Chapter 11: Yubihama's Visit
"Is that so..." Yukinoshita fell into an unusual silence after hearing that.
"Didn't Spider-Man also say, 'With great power comes great responsibility'? After all, 'when poor, one should be self-sufficient; when prosperous, one should help the world.' Although I can't really do that to such an extreme," Duan Shiqi suddenly began speaking eloquently.
[Note: A quote from Mencius, Part of Mind (Jin Xin).]
"Looking through history, Confucianism advocates 'cultivating oneself, managing one's family, ruling the country, and bringing peace to the world'; the Mohists say 'those with strength should help others in need, those with wealth should share it, and those with wisdom should teach others'; even Taoism teaches 'the highest good is like water, water benefits all things without competing.'"
[Note 1: From The Book of Rites, The Great Learning.]
[Note 2: From Mozi, The Exhortation of the Worthy (Part 2).]
[Note 3: From Tao Te Ching, Chapter 8.]
"Excellent people are burdened with much, so how can they not suffer, not be in pain?" Duan Shiqi seemed to lose himself in the moment.
Indeed, he knew the saying, "Don't advise others to do good unless you've shared their suffering," and he also knew he was a bit "over-sympathizing" with others. In fact, he originally just wanted to complain about the twisted nature of the world, but without realizing it, the topic had shifted to something else.
"..."
Yukinoshita stared at Duan Shiqi in surprise for a long while, then let out a deep sigh, "This is unexpected. I've been educated by you..."
"Most of what you said isn't wrong, and I'm not against the idea that 'with greater ability comes greater responsibility.' I just think that excellent people shouldn't bear these kinds of malicious things..."
"Although you sound a bit too detached... At least it's much better than some people who just eat and wait for death..." Yukinoshita glanced over at Hikigaya.
"I... really dislike your idea of accepting weakness," Yukinoshita added.
It seemed like she had decided that he wasn't socially anxious...
At this moment, Hikigaya was already left dumbfounded by Duan Shiqi's grandiose, "lofty" speech.
[Note: This idiom describes a broad and thorough understanding of things, able to look at issues from a high and macro perspective. It originates from Records of the Grand Historian, The Annals of Emperor Gaozu.]
Wait, what's going on here? Is this really the Duan Shiqi I know? Did they switch him out? "The cat switched for the prince?" No, wait, that's more like "The prince switched for the cat"...
[Note: This refers to the famous historical story from the Song Dynasty about the emperor's birth being swapped with another.]
...
Soon, the club fell into silence again. Everyone seemed to be doing their own thing, not interfering with one another.
Suddenly, there was a faint knocking at the door, signaling the first visitor for the service club.
"Come in," Yukinoshita said without looking up, neatly marking her place with a book sign before responding.
"Sorry to bother you," came a voice, a bit high-pitched and nervous.
A girl slightly opened the door, slipping through the small gap, as if not wanting to be seen doing so.
She had shoulder-length wavy brown hair, and with every step, her hair swayed. Her gaze kept darting around, like she was checking the surroundings. When she made eye contact with Hikigaya, she let out a small squeal.
Duan Shiqi looked up at her, quickly recognizing her: Yubihama Yuigahama, a member of the second-year F class's "happy-go-lucky" group.
Yubihama looked just like any typical high school girl. She wore a short skirt, with three unbuttoned buttons on her long-sleeve shirt, revealing a slight chest that wore a heart-shaped pendant. Plus, her brown-dyed hair screamed disregard for school rules.
"The shy boy is here?!" she said, sounding surprised.
"...I'm a member of this club," Hikigaya muttered, his muscles twitching in frustration. Is she calling me the shy boy? Who is this person?
"Huh? Duan-kun is also a member here?" Yubihama seemed surprised upon noticing Duan Shiqi.
"Yes," Duan Shiqi replied simply, as he wasn't very familiar with her.
Hikigaya felt even more confused, not expecting that Yubihama would recognize Duan Shiqi.
Then, he noticed the red ribbon on her chest.
At Seizong High, the ribbon color distinguishes the grade level, and red signifies second-year students.
"Well then, please have a seat," Hikigaya said, standing up and pulling out a chair for her.
"Th-Thank you..." Yubihama hesitated but eventually sat down.
Yukinoshita, sitting across from her, locked eyes with her, "You're Yubihama Yuigahama, right?"
"Y-You know me?" Yubihama brightened up at being called by name.
"Impressive... You wouldn't have memorized all the students' names, would you?" Hikigaya mumbled, belatedly realizing.
"Not at all. I don't know someone like you," Yukinoshita replied bluntly.
"I see..." Hikigaya fell silent.
"Don't worry, Hikigaya, at least now you won't have the problem of dealing with someone 'happy-go-lucky,'" Duan Shiqi said in a mock serious tone.
"Hey! Why are you saying that like it's not your problem too?" Hikigaya twitched again.
"That's not wrong. I also don't know you..." Yukinoshita added, taking a small jab.
Duan Shiqi: ????
"Huh? So that's how it is..." Duan Shiqi pushed his mask up his nose, falling into a brief silence.
Wait, hold on, we're on the same side here!!! Why are you acting like an enemy?
"You really don't need to feel so down. This is probably my fault. You're so insignificant that I didn't notice you, and my heart is too soft, always trying to ignore your existence," Yukinoshita said, showing a look of sympathy.
"Completely unbelievable... Why is it my fault for being insignificant!" Duan Shiqi muttered quietly.
Yukinoshita brushed her hair off her shoulder, "Well, there's nothing I can do about it..."
"This club... seems pretty interesting," Yubihama said, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the three.
"It's not particularly interesting... It's just that your misunderstanding annoys me," Yukinoshita shot Yubihama a cold look.
Seeing her look like that, Yubihama waved her hands in a panic, trying to clear up her misunderstanding, "Ah, no! I just think you guys look really comfortable together! And, um... that shy boy looks totally different from how he is in class, I didn't know he could talk~"
"Please, of course I can talk..." Hikigaya groaned.
Do I really look like I have communication problems?
"Speaking of which, you're in F class too, right?" Yukinoshita nodded, recognizing her.
"Huh? Really?" Hikigaya looked utterly confused.
"Hey! Hikigaya, you didn't know?" Duan Shiqi seemed shocked as he looked at him.
Hearing Duan Shiqi's words, Yubihama's body stiffened.
To avoid Yubihama being hurt, Hikigaya tried to cover it up, "I-I knew, of course."
"...Then why did you look away?" Yubihama glared at him, "So, you don't have friends in class, huh, shy boy? Always looking sneaky and gross."
Hey! That's too much!!
Duan Shiqi furrowed his brows, "Wait a minute..."
"...This slut," Hikigaya muttered under his breath first.
Yubihama immediately protested, "What? What does 'slut' mean?! I'm still a virgin—ah, never mind, never mind!"
She blushed deeply, frantically waving her hands to retract the words she almost said.
Yukinoshita, seeing her flustered, said, "There's nothing to be shy about. At this age, still a virgin—"