A youth story of a passerby at the end of the world

Especially her beautiful silver hair.

“Right~” Uesugi Genshin laughed.

"No, why are you so excited?" Then a soft sigh came from behind him.

"Because he likes silver hair." This is a backstab from Hayasaka Ai. "He said it was an XP, he admitted it himself."

"is it?"

I felt that Yukinoshita's eyes had become much colder, and then she said, "Do you like silver hair, or do you simply like this type of middle school student?"

"Hey, hey, hey, you're making it sound like I like younger women." Although Shirogane Kei is indeed 14 years old, "I do like her quite a bit, I wish she were my little sister."

"Wow~~~" Hayasaka Ai couldn't help but click her tongue, "That's really the kind of thing a perverted siscon would say."

"If you say that, Rumi will be heartbroken," Yukino Yukinoshita said, tossing her hair and looking down.

However, even if Uesugi Genshin didn't see behind him through the rearview mirror, he could tell from her tone of voice that she was laughing.

"Please keep this a secret."

There are also big differences between the younger sisters. As for Rumi, she is more like a daughter because of her age, while Kei is a more practical younger sister.

"Hehehe..." With a mischievous, controlled laugh, Yukino Yukinoshita fell silent.

They parked the car where he had parked before. After getting out, Hayasaka Ai spoke first, "I have something to do, so I'll take my leave now. I'll meet up with you later. Captain, do you remember where the student council room is?"

"Ah."

"Then there's no problem. Goodbye." She bowed first, then walked away without looking back.

"Do you know what she's going to do?" Yukino Yukinoshita asked the person next to her curiously, watching Hayasaka quicken her pace and vaguely seeing a figure in the distance.

"Let's go see my sister." Uesugi Genshin started walking towards the student council room.

"Does she have a younger sister?" This surprised Yukino Yukinoshita. If she had a younger sister, why would she go to Soubu High School?

"It's a metaphor; our relationship is like that of sisters," Uesugi Genshin explained, looking at Yukinoshita.

"Oh." She learned a little more about the girl she had been living with for a while.

Before they even reached the student council room, the student council president, Miyuki Shirogane, came out to greet them.

"Welcome." He quickly stepped forward and politely extended his palm.

"Hmm." Uesugi Genshin returned the gesture with his right hand, expressing his gratitude for the greeting.

"It's a little late this time," said Shirogane Miyuki, leading the way.

"After all, there are things to take care of over there, and it's not too late, is it? I want to ask you, I've found the ship, but has your dock been cleared yet?"

"Ah, about this..." He hesitated, then gave a wry smile, "Well, it's not going very smoothly."

"Looks like I arrived too early." Uesugi Genshin shrugged, teasing him in the tone of a familiar friend.

"I'll get to work on this in the next few days," Shirogane Miyuki said, spreading his hands generously, then added with a troubled expression, "To avoid casualties, our progress has indeed been a bit slow each day, which is unavoidable, but recently..."

He stopped talking because they had arrived, and he opened the door, gesturing for them to come in.

After Uesugi Genshin and the others went inside, Shirogane Miyuki closed the door. "I already sent someone to call our accountant, and the time you're here... it's almost noon. Have you eaten yet?"

Hearing Shirogane's concern, Uesugi Genshin shook his head and smiled, "We brought our own lunches, so don't worry."

“That’s even better. To be honest, I’m not confident I can treat you as well as I did the first time.” Shirogane Miyuki didn’t sit down, but walked to the table next to him. “Let me make you some coffee first.”

This is proper etiquette for receiving guests. Shinomiya just said he went out and no one knows where he went, so he's the only one left in the entire student council room. He's the only one who can do this.

The reason he doesn't brew tea is because he's used to drinking the tea brewed by Shinomiya and doesn't really have much confidence in his own. As for coffee, he drinks it often, and if he doesn't get enough caffeine every day, he'll really fall asleep.

"Please help yourselves." Shirogane Miyuki gently placed the cups meant for entertaining guests in front of the two of them.

"Thank you."

Uesugi Genshin and Yukino Yukinoshita thanked them and nodded simultaneously, then picked up their glasses.

But when Shirogane Miyuki saw Uesugi abruptly stop after taking only a sip, he felt a sudden surge of worry. "What's wrong? Doesn't it taste good?"

It's always been Shinomiya who does the work; this is actually the first time he's ever made coffee for a customer.

"I can't say it tastes bad..." With a furrowed brow, Uesugi Genshin put down his cup and glanced at the coffee inside.

Then he sighed heavily, "Ha... I didn't realize that the secretary's coffee was so delicious."

Even ordinary beans can be brewed to make a better taste than this.

Now, I'm even less willing to let go.

Chapter 240: Cannot Rely On

"Well, I guess we'll have to make do." He meant that the coffee he made was bad, at least that Shirogane Miyuki could tell. "Or should I make you something else? Never mind, I'll make you a pot of tea instead."

"It's alright, this is enough." Yukino Yukinoshita gently placed the cup on the tray, as elegant as ever, and stopped her, as being picky as a guest was not a good thing.

Taking advantage of the moment when President Shirogane turned around, she slapped the thigh of the person next to her as a reminder.

"Shirogane." Uesugi Genshin rubbed the spot where he had been patted and reached out his hand to Shirogane Miyuki.

"No, it's my fault." While boiling water on the table, he picked out a jar from the pile of jars next to him, looked at it carefully, and after confirming that it was correct, he opened the lid, poured the contents into his palm, and then threw it into the glass kettle.

"I was thinking that drinking coffee during the day would help me stay alert. But you haven't had lunch yet, have you? You really shouldn't drink black coffee on an empty stomach, especially since you just arrived..."

"Herbal tea." Shirogane Miyuki placed a clear glass pot filled with amber liquid on the table. "It has a calming and soothing effect. You must have had a long journey."

"Thank you." Yukino Yukinoshita thanked her again, admiring the dried flowers in the pot slowly unfolding; they were very beautiful.

"I'll just have coffee." Uesugi Genshin waved his hand in refusal. It would be a waste to throw away a cup of coffee that he had made so carefully. He would rather let Yukinoshita have flower tea.

"Well, I'll just leave it here." Shirogane Miyuki didn't intend to be polite with him.

"President, I'm coming in." After knocking a few times, the casual and lazy voice outside sounded very familiar to Uesugi Genshin. Sure enough, it was Ishigami Yu who entered.

"Ah, Ishigami." Shirogane Miyuki turned his head on the sofa to look at the person who had come in.

"Ha!!! What are you doing here again?" The moment he entered, Yu Ishigami saw the person sitting on the sofa directly in front of him, pointing at him and shouting excitedly.

"Yo~" Uesugi Genshin waved and greeted him.

“Ishigami, these two are guests.” Shirogane Miyuki sighed, correcting his accountant’s rudeness.

"What did you do?" Yukino Yukinoshita asked softly, turning her head to the side.

"No, he just mentioned to the girl he likes that someone likes her," Uesugi Genshin whispered, covering his mouth as he answered Yukinoshita's question.

"Are you a primary school student? How childish." With a look of helplessness on her face, Yukino Yukinoshita understood why the boy who came in had been so wary of her with that expression and gesture.

"Yes, yes, there's a saying, 'A man is only young until he dies,' and I have been reflecting on my actions." Uesugi Genshin closed his eyes, bowed his head, and admitted his mistake.

Then he looked up at the stone and said, "Judging from your appearance, it seems you haven't made any progress at all. What have you been doing for the past month?"

These words made veins bulge on Ishigami Yu's temples. He clenched his fist and said defiantly, "It's not your place to say that. By the way, you've made a lot of progress in the past month?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Uesugi Genshin nodded with a relaxed expression, indicating that he was right, while making a sarcastic remark.

"What's almost the same?" Shirogane Miyuki asked instinctively, though he was actually quite curious himself.

Feeling the cold gaze from Yukinoshita beside him, Uesugi Genshin coughed lightly. "Let's put that aside for now. This is Yukinoshita, the accountant of our Soubu High School."

He stood up and introduced Yukino to the person opposite him, "She will be in full charge of the transaction with Shuchiin."

"Hello." Ishigami nodded in greeting, but then again, she was really beautiful, just like Shinomiya-senpai.

Elegant and dignified, like the beauty of a flower on a high mountain.

"Oh, so Yukinoshita-san is an accountant." Shirogane Miyuki exclaimed in surprise, having previously thought she was someone from Uesugi's faction.

“Yes, I usually manage the school’s daily operations.” Yukino Yukinoshita brushed aside her long hair and puffed out her chest with a confident air.

"Yes, because I am mainly responsible for combat work, Yukinoshita knows much more about internal affairs than I do."

"Regarding that," Shirogane Miyuki chuckled upon hearing this, "it seems we're the same."

As he spoke, he gestured toward Ishigami, “Ishigami has also been a great help to me in terms of financial management. Without him, I don’t know what I would have done.”

"That's not true, Chairman." Hearing the chairman's praise, Ishigami Yu lowered her head shyly, feeling very happy to be recognized in front of others by a respected person.

“No need to be so modest, Ishigami. You and Yukinoshita will handle the transaction with Soubu High.” Standing up, Shirogane Miyuki patted his arm and encouraged him, “I’m counting on you, Ishigami.”

"Okay, leave it to me." With his fist clenched to his chest as if making a solemn pledge, Ishigami Yu made his promise.

Next, Yukino Yukinoshita took out the prepared document from her bag. She had already reviewed the list of items that Uesugi-kun had brought back from Shuchiin last time and made specific annotations. Finally, she formulated it into a negotiation request for Soubu High.

Leave the professional matters to the professionals. Uesugi Genshin and Shirogane Miyuki walked out of the student council office, intending to take a stroll around the campus.

"Do you need help cleaning the dock?" Uesugi Genshin asked kindly as they walked side by side.

“No.” Shirogane Miyuki shook his head firmly. “This is something we should be responsible for. If you have to help with something like this, then I really have no face to talk about cooperation as an equal ally.”

That's true, which is why Uesugi Genshin asked the question. He had guessed that the other party would refuse, based on Chairman Shirogane's pride.

He thought for a moment and then asked, "We can get the boat over after we go back and make some more preparations. When exactly will you be able to finish cleaning up here?"

“Three days.” Holding up three fingers, Shirogane Miyuki smiled wryly. “Although I wanted to say that, it will probably take about five days, at most five days.”

“I’ll be in Tokyo for a few days. How about I give you a week, starting from today?” A week is plenty of time. Uesugi Genshin glanced at the Shuchiin campus outside the window and then turned back to Shirogane Miyuki.

"No, just five days." To everyone's surprise, Shirogane Miyuki insisted, "This is the result I've calculated. Please make sure it's delivered on the fifth day."

"..." Uesugi Genshin was silent for a moment, then looked at Shirogane Miyuki. "I understand. By the way, have you thought of any good methods?"

"Yes, thanks to your inspiration." Shirogane Miyuki smiled when he heard his question.

"Me?" Uesugi Genshin pointed to himself in confusion.

"Yes. Thanks to your experience with bows and arrows, Shinomiya, being a member of the archery club, thought of using a Japanese bow. So she led a team to form a Japanese bow team." The main members were also from the original archery club, but it was indeed very safe, as long-range sniping could silently kill zombies.

“A bow, indeed. It’s a good idea.” Uesugi Genshin also appreciated the plan. “It’s silent, powerful enough, and requires some skill in using a bow, which is basically a matter of strength. But I really didn’t expect you to agree to let her fight.”

“No, I tried to stop her.” Shirogane Miyuki shook his head and said in a helpless tone, “But she persisted. Because of this, I learned that she is also very skilled in martial arts such as the naginata. She is a first-dan in Aikido and a second-dan in Judo.”

He eagerly listed out all the evidence that he was strong enough. It was Shinomiya's eagerness that infected him, and in the end, he agreed to let Shinomiya join the battle.

To be honest, when he heard that Shinomiya had won a prize in an archery competition and achieved a fourth dan in archery with just casual practice, as well as other martial arts, he thought that Shinomiya might be even stronger than him. He was someone who could only study and work hard but was good for nothing else, and he was quite self-aware of this.

"From what you're saying, your relationship has progressed?"

“Not at all.” Shirogane Miyuki shook his head in distress and continued walking forward. After a few steps, he realized that Uesugi hadn’t followed, so he turned around and looked at him. “...What’s with that expression?”

He paused, biting his lip tightly, his hands clenched into claws, "I did try my best!!!"

Uesugi Genshin looked utterly hopeless, covering his face in anguish. "You call this trying? When you don't try, aren't you just regressing?"

This was the worst news he had heard since arriving here; indeed, he couldn't count on this person.

-----------------

"Hayasaka! How is it?!" Kaguya Shinomiya rushed forward anxiously, circling around Hayasaka Ai and asking with concern.

"Thank you for your concern, Kaguya-sama. I'm perfectly fine." Hayasaka Ai switched back into maid mode. "But Kaguya-sama, how have you been lately?"

“Me? I’m fine.” Kaguya Shinomiya was taken aback at first, then said in a tone that suggested she was set in stone, “So Hayasaka has come back this time.”

"No, I'm just back temporarily. The people from Chiba are still working there." The implication was that she would return later.

"Hey! What do you mean 'temporarily'?" Kaguya Shinomiya slammed her hand on the ground. "This time you're back, don't leave again."

"What about the cooperation?" Hayasaka Ai sighed deeply, feeling quite helpless towards this willful young lady.

"Cooperation is a separate matter." Setting that aside, Kaguya Shinomiya suddenly realized something. "Could it be that Hayasaka, you yourself want to go back?"

"I just think the cooperation between Soubu High and Shuchiin should continue," Hayasaka Ai said evasively, glancing away.

Does it mean you want to go back?

She asked herself why, deep down, she had always had the thought that it wouldn't be bad to just stay in Chiba like this.

It was all work, work that was originally his butt of work, but was forcibly stuffed into his hands by a certain eccentric minister.

But it seems a little different.

For example, work is work, and life is life.

Her life before was all about working, and now it's probably a mix of working and living.

This is the life she has always longed for.