Uneasy daily life

Yukino Yukinoshita was quick-witted and agile; she poked her toe out from the doorway and pushed it shut with a bang.

Just as Bai Ying reached out and grabbed the doorknob, intending to rush out, she immediately took a step back, creating distance between herself and Yukino Yukinoshita, who was rushing over in a few steps.

"What do you want to do?!"

The white figure leaned against the wall, arms crossed, looking fierce but weak inside: "A true man is born between heaven and earth; how can he live a life of subservience to others for long!"

"When has Bai-kun ever been melancholy and reclusive?" Yukino Yukinoshita asked coldly, reaching into her pocket and pulling something out. "This is yours."

A sticker lay quietly on a long, slender palm.

"Long, straight black hair, a high school uniform, a cowlick, unremarkable yet distinctive." The white figure said strangely, "If a hero wants to imitate someone, at least they should get themselves a hero's outfit, right? Don't you know the classic hero's attire? Something like a greatsword, a red cape, armor, and preferably a crooked smile..."

“Unlike Haku-kun, I don’t have any strange illnesses,” Yukino Yukinoshita said calmly.

The white figure looked at Yukino Yukinoshita's pocket.

Yukinoshita Yukino: "..."

Bai Ying raised the corners of her mouth and said, "I want that one!"

"I don't have anything like that."

Yukino Yukinoshita directly denied this.

I'm not lying. Although in the heat of the moment, I did design a hero-themed sticker based on light novel illustrations for the first version, it was just a draft that was never used and therefore never made into a sticker.

That's right, we cleverly covered it up with words...

Bai Ying scratched her head and pondered, "You didn't design it but failed to build it, did you?"

"This is all I have. Please accept it."

Yukino Yukinoshita promptly handed over the sticker; this was a normal, pure friendship, a logical way to thank the other person, and an expression of gratitude for their help…

The white figure exclaimed in surprise, "Stop! Did you put transparent tape on the sticker? Throw the sticker over here honestly!"

Yukino Yukinoshita ignored him, silently chanting at high speed, expressionless, and approaching with her head down.

"Don't come over here—!"

Chapter Thirty-Two: I understand!

Behind me is a wall, in front of me is a hand, and in that hand is someone in the way... Ugh! In my hand is a hero who has undergone a buff!

In a flash, Bai Ying began to think. First and foremost, there was no doubt that the hero had lost her brain; her body was now dominated by emotions, and she had abandoned the uniquely human ability to think, stubbornly trying to rush forward and slap the stickers on herself in a Chinese-style gift-giving manner!

Damn it! If it weren't for the unlucky vengeful spirit haunting him, he would have at least shown the brave man what Chinese Tai Chi-style gift-giving looks like!

Bai Ying felt a pang of regret, then opened her arms wide and suddenly leaned towards Yukino Yukinoshita, who was walking quickly towards her, as if to hug her.

Yukino Yukinoshita instinctively stopped in her tracks, her expression cold, her heart pounding.

"Hero! I'm going to devour you—!"

With a bizarre declaration, the white figure opened its mouth, revealing an overly excited and stiff smile, and charged forward.

Yukino took a step back, realizing it was probably another of Shiro's acting, and quickly tried to stop herself.

"Woof woof woof woof—!!"

It would explode with at least the roar of a vicious dog.

Yukino felt as if she had been hit by a mud cart, and she stumbled back several steps. The white figure curled up the corner of her mouth, leaving a mocking expression, and reached out to pull the door open, escaping in one smooth motion.

"Hahahaha, this is awful!"

The laughter faded into the distance.

Yukino Yukinoshita clenched her fist, thinking, "This white fungus is a dog!"

But for now, things are alright, aren't they? She managed to fool Bai Jun without revealing her feelings. Or rather, she had absolutely no chance to reveal them; her emotions were constantly fluctuating, leaving her little opportunity to ponder those feelings, making the experience feel incredibly subtle.

Yukino Yukinoshita swallowed hard, looking at the sticker in her hand that she hadn't been able to give away—if you don't want it, then I'll just take a picture of it on the aid department's sign tomorrow. That way, I can give it away, avoid any potential mistakes from face-to-face interaction, and also show that I'm returning the favor... Come to think of it, wasn't Shiro's reaction a bit inexplicably intense?

Yukinoshita couldn't help but ponder it carefully.

Hmm? Speaking of which, Bai Jun seems to have a rather peculiar sense of distance when interacting with the opposite sex, doesn't he?

Bai Jun's words and actions are indeed very unconventional; he might even throw mud at others, but he rarely makes any physical contact.

The only time we were relatively close was when I jumped into the river and Shiro grabbed my chokehold and dragged me to the riverbank... It doesn't seem that strange, I'm an example of that. Unlike my older sister who likes to use physical contact to close the psychological distance, I don't like that kind of physical contact. Yuihama is an exception because she is a same-sex friend and I can't do anything about her.

Bai Jun dislikes physical contact and hates being touched inappropriately by men. From this perspective, it's no wonder he signed a mutually deterrent agreement with his sister; it's definitely to prevent his sister from making unwanted physical advances!

With Bai Jun's abilities, he must have realized that I would never have acted that way if I hadn't been emotionally charged... From this perspective, it's quite normal that I failed to sign the agreement with Bai Jun despite the opportunity.

His pensive eyes gradually brightened, then darkened again.

Even if this speculation comes true, it's still useless. Why would I inexplicably go and pat that guy on the shoulder? Either my sudden action will be seen through, or I'll guess correctly and then be kept at a distance.

Or try changing your habits, like patting Yuihama on the shoulder tomorrow, patting Hikigaya-kun on the shoulder the day after, and then being caught by Shiro-kun the day after that, who says, "You want to pat me?"... Hiss.

Yukino Yukinoshita rubbed her forehead, feeling a little depressed.

Although it wasn't very useful, it was still another step forward in Bai Jun's behavioral science. The conclusion wasn't great; suddenly realizing that Bai Jun was intentionally keeping his distance left him with a somewhat inexplicable sense of resentment.

"Then the formalities are complete. If there's anything in the room you want to keep, it's best to move it out in advance."

"There's nothing useful here. Here's the key; move whatever you want without asking me."

The person in charge put the documents into their briefcase, their gaze meeting that of Yukino Yukinoshita, who had just come to her senses. She said calmly, "Ms. Yukinoshita, that's all for today's work. You see..."

Yukino Yukinoshita said calmly, as was her habit, "Let's go back to the company together."

"OK, all right."

The person in charge remained expressionless, but inwardly apprehensive. Faced with their boss's daughter behaving like a spoiled brat, or perhaps getting close to some poor young man, should they pretend they knew nothing? Or should they pretend they knew nothing? Did their boss's daughter even know they knew nothing?

Getting involved? You think life's been too easy and you want some adventure? Probably got fired for walking in the door with your foot.

On her way back to the company, Yukino Yukinoshita updated her "White-kun Behavioral Theory," took out her phone, dialed a number, and said coldly, "White-kun, where are you?"

[Just slap the sticker directly on the doorplate. I'm not going to your house to fight demons. Tonight I'll scout out the Hachiman family's place first. If I'm unlucky, I can stay at an inn. I've made a lot of money off the director of "The Magic Director"—Does the hero have any other questions?]

Yukino Yukinoshita hesitated for a moment, then said after a brief silence, "Before finding a new place to rent, Shiro might end up homeless and get cleaned up by the cleaning lady."

While the unobservable nature of communication over the phone makes me feel exceptionally at ease, it also makes me exceptionally resentful of it.

Hiding things is really awkward, and these kinds of emotional matters are hard to express directly... When you really want to express something, it should be when you can confirm the distance between each other, and you can tacitly understand the relationship without needing to say it aloud.

I'm not the kind of person who acts impulsively, and what I want isn't a connection that's fleeting and disappears once things cool down.

My vitality is world-class; I could hold my own against three cleaning ladies.

Are you suggesting that you should just surrender to four people?

Yukino Yukinoshita recalled the scene she had just seen in the rented room—a cramped single room, barely big enough for survival, located in a remote area.

Bai Jun's evasiveness about cooking, his preference for renting in remote areas, his casual remarks about quality of life, and that 'luggage' he could carry entirely in one backpack... This guy's attitude towards life is seriously problematic!

Yukino Yukinoshita's tone unconsciously turned stern: "Shiro-kun, your lifestyle of living alone, could it be that you order takeout every day, clean only when necessary, put off doing housework until it's too late, have a chaotic sleep schedule, and are keen on attracting cockroaches and other similar creatures?"

【mom--!】

Yukino Yukinoshita abruptly stopped, a shiver running down her arm, goosebumps rising all over her body, leaving her feeling disoriented and disoriented. Her beautiful face contorted slightly, and she hissed angrily, "Haku-kun!!"

[Calm down, calm down. Your tone just now was really similar. If the brave one doesn't abandon me, I'm willing to become her godmother!]

Yukino Yukinoshita replied coldly, "Don't change the subject. Do you perhaps want to find a secluded place to build a garbage dump?"

Are you concerned about me?

Yukino Yukinoshita calmly replied, "I really am concerned about you, so that I don't suddenly see a news report about a single man dying suddenly. We're friends, after all."

Telephones and the internet are truly great inventions for long-distance communication.

The snow falling under the snow is a heartfelt sentiment.

[You're not going to say next that my house is quite big and I like to take in homeless teenagers, are you?]

"Haku-kun is far too self-important," Yukino Yukinoshita teased calmly. "In this respect, he is quite similar to Hikigaya-kun in the past, abruptly confessing his feelings to others and leaving a remarkable mark on his otherwise unremarkable life."

【…】

A sudden silence fell, and the only sound during the call was each other's soft breathing.

My first thought was—Are you mute?

Then he froze—Huh?!

The final shock—what happened?!

Yukino Yukinoshita almost opened her mouth to try and get to the bottom of things, but then she realized what she was doing, grabbed her tongue, and said with a meaningful smile, "No wonder Hikigaya-kun and Shiro-kun are so close. They both have quite an interesting story from the past."

Unfortunately, I'm the kind of person who's popular; it's usually the arrogant people who come and confess their feelings to me, only to be rejected by me.

Popular? You're practically being plastered on doors to ward off evil spirits!

Yukino Yukinoshita blurted out without thinking, "Could it be that you misunderstood that someone is going to confess to you?"

Have you ruled out family genetic factors in your assessment of developmental issues?

"Bai Jun—!"

【Brave——! 】

Snapped!

After hanging up the phone, Yukino Yukinoshita was a little angry and didn't call back immediately... It wasn't that she was confused that Haku had misunderstood who wanted to confess to him, but rather that she was surprised that someone would confess to Haku. Instead of feeling uncomfortable, she was surprised that someone would confess to Haku, so she subconsciously changed her approach and retorted.

Did it hit the bullseye?

Yukino Yukinoshita analyzed it and concluded that it all came down to Haku's aloof and distant demeanor. Perhaps she had developed an immunity to it, and her absurd and illogical behavior always seemed normal. Summarizing Haku's behavioral patterns was an incredibly difficult task.

The idea of ​​being confessed to is utter nonsense... Bai Jun certainly has the looks to attract attention, and before that, he had the aura to kill off all the bees and butterflies.

Then there's the matter of helping Bai Jun find a rental apartment. Firstly, this is just to repay a favor, and secondly, it's to help a friend.

The apartment I live in is family property. I could ask my father if there are any rooms available for rent... but he would only cause trouble, so I'll rule that out.

Yukino Yukinoshita snapped out of her daze and looked at the person in charge who had somehow walked a few steps ahead of her.

"Auntie, please don't tell Father about this." Yukino Yukinoshita quickly caught up and went straight to the point.

The person in charge asked in confusion, "What's wrong? I was looking at my phone and didn't notice."

“My father has some prejudice against Bai Jun, so asking him about this could easily cause complications.” Yukino Yukinoshita said, mentioning the name of her apartment building, and then asked, “It was built by the company, and some of the apartments were allocated to company employees. Are there any vacant rooms left?”

Taking sides?!

The person in charge hesitated before reminding him, "The boss will find out about this sooner or later, won't he..."

"I will tell my mother." Yukino Yukinoshita simply didn't want to add unnecessary workload.

"Ahem..." the person in charge coughed and whispered, "It's still not good to abuse one's power for personal gain..."

Yukino Yukinoshita looked at the person in charge suspiciously: "What I mean is to go through the rental process, and have the company calculate it as a rental on paper, confirming a normal rent price. If it's agreed upon, Shiro-kun will definitely pay the rent. Are there any rooms available for rent in that apartment complex?"

"Haha, so that's how it is..."

The person in charge looked grave; he understood.

Is the boss's daughter going to be kept as a kept woman?!

Chapter 33 The Hikigaya Family

What a leisurely life! Even being sent off to buy groceries by my sister seems so peaceful.

Hachiman Hikigaya, carrying a bag, walked down the street and effortlessly entered a state of solitary contemplation—I am the holder of the maximum ability to face the wall, with a record of up to eight hours. That's not just simple daydreaming, but immersive thinking.

Like skipping stones, skipping five or six times is just playing around, but skipping more than sixty times is a world record. The problem isn't the superficiality itself, but rather the people who perceive it as superficial.

Looking back on the week the minister was away on a business trip, I continued to be a nobody in class, spent afternoons reading and daydreaming in the activity room during club activities, and paid my respects to the esteemed Komachi-sama when I got home in the evening. Life was completely back on track, and I didn't need to worry about being forced to cheat.

The days without a minister are the good days!

Hachiman Hikigaya is back, completely satisfied! The lone wolf Hachiman Hikigaya is back again!

Without the minister, the school feels a bit less lively and fun...

Snapped!

Hachiman Hikigaya slapped his forehead and fell into deep thought.