Uneasy daily life

Yukino Yukinoshita subconsciously looked at the white figure.

“Yes, yes,” Bai Ying nodded. “At times like these, the hero should step forward and resolve the incident. The reward for this mission is +1 to my sister’s favorability and +1 to self-worth…”

“I’m talking about you, you jerk.” Yukinoshita Haruno said with a smile, “You wrote the lyrics for the last song, so I’ll give this one to you too.”

Bai Ying curled her lip and said, "Yesterday we ate salt, today we ate salt again, but tomorrow scientific research will show that salt is highly toxic, and ingesting 500 grams will cause death."

Yukino patted her chest: "It's okay, I'll eat it one bite at a time."

Bai Ying leaned back and said, "Wow! You're eating it bite by bite? No wonder you're the daughter of a councilor, you know all too well what sustainable exploitation is."

“It’s an efficiency issue.” Yukino Yukinoshita crossed her arms, rested her chin on them, and said with a smile, “Don’t worry, it’s just writing lyrics, it won’t drain your brain. If you really can’t do it, I can cheer you on.”

"I've quit."

The white figure waved its hand.

"Don't go off-topic." Yukino Yukinoshita clenched her right fist and tapped it lightly on the table. She couldn't help but glance at her sister before saying, "Is Haku-kun lacking inspiration?"

"It's not that there isn't..."

Bai Ying recalled the two times she had been targeted by fireworks and felt a little sad: "We should listen to 9528's music before we talk about this kind of thing—you play it first."

"it is good."

Yukino nodded, crossed one leg, picked up the guitar next to her, placed it on her lap, and began to strum the strings.

The piece, filled with elation, naivety, and a touch of fervent rhythm, was finished.

The white figure was lost in thought when Yukino Yukinoshita waved her hand in front of him.

"Bai Jun?"

"Hmm... I'm getting some inspiration." Bai Ying mused. "Imagining joy in confusion, sketching the shape of fireworks in the darkness... Is the meaning of life a series of questions or a series of answers? It's quite an interesting piece. You clearly like music..."

"This can hardly be called liking, can it?" Yukinoshita Haruno smiled. "It's just something to pass the time and play around with."

Kita Ikuyo snapped out of her reverie, surprised, and exclaimed, "Huh? How can you play so well just for fun? And even compose such a beautiful piece?"

"Well... I guess I benefited from my mother's teachings in this regard, or maybe I'm just naturally quick learners? Whatever it is... no, I should say most things." Yukinoshita Haruno glanced at the white figure and said with a smile, "You can get the hang of it on the first try, and then naturally become proficient, quickly achieving excellent results—since you can do it so easily, you can't put in too much emotion, so it can't be called liking it. Yukino-chan probably feels the same way, right?"

Yukino Yukinoshita shook her head and said, "If it's just a dabbling, then naturally you won't go any deeper once you've done it. That's the boundary between being a professional and a non-professional."

"It took Yukino-chan about a month to learn her instrument, and her teacher said she had a professional level of skill," Yukinoshita Haruno said seriously. "No wonder she's a genius."

Kita Ikuyo's eyes widened: "You only took a month to learn guitar?!"

"Learning musical instruments." Yukinoshita Haruno corrected her, recalling, "Mainly the piano, and secondly the violin, since it's more elegant, and of course, the guitar too..."

“It’s not about learning an instrument, I remember it’s about learning music theory. Once you learn music theory to a certain level, you’ll naturally be able to learn the instruments as well.” Yukino Yukinoshita asked in confusion, “Why are you bringing this up? I remember you finished your music course five days faster than me.”

One month... professional level?

The ahoge (cowlick) on Ijichi Nijika's head was spinning rapidly.

Piano, violin, guitar...

Kita Yuuyo mentally calculated formulas. "I've been learning guitar for almost three months now, haven't I? Am I really human? Really? Really?"

"..."

Yamada Ryo silently typed out a string of ellipses.

"How did you do on the test?"

The white figure suddenly asked casually.

Yukinoshita Yukino: “?”

Yukino sighed and replied, "It's nothing special. I should have checked it more carefully."

"Yeah, if only I had paid more attention in class!" Bai Ying slapped her thigh and lamented, "I shouldn't have forgotten that point, but it was on the test!"

“Yes, yes…” Yukinoshita Haruno nodded repeatedly, looking at Yukinoshita Yukino.

Yukino Yukinoshita realized what was happening and, not wanting to get involved in the neurotic conversation, gave Yukino a look of disgust.

It's okay, Bai Ying gave her a sense of participation—through her voice.

"Didn't you guys do well either?" Yukino Yukinoshita asked regretfully. "This test was a bit difficult. I only got 97 points. How about you guys?"

Yukinoshita Haruno said with dissatisfaction, "Only 99 points? What about you?"

"Better than the Warrior, 98 points."

The two looked at each other and sighed in unison.

A Versailles-like atmosphere filled the air. Apart from Goto Ichiri, who was lost in his own thoughts, the other three people's gazes wandered subtly, feeling a pang of self-consciousness, like a student who had only scored 70 points but was just passing by.

"Don't insert commercials during major news events."

Yukino Yukinoshita tapped the table with a dark expression.

"That's not right. It's the commercial break that indicates there's major news."

Bai Ying corrected her, noticing that Yukino Yukinoshita had already clenched her little fists, so she immediately stopped while she was ahead and pretended to think and write lyrics.

"So? What is it you want to say, sister?" Yukino Yukinoshita frowned. "Don't beat around the bush and create unnecessary complications."

“Hmm… I was actually quite surprised. There were no performances or anything like that at the fireworks festival before. I was originally planning to have Father run into a wall with Yukino-chan, but Yukino-chan has been a bit of a surprise.” Yukinoshita Haruno said playfully, “I’m so glad that you didn’t follow in my sister’s footsteps. Yukino-chan has become quite interesting.”

Yukinoshita Yukino: #!

Despite my anger, I couldn't help feeling a little guilty, since the initial idea was to summarize how to organize fireworks displays over the past few years...

"Yukino-chan, would you like to join us for a band performance?"

Chapter 138 The Father's Attack Under the Snow

The fireworks display was in full swing, and everything was in disarray—and I was just a mere driver and occasional deliveryman?!

The little goddess is planning to go on stage and sing with the middle goddess... I'm a huge fan of both the little and middle goddesses, I've been supporting them since before they were even born!

I'll definitely go and cheer them on then.

We've digressed, but in short, after the little goddess got excited and decided to do something, I should also try to do something to prove my worth.

A man cannot be without power for even a day. As a son-in-law of the Xuexia Di family, is there nothing I can do?

Because he argued too loudly with Shirakage about who was the number one fan while watching the rehearsal, Yukinoshita's father was stripped of all his positions and expelled. At this moment, he is sitting in the president's office deep in thought.

It's time to mobilize resources across regions, break down barriers between different sectors, uncover years of accumulated strength, increase investment to redistribute power, and prove who truly has the right to speak out...

Yukinoshita's father pondered with a serious expression, imagining a wonderful scene where someone would lose the trust of his little goddess and become a fish on the chopping block.

There was a knock on the door.

"Please come in."

Sakurajima's mother walked into the office, glanced at Yukinoshita's father behind the desk, and asked with some confusion, "President, is there something you need from me?"

"Um... Ms. Sakurajima, please have a seat."

Yukinoshita's father invited the other party to sit down and talk, and then said in a clear and organized manner: "There are some things here that Ms. Sakurajima should be able to handle. Although Ms. Sakurajima has now retired from the entertainment industry, she should have accumulated a lot of connections and know some professionals in the entertainment industry's publicity and entertainment field."

It wasn't surprising, since I work in the publicity department. Although I was just looking for something to do to pass the time, the fact that they specifically invited me must have been for that reason.

“Yes.” Sakurajima’s mother nodded with the air of a seasoned professional. “Are you looking for a reporter to conduct an interview, a photographer to produce a promotional video, or an advertising designer? I can recommend some people in this regard and can also make introductions.”

Yukinoshita's father hummed in agreement: "Don't worry, I'm not asking you to use your personal connections to do things for the company."

You can put it a little more tactfully.

Sakurajima's mother had a subtle expression.

"Actually, it's not a company matter," Yukinoshita's father said thoughtfully. "My personal interests aren't usually in the entertainment industry, so my knowledge of it is rather limited. That's why I'm asking you for advice—do you know any celebrities who are good-looking, can sing and dance, and preferably have some fame... but not too much fame, the kind of relatively inexpensive stars or idols?"

Sakurajima's mother frowned slightly: "..."

Huh? Why is there no sound?

The father looked up at the snow, somewhat bewildered.

“Actually, I’ve been thinking about resigning recently,” Sakurajima’s mother suddenly said. “Mr. Yukinoshita, there’s nothing I can do about this. You should find another job.”

"Wait!" Yukino's father realized what he meant and turned pale with shock. "You've misunderstood! I didn't ask you to be a pimp! My daughter Yukino is currently organizing a fireworks festival and plans to put on some performances, so I'd like to ask you to help find some professionals to support her!"

Sakurajima's mother was skeptical.

Yukinoshita's father said through gritted teeth, "Traitor... I mean the job that Shirakage introduced you to. How could I be that kind of bad person?"

If this misunderstanding isn't cleared up, and the other party mentions it to Bai Ying... Damn it! If this misunderstanding falls into the hands of the rebels, I'll definitely be in deep trouble!

Sakurajima's mother believed her and apologized for the misunderstanding.

“If it’s a performance…” Sakurajima’s mother hesitated, “My daughter has already made a comeback, and in terms of popularity…”

"no!"

The resounding rejection startled Sakurajima's mother. Why such a big reaction?

"Ahem, I mean, Ms. Sakurajima's daughter is too famous, which makes the budget for the fireworks festival a bit tight. Also, your daughter's major is filming and acting, which doesn't meet the requirements for a fireworks festival performance. So, in conclusion, your daughter doesn't meet the requirements."

Yukinoshita's father broke out in a cold sweat. If he got rid of Sakurajima Mai, and the little goddess found out that he was the one who did it—he would be given the cold shoulder for at least three days!

"Hmm...that's true." Sakurajima's mother nodded, somewhat regretfully, "Mai has done stage performances before, but it was mostly as a supporting role. So, does the president want an artist who sings and dances on stage?"

Tsk, wasn't that just a performance orchestrated by the rebels during the battle? This makes it even more important not to involve Mai Sakurajima.

Yukinoshita's father nodded seriously and said, "That's right, the fireworks festival needs people with strong singing and dancing skills!"

Sakurajima's mother paused for a moment, hesitated slightly, and then slowly spoke.

"There's an idol group called Sweet Bullet, and their style fits the theme of the fireworks festival quite well. Since they're not very famous, they should be very motivated to have the opportunity to perform at the fireworks festival, and they'll need a relatively small budget..."

Fireworks festivals... The timing of fireworks festivals varies from place to place, and the Kanagawa fireworks festival was long over. Around that time, I had a falling out with Mai...

Mai has returned to the entertainment industry; has the relationship improved now?

How about inviting her to watch the fireworks display together?

……

……

Kazuka Toyohama is currently a runaway and is staying at her sister's house.

Of course, this is just running away from home, not disappearing. She still has to attend her work and training with the idol group. She just won't go home after finishing her work each day. Similarly, she won't talk to her teammates about these family matters, since it wouldn't do any good, and she doesn't need comforting herself.

Simply not going home seems to have severed the practice with my mother, because we basically don't see each other every day and there's no need for conversation. Apart from knowing and understanding our relationship, there's almost no actual interaction, making it feel particularly unreal.

If we try to examine and reflect on this relationship—the arguments, dissatisfaction, belittling, resistance, the mother's obsession, the difficulties we face…

People become unhappy when they think about unhappy things.

She chose to become an idol because she admired her older sister's brilliance, not because of her mother's competitive spirit.

So let's work hard today!

"Are you planning to go to Chiba?"

“Yes, the company said they’re holding a fireworks display there and want to invite us to perform. We need to go to the site to discuss the program and rehearse.” Feng Bin and Hua quickly packed their change of clothes and sighed like working people, “It sounds exhausting.”

"Generally, matters involving discussions and negotiations are handled by agents, right?"

"We're just a small group, not at the point where we need an agent."

"Then I'll work harder and practice more. When the opportunity comes, everything will be fine." Mai Sakurajima flipped through several announcements, confirming her next steps and direction. "Have a safe journey."

"Okay, I'm off, sister!"

Feng Bin and Hua set off with high spirits.

It's quite unusual for an idol to perform at a fireworks festival... Is this anti-fan guy in Chiba?

Mai Sakurajima took out her phone and glanced at the group chat. She hadn't heard from any of the haters asking her for any special autographs lately, so they were probably just making empty promises to Mai.

We're still waiting for him to come knocking on our door so we can manipulate him and get him to sign some agreements.

Hmm, if I'm going to change my acting style, I guess I should definitely avoid youth campus dramas... commercials... huh? Charity donations and volunteer activities? The previous typhoon seemed to have caused quite a bit of damage to several coastal villages and towns, thankfully there were no casualties...

The phone suddenly rang, and Mai Sakurajima looked at it in confusion.

Mother?

……