They are still close to me today despite their negative feelings

"Ah, it's like this, about the 'Wisteria Flower' that you showed us a few days ago."

The girl picked up a magazine, looked at me somewhat embarrassed, and subconsciously covered her mouth.

Are there any printing errors or anything like that?

"No, no, no. The content inside is very interesting!"

Is it interesting...? Well, it certainly is. Anyway, I feel that from a certain perspective, some of these stories are mind-blowing ideas that will leave readers wide-eyed.

Whether it's good or not is another matter, just tell me if it's strange or not.

It's the kind of work that makes you think, "This is weird, let me take another look."

"The drama club... so they're here for that script, right?"

I asked with a smile.

Honestly, after watching "The Monster Queen and the Chosen One," I stood by the window and looked at the sky for a long time.

In that instant, I thought about many things. Like the sickle and hammer, resistance and oppression, the fate of humans in another world, and the author's terrible naming...

The atmosphere suddenly became more commensurate.

It's hard to imagine that this was written by someone who didn't even know how to ride the subway until recently. Maybe that's why the script feels both old-fashioned and... well, it seems like she's writing something very new.

"Yes! We think it's very interesting!"

After the girl started talking about this issue, she suddenly seemed like a different person, and her tone became much more enthusiastic.

"Whether it's the first act that jumps straight to the point yet subtly foreshadows events, or the second act that quickly reveals the core conflict of the story to the reader, we feel that although it's a script written by newcomers, it holds infinite possibilities, so!"

"Excuse me for interrupting your enthusiastic speech."

I smiled.

"Is your happiness due to the script itself, or to the scriptwriter?"

"author?"

I glanced at her eyes and relaxed a little.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was being a little too sensitive. Please continue."

"Hmm? Oh, okay."

Although they didn't seem to understand why I asked that question, they still went back to the story itself.

"Actually, our Hundred Regiments Offensive event this time is a stage play."

"Although we've tried various classic scripts during this period, I always feel there are some things that don't feel right. Perhaps the directing requirements for those classic scripts are still too high for us now. But when it comes to adaptations, even we ourselves find some of our scripts hard to accept."

"So, after seeing Qiu Luxi's script, you all thought this was a good opportunity?"

“Yes! That’s right!” The girl nodded, her glasses slipping down her nose as she moved, and she quickly adjusted them. “Well, we felt that since it was a script and not a novel, the author must have had the idea of ​​seeing it performed. And this script is really special…it seems very interesting.”

"I have no doubt about how interesting it is," I said with a wry smile.

“We just asked Qiu Luxi, a junior student. Although she didn’t object, she said she hopes you can play the male lead in the drama.”

"Isn't this ridiculous?"

I stared at the other person speechlessly.

"Actually, that was what we thought at first, but because we really loved the script, so..."

Is it really okay to speak so bluntly?

"Oh, but I already sensed it while we were talking. The male lead in that script seems less like he wanted you to play the role, and more like he was modeling you for the character," the girl quickly added. "So..."

"I'm sorry, I had to accompany my sister, who was visiting the school, on a tour of the campus that day, so I really couldn't spare the time to participate in your activities."

I smiled faintly and declined her request.

"that……"

"As for the script, as you said, every screenwriter should want to see their scripts brought to life by the director. I will explain this to Qiu Luxi, and I think she would also be happy for her script to be staged."

Just kidding. I'm already stuck in the club room writing book reviews, and now you're adding a stage play performance to the list? Even though I'm just killing time anyway, I refuse to work overtime.

If it were any other student hoping to make a name for themselves in the Hundred Regiments Offensive, it wouldn't matter. But my reputation... it's not even a matter of good or bad, it's downright monstrous. I'd better just stay out of it.

"No, that. Like we just said, we didn't want you to participate because of the script, but based on our conversation and personality just now, we really felt... Look! Even this way of refusing is very similar."

The girl with glasses said earnestly.

"Haha." While thinking about how to deal with Qiu Luxi when I got back, I casually said, "It's really a pity, after all, I had to accompany my younger sister at that time. If she doesn't mind, I don't care."

"I see." The girl with glasses seemed to brighten up, a ray of light reflecting off her lenses, and nodded.

"So that's how it is? What do you mean?"

“We will try our best to show our sincerity!” the girl with glasses said, bowing to me very earnestly.

"See you next time!" She turned around, walked quickly away, and disappeared down the corridor.

"No, I see?!"

Unable to comprehend what had happened, I stood frozen in place.

...Never mind, they're all gone anyway, there's no need to think about it anymore.

Seeing An Yu peeking into the classroom and Chen Di smiling at me, I shrugged and went inside.

"What are you talking about?"

…………

Having returned home early, I prepared dinner. After my sister and I finished eating peacefully, Ning Ruoxin and I, having washed the dishes and taken out the trash, sat on the sofa.

"Honestly, don't always use your brother's legs as a pillow."

Luckily, I'm knowledgeable and have no ulterior motives. Otherwise, it would be really strange for a guy to give a girl his lap as a pillow.

...and can easily lead to very strange consequences.

"Does my brother want to lie on my lap?"

Ning Ruoxin put down her phone, looked straight up at me from below, and smiled with a hint of expectation.

"No need, you can continue."

As I said this, I naturally blocked her view with my hand.

"Remember to read a book after you take a break."

"Well, I know."

My younger sister is well-behaved, sensible, and self-disciplined in all aspects except her relationship with her siblings. Even my reminders to her seem like casual check-ins, purely a task to appease my parents' supervision.

Ning Ruoxin changed her position, resting one cheek completely against my leg, lying on her side looking at her phone, and shifted her position more comfortably.

It was quite a heartwarming scene.

I thought to myself with satisfaction.

……etc?

What she's looking at on her phone.

—The Monster Queen and the Chosen One?!

[Next chapter preview: "You can say whatever you want to say."]

"I can't be the only one who's unlucky."

"Hey, you two guys! ...Wait, did I come at the wrong time?"

"The topic for the next debate is, 'Is the world of anime and manga a beautiful yearning for reality or a numbing escape from reality?' We are on the affirmative side, yearning for the beautiful."

She was too naive. She just wanted to win a debate, while Ning Ruoyu seemed to want to kill the opposing team…

Interlude: The Literary Society's Personal View

(Disclaimer: The following content is for internal communication within the literary society and should not be used for commercial purposes. The literary society is not responsible for any disputes arising from it.)

"Hmm, this kind of debate topic..."

In the club activity room, after finishing her student council duties, Wu Yuehua finally had the chance to look at the questions for the next competition.

Looking at the documents in her hand, the girl sighed and rubbed her temples.

"President, regarding that psychological description, I'd like to add something here..."

An Yu ran over to her with a tablet and asked her a question, and Wu Yuehua quickly put down the documents she was holding.

"Where? Let me see."

Wu Yuehua took the tablet from An Yu and yawned wearily at the same time.

"President, are you alright? You seem very tired."

Wu Yuehua shook her head.

"It's okay, it's just that a few things have just piled up recently—where and what would you like to add?"

"It's some rather detailed stuff. I was wondering if my previous writing style would make it difficult for readers to understand, so I thought I could switch perspectives in the last part and directly explain the cause and effect to the readers..."

While the two were talking, Ning Ruoyu rubbed his eyes, and Chen Di glanced at him.

"If you have anything to say, just say it."

The boy said this while looking at the manuscript in his hand.

"This manuscript you're holding... it looks like you've been looking at it for a long time."

"Your intuition is terrifying!"

Ning Ruoyu handed over the manuscript with a wry smile. Chen Di took it, flipped through it casually, and frowned.

"...This doesn't seem to be the draft that our club agreed on, has it been revised?"

"Wow, this man saw right through it at a glance, that's terrifying." (Qiu Luxi's voice)

"...Do you usually use voice imitation like this?" Chen Di looked helplessly at his friend.

"Ahem, teasing others isn't very interesting, but observing your reaction is quite fun," Ning Ruoyu said with a smile, reverting to her normal voice. The boy's voice wasn't usually particularly melodious, but it was clear and crisp. "Guess what this is for."

"...stage play?"

"You little brat, you didn't do your research beforehand, did you, and now you're just trying to mess with me?" Ning Ruoyu said anxiously.

"No, it just feels like compared to the original manuscript, the formatting and details have been improved a lot. It feels like it's made more of an effort to adapt the story rather than making changes to the plot."

Chen Di flipped through a few pages. "It feels like it's either a script for a self-made movie or a stage play or something. I'm a bit more familiar with the photography department; they've already finalized the script for the movie they're using for the Hundred Regiments Offensive, so it probably isn't."

"What a boring guy. Can't he have a normal high school student reaction?"

"We're so glad you're finally able to experience how we usually see you."

Chen Di smiled and retorted, then handed the script back to Ning Ruoyu.

"...That's basically it. I'm also facing a lot of issues on my end."

Ning Ruoyu sighed, looking rather helpless.

"What's going on? Tell me about it."

"They approached me to discuss acting in a stage play, and I refused, using Ning Ruoxin as an excuse. Who knew they would find Ning Ruoxin through other means and even invite her to come and experience playing a role that day..."

"So that's how it is. To sum it up, you ended up shooting yourself in the foot?"

"You know I'm usually very tactful. Even when I reject a confession, I'll smile and apologize, adding that you're a good person," Ning Ruoyu said confidently.

"It seems your sister is also looking forward to it, right? Otherwise, you would probably have made up an excuse to decline."

"...Don't expose my true feelings. How come this is clearly a harmonious scene between siblings, but you make it sound like I'm some kind of doting brother?"

"Wow, so you weren't aware of this? The worst thing that happened today has occurred."

Chen Di curled the corners of his mouth, looking helpless.

"Hey, don't say things like that. Do you want to participate? I really can't bear to leave my good brother out here alone for such a good thing."

"The truth?"

"I can't be the only one who's unlucky."