I, the spiritual mentor of beautiful girls from all over the world

"Okay, I'll take care of it right away!" Ye Shan replied without hesitation.

After arranging all this, Lynn's gaze finally turned to the window, towards the direction of the old teaching building, which was the most remote part of the campus and had been abandoned for many years.

That was the source of those filthy, dark green malicious emotions.

"Teacher, I..." Hachiman Hikigaya was about to speak, wanting to ask what he could do.

But the rest of his words were abruptly stuck in his throat.

To everyone's utter astonishment, Lynn's figure neither headed towards the stairs nor towards the door.

He simply walked calmly to the window in the second-floor corridor, opened it, and then—

Jump down.

The entire movement was fluid and seamless, without the slightest hesitation.

What's even more terrifying is that he didn't make a sound when he fell from the second floor, which is nearly five meters high!

It landed without a sound!

He silently blended into the shadows behind the teaching building, like a cheetah darting into the night, disappearing from everyone's sight in an instant.

"..."

The entire lounge fell into a deathly silence.

Kita Ikuyo's mouth dropped open; she had forgotten how to cry.

Hiratsuka Shizuka didn't even notice when the cigarette case in her hand fell to the ground.

As for Hachiman Hikigaya, his usually half-open, dead fish eyes were wide open at this moment.

He stared intently at the empty window, with only one thought in his mind.

(turn out to be……)

(All my previous guesses about him... were wrong...)

(I thought he was just a huge iceberg lying beneath the surface of the water...)

(But I never thought of that...)

(This iceberg...is moving...and...it's alive...)

"...What are you still standing there for?"

The first to react was Yukino Yukinoshita.

She turned around abruptly, and her face, which had been slightly pale from shock, regained its usual coldness and decisiveness.

"Do as Teacher Lynn says! Take action immediately!"

She lifted her skirt, put on her high heels, and rushed towards the stage director's room without looking back.

Hayato Hayama took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and immediately picked up the walkie-talkie to issue a blockade order.

Only Hachiman Hikigaya remained standing in place, his usually half-open, dead fish eyes now wide open.

He stared intently at the empty window, as if all the sounds of the world had faded away, leaving only the calm look that Teacher Lynn had given him at the end.

That's not giving an order.

It wasn't like they were asking for help.

That was a question...

A voice seemed to transcend space and resound directly in his mind.

[Hachiman, don't you pride yourself on being able to see through the essence of things?]

Don't you think you know me better than anyone else?

So, tell me—

What would I do in a situation like this?

boom! ! !

Hikigaya Hachiman's mind felt as if it had been struck by a thunderbolt!

He understood instantly.

Teacher Lynn was not performing, nor was she showing off her skills.

He's posing a challenge to himself in the most direct and unreasonable way!

A crucial question about "trust" and "understanding"!

What he needs to do now is to give his answer!

A 3.3-fold unprecedented shiver shot up from the base of his spine to the top of his head.

At this moment, his usually rotten and weary eyes burst forth with an astonishing light!

He turned abruptly, walked up to the three band girls who were completely bewildered and stunned, and, in a tone he had never used before, one that was almost coldly calm, he gave his answer:

"If you don't want to disappoint him, then all of you go backstage and get ready."

"Tune your instruments to their best condition."

"Because your lead guitarist will be back on time in twenty minutes."

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over the heads of the three girls.

They stopped crying, but still stared at him blankly.

Hachiman Hikigaya didn't waste any more words. He walked straight up to Captain Nijika Ijichi, his dead fish eyes staring intently at one person for the first time.

"Ichiji, you're the captain. Stop your useless tears and go back to playing the drumbeats and rhythms again, so your body can memorize them."

He didn't give Hongxia time to react, and turned to Kita Ikuyo, who was at a loss.

“Kita, you’re the lead vocalist and the visual. Go drink some water to soothe your throat, then stand in front of the mirror and practice your perfect business smile a hundred times.”

"When I go on stage later, I don't want to see a mournful face."

Finally, there's Yamada Ryo.

"Yamada, check your bass lines and effects. I don't want to hear any noise during the performance."

"This is the most basic job; you should understand that."

His voice was devoid of warmth, offering no comfort or encouragement, only the purest and coldest mission instructions.

But it was precisely this irrational "rationality" that acted like a stabilizing force, pulling the three girls, who were about to be overwhelmed by panic, out of the vortex of emotions.

Looking at the unfamiliar Hachiman Hikigaya before them, who seemed like a completely different person, they subconsciously began to act according to his instructions.

Chapter 113: Take your filthy hands off my students

After finishing all this, Hachiman Hikigaya looked around at the messy backstage area.

He casually picked up a walkie-talkie and folder belonging to a staff member from a table, which no one had paid attention to, and tucked them under his arm.

He walked up to a stage assistant who was anxiously making a phone call and tapped the table with his folder.

"Hey, you're the stage manager in charge of Zone C, right?"

"Huh? It's...you, who are you?"

"The order from Executive Committee Chairman Yukinoshita," Hachiman Hikigaya began to boast without batting an eye.

"Within five minutes, clear out all non-essential personnel from the backstage area. Ten minutes later, conduct the final lighting and sound system synchronization test. Now, go and notify your people."

The assistant was taken aback by his powerful, businesslike demeanor and nodded instinctively, "Yes, yes! I'll go right away!"

He then walked to the other side and spoke to a group of staff members who were huddled together and whispering.

"You guys, gather all the spare equipment and cables into the storage room. Don't block the way here and affect the band's final preparations."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an inexplicable sense of intimidation.

Suddenly, the entire chaotic back-end system, under his command, began to operate again with an astonishing efficiency.

He stood in the shadows backstage, watching the second hand of the clock on the wall tick by, unconsciously twirling a pen that didn't belong to him.

(This is really... so troublesome...)

He silently complained in his heart, but his dead fish eyes reflected the orderly operation of the entire backstage area.

(but……)

(This must be... the "answer" he wanted to see.)

A smile, a mixture of weariness and pride that only he could understand, flashed across his lips.

(After all, on this test paper you threw out, titled "Desperate Situation"...)

(Besides you, you're the only one who can write 13 unique correct answers...)

(—It's just me, Hachiman Hikigaya!)

……

An abandoned old teaching building, the storage room on the third floor.

The air was filled with a strange smell of dust and rotting wood, which clashed with the vibrant noise of the school festival coming from afar.

Goto huddled alone in the corner, his body trembling like the last leaf falling in the autumn wind.

Her signature pink tracksuit was now covered in dust and looked disheveled.

Three boys dressed in school uniforms from another school, looking rather unruly, surrounded her with the most disgusting, cat-and-mouse-like mocking smiles on their faces.

One of the thugs, with dyed yellow hair, was carrying the guitar she cherished like her own life.

"Little sister, what are you doing hiding here all by yourself? Are you waiting for us?"

"She's quite cute, but she's a bit too timid."

Another tall thug poked Goto Doku's cheek with his finger, causing her to let out a terrified whimper.

They've been watching this pink-haired girl who always keeps to herself for over a month.

Today, with the whole school celebrating and security forces concentrated at the front gate, is the perfect time to strike.

They enjoyed watching her wide, fearful eyes and admiring her tearful, near-collapse expression.

"Tsk, how boring, all you can do is shake?"

The blond-haired leader lost his patience. He grinned maliciously, raised his guitar high, and pretended to smash it to the ground.

"If I don't say something, my precious little darling will turn into a pile of broken wood, okay?"

Guitar.

That was her everything.

It was her only, faint connection to this world.

"no, do not want!"

A faint, hoarse, yet resolute cry escaped from Goto Doku's throat.

This was a rebellion she launched with all the courage she had ever mustered.

This defiant shout completely enraged the hyena in front of them.

The blond-haired leader casually tossed his guitar to his companion, his mocking smile instantly turning into a sinister grin.

"Little girl, you dare to talk back?"

He took a step forward, reached out his filthy hand, and was about to grab Goto Doku's collar and slam her against the wall.

It’s over.

dying.

In the face of extreme fear and despair, Goto Doku's vision began to blur, and his mind went blank.

The distant music, the sinister grin before my eyes, the dust in the air... everything seemed to be slowed down.

She could even feel the stench of sweat and cheap cigarettes wafting towards her.

at this time--