Uneasy daily life

Yukino Yukinoshita paused, vaguely discerning something from those words: "...Hiratsuka-sensei, do you know something?"

"Isn't it just that you rented out your guest room to that kid?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka casually said, "No need to wait for that kid. He's on leave for now to stay in Jinde to film a movie, so he won't be back at school for a while."

Before the aftershocks of the first bomb had even subsided, a second bomb suddenly dropped—Bai Jun, are we going to stay at the production team to film? Doesn't he only do screenwriting work? Right… during the chat in the lobby earlier, the few words Bai Jun exchanged on the phone with the director did mention that he had a role to play.

"Oh, okay."

Yukino Yukinoshita nodded in response, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and turned to leave.

It's perfectly normal, isn't it? Did I just not notice? Why didn't I notice? It seems like Hiratsuka-sensei knows I'm living with Haku-kun? How would he know? Was Haku-kun staying in Jinde really just to film a movie? Why didn't he tell me beforehand… wait, did Haku-kun have a reason to tell me beforehand? Did I have a reason to ask Haku-kun to explain beforehand? What about my logic? Should I call Haku-kun to confirm? But why should I confirm? And what then? What good would it do? Why am I having such a pointless thought?

I'm thinking about things that are a mix of chaos and impulsiveness, but I'm forcing myself to calmly examine them, even though I don't want to.

"hiss……"

Hiratsuka Shizuka frowned, gazing at Yukino Yukinoshita's retreating figure. She exhaled a puff of smoke. She had only tried to help Yukinoshita escape the cage that had trapped her in her own mind, but the boy had done something far more profound than she had imagined... Would the outcome be good or bad?

Huh? The worst thing is a breakup, why should I worry about students' relationship problems?

It must be because they have too little homework and are too idle!

A life without experiencing a failed relationship is incomplete!

Damn it! This bittersweet feeling that I didn't even realize it made my heart ache!

"Explode, you social butterflies!"

Let's have a good time drinking and eating barbecue tonight!

Yay! Long live being single!

……

……

Yukino Yukinoshita fled back to her apartment, took the elevator upstairs, and opened the door somewhat hastily.

"I come back……"

The empty room echoed with an empty sound.

What am I doing...?

Yukino Yukinoshita closed the door, put her shoulder bag on the sofa, and sat down on the sofa.

I feel uncomfortable, but I can't quite put my finger on why.

These past two or three days, a vague, chaotic emotion has been growing rapidly and wildly, like grass after a spring rain, spreading through my heart, covering my limbs, choking my throat, and disturbing my thoughts. Even spacing out feels so peaceful, and I can't tell whether I'm feeling joy or sorrow.

"call……"

Yukino Yukinoshita rubbed her temples, exhaled softly, and managed to calm herself down a bit.

Wait! Knight hasn't been brought back from the pet boarding shop yet!

What am I thinking?

Yukino Yukinoshita quickly grabbed her keys, changed her shoes, and went out again to pick up Knight from the nearby pet store.

"Meow~meow~"

Knight clearly misses the gentle older sister at the pet shop.

Yukino Yukinoshita silently tapped the kitten's forehead, feeling as if she had not taken back her own cat, but rather kidnapped someone else's cat.

The name Knight was definitely a bad choice, wasn't it?

Knight meowed softly.

"Meow..."

Considering that I've only had the kitten for a short time and I have to go on a week-long school trip, it's normal that the kitten doesn't remember its owner very well. I was just being too strict with it.

I carried the kitten back home, watching it run around on the floor, seemingly getting used to its new surroundings. It burrowed into its cat house, squatted on the litter box to test its texture, creating a little commotion. The suffocating silence that had gripped the house, making me somewhat unable to control my emotions, dissipated a bit.

Bai Jun is only staying away for a short while; he'll be back eventually. Even if he has to move to a new house, he'll still need to pack his things...

and many more!

Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly had a vague, inexplicable premonition. She quickly crossed the corridor, doing something she would never normally do, and reached out to push open the door to the guest room rented to Shirokage.

The rays of the setting sun streamed through the glass, accumulating and circulating throughout the room.

The bed sheets were neatly made, the blankets thin, and the desk, empty except for the chair, was tucked away. The view in the room was like amber frozen in time with the setting sun—a tranquil and beautiful silhouette that implied a suffocating sense of oppression.

Yukino Yukinoshita quickly went to the desk, reached out and picked up the key and a sticker. The sticker was a chibi version of a white figure grinning, and to reflect the Demon King's character, a pair of small horns and a few dark red lines were added to the chibi character.

Bai Jun...

Yukino Yukinoshita reached out and opened the wardrobe, inside which was as clean as a wallet belonging to someone who spends all their money.

You guy...

Yukino Yukinoshita carefully observed, examined, and searched, reluctantly admitting that apart from the sticker symbolizing the completion of the commission, there was nothing in the room related to the white shadow. It seemed he had probably packed his bags and left without saying goodbye from the very beginning of the school trip.

Without giving himself a chance to speak, he suddenly disappeared from the surroundings.

Hate……

Yukino Yukinoshita froze for a few seconds, then quickly left the room, went to the kitchen, and opened the refrigerator.

There were no more ingredients that terrified me, like pork kidneys, pork intestines, or duck blood. Even those bottles of what were supposedly my hometown's special fermented bean paste, Lao Gan Ma chili sauce, and fermented bean curd had disappeared. From then on, the kitchen seemed to be free of the noisy battles and the pungent smells that made me complain. It was now quiet and peaceful.

irritating……

Yukino Yukinoshita pressed her hand to her forehead and stepped out of the kitchen. Knight in the living room let out a meow.

Yes, there's no barking dog that would 'fight' Knight anymore, and no one to send Knight to help when you're annoyed. Even though there's a cat in the house now, it feels so empty because someone just comes and goes so easily.

How annoying...

Yukino Yukinoshita reached out and picked up the kitten, rubbing its head. She felt inexplicably frustrated and even wondered if she was acting crazy. Why was she doing something so ordinary, common, reasonable, and logical?

If I don't understand the meaning, why should I do it?

I'm starting to wonder if I have mycorrhizal syndrome.

Yukino Yukinoshita, holding the kitten, subconsciously went to the door of the guest room. She stepped inside, sat down on the edge of the bed with some exhaustion, and then lay down, lifting Knight high in the air with both hands.

"Meow~"

"Is he putting on a show of a crane repaying a debt of gratitude? His sudden appearance and sudden departure are nothing short of a poor performance."

"Meow~"

"Is Knight sad? You can't chase him all over the house anymore."

"Meow~"

"You're just meowing..."

Looking into the kitten's bright eyes, Yukino Yukinoshita murmured, "It was just a normal trip to film a movie, a short break from school for a few days, and a normal departure without saying goodbye. I'll see you at school again in a while... What am I so upset about? What's all the confusion about? Does Knight know?"

"Meow~"

"Ah...yes, from his hometown to the Scarlet Theatre Company, from the Scarlet Theatre Company to Soubu High School...he's capable of doing that, isn't he? You might think it's just a short separation, but it's possible that, like Mr. Sekiya, you won't be able to find any news of him for years. If it weren't for a chance encounter by fate, the reunion would be an indefinite promise."

"It could be a whim, a sudden idea, that's just the kind of person he is who can just disappear suddenly... He can help Mr. Guan Gu, he can help me, he can help anyone, and then he just vanishes after messing around for a while. It's really... really annoying..."

"Meow~"

Amidst the intense chaos, the fog in my mind gradually cleared, revealing a new clarity.

If from now on, we never contact each other again, completely unrelated. I've gained courage, strengthened my resolve, and believe I'm invincible, but it seems I can't overcome that scene—the kitchen will no longer have the clatter of pots and pans, nor the pungent smell of spicy food. Passing by the room, I can no longer hear the faint sound of keyboards, yet I can't help but glance into its silence. There's no need to worry about the shower noises coming from the bathroom. The living room is free of the playful fighting with Knight and the barking of the dog.

Quiet, clean, silent, and lonely. Everything that was once taken for granted suddenly felt heavy, crushing the complex thoughts in my heart, making the sadness born of association and reflection seem like a trivial matter, surging wildly in my heart like a flood.

"Knight, why are there tears welling up in your eyes..."

"It's not you, it's the way you see me crying."

"Meow~"

"It's okay, this isn't about being sad or upset."

The girl gently stood up, pressed her forehead against the cat's forehead, closed her eyes, and squeezed out the sadness that was breaking through her confusion, turning it into tears that had accumulated in the corners of her eyes, rolling down her cheeks, getting smaller and smaller as they rolled.

"like……"

It was a seemingly unconscious murmur that gently echoed in the room.

If it weren't for love, why would such an ethereal sorrow condense into tears?

"This is liking..."

A slightly shy whisper rang in Knight's ear.

This is liking someone; it's like I'm getting myself all tangled up, yet I still want to know everything about you.

"I just like it."

It was a statement without any confusion, sprouting in a throbbing heart.

I just like it. Others can find a million reasons, but I don't know what else to use to express it besides this word.

Snap. Bang.

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening and closing came from the living room.

Yukino Yukinoshita was startled and somewhat flustered. She quickly rolled her face on the blanket to wipe away the 'evidence', then, while holding the kitten in one arm, she smoothed her slightly messy hair and stepped out of the guest room.

Then, I saw my parents changing their shoes at the door.

"Father? Mother? What brings you here?"

That's true, Bai Jun returned all the keys...

"Hahaha! Of course I came to see Yukino and have a meal together!" Yukino's father gestured to the bag in his hand, "I specially bought a lot of ingredients today, so we can keep any leftovers in the fridge..."

The mother looked around in the snow and asked curiously, "Where's Bai Ying?"

Yukino Yukinoshita was stunned.

Yukinoshita's father asked blankly, "Wife, what unrelated person's name are you talking about?"

"What unrelated person?" Yukinoshita's mother frowned slightly. "Isn't Shirakage living with Yukino? I asked you to buy more groceries because I wanted to formally thank you."

Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't hold back and exclaimed in surprise, "M-Mother, when did you find out?!"

Yukinoshita's father couldn't hold back and exclaimed in shock, "Huh? I...why didn't I know?!"

"You still don't know?" Yukinoshita's mother paused, "On the first day, Shirokage explained the whole story to me... Well, on your first day of living together, I still have to say this. Value your friends, but also think things through before you act. Even if you asked me and your father, we could have a better solution. Even if you have a clear conscience, inviting someone of the opposite sex to live together is ultimately not appropriate."

Boom!

Beneath the snow, the father turned into a stone statue, his hands carrying a bag that fell to the ground with a thud.

A major threat plus—!!!

Boom!

Yukino, standing beneath the snow, stiffened and turned into a stone statue, while the kitten in her arms jumped to the ground and gained its freedom.

White—bacteria—!!!!

A hero's training diary? A demon king and a hero? Yukino Yukinoshita's bizarre adventure? Forget it, let's keep it simple and straightforward: Service Club, Aid Club, and School Trip.

Volume 1 is now complete. I've imagined the final scene many times, and the drafts have been revised to match the plot changes several times. To be honest, I still feel it's not good enough, still not good enough, but I really can't think of a way to write it well enough.

Adding poetry to the narration is superfluous, and ending with Mingwu's feelings of affection isn't lively enough. I've worked on several versions, and with the final update time approaching, this version is finally here... although I still feel it's not quite enough.

It needs to capture the innocent, first love of a young girl, it needs to have a natural, spontaneous feeling, and it needs to create an atmosphere that can draw the audience in emotionally. After all, it's a real headache to turn a lighthearted book into something romantic. You're essentially your own client, and I have to rack my brains to dig out my own feelings about first love.

After digging for ages, I found someone who now seems utterly clueless, someone with a bunch of things they'd never dare to talk about. How pathetic.

It's just that I asked for leave, which has caused dissatisfaction among everyone, so I should atone for my mistake by doing good deeds.

Having a stockpile of drafts is like having a mental illness; instead of writing new chapters, I like to channel my inspiration into those drafts. But I probably won't be able to keep doing that anymore, because my stockpile is almost empty. How sad.

The madness seems to be running out of energy, and it has to resort to emotional scenes to fool people. It's tragic.

I need to take a day off tomorrow. There's a lot to do at the end of the year. I'll revise the beginning of the new draft and try to thicken up my existing manuscript.