The azure sea, but a lonely, fulfilled life.

With a few sharp screams, everyone turned their attention to the source of the sound. The girl stood on the stage, looking at the boy standing on the cart, unsure of how to react, but a feeling of relief spread through her heart.

Under the gaze of the crowd, three boys with twitching faces stood against the wind on a cart that was moving downhill. They all stretched their arms out in a straight line, as if they were cosplaying Jesus with tears in their eyes.

"That's... Kohei?" Shinji Tokita asked, looking at his teammate at the front.

"You've got a knack for this." Juryujiro chuckled, amusement in his eyes.

"What are they doing...?"

Seeing this, Hamaoka Azusa stopped being emo and smiled, laughing heartily.

"Ah ha ha."

Nanaka Kotegawa was completely bewildered, so she could only smile along with Azusa Hamaoka. She looked at the three people who were being stopped by Shinji Tokita and were walking unsteadily towards her, their steps weak. Her eyes held a helpless and gentle expression.

Seriously, they're such a worry!

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Girls are made of sweet things.

『The lawn surrounding the outdoor stage』

How did you come up with this idea?

Shinji Tokita, holding the front handle of the cart, asked the three people with great surprise, "No normal person would stand on a cart and move by the natural movement of the cart itself plus the traction of the wind."

Although it sounds similar to skateboarding, there are actually quite a few differences. Just take the weight issue as an example. When not traveling at high speed, a skateboard can usually stop, but a pushcart, which is mostly made of iron, is likely to be propelled forward a distance by inertia when you try to stop it with your foot.

In good cases, the legs bend into an M shape; in bad cases, it's a split, and then it's over, physically speaking.

"It's all his fault!" x2

Hachiman and Kohei pointed at Iori together. Before setting off, he felt that this was absolutely impossible, but this guy patted his chest and swore that there would be no problem, so he believed him. As a result, good heavens, this guy had no idea how to control the direction or brake.

"Life is about running! Even if you fall, you must get back up strong!"

Iori smiled faintly, tilted his head back with a refreshed look, and swept his hair behind him. His eyes were filled with longing for a bright future, but he was blinded by the strong midday sun and let out a scream.

"My eyes, my eyes!"

"You really have absolutely no talent for being a philosopher! Go be a comedian! I'll buy you a red nose!"

Hachiman exclaimed, "This guy is hopeless! He'll definitely get cake smeared in his face at his own birthday party for being so obnoxious!"

“Bucky.”

Gengping's words are concise yet profound, hitting the nail on the head.

"Ah, I quite like that character."

Hamaoka Azusa said that unlike most girls who prefer Zoro or Sanji, she prefers characters with comedic talent, and just seeing such characters appear makes her feel happy.

Her sudden words made the three of them stop in their tracks. Iori looked at the woman, who was as energetic as ever. He wanted to tentatively ask her if she was unhappy about what had just happened, but after thinking about it carefully, he felt that it was a pointless question.

"Comedy characters often bring an unexpected sense of surprise."

Hachiman spoke up, patted Iori on the shoulder, and with Iori looking completely bewildered, turned and walked over to Shinji Tokita and Ryujiro Kotobuki, finding an empty spot to sit down.

"Where is the match at? Has Chisa not appeared yet?"

Together with Kohei, they watched as the somewhat bewildered girl with braided hair walked off the stage. Her steps were hurried, as if a ferocious beast was chasing her.

Another introverted girl. This university seems to have a high rate of this type of woman.

“Hachiman, did you know?” Kohei said. “Girls who look plain on the surface but wear glasses can actually become incredibly charming characters after some grooming and styling.”

"Where did you see this in anime or light novel?" Hachiman asked, glancing at him sideways.

“No.” He shook his head. “I saw it in a fan comic.”

"She's incredibly capable as a woman!"

As a normal male, he naturally had one or two good books in his collection, and soon understood what Kohei was talking about.

“Such a scenario usually only exists in our imagination,” Iori said, emerging from her daze and walking to their side.

"That's true. Ah, the next contestant is coming up."

The three looked towards the stage, and their expressions became somewhat strange after the second contestant took the stage.

"what is that?"

Iori pointed to a woman on the stage with wings made of plastic film on her back, wearing heavy makeup, and holding a tennis racket. She could vaguely tell that she was a woman. She said with embarrassment.

"A player from the tennis club."

Hachiman was also puzzled. Wasn't this club only recruiting handsome men and beautiful women? What was with this heavily made-up guy?

"This is the first time it has exceeded my understanding."

Kohei said that even in the worst visual novels, game developers will try their best to make the female characters look good, but the person in front of him is a character who would never appear in a game.

“Oh, so he’s a comedic character,” Shinji Tokita remarked, observing the scene. “A tactic designed to disappoint the audience first, then create a contrast with the main character’s appearance.”

"Completely meaningless."

Hearing the insincere praise from the tennis club, the mockery in their tone almost reached him.

"What a bunch of bastards who only know how to use dirty tricks and don't care about other people's feelings at all."

Iori glanced at the girl with a bright smile on the stage and said disdainfully.

After the heavily made-up characters left the stage, their friend, Chisa Kotegawa, walked onto the stage wearing a light pink tulle dress. Her expression was very serious, and the muscles in her face were completely taut.

"He looks very nervous," Kohei commented.

"It's covered in thorns." Iori squinted, the intense stimulation like the blazing sunlight from before, making it almost impossible for him to open his eyes.

"Well, after all, I have to perform in front of so many people."

Hachiman could understand this feeling; he had experienced it many times, and each time it left him feeling terrible.

“But we might lose if we do that,” Shinji Tokita said with a serious expression.

"What can we do?"

Looking at Chisa, who was answering the host's questions in a monotone manner, just like the girl with the braided hair, as if she were a machine with pre-recorded lines, Ryujiro suddenly felt something was wrong.

"What do you think?"

Iori looked at Hachiman and asked him if he had any ideas on how to solve the problem.

Why are you asking me?

Hachiman was puzzled. Did he seem like someone who would handle this kind of thing? He wasn't a psychologist, so how could he immediately comfort Chisa's emotions?

"Because you're the strategist, and most of your ideas are effective."

Iori pointed her thumb at Hamaoka Azusa, who was looking over with a big smile. At the same time, everyone saw Nanaka rapidly pressing the shutter button, her hand speed comparable to that of an e-sports player.

The group pretended not to have seen what was happening and turned back to discuss their plan.

"Women are made of sugar, spices and many delicious things. They are gorgeous enough on their own, but if you want to add the finishing touch, I think it should be a smile."

Hachiman extended his index finger to express his opinion. In his view, a girl who genuinely smiles exudes confidence, which makes her more attractive to the outside world.

Especially for girls who don't usually like to smile, the moment they show a smile they've never shown before is enough to melt even the coldest heart.

"Indeed, such scenes are common in visual novels."

Kohei agreed, saying he often felt a thrill when he reached such a progress point in the game.

"How can I make her smile?"

Iori covered his head with his hands. Since arriving here, he had rarely seen Chisa smile.

"To make someone laugh in a short time, you either need to see something funny, think of something funny, or it might be contagious," Hachiman said after thinking for a moment.

Shinji Tokita: "Something interesting? What is Chisa interested in?"

Iori: "It's the sea, she often reads magazines about marine animals."

Kohei: "This is difficult. How about you try playing the manta ray, Iori? I think you'd be perfect for it."

Iori: "I refuse! Why don't you cosplay the squirting turtle? I think you'd be perfect for it."

Hachiman: "Alright, if we keep arguing, the match will be over. Why don't you two dress up together?"

Iori & Kohei: "We'll drag you down with us even if we die!"

Kotobuki Ryujiro waved his hand, interrupting their debate: "Let's consider the last one. If it's contagious, as long as we laugh, she should laugh too. It'll be easier to do."

Hachiman: "I have a feeling this is a method that can't possibly succeed..."

Chapter 40: My Corpse Sinks into the Sea and Never Returns; The Real "Modern Life" Person Was Me (Part 2)

Humans are creatures that are extremely good at imitation. They can use their own psychological suggestion to imagine and simulate the actions of others. For example, if someone suddenly yawns, your brain will tell you that he is sleepy and at that moment apply a slight hypnotic effect to you, so that you will also be in that state and perform the same action as him.

This state is also known as herd mentality, which is extremely easy to occur in small groups. However, there is a prerequisite in this case: the person you want to infect must have a sluggish brain.

After deciding to convey Chisa's smile through their own smiles, the group put their plan into action. Iori and the two seniors placed their hands on their chins, their mouths turned up sharply, opening at an angle like crocodiles hunting their prey, resembling the ferocious smiles of an unintelligent ape.

Isn't that a bit too scary?

Hachiman sighed as he watched this scene. He looked up at Chisa's expression and, just as he had expected, she showed no sign of laughing. Instead, her veins bulged and her face darkened.

"The plan failed."

"Yes, it's completely counterproductive."

Hachiman and Kohei looked at the three panicked people in a call-and-response, only to see Iori suddenly turn around and shout.

"No, strategist, is there any other way?"

"I can't think of anything right now, Kohei, do you have any good ideas?"

"Heh." Kohei chuckled lightly. As a veteran romance expert who had played hundreds of visual novels, he was completely at ease with this situation and simply uttered two words: "Shy."

Yes! A girl's unique charm isn't just her smile, but also her shyness! When things get interesting, an unintentional shy expression is incredibly attractive. And if you add that tsundere "How could I possibly be shy? You just misunderstood!" and the constant sneaky glances at your expression while saying it, the impact is doubled!

"Supreme!" Kohei clenched his fist, his face filled with happiness.

"Shy? That seems harder to do."

Iori said reluctantly, "After all, you can still see her smile occasionally, but shy? Does Chisa have that expression?"

“Since this point has been raised, I naturally have a prepared plan.” Kohei waved his hand, signaling everyone to come closer. After they had gathered in a circle, he began to explain his flawless method.

After hearing this, Hachiman stared at him speechlessly with eyes full of DHA: "Are you serious?"

"It might work," Iori said after considering it for a moment. "Let's give it a try."

Hachiman wanted to ask the same question again, but seeing everyone around him nod, he sensed that there was no way to change the situation and gave up the desire to complain.

I simply stood aside, waiting for their performance.

"Hachiman, you take the center position."

"What are you talking about?" His dead fish eyes widened slightly.

"Why did you suddenly switch to English?" Iori scratched his head. "You're usually so rigid, maybe this will have some unexpected effects."

"I reject."

"Rejection invalid."

Two senior figures stood behind him, placing their hands on his shoulders. The devil's whispers then reached his ears, sending chills down his spine.

"It's all for the bonus."

"Besides, it's just taking off clothes, something we do every day like breathing."

"I had no idea that going shirtless was as important as breathing..." Seeing two faces that looked like demons approaching, he finally gave in and said weakly, "At least I should wear something on my lower body."

"no problem!"

"On the outdoor stage"

After the scene where the three of them interrupted her, Chisa felt a mix of tension and relief, but also a sense of unease.

As she answered the host's questions, she stared at Hachiman and the others who were gathered in a circle. She lightly bit her red lips with her pearly white teeth. These guys were definitely up to some trick to prank her again.

Honestly, is it really that funny to see her make a fool of herself?

Especially that dead-eyed, stupid penguin, saying she'd definitely win—that's probably just a lie to get herself on stage. She just wants to avoid the male competition, huh! She won't let him have his way. She'll make him look bad when he performs on stage and laugh at him mercilessly!