Chapter 126: An Unamed Tale

One of the cheapest forms of entertainment in China is reading web novels. However, when reading web novels, it's inevitable to come across two types: one is the "abandoned works," where the story suddenly stops updating one day, leaving it incomplete. The other is "rushed endings," where the story concludes hastily and unsatisfactorily.

"Flops" are another category that can't be ignored. Works with poor performance are called "flops," but the definition of "poor" varies depending on who you ask.

To put it in terms of the situation here in Japan, it would probably be...

Having your manuscript directly rejected by an editor?

Oh, no, it's more like posting it on a light novel website and having no one read it.

"Yukinoshita-san, we're going in."

"Do you know him?" Yukinoshita asked.

Li Mo replied, "I've seen him with Hikigaya on the school grounds. Let's go in. If anything happens, I'll handle it."

"Alright," Yukinoshita Yukino nodded.

Yukinoshita Yukino had memorized most of the students in her grade, just as she stored knowledge in her mind. The only issue was that this particular student stood by the window, wearing a brown coat, letting the wind blow against him, with his back to the door.

—Weird.

That was Yukinoshita's impression.

Li Mo opened the door and entered the room, saying, "If you're here to see Hikigaya, you'll have to wait a bit. He's still in the classroom and hasn't arrived yet."

Then he went ahead and boiled some water.

Yukinoshita Yukino remained calm, walking to the edge of her seat and saying, "If you're not here to see Hikigaya-kun, you can state your purpose. But before that, please introduce yourself."

Perhaps it was Li Mo's natural demeanor or Yukinoshita's coldness. The two of them, playing off each other, made the student who had his back to them, facing the window, stiffen noticeably.

He turned around, his demeanor naturally timid, and said, "Um, I'll wait until Hikigaya-kun arrives..."

Li Mo noticed this and, after leaving the kettle, took a chair from behind the teacher and placed it across the long table. "If you don't mind, please sit here and wait for Hikigaya. Also, would you like tea or coffee? I brought some instant coffee."

"Thank you."

"Could you tell us your name?"

"Zaimokuza. Zaimokuza Yoshiteru."

"Zaimokuza-kun, is it? I'm Li Mo. You can call me Li-san."

The chubby student gave his name, and even though the boy in front of him smiled like a spring breeze, it felt like being called into the teacher's office and being met with a constant smile—seemingly kind but actually quite intimidating.

Then, Zaimokuza Yoshiteru saw the girl kick the boy.

"Your fake smile is back. Tone it down a bit."

"What? You can still tell? That fox said my smile was perfect... Damn it, that fox lied to me."

"Sigh..."

Zaimokuza saw Yukinoshita Yukino let out a rare sigh. This was uncommon. Even if they weren't in the same class, anyone at Soubu High would have inevitably heard about Yukinoshita Yukino.

But who had ever heard of Yukinoshita interacting with a boy like this?

Hikigaya, hurry up. I feel so out of place between these two!

"Here, have some tea. I brought this tea from another world. It tastes really good," Li Mo said, taking charge of making the tea today instead of Yukinoshita.

"Li-san, could you please not display your ape-like sense of humor in front of others? If you want to tell bad jokes, try going to the South Pole," Yukinoshita Yukino expressed her opinion about Li Mo's tendency to ramble.

In reality, Zaimokuza didn't dislike the conversation. He took the tea from Li Mo, and its fragrance was refreshing. He was a drink person, and as a chuunibyou and otaku, buying collaboration drinks was a given.

He suddenly thought that tea wasn't so bad after all.

But under the pressure of the two, he didn't dare to state his purpose, just like how he would never whisper in class.

This situation continued until Hikigaya arrived.

Today, Hikigaya came with Yuigahama again. It seemed that after the incident at noon, even if Yuigahama and Hikigaya walked together, no one would say much...

Previously, Yuigahama would meet up with Hikigaya halfway.

Miura Yumiko and Hayama's group weren't inherently bad people.

Li Mo also didn't bother with matters from other classes.

"My dear friend, Hikigaya! You've kept me waiting!"

Seeing Hikigaya, Zaimokuza was the first to act. During the brief interaction, Li Mo and Yukinoshita had been going back and forth, leaving no room for Zaimokuza to speak.

He shouldn't have been here.

Hikigaya was his savior.

Zaimokuza, slightly excited, performed a series of meaningless actions.

When Hikigaya saw Zaimokuza, his dead fish eyes became even more pronounced.

"Hikki, is he your acquaintance?"

"I don't know him. Even if I did, I'd say I don't," Hikigaya turned his head away.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Have you forgotten our journey together? Those times we spent in hell, those years we walked side by side!"

Zaimokuza pointed at Hikigaya, speaking passionately.

The earlier压抑 (oppression) was released through his familiar way of speaking. Yes, this was his rhythm.

"Li-san, is this his true nature?"

"Chuunibyou is like this. They don't care about others' opinions and do what they think is cool. However, just like the difference between perfume and stench lies in concentration, the difference between coolness and awkwardness lies in the setting and atmosphere. Normal people might consider these things, but chuunibyou don't. It's like they're performing a play anytime, anywhere."

"I see. So this is how chuunibyou think? As long as they feel cool, they immerse themselves in their performance?" Yukinoshita Yukino said.

Awkward.

This word perfectly described how outsiders viewed "Zaimokuza Yoshiteru."

After answering Yukinoshita, Li Mo clapped his hands and said, "Alright, Yuigahama-san and Hikigaya-san, please sit down and have some tea. This tea is something I brought. Also, Zaimokuza-san, could you pause your reunion with Hikigaya for a moment? Why don't you tell us why you're here? Surely, it's not just to catch up with Hikigaya, right?"

Why now? Why not earlier or later? Why not look for Hikigaya in the classroom instead of coming to the Service Club?

"Hikigaya, tell me, is this the Service Club?" Zaimokuza still chose Hikigaya as his conversation partner.

"Yes, yes."

"Then, as Teacher Hiratsuka said, I've come to seek companions who can lend me a hand."

...

A two-person monologue.

While Zaimokuza and Hikigaya were talking, Li Mo picked up the stack of A4 papers on the long table and started reading.

*"White Blade Flash: Phantom Void ~Black Oak Chapter~"*

An incomprehensible light novel title.

Li Mo took a sip of tea and flipped through the pages. This must be what Zaimokuza brought—his manuscript, presumably. From the printed text, it seemed to be a printout.

Well, the title is long, but it's definitely going to flop.

Then Yukinoshita, who was sitting nearby, noticed and asked, "What are you reading?"