Uneasy daily life

Yukino Haruno spoke calmly.

Was it a betrayal? It was a betrayal, wasn't it... or did the older sister have no choice but to confess?

Yukino Yukinoshita's thoughts were in disarray, her gaze unconsciously drifting left and right. In the end, she only slightly opened her mouth, without making a sound, and then lowered her head to remain silent.

“But before I explain, I’d like to ask Mother a question,” Yukinoshita Haruno said without much hope. “You probably want Yukino and me to compete and grow together, so that the better one can eventually take over Father’s job, right? Is that how I understand it?”

"Before you speak, sit up straight."

Yukino's mother gave a brief reprimand, then replied, "Of course, you should have understood this a long time ago, right? Didn't I always tell you to be Yukino's role model? Setting up rivals and constantly surpassing them, that's what growth is all about."

Yukino Yukinoshita's mind went blank, becoming even more confused... Was it true? My mother didn't approve of my answer, but rather that my answer happened to be in line with her plan, which is why it was approved... In other words, the so-called approval was just wishful thinking on my part?

"what."

Yukino Yukinoshita let out a short laugh. She shifted her body slightly, changing from a formal sitting position to a casual cross-legged one, and asked with a smile, "Then, Mother, could you please answer another question for me—the winner inherits Father's job, but what about the loser? What should they do?"

"Yang Nai, if you have any complaints or doubts, I can answer them, but please correct your attitude."

Yukinoshita's mother gave her daughter a deep look: "At least sit up straight. You don't even have manners, what else do you want to say?"

"Hai ha hai ha hai~"

Yukino Shino sat up straight and smiled, "Come, Mother, please speak."

The yin and yang components in the air have increased.

Yukinoshita's father wanted to speak, but couldn't—no, speaking up wouldn't solve the problem. How could he possibly intervene in the battle between the two goddesses?! Given the Great Goddess's temper and the Middle Goddess's current mood... even if I suggested that everyone calm down and talk about it tomorrow, they would just unanimously kick me out.

"Once a winner is determined and someone is in charge of the family business, the loser will naturally be free to do whatever they want."

Yukinoshita's mother said in a deep voice, "By then, you will be adults. You should learn to make your own choices and become independent and outstanding adults. Do you understand?"

Yukino's smile froze, then shattered. She asked calmly, "What if I feel wronged?"

"Feeling resentful?" Yukino's mother's tone rose a notch, causing Yukino to feel immense pressure. "It's okay to be unwilling to admit defeat, but you can't give up. If you can't even face your own failures, it only shows that you're very immature, still a child who cries and expects someone to give you candy..."

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha--!"

Yukino suddenly burst into laughter, a laughter that made her body tremble, a laughter that was chaotic, a laughter that made her clench her teeth tightly.

Yukinoshita's mother was interrupted. She just looked at the other person and smiled, her lips still holding a gentle smile, without saying a word.

Yukino's father felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively met Yukino's gaze—Don't look at me, I'm panicking too!

"what--"

Yukino's laughter abruptly stopped, and she said softly with a blank expression, "Do you think I care about the so-called family business? Do you think I care about competing with Yukino-chan? Do you think I'm afraid of losing to Yukino-chan, afraid of my efforts going to waste, afraid of failure? Do you think I'm indignant about these things?"

Sister! Calm down, please, really calm down...

Yukino Yukinoshita only knows that she is very scared.

Something is very, very wrong.

Yukinoshita's mother asked calmly, "If that's the case, then what are you upset about?"

"I'm so upset that my mom is such a bastard—!!!!"

Yukinoshita suddenly stood up and let out a venting roar, the heavy, pent-up voice echoing in the room.

Yukino Yukinoshita and her father were as if they had been hit by a heavy hammer at the same time, and only realized what the other was saying after a long time. They almost had their heart and lungs stop.

"It's already evening, so don't make a racket like wild animals and disturb the other hotel guests."

Yukinoshita's mother remained gentle and calm, but her tone had completely hardened: "Since you call me a scoundrel, then tell me what makes you think I'm a scoundrel!"

“Every single time, every single time, every single time—isn't it always you who makes the choices for me?! When I wanted to go out and play, you chose for me to study hard at home! When I wanted to stay in my room away from the adults, you chose for me to go out and greet people and learn manners! When I wanted to read comics and play games, you chose for me to get first place in exams! Even when I tried to learn music and start a club, you still chose not to! I accept it… I've already accepted it! I accept it!!”

"I deserve to be born into the Yukinoshita family! I was born to owe you a debt I can never repay! My life is meant to be burned for the sake of this prestigious family's reputation! I have to smile before I speak to even the most detestable people! I'd accept it even if you brought a stranger and said he was the husband you chose for me! I've already accepted my fate! Why isn't that enough?! Tell me now! You want me to have an independent and mature demeanor, to make my own choices, and not to be a crying, demanding child!"

"Choice? What do you want me to choose? I don't even know what I should choose! You gave me a goal and have been choosing for me for nineteen years! Now you're saying if I lose, I have to choose my own future? I'm definitely not your daughter—this isn't educating or nurturing me! You're not a mother, you're a monkey trainer! I'm not a daughter, I'm a monkey! You're just treating me like a monkey—you—!!!"

Roaring, howling, and rage.

Yukino Yukino tore open the scar on her heart, and the filthy blood still splattered out, as if she were vomiting out a soul-searching question.

She stared intently at her mother, just as she had every day for the past ten years, with the same gentle yet dignified demeanor, the same unwavering posture, and the same unyielding gaze.

Yukinoshita's mother took a deep breath during a break and said, "...It is through those trials that you are able to become an excellent person, a successful person..."

"Ha... You spout off one grand theory and success philosophy after another, but aren't you a failure?"

The mother was taken aback.

Utterly disappointed, Yukino Yukinoshita unhesitatingly pulled out the 'Frostmourne' from her heart, tearing a wound in her heart and severing those silent and ugly scars.

It crashed into a big tree...?!

Yukinoshita's father opened his mouth: "Yang..."

"The one who truly supports the Yukinoshita family and is successful is your father—not you! Don't you find it disgusting to take credit for your father's achievements?!"

A heavy silence instantly overwhelmed everything, leaving only Yukino's painful gasps.

Yukino Yukinoshita was completely bewildered, not even knowing how long she had been stunned... Sister, what are you saying? No, what am I listening to? This doesn't make sense, does it? Father has no standing in front of Mother; Mother is the one in charge of the family, isn't she?

She saw her mother lose her composure; it was the first time in her life she had seen her mother show such anger. She saw her mother suddenly sit up straight, her voice sharp with emotion.

"Yang Nai—"

The mother opened her mouth, but then stopped talking.

Her daughter, with red eyes and clenched teeth, was staring at her stubbornly.

Yukinoshita instinctively raised her hand to touch her eyes, getting her hand wet with unfamiliar water. She twitched her lips and said self-deprecatingly, "Ha...me? I can actually...cough cough, I can actually cry? I've been laughing for over ten years, and I can actually cry...it's hilarious."

To pour out everything that once cut open one's heart, hidden it, suppressed it, and refused to look at it again from the scarred place is not necessarily a bad thing; it is to experience pain all over again.

“I have nothing more to say to you, Mother.”

Yukino shook her head, opened the door, and ran straight away.

The room was left in a deathly silence.

Chapter 117 The Hero Makes His Debut!

By the river, two official members and one peripheral member were holding a debriefing meeting after the game ended.

Angelina thought to herself, glancing at the puppet staring blankly at the night sky, then at the white figure who suddenly cast the fishing hook into the river with a 'whoosh'... Perhaps, only she thought this way.

"Sir, sir—what is Phantom's superpower?"

Why don't you just ask him?

Ask the Phantom?

Angelina pondered for a moment, then looked at Phantom.

The other person stood ramrod straight, staring intently at the night sky, their lips occasionally moving slightly, giving the impression that they were talking to something unseen and filthy... well, it was quite unsettling.

"Oh? Are you lost in your own world again?"

Seeing this, Bai Ying casually said, "I call Phantom's superpower the Pay-to-Win Accelerator."

"Hey?"

"You've probably played games like this, right? All sorts of games that require spending money to unlock more content, especially gacha games. Players will more or less have the urge to get what they want. If Phantom gives a gentle push at that moment, that urge will make the player decisively choose to spend money."

"Oh...wait?! Manipulating emotions?!"

Angelina's eyes widened involuntarily; it sounded so wicked!

"It's not about manipulating emotions; to be precise, he can hear the 'voice' of emotions. In his words, anger is like a heavy drumbeat, sorrow is like the sound of a string, and pain is like a low horn... Simply put, he can amplify or temporarily suppress those emotions, thereby indirectly affecting others. This is Phantom's superpower."

Bai Ying curled his lip and said, "Otherwise, do you think those cunning guys could sit still and play the whole game in peace? It's just that Puppet Shadow has temporarily suppressed their urge to escape."

Angelina scratched her head: "Is that so? I don't think anyone really wanted to run away, right? Oreki-kun did want to run away, but he came back because he promised Chitanda, didn't he?"

“My job is to control the situation and guide the development of the script. It’s impossible for a person to express multiple emotions at the same time. I just make things seem reasonable, let them naturally generate certain emotions, and then hint to Phantom to make adjustments to achieve the desired result.”

Bai Ying scoffed, "You don't actually think that autistic guy can guide others, do you? Letting him use his superpowers on his own will only result in his emotions suddenly becoming extreme, making him seem crazy and incomprehensible."

"Y-really?"

"Yes, I hate human nature, and I hate this power."

Phantom snapped out of his reverie and gently pressed down on his hat: "This kind of boring stuff only prevents me from singing to my heart's content."

Huh? You hate superpowers?

Angelina was filled with question marks.

"Remember to rehearse tomorrow, Xu Bai."

Phantom gave a brief farewell and left.

Angelina asked nervously, "Um...sir, did I accidentally anger Phantom?"

"No, he just likes quiet and being alone—don't let his quiet demeanor fool you, he's incredibly proactive. If he were really angry, he would have already kicked you into the river by now."

"That sounds even scarier!"

Angelina muttered a complaint, then hesitated before asking, "Um, why does Phantom hate his superpowers?"

Bai Ying chuckled and glanced at Angelina: "Are you happy that you suddenly discovered you have superpowers?"

I was happy... At first, I was surprised and taken aback, then I felt excited and elated, with a sense of pride in being different from others, and then... I went to school, went to school, went to school...

Life goes on as usual, but this unexpected force is as glaring as a black dot on a white sheet of paper, constantly reminding you that you are different from others, bringing unease and worry.

“You’re lucky you haven’t encountered anything you’ll regret.” Bai Ying stretched, tugged at the fishing rod, and changed the direction of the float. “Didn’t I say before that human emotions are very complex, and emotions are constantly changing, merging, being born, splitting, and colliding… For Puppet Shadow, using superpowers requires listening, which is like the suona, pipa, drum kit, bass, guitar, etc., each playing their own parts, plus the inherent repression and barriers in human hearts, all coming together to create a nightmarish ensemble.”

"You'd better not say anything to Phantom out of curiosity, like 'I heard you have superpowers? Show me how, otherwise...'"

The white figure drew out the words, and Angelina swallowed hard: "No, what would happen otherwise?"

"Otherwise, you'll become very curious for a while."

"...like Chitanda-san?"

"What are you talking about?" Bai Ying frowned. "My niece wouldn't just start pulling down a classmate's pants out of curiosity about the color of their underwear, would she?"

Angelina deeply understood that some things were off-limits, and then asked curiously, "What about you, sir? Your superpower isn't mind reading, is it?"

"Mind reading? If I had that kind of superpower, would I still reject your confession?"

The white figure held a boom pole in one hand and put the other on her hip, her body enveloped in a tattered pink Stand: "This is my superpower, don't you know that too? Isn't it cool?"

“Cool…” Angelina said honestly, “It feels more… flashy than cool.”

Besides, it was clearly my superior who misunderstood that I was going to confess, but the truth was suddenly altered?

"9527, did you tell Sakurajima Mai something about me?"

"Ah, I think I heard that the commander wanted to become a hater... Huh?"

Angelina realized what was happening and quickly covered her mouth.

Bai Ying chuckled kindly, "Hehehehe... Run to town right now and buy me a case of beer, some snacks, and a few cans of extra-strong black coffee."

"Hai!"

Sir, you still say your superpower isn't mind reading?!

Angelina quickly ran away.

"Reading minds... What's so interesting about reading people's minds? It's all just something people are afraid to talk about."

Bai Ying glanced at the phone that had sent the text message.

It seems that Auntie has faced her failure head-on; let's leave the rest to the teacher.

If I go there myself, there's a chance I'll be chased down by the three Yukinoshitas wielding knives. It's better to let the teacher, who has extremely high combat power, take the hits.

……

……

Good evening~

Yukino left the hotel, dialed a number, and unconsciously smiled as she said, "Shizuka..."

"left."

Yukino turned her head and was taken aback, then saw Hiratsuka Shizuka leaning against the wall with a cigarette in her mouth. She said simply, "You're here? Then let's go—"