Uneasy daily life

"Without Miss Doll's eyes, Mr. Scarecrow is just a pile of straw left standing in the field, forgotten to be collected, denying all traces of what he experienced. Miss Doll is just that grandfather's child."

It wasn't a sudden whim; I'm just sharing my thoughts.

Hachiman Hikigaya: "Oreki, what do you think?"

"Yes... Only the person who initially gave Chitanda the direction could make her waver to that extent."

Houtarou Oreki loosened his grip on Chitanda's bangs. The only reason that situation could have occurred was because something had happened between Chitanda and her parents. But what right did he have to interfere...? No, Chitanda was strong, but at times, that strength could have negative consequences—a forced confrontation, an unyielding stance, and a conflict with no room for maneuver.

That would likely result in a serious injury, since it would create a conflict of opinion with one's parents... Forcing the issue should be the last resort.

As a lazy bum who successfully dragged his parents to the point of thinking, "As long as our son lives well and does a good job in the future, that's OK," Oreki Houtarou has a deep understanding of this.

If you tell your parents, "I don't have any grand goals or future plans; I just want to live an ordinary life," you'll likely provoke their serious attitude towards education. But if you keep your thoughts to yourself, get ordinary grades, do ordinary things, and never utter any suggestive words, you can naturally suppress your parents' expectations.

Although he later took the entrance exam for Zongwu High School, which caused his parents' opinions to backfire.

Hachiman, what were your parents like?

“Hmm…” Hachiman Hikigaya vaguely understood something. “Of course, it’s not as complicated as the Chitanda or Yukinoshita families… If I had to say, I would consider them my parents, and they would consider me their son, that’s all.”

Things like being friends with parents, having serious conversations, and dealing with their expectations and pressures are too far removed from my life as an ordinary high school student.

Hachiman Hikigaya hesitated, "If it's a family issue, Chitanda may seem like a good child and obedient girl in the eyes of her elders, but she's actually a very stubborn person. I feel like it might end up with her hurting herself... Oreki, are you just going to watch and wait for her to come to you? Do you think she'll come to you for something like this?"

"You're being really annoying today, why?"

"It was just a sudden whim; I just wanted to see the world through the minister's eyes."

Hachiman Hikigaya calmly applied pressure: "Mr. Scarecrow, Miss Doll might be crying."

"I remember."

Houtarou Oreki glanced at Hachiman Hikigaya, then got up from his seat.

Hachiman Hikigaya quickly followed, feeling fearless. Oreki wasn't the captain, so what was there to be afraid of? After all, he was fearless now! The captain had already seen right through him, so what did he have to fear?!

I'm not even afraid of the minister; a mere piece of broken wood is nothing to me!

The two left their seats and tried to walk through the bustling crowd outside the stage.

"Give."

"Borrowed, borrowed."

Chitanda's location is over there in the crowd...

She had to consider how to join the conversation if Chitanda remained silent... She wasn't some social media nuclear bomb like that white shadow who dared to say anything to people and hadn't been beaten to death yet.

The only strategy I can think of is to find a way to calm Chitanda down if she gets agitated, postpone the family discussion, and then have a proper talk with her later to understand the situation better...

The brain involuntarily starts working, envisioning various possibilities and solutions, including meddling in other people's families, the difficulty of communicating with adults, and all sorts of high-energy-consuming futures that seem unavoidable.

I shouldn't have come to see this play today, just like I shouldn't have volunteered to take Chitanda's place this morning.

This is bad, but I can't stop walking, and I can't stop thinking—

"Oreki!"

Hachiman Hikigaya reached out and pulled Houtarou Oreki, pointing slightly to the side with a strange expression and gesturing with his lips.

Houtarou Oreki looked over and saw a familiar voice muttering "Excuse me, just passing by" as it moved through the crowd.

Seriously... Chitanda really won't let me off the hook.

Houtarou Oreki quickly strode after him.

"Excuse me, could you please let me pass?"

Chitanda Eru was getting a little anxious. What if Oreki-kun left first?

"Excuse me, could I borrow..."

Chitanda Eru suddenly felt her hand being pulled by a force from behind. She turned her head in surprise, and when she saw the other person's figure reflected in her wide eyes, her surprise instantly turned into joy.

Houtarou Oreki was momentarily confused, and let go of his hand, saying helplessly, "You went too far..."

Snapped!

Chitanda Eru grabbed the other person's hand again with her own.

"Oreki-kun! Do me a favor!"

"Huh? Wait..."

Chitanda Eru grabbed Oreki Houtarou and they started jogging.

One thing subdues another, and the minister is the one who subdues all things...

Hachiman Hikigaya scratched his head, suddenly feeling a bit curious. "With Oreki doing this much, can the captain still perform an explosion?" Hmm, it made him want to conduct an experiment.

But I'd better not. Getting close to the minister is dangerous in every sense, especially given my current state of mind.

Complementary, interdependent, unique because of each other... Is that how they are? Or not?

The person, who was quietly pondering with their head down, wanted to look up, and their hands, which were already crossed and placed on their lap, seemed to want to loosen.

Calm down, Hachiman.

……

……

What does it express?

Bai Ying was tidying up her costume when she heard this and looked at Sakurajima Mai with some curiosity: "What do you think it expresses?"

"I feel like you're implying something to me in various ways."

Mai Sakurajima's gaze was somewhat deep and scrutinizing—the doll who seemed to be fulfilling her grandfather's wishes, and the grandfather and the doll who seemed to have the same goal, were actually in conflict, with contradictions that were mutually antagonistic, almost as if they had carved her mother's and her own names into it.

This person already had a history of dancing in their own sensitive areas, had witnessed several conflicts between themselves and their mother, and was also a hater.

That's irrefutable evidence, enough to warrant immediate execution.

Bai Ying asked warily, "You wouldn't be thinking of making a move, would you?"

My gaze unconsciously locked onto the other person's hands, and a sense of foreboding washed over me.

Mai Sakurajima gently stepped on the white figure's toe: "I was just moving my foot. Mr. White, don't answer questions with questions."

“You’re too attached to appearances,” Bai Ying sighed. “Creators are expressers; they can’t control how the audience interprets the content, or what opinions and criticisms they receive. Do you know the three realms of creators and audiences?”

Sakurajima Mai crossed her arms and said calmly, "I'll listen to your nonsense."

"If you see a mountain as a mountain, believe whatever others say. If you see a mountain as not a mountain, don't believe whatever others say. If you see a mountain as a mountain again, let others say whatever they want."

Bai Ying said sincerely, "You think I'm dancing in your heart, but that's only because you misunderstood my expression and it caused ambiguity."

"So what exactly was the play you put on?"

"It was an objectively existing performance from a materialist perspective, nothing more, and there are no answers."

Bai Ying laughed and said, "If there is a single answer in artistic expression that everyone agrees with and that comes from the heart, then it only proves that art has died in people's hearts."

Sakurajima Mai seemed thoughtful, pressing her toes down forcefully, and said with a forced smile, "So you mean I can say whatever I want?!"

"Calm down! This is your obsession; you're attached to appearances!"

The white figure withdrew its toe, turned around, and continued arguing with the puppet and the throat.

"My puppet isn't the most perfect? ​​The contrast between beauty and ugliness! The transformation between beauty and ugliness! And the fact that each part of its body can be plugged in and used immediately! My performance is the most spectacular!"

"Your performance, as a mouthpiece, lacks emotion and soul; it's merely a piling up of material."

"Excuse my bluntness, but neither of your performances were very good! I have the technique, the emotion, and the lines. One of you is doing the background sound, and I have to do the voice-over for the puppet. The difference is obvious!"

Angelina sat on a small stool, moved a little further away, and watched the argument with her hands supporting her chin, as if to draw a line between herself and the argument.

The audience probably has no idea how mentally ill people are backstage.

Mai Sakurajima left backstage in her costume and quickly found her mother outside.

"Mom, how was the performance?"

"The song is amazing, the puppet show is fantastic, I misjudged that white figure, the actor's ability is exceptional, Mai's choice was definitely right."

Sakurajima's mother sighed: "It's a pity there were no reporters and we didn't prepare anything in advance. Are you planning to put the performance video online?"

"...They didn't prepare to film any videos; at most, there are just some snippets filmed by students online."

It was nothing unexpected. This is something a mother would consider: how to make herself more famous, how to become a more dazzling superstar.

The seemingly identical paths are actually divergent; the mother is the grandfather who is oblivious to the imperfections of puppets, while the father is the puppet who leaves home to embark on his journey.

No matter how I think about it, it feels like a reflection of myself and my mother. The doll even has long, straight black hair, just like me.

If a mother is simply using herself to earn money, then making decisions would be much simpler.

"...Does Mother want to pull my head off?"

"What strange things are you saying? Still not out of character?"

"Yes, maybe they just weren't out of character."

Chapter 147 A Bright Future

To prevent her husband from losing his composure in public and disgracing the family, Yukinoshita's mother simply took Yukinoshita's father away.

"So, my father was the kind of...shameless person?"

Yukino Yukinoshita gave a conservative assessment.

"After all, he was a real delinquent when he was young. He was probably just putting on a show under his mother's pressure." Yukinoshita teased with a smile. "Your father is very worried about Yukino-chan's interpersonal relationships. He's doing his best to keep an eye on you."

"Is that what you mean by 'gatekeeping'? It's a completely random attack."

Yukino Yukinoshita muttered to herself, her mind drifting to the play. What would she have thought if she hadn't yet confronted her mother about the truth and had seen it? Would she have been frightened and then talked to her mother? Would she have realized that there was no other way but to take action herself?

I can't imagine what could happen.

If I had to put it into words, it was simply that I watched a performance, and only briefly made some connections to it; that's all.

Yukino suddenly asked, "If Yukino-chan is the Doll Girl, then who is Mr. Scarecrow?"

“Who else could it be?” Yukino Yukinoshita sighed. “That kind of guy who seems to be talking nonsense, laughing and joking, acting crazy, and being a chatterbox…”

They can now be completely equated with someone else.

Yukino Yukinoshita said aggrievedly, "Yukino-chan is no longer close to her older sister, and doesn't care about her anymore, *crying*."

"..."

Thinking about it carefully, Mr. Scarecrow does reflect some of my sister's experiences and feelings—the gem eyes that symbolize the meaning of his existence have been taken away, no matter what he says, the old man can't hear him, and there are his crazy words about what his existence depends on.

Various places subtly reflect my sister's experiences, but if people overthink and make excessive associations, they can even connect chewing a grain of rice to the Big Bang.

If it were Bai Jun, it wouldn't be surprising if he incorporated some of his sister's feelings and experiences into the image of Mr. Scarecrow.

Yukino Yukinoshita was slightly taken aback: "Hasn't my sister found her eyes yet?"

"Well, who knows?"

Yukino shrugged and smiled, saying, "We're here—Yukino-chan, please go first."

Yukino stepped aside and gestured to the backstage curtain, like a waiter welcoming a distinguished guest.

The riddle-solving sister who only speaks halfway through her sentences.

Yukino Yukinoshita was about to reach out and lift the curtain to go backstage when she suddenly heard a noisy commotion approaching and instinctively stepped aside.

A tangled mass of things crashed through the curtains and rolled out from backstage.

"It's me! Without my puppets and skills, could your lousy script have been elevated? Could anyone have performed it?!"

"It's me! Without the singing, how can the audience concentrate on watching the boring setup plot!"

"It's me! I wrote the script! I played the role! I dubbed the voice!"

"The so-called 'dotting the eye' in painting a dragon! The important thing isn't the dragon itself, but the divine touch! You can't compare to my one brilliant stroke even if you do ten thousand!"

"You ate all that rice just to fart?"

"You're the one farting!"