Zongman: I am on the set of Oregairu, playing the role of Bai Xue

Bei Nuo stared at her, silently waiting for her to understand the meaning.

Isshiki suddenly realized something and asked in surprise: "Is this Kaori's plan?"

Bei Nuo nodded slightly, "Yes, Kaori wants to use me to take revenge on them."

Isshiki was shocked, she never thought that Kaori would have such a plan and thought that she would remain weak.

She frowned, her thoughts a little confused, [Senior, I need some time to sort out my thoughts... Kaori, will you really do this? ]

Bei Nuo shrugged and said calmly, "Who knows? At least after I saw that love letter, I will definitely take action."

Isshiki swallowed his saliva, clenched his hands subconsciously, and asked nervously: "Excuse me... How will the senior respond?"

Bei Nuo thought for a moment, his eyes became serious and sharp, "If I didn't know the truth, I would naturally go to the place on the envelope. As for how to solve it..."

Isshiki looked up at Kitano.

He frowned slightly and had a deep look in his eyes, which made Isshiki hold his breath nervously and feel a little uneasy.

After he paused for a moment, he replied easily: "I will verbally stop their behavior, but the specific method is hard to predict because I don't understand them. I can only respond to their moves as they come."

[…That’s it?] Isshiki blinked, and the huge rock that had just hung in his heart seemed to suddenly turn into foam filler.

Seeing that she was a little disappointed, Bei Nuo sighed and added: "I will do my best to make them understand my position. If they are just a group of juniors, it won't be too difficult. If time permits, I can also call Caijia to come over."

Isshiki felt bewildered when he heard the name "Ayaka", and his body inexplicably felt tense.

Kitano continued: "To be honest, I am looking forward to how Ayaka will solve the problem, but it is likely that she will just let them give up."

Isshiki sorted out Kitano's words. She thought it was a girl's name, but suddenly remembered that Ayaka was referring to Totsuka-senpai.

Thinking of this, she relaxed physically and mentally. Perhaps Bei Nuo's solution was a little unexpected. Isshiki breathed a sigh of relief:

[I realized that the senior’s approach was so gentle. I thought…]

She smiled and didn't say anything else.

Bei Nuo immediately understood what Yi Se meant and said jokingly: "Do you still think I am a monster who eats people without leaving any bones?"

Isse looked a little embarrassed. She had experienced this feeling of being exposed in front of Bei Nuo more than once.

[Really~ I've already shut up, why did you keep talking?] She complained softly.

Bei Nuo showed a hint of helplessness in his eyes, "So you really think so."

Isshiki realized that he was being tricked, and immediately pouted his lips to express his dissatisfaction.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

At this moment, Isshiki's misunderstanding of Beinuo disappeared in laughter.

Isshiki continued to ask, "But if Kaori really had this intention, why did she put the love letter on the shoe cabinet? In this way, wouldn't the senior be unable to help? Could it be that someone else did it?"

Kitano shook his head in denial, "No, if someone else had found it, they should have just taken the envelope. In fact, as I said at the beginning, Kaori did this to protect her group."

[The group that protects her...] Isshiki whispered, as if he was chewing on the meaning of this sentence, but he was still a little short of finding the exact answer.

Kitano did not tell her directly, but patiently guided her, "Isshiki, you should understand Kaori's feelings. The love letter mentioned the tennis match, and the details described above do not seem to be fictional, which means that Kaori has seen my strength with her own eyes."

Isshiki thought about the reactions of Kaori and the people around them.

When they mentioned the topic of "Ace of the Tennis Club", Kaori did not respond, but just listened quietly.

Bei Nuo continued to remind: "Putting the love letter in my shoe cabinet and putting it in someone else's shoe cabinet will have completely different results. Before Kaori made her decision, she should have been very conflicted, but in the end she chose to give up."

[…]

[Okay, I have some things to deal with, so I’ll leave first.] Bei Nuo said, and turned to leave.

It was getting late, and he suddenly remembered the task Komachi had assigned him, which was to go to the supermarket to do some shopping.

[Ah? Senior is leaving now?] He looked at Bei Nuo in confusion.

After all, the truth of the matter is still hidden in the fog, and Isshiki has only cleared up part of the confusion.

Bei Nuo didn't look back, but simply said: "I've given you the clues. It would be more interesting if you could solve the mystery yourself."

His voice was calm, yet it carried an unquestionable firmness.

The doubts in Isshiki's heart spread out layer by layer like ripples blown by the wind.

She kept asking: "Then why are we waiting here?"

Bei Nuo finally replied: "I just speculated that Kaori and the others would return to the shoe cabinet, but they did not show up. Maybe they have already gone back. If you want to see the truth of the matter, then go find the answer yourself. Or... check the answer with me tomorrow?"

After saying that, he walked towards the bicycle parking area on his own.

Isse watched Beinuo's back gradually disappearing into the distance, and an inexplicable emotion welled up in his heart.

She hesitated for a moment, then followed him and chatted with Bei Nuo for a while.

Kitano's pace was so fast that Isshiki could only jog from time to time to keep the same pace.

Yi Se watched Bei Nuo unlock and push the bike skillfully. She suddenly felt a little reluctant, but in the end she could only watch Bei Nuo ride away.

Just as Isshiki was about to leave, she suddenly saw a figure in the shoe cabinet area in the distance. He stayed for a moment and then hurriedly ran out of the school.

The back figure looked familiar, Isshiki looked at it carefully for a moment and recognized that it was Kaori's back.

The next day, the club activity time arrived as scheduled.

Isshiki learned the location of the Service Club from Hayama, and arrived at the door of the activity room a little early.

Not long after, Beinuo also came to the activity room.

He saw Isshiki leaning against the corridor, seemingly waiting for something.

When Isshiki saw Beinuo, she immediately trotted over to him, but there was no smile on her face. Instead, she looked a little sad and depressed.

Bei Nuo casually asked, "Have you solved the mystery?"

She looked directly into Beinuo's eyes and said listlessly: "Senior, you are a liar."

Bei Nuo was stunned for a moment, somewhat puzzled, [Eh... How did I become a liar? I didn't tell any lies.]

There was a hint of confusion and innocence in his words.

Isshiki sighed, her voice revealing an inexplicable disappointment, "The mystery is solved, but it's not interesting at all."

yesterday.

When Kitano rides off, Isshiki does notice Kaori's movements.

By the time Isshiki returned to the shoe cabinet, the love letter in Ueno's shoe cabinet had disappeared.

In other words, Kaori did deliberately put the love letter in the wrong place.

And this morning.

Isshiki was in class, and heard the conversation of the group of girls again.

[…As expected, he is a barbarian. He can’t even read Kaori’s love letter.]

[Have you checked his shoe cabinet?]

[Of course, the love letter inside had been taken away by the barbarian, but there was no sign of him at all. We waited for more than half an hour. What a waste of time.]

[That... maybe I didn't write it vividly enough, so you guys waited in vain.]

[I read Kaori's love letter. It's obviously well-written, but for a guy like that, it's completely useless!]

[That’s right, we might as well…]

[Isshiki...what are you doing? Are you staring at us for something?]

〔What happened to her?〕

[Who knows? It's inexplicable.]

……

The answer is very simple.

The reason why Kaori chose to give up was also very simple.

So simple that Isshiki can understand it easily.

because……

Kaori felt fear for Kitano.

The rumored violent senior, with a bad record and unpopular, will of course make people feel a sense of unknown fear.

Isshiki had also experienced that feeling before, fear and terror intertwined with each other. Even if it was a false emotion constructed without permission, it was enough to distort one's view of a person.

However, Isshiki discovered another side of Kitano.

That is a gentle side of him that no one around him knows about. Not only is he quick-witted, but he is also cautious enough in handling things, and has nothing to do with violence.

Even when he was misunderstood, misinterpreted, and labeled by people around him, Beinuo still didn't take it to heart. Even though he knew that the answer to the riddle contained negative comments about him, Beinuo still called it "interesting."

[What's so funny about that?] His eyes were shining with seriousness, and he clenched his fists to refute Bei Nuo's point of view, [Senior has always been misunderstood by people around him. I don't find it funny at all.]

In response, Beinuo smiled gently, with a bit of calmness and confidence in that smile.

He responded firmly: "Sorry, I still find it interesting. I want to believe in my own opinion this time."

His voice was gentle yet powerful, making it impossible to refute.

Before, Totsuka thought that the short-haired girl was related to him, but the fact is as Kitano said, the short-haired girl's target is actually Totsuka.

In addition, Yukinoshita and Yuigahama thought that the appearance of the short-haired girl was just a coincidence, but Kitano was still not wrong. It was not a coincidence, but a carefully planned test.

Therefore, even if Isshiki now thinks the answer is not interesting, he will stick to his point of view.

Isshiki looked at Beinuo with mixed emotions in his heart. [Senior, what are you saying?]

Bei Nuo had a natural expression and didn't take the misunderstanding to heart, because...

[It’s enough for me if someone can understand me.]

His words are simple yet powerful, revealing a kind of indifference that transcends the world.

When Isshiki heard these words, his heart couldn't help but ripple.

Her heartbeat suddenly accelerated, as if touched by an inexplicable emotion.

Why did the senior suddenly say such corny words… Could it be that I could understand and make him so happy?

But...if the senior wants a close friend, I will reluctantly become his friend. After all, the senior has always been alone and looks quite pitiful.

[Senior…or should I——]

Before Isshiki could finish her words, a clear voice interrupted her thoughts.

[Hikigaya-san, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting.]

Isshiki turned around and saw a beautiful figure.

Yukinoshita's arrival was dazzling, like a dazzling beam of light that made it impossible to look away. She walked towards the two of them step by step, revealing a calmness and elegance with each step.

[I'll open the door right now.] There was a hint of apology in Yukinoshita's words.

Bei Nuo shook his head slightly, "Nothing, I just got here too. Oh, by the way, Isshiki, you are going to the club too, right?"

[…]