Zongman I fight weirdness in everyday world

"It started that night after the joint exam between Shuchiin Academy and Soubu High School ended."

Hearing this, Yae Star had a rough idea.

In all likelihood, Kaguya Shinomiya had indeed contracted Adolescence Syndrome.

The specific symptoms and solutions still required dispatching the top brain of the Supernatural Research Club, the 'when in doubt, quantum mechanics' Rio Futaba, to investigate before knowing.

Yae Star wondered if Rio Futaba would be happy to hear this news?

After all, this was a rare instance of her actual professional skills being relevant since joining the Supernatural Research Club.

At this moment, Yae Star noticed Ai Hayasaka sizing him up with a rather strange look, and couldn't help but chuckle and tease.

"What do you mean by looking at me like that?"

Without waiting for Ai Hayasaka to answer, he turned to Mai Sakurajima, with a provocative tone.

"Mai-senpai, she wants to NTR you."

Mai Sakurajima patted Yae Star's shoulder, between laughter and tears.

"Don't talk nonsense, Hayasaka-san is being serious, don't say weird things."

Watching the bantering Mai Sakurajima and Yae Star, Ai Hayasaka suddenly spoke.

"Sakurajima Mai-senpai, I have a question I want to ask you."

Mai Sakurajima was a little puzzled, but still maintained a polite smile.

"Please, Hayasaka-san."

Ai Hayasaka turned her gaze to Yae Star and said softly.

"Being by this person's side, do you not sometimes feel a sense of frustration, or even pain? After all, his grades are so outstanding that there is a generational gap in talent compared to all the students at your Soubu High School, and even our Shuchiin Academy. Even dealing with abnormal events, you have to wait for him to come back before you can make a decision."

"Hmm..."

Mai Sakurajima pondered for a moment, first glancing at Yae Star beside her, then looking at Ai Hayasaka, revealing a smile.

"Not at all."

"Really? Never?"

"Yes."

Mai Sakurajima smiled and said softly.

"I actually think he needs me... us, by his side, otherwise he can't do it alone."

"I see... I understand."

Ai Hayasaka nodded noncommittally, stood up, and walked to the door.

"If you decide to accept the request, contact me again, and I will tell you the details."

Just as she was about to leave, she heard Yae Star say something meaningful.

"Hayasaka-san."

"The reason why a hedgehog grows sharp spines on its exterior, hurting anyone who dares to approach, is ultimately because it is a weak creature."

Chapter 207: Mai Sakurajima Defeated, Rio Futaba Follows Closely Behind

Hearing this, Ai Hayasaka, who had already stepped out the door, paused, turned her head, and said softly.

"Yae Star-kun, to be able to say something like that, it seems you aren't as completely clueless about human relationships as you appear on the surface."

"Look at what you're saying."

Yae Star replied with a smile.

"Being able to accurately step on everyone else's landmines means you can avoid offending others in your interactions."

"I chose the former simply because of personal preference."

"Compared to fake smiles, I prefer direct verbal humiliation."

"Although it lacks class, I enjoy it."

Ai Hayasaka didn't reply this time, but simply walked out the door.

After she left, Mai Sakurajima breathed a sigh of relief, muttering to herself thoughtfully.

"I didn't expect there to be a second person with Adolescence Syndrome, and it's Kaguya Shinomiya, this is troublesome."

"What's troublesome about it?"

Yae Star waved his hand, not caring.

"What does Kaguya Shinomiya getting sick have to do with us? It doesn't affect us at all, and I don't plan to agree to help."

"Hmm?"

Hearing this, Mai Sakurajima's eyebrows furrowed slightly, her face showing displeasure, and she reached out and twisted Yae Star's arm.

"I'm not saying, how did you become like this after going to Tokyo? Although Kaguya Shinomiya was once your rival, it was just a student competition, it's not some blood feud. Not to mention the possibility of bizarre phenomena, just the fact that she has Adolescence Syndrome, we, as informed people, should provide help."

Yae Star's answer was simple.

"No."

Mai Sakurajima was even more annoyed, clenching her fist and waving it in front of Yae Star's face.

"You're even speaking English to me? Huh?"

"If I say I won't help, I won't help."

Watching Yae Star lying on the sofa, acting like he was going to see his laziness through to the end, Mai Sakurajima took a deep breath and decided to adopt another method of attack.

She first opened the refrigerator, took out a bottle from the dozens of neatly arranged, chilled Coca-Cola bottles, then ran to Yae Star, squatted down, proactively unscrewed the cap, handed it to him, and said softly in an extremely gentle tone.

"Running to such a far place like Itomori Town must have been tiring, right? Have a bottle of Coke, I'll rub your shoulders and massage you."

"Pulling this trick?"

Yae Star saw through Mai Sakurajima's scheme at a glance.

But seeing through it is one thing.

Drinking the Coke comes first.

After drinking it, he put the Coke bottle on the table, looked at Mai Sakurajima, and said seriously.

"You also heard, Kaguya Shinomiya contracted Adolescence Syndrome on the night after the joint exam ended. You should understand what that means, right?"

"Of course."

Mai Sakurajima sighed softly, took Yae Star's hand, and said earnestly.

"But, don't feel like it's your responsibility because of that. It's only natural that you got first place, exams are ranked, and you couldn't have predicted in advance that Kaguya Shinomiya would contract Adolescence Syndrome because of it."

"Of course."

Faced with Mai Sakurajima's comfort, Yae Star didn't show any remorse, but instead looked justified.

"It must be her own lack of ability, how could it be my problem?"

Mai Sakurajima rolled her eyes, thinking that she must have been out of her mind to think of comforting Yae Star.

This guy has a 200% immunity to moral kidnapping.

Not to mention others, Yae Star himself would never morally kidnap himself.

Normal people would have some complex thoughts in this situation, even if they knew it wasn't their fault, since there was likely a cause-and-effect relationship between losing the top spot in the joint exam and Kaguya Shinomiya's Adolescence Syndrome.

Fortunately, Yae Star isn't a normal person.

"That's what you say."

Mai Sakurajima changed the subject, lay down on Yae Star's lap, raised her hand to stroke his cheek, and persuaded him gently.

"If I hadn't met you back then, I'm afraid I would have disappeared from everyone's memory long ago. As someone who has suffered from Adolescence Syndrome, I can best understand Kaguya Shinomiya's feelings at this moment. There must be unspeakable pain and entanglement in her heart that caused her to fall into this state, help her."

"Your Holy Mother heart is overflowing?"

"How can you call it Holy Mother? If you say that, then you were a Holy Mother when you helped me."

"You're different."

"How are we different?"

Yae Star replied sincerely.

"I wanted your body, my motives weren't very pure."

"Stop talking nonsense."

Mai Sakurajima didn't believe that kind of explanation at all.

If he really wanted her body, wouldn't he have made a move long ago when Yae Star was the only one in the world who could observe her, and she was living in his house?

Wanting her as a person is more like it.

Verdict: Pure tsundere.

"Help her, please?"

Mai Sakurajima used a spoiled offensive.

Yae Star was completely immune, but deliberately showed the effect of receiving tremendous damage.

"Help, I can help."

Before Mai Sakurajima could be happy, she heard Yae Star add seriously.

"But if you want to hold another exam and have me deliberately lose to her, that's impossible."

Mai Sakurajima pouted, helpless.

"You're really competitive, aren't you? You don't want to lose even once?"

"It depends on the person."

Yae Star restrained his smile, held Mai Sakurajima's hands, and said very seriously.

"For people like you, who I consider my own, I can lose as many times as you want, but Kaguya Shinomiya is just an outsider, that's another matter."

Mai Sakurajima's pretty face flushed slightly, and she muttered softly.

"You always do this kind of sudden attack... really..."

Yae Star smiled.

"Is that all?"

"Oh right, the most important thing isn't this."

Mai Sakurajima seemed to have remembered something, and slowly spoke.

"The first thing is, after returning to Tokyo, Shizuka Hiratsuka-sensei called me twice, saying she wanted to talk to you alone. Does she already know about the exorcism?"

"Yes, but she hasn't seen our true abilities yet."

"Then whether to meet or not, and how much to reveal if we meet, is up to you."

Mai Sakurajima wasn't too concerned about this matter.

Truth be told, the Supernatural Research Club's exorcism activities have never been deliberately concealed.

What can't be made public is the members' special abilities and the fact that evil spirits truly exist.

After all, the exorcism profession has existed since ancient times, but only a few people truly possess spiritual power, and most are charlatans.

Moreover, Noto Oda usually only forwards requests. This time, Mai Sakurajima heard that the client's name was Ai Hayasaka and that the Shinomiya family was involved, so she proactively arranged a meeting with the client.

Otherwise, it would just be a series of procedures: going to the designated location, eliminating the evil spirit, and collecting the reward.

With Noto Oda as an intermediary, there's no need to meet the client at all.

"That's just a small matter, there's a more important thing, which is the real reason I urged you to come back."

Speaking of this, Mai Sakurajima sighed and slowly opened her mouth.

"Shoko Makinohara-san... has grown up."

"Grown up?"