Does gravity make me stronger?

Page 126

...

After the morning classes ended, Hachiman took the lunchbox given to him by Nagasaki Motoyo and made his way to the secret base.

Then, he opened the bento box on the spot.

Suddenly, a strange background music popped into my head.

Waiting for the light, waiting for the light—

[It's special effects; I added special effects to it.]

Don't add any weird or strange things to my head!

Because it had been a morning, the bento box had completely cooled down.

and so.

After opening the lid, there was no steaming golden light shooting out like in the anime "Cooking Master Boy".

Small sausages, cauliflower, fried chicken nuggets, egg rolls, a generous serving of rice, and cherry tomatoes, which he hates the most.

The dishes were not luxurious, and there were no high-end ingredients such as Boston lobster.

However, the food in the box was stacked neatly, and one could even imagine the girl concentrating on arranging the food at the counter.

Since leaving Chiba, he hadn't eaten a bento box prepared by someone else in a long time.

Even back in his hometown, only Komachi would occasionally prepare lunch for him.

Upon seeing this, Hachiman felt a heat before his eyes, and his vision became foggy.

If it weren't for the big red heart on the rice, this would be perfect.

Holding the bento box, Hachiman sincerely expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, I'll start eating!"

"Hikigaya-san!"

Before he could even pick up his chopsticks, a voice called out from behind him. Hachiman turned around and saw Aine walking towards him.

"Oh no, this lunchbox must not be seen by anyone."

Hachiman quickly put the lid on, but he was still a step too late.

Seeing the heart on the rice, Aine paused, then tilted her head and asked, "Hachigaya-kun, is that lunch your family prepared for you?"

"Ah, yes."

"Your family is really interesting," Ai Yin chuckled, easing the awkward atmosphere.

Hachiman chuckled a few times, then asked, "Is there something you need?"

"I just happened to be passing by..." Aine touched her cheek, then came to his side. "Can I sit here?"

"random."

Seeing that Hachiman looked a little lost, Aine waved her hands repeatedly: "Don't mind me, Hachiman, you can keep eating."

I'm not hungry yet...

"Ah oh."

Ai Yin coughed lightly, cleared her throat, and said seriously, "Then, may I ask a question?"

"You say it."

"What are your plans for Golden Week, Hachiman?"

"Golden Week?" Hachiman held the bento box, thought for a moment, and replied, "I'll probably go back to my hometown. I haven't been back for several months, and I need to say goodbye to my parents."

"Ah~" Aine drawled, "You're going back to your hometown. Is Hachiman's hometown in Chiba? That's not that far, is it?"

“That’s a long way off for high school students…” Hachiman said speechlessly.

Do all pink-haired people in this world have no sense of distance?

Goto Ichiri is the same; her commute to and from school tomorrow will take two hours each way, and it even took her longer to get from Chiba to Tokyo.

"Haha, in that case, should I go on a trip to Chiba too...?"

Aine muttered to herself, while Hachiman pretended not to hear and opened his bento box to shovel rice into his mouth.

The two spent a relatively peaceful afternoon nap in the cool breeze.

In the afternoon, Hachiman arrived at the clubroom as agreed.

As soon as I entered, I saw Minister Sawamura Kaze and Shoko fiddling with something at a table.

Hachiman crept closer, peeking over cautiously, only to discover that the two were discussing how to create promotional posters for the cultural festival.

"Minister, hand-drawn posters are fine. The club's funds are almost used up, and we can't continue to squander them." Xiangzi stated his point of view very seriously.

In response, Sawamura Kaze crossed his arms and shook his head: "If it's not enough, I'll just ask the student council for more. We need to produce the best results for this cultural festival, and publicity is naturally essential."

Will the student council approve it?

"Don't worry, I'm an old friend of the current student council president." Sawamura Fuchō Sōko winked, as if to say, "Leave it to me."

"Since the minister has said so, then I'll leave it to you." After saying that, Xiangzi sniffed the air warily again. "Who is it?"

"it's me."

"Hikigaya-san?"

Surprised that Xiangzi had a penchant for smelling things, Hachiman asked, "Are you discussing the poster?"

"Hmm, Hachiman can help us take a look. The department head provided three templates. Let's see which one is more suitable."

"Hey?"

When was this template made? I didn't know about it.

Seriously, I haven't done anything in this department, are they really not going to kick me out?

Although he was looking forward to slacking off, Hachiman felt a little uneasy if he actually did nothing.

So he walked over shakily and saw three poster drafts on the table.

The first one is a typical campus poster, with a sheet of A4 paper piled up with various colorful patterns, and the words "Produced by the Record Department" written in the center. After looking at it, I can only describe it as mediocre.

The second image is a poster with a cyberpunk style, but what's puzzling is that one of the cyborgs in it looks somewhat familiar.

Hachiman glanced silently at Sawamura Kaze, only to see that the other man's gaze never left the second poster, and he would nod proudly from time to time.

This prosthetic body isn't you, is it?

Damn, you're mixing in your own agenda, aren't you!

After looking at the first two posters, Hachiman turned his attention to the last one.

This poster is distinctly different in style from the previous two. What catches the eye is a huge black mask that gleams under the bright moonlight.

In Hachiman's opinion, this didn't seem like a promotional poster for the record company; it looked more like a poster for a masquerade ball.

However, judging from the visual impression, this poster draft is the most meticulously crafted and the most exquisitely produced.

"This is not bad, it would be better if it had more record elements."

Hachiman pointed to the third picture and said.

"really?"

Xiangzi's eyes sparkled, seemingly surprised that Hachiman would take a liking to this poster.

"Well, this is just my personal opinion. Besides, I wasn't involved in the production, so it can only be used as a reference." Hachiman frantically stacked armor on himself.

"It's alright, Minister, we'll choose the third one!"

"Hey, don't you guys like cyberpunk? Black stockings and masks are so cringeworthy."

"Minister, what's so cringeworthy about the black stockings and mask?"

As if she had touched a nerve with Xiangzi, she retorted very seriously, "In the past, European nobles had the habit of wearing masks to concerts, and it also gave people a mysterious feeling, didn't it?"

“This…” Sawamura looked at her with difficulty, “Well, Hachiman, you two can decide for yourselves, I’m fine with anything.”

Hachiman also felt it was a bit childish, but considering Shoko's pride, he didn't say it.

"I think it's fine, um."

[This is a fake! It's a complete and utter fake!]

The system sent out a protest.

Shut up, this is called compromising for the sake of work!

Hachiman immediately retorted.

[If this continues, Mr. Daisho will go further and further down the path of chuunibyou (middle school syndrome).]

Girls are cuter when they're a little eccentric, right, Rikka?

"This pair is perfect, these stockings are great!"

Xiangzi picked up the third poster draft with satisfaction, muttering to himself, "I knew my aesthetic sense wouldn't be wrong."

No, there is indeed a problem...

Both Sawamura Kaze and Hachiman were internally complaining.

That settled the matter regarding the poster, and there were no further issues.

After that, Sawamura suddenly spoke up, "Oh, by the way, Hachiman, have you listened to the record?"

Hachiman shook his head: "Not yet. Toyokawa-kun called me here today because of the record."

"Yes, Minister, please wait a moment."

Xiangzi reluctantly put down the poster and turned to take a disc out of his schoolbag.

"This is a sample that I commissioned the record production company to make. As for the master tape, I have already stored it away carefully."

"Wow, the quality seems pretty good, and the songs inside were recorded by that big star himself. I wonder how much it will sell for, hahaha!" Sawamura Fu said slyly.

"Minister, please stop joking. We're selling them for free." Xiangzi suddenly became very serious.

If you don't consider packaging, the cost of burning a CD is only a few hundred yen, and it's even cheaper when you're wholesaling.

However, things get more complicated when it comes to the sales stage.

Selling CDs requires a special business license, but the application process is complicated and success is not guaranteed.

Therefore, they sold the tickets for free at the cultural festival, purely out of love for the cause, so they only commissioned the production of a few dozen tickets for the time being.

"Oh no, I forgot about that." Sawamura Kaze slapped his forehead, then whispered to Shoko, "Could you help me talk to your friend and ask if we can sell a few copies quietly?"

"Minister, please have some self-respect," Xiangzi said coldly.

"No, no, I was just kidding."

Next, Xiangzi put the disc into the CD player.

This was the first time Hachiman had ever seen such a device; previously, only desktop computers had a place to put CDs.

Of course, many desktop computers have recently removed this feature.

Aside from a few audiophiles, most people use electronic music software instead of CD players.

"My heart blossomed the moment I first saw you."

"Finally I've found you, this is the one," I sing.

A soft and pure voice came from the CD player.

Upon closer listening, the CD has some minor noise, but it cannot mask the singer's powerful technique and rich emotions.

Just a few words were enough to give Hachiman goosebumps.

"What a beautiful voice, but the voice sounds somewhat familiar..."

Hachiman tried desperately to remember, but he just couldn't recall it.

Left with no other choice, he finally gave up thinking and immersed himself completely in the music.

Just like the lyrics say, this is a sweet little song that celebrates the sweetness of first love.

There's no heart-wrenching unrequited love, nor any melodramatic love triangles; it's simply one person expressing their love to the other, which is very appealing to the average high school student.

Sawamura Kaze listened from the side and nodded repeatedly: "As expected of an active idol, such strong skills."