Uneasy daily life

“You’re the one who’s sick.” Ms. Sakurajima rolled her eyes and emphasized, “Well, she’s seriously sick.”

Dr. Bai slammed his fist on the table and roared, "How dare you! How dare you speak to a doctor like that!"

Miss Sakurajima glanced at her and said, "How dare you, a doctor, have such an attitude?"

"That's right, I shouldn't have that attitude."

Dr. Bai composed himself, his lips moved slightly, and his attitude finally became serious. He stared at Miss Sakurajima, his throat bobbing, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't. In the end, those words were swallowed up between his lips and teeth, leaving only a silent sorrow and numbness.

He looked like someone with terminal cancer.

"Alright then." Miss Sakurajima thought the doctor was just putting on an act, so she played along for the sake of it. "So, what illness do you think I have?"

Dr. Bai said earnestly, "Have you been feeling exhausted lately? Even though you haven't done any strenuous exercise, you still feel weak and listless. When facing problems, you tend to have a negative attitude and a pessimistic view of your personal situation and the future."

"Thanks to someone, I'm really not in a good mood," Ms. Sakurajima said coldly, crossing her legs. "So?"

"Don't worry, there are still some issues," Dr. Bai continued, "They often think about the past rather than the present and future. Their attention is easily distracted, and they have difficulty concentrating on one thing for a long time. They rarely experience extreme joy or sorrow, appearing insensitive and showing little reaction to external stimuli, whether it's something happy or sad, their emotional response is always minimal."

Ms. Sakurajima retorted, "When you threw a tantrum in the street before, I had a pretty strong emotional reaction, didn't I?"

Dr. Bai said seriously, "The normal feedback should be greater."

"I guess my stress tolerance has improved," Ms. Sakurajima said, pointing to the pranks. "After all, if I were still emotionally volatile after being pranked by you so many times, I would have been furious long ago."

Dr. Bai continued, "In addition to the symptoms mentioned above, you should also have a sense of contradiction in your interpersonal relationships. You may want to avoid being noticed and stay alone to maintain peace, but at other times, you may have a strong desire to connect with others and establish relationships."

Sakurajima-san narrowed her eyes: "You're too arrogant."

"Don't deny it," Dr. Bai said incisively. "When Azusagawa and I entered the school, you saw us by chance, right? You saw us, so you impulsively followed us! You don't know Azusagawa Sakuta or Futaba Rio, the only one you know is me! You're eager to talk to me, eager to be involved in some lively atmosphere, eager to stay connected with someone!"

"Since you've said that, then I'll prove it wrong with my actions."

Ms. Sakurajima stood up with a cold expression.

"Trying to run? I'm your door!"

Dr. Bai quickly stepped forward, rushed over, and slammed the door shut. He spread his arms and legs wide, pressing himself tightly against the door to block it completely: "You need to get treatment as soon as possible! Don't delay! A rotten tooth will turn into a full set of dentures, a pimple will turn into a tumor, and a sneeze will turn into a box of ashes!"

"I'm just in a bad mood; it seems like this place isn't quite right for you." Ms. Sakurajima nodded. "Who do you think is the one who's sick?"

"Of course you're the one who's more sick!"

Dr. Bai said without hesitation, "You have puberty syndrome!"

"What illness?" Miss Sakurajima asked, somewhat bewildered.

"See? See? I'm the doctor. You can't understand a single word I use. That's what you call professional."

Dr. Bai spoke eloquently: "To put it simply, it means dividing a person's psychology and physiology into three stages—childhood, semi-adulthood, and adulthood. Adolescence is the semi-adult state, which corresponds to the states of mud, clay, and ceramic, respectively."

"A stone thrown into muddy water splashes up ripples, which disappear quickly. A stone thrown into the soil makes a dent, or even gets stuck in the soil. A stone thrown onto ceramics makes a sound, and the very hard ceramics either don't break or shatter into pieces."

"You're like a lump of mud with the rock still stuck inside after being hit by it!"

Ms. Sakurajima paused for a moment, then asked, "What method should we use to treat this?"

Dr. Bai solemnly said, "Drink more hot water."

Sakurajima-san: "You're probably just here to make fun of me."

"Think more about happy and heartwarming things, make sure your food and drink are of good quality and quantity, take hot showers regularly to maintain good hygiene, and drink plenty of water to keep your body's circulation healthy," Dr. Bai said logically and persuasively. "See, I'm not trying to tease you at all; these are all golden words of advice."

Dr. Bai added earnestly, "You must eat and drink well."

Ms. Sakurajima: "You're trying to make fun of me with a bunch of nonsense."

"That's definitely a pointless statement. I've never actually seen a psychological problem cause such an extraordinary phenomenon as being forgotten."

Dr. Bai sighed, "If this were an illness, you would already be a subject of a book."

What strange thing are you talking about?

Ms. Sakurajima was deeply puzzled: "Playing a doctor isn't enough, you've also incorporated fortune-telling and metaphysics?"

"You don't believe me? Then I'll show you the evidence—hold out your hand!"

Miss Sakurajima reached out her hand, not understanding why.

Dr. Bai pounced on her like a vicious dog, grabbing Sakurajima's left hand with both hands.

Ms. Sakurajima flinched and quickly pulled her hand away, her face full of anger as she was about to reprimand him.

"Waaaaah—!"

Dr. Bai rolled around on the spot, shaking violently, and tried to bang his head against the door, displaying his neurotic tendencies.

Before she could even get angry, Miss Sakurajima had already taken a few steps back in fear.

……

……

"Observe? Schrödinger's cat?" Mai Sakurajima asked, puzzled, and asked gently, "Are you... alright?"

"This is just a forced conjecture based on their descriptions; don't attribute the crux of the matter to them."

Rio Futaba calmly dismissed herself: "They're the ones who say you've been forgotten."

Mai Sakurajima frowned, coldly sweeping her gaze over Sakuta Azusagawa and the white figure lying on the ground shouting 'Humans cannot be defeated,' and questioned, 'So you're the ones spreading rumors about me?'

“Well…” Sakuta Azusagawa asked, looking down, “Shiro, what’s your basis for this?”

"Didn't I already take it out?"

Bai Ying jumped up, dusted off her white coat, looked around, and sighed, "It seems none of you are so lucky. I've made such a great sacrifice."

Sakuta Azusagawa said, "Actually, if we have to talk about evidence, I have a few wounds on my body. Can that be used as evidence?"

"That can only serve as evidence that you're being a scoundrel, you idiot."

Rio Futaba remained calm and said, "The Ms. Shoko you mentioned, only you and this white figure have seen her. However, the testimony of mental patients is not taken into consideration, so only you have seen her. Assuming the abnormal condition you mentioned exists, the simplest way to provide evidence is to find someone who has forgotten Mai Sakurajima to testify."

"From an observational perspective, those who cannot observe Mai Sakurajima will definitely exhibit various unusual behaviors."

"Can you find someone like that?"

Upon hearing this, Sakuta Azusagawa looked at the white figure.

Bai Ying scratched his head and said, "Perhaps there really is one?"

Mai Sakurajima rolled her eyes: "I suspect you brought a few people to play a trick on me."

Rio Futaba: "Please draw a line between me and them."

Sakuta Azusagawa: "Shiro, you'd better hurry up and produce the evidence, otherwise if the police take you away, I'll have no choice but to report the main culprit."

"Don't worry, I'll be faster at reporting my accomplices than you are."

Bai Ying took out his phone, tapped it, dialed a number, and turned on speakerphone. He placed the phone on the lab table and showed the connected symbol on the screen to prove his innocence—it was the caller's nickname, which was somewhat unclear.

Why doesn't Bai Jun use chat apps anymore? Has your phone call phobia been cured?

Yukino Yukinoshita's slightly teasing voice rang out.

Sakurajima Mai sat there, arms crossed and legs crossed, staring at the white figure. She wanted to see what trick this guy was up to this time...

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures." The white-clad figure asked bluntly, "Hero, do you remember Mai Sakurajima?"

Mai Sakurajima...

Yukino Yukinoshita pondered for a moment, then asked curiously, "What do you mean by 'I remember'?"

Sakurajima Mai smiled slightly; as expected, this guy was deliberately playing a trick on her.

[I don't recall ever knowing anyone named Sakurajima Mai. Is Haku-kun fabricating memories for me?]

Sakurajima Mai was stunned, and said helplessly, "Yukinoshita, when did you become friends with the anti-fan?"

There was no reply from the other end, and the three white figures beside them also remained silent.

A few seconds later, Yukino's voice came through: "[Shiro-kun? What are you busy with?]"

Bai Ying: "I'm busy showing Mai Sakurajima her stuff."

Mai Sakurajima frowned deeply: "There's nothing funny about this kind of joke. What price did the hater offer you to cooperate with him?"

[Sakurajima Mai...who is she, given her feminine-sounding name?]

Yukino Yukinoshita asked with a slight sense of unease.

"She's a second-year student at Minegahara High School, a very popular former idol star. She's wearing a tan Minegahara High School uniform, similar in style to the suits at Soubu High School, with a pleated skirt around her waist that barely covers her thighs. Black stockings peek out from her small leather shoes, wrapping around her plump thighs until they disappear into the hem of her skirt... As for what's under her skirt—wow!"

The white figure, tilting its head and twisting its waist, jumped back and exclaimed in surprise.

[White Fungus! What are you doing?!]

Yukino's voice turned cold.

"He almost got a bloody nose from my kick." Sakurajima Mai, embarrassed and annoyed, pressed her short skirt to her thigh and said somewhat angrily, "Yukinoshita! Don't you think playing these tricks is a bit too much?!"

Yukino Yukinoshita remained unresponsive, only her slightly heavier breathing could be heard through the communication, as she waited for the white figure to reply.

Rio Futaba adjusted her glasses; her common sense was being challenged.

Sakuta Azusagawa said, "Shiro just now openly tried to peek under her skirt and almost got kicked in the face."

[Azusagawa-kun, as a law-abiding citizen, you should all kick him.]

The science club classroom was quiet, except for the slightly impatient voice of Yukino Yukinoshita.

Chapter Fifty-Three: A Little Cold

beep--!

Yukino Yukinoshita's brow twitched slightly as she redialed.

The call connected, but there was silence on the other end; not a single sound came back.

"white……"

beep--!

Yukinoshita Yukino: #!

[Under the Snow: Sword.jpg!]

[Bai Liang Bai Ying: Sword Sheath.jpg!]

[Yukinoshita: Shirakami! Reflect on your actions! Are you deliberately messing with me? Creating a fictional character to mock someone is utterly despicable. While I'm forgiving and won't pursue the matter too much, this deliberate behavior is highly inappropriate!]

[Bai Liang Bai Ying: Brave one! Reflect on your mistakes! Are you deliberately playing me? Creating a fictional character to mock someone is utterly despicable. While I'm magnanimous and won't pursue the matter too much, this deliberate behavior is highly inappropriate!]

[Yukinoshita: You have poisonous fungi here!]

[Bai Liang Bai Ying: You're amazing, you're a non-toxic bacterium!]

[Yukinoshita: Liar!]

[Bai Liang and Bai Ying: We've been fooled!]

[Yukinoshita: Coward!]

[Bai Liang and Bai Ying: The doormat!]

[Yukinoshita: You idiot!]

[Bai Liang and Bai Ying: Idiot, you've got to bounce back!]

Rebound, rebound...

Yukino Yukinoshita quickly grabbed her finger that was about to press send and deleted the message. Was Shirakami deliberately teasing her? It seemed like it, but it didn't; she was completely unsure.

In short, stay calm and don't let Bai Jun lead you astray, or you'll fall into a trap.

Mai Sakurajima... A second-year student at Minebara High School, a celebrity...

Yukino Yukinoshita searched for Sakurajima Mai, but couldn't find a single result.

Was that phone call just now really Bai Jun deliberately teasing me?

Yukino Yukinoshita put away her phone and looked up to feel two gazes coming from different directions. She glanced at them and saw Yui Yuigahama quickly lower her head, pretending to look at the news on her phone, while Hachiman Hikigaya calmly lowered his eyes, seemingly engrossed in reading a light novel.