Love Tennis and Yumiko Miura

"Tennis is really interesting." Yumiko was stunned at first, then smiled.

"I think I can give it a try." Rumi looked at Yumiko, "Can you still teach me tennis after the summer camp is over?"

"Of course! Then let's exchange contact information!" Yumiko said as she took out her phone and exchanged contact information with Rumi. "You can message me anytime."

"Yeah." Liu Mei nodded.

"Come to think of it..." Yumiko suddenly thought of what Zhixian said last night. "Zhixian said that the club where he practices tennis is now running a tennis training class for elementary school students. You can go and join that class. That way, it will be convenient for Zhixian to teach you."

"Okay, I'll go home and discuss it with my mom." Liu Mei nodded.

Uncle Honda, who was unilaterally beaten by Zhixian on the court, might not have thought that because he was positive and optimistic and enjoyed the fun of playing tennis when he was sure to lose, he became more determined to study tennis in the United States.

Because in the eyes of Chinese students in the United States, the two people playing tennis on the court are indeed very happy.

----split line----

Naturally, the courage test for the elementary school summer camp didn't involve professional makeup or special effects. The planned event was simply a few high school students donning puppet costumes and hiding in the woods to randomly scare the elementary school students. However, the rustling sound of the wind in the trees at night was enough to be frightening.

The test of courage requires elementary school students to go to a designated location in groups, fix a shrine-like object made from a louvered box with talismans written on straw paper, and bring it back to complete the task.

In such an atmosphere, Zhixian and his group prepared for the courage test course while making plans for the evening.

What needs to be solved in advance is to avoid some dangerous areas, and then discuss where to set up monsters and how to scare elementary school students.

Finally, they returned to the waiting area, and as if it were a cliché, Yukinoshita started the topic again - without a doubt, it was about studying in the United States.

Yumiko wanted to say something but was stopped by Zhixian with a slight shake of her head.

Zhixian felt that if Yeshan Xueshita did something, it would not affect his teaching of tennis to the students in the United States, so he also wanted to hear what other methods these people could come up with.

After that, several people started discussing and talked a lot about things like "placebo effect" and "suspension bridge effect".

In the end, it was Hikigaya's words that piqued Chixian's interest.

Hikigaya said, "People's true natures are revealed when they're at their limit. If they're truly frightened, they'll prioritize protecting themselves, right? They won't have the energy or the energy to care about others, sacrificing those around them to save themselves. If this ugly side of theirs is revealed, the relationship will probably never heal. This is how we can break them up."

"If everyone were alone, there wouldn't be any arguments or friction, right?"

Hikigaya then detailed his plan, which was for these high school students to play clowns and scare the elementary school students, thereby causing them to split internally.

Seriously speaking, it is a plan full of calculations and negative energy, because human nature has never been able to withstand the test, and testing human nature will mostly only produce disappointing results.

However, the beauty of Hikigaya's plan lies in the result he wants, which is a bad result, so that they can achieve their desired goal.

Yumiko quietly tugged at Zhixian's shirt. She felt this wasn't a good move, but because of Zhixian's earlier hints, she hadn't expressed her opinion immediately. She wondered if this incident, since Liumei had already made up her mind to study tennis, would derail Zhixian's plans. Furthermore, this method of dealing with an elementary school student seemed a bit excessive.

Yumiko was very unhappy with Hikigaya's plan, but she didn't show it for the time being. No one else present except her and Zhixian knew that Rumi had decided to learn tennis from Zhixian. After all, they were all playing in the stream at that time.

Although everyone except the two of them lamented that Hikigaya was terrible, he could indeed break the current situation.

If you are troubled by interpersonal relationships, you can destroy the interpersonal relationships themselves to get rid of the troubles. This is Hikigaya's way of thinking, solving the troubles from the root.

Compared to Zhixian's method of teaching tennis to students studying in the United States, Hikigaya's method is superior in that it is quicker and more effective. In contrast, Zhixian's method is conservative and has lower risks, while Hikigaya's method is more adventurous and more risky.

"Let's do it, but I'm betting on the possibility that everyone will unite to deal with the problem. As for nature, I want to believe in that aspect of nature. I think they are kind-hearted children by nature." Ye Shan has already expressed his opinion, and this basically means that the implementation of Hikigaya's plan has become a foregone conclusion.

Seeing that Ye Shan had expressed his opinion, Youmiko reached out and tugged at Zhixian again, hoping that Zhixian would say something.

"Don't worry, Youmiko. This won't affect your tennis studies in the United States." Zhixian gently responded to Youmiko to dispel her worries. "Next, you just need to think about how to scare the elementary school students at the courage test competition."

"But..." Yumiko was still a little worried.

"It doesn't matter whether this plan succeeds or not," Zhixian said. "The holiday is a good buffer."

"Now that you say so..."

The important thing is that Zhixian holds similar ideas to Yeshan, but the difference is that he does not pin his hopes on the entire team.

91. Ghost Stories

Hikigaya's plan was finally passed unanimously, and it was finally decided that Hayama Tobe Yumiko and others would play the role of the villains.

Yumiko and Tobe actually refused in their hearts, but they could not resist the persuasion of everyone and finally had to agree.

Yumiko was not afraid of any impact on her image, but she was afraid that Liumei, with whom she had finally gotten along well in the morning, would have a different opinion of her because of this incident.

It's just not worth it, right? He'd just established a good relationship this morning, and then he'd be playing the bad guy and threatening her that evening. It felt rather duplicitous—even though it was just acting, she still felt uncomfortable. It was like the author couldn't continue writing about the harem.

But after thinking carefully about the girls on my side, Komachi, Yui, Hama, and Nakamura all looked harmless. Their cute, soft, and quiet appearances wouldn't really scare anyone. As for Yukinoshita, while she could make someone cry, that wasn't the same as scaring them. If she were to play a monster and scare people, she'd probably just keep a cold face—and she had a beautiful face, so even with a stern expression, she was still beautiful. So, tonight, Yukinoshita would play Sadako! She wouldn't show her face at all!

After secretly complaining a few words, Youmiko felt much better, so she temporarily stopped thinking about playing the villain.

Then the group was called by Shizuka Hiratsuka, who did not appear in Chapter 4, to gather in a room in the guest house.

"In order to liven up the atmosphere of the courage test meeting, I hope you can tell some strange stories." said the teacher.

Kwaidan is a kind of ghost story.

Zhixian looked around the room, where the curtains were drawn, all the lights were off, and only a few candles were used for lighting.

As expected, talking about the Test of Courage tournament always requires talking about kaidan, a pairing as inseparable as the Joseph Joestar and the Thompson machine gun. By using kaidan to liven up the atmosphere, you might even see a monster or something.

So-called paranormal phenomena are nothing more than illusions or the result of excessive self-awareness. However, it's precisely because humans have an emotion called "fear" that they subconsciously fear the unknown. Paranormal phenomena are generally like this: they're often natural phenomena that are exaggerated and transformed into paranormal events.

Whether it is Sadako or Kayako, they are simply products created because these fears provide inspiration to the creators.

Zhixian was not really afraid of these things, but it was different for Youmiko beside him - as soon as the girl heard that Zhixian was going to tell a ghost story, she immediately grabbed Zhixian's arm tightly with both hands.

So Zhixian had no choice but to pat Youmeko's hand to comfort her.

"So, does anyone have any good strange stories in stock?" asked Shizuka Hiratsuka.

Tobe and Hikigaya raised their hands.

Although the curtains were drawn, the windows were not closed, and a sultry wind would blow in from time to time. The candlelight on the burning candle would sway in the wind, and the faint shadow would tilt weakly.

"Oh? Tobe and Hikigaya? That's a combination that only makes people uneasy! But whatever, go ahead and tell us!"

"I have a feeling Hiratsuka-sensei is really interested in this activity. Wouldn't it be better to just show some videos or something?" Zhixian muttered to himself. Because Yumiko was still trembling, Zhixian didn't say this out loud.

Hikigaya and Tobe exchanged a glance, and Tobe pulled a candle in front of him: "Then I'll start first."

"This is the story of my predecessor. My predecessor was a leader of a group of speed racers..."

......

A few minutes later.

"That senior is now a father of two. His wife is the female traffic police officer who stopped him. He often says that his wife is scarier than ghosts."

"...Who told you to tell a heartwarming story!!!" Shizuka Hiratsuka was furious. The first part was clearly decent, but suddenly the tone changed and it became a heartwarming story? And the ending where the speedster married the female traffic police officer and had children was something she absolutely couldn't tolerate! Absolutely not! A speedster who's in a relationship with a female traffic police officer, right? It's better to burn this kind of speedster, right?

After Hubu finished speaking, Zhixian could clearly feel Youmeiko beside him let out a long sigh, and the hand that was holding his arm was not so tight, as if she had relaxed a little.

"Well, it's my turn now." Hikigaya also pulled the candle in front of his eyes. "This is what actually happened..."

"Wow, why do I feel so scary whenever Hidori opens his mouth!" Yumiko whispered.

This sentence made Zhixian laugh and cry. Although he felt the same way, he always felt that Hikigaya would say something shocking.

As soon as Hikigaya uttered the customary opening remarks of a kaidan, the whispers immediately fell silent, and even the sound of his breathing seemed to be clearer, to the point where you could hear a pin drop.

......

A few minutes later.

"I was the one who retrieved the talisman, but no one noticed. Why is that..."

After finishing the story, Hikigaya blew out the candle.

"...It's just a lonely anecdote." Yuigahama sighed. It was indeed a true story.

"To be honest, the one who's participating in the courage test with everyone is the scarier Hikigaya-san." Yukinoshita looked at Hikigaya with a cold gaze, and her words were also hurtful. But Hikigaya must have long been accustomed to this kind of Yukinoshita.

"What? It's not scary at all." Yumiko relaxed completely. Tobe had told a heartwarming story, while Hikigaya's was about his own dark past, without the slightest hint of a horror story.

However, in Zhixian's eyes, Youmiko looked like she was still frightened, but the blonde girl was just pretending to be strong because she was shaking the whole time.

"Oh my, don't you have anything else except sad stories?" Mr. Hiratsuka was very disappointed and sighed deeply.

"So why not just play some videos about ghost legends? It saves people from having to go up and tell stories." Zhixian finally said this.

"Hmph, then I'll let you see my skills!" The teacher lit the candle again, pulled it in front of him and began to tell the story.

......

It turned out to be just a story about a friend who got married, changed his surname and had children, which was exactly the same as the Ministry of Household Affairs.

But it really is a horror story for Shizuka Hiratsuka... her friends are all getting married and having kids.

Seriously, someone come and marry her!

In the end, Zhixian's suggestion was adopted, and everyone unanimously decided to use the "School Ghost Stories" DVD available in the guest hall instead of telling ghost stories.

92. Test of Courage (II)

Traditional activities such as the Test of Courage Competition are very common in forest schools or summer camps. Therefore, high school student volunteers do not need to prepare from scratch to play the monsters. The monster props for scaring people have been prepared in advance and have been arranged before the summer camp team arrives, so they can be used directly.

The so-called scary props include but are not limited to: little devil clothes, cat ears, tails, white yukata, witch's pointed hat and black cloak, shrine maiden clothes...

I heard that it was prepared by elementary school teachers, so it's only this level. Honestly, I don't know if those greasy-looking middle-aged men just wanted to see high school girls cosplay and prepared these cute-looking "scary props."

Why don't you just bring some Kamen Rider and Ultraman masks? Seriously, there's a limit to how much entertainment can be emphasized, right? It's creating a forced Halloween vibe. Are they going to say "TRICK OR TREAT" when they jump out to scare people?

"Which one is Chixian going to wear?" Yumiko came over with a teasing smile - because they were responsible for scaring people, she and Hayama Tobe didn't have to change clothes.

"To be honest, I don't want to wear any of them." Zhixian sighed helplessly. If it was just a skull mask and a death cloak, it would be fine, but these are really shameful, and not suitable for boys to wear.

"But you have to pick one, right?" Yumiko said with a wicked smile.

"......I'll just pick this one." In the end, Zhixian had no choice but to choose the pointed hat and witch's cloak, and hypnotized himself into thinking that he was a magic scholar, a magic scholar, and imagined that he could throw out a Shululu in the next second.

Perhaps to complement Zhixian's imagination, he found a matching broom.

Zhixian:......

Is it really Vaccaria?

Zhixian sighed, put on the pointed wizard hat, picked up the broom and spun it around like a tennis racket.

This broom is very light and well made, and you can tell it has never been used in any harsh conditions (referring to sweeping floors).

"Zhixian, you look a bit like a witch." Youmiko clapped her hands in praise.

"Western-style mages all look like this, right? This outfit isn't limited to women."

Of course, such an explanation is meaningless and weak. Yumiko doesn't care whether you are Western or not, a witch is still a witch.

She pulled Zhixian in front of the phone screen and took a few photos. During the photo shoot, Zhixian half-voluntarily and half-forcedly posed to satisfy Youmeizi's needs.

After Yumiko closed her phone with satisfaction, everyone else had almost changed their clothes.

Yukinoshita is wearing a white yukata, Ebina is wearing a shrine maiden costume, Yuigahama is a little devil with horns, and Komachi is dressed as a cat with cat paws with paw pads on her hands and feet.

"Let's go if you're ready," Ye Shan said.

Zhixian, dressed as a magician, was tasked with pretending to ride a broom across the path the elementary school students had to pass. Specifically, he had to suddenly dart past them from behind, leaving them no time to react. But this was surprisingly easy for Zhixian, as athletes have excellent explosive power. After all, the broom was just a decoration; he simply held it horizontally beside him and pretended to ride it.

The starting point was assigned by Hiratsuka-sensei and the cat-dressed Komachi, who decided the order of departure. Because it was randomly assigned, there was a lot of uncertainty. However, as agreed beforehand, Komachi would let Rumi's group depart last.

Totsuka was in charge of guiding the forest entrance, so he just had to simply inform everyone of the rules.

"After starting, please retrieve the talisman that is sticking out from the ancestral hall in the forest." Just like guiding an NPC, he only needs to repeat this sentence to different groups. It is also a very easy job.

Finally, all Totsuka needs to do is send a text message after the group studying in the United States sets off to remind the people behind them to be prepared.

The first line of defense is Yuigahama. When the elementary school students pass by, she will jump out from the shadows of the woods and say, "Gaao! I'm going to eat you all!"

A demon, yet it makes a cat-like noise? Furthermore, the little demon Yuigahama is dressed up as doesn't look like the traditional, hideous, red-faced demon.

The girl's beautiful figure and the large "human heart" in front of her are fully displayed.

It's more like a popular COSER at a comic convention than a test of courage. She doesn't scare people at all - what's more, Yuigahama herself seems to have a considerable misunderstanding about the positioning and setting of the devil. Her kind of devil is completely the type of Miss Belzebub, the simple devil of Mingfeng, right?

Since Zhixian only needed to move quickly from behind the elementary school students after they passed by, the effect was quite good in terms of the test of courage. After all, he acted suddenly from behind, and by the time the leading elementary school student shone the flashlight at him, he had already run into the bushes.

"Thank you for your hard work." Hikigaya's voice rang out after Zhixian finished a "scare operation".

"It's nothing, just running back and forth a few times." Zhixian said. After all, it was a courage test for elementary school students, and you could tell how careless the costumes were just by looking at them.

"After looking around, I think yours is the best." Hikigaya said.

——He didn’t mention that the elementary school students mistook his eyes for zombie eyes. They were clearly just ordinary dead fish eyes!

"It's okay, primary school students are not very brave anyway." The way they were dressed was not scary at all, and it would be better to rely on the eerie cold wind than to expect to scare primary school students with this kind of dress.

"Tachibana." Hikigaya did not leave, but stopped instead. He called out Chishin's last name, "Did you do something?" Although it was a question, Hikigaya's tone revealed some certainty.