Chapter 173: Scripts and Picnics (Long Chapter)
After parting ways with Yui, Hachiman prepared to head home. Yui still had to find Yukino; currently, those two were still buried in work.
Passing a left-hand L-shaped turn and continuing further down, there was a staircase leading toward the second-year classrooms on the third floor.
In the dim area before the stairs, a familiar, exasperating figure stood blocking the way.
The summer heat hadn't completely dissipated yet, but this person was still wearing that oversized coat he never changed all year round, arms crossed over his chest, sporting those half-finger gloves.
Hachiman stared at his opponent in silence, saying nothing, waiting to see what he would actually do.
In the next second, the man slowly pulled out his phone and pressed a number.
Beep, beep, beep...
A few seconds later, Hachiman's phone began to vibrate.
Hachiman pulled out his phone, glanced at it for a moment, and immediately cut the call—they clearly knew each other, yet he deliberately chose to call? Where did this ridiculous person even come from?
Furthermore, he began to act: "Haha, I can't reach him, maybe he's busy... Hahaha, how is that possible? In this whole world, he's the only one who couldn't possibly be busy! Right, Hachiman?"
"In this whole world, you're also the only one who has no qualification to say that line to me..."
Hachiman rolled his eyes. This guy was a friend—well, a friend in the sense that Hachiman didn't have many to begin with—but why did he feel like punching him every time they met?
If anyone else had said it, he could have just ignored it with a shrug, but this person, Zaimokuza Yoshiteru, was the one person you couldn't give an inch to.
"Anyway, what are you doing here? Running up and down the stairs to lose weight?"
"...How nostalgic. I truly did do that once, but because of fluid buildup in my knee, and moreover... the old wound aches terribly... Indeed, it is the inguinal pain in my groin..."
"I-I see... For the sake of your health, you should probably pay more attention to that."
The corner of Hachiman's mouth twitched again.
"Those things aren't important. Look at this, Hachiman, what do you think?" Zaimokuza suddenly pulled a thick stack of papers from beneath his heavy coat.
"What's this? Your new Light Novel?"
Hachiman stared at the stack of papers dubiously. Because of his connection with Chishima-sensei, Zaimokuza had become even more determined to become a Light Novel author. He had submitted manuscripts three times now, and adding in the discarded drafts, his word count had easily reached three hundred thousand.
Of course, those three manuscripts vanished without a trace; not a single one passed the selection.
The last rejection was half a month ago. Although Zaimokuza had wailed and cried, once the tears dried, he went right back to writing and drafting something new. And to be fair, both his writing style and story structure were slowly improving.
—At the very least, his current writing no longer caused severe mental pollution.
"No, this is not a Light Novel!"
Zaimokuza wagged his finger, then adjusted his glasses so they caught the light with a dramatic glint.
Hachiman finally felt a flicker of curiosity.
If this stack of papers wasn't a Light Novel, then what was it? It couldn't be study materials. This guy never had any intention of going to university.
Zaimokuza saw Hachiman's gaze fixed on the papers. His eyes sparkled with a proud smile, and he announced in a booming voice: "Hikigaya Hachiman, though you are a master of the blade, the one standing before you is General Zaimokuza... Listen well! Look closely! Then let your legs give way in fear! And, atone for your sins with death... No, wait, ehem... Did you know? Our class is going to perform a play for the School Anniversary!"
Dammit, he really shouldn't have given this guy even a bit of face. Hachiman clenched his fist, veins popping as he stared at Zaimokuza, hissing through his teeth: "Who knows... And why do I have to atone to you with death? Anyway, what exactly are you trying to say?"
"Speaking of performing a play, one naturally cannot do without a script..."
"Enough, I already figured it out."
Hachiman waved his hand, trying to cut Zaimokuza off, but Zaimokuza didn't care about the interruption at all. He raised a fist high and spoke loudly: "The people in class, when they were discussing it, said they didn't want to perform something ordinary. They wanted to write an original script... So, I was the one who stepped forward..."
"Hey, I just remembered, Komachi is still waiting for me at home to pay respects. I'm going home, don't block me..."
Zaimokuza's Light Novels were already an eyesore; imagine how tragic his first stage play script would be! More importantly, he intended to distribute it to the class!
He had done the exact same thing back in middle school. Now, looking back, it made him want to find a hole and crawl into it.
Creating original scripts and plots like that... that should stop at the elementary school level.
Novels and stage scripts were two different things.
In fact, in elementary school, it was a great choice. For a learning presentation or a farewell party, you could write a short play, people would praise you, and if it was written well, you might even become the center of the class's attention.
But once you entered middle school, doing that only made you a target of ridicule.
"Sigh~"
Thinking about this, Hachiman couldn't help but let out a breath, then laughed self-mockingly. That expression made Zaimokuza pause, asking cautiously: "Haha, what is it?"
Hachiman stared at the sky through the window, shaking his head: "It's nothing... Just thinking that it seems it's still too early for us to become adults."
"...I have no idea what you're talking about. Do you think this is funny? Forget your business for a moment, I came here specifically for you to look at my original script... Just think of it as a favor to me..."
It felt a bit pathetic; his words actually had a pleading tone, just wanting someone to give him a review on his script. Plus, the guy really was trying his hardest...
People like this were truly pitiful. At least I know him; letting him die a foolish death like that would give me nightmares at night...
After thinking it over, Hachiman finally decided to give him some advice:
"Fine, I get it. Whatever you do, never let the girl you like play the female lead. You will regret it for the rest of your life... Oh, one more thing, don't play the lead yourself."
"What! Hachiman, do you have mind-reading abilities?"
"I don't. Just follow my words."
Hachiman fell silent. This wasn't mind-reading; it was purely the law of experience forged from past "tragic experiences"—ever since that incident, he had sworn never to let anyone see that kind of stuff again.
"Alright, I understand. In short, what you mean is..."
Zaimokuza cleared his throat with a serious face.
Hachiman spoke: "What I mean is, if I don't think it's good, you are not allowed to bring it to class. Furthermore, I won't allow you to spread the word that this is your script..."
This guy was already at the bottom of the school's hierarchy of contempt; almost no one respected him. If he was allowed to do something like this again, there was no telling how much he'd be laughed at!
Even if Hachiman could stand behind him, how many people would be laughing at him behind his back?
"...That's a bit difficult."
Zaimokuza went silent for a second and then refused. Just like when he first pulled out his novel, even though it was terrible, he wanted everyone to see it and then improve it.
"My Light Novel is going through a state of stagnancy; I haven't written in five days, so I wanted to switch it up..."
Hachiman pulled out his ultimate weapon: "In that case, I'll take this and show it to Chishima-sensei and Hiratsuka-sensei first..."
"I'll do as you say."
Zaimokuza nodded immediately, his expression incredibly firm, as if Hachiman were a Daimyo to whom he had sworn loyalty until death. He was somewhat afraid of showing it to those two teachers because he had already received many mental blows—more than Yukino had ever given him.
Hachiman: "..."
In the end, Hachiman still went home with Zaimokuza, reading the script along the way.
How should he put it?
There was a fairly complete framework, but the setting, dialogue, character expressions, and everything else were completely off. It didn't even look like a play script; it was just a Light Novel written in a script format.
Zaimokuza had no idea how to write a stage play. The Light Novel influence was too heavy; reading it as a short story was fine, but if it were actually performed as a stage drama... forget playing it well, the script simply couldn't be staged.
So the result was, of course: Rejected!
Go home, keep writing your Light Novels properly. If you hit a wall, read more of other people's books. A temporary failure proves nothing.
...
The next day, Sunday had arrived.
The Chishima residence was off again; today, there was no need to open the shop, no need to work, and Hachiman wouldn't be coming over. It was just him and Shizuka.
After breakfast, Akishin and Shizuka slung on hiking backpacks, put on sunglasses, and donned athletic shoes and loose clothing. Shizuka also specifically wore a sun hat.
Over the last few days, the temperature had dropped quite a bit, but if you were directly exposed to the sun, it still felt hot.
And today, they were going on a picnic.
A few school teachers had arranged it yesterday. There were no duties at the moment, so it was the perfect time to go out and play together.
After Shizuka came out, Akishin locked the large front gate, turned around, and said to Shizuka: "Alright, let's head out."
Shizuka had tied her beautiful black hair into a ponytail today, paired with a pure white sun hat. Her beautiful face without makeup looked pure and cute; her linen-colored tracksuit emphasized the grandeur of her chest, while the loose matching linen pants covered her long, porcelain-white legs, only occasionally revealing the smooth white skin at her ankles. A pair of blue-and-white women's athletic shoes were on her feet; her entire appearance looked gallant and clean.
Shizuka never wore hot pants or short skirts that exposed skin; she rarely even wore short sleeves, as if she always wrapped herself up tightly, except in front of Akishin...
Recalling last night, after Shizuka finished bathing, she had come out wearing only a towel to find him, asking for help drying her hair. Her chest showed a pure white curve and deep cleavage; her freshly bathed skin had a rosy pink glow, and her face was shy and blushing temptingly...
Akishin's heart felt hot, forced to use breathing techniques to calm down!
Shizuka had been getting bolder lately. He didn't know if she had truly made up her mind or just wanted to test him, but the frequency of "fanservice" was getting higher.
If Akishin didn't hold himself back, Shizuka would have already been conquered...
It was just that Akishin had made a promise, deciding to wait until marriage before taking the final step—even if that promise wasn't explicitly voiced by Akishin, Shizuka surely understood. Perhaps that was why she felt safe doing it.
Of course, if Akishin truly wanted it, Shizuka likely wouldn't refuse, because with her personality, she wouldn't "play with fire" like this if she weren't ready.
The trauma from Shizuka's first romance had left her with no sense of security in love. Akishin had covered for that, and since this was the home stretch, he didn't mind...
Glancing at the clothing store next door, Mrs. Miyako and Hotaru weren't at the door, but Uncle Daiki across the street was chatting with someone else in front of his shop.
Since returning from the hospital, Uncle Daiki's pancake shop had been closed. He was forced to just wander around because his son wouldn't allow him to sell anymore.
After greeting Uncle Daiki, Akishin and Shizuka boarded the van, heading toward the designated meeting spot.
At the station, a van was already waiting.
Including Akishin and Shizuka, there were a total of nine teachers this time, split into two vans, all of whom were colleagues from the same office.
The organizer was Class C's homeroom teacher, Noma Naru, a new teacher who hadn't graduated long ago. A young man full of ideas, he felt he had been working too long and wanted to go for a stroll.
Yesterday, when it was brought up in the office, the idea was immediately supported by several other young teachers, including four men and five women.
The female teachers actually outnumbered the men!
Among them, aside from Akishin and Shizuka, the others were still single; this picnic might be to see if they could solve their bachelor status.
Yesterday, when it was raised, Akishin noticed Shizuka's eyes were full of longing. She clearly wanted to go, so he took the initiative to bring her along for the activity.
Even if he didn't have much interaction with the other teachers, it didn't hinder normal workplace interactions; besides, Shizuka's relationship with everyone was actually quite good.
"Hiratsuka-sensei, over here, over here..."
Before they could even get close, Takeda Konao, who recognized Shizuka's van, was already waving. Shoulder-length short hair, at most 155 cm tall, carrying a small red backpack, she was full of a cheerful smile. She wasn't strikingly beautiful, maybe just average, but her bubbly personality was very infectious.
She didn't look like a teacher at all.
Well! Teachers were office workers too! Unless they had a very prominent aura, who would know you were a teacher outside of school?
The car stopped in front of Takeda Konao. The morning sun shone on the busy crowds at the station. Today was a company holiday; many people were out to play, appearing relaxed and peaceful, a stark contrast to the rush of a workday.
"Konao, how long have you been here? Where are the others?" Shizuka jumped down from the car and gave Takeda Konao a high-five.
"Ugh~, I just got here a bit ago. Noma-kun and Kanenashi-kun are all in the car. Only Tenshi, Meiai, and Hayama are left."
"I see. In that case, let's go greet them too. Akishin..."
Akishin also got out of the car, greeting Takeda Konao with a standard salutation—neither close nor distant.
It was just that Takeda Konao was a bit intimidated by him.
He only remembered that she was an English teacher.
Together with Shizuka, he greeted the group at the other car. The men had all arrived; only three women were left.
Noma Naru was a twenty-three-year-old youth, wearing a fresh tracksuit. He was quite handsome, his black hair straight and neat, parted down the middle to fall on both sides of his eyes, revealing a clean forehead. It looked like he had taken the time to style his hair before coming; it hadn't looked like this yesterday.
It seemed he had planned this out carefully.
The guy was decent, full of energy, and also a good teacher. Not only was he responsible for his students, but his relationship with them was also very good—he often hung out with the male students. In the office, he was always helping the seniors with work...
Though he sometimes appeared a bit arrogant, typical of a young man, it was only a minor flaw.
The others had no particularly distinguishing features—typical, rule-abiding high school teachers, though working at Sobu High School meant they could be considered elites.
Facing Akishin, they felt stiff yet simultaneously very excited.
Want to know why?
Was it because there were three young female teachers, and Akishin and Shizuka's arrival was already enough to attract attention!!
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