NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30
Chapter 30: Annoying, but Still as Bright as Ever
For students who cannot go out or contact the outside world, weekends undoubtedly become another form of confinement, assuming there are no entertainment facilities.
Should cinemas, shopping centers, karaoke rooms, and such entertainment venues really appear in a fully enclosed school?
What is the point of doing this? Why even offer students a large amount of personal points to use? Any normal person would notice something strange, right?
But for students already immersed in play and indulgence, their subconscious has long since rejected this possibility. After all, people tend to like beautiful things and sweet candy. They instinctively refuse bad things or bitter outcomes.
For the majority of students in Class D, this is precisely the result.
It was the weekend, yet Hachiman still wore his school uniform and walked down the empty campus path. It didn’t take long before he arrived at the teaching building where the teacher’s office was located. The student council office was on the fourth floor.
As soon as Hachiman stepped into the hallway, all eyes immediately turned toward him.
There were four students in total: three boys and one girl. Based on the seating arrangement, it seemed like they were from two different classes. One boy, with a shaved head and a serious expression, was resting with his eyes closed, while the other appeared a little impatient.
Opposite them were two others: a boy who was a little silent but sat in a calm and upright posture, his gaze unexpectedly sharp. As for the only girl in the group, Hachiman couldn’t quite describe her at that moment.
Beneath her waterfall-like pink hair was a face that seemed to have stunned time itself, but what truly left Hachiman speechless was her eyes—clear and pure, like a ray of sunlight inadvertently spilling onto the shimmering surface of a lake, creating a dazzling array of colors. Bright, magnificent, beautiful.
For a moment, Hachiman stood frozen in place. If some otherworldly demon might be compared to a towering mountain, cold and aloof like a lonely moon, something that would make people hesitate to approach, then this girl before him was like a radiant sun, far more dazzling than any corner.
One couldn’t help but deeply want to approach this warm, yet gentle sun.
Of course, for the dead fish-eyed boy, he hated exactly this kind of person—the one who was bright and radiant as ever, while he himself lived in the shadows.
Hachiman, you’re so dark!
The dead fish-eyed boy harshly criticized himself in his mind.
“Tsk, students from Class D, one after another, all look like this. Damn dead fish eyes,” a voice suddenly rang out, mocking. It was the impatient boy, and his words were full of disdain.
Clearly, to outsiders, Hachiman appeared to be the type of student who couldn’t take his eyes off a pretty girl, a failing student who couldn’t keep his gaze to himself. Hachiman didn’t know if it was just his imagination, but he thought he detected a trace of viciousness and envy in the boy’s eyes.
“Yahiko, mind your manners,” said the serious, bald boy.
“Sorry, Katsuragi,” Yahiko, the boy named Totsuka Yahiko, immediately stopped and seemed to deflate like a punctured balloon, becoming obedient. It was clear who was in charge.
At the same time, it was apparent that while Katsuragi had reprimanded his companion for his bad behavior, he had never actually mentioned anything about ‘apologizing.’
Anyone could tell that the dominant, dismissive attitude Katsuragi displayed was a much more brazen form of contempt.
Hachiman, the dead fish-eyed boy, seemed to not have noticed or perhaps simply didn’t care.
Especially after seeing the girl, whose brightness outshone everything, the mockery and dismissal didn’t even stir a ripple in Hachiman’s heart.
Once you’ve seen the brilliance of the sun, would you still care about the dirt on the ground?
Even Hachiman was a bit surprised by this ‘sage time’ of his.
However, it seemed no one noticed the abnormality of the pink-haired girl. Especially when Katsuragi scolded Yahiko, the girl furrowed her brows, about to stand and say something. But the silent boy beside her suddenly grabbed her arm and gently shook his head.
“Ichinose,” he said.
The girl named Ichinose froze for a moment, then showed an expression of ‘I’m sorry, I will apologize later,’ and resolutely stood up.
The boy, seeing this, covered his forehead in a resigned gesture, clearly thinking, “I knew this would happen.”
The sudden movement from the girl drew everyone’s attention. Just as she was about to speak, the door to the student council office suddenly opened, and a teasing voice came from inside.
“Oh? How lively!” Haruno smiled and looked at everyone. “I was originally thinking of waiting a little longer to come out, but our president is very punctual, so I guess I have no choice. Who’s going in first?”
Haruno’s sudden appearance threw off everyone’s rhythm. Each of them displayed different expressions.
Yahiko looked pleased, wanting to step forward but hesitated after looking at Katsuragi, ultimately giving up.
Katsuragi frowned deeply, looking as if he wanted to say something, but stopped himself. Combined with his bald head and mature face, he resembled some middle-aged man.
On the other side, Ichinose remained calm, while the boy next to her, named Kanzaki Ryuji, seemed surprised but quickly regained his composure.
Hachiman remained calm. From the moment he didn’t see Haruno in the hallway, he had already sensed something was off. Yet, even with that mental preparation, Haruno still easily broke through his calm.
As expected, the great demon king is still the great demon king. What she does is always full of surprises!
“Tsk, A-class, B-class, and D-class all have people here. Looks like only the students of Class C are feeling relaxed. Well, I guess they’re still busy with ‘world domination,’ right?”
Haruno said happily, then looked at the others. “What? Haven’t decided yet? You have 30 seconds. If you miss it, the president, who is known for his seriousness, will have a terrible impression of you. He might just eliminate all of you!”
An unexpected silence fell.
“20 seconds left.”
Haruno crossed her arms and looked at them.
“Wait, how does Yukinoshita know about this…” Yahiko hurriedly asked.
“10 seconds.”
Neither Ichinose nor Hachiman showed any signs of reaction. Katsuragi remained silent, seemingly deep in thought.
“Wait, wait, we’ll go in first!” Yahiko yelled.
Haruno smiled. “Well done, Yahiko! Your courage is admirable. Go ahead, good luck~”
“Th-thank you, Yukinoshita! I’ll do my best!” Yahiko’s face turned excited, like he’d just gotten a boost of energy. Before entering, he gave Hachiman a look, one filled with an unspoken challenge.