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The three of them had different reasons for not having friends.
On one hand, Yukinoshita Yukino was excellent in all aspects, so she had been envied and ostracized by her peers since childhood.
But more than that, it was her arrogant and "harsh" personality.
Yukinoshita Yukino would never cater to others, nor did she consider the atmosphere, and her guard against outsiders was extremely high, as if she had put on a layer of copper walls and iron barriers.
Hachiman Hikigaya, on the other hand, suffered psychological trauma from social interactions in his childhood (confessing to a girl he mistakenly thought liked him, only to be rejected), coupled with some chuunibyou tendencies, which led to his personality becoming distorted, believing he could perceive the complexity and treachery of human relationships.
Despite having the ability to participate in social activities, he refused to socialize, often isolating himself.
And Kisaragi Rin?
He simply felt it wasn't necessary; being liked by too many people was just too tiring.
Hiratsuka-sensei actually expected these three problem students to save each other; she must have read too many hot-blooded novels.
"Yukinoshita, can I add you on Line?" Kisaragi Rin took out his phone and said to Yukinoshita Yukino.
"No." Yukinoshita Yukino stopped thinking about the name Kato Megumi, covered her chest with both hands, and showed a wary look.
The confident Yukinoshita Yukino began to suspect that Kisaragi Rin liked her.
"Yukinoshita, it's just adding you on Line; I have no other intentions towards you."
"Who knows? After all, I'm so cute, it's not incomprehensible for Kisaragi Rin to have special thoughts."
Yukinoshita Yukino remained wary and even began to suspect that Kisaragi Rin's previous bet was to get her attention.
Kisaragi Rin wisely shut up; arguing with a woman was not a wise choice.
He silently muttered to Hiratsuka-sensei in his heart: I've tried my best, but the enemy's armor is too high.
In this situation, one can only get along slowly and use time and experience to influence them.
That's right, that's how it is; this is definitely not an excuse for me, Kisaragi Rin, to slack off.
you two, I'm leaving first. See you tomorrow."
Kisaragi Rin finished a cup of black tea and bid them farewell.
Since he had seen the famous scene, he naturally had to leave; if he stayed here all the time, what would be the point of him being the club president?
"Kisaragi Rin, the club time isn't over yet."
Hachiman Hikigaya reminded him.
Kisaragi Rin raised an eyebrow and issued his first command as president: "If there's no club activity, then this president can naturally leave early."
???
With question marks appearing above her head, Yukinoshita Yukino vaguely realized the true purpose of Kisaragi Rin's bet.
This guy wasn't seeking revenge, nor was he coveting her; he just wanted to slack off?
Hachiman Hikigaya was also somewhat tempted to leave early, but he still succumbed under Yukinoshita Yukino's icy gaze and dared not speak.
---
Chiba Prefecture is a famous large city in Japan, with a population of nearly ten million. It belongs to the Tokyo economic circle, with a prosperous economy, and is located near Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture.
How close? Many people who work in Tokyo even live here.
And Kisaragi Rin was working in a traditional snack street.
"One day I will leave Chiba and go to Kyoto to realize my dream!"
A colleague named Kankuya Shinji said this to Kisaragi Rin.
Because he was grilling twenty skewers of silver cod at the same time, his face was already blackened by smoke, and he was quite emotional, overflowing with negative energy.
"Alright, alright, just don't get involved in telecom fraud."
Kisaragi Rin's job was to scale and massage the silver cod. Grilling silver cod by hand was quite difficult, and he was only a temporary worker, not yet capable of doing it.
"Why would I get involved in telecom fraud? I want to be a manga artist."
Kankuya Shinji said excitedly.
"Silver Cod Prince, fifty more skewers!"
The Silver Cod Prince, of course, referred to Kankuya Shinji, because he was the owner's son.
More customers ordered food, which filled him with negative energy. Kisaragi Rin could feel the dark aura emanating from him even without opening his third eye.
"It's raining!"
A customer exclaimed.
The weather changed in an instant; a light drizzle suddenly started outside, and it didn't look like it would stop anytime soon.
The rain extinguished the enthusiasm for grilling, and there were far fewer diners, so Kisaragi Rin finished his work early.
Kankuya Shinji took out an envelope, handed it to Kisaragi Rin with both hands, and said.
"Kisaragi Rin, your arms are very strong. If you're short on money, you can consider grilling. Our training here is free, and the pay is generous."
"Don't look at me like this, I'm actually still a student."
Kisaragi Rin put away his wages and smiled as he rejected Kankuya Shinji's recruitment.
"Amazing, you've developed so well?"
Kankuya Shinji exclaimed.
Bidding farewell to his part-time job, Kisaragi Rin walked leisurely in the heavy rain with an umbrella.
A faint golden light shimmered around him; raindrops coming in from the side disappeared without a trace before they even touched Kisaragi Rin.
Just then, Kisaragi Rin saw a familiar figure.
"Shiina Mahiru?"
Flaxen hair, wearing Soubu High's school uniform, it was indeed Shiina Mahiru. Kisaragi Rin confirmed he hadn't seen wrong.
This traditional street had a small park for children to play in, and she was sitting on a swing in the park, getting rained on.
Why was she there instead of taking shelter from the rain?
Kisaragi Rin walked up to her and tilted his umbrella.
"Kisaragi... Rin?"
The rain stopped falling. Shiina Mahiru looked up in confusion, surprised to find Kisaragi Rin in front of her.
"Hi."
Kisaragi Rin greeted her.
"Hi?"
Shiina Mahiru also responded to him using Kisaragi Rin's greeting style.
"Why are you staying here? Aren't you going to take shelter from the rain?"
Even if she didn't have an umbrella, general shops wouldn't stop pedestrians from entering to take shelter, right?
"Don't worry, I'm leaving now."
Shiina Mahiru's eyes were a bit dim, but she still forced herself to be cheerful, pretending to be fine.
Shiina Mahiru didn't want to trouble Kisaragi Rin, nor did she want to cause worry, so she stood up and prepared to leave.
Unfortunately, she exuded a sense of fragility, and her voice sounded particularly tired. Coupled with her petite body, she didn't seem fine at all; instead, it was as if she was telling others to come and comfort her.
Kisaragi Rin naturally saw her low spirits, but they were just not-so-familiar neighbors and classmates, so he didn't ask much.
He just held up the umbrella, trying his best to shield her from some rain, and walked her to the shops over there.
People came and went on the street, some with umbrellas, some without, some hurried, some calm. All sorts of sounds converged, making it very noisy.
Shiina Mahiru lowered her head, staying under the umbrella, looking at Kisaragi Rin beside her, and a ripple spread through her heart.
It was a feeling of being saved.
When she was alone in the park, getting rained on, Shiina Mahiru had the illusion of being abandoned by the world.
The loneliness and pain in her heart surged like a tide. Shiina Mahiru was like a kite with a broken string, losing its weight and drifting in the cold wind.
However, just as she was about to suffocate, an umbrella appeared above her head, blocking the rain.
All these feelings ceased because of this suddenly appearing umbrella. The tide receded, and the broken string was pulled back.
"It's you again, Kisaragi-san."
Shiina Mahiru secretly said to Kisaragi Rin in her heart.
The distance was not far, and soon Kisaragi Rin escorted Shiina Mahiru to a nearby store.
"There are umbrellas for sale inside. If you don't want to buy one, you can also wait here for the rain to stop."
Kisaragi Rin stopped and said to Shiina Mahiru.
"Thank you, Kisaragi-san."
Shiina Mahiru left Kisaragi Rin's umbrella, walked under the eaves, and thanked him.
you're welcome. Just don't tell the landlord about the ceiling."
Kisaragi Rin waved his hand, held up his umbrella, and re-entered the rain.
Shiina Mahiru stood under the eaves, watching Kisaragi Rin's departing back, her eyes dimming.
As expected, he still left.
Perhaps dependent on the fleeting warmth Kisaragi Rin brought, she couldn't help but hope Kisaragi Rin would continue to stay with her.
The result was clear; this was just her one-sided wish.
To Kisaragi Rin, she was just a neighbor and classmate whose name he had just remembered.
Thinking this, the umbrella suddenly returned to Shiina Mahiru's sight.
"Kisaragi-san, why are you back?"
Shiina Mahiru asked in confusion.
"I suddenly remembered I haven't compensated you for the ceiling. Want to go get something to eat with me?"
Kisaragi Rin extended his hand, inviting her.
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