Uneasy daily life

"Shut up! Just admit defeat!"

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be not a lump of people, but three individuals wrestling together—the white figure was trying to lock the throat tongue and attempting to dilate the other's nostrils with its fingers, while the puppet's neck was being strangled by the throat tongue's legs, and one of its feet was, whether intentionally or unintentionally, squeezing the white figure's cheek. The throat tongue, taking advantage of its longer body, launched attacks simultaneously, and was therefore being attacked simultaneously as well…

Yukino Yukinoshita silently crossed her arms and glanced at Angelina peeking out from backstage. The two fell into a subtle silence.

Is this really the person who was performing on stage just now? The one who played multiple roles? The one who skillfully manipulated the puppets? The one whose voice lingered in the air?

Yukino Yukinoshita said, "Although he is a jerk, some parts of the script are indeed insightful, and I think that deserves the most credit."

"Did you hear that! The audience's approval!" Bai Ying struggled desperately.

Mouthpiece: "Seeking the approval of a blind man, Xu Bai, you are truly pathetic!"

Phantom: "I can understand the deaf person's inability to hear the song, and the sorrowful psychology of the blank white figure's longing for recognition."

The three of them twisted and turned as they flipped the table.

Yukinoshita continued to fan the flames: "Mr. Mouthpiece's puppetry skills, stage presence, and puppet manipulation techniques are truly divine and unmatched."

"Did you hear that! This is the audience's approval!" Mouth Tongue used his leg to lock Puppet Shadow's throat while trying to suppress White Shadow in return. "You two are still far from good enough!"

"The hero's sister has terminal aesthetic cancer, so we should definitely go along with her. How can you deceive yourself and your companions, you mouthpiece?"

"Deaf."

Yukinoshita Haruno vaguely sensed something was amiss: "Mr. Phantom's singing voice is indeed better..."

"Did you hear that? The audience's taste is more refined than yours. My singing is the one that truly overshadows the entire audience."

"A tone-deaf person singing to a deaf person, and they both thought it was wonderful!"

"What kind of third-rate comments are you making, you vulgar, fourth-rate audience member!"

I've just stirred things up with one comment and gotten two retorts in return? That would be such a loss!

Yukinoshita changed her mind: "All three of you gave excellent performances."

"Stop spouting nonsense!" ×3!

"The performances of all three were absolutely terrible!"

"Then get up here!" ×3!

Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but let out a crooked smile: "...Ahem, sister, let's just forget about it."

"A man can be destroyed but not defeated. I now have a fairly deep understanding of this."

Yukinoshita felt somewhat at a loss as to where to begin.

Fortunately, after a discussion that was almost a friendly exchange of greetings, the three of them straightened their clothes and stood up, looking presentable.

Gold, silver, jade, gemstones, wood, mud, weeds... the contrast between the external and the internal, beauty and ugliness, feels somewhat lacking. Perhaps the noble girl's appearance should be sculpted more meticulously, while the transformed ugly appearance should be depicted more directly.

The mouthpiece was not entirely satisfied.

The vocals could perhaps lean more towards the frenzied, reflecting the deeply ingrained atmosphere of horror. A profound sense of dread could open a wound in the heart, allowing the story to flow naturally into it. An overly calm vocal performance would only become a mere embellishment to the story; it's not good if the audience goes crazy. This superpower is truly troublesome.

Phantom was somewhat dissatisfied.

This level is not enough to justify pointing fingers at scoundrels. The script has a lot of room for improvement. It must reach the point where it can break free from instinct and create based on its brain.

Bai Ying felt there was still room for improvement.

The three of them gave each other the middle finger—I may not be perfect yet, but you two are even worse noobs!

"Speaking of which, the performance is over now..."

The crescent moon faintly appeared in the sky, the audience dispersed, the stage was deserted, and gradually it was shrouded in dim light and shadow. Everything was about to come to an end, just like a performance.

The mouthpiece couldn't help but sigh, "This stage has fulfilled its mission. It supported the performance, carried it through its glorious journey under the audience's watchful eyes..."

Why this sudden outburst? The others looked at him with puzzlement.

“What do you want to burn? I’ll find a suitable spot to watch—Miss Christine.”

Phantom shouted, and a black cat emerged from under the stage and climbed onto his shoulder.

Bai Ying said in a deep voice, "That's right, the stage has completed its historical mission and carried out a performance, so let's just burn it! Let the grand flames cleanse everything! It will die in the flames, be reborn from the ashes, and elevate your performance into art!"

Angelina: "?!"

Yukinoshita Yukino: “?”

"What weird things are you talking about?"

Yukino Yukinoshita had just made a comment when she noticed that her throat seemed to be showing some interest. A hint of conflicted contemplation appeared on her usually expressionless and indifferent face.

...You actually want to burn it?!

Bai Ying urged, "It's a mouthpiece! Didn't the troupe leader also say, 'Excavate meaning from the process of material destruction, seek art in the void, as long as it doesn't cause trouble for the troupe, it deserves praise!'"

"No, no way!" Mouth Tongue shook his head, saying insincerely, "Before, when I burned some things, the troupe leader immediately made me the announcer, reading the program at the beginning of every show and reciting the speech with my eyes closed. He didn't even leave me a single spot on the stage..."

“That was before, a mouthpiece,” Bai Ying said earnestly. “It’s different now. You’re very rich. You paid for the stage, you paid for the equipment, you made the puppets and costumes. Burning other people’s things is illegal, but burning your own things doesn’t count. Destroying existence to make the performance eternal, that’s art!”

The mouthpiece gazed at the stage, a thoughtful expression on its face.

“Mr. Mouthpiece, arson, whether it burns someone else’s property or your own, is still an act that endangers public safety, even if it does not cause serious consequences.”

Yukino Yukinoshita calmly stated, "Although I don't quite understand Mr. Mouthpiece's artistic expression, it's better not to resort to arson. Even if no serious consequences result from arson, the subjective intent to commit arson can still lead to conviction."

The mouthpiece reluctantly withdrew its gaze.

“It’s alright.” Bai Ying offered a new idea. “When the judge asks you, just say that your hand slipped when you lit a cigarette and you accidentally burned the stage. The result will be that you accidentally burned your own property without causing any public harm, which is considered a minor offense of arson.”

The throat and tongue eagerly raised their eyes.

Yukino Yukinoshita stared intently at a certain outlaw, suddenly realizing something was amiss. Trying to decipher the white figure's thought process and words, she vaguely formed a guess, which she was about to voice…

"You rascal," Yukino Haruno asked affectionately, "What are you doing with your phone in your right hand? You secretly pressed a few numbers just now, did you call the police?"

The throat suddenly turned its head and gave the white figure a death stare.

Bai Ying chuckled lightly: "Hey, don't look at me like that. There are rewards for reporting and acts of bravery. You finish your art and burn down the stage, I actively report it and get paid, you go to jail and bring joy to everyone, and everyone has a bright future..."

"Xu Bai! Was it you who called the police that time?!"

The throat and tongue immediately launched a charge and locked onto the throat.

"Don't use this as an excuse to frame others! You poured oil and set fire to the puppets in front of so many people, it would be strange if you weren't arrested!"

The white figure struggled fiercely: "Stop, stop, stop! Let's each take a step back!"

After a while.

Mai Sakurajima temporarily separated from her mother and returned to the vicinity to think of a solution, only to witness a bizarre scene.

In the cleared area, a campfire was burning, and the mouthpiece was dancing excitedly. White Shadow and Phantom were pointing and gesturing, while the Yukinoshita sisters and Angelina had different expressions.

If you look closely, the outline of a human body can be vaguely seen in the campfire...

Cult ritual? Cannibalistic sacrifice?

Mai Sakurajima instinctively stopped in her tracks.

Ah, could it be the obsessive-compulsive disorder about speaking out that the haters mentioned?

“Miss Sakurajima is here.” Shiro noticed and immediately greeted her warmly, “You’ve come at just the right time, quickly take off your clothes…”

Mai Sakurajima stepped on it with a big smile.

Chapter 148 Frostmourne, shall we?

"It's okay if you don't take it off..."

The white figure dodged the trampling with a backflip and added, "It wouldn't be bad to just burn the whole thing like this."

"Mr. Bai! I'm going to report you for sexual harassment!"

"You're assuming I'm sexually harassing you. What if I really wanted to throw you in and burn you?"

Mai Sakurajima was about to retort when she suddenly felt the gaze of the mouthpiece. She paused for a moment and said, "I really like this costume. It would be a shame to burn it. I can pay for it."

Don't argue with patients.jpg

"Unique, fleeting brilliance, eternal existence gained from destruction, provided it is artistic enough." The mouthpiece withdrew its gaze and said calmly, "This garment has no right to be transformed into art, nor is it necessary to be destroyed. It is mediocre, so it is fine to give it to you."

Don't argue with patients! #.jpg

Mai Sakurajima exhaled calmly.

He's probably a very capable guy, with a somewhat peculiar personality.

Mai Sakurajima unconsciously recalled her performance on stage. What kind of performance the audience saw is unknown, but when she was performing on stage, the emotional songs kept flowing in her ears, interpreting the joys and sorrows of the story and characters. Being in the midst of it, she almost performed along with the rhythm of the songs.

Upon closer inspection, the puppet's movements are so lifelike that it seems to be alive, and the voice acting is so seamless that it feels like you are really talking to a living thing. However, when you see the joints and the parts that are deliberately made to show the texture of the puppet, the sense of alienation makes you tense.

When it was time to act opposite Bai Ying, the other party rushed up with full emotion and shouted angrily, making me pause for a moment to think about how to respond. The other party seized the opportunity and directly arranged the lines and plot in a way that was fake, and then kicked out the performance cleanly and neatly.

If we communicate and rehearse in advance, we should be able to present a better performance...

The mouthpiece was watching with satisfaction as the bonfire burned with costumes and puppets for the performance; not far away, Phantom, seemingly blending into the shadows under the firelight, stood making sounds, a black cat perched on its shoulder; White Shadow was dialing the police... Hmm?

“Yes, yes, someone is burning something. Does that constitute a crime? There's no one around, the cordon has been cleared... Oh... the location is in the middle... It doesn't constitute a crime... Okay, I'll remind him to be careful... Excuse me, officer.”

Bai Ying put down her phone, feeling regretful that she couldn't send her colleague to the police station.

Sakurajima Mai: "..."

Yukinoshita suddenly came up to her, smiling and handing her paper and pen: "Hi, Sakurajima-san, could you please sign your name for me?"

"Signature? No problem, Yukinoshita..." Sakurajima Mai couldn't help but glance at the other Yukinoshita.

“Just call me Haruno,” Haruno Yukinoshita said with a smile. “You could consider me a comrade-in-arms who fought alongside you, right?”

"Too."

Mai Sakurajima smiled, took the paper and pen, and began to write.

Yukinoshita suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, does Sakurajima-san also have some kind of conflict with her family?"

"...Miss Yukinoshita, I don't want to talk about these irrelevant things."

Mai Sakurajima's expression darkened slightly. After writing her signature, she handed the paper and pen back.

"You've all played that awful game, so I think Ms. Sakurajima should understand, right?" Yukinoshita Haruno smiled as she took the autograph, leaned closer, and said in a slightly lower voice, "That bastard set fire to my house and blew it up."

Sakurajima Mai crossed her arms and looked back at him with slightly narrowed eyes: "Say what you have to say, Yukinoshita-san."

“Everyone says just call me by my name.” Yukino Yukino pulled back slightly and sighed softly. “Those few days were really chaotic. My mother and I had a big fight. We both said hurtful things to each other without realizing it. It was like a knife stabbing my heart without drawing blood… My mother is a strong and stubborn person, but she is also surprisingly clumsy. After that fight, I discovered many different sides of my mother.”

"Weren't you all sitting together chatting and laughing today?" Mai Sakurajima's expression softened slightly. "It seems the problem has been completely resolved, which is all the better."

Yukinoshita asked thoughtfully, "So, did that bastard give you a Frostmourne?"

Mai Sakurajima was stunned: "Frostmourne? What's that?"

"Of course, it's a verbal weapon used to fight against elders."

To shout those words, you first have to reopen your wounds.

“Mr. Shiro didn’t say anything strange,” Mai Sakurajima said in a deep voice. “If Miss Haruno wants to help or share any experience, then forget it. I don’t think my situation is very similar to yours, and I hate it when people keep bringing up this topic.”

His calm yet authoritative words conveyed a firm stance.

"Oh, I see. Then I was rude. I'll treat Ms. Sakurajima to dinner another day to make amends."

Yukinoshita subtly created some distance between them.

Sakurajima Mai asked in confusion, "Why does Ms. Haruno call Mr. Shiro a scoundrel?"

Yukinoshita said playfully, "Sakurajima-san must also have a rather impolite term for a jerk, right?"

"I do not deny."

Haters... well, strictly speaking, it's not impolite, I just don't want to be exposed, but I always feel that whether I expose them or not doesn't really matter. To punish someone, I usually rely on the life-or-death power of the support group's admin.

"So I'm just learning to be more honest. If I'm not honest, I can never really say what's on my mind," Yukino Yukinoshita reminded her with a smile. "If you have your own ideas and plans, you'd better kick that jerk away first. That guy really is the type to light a fire and then run away..."

Mai Sakurajima asked curiously, "You guys seem to have a pretty good relationship with him."