Uneasy daily life

Yukinoshita's mother remained motionless, while Yukinoshita's father, clutching his stomach, slowly retreated behind her.

“Cough… If we must determine a person’s worth based on their appearance, we should consider the overall standard, not just a partial one,” Yukino’s mother tried to comfort her. “Appearance is a superficial value judgment, and a partial view of appearance is the most superficial part, so there’s no need to care about it at all…”

Yukinoshita's father covered his face with his hands—"What are you doing, my goddess?!" He should just skip over this topic altogether!

"Yes, Mother..."

Yukino Yukinoshita managed a pale, snow-white smile, clearly seeing her older sister behind her mother deliberately crossing her arms.

Genetics...isn't that incredibly unfair?

Wait a minute, speaking of which, my mother always wore a kimono, whether at home or out, and the loose-fitting kimono easily concealed her figure...

Yukino Yukinoshita ruthlessly suppressed her rebellious speculation.

Chapter 125 Honest Little Sister, Cunning Older Sister

Should I have comforted Yukino? Would being too gentle give her the impression that she can escape? Given the current situation, perhaps I should have acted more serious to encourage Yukino to speak up under pressure?

"That's what my mother thought," Yukinoshita thought.

My mother probably wants me to stop wasting my energy and attention on my appearance and focus on improving my inner qualities and abilities. She probably can't stand my behavior of losing my composure because of my appearance.

Yukino thought to herself.

After revising my understanding of my mother's image and thought process... could it be that my mother thought I was comforting Yukino after saying those words just now? (Laughs)

Yukino Shino pressed her lips down hard.

Ah... I knew it! With her upright character, the goddess wouldn't deliberately ignore a topic, even an awkward or delicate one. And I even tried to pretend to be low on emotional intelligence and give everyone a way out, but I completely missed it!

Yukinoshita's father felt a sharp pain in his stomach, and certain unpleasant memories began to surface in his mind.

University, rented room, girlfriend during a surprise inspection, found out from a corner, a lonely companion, a sex toy, a late-night connection, swaying on the table.

"[Beeping] is an unhealthy behavior that will only cause problems for your body, such as lethargy, memory loss, and poor sleep quality. I looked it up, and it's said to also increase the risk of various diseases. Come with me to the hospital for a checkup later, and you need to quit doing this in the future..."

My girlfriend's serious, earnest, reasonable, and logical lecture haunted me, making me wish I could just vanish into thin air.

More than once I've been thankful that I didn't give birth to a son, so I wouldn't experience that situation where a mother becomes obsessed with her son and speaks to him with such earnestness that it seems like her son is about to die.

Hiss—Don't remember! Don't remember! Don't remember!

It's all fake, nothing like that ever happened! How could something like that happen to me? Hahahaha! It's fake!

Yukinoshita's father brutally beat up her memories, burying them back into the bottomless darkness.

"Wife, when are we going to visit the Chitanda family?"

"The visit has been postponed to tomorrow."

"Then let's go wander around and not bother the young people."

"……Um."

Yukino's mother wanted to speak up and give Yukino some courage, but remembering Shirayuki's previous warning and the urging tone in her husband's words, she ultimately said nothing, only nodding to her two daughters: "I hope your school trip will be fruitful, and don't let Haruno's university studies fall behind."

"Know it."

Yukinoshita waved her hand impatiently and said, "Is it so hard to have some fun these next few days? Tch."

The two adults left.

Yukino Yukinoshita understood.

My school trip report will be reviewed afterward? Then I'll start preparing with all my might. What topic should I choose? My mother admires Chitanda a lot; perhaps I could try doing a survey on the economic changes in the Jinde area. I could get the materials from Chitanda…

Yukino Yukinoshita skillfully added a side quest to herself, looking at her older sister with a hesitant expression.

Yukinoshita tilted her head and asked, "Hmm? Is something the matter, Yukino-chan?"

The emotions that had just been dealt a blow by her external weakness had already faded after her mother's merciless finishing blow. Yukino Yukinoshita was even more surprised by her sister's attitude toward their mother. She hesitated for a moment and asked softly, "Sister, have you and Mother made up?"

"reconcile?"

Yukinoshita smiled wryly: "Want to find a place to walk around?"

"...Um, I'll talk to my friend about it."

Yukino Yukinoshita glanced at her sister's expression a few more times before turning and walking towards Yui Yuigahama and Hachiman Hikigaya.

My sister feels different now. Usually, she only has two expressions and one behavior when she's around me.

Whether they're all smiles, or expressionless with a hint of sarcasm, whatever their expression, they seem to find pleasure in provoking others, which is extremely malicious and irritating.

Now...it seems like it's still the same?!

Hiratsuka Shizuka walked out of the shop, lit a cigarette, and tapped Yukinoshita Haruno on the back of the head: "You're not up to any bad ideas, are you?"

Yukinoshita drawled, "No, Aunt Shizuka—Aunt—Aunt—"

"Fine, do whatever you want, I don't care."

Hiratsuka Shizuka lit a cigarette and complained, "I've been running around dealing with your family's affairs these past two days, it's exhausting. Tsk, I came here to freeload on a school trip, but I feel busier than usual..."

Yukino Yukinoshita said enthusiastically, "Then, to thank Aunt Shizuka, I'll see if there's a mixed-gender hot spring where you can go for a soak. Maybe you can even snag a handsome guy with your looks!"

"Then I can only catch something that makes me want to punch it into a coffin."

Hiratsuka Shizuka rolled her eyes, swished a cigarette through her mouth, and went off to enjoy her vacation.

He still loves meddling in other people's business; he's probably still resentful that they couldn't help him back in high school...

Xiaojing is probably going to never get married in this lifetime. I'll secretly get her a pension insurance policy to show my filial piety (laughs).

Under the snow, Yang's thoughts drifted aimlessly.

A short while later, Yukino Yukinoshita came running back.

"Let's go, let's go, Yukino-chan~"

"Ah."

The two sisters walked out along the street and strolled along the bank of a stream, remaining silent to each other.

Yukino Yukinoshita walked for a while, glanced at her older sister who was humming something, and reluctantly took the initiative to ask, "So, sister, what happened between you and Mother?"

Yukino Yukinoshita said, "I find her both annoying and stupid now."

Could it be that Mother is truly clinging to her obsession, just as Bai Ying said, and is determined not to let go? But judging from the atmosphere just now, it doesn't seem like that.

Yukino Yukinoshita instinctively took two steps closer: "What exactly is it... huh?!"

"Such a strong smell of alcohol, and... it even has a flavor?!"

Yukino took a half step back to create some distance and took a closer look at her sister. She noticed that her sister's hair was messy, her clothes were also a bit disheveled, and while she wasn't exactly clean and tidy, she was at least somewhat slovenly. She exclaimed in surprise, "How much did you drink?!"

"Ah, I forgot, I think I took a nap in the middle, and after waking up I ate something and drank some..."

Yukino Yukinoshita took out her phone and looked at it, then scratched her head: "I think I drank until this afternoon. Anyway, I definitely didn't shower or change clothes last night."

Yukino Yukinoshita opened her eyes wide, took a deep breath, and growled in a low voice, "Sister!"

"Yukino-chan dislikes me so much, she won't even hug me, and she even took a step back, I'm so sad and upset... I'll just leave Yukino-chan's sight now, waaaaah..."

Yukino Yukinoshita gently hugged Yukino Haruno from behind.

Yukino Yukinoshita paused, the sound of her fake crying stuck in her throat.

"Don't do this... Sister, please don't do this." Yukino Yukinoshita instinctively buried her face in her sister's back. The strong, pungent smell of alcohol made her voice sound particularly muffled. "This isn't right..."

A sister who is like a perfect superhero, a sister who I hate but don't want to be hated by, a sister I admire... I shouldn't, and shouldn't, do things that hurt myself.

Seeing my sister looking so dejected is both heartbreaking and worrying.

"...Sigh, Yukino-chan is such a useless, honest girl, she's bound to become a little punching bag in the future."

Yukino Yukinoshita sighed: "Haven't you ever heard of playing the victim?"

Yukino Yukinoshita: "Huh?"

"I just drank some wine normally, spilled some on myself, and pretended to be drunk to see my mom's reaction," Yukinoshita Haruno chuckled. "I didn't expect to see Yukino-chan's adorable reaction. Being hugged and acted cute by Yukino-chan, that was almost ten years ago..."

Yukino Yukinoshita released her hand, her face turned cold, and she took three steps to the side, then patted the part of her clothes that had touched her with disgust: "So, tell me, how was the result of my pitiful act?"

"Of course, it's freedom."

Yukino Yukinoshita said with a smile, "I don't have to pay attention to Mom anymore. She's agreed to leave me alone. I can do whatever I want. I feel so relaxed now."

what about me?

Yukino Yukinoshita resisted the urge to ask directly, and instead probed indirectly, "Why is my sister so reluctant to inherit the family business? Is it because of Mother's pressure?"

“That’s only part of the reason,” Yukino Yukinoshita shook her head. “To give an example, it’s like Yukino-chan going back to elementary school, determined to change herself, so she has to smile at those classmates who ostracized her, treat them gently, and not cause any conflict… That’s what working at home is like for me. No matter if the other person is a human or a ghost, or what kind of fame and fortune they’re hiding, I have to create a harmonious atmosphere first—ugh, just thinking about it makes me want to throw up.”

Yukino stuck out her tongue, and Yukinoshita Yukino was already a little stiff: "Is this how it is at home?"

"Well, and there's also the waste of time... Sometimes you know you're rambling on about things that have no meaning, and the other person knows they're just repeating the same meaningless stuff over and over again, but neither of you will easily reveal your real needs. You prefer to probe and test each other's limits indirectly."

Yukino Yukinoshita vividly described, "Going into politics requires Dad to introduce you to all sorts of people, attend various gatherings, and figure out their thoughts and ideas. Going into business requires understanding the overall structure of the family company and the demands of different employees. You will inevitably have to deal with all sorts of situations and people with different personalities because of some interests... Neither of them is a simple one-man show. You need to manage, coordinate, and make decisions. But I won't have to deal with these things anymore."

"Yukino-chan, do your best!"

Yukino Yukinoshita was extremely stiff: "...Is Father like that when he works?"

“Dad has built up his connections, status, and prestige over the years. He knows how to handle any situation. But if Yukino-chan wants to take over Dad’s position, she’ll have to take it one step at a time.” Yukinoshita Haruno waved her hand and said, “Well, it has nothing to do with me anyway. Maybe Yukino-chan can do a better job than me and become a strong leader. Then she’ll naturally gain the respect of others.”

Yukino Yukinoshita felt increasingly that she needed to carefully examine her interests, and couldn't help but ask, "What did Mother say?"

"What do you mean, how do you say it?" Yukinoshita Haruno looked blank. "Didn't Yukino-chan want to inherit the family business?"

Can I say that I want to examine my choices, or try them out, before making a decision?

Yukino was sullen, but she didn't feel comfortable saying it directly. She wanted to think about it, or ask her sister to talk to her for her—her sister seemed to hate the housework, and asking her to help would feel like pushing her sister, who had finally escaped the fire, back into the woods…

Yukino watched with a smile; those words were indeed her true feelings.

Completely sincere, entirely subjective.

Perhaps it's because I've gotten used to trying to understand my mother and constantly adjusting my mask that I've become someone everyone likes, but someone who hates me the only one. The more I adapt to that kind of work environment where everyone is more or less hiding their true selves, the more depressed and irritable I feel, not to mention that I started working from home with a sense of responsibility and pressure from the very beginning.

As for whether Yukino can adapt and take over those jobs, how can we know until we actually get involved?

Hehe, just putting a little pressure on my little sister.jpg

To find her true self, Yukino-chan has to overcome the mountain of her mother's obstacles on her own. And Yukino-chan, who pretends to be calm on the surface but is actually very distressed, is quite interesting.

The two sisters were chatting when they stopped and looked ahead at the area under construction.

A white figure is kowtowing to Mai Sakurajima, who is sitting on a chair.

Yukinoshita Yukino: "...?"

Yukinoshita Yono: "..."

Chapter 126 Let's Have a Normal Performance

Are you satisfied with your performance?

Bai Ying leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, tapped his fingers on the table, and frowned slightly, exuding the air of a big boss.

Sakurajima Mai crossed her arms and retorted with undiminished force, "What kind of assessment method is this, Mr. Bai? Suddenly saying 'Let's break up' on the street, we're not even in a relationship, it's just inexplicable."

"Then why don't you immediately ask 'Who are you?' to refute me? What are you standing there like an idiot for? Do you expect the audience to show you your lines on signs when you get on stage?"

Bai Ying frowned deeply, saying with a look of disappointment, "Are you really an actor? How come you have absolutely no talent?"

"You just finished saying the assessment was starting, and then you yelled 'Let's break up.' I think it's normal for someone not to be able to react immediately, right?" Mai Sakurajima retorted. "So what if I asked you 'Do I know you?', how would you respond?"

"Of course, I'll pester you relentlessly and pretend to be your boyfriend."

"Should I call for help or call the police?"

"Of course, you'll either end up in jail or argue with the strangers who come to your aid."

The answer was so fluent and even taken for granted that Mai Sakurajima found it completely unsurprising that the mouthpiece who burned the doll and went to the police station was actually quite normal.

“When the test begins, regardless of how many audience members there are, or whether there are lines or a script, it’s all about performing,” Bai Ying scolded. “Come on, let’s calculate what you’ve acted out. A character who only has a cold face and speaks a few lines whenever there’s a gap in the screen—replacing you with a wooden stake wouldn’t make any difference. If you’re about the same as a wooden stake, is there a difference between me putting you on stage and having you stand on a piece of wood and perform a stand-up comedy routine? No.”

“You’re not even as good as someone who just barged in halfway through the journey.”