144. Do you dislike gentle girls?

Jiang Yu paused, surprised, and stepped aside to lean against the nearby shop, clearing the path. He then opened the link Honoka Kosaka had sent him.

After a brief loading moment, a rather familiar page appeared before his eyes—the official LoveLive! competition website. Previously, he had tried searching there for the idol rankings of μ’s.

The homepage flickered briefly before redirecting to a subpage dedicated solely to μ’s. Within the forum section, there was an anonymously uploaded video.

Reading the title of the video, Jiang Yu blinked in curiosity and tapped to open it.

The screen displayed footage of the girls performing in the auditorium of Otonokizaka Academy from their last event. It was clearly an edited version with good filming quality.

So, who could it be?

Naturally, this question arose in Jiang Yu’s mind. Not to mention, his family didn’t own a camera—such quality was certainly beyond a mere phone recording—and at the time, due to his physical condition and fuzzy head, he hadn’t given it much thought when he went to the meeting.

Now, looking back, he felt a twinge of guilt. He had promised to help them, but in the end, he merely went to support one person, never considering recording video to help promote them…

Sighing softly, Jiang Yu shook his head and began pondering the matter.

First, although it might be unfair to say this about the group of girls, the auditorium was not crowded. Apart from him, an outsider from another school, there was likely no one else present from outside Otonokizaka Academy.

Second, the uploader must be someone skilled—or at least passionate—about photography, and their home must have the necessary equipment. Also, since no one else noticed during the entire event, this person must be very familiar with the venue.

Now, with all that said… wait, why am I playing detective here?

Jiang Yu clicked his tongue. Compared to brooding alone, it would be much simpler to just ask directly.

So…

Tosu: “It wasn’t me who uploaded it~ Do you guys have any clues?”

Honoka: “Not at all… I even asked Mika and the others, but they all denied it.”

Tosu: “The uploader probably means no harm, right? In that case, no need to pursue it… Besides, maybe this is actually your very first fan~ (laughs)”

Honoka: “Ah—! Really? That’s wonderful! Everyone, we have a fan now! @All Members”

Maki: “...Honoka-senpai, can you stop jumping at every little thing?”

Umi: “...Honoka, did you finish your homework today?”

Honoka: “Ah—! Hehe… well…”

Umi: “You haven’t been playing with your phone all this time, have you? That’s way too careless!”

Honoka: “I’m going to do my homework now, you guys keep talking!”

Tosu: “...”

Smiling wryly and shaking his head, Jiang Yu thought to himself: it seems there’s always someone who can keep Honoka Kosaka in check—like Umi Sonoda, who always manages to scare her a little.

“Um… excuse me, do you need anything?” Suddenly, a voice came from behind. Jiang Yu turned his head to see a staff member from the shop he was leaning against.

“Sorry, nothing,” Jiang Yu quickly apologized, pocketed his phone, stepped away from the door, and resumed his walk home.

The mysterious video uploader, huh? This just got interesting.

…

After returning home and taking a shower, Jiang Yu habitually carried a glass of barley tea into his bedroom. Although his younger sister, Tsuchimikado Ume, was playing games in the living room as usual, her recently normal routine had eased much of his worry.

He glanced at the still inexplicably active group chat on LINE with the girls and smiled, deciding not to interrupt their conversation.

He casually placed his phone on the desk, sat down, and turned on his computer. Amid the faint hum of the machine, the screen lit up quickly. After entering his PIN with practiced fingers, an unfamiliar anime character appeared.

Using quick access, he opened the document for “Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai.” Rubbing his fingers that had just played piano, he prepared to continue his journey.

In fact, these two activities were essentially the same—one weaving melodies, the other weaving stories.

Looking over the last half-chapter of volume two, Jiang Yu exhaled softly and began to write.

Yesterday, he had just finished the conversation between the teacher and Shizuka, and what came next was the famous line that had inspired countless fans into becoming springtime scholars, joyously joining the stock market frenzy—only to lose everything.

“If reality is cruel, then lies are definitely gentle.”

“Therefore, gentleness is a lie.”

“Gentle people are always kind to everyone, but they often think they are only gentle to themselves.”

“So, I will always hate gentle girls.”

As he wrote, Jiang Yu smiled bitterly. The corners of his mouth twitched; his eyes shimmered as if trying to dissolve the bitterness with a smile, but in the end, it all showed on his face, forming a rather unpleasant expression.

Does it resonate? It should. Perhaps every boy suffering from second-year high school syndrome sees some part of himself in the teacher. Then, they wishfully think: that’s me! And spiral further into their own darkness.

But reality is never light. Even if you think you’re Hachiman Hikigaya, you don’t have Yukinoshita Yukino or Yuigahama Yui by your side.

Those who compare themselves to the teacher often find, in the end, they are merely Yamato Takeru. And if they do not even hold onto their own dreams, they are just Sagami Minami.

Most people are just one among the masses. We are all fish swimming upstream in the river of time. A few fish harbor dreams and strive ceaselessly, finally leaping up to see magnificent vistas. Most fish, however, simply go with the current and return to the sea.

That is the charm of the teacher. You may never want to become him, but you certainly want a friend like that. Someone who holds fast to their beliefs—right or wrong—and lights your path as you move forward. What a fortunate thing that would be.

Lost in thought, Jiang Yu completed the entire second volume of “Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai.” As usual, he would make some minor revisions later, but overall, he would still follow the framework written by Wataru Watari.

“You… you really are full of negativity,” he muttered with a light laugh, twisting open his barley tea and gulping it down to soothe his already parched throat.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, accompanied by a soft voice:

“Brother? Can I come in?”