Uneasy daily life

Okita Masakazu and Sakurajima Mai were stunned.

Then came another muffled thud.

Several planks flew out and pitifully fell to the ground, tearing a hole in the small dark room.

"My little dark room—!"

"Director! I'm back from hell!"

Bai Ying strode out of the small dark room and handed the script she had just printed to Okita Masashi.

Okita Masashi instantly forgot about the dark room. He took the book and quickly flipped through a few pages: "Great! I have a better idea of ​​the scene and the camera angles... Yukinoshita's suggestion to urge me to update was truly brilliant... Hmm? Why is Anshinin in there too?"

Angelina and Yukino Yukinoshita, who emerged from the breach, cast hesitant glances at Okita.

Okita was completely oblivious, already immersed in interpreting the script and conceiving the scenes in his mind.

As Bai Ying spoke, she led the director to the breach.

"Director, you must have some inspiration for the storyboard and the overall shooting plan, right?"

"I've got it! The scenes and lines you added make the script even smoother..."

"it is good!"

Bai Ying reached out and pressed down on Okita's shoulder, gesturing towards the breach in front of him, "Director, please!"

Okita Masashi sneered: "Brother, it's just a small dark room. I'm going in there to organize my thoughts, which suits me perfectly."

Bai Ying clasped his hands in a fist and said, "As expected of the director! Then I wish the director a safe journey!"

"I'll come as soon as I go!"

Okita strode into the small dark room, glancing around with a sense of nostalgia, as if he were coming home.

As he habitually prepared his ideas, Okita suddenly realized something was amiss.

Oh—there's a hole in the wall...

Okita's eyes widened suddenly as he stared at the large hole in the wall—devilish characters were written along the edge of the hole, and next to those characters were arrows, full of temptation and danger, pointing towards the hole!

Go out, go out! The world outside is free!

Born of dust, die of ashes, why toil in mediocrity and refuse to return home? Let us nestle among the green hills and clear waters, letting the wind howl and the rain blow as it may.

[After seven days of agonizing thought and nine moments of confusion, still feeling utterly lost and confused despite five requests for updates, only four, three, and two posts remain unfinished!]

[One street, two friends, three people, ordered four cases of beer, resulting in five bills and six plates of grilled skewers. Gained seven, eight, or nine pounds – very satisfying!]

【On the other side of the cave, on the other side of the house, there lives a group of little elves~】

Want to be happy? Go find it outside! I've left everything there!

Humans need things that are more advanced than those of animals, such as indulgence and pleasure.

Come on, let's have some fun! We have plenty of time!

How dare this brat corrupt my resolve!

Chapter 159 White Shadow: This is part of the plan!

Tonight, the night is deep and quiet everywhere.

Crew.

Okita strode out of the small dark room, his expression hardening, just about to take a step.

Several hands pressed down on his shoulders, and a number of theater staff appeared as if time had stopped, surrounding him.

Where does the director intend to go?

The assistant director asked gently.

"I have completed the new filming project—"

“Category A lie: ‘I did my homework.’” The assistant director waved his hand. “Someone! Put the director back in the dark room!”

Several dark figures were pushing Okita toward the cave entrance.

"Wait! I just came out for some fresh air! I absolutely did not intend to run away!"

"Category C lies, like 'I'm taking a break and balancing work and rest,' will be forcibly suppressed!"

"You bastard! I'm the director—!"

"Category D lie 'I'm the class monitor'—A director who doesn't want to fulfill their responsibilities can still be the monitor by putting a pile of shit on the board; at least the shit won't give orders blindly!"

"puff--!"

Okita struggled instinctively, but his consciousness was aided, breaking free from the whispers of his inner demons. He shouted with difficulty, "Quick, put me back in!"

"Yes!"

The director is going through an unprecedented inner demon tribulation, but fortunately he has a group of good fellow practitioners.

……

Hotel, girls' room.

Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't sleep and tried to sort out her chaotic thoughts.

Have I been feeling a bit strange lately?

This strange behavior seems to be mostly directed at Bai Jun?

I can never maintain my composure and calmness. Not to mention maintaining verbal dominance, I've often been unable to resist resorting to physical violence...

Wait a minute, resorting to force to suppress him seems normal in front of that guy, right? My sister has lost her temper many times, and once she almost dragged Bai Jun into the river. It's a miracle that he's still alive.

So there's nothing wrong with it? Am I just overthinking things?

Yukino Yukinoshita turned over in bed, and couldn't help but recall Shirokage's analysis, which she had interrupted halfway through.

Am I trying to understand Haku-kun? Is it because I've already considered Haku-kun an important friend that I want to fully understand him and maintain our connection? Is that it? Something doesn't feel quite right, but at times like this, I need to conduct a control experiment—do I really understand Hachiman Hikigaya and Yui Yuigahama?

I know them very well. I understand Hachiman Hikigaya's somewhat awkward initiative, loneliness, and kind nature, and Yui Yuigahama's proactive, optimistic, and fearful nature of loneliness... I do know them very well. Some of these conclusions are based on my understanding of what Haku-kun said and my actual observations. Others are things I confirmed through our conversations.

I don't really consider Oreki, Chitanda, and Anshin'in as friends. In my heart, they're more like strangers I met by chance, people who will one day become strangers to each other. So I've never tried to get to know them.

Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but turn over again. Something felt off.

First, it's impossible to be sure if Bai Jun was playing a trick on me. Second, I was extremely resistant at the time, and I blocked Bai Jun's analysis of me by covering my face with a piece of paper.

"Xiaoxue, what's wrong?"

A soft question came from the dim light.

"Thinking about something..." Yukino Yukinoshita shifted slightly, realizing she needed a mirror. "Yuihama, am I perhaps a very possessive person?"

I want to know everything about my friends, to understand their inner selves, and to build a connection that transcends mere atmosphere and environmental factors...

After a moment of self-analysis, Yukino Yukinoshita became alarmed. Could it be that because she had never had any friendships growing up, she was particularly harsh and strict when it came to friendships? Did she have some kind of hidden problem?

"Possessiveness... What strange things is Yukino saying?" Yui Yuigahama rolled over and snuggled up to Yukino Yukinoshita's blanket. She seemed to shift her head on the pillow. "Remember the misunderstanding after the car accident? We hadn't known each other for very long then. Wasn't Yukino's choice to sacrifice herself to solve the problem?"

"That was then, and now is now."

"Is it the same now? Yui isn't possessive at all. At most, she sometimes doesn't know her limits and underestimates herself. She's clearly a very kind person." Yui Yuigahama muttered. "If I had to say, I'm the possessive type..."

Looking down on oneself and psychologically placing oneself in a vulnerable position is what Bai Jun was referring to as dependence, and he has already gotten rid of this problem.

Renting out my home to Bai Jun, who was temporarily homeless, and trying to take responsibility for the car accident... Perhaps I lack tact in my friendships? None of that matters—what others think is their business, and they are not the friends I value.

So, what are these unconscious thoughts and actions? The most special, most important friend?

Yukino Yukinoshita tries to understand her own heart.

I want to peel away that layer of confusion and see clearly what is guiding my behavior.

……

In the hotel room, Mai Sakurajima leaned against the headboard, temporarily putting the script aside and picking up her phone.

Hello everyone! We are Sweet Bullet!

The screen is showing a public performance by an idol group. Five beautiful young girls are singing and dancing on stage, and the small audience below the stage is giving them a very enthusiastic cheer.

Mai Sakurajima quietly observed one of the blonde girls on stage, whose eyes bore a striking resemblance to her own. She listened to the girl sing and watched her dance, pouring out her sweat and energy—but there were several issues. Her emotions were too tense, causing her movements and voice to become stiff; her smile wasn't quite right; and she was too sensitive to the camera…

boom.

Mai Sakurajima raised her hand and tapped her forehead. Had she gotten so worked up lately because of all the criticism from her haters? Even watching a video, they would subconsciously point fingers at Kazuka's performance. If they were face to face... what was she thinking? Face to face would definitely be a terrible thing.

[I can see my sister on TV! (＾－＾)V! My sister is amazing!]

Studying is so tiring! I really want to go out and play, but my sister must be exhausted from acting too. Just thinking about her helps me keep going. I want to shine just like her.

[Sister, did you receive my last letter? I'm sure you're busy, so it's normal that you haven't replied. Mom says I want to be even more dazzling than you, so she's arranging singing and dancing lessons for me. I wish we could be on TV together! (＃^.^＃)]

Training is so tiring, I feel like my body is falling apart when I lie in bed... Actually, I kind of want to see my older sister, but Dad said no, it would make Mom angry. Does Mom not like my older sister?

Sister, today the teacher asked me to be the lead singer in our class, and everyone said I sing really well~ I'll definitely sing for you sometime.

The video camera panned slightly, vaguely capturing an adult woman gazing at the stage from the entrance passage.

Mai Sakurajima turned off the video and slowly exhaled.

Hehua, you don't need to write to me anymore... As you grow older and are about to enter high school, you may have already noticed some distortions and abnormalities, and have more or less understood the grudges between the elders.

Don't worry, bad things will come to an end, and everything will be alright.

When I'm in a bad mood, I go into the group to see what the haters are up to.

Mai Sakurajima opened the group chat.

Sure enough, after completing the task of revising the script and having some free time at night, the activity level of the hater increased.

[Bai Liang and Bai Ying: Everyone! Cheers for me! Applause for me! I've finished revising the script, completing a self-creation! Congratulations on my victory!]

[Wooden fish: Clapping.jpg]

[Crow: I haven't heard the story of the Prime Minister's massacre of Mai Sakurajima for three hours.]

[Little Pockmarked Guy: Why can mentally ill people be managers? I don't accept this!]

[Bai Liang and Bai Ying have muted Xiao Ma Zi for 30 minutes.]

[Bai Liang and Bai Ying: I won't accept your dissatisfaction.]

[Bai Liang Bai Ying: Everyone, please rest assured, the plan to eliminate Sakurajima Mai is being formulated. Tomorrow I need to prepare my school trip report.]

[Crow: School trip? Are you in high school or middle school?]

[Wooden Fish: The mental state of contemporary youth is worrying.]

[Bai Liang Bai Ying: It's alright, adults aren't in much better mental condition anyway. Let's not talk about this in the group anymore, listen to my grand plan!]

[Bai Liang Bai Ying: Tomorrow I'm writing a school trip report in front of Sakurajima Mai—the theme is criticizing my idol! I'm going to give her a thorough critique in writing right in front of her, hahaha!]

[Crow: I understand, you want to rewrite your school trip report.]

[Bai Liang Bai Ying: I encountered a celebrity during my school trip and, fulfilling my duty as a hater, gained some insights, which perfectly meets the requirements of a school trip report.]

[Bai Liang Bai Ying: Gentlemen, take this as a warning, don't be like Xiao Ma Zi, blinded by beauty! We are anti-fans, we must have loyalty and backbone!]

[Insomnia: Chat screenshot.jpg, he wished you couldn't write more than 500 words on your school trip report.]

[Bai Liang and Bai Ying: Daring to challenge the true form even without a sword in hand, they are truly heroes!]

[Bai Liang and Bai Ying lifted Xiao Ma Zi's ban.]

[Bai Liang and Bai Ying have muted Xiao Ma Zi for one hour.]

School Trip Report...

Mai Sakurajima rolled over. Speaking of Yukino Yukinoshita, she took a few pieces of paper with her when she left the dark room. Could it be that she was locked up in the dark room writing her school trip report?

Studying, homework, school trips, cultural festivals, sports festivals... returning to the daily routine of an ordinary student isn't too bad.

If a hater criticizes an idol, it's definitely because they're targeting themselves.

Mai Sakurajima guessed what the other person might say, such as that their acting skills were mediocre and they relied on their looks, or that they fabricated a persona.