I'm in Tokyo, caught in the clutches of the demon princess.

Page 243

“I don’t want to do that. I want to switch sides and join the other side to refute my teammates. But would my idol be happy if I did that? Would she think it’s disrespectful?”

"So after careful consideration, I chose restraint, I chose respect, and I chose to speak from my own experience to prove my point of view."

"Some people may think I've gone off-topic, but have I really? Do some things have to be explained clearly before they can be understood? If I don't say it, will others not be able to understand it? If I say it, will others be able to understand it?"

"If I didn't suppress myself and showed that fervor in front of everyone, what would have happened? I had to think about the consequences for both sides and even for those around me, so restraint and rationality were the only things I did for the place."

Koji Shiraishi sat down.

Koji Shiraishi's personal account just now, whether true or false, was incredibly convincing.

Moreover, he hinted at the theme in a subtle way, without explicitly mentioning it in any sentence, yet every sentence contained it.

Even Takeuchi Mie was embarrassed by what was said, and not only Takeuchi Mie, but Shiraishi Koji himself blushed.

This was not his original idea, but rather Aoki Sakura's.

Koji Shiraishi is truly a fan of Misae Takeuchi, and it took a lot of mental preparation from Sakura Aoki before he said those things.

In order to win, he sacrificed himself.

It's Ruri Shinbo's turn to take the baton.

"Speaking from personal experience is indeed a good way to gain public acceptance. In that case, let me give you my own example."

"To be honest, when I got this debate topic, I was stunned. I didn't know how to participate in this topic. To say something that will make everyone laugh, I have never been in a relationship. I avoid contact with girls unless necessary."

“It’s not that I don’t want to get involved, it’s just that it wouldn’t make any sense to me. My family is very traditional, so much so that there are many things I can’t decide, including my life, my future path, and my future partner.”

"So avoiding direct contact can save a lot of trouble."

"This is very rational, and it fits the other party's theme better, but behind the rationality lies the struggle and surrender of emotions. The more rational one appears, the more one's inner emotions are suppressed."

"Let's think about the debate topic of love. Does it necessarily require a man and a woman, or both parties?"

"Does my not interacting with girls mean I'm against love? On the contrary, I crave love more than anyone else. But I know that if I fall in love with someone other than the person my parents have chosen for me, we're destined not to be together in the end. Is this rational? No, it's not rational. Is this restraint? No, it's not restraint. It's absolute emotion. If my love isn't free, if I can't love freely, if my lover isn't the person I want to love, I'd rather not love at all."

"Just as marriage is not necessarily equal to love, restraint is not entirely equal to rationality."

Ruri Shinbo's move was quite ruthless.

The other party's theme was simply that it was acceptable, while Ruri Shinbo directly overturned the idea that restraint equals rationality.

He blurred what was originally a clear concept.

Next up is the ace of the Inada University team.

"The handsome guy just now made a very poignant statement, but there were some issues. He blurred some concepts, and his subjective perspective made restraint seem more emotional than rational. As we all know, subjectivity is often inflammatory and manipulative."

"Perhaps this handsome man is under unimaginable pressure, but in the end, life is his own, soul is his own, and will is his own. I don't know if you have heard this saying: Life is precious, love is more precious, but freedom is the most precious of all."

"Nothing is more important than freedom. If anyone tries to restrict my freedom, I will fight back desperately, even at the cost of my life. This is my commitment to freedom and self-expression."

"Emotion and reason are both vague concepts that are not fully defined. It is humans, us, who have given them clear definitions."

"I think it's rational, and it is rational; I think it's emotional, and it is emotional. This is subjective."

"My subjective view is that subjective rationality is emotion, while objective rationality is true rationality."

Chapter 307 The Power of the Fourth Debaters from Both Sides

"So we are starting from an objective perspective, from the perspective of the general public. We are sitting here debating with each other not to persuade the other side, but to persuade the audience. We don't decide who wins or loses; the audience does."

Aoki Sakura took a breath.

"Since everyone has been talking about restraint, I'll use a different word: management."

"What needs to be managed? Business, and love."

"Business has its ups and downs, love has its joys and sorrows, and these are all consequences of human influence."

"It's like a balance scale. There's a book on one side and a feather on the other. How can a feather compare to something in the book? So you need to add weights to balance the two. But how many weights to add to balance the scale requires a lot of consideration."

"Love can be divided into two stages: falling in love and continuing to love. Falling in love requires passion and doesn't require much thought, but continuing to love requires careful nurturing and rational maintenance. You have to think about your future work and life, the daily necessities. A heart full of love can't withstand hunger or resist the cold."

"If love is one-sided, then the edifice of love will collapse and eventually become a pile of ruins, burying both of them deep inside."

Aoki Sakura winked at Kazesawa.

"Junior, it's your turn. Get ready."

Everyone looked at the two with subtle expressions.

It's obvious that their relationship is more than just friendship.

"I'm quite flattered to be called out by my senior, but with my reputation already so bad, it really takes a lot of courage for her to interact with me. Anyway, let's get back to our debate topic."

"Is love more rational or more emotional? Of course, it's more rational."

The three people in Feng Zejian looked at him with strange eyes.

Feng Zejian was stunned for a moment.

"Ah, isn't it rational?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just listened to what my senior said and couldn't help but side with her. We're on the opposing side, we need to be more emotional."

"Emotional, emotional. After thinking about it, my senior just compared love to a balance scale or a building. The balance scale is fine, but there are many reasons why a building might collapse. For example, the foundation might be weak or the materials might be poor. In the context of love, I can understand a weak foundation as the two people not loving each other enough, and poor materials as problems with the personalities and character of the two people."

"Besides these, there are unexpected factors, such as strong winds, tsunamis, and earthquakes. Love is already a edifice, so what are strong winds, tsunamis, and earthquakes? They are the pressures of life, the inequality of social classes, and the prejudices of the world."

"If these are the reasons that cause the collapse of the edifice of love, then I think there is nothing wrong with the edifice itself."

"Life, class, worldly affairs, these are all realities, representing the rationality of most people. It is this rationality that tears down the edifice of love, while love and emotion are what sustain it."

"Just now, my senior shared a wonderful concept: falling in love and continuing to love."

"I fell in love with you, but reason made me give up and stop loving you. Did I stop loving you because of the pressure of life, the difference in our status, and the disapproval of those around me?"

"Many tragedies have occurred because of the inability to love, but some tragedies are caused by the inability to love."

"Tragedy is more memorable than comedy because it is thought-provoking,"

"There's a term called 'love suicide,' I don't know if you've heard of it. Senior sister can describe a collapsing building as a poorly managed love, can I use 'a collapsing building' as a metaphor for an uncompromising love?"

"Suicide is something that has nothing to do with rationality, and dying for love must also be irrational, but the term 'dying for love' has a high reputation in literary history, or rather, the term 'dying for love' itself is an art, an art that is not praised. Countless predecessors used their lives to prove their pure love, allowing people to have a deeper understanding of love."

"Love suicide is a tragic art, but the emergence of this tragic art is to prevent such tragedy from happening."

"In my opinion, the core of love is love. Falling in love is based on love, and continuing to love is based on love. If you truly fall in love with someone, you will find that you can't think too much, or you can only think for the other person. Your emotions are him, and your rationality is also him."

Feng Zejian felt he had done enough, so he sat down.

Is this the shocking response from the fourth debaters on both sides? It felt like a decisive blow.

For Aoki Sakura, this would be a fatal blow.

The second round has begun.

The second round was less exciting than the first, but it was still quite exciting.

When it came to the free debate, Kazema remained silent, lost in thought, while Aoki Sakura stared intently at him.

A blissful smile graced his face.

While the other six engaged in heated debates, the two enjoyed a peaceful and quiet time together.

Kanazawa High School's firepower was quite strong, and the three students from Inada University were struggling to keep up.

"Aoki Sakura, why aren't you saying anything? It looks like we're going to lose."

Sakura Aoki looked at Koji Shiraishi.

Give me the microphone.

Aoki Sakura took the microphone, which immediately put the other three at ease.

But what happened next was completely unexpected.

Aoki Sakura, holding the microphone, said, "Junior, why have you been ignoring me all this time?"

Feng Zejian realized what was happening and grabbed the microphone from the side. "My identity has been exposed, so I'm a little embarrassed to bother you."

"How can you be so shameless as to play with my feelings?"

As soon as these words came out, the whole place fell into silence.

Feng Zejian's scumbag character has been completely confirmed.

"Let's not talk about these things in public. I don't care about my reputation, but it's bad for yours."

“You know I care about this, and you know what I want.”

He smiled bitterly amidst the wind and swirling waters.

"I do not know."

"Then I'll tell you, junior, I like you."

Feng Zejian remained silent for a while.

"Feel sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

I cannot reciprocate your affection.

"Then give me a specific reason."

Feng Zejian looked away, pondered for a moment, and then gave three words.

"I do not deserve."

"It would be better if you just said you don't like me than those three words."

Feng Zejian did not hesitate.

I like you, but I'm not good enough for you.

"You like me, I like you, isn't that enough? What's with all this talk about being a good match? Didn't you just say that the core of love is love itself? Don't you think it's a bit contradictory to think so much?"

Feng Zejian corrected:

"This is our team's theme, and I actually prefer to be more rational."

"I still think being emotional is better."

Everyone was stunned. The fourth debaters from both sides not only confessed their feelings to each other, but also switched sides at the last minute.

"Then we should switch teams."

Aoki Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Okay."

The two stood up, took their name tags, and switched places in front of everyone.

Chapter 308 The Fourth Debater Switches Positions

It's such a surprise that this is the finals!

Of course, this kind of unexpected event is what the production team wants to see.

The stories that top celebrities and influential figures with millions of followers have to tell – that's the real deal when it comes to viewership ratings.

The other three members of the two teams stared at their new teammates for a long time.

Feng Zejian placed his name tag on the table.

"Let me reintroduce myself. I am Feng Zejian, the fourth speaker for the affirmative side."

"Fourth speaker for the opposition, Aoki Sakura."

This self-introduction sent chills down the spines of both teams' teammates and the audience.

Sakura Aoki is holding the microphone.

"Feng Zejian, I want to ask you, I like you so much, and you also said you like me, so why don't you accept me?"

"Liking someone doesn't necessarily mean you have to be together, and being together doesn't necessarily mean you like them."

"That's a strange thing to say. If you like each other, why can't you be together?"

Feng Zejian shook his head helplessly.