Uneasy daily life

"I always feel like Yukinoshita is thinking about something strange."

Mai Sakurajima discovers that it's not so bad that others can't see her; she can openly watch the show and offer her opinions.

It's strange. Even if she didn't get to the bottom of it, she should at least have shown relentless pursuit and asked who 'Sakurajima Mai' is, right? Why did Yukinoshita suddenly become more emotional?

Sakurajima Mai's expression turned strange. Unable to see Yukino Yukinoshita, could she be thinking that the "Sakurajima Mai" the hater was referring to was her?!

Bai Ying sighed and muttered, "My sister didn't say that; it's my fault."

"If there's a room like this in your rented apartment, it would be strange if I didn't ask about it!"

Yukino Yukinoshita tried to defend herself, but couldn't help saying irritably, "Shiro-kun! Put away your acting skills for now! Stop talking weird!"

“Look at me, I just said a few more words, and my sister reacts like this.”

Bai Ying raised her hand to indicate the room's furnishings and decorations, her voice suddenly becoming ethereal yet slightly hoarse as she complained, "This bed and cabinet, though gleaming and looking quite novel, are probably meant to hide other girls..."

"Bai Jun! You're not allowed to use my voice!"

Yukino Yukinoshita felt a chill run down her spine. She clenched her fists, already itching to give the white-clad figure an over-the-shoulder throw. She also realized that the room's furnishings and decorations were indeed very new. The covers of the books on the table reflected light, making them appear very bright, and many of the pieces of furniture were also very new...

It doesn't look like anyone lives there at all; it's more like someone is waiting to move in.

"Hate fan, is it okay to lie like this?"

Mai Sakurajima couldn't help but smirk.

Why is it so new?

I haven't been out of the entertainment industry for long, and this is my new home. I just retired and then I went through puberty syndrome. During that time, I had no mood to care about life issues. After adjusting my mindset these past two days, I bought things like potted plants, books, and vases to decorate the room.

I just bought it a few days ago, how could it not be new?

Sakurajima Mai's gaze involuntarily drifted back to the white figure, to that incomprehensible, exceptionally strange thing.

"Little sister~ cough cough..."

Yukino Yukinoshita clenched her fist silently, her cold face revealing a murderous intent.

Bai Ying quickly returned to her normal tone of voice: "Oh dear, I already told you this is Mai Sakurajima's room. You're just making wild guesses without understanding the situation, and all sorts of chaotic thoughts are arising in your mind."

"I was just asking," Yukino Yukinoshita said helplessly. "It's a simple question, but Haku-kun is using it as an excuse to make a big deal out of it..."

"That's right! I'm just using this as an excuse to make you feel guilty for doubting me, to make you taste the sour and chaotic feeling, to point fingers at you, to criticize you back and forth, to keep you firmly in my grasp—I'm CPUing you!"

Bai Ying stood tall and proud, her gaze fixed on Sakurajima Mai to the side. With a cunning glint in her eyes, she plotted, "When you're relying on me, I'll push you away a little, like stretching a rubber band – it'll tighten even faster. When you try to maintain the relationship, I'll create a sense of crisis, belittling your contributions while exaggerating my own and my feelings, thus usurping the relationship and establishing my dominance – hehehe!"

"..." Sakurajima Mai's eyes twitched slightly, and she rolled her eyes in annoyance. "That hater is really a wicked person with malicious intentions."

If one truly harbors such evil and filthy thoughts, then the moment one has just learned about puberty syndrome, witnessed firsthand the forgotten abnormal phenomena, and experienced a strong shock, is undoubtedly the time when one's psychology is most vulnerable.

Even knowing it was the suspension bridge effect, even knowing that she was forcibly clinging to the hater as a lifeline, she still couldn't control her actions and feelings... Running to the hater's room that night was a desperate act; if this guy was really a bastard, he should have been kicked out and lived under a bridge that night.

"This is called PUA."

Yukino Yukinoshita calmly replied, "Don't worry, I will be vigilant about the suspicious proliferation of the white fungus."

Even so, I still felt a little guilty, just a little, that feeling of doubt and grievance that I had clearly expressed my feelings for Bai Jun, but he had someone else in his heart and didn't tell me directly.

Was this room really prepared by Bai Jun for himself? It's not surprising that Bai Jun would meticulously decorate a room with a soft feel, but something still feels subtle and strange...

"Is this room really Mai Sakurajima's?"

Yukino Yukinoshita hesitated for a moment, then asked decisively, her eyes serious: "You are not allowed to lie."

"Hero, you're starting to make demands."

"This is a question."

"You have the right to ask questions, but don't I have the right to lie?"

"Answer or not?"

"Answer! Answer me firmly!"

Bai Ying turned her head to look at Sakurajima Mai, observing her carefully as she said, "This room is Sakurajima Mai's room. Speaking of Sakurajima Mai, she has beautiful long, smooth, jet-black hair, delicate and cute features, and seems mature and calm. She is very good at housework, cooking, and studying, but in reality, she is very sensitive about romantic relationships. If she occasionally tells a dirty joke, she will become embarrassed and angry, and will not be able to maintain her usual composure..."

Yukino Yukinoshita's gaze wandered, her left hand hanging limply at her side, her right hand wrapped around her abdomen, her fingers hooking her left elbow. She couldn't help but let out a soft cough, as if signaling someone to shut up, or urging someone to say more.

"Hey hater, there's a limit to teasing people."

Mai Sakurajima couldn't help but say, "You really have no conscience."

Bai Ying didn't reply; he was still describing the 'character': "She's not very good at acting, but she studies hard, reads books on acting, and one day she'll be able to participate in my performances..."

The pinkish-purple aura that rose from the surface of the body, resembling a shattered exoskeleton armor, receded back into the body—the impulse was out of control, and inspiration felt like it was about to burst the brain, so let's have an interesting impromptu performance!

"She and I are a couple living together and have the same hobbies."

The white figure reached out to Mai Sakurajima, inviting her, "Don't hesitate. Words will unfold with each step, and deep emotions will surge forth. Come on! In this play, we are lovers for a brief time..."

What do you mean?

Yukino Yukinoshita looked at the white figure turned to the side, who gestured towards the empty bed... It probably didn't mean anything like that.

Riddlers are so annoying! Deciphering Bai Jun's words and actions is more troublesome than taking a Chinese language exam.

Excluding the possibility of a dirty joke, is Bai Jun subtly expressing his conditions? Is he expressing that he likes people who can act? But he's not interested in being an actor for Bai Jun.

How should I answer this...?

There was no need for Yukino Yukinoshita to answer; in her eyes, the white shadow had already begun to direct and act out its own drama.

"let's break up."

Bai Ying remained expressionless, glanced at her wrist which was devoid of a watch, and calmly uttered her first line.

Yukinoshita Yukino: “?”

Mai Sakurajima, who got up to participate in the performance since no one was watching anyway, thought: "?"

It felt so familiar, like a scene from a drama. Back then, it was the hater who suddenly interrupted in public and said, "Let's break up," that stole the show.

After several trials and tribulations, I'm not the kind of actor who gets led by the nose and suffers a direct defeat.

"Okay."

Mai Sakurajima replied coldly, "Repay me with cash for all the gifts I gave you."

……

……

Bright sunshine, an afternoon coffee shop, a sofa and table in the corner, a silent couple, a broken relationship.

The man looked at the woman, somewhat incredulously, and said, "We've at least laughed together, walked through storms together, and basked in the sunshine together. Back then, when we brushed past each other, our eyes met, and that fleeting glance was fate... Even now, I believe we loved each other, and that we could part ways peacefully, offer each other blessings, and leave with dignity—but now you're talking about cash? Compensation?"

The woman said softly, "We broke up because we no longer had feelings for each other, right?"

"Of course," the man nodded. "If you still have feelings for someone, breaking up is just crazy, isn't it?"

The woman said, "Since there's no affection, of course we should talk about money."

The man exclaimed in astonishment, "How could you be so heartless?!"

The woman said coldly, "Since you've already proposed breaking up, what feelings are there to speak of? Since there are no feelings, then there's no heart. I believed your vows of eternal love, yet you cheated on me and betrayed me. Now you still have the nerve to talk about feelings here?"

“A vow made with the mountains and seas…” the man sighed wearily. “It was indeed I who made the promise and vow, and it was I who broke the promise and vow… When I made the promise, I was full of confidence and optimism, until later I realized that some promises cannot be kept. I was so clever, and naturally I became a laughing stock.”

The woman stared at him in surprise. This guy was actually showing weakness? She couldn't help but wonder—was he feigning weakness to avoid moral condemnation by playing the victim? Or was he hiding some hidden agenda or rhetoric? How should she respond? Should she continue pushing the conversation forward? Or should she tone down her aggression to make more informed decisions?

The man said, "Dating you is like taking out a loan from a bank."

"This is the first time I've heard this claim," the woman said noncommittally. "Now, are you going to try and excuse yourself?"

"Banks pursue profits and have their own methods to avoid losses. Loans also require collateral and credit to pass the assessment."

The man said self-deprecatingly, "People who think too highly of themselves think the conditions are so simple, but they don't realize that once they are burdened with debt, they can only pursue profit and cannot withstand any unexpected events or changes. When they fall into a predicament, those interest payments that they once took for granted will become unbearable... Our relationship is like a bank. You set conditions for me to lend money, and I blindly promised to take on the debt."

The man stood up, taking one or two steps, and began to hum softly.

I will mortgage my credit to buy a sun.

Her eyes curved like the curve of her gaze, reflecting her joy.

I signed the contract with great enthusiasm, and it will remain etched in my heart.

Deposit it into the bank of love.

I repay the interest, and I repay the moon ignited by sunlight.

I repaid my promise, in a hasty act of returning all that was left.

I'm not moving anymore.

She trampled on my credibility.

The sun has long since turned to dust.

Love cooled by life is called debt.

The man sang melancholy, gazing sadly to the side, as if mourning his youthful arrogance and unruly nature: "I owe you a debt of love, I broke the promise I made, and I failed to fulfill the conditions of our love contract..."

"It's good to know."

The woman, displaying a heart of steel, asked, "Quickly repay the money for the gifts, and we'll go our separate ways."

"How greedy they are!"

The man's eyes widened, and he sneered, "Since that's the case, then I won't pretend to be a gentleman anymore! The law doesn't specify who owns the expenses for dating, so I'll win in court!"

Just as the woman was about to speak, another voice suddenly came.

"If it's a unilateral condition, the money is borrowed from the bank, and if it can't be repaid, it becomes a debt. But what if it's an exchange between the two parties?"

Yukino Yukinoshita interrupted the monologue as if it were a natural occurrence.

Chapter Seventy-Six: The Lonely Observer

Bai Jun is truly unpredictable.

She fabricated a character named Sakurajima Mai to represent herself, and even set up a room for Sakurajima Mai in her rented apartment... inviting herself to live with her? In that case, wouldn't it be fine to just stay at her own place as before? Or perhaps stay somewhere closer.

Could it be that Bai Jun is trying to play a trick on me, given how illogical this is?

As Yukino Yukino pondered, watching the white figure chattering away in a monologue, her thoughts quickly pieced together the connections.

Bai Jun implied that he had accidentally gotten jealous, and then teased him in a strange way, and even put on a one-man show saying that he was 'lending money'... making it seem like he was the one making conditions for him.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt that Bai Jun had deliberately set up this room to tease her. However, she could also take this opportunity to express her own thoughts and test Bai Jun's ideas.

"If it's a unilateral condition, the money is borrowed from the bank, and if it can't be repaid, it becomes a debt. But what if it's an exchange between the two parties?"

Yukino Yukinoshita interrupted the monologue, adding, "For example, Haku still owes me ten meals."

Nine times!

Bai Ying solemnly corrected, "Don't try to fool me, brave warrior."

“Ten times,” Yukino Yukinoshita corrected. “The last cooking class was just about eating together; I didn’t specify anything.”

"Tsk."

Bai Ying clicked his tongue, making no attempt to hide his regret at not being able to get away with it, and got back to the point: "If the hero wants to make an exchange, such a simple thing can be clearly exchanged, but important things are hard to calculate... What is hard to calculate is not an exchange, but a debt that both parties owe each other."

"Haku-kun, what is there to be unclear about in this exchange?" Yukino Yukinoshita said calmly. "If they are equal and both parties agree, then it is a valid exchange."

"..."

Mai Sakurajima lifted her toes and kicked the white figure's shin.

Is Yukino confessing her feelings? No, it doesn't seem like it, but her feelings are very obvious. It's impossible for the hater not to notice. So, after realizing it, this guy is deliberately deceiving Yukino.

Mai Sakurajima looked at Yukino Yukinoshita with a subtle expression and a hint of pity, while Yukinoshita, who was trying to remain calm and whose words were meaningful, was still trying to express herself implicitly.

"I won't change it."

Bai Ying spoke succinctly and resolutely: "A true man is born between heaven and earth, how can he live a life of subservience to others? Brave man, don't even think about taking on my debts and making me your slave!"

"Bai Junfan probably can't be a cow or a horse, but he can surpass his master by being a dog."

Yukino Yukinoshita gave a soft hum.

It wasn't that simple after all... Speaking of which, Bai Jun does have a stubborn streak; he doesn't lend or borrow anything he doesn't owe. For example, when he was living with me, he still paid the market rent, which shows that he's a guy who puts up a fight, but he's not without flaws.