Chapter 76 + 77 + Announcement

TLDR: Story is dropped. Read to the end.

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Chap 76

Chapter 76: Don't You Know That I Directly Asked Him To Quit The Society?

In the hallway outside of the library—

"Is there anything you need me to do? Is there any way I can help you keep your spot in the club?"

Although it appeared a rather difficult matter to deal with, Hirata had decided to help his classmate out.

He thought that this may also have been an opportunity to resolve the current class conflict.

"My manager said that if we can persuade the coach, he might be willing to take me back. He told me to go and convince the student council, and then when I went to the student council president, he said that it was Ying Ye Zhenshi's business, and asked me to go and find him. Now about him... If we can get him to come with me to the student council, the president promised to help me convince the coach of the basketball club. At that time, my manager said there would be a better chance of him being persuaded."

Sudou clearly outlined the process and explained it to Hirata.

This made Hirata heave a sigh of relief, since there was at least a way to rescue the situation, no matter how long the process was.

But it also gave him a headache.

'Convince Ying Ye Zhenshi? He will not be that easy to persuade.'

For many of the students in class D, this particular boy's attitude of indifference was clear for all to see.

What's more, Sudou had provoked him more than once before.

There was the incident the other day at the swimming pool, and Hirata couldn't be sure if there were some incidents that had taken place between then and the incident from yesterday.

Plus, Ying Ye Zhenshi had said that he wanted the red-haired boy kicked out of the basketball club.

And this was specifically said in front of the whole class.

A promise dropped in such an environment would be hard to revoke, so the difficulty of this task was not small.

"I'll do my best to help you in any way I can. But Ying Ye-kun is not a very easy person to talk to. If after talking to him, he lays out some conditions, you might feel even worse then."

Hirata still planned to ask Ying Ye Zhenshi about his plans, but he wondered if there might be other ways to handle the situation.

But he was also getting Sudou mentally prepared for some ludicrous terms.

"As long as I can stay in the club, I can accept anything, and I won't ask of him or you for anything in the future. I… I was bad to you before, and I'm sorry."

Sudou Ken's voice coming from the phone quietened down.

Perhaps after having experienced the different attitudes of everyone around him, Sudou had come to realise that it was this classmate of his, Hirata, whom he had been viewing with displeasure all this while, who seemed to be the only one almost like an angel in this cruel world.

"No, no. There's no need to say that. I will help you, and I will find a way to get through to Ying Ye right now. Let's get in touch later. We are all classmates, so I will try my best to persuade him."

After receiving the words of apology, Hirata still smiled gently.

Soon, both parties hung up the phone.

"Is the call finished?"

Ayanokōji Kiyotaka had stood by all this while and listened in on the conversation.

He naturally knew what was going on.

"Yeah, it's just this might be a little troublesome."

Hirata Yosuke had a little headache coming on.

"If it's about that classmate of ours- Ying Ye- I think it might be better to look for Kushida-san as an intermediary. She has known him since the beginning, and the two seem to be very close to each other."

Ayanokouji Kiyotaka casually reminded his classmate, informing Hirata that he should employ his own means as well.

"Kushida-san? I will, thank you."

Hirata Yosuke came back to his senses, thought about the suggestion, and nodded.

If there was Kushida Kikyo by his side to help him, maybe the boy he was approaching would give him some face… probably?

"Although I really want to help, I don't seem to be able to help here much."

Ayanokouji said with a blank expression on his face.

It didn't really look like he wanted to help, and this was just a very perfunctory saying on his part.

"No need. I will come to you if necessary. This smooth exchange with Sudou-san was already thanks to you."

Hirata Yosuke smiled.

It was obviously him who was doing the helping, but he made it seem as though Ayanokouji's contribution was the big deal.

"Let's go back to the library then."

Hirata invited Ayanokōji Kiyotaka to go back before he quietly contacted Kushida Kikyo to come outside with him and have a chat.

"Me? Alright."

Hearing the boy calling her to come out to speak, Kushida directly agreed, and the two left together.

This scene left the students in the study session stunned.

"What's going on here?"

"Is Hirata going to confess?"

"No way, Kushida-san is mine!!"

For the boys and girls who had their brains full of love and romance, this was a disastrous situation.

"Probably not. The two of them don't seem that way at all. Maybe it's about Sudou."

"Wasn't Ayanokōji-san out with Hirata just now?"

Some reasonable people looked at Ayanokouji for an explanation.

"Ayanokōji, what's the matter with Sudou?"

Ike asked frankly.

His tone was a bit like that of a general asking his subordinate a question.

Despite his bad tone, his words managed to attract the attention of the people present.

Hirata and Kushida were two of the most important individuals in their class.

And so, most of the students gathered had focused their attention on Ayanokouji.

"Ah? Well, it seems that there was some trouble on his end, and then Hirata came over and said that he would help, and I ended up handing over the phone to Hirata later. He is looking for Kushida-san now because he needs help with something. I don't know very much about what is going on."

Ayanokōji Kiyotaka's eyes were dull, like that of a scatter-brained person.

The answers he gave were rather unsatisfactory for the gossip-hungry kids.

"What do you mean he is in trouble? What happened? Tell me."

"What's the matter with Sudou? He didn't want to listen to Hirata-san back then, so why is it that when he is in trouble, he thinks of Hirata-san?

"What a disgusting guy, why doesn't this kind of person just drop out of school right away?"

"It's better to tell Hirata-san to ignore him. It's meaningless for such a nuisance to join our study meeting, and it would affect us if he were to join.

"That's right, he should just directly drop out of school."

Chapter 76.2

Hearing all the chatter, each of the students spoke one after another, expressing their grievances.

There was also Ike Kanji's voice mixed in the fray.

Everyone was paying close attention to Sudou's circumstances since not many of them liked this guy.

Even Ike had become a little scared at how much resentment the class felt towards Sudou.

He would have never expected the resentment towards their idiot trio to have been so great.

And this was the general sentiment among most of the individuals in the class too.

If there was really a situation where he found himself on the brink of being kicked out, he realised that there was a real possibility for the class to turn on him.

Anyway, Ayanokōji shook his head pretending to be ignorant of the ongoing situation, and didn't bother to add any more information at this moment in time.

"Karuizawa, what do you think?"

A girl looked at Karuizawa, who had been looking outside the library where Hirata and Kushida had disappeared without saying a word.

"Hm? Well, about Sudou, I don't really care about what happens to him, as long as he doesn't get our class into trouble. As for him dropping out? Well, how long do you think his grades will last before he's expelled anyway?"

Karuizawa said indifferently.

"That's right! There's no point in paying him any attention at all, since after the midterm exam, there will be no more of him in our class."

Others in the study group seemed to also agree with this outcome.

The atmosphere of the students gathered had already excluded the existence named Sudou from their thoughts.

And so, one could only imagine the level of difficulty for Hirata Yosuke to rope in the students gathered here into the same bot as him when the time came.

It could be guessed that this would be a feat no less difficult than having to persuade Ying Ye Zhenshi.

If he handled either of these situations badly, the class could explode.

Outside, Hirata Yosuke was giving a briefing of the situation to Kushida Kikyo, making things clear to her.

"Kicked out of the basketball club? That's too..."

Kushida Kikyo covered her mouth with her small hands as if she couldn't accept the outcome.

In fact, happiness had blossomed in her heart at the fact that the fool who would always hang around Ike had finally suffered.

Ying Ye Zhenshi had finally helped her to persecute one of her targets.

At the same time, she was also thinking about when she should persuade Ying Ye Zhenshi about another matter.

She wanted that bastard to help her get rid of Horikita Suzune.

By now, the taciturn girl's status in the class having risen had already made Kushida very unhappy.

"That's why I came to you for help. Sudou-San cannot be kicked out of the basketball club if we can help it. If this situation is handled well, everyone will definitely become more friendly with each other in the future."

Hirata Yosuke concluded.

"I'll help. So, should we contact Ying Ye-kun?"

Knowing that the threat of being kicked out was real, Kushida Kikyo naturally chose to join in on the fun.

"Yes, let's contact him. It's best to ask him out for a talk, and I'll treat him to dinner."

Hirata Yosuke also seemed to be aware of the practice of treating someone before making a request.

"I will try my best."

Kushida Kikyo nodded.

Then, she took out her phone and started scrolling through her contacts.

Her mobile phone was a treasure trove.

If one wanted to find someone to contact, Kushida probably had their number.

Not only did she have the contacts of most of the first years, but also the second and third years, and even most of the teachers and some other staff members.

Eventually, the phone was dialled.

And on the other end, the call was received.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Ying Ye-kun. It's Kushida."

Kushida Kikyo's lovely voice could be heard through the receiver, and Ying Ye Zhenshi, who had already arrived at the cafeteria and was about to eat, frowned.

'Is there something wrong with this woman?'

But soon, he realised that there was someone besides the girl.

"Kushida-san, if you have something you want to say, just say it."

"Ying Ye-kun, I have something important to tell you face to face. Is it convenient to meet now?"

Kushida Kikyo didn't say what she needed to do directly.

"...I'm in the cafeterias. You can come before I finish eating, and meet me here."

He didn't know what the hell was going on with her, but Ying Ye Zhenshi still gave her a chance.

He looked at the queue of students ahead of him lining up to buy a meal and knew that it would be some time before he was out of the cafeteria.

"Okay, we'll be there soon."

Ying Ye Zhenshi heard the words said quickly, and then she hung up.

'Soon? We? She is not coming alone it seems."

It seemed that this unlucky fellow was going to be involved in something again.

He didn't bother about the fact that Kushida Kikyo was coming, so he went to buy a meal first, otherwise, he would have had to treat her when she came.

The money-saving expert side of him was activated.

And so, Ying Ye Zhenshi went to line up to buy something to eat.

In the school building, Hirata had already listened to Kushida Kikyo who had finished making the phone call.

"We should get going there now. Thank you for your hard work, Kushida-san."

"I don't want this kind of thing to happen to my classmates, otherwise, there will be endless troubles to follow, and it's a good thing if it can be resolved like this."

Kushida Kikyo seemed to exude the brilliance of a cherub angel.

Yosuke Hirata was very pleased that there were still people in the class who thought the same as him.

And about the students in his class, after the two said their goodbyes, they left the school building, leaving the students in the library curious.

And despite being curious, no one specifically messed around or anything.

They were still firmly under the control of Karuizawa, while a tutorial was being given by one of the smarter kids.

In the school canteen—

There were actually a lot of people here.

After all, after school, even if one excluded those who were still taking part in tutoring sessions or going to their clubs, the number of people here was enough to fill up most of the space.

Therefore, Yosuke Hirata and the angel Kushida-Cham had to search for him amongst a sea of people, before they finally found him after a phone call.

"Ying Ye-kun."

Seeing Ying Ye Zhenshi who was eating alone in a corner, Yosuke Hirata stepped forward.

"Hirata-san, we meet again so soon. You will not insist on dragging me to study again, will you?"

Chapter 76.3

Ying Ye Zhenshi didn't have any qualms about meeting with Hirata out of the blue.

"Ying Ye-kun, you've started eating without us!"

Kushida Kikyo plopped right into the seat beside him effortlessly, with a smile on her face.

It would have been hard to imagine what sort of bad thoughts she had in her heart at his nonchalance...

But Ying Ye Zhenshi instinctively felt that the little chick was angry.

He felt that he had overdone it with the Pick-Up Artistry to his own disadvantage, as now he had begun to realise when girls were actually angry despite their outward appearance.

But he could not yet figure out why the bipolar bitch was angry at him most of the time.

"Well, it's because I have to go to exercise later. So if you have anything to say, just say it. I don't have that much time to spare."

Ying Ye Zhenshi was talking while eating.

He didn't put down his food and skip the meal just because people had come to chat.

"Let me not waste time then."

Hirata looked at Kushida and gestured that he wanted to speak up so that he wouldn't be taking advantage of her kindness.

"I'm here because of Sudou."

"Sudou? Didn't I tell you that this morning was already the end of the whole ordeal?"

Ying Ye Zhenshi looked up at Hirata with a strange expression on his face.

But he already knew what was going on.

He was actually feeling very happy in his heart, as it seemed that their classmate Sudou was about to be kicked out of his club.

So, he was soon going to have to say goodbye to his favourite sport basketball.

Ying Ye couldn't help but marvel at how swift the limbs of these seniors of his were, to have executed his wishes so promptly.

"Ah? But now Sudou-san's club wants to make him quit."

Hirata sorted out his words and spoke cautiously.

After all, it was specifically the boy he was speaking to who wanted Sudou kicked out in the first place.

He was keenly aware that it would not be easy to persuade Ying Ye.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, a smile blossomed on Ying Ye's face.

"Oh~ That's something to be happy about. So, are you guys here to tell me the good news? On account of you guys being the bearers of this good news, how about I treat you to dinner? So long as you can fill your stomach with it, order whatever you want!"

Ying Ye Zhenshi sarcastically spoke to Hirata.

It seemed that the tables had turned, and it was now Ying Ye's turn to offer to pay for the food.

"Ying Ye-san, please stop messing around. I came here for Sudou-san's sake. As long as you are willing to help us here, it doesn't matter what you ask of me."

Hirata Yosuke opened his mouth and said cautiously.

But it was useless to be cautious when saying such things, since—

"You're the one messing with me. Don't you already know that I have an 'oh-so-good' relationship with him? Don't you remember that it was me who said I would have him kicked out of the club to everyone in the class?"

Ying Ye Zhenshi seemed to have heard something ridiculous.

His smile had been completely wiped off of his face, as he looked at the boy opposite him expressionlessly.

"Please, Ying Ye-san. Sudou-san likes basketball very much. If he was to be kicked out, then..."

Kushida Kikyo sitting beside Ying Ye also grabbed onto his arm because of the atmosphere and spoke in a cutesy tone.

"Ying Ye-san, we are all in the same class and in this together. He has already learned his lesson. I will ask Sudou-san to apologise to you again later. I'm begging you. I'm begging you to just let him go. If you have anything else you want from us, you can tell me directly. As long as it doesn't endanger the class, and as long as it is within my means, I can help you with anything."

Hirata Yosuke looked at Ying Ye Zhenshi's look of there being nothing to discuss any further and became very anxious.

After Kushida Kikyo's words, he also added his piece.

It appeared that in order to solve Sudou's mess, he would take on some hefty punishment in his place.

"It just looks like you guys are too kind, and this is not a good thing."

Looking at the person pleading with him, Ying Ye Zhenshi smirked.

"Hirata-san, you are really amazing. I don't know how you can do this for such a twat. I have to say that you are indeed a very genuine guy, but I really don't understand where you're coming from. Obviously, without him messing up all the time, this class of ours will actually be better off, don't you think?"

Looking at the way Ying Ye Zhenshi had just said what he did, Hirata Yosuke saw hope in the situation.

"As long as it is for the class, I can do anything. I will be willing to help all of my classmates in class D. That also includes you, Ying Ye-san."

"Well, how about it, huh? What a kind person you are, but ah, it seems I must still refuse."

Ying Ye Zhenshi still chose to refuse.

He could help himself out.

He didn't want to pretend to have reconciled with his classmates like this.

"Why?"

The good-tempered Hirata Yosuke had actually become a little angry at this moment.

The boy had obviously seemed so open to accepting Hirata's plea, so why had he suddenly turned his stance around?

"Why would you even ask why? Didn't you hear what I just said earlier? Don't you recall that it was me who had said I wanted Sudou to be kicked from his club in front of the whole class? I'm sure you remember that, so are you trying to embarrass me by standing here and asking me to take back what I said? Have you considered my feelings in all this? No? Hirata-san. This is a problem between the two of us, so why you are the one who is going around asking me why I won't listen to you, huh? Clearly, this has nothing to do with you."

Ying Ye Zhenshi didn't continue to eat anymore and looked at Hirata with his right hand outstretched.

His whole being was finally giving off an aggressive aura.

"You are the one who intervened so deceitfully in this matter."

"I, I just hope that everyone in the class has a good relationship with each other."

Looking at Ying Ye Zhenshi's annoyed expression, Hirata Yosuke spoke in a low voice.

These words were coming from his heart.

"And the grievances between the two of you can still be resolved. If you have anything you find unacceptable, you can come to me and I will help you resolve it."

"My methods can also resolve the grievances between us, Hirata-san."

Ying Ye Zhenshi spoke confidently, before flicking the cafeteria fork in a disrespectful gesture to shoo the duo away.

Chap 77

Chapter 77: He Was Assaulted From All Sides? / Sober Up

"Returning hate for hate will only multiply the hatred. It will be impossible to truly resolve this matter so harshly, Ying Ye-san. There are other ways to go about resolving your grievances. Whether it's an apology or a demand, as long as you bring it up, I will find a way to get Sudou to agree. Why must you make Sudou leave the basketball club? You can really tell me whatever demands you have of us, and I will definitely try my hardest to satisfy your wishes."

Hirata Yosuke talked endlessly, anxious about having the conversation so abruptly put to an end.

He was, however, being very sincere.

Whether it was an apology, some compensation, or some other thing Ying Ye wished for, he would find a way to fulfil the boy's demands.

However, this ardent attitude of continuing to urge Ying Ye Zhenshi to give in finally made Ying Ye Zhenshi a little angry.

"My request is that I want you to shut up and leave here quickly, and stop thinking about trying to help Sudou out all day. Can you do that for me?"

With the spokes of the fork in Ying Ye Zhenshi's hand standing erect, he pointed the utensil directly at the boy, with his elbow still leaning on the dining table.

His gaze towards Hirata was one displaying his irritation.

Hirata Yosuke's facial expression had become very ugly when he heard these words come out of Ying Ye's mouth, and he couldn't help but feel troubled with how difficult this task he had set out to complete truly was.

It really had him teetering on the edge of giving up.

"I repeat, this matter has nothing to do with you. Or is it that you want to make an enemy of me, Hirata-san?"

Ying Ye Zhenshi looked at the boy scrutinisingly.

"No, no. You are also one of my important classmates in class D. I wouldn't ever want that... I just want class unity and harmony. We can still talk about this. If you have any conditions, you can bring them up. I will satisfy your demands. Whether it be private points or something else, I can find a way to sort it out. I never thought of embarrassing you for a second. It's really not that I didn't want to think about your feelings, and I for sure don't want to be against you in any way. It's just that I really need you to help with this matter. It's all for the sake of the class..."

Hirata Yosuke quickly denied the accusation.

"Even if the entirety of my heart was full of hatred for Sudou and I really wished to kill that boy, do you actually think you get could me to stop what I'm doing? Better yet, do you think you can control the hatred in the hearts of our very own classmates, who by now would have for sure started hating me to the core? I'm sure you're aware that not just one or two of our classmates already hate me, so what will you do about that, huh? What even is there to do?"

Ying Ye Zhenshi was playing with the knife and fork in his hand, while the look on his face was expressionless as if he wasn't going to let them read what was on his mind.

"I can do many things for your sake until they let go of their anger towards you, and I would hope the same from you too. But I will definitely find a way to make them put aside their anger."

Hirata Yosuke spoke seriously.

"But what I most want to happen to them all is make them disappear. I don't just want to have them kicked out of their clubs, but I want them to lose their most precious things, and then I want them expelled from this school like a bunch of bereaved dogs. They, probably just like me, want my personal points, and want me to suffer, maybe more than even me…"

Ying Ye Zhenshi made the situation difficult for Hirata Yosuke.

His plain look was not that of one who was joking.

"This..."

Hirata shook his head.

He didn't even know what to say in response.

"It seems that you can't accomplish any of my demands. By now, you should already have noticed that you can't convince me with anything that comes out of your mouth, and you can't control the feelings in a person's heart. Why would I want to become buddy-buddy with your hypocritical dream of what a class should be? Or do you think you can use violence to persuade me? There are various means you could go about doing so, like brandishing a knife around my neck, and then forcing me into doing what you want, like for example forcing me to stop making trouble with Sudou and the others, or even forcing me to get along with our classmates. That way, you would be able to get me to play house and force me to contribute to the class. Do you have the balls to do something like that, Hirata-san?"

Ying Ye Zhenshi continued to provoke Hirata with even more reckless suggestions, making the usually cheerful and sunny boy feel like he was losing brain cells and becoming autistic.

'Violence? Violence? Is violence the solution to this all?'

"Ying Ye-kun, it is too much for you to say something like that~!"

Seeing Hirata become deflated, Kushida Kikyo spoke hypocritically beside him.

However, when Ying Ye Zhenshi turned his head to look over at her, she became a little scared, and just shut up and didn't continue to say anything.

She just pouted, which would have made anyone that were to look at her think that she was being bullied.

If there were any boys in the cafeteria with a strong sense of justice who saw this sight, they would probably have run over don't to make trouble for Ying Ye.

But in his look, Kushida Kikyo could somehow sense the feelings of Ying Ye Zhenshi.

He seemed to be breaking down into his base form again, as he became stimulated once more, and something akin to his wretched 'desire' had kicked in.

After such a long time of being in contact with him, she had gradually gotten to know this guy better, and so she most certainly had no plans of painting herself a target at this time and inciting his assault.

"Ah sheesh, even if I wanted to finish my meal it seems that they're coming round to clean up the tables now. That was really unsavoury of you. I couldn't even enjoy a good meal alone. It seems that you won't be able to resolve anything, Hirata-san. Whether you intended to act in this way or not, your current actions are as though you're actively persecuting me. But it is not by violence you are doing so, but by your self-sacrificing nature and your well-meaningness that I feel attacked by. In the pursuit of the overall harmony of your so-called precious class which is the most important thing to you, it feels like you are subjugating me and assaulting me with your moral compass. For the sake of the good news you have sent me, I won't make trouble for you but don't bother me again. If you have the time, go and comfort your 'good' classmate. And the last thing I have to say to you. There is no so-called perfection in this world. Perfection itself is a kind of imperfection. This class does also belong to you. So, if you want to build and maintain a good classroom atmosphere, you must find a way to make those who destroy this atmosphere… disappear."

Chapter 77.2

"If you are determined not to lose even a single person, then there will only be one result for you in the end. You will be able to keep ahold of no one. It's as simple as that. It's me, them, or those of us who destroy the harmony of the class. If you really want to create a perfect class for those who will support each other, you will have to make a choice."

As if he didn't want to eat anymore, Ying Ye Zhenshi got up and chose to leave the scene.

He didn't have the heart to continue talking to Hirata, as he basically knew what the idealist would do already.

He didn't hate people like Hirata Yosuke, but, as mentioned earlier, he believed this boy had been assigned to the wrong class.

If he had been in class B instead of D, his efforts would have been much better received.

It was just that, only after having taken a few steps, he was pulled back.

And not by Kushida Kikyo, but by Hirata Yosuke.

"I really didn't mean it like that. I don't want you to feel like I'm targeting you. I just want everyone to be together."

Hirata murmured.

He wanted to say more, but at this moment, he simply had nothing that he could say that would convince Ying Ye Zhenshi.

His pitiful appearance without any bargaining chips had made itself known.

He had originally thought that if he could find a way to persuade Ying Ye to see the bigger picture, he would have had a chance to revoke the punishment for Sudou.

But now, it appeared that this was all a pipe dream.

"We are just strangers who just so happen to have been assigned to the same class. How can we possibly accept everyone in it? It's unreasonable for a normal person to think like you. I can accept some of them, but I can't accept everyone. Everyone thinks this way, do you understand? Many people's relationships only ever make it to the level of a friend of a friend. Hirata, I don't actually hate you. You are the kind of person who I think is excellent, capable and talented, and will take action when necessary, and even sacrifice for others. That's all pretty good and all. I had even thought that if we could have known each other back in middle school, we might actually have had a pretty good relationship, but now, it feels like it is too late. There are already problems with your personality, and so are there with mine. We have gone on different paths. You can't find it within you to refuse to help anyone in our class and I can't tolerate those people who I don't like. So long as I have the opportunity, I will have them punished and make them disappear from this school. We are fated to be at odds in that sense and so we cannot work together. I don't know how this would work towards achieving your so-called class harmony. I don't know where your issues stem from, but I know where mine are from. The joy of youth can heal a person for a lifetime, and the pain of youth can heal a person for a lifetime. But we all need a lifetime to heal ourselves…" [T/N: What the hell LOL??"]

Ying Ye Zhenshi looked at Hirata and spoke seriously, as he slowly pushed Hirata, who had grabbed ahold of his arm, away from him.

Soon, a smile began to form on his face, and he appeared as amiable as Hirata would have usually been.

But he then said something that made Hirata feel uncomfortable inside.

"Since you like to help others out so much, why don't you let me help you too? I think you need just as much help as the others. I think there is a way that you can be saved from yourself. I think I have just the cure. Only after you have been triggered enough, will you finally come to understand that your so-called persistence is nothing more than that."

Hirata's belief in maintaining class harmony was bordering on levels of paranoia, and Ying Ye Zhenshi could feel it too.

He was serious about what he had just said to the boy.

They didn't actually have any hatred for each other, and he even happened to like such a personality.

But he couldn't take his antics anymore, just like he had finally snapped at Kushida before.

At first, he had thought that Kushida was similar to the boy behind him.

But the current Hirata, unless he became as tainted as Kushida Kikyo and accepted Ying Ye's way of life, was destined to walk on another path.

"What did you just say? What are you planning to do, Ying Ye-kun?"

Yosuke Hirata felt something was wrong and couldn't understand what was up.

'Why is it like this? Since we don't hate each other and have no enemies, why is it that we can't work together? Why is he being like this?'

To Hirata, it appeared that Ying Ye Zhenshi was aware that someone like him liked to help others, but he couldn't understand why Ying Ye had adopted the mindset of giving up some people and just helping others through.

Naturally, the time and energy spent helping those who were lagging behind could lead to tangible results and a more level playing field for the whole class.

Hirata Yosuke couldn't understand why Ying Ye Zhenshi seemed to have marked everyone with a label, and then displayed a variety of attitudes towards the different groups.

And he was very extreme in his approach since many of the students in their class had very bad attitudes too.

Even if he already knew it by now, many of the students in class D had some sort of tainted history, especially those who appeared so 'perfect'.

Either something special (bad) had been done by them in the past, or they had a personality defect.

Even though he already knew that Ying Ye Zhenshi was a person with a special past and a problematic personality, he still couldn't understand why Ying Ye acted this way.

'Why did you label our classmates in Class D from the very beginning? And why did you label Sudo, Ike, and Yamauchi as those you want to be kicked out?'

He could tell that even Chabashira-sensei, and he himself had been given a label.

Anyone who had interacted with him was labelled and judged.

He instinctively felt that this was not a good thing to do.

"I want you to come to a good decision. Whether you want to be my enemy or not, this is just the beginning of what I am planning. As for what I am going to do, as I said just now, I not only want Sudou to be kicked out of the basketball club, but I also want Sudou, Ike, and that weasel Yamauchi to lose their most precious things, and then have them leave like a bunch of bereaved dogs. Only with that will I finally be satisfied. But if that were to happen, naturally, that would conflict with your so-called class harmony. Of course, this is also meant as the strong medicine I am offering you. If you can bear it and accept what I am doing, the others will still have a future at this school. If you can't though… hehehe~"

Chapter 77.3

Ying Ye Zhenshi looked at Hirata while saying words that made the boy feel even more broken inside.

That smile of his had already made Hirata feel heart palpitations.

The person in front of him didn't appear as though a normal human, nor did he display the smile of a normal human.

Instead of the expected solemnity, there was an excitement present within his pupils.

Such a sight, to just associate it with the current situation, was already quite unacceptable to Hirata.

"You can't do that! Why do you have to use them as a lesson?"

Hirata's facial expression seemed to have gone ugly.

There was none of his usual gentleness.

"Worrying about their future is not what you should be thinking about right now. You don't have the time to think about what I am planning to do. The only thought that should be in your head is about what you are going to do. Is it that you want to be my enemy? For example, by having me expelled and dropped out of this school…"

Walking close to the still figure, with his head approaching close to the boy's ear, Ying Ye Zhenshi spoke softly—

"As long as you make me drop out of this school, you can keep them, and then become the hero who saves the class. Maybe you can actually accomplish your initial goal and help everybody in the class. Just sacrificing myself alone will be enough to achieve this outcome. Naturally, you don't have to treat me as a member of the class and have me dropped without any feelings of guilt. I have already prepared the best excuse for you. After all, I have long since rejected Class D. I even made deals with the other classes behind the class's back. There is even the fact that leaving for class A is on the table, so everyone knows that my interests have been maximized at class D's expense. I am the most dangerous existence in this class. The entire class D may be kicked into the hellfire by me at any moment. Then I might just take all the spoils, stepping on the corpses of class D as my stepping stones, and walk towards where I have said I plan to go."

"No, no, I don't want you to drop out either. That's all I want. Do you really have to take things to such an extent?"

The words that came from his ear were statements that Hirata could not possibly accept.

Hirata took a step back as if he had been listening in on something scary.

He didn't want to listen to it anymore, and he didn't dare to think about it anymore, but the words were stuck in his head.

Looking at Ying Ye Zhenshi with trepidation in his eyes, what Ying Ye Zhenshi had said kept reverberating within his mind.

It was constantly bouncing around, interspersed with the circumstances of his class from when he was still in junior high school.

He recalled his strange class that had been torn apart, had the life squeezed out of it, and finally forcibly disbanded.

And then he recalled his friend who was seriously injured and admitted to the hospital because of his own indecision.

'And yet again, will anyone else get hurt because of me? Will it be the whole class this time? Am I going to stand by and do something? Or will I just do nothing again?'

"I must do this, Hirata. I can't be convinced by your words alone. I can also tell you that I am not afraid of any excuses you might have lined up. If you want me to disappear from this class, it's as easy as making me drop out of this school. Or you can even use all the means available to prevent me from being an enemy of yours. If you want to become friends with me, then don't stop me from doing what I want to do. Make the right decision."

Ying Ye Zhenshi looked at his indecisive look, with an interested smile on his face.

'As expected, everyone has some sort of heart demons. Only when it's laid out simply before them does all of their indecisiveness come out, and do I realise the normal kids are not so normal after all."'

"If you don't intervene in my plans, it will just be between me and those guys. When the class doesn't have anyone that I hate in it anymore, we might be able to work together in the future to bring it to new heights. If you intervene though, it'll be me against the whole class."

The class did not matter to Ying Ye.

Those who supported him and those who were on his side, as long as they never betrayed him, he would not betray them or the class.

But if anyone was to betray him, he would make them suffer, whoever they were.

"Like the people in the study group around you, like her— Kushida, like Karuizawa who is studying alongside you, and those little girls who like you: I will make them cry when I have them kicked out of this school, all because of your decision."

After sharpening the knife one statement after the other, Kushida, who had been watching the show and not talking all this while, was left stunned, as she hadn't expected the blade to be pointed towards her all of a sudden.

She reacted and displayed a very frightened expression.

At this moment, she could really feel the abnormality of this situation.

She understood that her classmate Hirata was being toyed around with, and whatever insecurity and indecision that came about from his past was haunting him now.

It appeared that he had been seen through by Ying Ye and was being mentally bullied to a miserable state.

Thinking about her own circumstances, she didn't seem so miserable after all.

'Hey, we are not together! Why are you attacking me too? How are you even saying you will go after everyone who antagonises you right in front of their faces? You are just being a child, so sober up. You already have a wonderful girlfriend like me. Oh right, it seems there's also Chabashira sensei who is also going after him too, huh?'

Kushida Kikyo thought of what he had said earlier.

The words he mentioned about working 'together' made her mind drift off to thinking about some corrupt genres that girls would usually fantasise about: the fujoshi genre.

It was too exciting a thought.

She thought of a situation where the troublesome boy forced himself to attack Hirata.

Right now, he was just being ruthless to Hirata as a front to get closer to him.

She couldn't help but recall how Chabashira sensei had also gone after Ying Ye too, so she wondered if there was actually something going on between them behind the scenes.

Kushida Kikyo was full of such crooked thoughts and had entered a delirious state as though she was watching a drama unfolding before her.

"Goodbye for now. Give it some thought, Hirata-san. Whether it is a class with few people, a class without me, or a class that will be divided, it is an easy choice to make. There is no option to pursue perfection."

While backing away, he admired the broken look on Yosuke Hirata's face, showing one last smile before leaving behind the two individuals mulling over their own thoughts.

Chap 78 (Only half of this chap)

Chapter 78: Everyone In Class Is Flawed?

The three students from the same class had finally ended their conversation.

The participants of which being two first-year celebrities— Kushida Kikyo and Hirata Yosuke— and lastly Ying Ye Zhenshi who appeared as though a bully.

They had attracted many other students' attention towards them, and Ying Ye Zhenshi, who knew about the duo's dilemma now, had no intention to continue being treated like a circus monkey standing around with them.

"Oh? Isn't this class D's Ying Ye-san? Good evening. Are you bullying your classmates here? Or are your classmates the ones being troublesome?"

Ying Ye Zhenshi had left the earlier conversation, but within just a few steps, someone else approached him and struck up a conversation, while pointing toward the duo behind him.

It seemed that she had sensed Ying Ye Zhenshi's determined behaviour, and figured he had been involved in a confrontation, so he hadn't let up the attitude.

In front of Ying Ye was a beautiful girl with soft and fluffy silver hair and purple pupils.

She had fair skin and a lovable appearance.

That cute appearance of hers appeared to be like that of an alien fairy-like existence— as if she had materialised from some unimaginable place.

She held a cane firmly in her grasp as if she wouldn't be able to support herself without it.

Such a cute little girl did not lose out on any points because of the cane.

On the contrary, it only added to the delicate bearing of hers which made others feel moved, and made them want to protect her and hold her in their arms.

Of course, this was just a thought of most, as they knew if they dared to do something like that, they would most certainly be beaten down.

"We have already met. I am Arisu Sakayanagi from the first year Class A."

Arisu Sakayanagi introduced herself.

Behind her was a tall girl who was also very cute, but appeared a bit cold.

Her long, purple hair with a few hair clips holding it all in place displayed the beauty of the girl for all to marvel at.

Her purple pupils looked at Ying Ye Zhenshi cautiously, as if she was observing some villain who would, at any moment, try to assault the little girl she was following behind.

Her slender and poised frame gave off the demeanour of someone raised in luxury, which was only accentuated by the long pit of thigh-high black socks which reached up to her thighs.

Both of these girls had very different styles, but there was no doubt that they were both beautiful girls.

"Did you take a fancy to this girl, Ying Ye? Her name is Masumi Kamuro, and she is also a member of Class A. If you are interested, I can give you her mobile phone number. I am sure she will not refuse."

Seeing Ying Ye Zhenshi sizing up the two of them, and blatantly scanning Masumi Kamuro, Sakayanagi smiled cutely and waved her little hand back and forth.

Although she hadn't spoken a word, Ying Ye Zhenshi could feel that the expression of the beautiful girl behind Sakayanagi had become even colder, and the atmosphere around her seemed to have dropped several degrees.

Her purple eyes stared intently at him as if to say— 'if you dare to accept, then you are dead meat.'

But she herself didn't say a word in refusal.

It seemed that this was because there was something preventing her from refusing Sakayanagi's statement.

"Good evening to the two of you from Class A."

Ying Ye Zhenshi replied casually.

Since they already knew his name, there was no need for him to introduce himself.

"Is there a problem?"

"You are very straightforward Ying Ye. Whether it be the way you came to our class before or this time. Anyway, it's nothing much. I just found you here randomly, so I came to say hello."

Arisu Sakayanagi looked at Ying Ye Zhenshi while speaking.

"So that's how it is. Since we've said our hellos, I'll be leaving then. The two of you can enjoy your meal."

Ying Ye Zhenshi waved his hand, planning to bid farewell and leave the duo be.

"Wait a minute. Since we have had the chance to meet, why don't we have a chat?"

Arisu Sakayanagi didn't intend to let him just leave like this it seemed.

"Sakayanagi-san, if you have anything to say, just say it straight since I still have something to do."

Ying Ye Zhenshi hadn't fallen so low to the point where he couldn't walk fine when he met a cute girl.

Although the girl was indeed quite cute, he could also tell that the girl had a difficult personality to deal with.

Otherwise, the rest of Class A wouldn't have fallen into her step so obediently.

He hadn't seemed to notice it when he had gone to Class A the last time.

As a comparison, if the difficulty of dealing with class D, as it was, was nil, then he guessed that dealing with class A would probably be at least existent.

If he was not careful, accidents could potentially occur when dealing with them.

"You're really heartless, Ying Ye. I just wanted to make friends with you. If you actually have something to do, then I won't bother you any more. Let's just exchange our contact information. I will contact you in the future if you have nothing to do. We can exchange information about the school, and then we can do the things that normal high school students should do. Also, I will give you Kamuro's number too so you can have fun with her."

Sakayanagi used her contact as a form of seduction, while also limping Masumi Kamuro along with her in the exchange.

However, the intended effect was mediocre, as Ying Ye Zhenshi didn't respond so enthusiastically.

"Also, when do you plan to move to Class A? Everyone is waiting to welcome you very eagerly. I believe you have also fully grasped the rules of this school. Class D has no future. If you have any difficulties in switching, you can tell us, and we can help you collect the remaining points needed to transfer."

Sakayanagi Yusu smiled softly.

She also looked behind Ying Ye Zhenshi, where Hirata had gotten a little closer, and had just about heard what Sakayanagi Ayusu had said without trying to hide the topic.

Now, he was looking at their group with a very complicated look on his face.

With Kushida Kikyo by his side, he thought they would have carried out their task well, but here they were watching these two students try to recruit their own classmate into Class A.

"Then let's exchange numbers. And about Class A, we'll talk about it later~."

Ying Ye Zhenshi didn't refuse to exchange mobile phone numbers either, as it would be great to save some money if he needed to 'borrow' points from class A in the future.

Chapter 78.2

He didn't want to take any hasty or drastic measures for the time being by transferring to another class.

His points hadn't been completely credited to his balance yet, and he had not yet dealt with the kids in his class who had been asking for a beating.

Most importantly, the 20 million cost of transferring was too expensive a requirement.

For now, he was just putting on a front of receptivity to the move.

What he had told Kushida Kikyo previously was not a joke after all.

He was going to be entering the world of adults sooner or later, and so he couldn't be making childish decisions anymore, and so he had to plan for his future.

He reckoned that he might be able to tap into a few of the talents that were enrolled at this school, on top of saying a sum of points to start his own business later.

As far as he was aware, it was impossible to work part-time at this school, and it was not like he actually wanted time work part time anyway.

But Ying Ye Zhenshi was still very concerned about what he would do for a profession, so he had already started planning his 100 ways to kill the final boss from the first day. [T/N: Plans A, B and C for after High school.]

At this school, he'd made money without even having to work a day, and he had even made the lives of so many of his year-mate's so much easier.

He was such a kind person.

Regarding his immediate future, Ying Ye Zhenshi wondered about what would happen should he go bankrupt all of a sudden.

Right now, he could approximate his net worth to be that of a small bank in this institution.

Such an amount of points would be something owned by a criminal or someone who had abused the system somehow.

Anyway, with his ability, it was certainly impossible for him to go bankrupt, and there would probably have to be a conspiracy behind his loss of points if he ever did lose it.

"Then let's leave it for now. I'm sure we'll have the chance to meet sometime in the future."

After having successfully obtained the contacts of the two beautiful girls, Ying Ye Zhenshi left without fanfare.

Although her voice had still been very gentle with a smile on her face, as he was leaving, he could already tell that the little girl had become angry.

In seemed that these past few days of Kushida-sensei's lessons had not been in vain.

His pick-up-artistry sessions seemed to result in him now suffering from success.

He had no intentions of having so much contact with the girl now, and there were other considerations he made when choosing to leave so promptly.

'Isn't the leader of Class A that big, bald Katsuragi? Since these two guys have made contact with me, was it their own idea or Katsuragi's plans? Or has there been a new change in Class A I am not yet aware of?'

Ying Ye Zhenshi was brainstorming the possibilities.

He had once thought that Class A was a harmonious class.

But now it appeared that there may have been an incident that occurred, and so he would have to investigate it some other time.

"What should we do, Hirata-san?"

The disappearing figure of Ying Ye Zhenshi left her view as Kushida Kikyo asked Hirata how to proceed.

Arisu Sakayanagi looked at Yosuke Hirata and Kikyo Kushida for a moment, but left without saying hello in the end.

These two people she would just investigate secretly later.

"What to do, huh? Yeah, what should I do?"

Yosuke Hirata could feel a headache coming on.

His expression was gloomy and he appeared uncertain.

He evidently hadn't recovered from what Ying Ye Zhenshi had said just now.

All along, he had been rejected many times by his classmates.

He had never actually met such a straightforward and aggressive peer before.

And Hirata looked confused, with an uncertain expression making Kushida next to him feel a little worried.

Yosuke Hirata really has had his own issues too.

"Is everyone is class D truly a bunch of flawed products?"

It made Kushida feel like she was much more normal than she once thought.

There was even the likes of Ying Ye Zhenshi in her class, and Kushida felt that she was at least less of a crazy nutter than him.

Once someone attacked him and violated his bottom line, Ying Ye would bite like a vicious dog.

This had been the same he had shown to her before, and the same with Chabashira sensei too, who had stimulated him a little too much, causing him to directly lash out in anger toward their homeroom teacher in front of the whole class.

And currently Hirata Yosuke was almost forcing him to accept Sudou even though it was the others who had obviously offended him in the first place.

Kushida didn't think that the boy was joking about what he had said just now.

'Will Class D really have to fall apart?'

If this was to be the case, she would inevitably also be subjected to a period of much headaches.

Looking at Hirata, who had been unable to think of what to do still, Kushida Kikyo gently reminded him where they were.

"Well, let's go back for now, and then we'll see if we want to tell Sudou-san and the other students about what happened. It would be a good thing to ask the smart students for some help, such as Horikita-san. Although she has always maintained a cold attitude towards the class, whenever Karuizawa-San goes to ask for some help, she will accept. She is clearly a person who is cold on the outside and kind on the inside. There is nothing wrong with looking for her, and she is so smart, so maybe she will have a way."

Kushida Kikyo couldn't help promoting Horikita Suzune's to Hirata to come and aid them.

She hoped that the girl would cooperate with Hirata, and then be forced to drop out of school by having her attacked by Ying Ye Zhenshi, which would be great.

——————

T/N:

As of 1/12/23, COTE:MFS has been dropped.

I am deeply apologetic for this sudden announcement, but I have found myself in a position where the time-benefit just is not lucrative enough to be continuing this venture. I understand that having undertaken this work in the first place, I should have known that the return might have been an issue, but it's only now that I'e received an offer to do something else that I realise the hours spent doing this aren't lucrative enough.

I am extremely apologetic for those who expected this story to be seen right through to the end.

Please could you cancel your billing cycle for this tier. If any payments are processed since this announcement has been made, I endeavour to refund these payments.

Please insult me all you want in the comments!

Regarding where you can read an MTL of this story:

https://mtlnation.com/novel/practical-teaching-ying-ye-zhenshis-strength-first-classroom

I understand this only goes up to chaoter 96. There are hundreds of RAW chapters however, so if you join the mtlnation discord server:

https://discord.gg/mtlnation

From there you can sort out reading the remainder.

Apologies once again!

This is CountPingus, Out.