Chapter 29: The News Club's Door

"You need to have confidence in yourself too," Mikami Ai said.

"Who's been the one constantly crushing my confidence?"

"Do you know Emerson? If not, let me tell you — American President Lincoln called him the 'Confucius of America'; surely you don't not know who Confucius is?"

Finished speaking, Mikami Ai suddenly realized something, and laughed lightly: "Sorry, subconsciously crushed your confidence again."

She truly hadn't realized it, because her smile held a trace of apology, and genuine happiness.

"Forget it, you continue, what about the American Confucius?"

"It's Emerson. Emerson was a thinker; he believed God is the 'Over-Soul', every person's soul can also freely enter the Over-Soul, everyone can communicate with God, everyone possesses the means to obtain all knowledge — as long as you want, kendo, baseball, soccer, basketball, to you they're all simple."

"Then why don't you learn?"

"What are you saying, Classmate Aoyama? I seek spiritual troubles; physical exhaustion is not my pursuit — here." Mikami Ai handed the book at her side to Qingshan Li.

It was Ralph Waldo Emerson's book.

Qingshan Li casually flipped it open, and saw this passage:

〖To fully manifest the individual soul's capacity, the individual is the sole instrument for discovering truth. Every person must be a steadfast seeker, must discover God for themselves through their own self; the path is complete submission to or absolute trust in personal intuition〗

Similar to "just play according to the score"?

Qingshan Li had his own score in his heart too.

Ono Mika was already in her senior year, the final year of high school life; no matter what, he had to free her from part-time work.

Let her control her own time, whether she decided to study hard or enjoy school activities.

Ono Mizuki too, a sixteen-year-old girl, participating in club activities every day carrying a sense of guilt; no matter how sweet the songs she sang, they were probably bitter.

Her not going to work — more than for her own ease, it was for the sake of making Ono Mika's mood better.

Giving them freedom — that was the score currently in Qingshan Li's heart.

The System must serve this purpose too.

"Since reading mystery novels can't achieve the perfect crime, how about reading more of this kind of book?" Mikami Ai said.

"Thanks." Qingshan Li returned the book to her, "Next time I go to the Library, I'll borrow this book."

Mikami Ai looked at him for a second, then took the book.

Not like playing hard to get; he seemed to genuinely not want any involvement with her.

"No time to lose, let's go straight to the News Club, then visit the Kendo Club." She said.

Qingshan Li accepted it.

He also decided to work hard at training his body,

Doing nothing but burpees would of course be more fitness-efficient, but practicing kendo could both improve physical fitness and improve combat skills.

And there was one biggest reason: he couldn't stop Mikami Ai from acting.

Neither could he, nor was it permissible — Mikami Ai was the material-collection target, the protagonist of the campus mystery novel.

Only by letting her act completely according to her own ideas could he accurately record her.

The two went to the News Club.

The News Club, Broadcasting Club, and other functionally-oriented clubs were concentrated on the Fourth Floor.

Qingshan Li walked while structuring his novel; at this moment he suddenly thought of a line: all mistakes began from that PE class.

If he hadn't run himself into the Infirmary during PE class, he wouldn't have gone to the Choir Club, and wouldn't have met Mikami Ai there.

The Mikami Ai who hadn't met him would still have founded her own club the next day, just probably wouldn't have named it the "Athens Philosophy Research Club".

Missing that opportunity, the two would almost certainly never have intersected again; Qingshan Li wouldn't have gone to the Calligraphy Club, Prophecy Divination Club, Cooking Room.

He would only occasionally hear news of this young lady acting recklessly on Campus.

Wait, that's wrong.

Writing a novel doesn't need to be this realistic!

Moreover, the two must meet — only then can material be collected, only then can a novel be written to earn money.

Like right now — clearly he didn't want to go, but she wanted to go, so he could only go.

Put that way it sounds a bit like romance; let's change it to: clearly he didn't want to go, but for the sake of collecting material, he could only go.

They say with an outstanding novel, the author can't control the characters; when a character wants to do something, the only thing the author can do is follow along and act with the character.

【Campus Mystery, Main Ability is Beauty】 will certainly be a perfect work.

System-produced, guaranteed A-rank — except for before, because his physical condition was no good, his running didn't break the world record.

Qingshan Li himself was also curious what level this book would reach.

"Are you the type who doesn't dare strike up a conversation, only dares silently peek?" Mikami Ai suddenly asked.

"What?" Qingshan Li heard clearly, just couldn't believe what he'd heard.

"Always, always, always walking behind me."

"Right now we're going downstairs; you manage me."

Mikami Ai stopped her steps, sighed with a headache.

"Classmate Aoyama," she said, "Though it's difficult, I still hope you can understand a rich person's feelings — me, possessing youth, beauty, wealth, I truly cherish my life; having someone walk behind me on the stairs, I have no sense of security."

Not waiting for Qingshan Li to say or do anything, she declared again:

"There's definitely a mystery novel where the criminal's murder motive is hatred of beauty, hatred of the rich!"

Qingshan Li really wanted to learn from her and sigh.

But he didn't, just silently walked to her front.

The two continued downstairs.

"Classmate Aoyama, please imagine — right now you're young, also good-looking, your family is extremely rich, and a person with bad grades, no money, who also doesn't like you is walking behind you — what would you feel?"

"I want to hit you." That was Classmate Aoyama's feeling.

"If you can't do it, do you start resorting to violence?" Mikami Ai said.

"I"

【Campus Mystery, Main Ability is Beauty: 92.5%】

Qingshan Li calmed down.

"Everyone's values are different. In my opinion, violence is also a kind of ability, and I will never give up the right to use violence." He said.

"Go to the Kendo Club later. If a conflict breaks out, it all depends on you."

Qingshan Li would run faster than her.

Mikami Ai knocked on the door of the News Club.

After waiting a while, the door was opened, and judging from the angle, the other party had no intention of letting them in.

The boy who opened the door saw Mikami Ai at first glance—a girl with a head of black, lustrous hair, elegant and beautiful—and he showed a very obvious expression of shock.

"Excuse me, we are from the Athens Philosophy Research Club." Mikami Ai said.

"Ah, hello." The boy came back to his senses.

The door opened a little wider.

"May I ask what's the matter?" He asked, puzzled.

"Is this the News Club?" Mikami Ai seemed not in a hurry to go in either.

"Yes."

"This Saturday morning after school, our club and the Cooking Club will hold a cooking competition in the Home Economics Classroom, and we would like to ask the News Club to serve as judges."

Despicable.

After the News Club goes and gets an excellent news story, then make their own request; the possibility of the News Club, being 'indebted,' agreeing is greater.

The door opened a little more.

But.

"I'm sorry." The person from the News Club replied, "Our club's activities have been suspended recently."

Thank you to Yu Hua, Zhi Aroma Zuo Nian Nian de Gou, Yuan Yi Lv Zhe, Cross-Dream Dimension, Tian Tang Wo Tu, Qingyuan I, Xingyu Void, Ke E de Wu Liang, and Yi Qie Ru Huo Yan for your donations!

Thank you everyone for your reading, donations, and votes!

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(Chapter End)