"Where did they go?"
However, just as she was patiently waiting alone in the empty corridor, a boy's voice caught her attention.
"..."
Before her eyes appeared the male pitcher, number one, wearing a baseball uniform.
He was carrying a bag, looking left and right, seemingly searching for his teammates and others, likely to take the bus back to Chiba Prefecture.
"Ah..."
Goto Hitori's mind went blank. That lonely pitcher, whom she had watched from so far away before, was now right in front of her.
"..."
Her body began to tremble uncontrollably. At this moment, she inexplicably felt an intense desire to say something to this "fellow sufferer" of a lonely pitcher. Although she didn't know why she wanted to talk to him so badly, she still made a sound out of timidity and a moment of impulse.
"Ah... that... that..."
"Hmm?"
Chen Yao heard the strange sound from the girl who had just been spacing out next to him. He curiously turned his head to look and saw her trembling slightly, staring straight at him, as if she wanted to say something to him.
"Classmate, do you need any help?"
Chen Yao asked, puzzled.
"Please... please... please, please, please, please!"
Goto Hitori finally burst out in excitement, bowing abruptly and shouting, "Please, please allow me to become your disciple!"
"..."
Chen Yao was completely stunned. So, what happened... Chapter 034 Hitori Goto and the Service Club
In the gymnasium, Goto Hitori's bow and strange words plunged her into a nightmarish, socially embarrassing scene, making cold sweat break out on her forehead.
"Oh, no, what am I saying... I'm such an idiot..."
Goto Hitori maintained her bowing posture, her eyes wide, thinking to herself.
She had only watched one of his baseball games, and moved by his spirit, she hoped to be as brave and strong as him. Yet, she blurted out that she wanted to become his disciple. She even wondered if she had watched too many samurai movies.
"Ugh, I feel like dying now..."
Goto Hitori thought awkwardly.
However, Goto Hitori didn't wait for his questioning or fear. The boy seemed to understand, smiling as he looked at her bowing, and asked, "Classmate, are you interested in baseball?"
...Eh?
Goto Hitori was startled and looked up at him.
The rather handsome boy looked down, smiling at her, seemingly not treating her as a weirdo.
Goto Hitori didn't know why she couldn't look away for a moment, but she quickly shook her head vigorously, her hair even flying around.
"N-no, no, no, not like that..."
Goto Hitori clasped her hands together, timidly looking elsewhere, her face turning pale as she spoke nervously.
Chen Yao looked at this unfamiliar girl, trembling with fear and nervousness. Although he wasn't sure what she meant by suddenly wanting to become his disciple, he concluded that she intended to learn baseball. He said, "Although my baseball skills are average, if you're interested, Classmate, I can teach you the rough basics. However, I don't live in Tokyo, and my personality is considered terrible; I'm difficult to get along with and have no friends, so I'm not good at being a teacher. You can ask your school's baseball coaches; they are the true mentors who know how to refine your fundamentals."
Goto Hitori was momentarily dazed by Chen Yao's self-assessment, recalling how he dominated the field. She loudly retorted, "That's not true... You're clearly very strong, clearly... clearly unafraid of anything... (whispering)"
As a result, her voice grew softer and softer, returning to that fearful hamster-like state.
"..."
Chen Yao was startled, looking at the girl who had turned her head away and was trembling again. He seemed to understand and asked, "Are you referring to my performance, how I'm not afraid of the audience or my opponents?"
To her surprise, he understood. Goto Hitori was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded, lowering her head, nervously waiting for what he would say, hoping he wouldn't say she was strange or anything like that.
"How to put it, at first I also used to get nervous, but after looking past some superficial things, I thought, perhaps there are things more important than evaluations, more important than honor. As a result, I gradually got used to it and stopped worrying about others' gazes. However, my experience is quite special; it's not that I don't want to teach you, but rather, it might be better if this experience hadn't happened at all..."
Chen Yao said with some emotion, looking at Goto Hitori.
Goto Hitori heard that she might not be able to learn, fell silent for a moment, lowered her head, then bowed to Chen Yao again, and immediately intended to leave quickly.
"Then, I... I-I-I'm sorry to have bothered you..."
...Why don't you seek help from the Service Club?
Chen Yao looked at Goto Hitori's dejected expression and tried to recommend the Service Club to her.
"Service Club?"
Goto Hitori, who was about to leave, paused slightly and turned back to look at Chen Yao in confusion.
"They are a club specifically dedicated to helping students solve their problems. So far, they have resolved many Classmates' issues. I am also acquainted with them, and they even accept problems from students from other schools depending on the situation. I'll give you Classmate Yukinoshita's email address; if you send a letter, I can assist you in overcoming your difficulties."
Chen Yao took out a notebook, wrote down an email address, then tore off a slip of paper and gave it to Goto Hitori.
As Goto Hitori took the slip of paper from Chen Yao and looked at the email address, a girl's voice came from the corridor: "Classmate Chen Yao, why are you still here? I thought you were already on the bus. We're going back."
As it turned out, Yukinoshita Yukino found the separated Chen Yao herself and asked with a frown.
She also saw the girl in sportswear and was curious about what Chen Yao was saying to her, when the girl seemed startled, immediately lowered her head, took the slip of paper, and hurried away from there.
"Hmm? What's wrong with that Classmate?" Yukinoshita Yukino asked curiously.
"Hmm... I don't know, but she wants to become my disciple."
Chen Yao looked at Yukinoshita Yukino and said this, puzzled.
...Hmm? Yukinoshita Yukino, holding her school bag, only made that sound with a frown after a long while.
~·~·~·~·~·~·
At night, in the Goto family home, Goto Hitori, nestled in her closet under a desk lamp, tried to compose an impassioned baseball tune, but her pen moved from her ear to her nose and pouting lips, and she still couldn't conceive the desired musical style.
"What's wrong? I had so much inspiration when I watched the baseball game..."
Goto Hitori thought gloomily while trying to write sheet music.
However, in this small closet, she could relax her mind and body. This was her safe haven; here, social anxiety was not an issue... But... as Goto Hitori wrote, her expression darkened. She actually wanted to communicate well with others, just like normal people, to have friends to chat with, and outdoor time that wasn't lonely... "I really want friends, I really want group activities..."
Goto Hitori's mood sank. After being unable to write the tune, she picked up her guitar and began to play a light piece of music. In the quiet, inky night, the girl's music perfectly expressed her inner emotions. Gradually, she smiled and immersed herself in the comfort of the music, no longer so pessimistic.
After playing, she tried to write a song again but found she still didn't know where to start. So, she opened a video on her computer to watch live baseball and get some inspiration.
But as she watched, all the players showed expressions of favored sons of heaven, and she felt no resonance with them. Rather, there was no sense of impact, the impact she craved... *Whoosh*, in her mind, the image from the afternoon appeared: on the green field, that lone figure, standing tall like a warrior, facing the thousands of cheering voices like a giant tidal wave... "..."
Goto Hitori was silent for a moment. Finally, she took out the slip of paper, looked at it quietly for a while, and whispered, "Just... give it a try."
After sending the email, she spaced out, unsure why. She had a bit of a delusion, imagining herself truly becoming that boy's disciple. She didn't know why she held a short sword, wore beginner's cloth armor, facing an endlessly distant destination, along with dangerous monsters and enemies. The teacher's back in front of her was a battle-hardened knight in armor covered in sword marks... While she was lost in thought, her inbox suddenly chimed. She saw that the Service Club had actually replied to her: "Hello, I am Yukinoshita Yukino, president of the Service Club at Chiba Prefecture Sobu High School. I have received your request. If it's convenient, could you come to the Service Club activity room on the second floor, Area F, of our school at 4:30 PM on Monday to discuss it in detail? My phone number is xxx..."
"Eh... Eh! A-accepted! What do I do? What do I do, what do I do?"
Goto Hitori grew nervous. She was still a bit apprehensive; after all, having students from another high school help her overcome social anxiety was simply a fantasy.
But soon, the Service Club president sent another email, which read: "We met this afternoon. Mr. Chen Yao told me about your situation. Please don't misunderstand, he genuinely cares about you and hopes to help you. Please rest assured, we are not strange people, and we hope you can trust us."
When Goto Hitori saw this email, her mood relaxed a little. After calming down, she thought, "Why don't I just ask Dad to drive me over?"
So, with the intention of just asking, Goto Hitori asked her father, and he agreed without a second thought... The next afternoon after school, in the Service Club, Yukinoshita Yukino informed Hachiman Hikigaya and Yui Yuigahama about this request.
"Social anxiety? So, it means being afraid to communicate with others, right?"
Yui Yuigahama blinked and asked.
"Hmm... I only saw her back, but she was able to converse smoothly with Classmate Chen Yao. I actually don't think her social anxiety is as severe as Classmate Chen Yao described, but it's better to meet her first before making a conclusion."
Yukinoshita Yukino analyzed calmly.
Hachiman Hikigaya said, "The client suddenly said she wanted to become Chen Yao's disciple, which might be related to Chen Yao's performance on the field. But I can understand; if someone with social anxiety saw Chen Yao's performance, they would also want to become like him."
...Although he does have merits, I don't want girls to learn from him.
Yukinoshita Yukino began to get a headache and said.
Soon, the Service Club door was knocked. After Yukinoshita Yukino said, "Please come in," Teacher Hiratsuka Shizuka entered with a very cute girl in sportswear.
"Hello, are you Classmate Goto Hitori?"
Yukinoshita Yukino looked at her and asked.
Before Shizuka Hiratsuka could speak, she saw Goto Hitori behind her look at the activity room's storage door. She naturally opened the storage door, and under the puzzled gazes of the Service Club members, she hid inside the storage room before answering, "Yes... I'm Goto Hitori. Please take care of me."
"It's much worse than I imagined..."
Amidst the surprised expressions of Shizuka Hiratsuka and Yui Yuigahama, Hachiman Hikigaya knew something was seriously wrong and grumbled.
Soon, Yukinoshita Yukino pulled Chen Yao, who was about to escape training, over and said helplessly, "Sure enough, she'll talk more if you're here, so you'll stay here this afternoon."
"But it might not even work if I'm here, right? After all, I only met that Classmate once, and isn't it easier for you girls to chat?"
Chen Yao glanced at the storage room door, puzzled, and asked.
"Hmph, because you're her master," Yukinoshita Yukino sighed and also glanced at the storage room door, saying.
"Goto, he's here now. You can come out," Yukinoshita Yukino said to the door.
Initially, the door remained completely still. Just when everyone thought it really wasn't working, the door suddenly opened a crack. Goto Hitori finally considered that she respected Classmate Chen Yao and that it would be more polite to at least come out. She ultimately mustered her courage and emerged... The timid and shy Goto Hitori, afraid of causing trouble for Chen Yao, stood before him with her head down, while Chen Yao was somewhat surprised she actually came out, looking at her in astonishment.
Perhaps, to some extent, this really did have a sense of master and disciple.
"Hmm... So Classmate Goto is that timid. If that's the case, should we first train Classmate Goto's courage? Perhaps it would help with social anxiety, what do you think?"
Suddenly, Teacher Shizuka Hiratsuka proposed a somewhat reliable suggestion and asked.
"Teacher, what's the suggestion?" Yukino asked, puzzled.
"Hehehe, tonight we're going to... a test of courage!"
Shizuka Hiratsuka winked her left eye and said to everyone.
Chapter 035 A Group of Extraordinary Individuals Arrived
At nine o'clock at night, in the mountain road section on the outskirts of Chiba Prefecture, the uninhabited mountain road, enveloped by night, after climbing to a certain height, would pass through a fork. Turning right would lead through a long, dimly lit tunnel, and after driving three more kilometers, there would be an abandoned school, rumored to have been abandoned for fifteen years. It is a famous sacred place for tests of courage, and it is rumored that explorers who enter often encounter the ghost of a Little girl.
A commercial van drove on this mountain road, carrying six people. Teacher Shizuka Hiratsuka was driving, along with the three Service Club members, plus Chen Yao and Goto Hitori sitting in the last row, heading towards that abandoned school.
"Huh? Is there a relationship between social anxiety and courage training?"
Goto Hitori, sitting in the back, lowered her head, troubled, pondering this somewhat contradictory question.
But for some reason, she didn't object at all throughout the journey. After dinner, she just got into the beautiful teacher's car and came.
"No, no, no, this line of thinking is definitely strange..."
Goto Hitori looked at the group from the Service Club, thinking to herself.
She secretly glanced at Chen Yao, or rather, Master Chen Yao, sitting next to her. He was also sitting leisurely in the back, seemingly in agreement with Teacher Hiratsuka's plan.
"Since even Master Chen Yao approves of the plan, it must be helpful. Yes, yes, I must try my best to participate."
Goto Hitori silently convinced herself and clenched her small fists, hoping to perform well for Master Chen Yao, perhaps then he would acknowledge her.
In reality, Goto Hitori never imagined that the reasoning behind this plan was quite simple: Teacher Shizuka Hiratsuka simply believed that social anxiety was due to a lack of courage. So, she took Goto Hitori to participate in this student entertainment activity, and incidentally, she also wanted to create such memories with the students during the summer.
As for Chen Yao, Yukinoshita Yukino, Hachiman Hikigaya, and others, they believed this was a good group activity. Social anxiety is mostly caused by a lack of daily communication with others, leading to a sense of failure. Therefore, the cure is to communicate more with others in group activities.