Chapter 12: The Dispute of Beiliang
"Wow~~ Ah~~ What did you just say?! You're already in your second year and still have no experience? How embarrassing! Yukinoshita, maybe it's because you don't have enough 'feminine charm'?"
As Yubihama said this, Duan Shiqi's forehead was beaded with cold sweat.
What kind of twisted values are these?! Have high school girls really forgotten how to keep themselves clean?
"...That kind of thinking is really not worth it." For some reason, Yukinoshita became even colder.
"Besides, saying 'feminine charm' actually makes you seem like a loose woman." Hikigaya also showed a look of disgust.
"You're saying that again! How can you call someone a loose woman?! You really are disgusting, you reclusive boy!" Yubihama let out a low growl, looking angrily at him.
Duan Shiqi felt even more speechless.
You've already said such twisted things, so whether you're a loose woman or not doesn't matter anymore, right...
"Calling you a 'loose woman' has nothing to do with whether I'm disgusting or not. Also, don't call me a reclusive boy." Hikigaya remained unmoved, "You're a loose woman."
"You... this... you're horrible! You're disgustingly awful! Go die!"
Hikigaya was also angered by what she said. He was about to retaliate when Duan Shiqi couldn't hold back any longer.
"Enough! Everyone shut up!" He suddenly shouted, startling everyone.
In fact, Duan Shiqi rarely got angry. Even if he did, he wouldn't usually shout like this. Normally, he spoke softly, calm and composed, with a touch of laziness. But once he was truly enraged, it felt like the sky was falling down.
"Yubihama, it's wrong to discuss others behind their backs. And words like 'die' and 'kill you' should never be said lightly." Duan Shiqi started to lecture Yubihama first.
"Ah... sorry, sorry, I didn't mean it..." Yubihama seemed startled but still lowered her head to apologize.
"Talking behind others' backs is also wrong." Hikigaya rolled his eyes dramatically, adding to the lecture.
"Shut up. And you, it's wrong to talk like that to a girl!" Duan Shiqi's expression was even more serious when addressing Hikigaya.
"'A single word can prosper or destroy a nation.' The 'dispute of Beiliang' during the Spring and Autumn period started because of two little girls arguing over the ownership of a mulberry tree, and in Western Han, 'the assassination of the minister by Prince Liang' began with a drunken remark. The 'Wu Ye Feng Di' incident during the Zhou Dynasty shows that 'the emperor's words are no joke.' How can one speak and act carelessly?"
[Note 1: From The Analects of Confucius—a conversation between Duke Ding of Lu and Confucius.]
[Note 2: In the late Spring and Autumn period, Beiliang from the Wu state and Zhongli from the Chu state were neighbors, and both were famous for sericulture. A dispute arose between two women from these areas about the ownership of a mulberry tree. This led to a series of tragic events, including war between the two states.]
[Note 3: Emperor Jing of Han once drunkenly spoke about passing the throne to Prince Liang, which sparked a series of political struggles and ultimately led to the tragic death of several ministers.]
[Note 4: King Cheng of Zhou once jokingly gave his brother a leaf as a gift, but a historian insisted on treating it as a formal matter, proving that 'the emperor's words must be serious.']
His lengthy moral lecture stunned the three others present.
If the earlier explanation to Yukinoshita had been straightforward, now it was all condensed into historical anecdotes, leaving them completely confused.
Hikigaya was okay, since he knew Duan Shiqi liked history and could roughly guess the historical facts being referenced. But Yukinoshita and Yubihama were more puzzled, especially Yubihama, who couldn't understand a word of it.
To ease the silence in the room, Hikigaya forced himself to speak up, "Wait, the war between the two states must have been due to accumulated grudges, right? Those small incidents were just the sparks."
"Hm?" Duan Shiqi shot a glance at Hikigaya, and from his perspective, it looked as though he was sneering at him.
"Ah, okay, I'll shut up..." Hikigaya immediately fell silent.
Yubihama seemed tired of arguing, or perhaps she wanted to relieve the awkwardness, so she sighed lightly and said, "Well... I heard from Hiratsuka-sensei that this place can help students fulfill their wishes."
"It's a little different. The Service Club only provides help, but whether your wishes are fulfilled depends on you," Yukinoshita responded to Yubihama's question.
Though her words sounded like an indifferent rejection.
"What's the difference?" Yubihama asked in surprise.
"The difference is whether we 'give you fish' or 'teach you how to fish.' Giving someone fish is not as good as teaching them how to fish. Volunteering is supposed to provide methods to help others help themselves, not directly give them results. The goal is to make them self-reliant, which is the closest way to describe it."
Looking at it this way, balancing "self-reliance" and "cooperation" seems to be the purpose of this club's activities.
"That... sounds amazing!" Yubihama had an enlightened expression on her face.
Seeing her like that, it almost felt like she might get scammed into some strange cult someday, which was a little worrying.
At this moment, Yukinoshita spoke up, "I don't guarantee that your wishes will be fulfilled, but I'll try my best to help."
Yubihama suddenly remembered her original purpose, "Well, um... could I... have some biscuits...?" She said hesitantly, glancing at Duan Shiqi and Hikigaya.
Duan Shiqi, with his high emotional intelligence, immediately understood Yubihama's concern, "Let's go, Hikigaya. Come with me to buy a bottle of drink."
"Huh?" Hikigaya didn't understand at first, but after seeing Yukinoshita and Yubihama's gaze, he realized, "Oh, oh, sure. I'll get some sport drink."
"Phew~" Duan Shiqi sighed, "Then go ahead, I'm not a vending machine, thank you."
Just as Duan Shiqi was about to open the door and leave, Yukinoshita seemed to remember something and spoke up, "I want a 'Wild Vegetable Life 100' strawberry yogurt."
"Strawberry yogurt? Got it, I know." Duan Shiqi turned his eyes away, agreeing to it.
The time to walk from the third floor of the building to the first wouldn't take more than ten minutes. If they took it slow, they should be done by the time the others had finished talking.
At the vending machine, Duan Shiqi suddenly hesitated. His choice paralysis kicked in.
"Forget it, you pick first." Duan Shiqi decided to let Hikigaya choose first, so he could think about it a bit more.
"What... You're the one who came here to buy the drinks..." Hikigaya grumbled, but still stepped forward to buy a bottle of sport drink.
Then, after thinking a bit more, he bought a can of "Man's Coffee Latte."
"Wait, is this what Yukinoshita wanted...?" Duan Shiqi's eyelids twitched.
"Hm? No, I bought it for Yubihama. Think about it, three people out of four have drinks, it just feels weird if one person doesn't have one..." Hikigaya explained.
"Oh? Got it." Duan Shiqi nodded, "I was the one who overlooked it."
...
Not long after, Duan Shiqi returned to the clubroom with his grape juice and the strawberry yogurt Yukinoshita requested, "Here, your strawberry yogurt."
"You're too slow." Yukinoshita immediately complained as she reached out for the yogurt, sticking in the straw and drinking it.
Hikigaya followed him into the clubroom, holding the sport drink and Man's Coffee Latte.
Yubihama seemed to notice that the coffee latte was for her.
"...Here." Yubihama pulled some coins from a small shoulder bag.
"Oh, no thanks," Hikigaya waved his hand and directly placed the coffee latte into her hands.
Since Yukinoshita didn't pay Duan Shiqi for her drink, Hikigaya didn't feel the need to ask Yubihama for payment either.
"Th-That's not okay!" Yubihama insisted on paying, but Hikigaya obviously didn't want to argue over something so trivial, so he simply returned to his seat.