The social phobia substitute will not dream of the band girl

"...Is Pingxin unhappy? Pat me~"

"..."

Kaname Rakuna stroked Hirayobu's head, her technique was just like how she stroked a cat, very skillful. And this kind of hand gave Hirayobu a feeling of happiness... should I say happiness?

But this kind of joy that comes from the heart and the feeling of being patted on the head are different from when his parents comforted and taught him when he was a child, different from when he taught Mitakeran and the others, and different from when he flirted and played with Asuna and Karin and the others.

In the first case, he's being comforted. In the second, he's usually comforting others. And in the third... it's probably mutual comfort. Kaname's "touching" is different from all three...

Ping Xin suddenly realized that this was probably what it felt like to be a real father, brother, or... teacher.

Yes, Sensei!

In the past, although he and some people had the relationship of "master and disciple", they did so in the capacity of friends, collaborators, colleagues, and lovers. There was not a single truly pure master-disciple relationship, nor a single student who was truly worthy of the sacred title of "teacher".

"Hmph... No, I'm very happy right now. Because I finally have my first apprentice today--" Pingxin was about to pick up Rakuna, but this time he didn't keep a distance like before, like a hard stone bench, but more like a rocking chair or a swing that could bring people leisure and fun.

"apprentice?"

"You might not know the word 'disciple'... It means disciple or student, Takuna-chan. And now I'm going to give you a welcome present—let's go buy that new guitar we agreed on... No, let's buy all the other gear too!"

His music career, which he had been planning to gradually give up, unexpectedly took a turn because of a successor who might truly inherit his style!

"Wow, long live the master~!"

Although she didn't recognize the word "disciple," she understood the relatively simple terms "disciple" and "student." And a new guitar and new equipment...that made even more sense! When she was happy, she'd just imitate the congratulatory messages she'd seen on TV with her parents. Since everyone seemed happy, that should be fine, right?

Kaname doesn't quite understand, but seeing Hiranobu happy and playing guitar is enough for me. Cat happiness is so simple and pure... If they could have had more matcha parfait, it would have been even better!

......

...

..

"Kurona, we're back..."

"Wow, why are there so many things in the house? Is there a thief?"

"That's not right, dear. If there were a thief, wouldn't there be less stuff? Why are there so many things in the house?"

Wow, just a few words and I already know they're the best of parents. But considering the other parents already mentioned in this article... they're surprisingly reliable! ?

"...Dad, Mom?"

After hearing their movements, a voice came from the blanket rolled up on the sofa in the middle of the living room filled with cardboard boxes, and then a head popped out. This person had fluffy white short hair and beautiful heterochromatic eyes, one blue on the left and the other yellow on the right.

It's Rakuna. She played late last night because she was so excited, but she slept quite a bit during the day, so she's awake around 10 o'clock. As for why she's sleeping here... Is there anything wrong with cats sleeping between a cardboard box and a blanket?

"Kana, give me a hug... Where did all the things in the house come from? Could they be gifts from Mr. Hirashin?"

Although she was addressing someone younger and of a lower generation than she was, Rakuna's mother spoke with respect. That day, her boss had asked Hirashin to help "acquaintances" find a job, and these acquaintances were her daughter and son-in-law. As employees, they knew Hirashin's character and principles, which was why they felt so confident.

"Yeah, it was given to me by my master... Haha——"

"master!?"

"When!?" Rakuna's parents looked at each other in confusion.

"Hmm... interesting man."

"Interesting man!?" x2

Chapter 34: Crouching Dragon Appears, Where is the Phoenix?

"?~~"

After sending his new disciple, Rakuna, home with the gift he had given her, Hiranobu hummed a little tune as he strolled back home. Life is full of surprises, and when you're bored, you can always meet interesting people just by taking a stroll outside.

"I'm back--"

"Wow, Ping Xin, welcome back!"

As soon as the door opened, a large golden retriever pounced on him, and Hiraishin offered no resistance, letting her plop him on the ground and use him as a cushion. Just like Rakuna is human, not a cat, even though some of her "habits" resemble her, she's not a golden retriever, but Hiraishin's favorite girlfriend...one of his four girlfriends.

"Hiranobu, welcome back... Why are you back so late today?" Ichinose Asuna said as she rubbed and caressed Hiranobu's body, as if to confirm that the person in front of her was not an illusion or imagination. Only his smell, body temperature and touchable presence could give her a sense of security.

"Asuina, have you been waiting for me here?"

"No, I just suddenly felt that Ping Xin was coming back, so I stayed here, and then you actually showed up!"

I see, that's why I'm so "Asuna"...

"Hehe... Could it be that the master has cheated on me in less than three weeks? You are just like that!" Murokasa Akane pushed her glasses. Although there were no reflective effects, they reminded people of certain images and special effects.

No, are you expressing admiration, sarcasm, or something else... Hirashin completely couldn't understand what Murokasa Akane said. While patting Asuna's head to comfort her who was pressing on him, he looked at Kakudatsu Karin who had just come out of the bath.

At the moment, Hua Lin was wearing a thin nightgown, with a few water droplets on her hair and collarbone. As she wiped her hair, her dark and pink neck was exposed, making her look like a beautiful woman emerging from the bath. When she noticed Ping Xin's gaze and became shy, and that shyness was tinged with charm and anticipation, she was even more beautiful!

"Sniff... Heishin smells like someone else, and it's particularly strong, as if they just separated—" Asuna's thoughtless words surprised Karin who was standing nearby and Akane who was sitting on the sofa. Akane even revealed a familiar, barely detectable smirk.

"Oh my, has the master really cheated on me... (crying)... We've only been dating for less than a month and he's already cheating. It's true that men don't cherish what they have. Once they have a new love, we will be thrown away like rags... (crying)..." Akane said inciting words while using fake tears that anyone could see through. Her "exquisite" acting skills left Hirashin speechless.

Who can be fooled by such acting skills?

"Ping Xin...don't leave me."

"Ordinary mail..."

Hiranobu was both angry and amused, and somewhat touched. Because of their concern, the usually intuitive Asuna and the calm Karin became worried before they could even begin to think further. Sometimes you can deceive your family and friends not because they're stupid or clever, but simply because they truly care about you and won't even question your flawed lies.

"Asuna, Karin... I haven't cheated on you, and I won't leave. As for the smell you smelled... that was just an interesting little girl I met today. She has become my disciple, and you will definitely like her when we meet in the future." Hirashin hugged Asuna and walked into the room, then took the opportunity to hug Karin who was standing nearby, and comforted them both.

What does it mean to "come at the right time"? I am at that time!

"really?"

"real."

"really?"

"Really, I promise...啾——"

But having been abandoned by her parents once, Asuna was still a little worried, so she asked questions like a child, again and again, without getting tired of it. Most of the time, they absolutely believed their parents, unless they had been deceived too many times...

And Ping Xin, just as he promised, would not lie to her or them.

"But men's words can be deceiving. As expected, we still need a little reassurance..." Zhu Yin licked the corner of her lips. Now that she had taken off her maid outfit, it meant that she was "off duty". Naturally, she could do what she wanted and loved to do... things that were not in line with her identity as a maid but in line with her identity as a girlfriend.

"Hmm↘↗?...So what do you want to do, Zhu Yin~?" Ping Xin probably knew what she wanted to do. After all, he also wanted to do something. For example, tonight there would definitely be a little maid with a great figure in trouble.

"Hmph?~... Of course, I'm going to drain my beloved master dry so that you can't hook up with girls outside - Asuna, Karin, do it!" The moment they heard Akane's order, Asuna and Karin, who were originally held by Hirashin like docile dogs, each grabbed Hirashin's arms with great interest and... not-so-well-hidden interest.

"Ping Xin, let's do something comfortable together, shall we?~"

"Ordinary letter...?~"

"Hehe, Master can't run away anymore... Would you like a cup of black tea? No problem, let us help you clear away all the accumulated 'troubles', right?~"

Sleepy black tea? That's not necessary, and this kind of thing should be served from the beginning. Although I have tasted enough -

"Ah?~"

Using his strength and skill, Ping Xin easily knocked the three women down and took them away. Although they had learned some self-defense techniques, even if they combined, their strength was less than one-tenth of Ping Xin's. And now, Ping Xin was in his room. And here, there was a big bed~!

"Hehe...it doesn't matter, I love all three of you just the same!"

If you want to fight, then fight!

The following is an extremely intense fight scene...

As for Nero who was taking a bath——

"...Ordinary mail? (I don't care)"

......

...

..

The next day, early in the morning.

"...Are you still angry?"

"..."

Meganil didn't respond, simply turning her head away, ignoring both her gaze and her own. From a distance, she looked as if they were completely estranged, akin to the Iron Curtain of the past. But if you looked closely... even without looking closely, you could see their current position: Nilu completely enveloped by Ping Xin.

Sit on your legs, wrap your arms around your head and chin behind your back.

Because Pingxin needs to comfort Nel today, Karin is making breakfast on the stove not far away, and Akane and Asuna are helping... In short, I hope Asuna won't just "think" and make some magical dish, because that might ruin her "culinary heart".

"Speaking of which, the student council is still in need of a reliable secretary... Asuna, where do you think we should look for one?"

"Hmm~~~~" Asuna stopped her vegetable juggling, and the round and plump tomato slid down from her face, then jumped on the high valley and finally landed steadily on the chopping board.

"Since you're looking for a secretary... there are probably more people who enjoy reading and writing in the literature club and the library, right?"

That makes sense...and it makes even more sense coming from Asuna.

Chapter 4000: General, Don’t Worry, Just Look at This Picture ()

After morning exercises with his girlfriends and breakfast, Hirayuko was ready to go out. Having no intention of going, nor any interest in discussing any plans at the shopping street, Meganelle was acting a bit awkwardly. After some strong reassurance and a reservation for tonight's playdate, she reluctantly let go of his hand.

After tucking the black cat into his hood, kissing his four girlfriends goodbye, and saying hello to the shadow maids from his younger sister's childhood home, Hirashin was finally able to head out. Today's destination was the shopping street, but not the one near his home, but the one where Hayase Yuuka was.

"You three, stop looking at me and smiling like that!... I'll beat you up!?" Ping Xin couldn't suppress his emotions and voice after closing the door and leaving.

......

...

..

"My house has become bustling with activity before I knew it..." Feeling genuinely happy, Ping Xin headed towards his destination. Since it was Saturday, he could meet some people he wouldn't see on weekdays, and some people who had been avoiding him for a while.

"...Lan, what are you doing here?" Ping Xin patted the girl's shoulder from behind, but she ran towards home without saying a word. What was she doing? And wasn't she dressed a little too tightly for this weather...

"Ah, sunburn—" Hei Xin could clearly see changes in Mizukuri from places he hadn't noticed earlier, like her somewhat "healthy" complexion. It looked like they were having a blast at the beach. But speaking of which...

"I haven't seen the five people from Afterglow recently, and the same goes for the five people from Roselia... One or two is fine, but it's impossible that all ten of them forgot to apply sunscreen and got tanned~" Since Ping Xin didn't want to be seen, he wouldn't specifically ask about it. As for what exactly happened, it might be revealed later.

......

...

..

"Good morning, Pingxin. You're here so early."

"Good morning, Brother Aqiang... What are you doing?"

"Well... hey, didn't you say you wanted to revitalize the shopping district? Then I think a new sign is definitely necessary, so we teamed up to make something like this... how about it?"

Seeing the fishmonger in front of him smiling and wiping the sweat from his forehead, it was hard for him to give a bad review, even though this old-fashioned promotional method was not part of his original plan and would hardly be useful in practice. No, if he thought about it this way...

"Thank you, Brother Aqiang. I will definitely put this thing to good use later."

"Oh, I'll leave it to you, General!"

"General..." Remembering the 1v3 incident last night, Ping Xin smiled strangely, but no one saw him. The fishmonger, Qiang, had something on his hands, so he simply raised his fist and bumped it with Ping Xin before letting him pass. Instead, the sheriff, usually uninterested in others, peeked out from under his hat. Perhaps he'd smelled the fish on Ping Xin.

After all, the trust between a fishmonger and a cat is much stronger than that between an airman and a cat (laughs)

......

...

..

"Is everyone here?"

Walking into the temporarily closed Hayase Restaurant, Pingxin had originally planned to have a clear talk with the leaders of the shopping street today... but as soon as he walked in, he felt a little nervous. After all, it was difficult to bring a group of enthusiastic old men and women who had already become familiar with each other into a serious scene such as a parliament, board meeting or elders' meeting.

"We've all been here a long time, waiting for you, Brother Pingxin!"

"Yeah, yeah, what exactly is that 'secret weapon' that the construction team you sent earlier prepared?"

"Can that thing you built really... well, how do I put it? Restore... the glory of the shopping street?"

As soon as Ping Xin entered, the veterans of the shopping street burst into conversation, completely ignoring him as an outsider. They often sat together like this after their morning stalls, or chatted in front of their respective shops, though not as formally as today.

"After about a week of preparation, my plan has been finalized and is now in the implementation phase. From now on, as long as everyone works together, we will definitely be able to restore the popularity of the shopping street. I know you're anxious, but don't worry... Now, let me tell you in detail about my "Shopping Street Revitalization Plan 2.0"