sat next to Yukinoshita.

As for the boys, Tobe sat directly opposite Miura, Hayama faced Ebina, Totsuka faced Yuihama, Hikigaya faced Yukinoshita, and Himekoji naturally faced Hiratsuka Shizuka.

For some reason, Hachiman's painful experience was brought up again at the dinner table. Hayama cleverly changed the subject and started talking about Chiba Prefecture's specialties, such as malt jelly. In fact, Kazusa also really likes this dessert. She also really likes the honey toast that is often served at karaoke. Well... in fact, she generally doesn't refuse any sweet food.

"Speaking of which, what about her—what should we do with that child?"

Yuihama brought up the matter of Tsurumi Rumi. In fact, anyone with eyes could see that the person who was ostracized in a group always seemed so out of place. When they were young, the person who was ostracized would often have no choice but to team up with the PE teacher during PE class. In fact, for the person who was ostracized, such a teaming up was not as practical as letting him run a few laps.

What are you worried about?

Hiratsuka Shizuka left Yukinoshita's side, skillfully lit a cigarette with a "snap," and leaned back on one end of the long table, crossing her legs.

Yukinoshita looked at Himekoji, as if hoping he would explain the situation, but Himekoji didn't want to get involved. He had already told Yukinoshita the solution, which was definitely feasible. Yukinoshita understood the core idea, and there was nothing for him to do here.

So the matter of Rumi Tsurumi was brought up.

"So, do you have any ideas, Himekoji?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka called his name directly, even though Himekoji didn't actually want to speak.

Author's Note:

PS: This is the fifth update. Please give me some criticism.

Chapter 114 Night Talk, [Hayama Hayato]'s Performance is Stiff

"I generally don't offer help out of pity; there's no such thing as a free lunch. However, the core idea should be to change her environment. As for the methods, there are many, ranging from complex to simple, depending on the amount of resources available..."

"I'm asking you for a solution that an ordinary person can do."

"Well, I'm just offering my ideas and methods. Whether others can do it or not is none of my business. As long as I can do it, that's fine. If you want to seek methods from ordinary people, why don't you ask Hachiman?" So Himekoji called on Hachiman, who didn't want to speak next. Hachiman's expression stiffened, he glanced at Himekoji, and looked at him with his chin in his hand, saying, "Isn't Hayama very good at solving these kinds of things?" He passed the buck to Hayama again.

"I...I want to do something within my power."

Ye Shan, who was suddenly called upon, paused for a moment, and immediately gave a very moderate but pleasing answer.

Similarly, this kind of answer is basically the same as saying nothing at all.

Anyway, no one will criticize him for making a mistake, so he can completely shirk responsibility.

"But you can't do it, can you? But if it's Himekoji's method, even if it takes a lot of effort, it can be completely solved."

Yukinoshita revealed a slightly sad expression and asked a question in return. Hayama immediately fell silent, his expression stiffening, his body feeling hot and slightly sweaty.

“What? You had already discussed solutions with her before?” Turning around, Hiratsuka Shizuka laughed and patted Himekoji on the shoulder. Himekoji rolled her eyes at Hiratsuka Shizuka and said, “But she doesn’t have the value for me to do that. Don’t treat me like Santa Claus delivering free gifts in a reindeer sleigh.”

"Hey you, can you sometimes try to think like a normal person?"

I only use the thinking methods that suit me when considering problems.

"Phew—I really can't do anything with you, but that's just the way you are, isn't it?" Hiratsuka Shizuka smiled, turned around and took another deep drag of her cigarette, slowly exhaling as she jumped away from the table and said, "You guys figure out the specifics yourselves. Himekoji has already given you a hint anyway."

Surprisingly, Hachiman silently agreed with Himekoji's words. That's right, even if he could solve it, he had no reason to do so. Although Hachiman himself didn't know what abilities Himekoji possessed, since Hiratsuka Shizuka and Yukinoshita didn't object, it meant that he could indeed do it.

Hachiman: It's always easier to say than to do. It takes courage to admit you can't do something. Similarly, it's equally admirable to be confident that you can do something but have no reason to do it. It's arrogance to expect others to lend you a helping hand. A billionaire can easily turn a homeless person into a millionaire, but he simply has no reason to do so.

It's like watching documentaries about war or poverty on TV, saying things like "How pitiful," "They have such a hard life," and "We should do something," and then holding up signs calling for peace and attention to impoverished children. That's useless; it's just self-satisfaction.

It's like a TV station using prime-time news to broadcast footage of impoverished areas to garner sympathy; they might as well use that time to air commercials and then donate all the revenue from those commercials to the impoverished areas.

For ordinary people, we might make small donations of ten or one hundred yuan, but that's about it.

Of course, some people will realize the problem and genuinely want to solve it. That is truly a remarkable act, and I will respect and praise them. After all, donations do have real significance for those in need. Of course, for universal issues like resolving war or poverty, it's unrealistic to expect Himekoji or his family to solve them alone.

However, on the issue of Tsurumi Rumi, we are different. Neither I, Hayama, nor Miura truly wanted to do anything, and in fact, we couldn't do anything. We were well aware of this, and we would use our inability as an excuse, but we still wanted to affirm our kind side.

Even if it's something that doesn't concern us, once we see it with our own eyes, we can't pretend we don't know. But there's nothing we can do, so at least let us offer our pity—nothing more.

It is a beautiful and noble emotion, but also an ugly excuse.

Faced with a problem that urgently needs to be solved but is irrelevant to oneself, those who can do it have no reason to do it, while those who cannot only want to live with a clear conscience. Society is so indifferent. As long as everyone covers their ears and closes their eyes, no one will be hurt, no one will be hungry, and no elderly person will fall to the ground and be unable to get up.

(Speaking of which, I personally signed a body and organ donation agreement several years ago... Also, these paragraphs are the original content plus some of my own additions. I really couldn't bear to delete them. Please forgive me considering how much I've updated. After all, some parts make sense.)

"Goodbye, I'm going to stretch my legs and rest for a bit, my arms are a little sore."

Although the sore arm was an excuse, it was a clever one. Himeko didn't want to continue the conversation, nor did she want to affect the relationship between Yumiko and Hayama's group.

After he stood up, Yukinoshita cast a glance at him, as if she also wanted to get up, but Himekoji ignored her and walked away without saying anything like "Sit down and let's figure out a solution together." Very good, perfect. He entered the forest. This developed area was relatively safe. His destination was the forest river, where he could relax.

The atmosphere in this area just now was very unusual, heavy, and oppressive.

When Himeko returned, he was the only one who hadn't taken a bath yet. After taking a bath, he went back to the room the boys had been assigned to. Before entering, he suddenly thought of Mariya. If Mariya were here... hehehehehe.

"I'm going to turn off the lights now."

The moment Himekoji opened the door, Tobe, who was sleeping near the switch, half-propped himself up and reached for it, and said.

"Wait a mininute."

Himekoji walked in and closed the door. He settled down on his bed. He was late, so his bed was assigned to the one next to Hayama, at the far left of the room, which was also the closest to the door. Totsuka and Hikigaya were at the far end, and Tobe was naturally sandwiched in the middle.

After tidying up and getting some sleep, Hubu sat up again and turned off the light.

"Wow, Hayato, don't you think this looks like a night from a school trip?"

"Hmm...that feeling is definitely there."

“Speaking of which, let’s talk about the people you like. Isn’t that how guys always talk at night? Talking about girls!” Tobe was in high spirits, but Hayama was not interested and even seemed a little unhappy. He replied simply, “Forget it, let’s go to sleep.”

Author's Note: