Inside the Service Club, the air seemed to flow again because of Kuchiba Hiro's long monologue, no longer the suffocating stagnation from before. In Yukinoshita Yukino's hollow eyes, a faint ripple of 'thought' finally appeared.
She remained silent for a long time, so long that Kuchiba Hiro almost thought she wouldn't speak again, before she finally asked softly in a dry voice:
"Why... are you telling us all this?" She raised her eyes, her blue orbs having regained some focus, and looked directly at Kuchiba Hiro with scrutiny and a trace of barely perceptible fragility. "What is your purpose?"
Kuchiba Hiro swallowed the last bite of his sandwich, brushed the crumbs off his hands, and answered with unusual frankness, even a hint of helplessness:
"I didn't want to come at first," he said truthfully. "But considering that Hiratsuka-sensei usually takes good care of me, she asked me to come... well, 'enlighten' the two of you. Consider it returning a favor."
The answer was so simple, even a bit utilitarian, that it actually made Yukino freeze for a moment. She stared at Kuchiba Hiro's expressionless yet exceptionally honest face, and after a few seconds, she nodded gently, almost imperceptibly.
This movement seemed to drain some of her strength, but it also felt like a decision. She took a deep breath, as if to exhale all the stagnation in her chest, and then began to ask the questions that had been circling in her mind for a long time.
"Why..." Her voice was still very soft, but much clearer. "Why are there so many... deceptive things in books that don't match reality?"
Kuchiba Hiro pondered for a moment. Instead of answering directly, he asked back, "Do you want to hear the pleasant version, or the unpleasant version?"
Yukino hardly hesitated. "The unpleasant one."
"Fine." Kuchiba Hiro nodded and threw out the sharp answer in a flat tone. "Because many 'hunters' in this world are trying to teach the 'prey' how to be good, so that... they themselves can play dirty behind their backs."
These words were like a dagger dipped in ice, accurately piercing Yukino's most sensitive and recently torn wound.
She closed her eyes abruptly, her long eyelashes trembling violently, and her face turned a few shades paler instantly. The impact of these words was not just cognitive, but a critical emotional blow, causing a sharp sting in her heart that felt stifling and made it hard to breathe. It almost perfectly mirrored the family's scheming she had just experienced.
A brief silence fell over the Service Club, broken only by Hachiman Hikigaya's almost inaudible breathing.
After a while, Yukino recovered a bit. She opened her eyes, her gaze showing a kind of determination born from destruction, and continued to press on, her questions beginning to touch the core:
"Then... are the values we've accepted—fairness, justice, rewards for hard work—are they all fake?"
"Not entirely fake, but they need to be re-understood," Kuchiba Hiro replied. "Hard work doesn't necessarily bring rewards, or rather, the reward might not be in the form you expect. Morality... in many cases, is indeed a tool used to restrain the lower classes and maintain social stability, while the people who make the rules don't necessarily follow them. As for everyone being equal..." He paused and posed a hypothesis. "You can try, in your mind, to pull out the 'foundation' of these values and think in the opposite direction. Can you accept it? See what happens?"
Yukino was stunned. She subconsciously followed this line of thought and immediately felt a strong sense of weightless panic. She asked back, "According to what you're saying, if these values are pulled out, won't people have nothing to rely on? Then what should one believe in?"
"That would be your 'freedom,'" Kuchiba Hiro replied calmly. "No longer bound by preset frameworks, you observe, judge, and decide for yourself what to believe in and what to rely on. It's hard, but it's the first step toward waking up."
Yukino was lost in thought, then asked a more practical question: "Then... in this society, is it only the 'bad people,' those who understand these rules, who can succeed?"
"Good and bad are complementary concepts that cannot be absolutely separated," Kuchiba Hiro analyzed. "The so-called 'bad people' are often spoiled by the indulgence and cowardice of 'good people.' You want to be a 'good person'? Fine, but you can't just have a heart of mercy; you must also have a hand of thunder. Otherwise, how can you fight against those without any bottom line? Kindness needs wisdom and strength to be guarded."
"Then... how can one change from being weak to being strong?" Yukino pursued, as this was what she most desired to know right now.
"Don't be too obsessed with the labels of 'strong' and 'weak,'" Kuchiba Hiro reminded her. "The only standard for measuring strength and weakness is often very simple: 'winning and losing.' To put it bluntly, winners are kings and losers are bandits. What you should do is not think about 'becoming strong,' but think about how to 'win the game' in your environment. Either be the hunter or be the prey; there is no middle ground."
He further pointed out, "Freedom, equality, democracy, human rights... these beautiful words are often woven by 'hunters' to appease 'prey,' making the prey hold onto luck and feel like they have something to rely on, that someone will come to save them. But the 'hunters' themselves never truly believe in these things. They only believe in the power and wealth they hold firmly in their hands, and the things they can decide for themselves."
He looked at Yukino and Hachiman, who was still silent but obviously listening intently, and gave a core piece of advice:
"Remember, anything you cannot decide for yourself, no matter what others say or promise you... cannot be trusted."
As the conversation reached its end, Yukino asked the most personal and painful question: "How... should I face my family?"
Kuchiba Hiro didn't give a direct method but asked her instead, "Do you love them?"
This question made Yukino's body tremble. She first nodded subconsciously, then shook her head vigorously, a look of struggle and pain on her face. Finally, as if resigned to fate, she nodded gently again. Emotions were so complex; she hated their scheming yet couldn't sever the bond of blood and family.
Seeing her reaction, a flash of understanding crossed Kuchiba Hiro's eyes, and he gave an answer that seemed simple but hit the core: "Then just tell them directly."
Looking at Yukino's puzzled eyes, he further explained, "Life is very complex, full of calculations, games, and rough reality, but there is one thing that isn't complex. In the end, life boils down to one word—'sentiment'."
His tone carried a calmness born of seeing through things:
"That is the thing people can't let go of, can't cut off, and can't untangle from birth to death. It is joy, it is pain, it is a bond, and it is the obsession that most people find hard to forget. Family, love, friendship... no matter how many layers of interest and calculation are wrapped around the outside, the core often revolves around this word 'sentiment'."
"You hate their scheming because you care about this family bond; you crave pure love. Since you can't let go and are pained by the impurities within it, why not be more direct? Tell them your feelings, your pain, your grievances. Lay out those convoluted schemes. The result might not change immediately, but at least you've fought for your right to express yourself and broken that silent, oppressive deadlock. Sometimes, the dumbest method is the most effective."
He concluded, "Facing this rough world, you need wisdom and strength to protect yourself, but you don't have to completely close off your heart because of it. Recognizing the cruelty of reality doesn't mean you have to become cold and heartless. While accepting the roughness of the world, still retaining the ability to feel and express 'sentiment' is perhaps... strength in its true sense."
Kuchiba Hiro finished speaking and said no more. He finished the last of his drink, stood up, and cleared away the trash.
"That's all I have to say. The rest is for you to think about and walk through yourselves."
He walked to the door and pulled it open. The afternoon sunlight shone in obliquely, casting a long shadow behind him. He didn't look back and left the Service Club directly.
Inside, Yukinoshita Yukino still sat there, but her eyes were no longer filled with the previous deadness and vacancy. Instead, they were full of complex emotions waiting to be processed, and a hint of... determination after breaking through the fog.
Hachiman Hikigaya also slowly raised his head, looking out the window, his thoughts unknown, but the thick, self-enclosed shell seemed to have cracked open a slit.
Kuchiba Hiro's words were like a stone thrown into a deep pool; they might not clear the water immediately, but they had indeed stirred up ripples and moved the accumulated silt. Whether the pool would return to dead silence or gradually flow in a new direction depended on their own choices.
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