join p atreon.com/KeyofStars for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr
"No, even if I'm willing, Yukino definitely won't agree, right?"
Asakura raised the script in his hand, a bit speechless. "How is this different from making her eat charity food? Someone as proud as her won't lower her dignity."
"One can only say that where there's a will, there's a way. After all, Hiratsuka is a bit at her wit's end and had to come to me in the end."
Amakusa Shino took another sip of tea to moisten her throat and said, "Yukino is unyielding. If she could maintain her previous high standards, it would be fine, but recently she seems to be constantly distracted in class, and her previous academic test scores have dropped a lot. Hiratsuka is afraid that her symptoms will worsen, which is why she entrusted us to help. We don't ask for much, just hope her mental state can stabilize."
Asakura hadn't paid much attention to Yukino recently. Hearing that her condition seemed not so good, his first reaction was to immediately take a taxi to her and mock her face-to-face.
Then Asakura came back to his senses: No matter what, I now have a car, so I don't need to take a taxi… No, before that, Yukino should still be at school, so there's no need to run out.
Asakura actually had some understanding of Yukino's situation before. Simply put, after her worldview shattered, she hadn't been able to fully piece it back together yet, and he didn't know if she was better now—no matter what, when they were in the club room earlier, the girl had seemed very normal.
"…I can only say I'll try to invite her, but it probably won't succeed. Be prepared—" Asakura decided after a moment of thought.
No matter what, the reality of supernatural powers existing in this world had shattered Yukinoshita Yukino's worldview, and it had genuinely affected the girl's normal life.
Since that was the case, there was nothing to hesitate about.
Not deleting Yukinoshita Yukino's memories in the past was purely because Asakura didn't have such advanced techniques at that time.
But now it was different. After understanding the true application of the Magic [Candle], burning memories was like child's play (although precise operation was still a bit tricky, and he might burn off a bit of other memories), so he could go back and mend the fold.
He planned to have a good talk with Yukinoshita Yukino. If those supernatural events she experienced in the past were only causing her distress, then he would simply burn the memories in the girl's mind, letting her revert to that ice-cold beauty, Yukinoshita Yukino.
"That's great, I'll leave everything to you, Asakura!" Amakusa Shino, relieved of the burden Hiratsuka had thrown at her, left cheerfully.
Only Asakura remained, casually flipping through the script in his hand again before getting up to look for the young lady.
However, after searching the old school building used as the club building without finding any trace of Yukinoshita Yukino, Asakura had to run to the playground. Only then did he see Yukinoshita Yukino in the corner of the courtyard, alone, setting up a simple single stage.
These small outdoor stages were prepared for students who hadn't signed up to perform at the Founders' Festival—or, more precisely, for students who had already decided to perform at the Founders' Festival.
The songs they were practicing were almost certainly going to be performed on the Founders' Festival stage and could not be revealed at the Founders' Festival. However, they would also feel dissatisfied with a situation like the Founders' Festival where others could perform but they had to hold back.
After friendly and harmonious communication with the Student Council, the Student Council planned to set up some of these mini-stages in the courtyard, allowing these students to also go up and have their fun. At the same time, it would also allow some alumni returning to revisit their old haunts to feel the vitality of youth, rather than the lifeless feeling of past Founders' Festivals.
These mini-stages were actually quite rudimentary. The main body of the stage was made of strong plastic boxes put together, covered with a layer of non-slip cloth, with speakers set up next to it, and a solid-color backdrop behind it, forming a basic stage.
However, because no one else was helping, Yukinoshita Yukino seemed to be struggling a bit with the setup.
"Why don't you ask others for help?" Asakura watched for a moment, then couldn't help but walk over and ask, while helping the girl lift a dead-heavy plastic box.
"Things I can do myself, I don't need to trouble others with—" the girl said, looking at Asakura with a somewhat complex expression.
"But if other problems arise because of such stubbornness, or even if you injure yourself, wouldn't it become not worth it?" Asakura tried to look into the girl's eyes, hoping to see some kind of pie chart, but unfortunately, his skill wasn't enough, and he couldn't see anything.
"I know what I'm doing."
"Then, excuse me, Yukinoshita, who knows what she's doing, besides that harmonica, do you have any other performances planned for your two programs?" Asakura asked.
The girl was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Of course I do."
"Oh?" Asakura raised an eyebrow, looking at her with a surprised expression.
Yukinoshita Yukino uncomfortably avoided Asakura's gaze.
"Are you interested in performing a stage play?" Asakura took out the script prepared by Amakusa Shino. "Amakusa said that if the Magic Club and the Service Club perform a stage play together, it can count as one activity for each of our clubs."
"There's no need for that—" Yukino flatly refused Asakura's invitation, as expected.
"If it were the old Yukino, I'd probably just put away the script and leave—" Asakura gazed at the girl's face, then shook his head. "But the current you, no."
"Huh? Suddenly making such a strange statement to me… Do you want to argue?" Yukinoshita Yukino's eyes sharpened. Only now did she look like the sharp-edged person Asakura first met.
"No, what I mean is, the past Yukinoshita Yukino, though inexplicably haughty, was indeed quite capable. She could come up with solutions and execute them after calm and rational thought for most problems… But now, Yukino, even if I'm not good at this, I can tell that your demeanor is too different from before. It's like an adventurer who took an arrow to the knee. Has your mindset changed?"
"You have the nerve to ask…" Yukinoshita Yukino looked at Asakura, silently sighing.
"Wait a minute, could it be…" A flash of inspiration hit Asakura. "Is it because you couldn't enter the Clubroom, felt excluded by Yui and me, and so you're feeling lonely?"
As he spoke, his gaze towards Yukinoshita Yukino softened—that look, filled with pity, made the girl shiver involuntarily.
"That's not it at all—" Yukino gritted out. "I just… I just…"
As she spoke, she became somewhat lost.
Was it the shock and awe caused by seeing the true nature of the world? Or the emptiness of seeing supernatural power but having no connection to it herself? Or simply the frustration of gaining a more personal understanding of her own powerlessness?
Now, even she herself was a little confused.
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr