Uneasy daily life

"Although Qian Xuantong said those words, it was just youthful whims. He lived a long and peaceful life past forty and even wrote his own 'eulogy' as a joke." Yukino Yukinoshita glanced at the little girl who had already left with her friends. "She wasn't smiling because she didn't get the candy, but because she was frightened by your behavior of giving her the candy and then taking it back, and asking all sorts of strange questions."

The prop master nodded slightly: "Hmm, that's called being realistic. But how do you know how sweet it is if you haven't tasted it?"

Headache.

Yukino Yukinoshita felt that her act of passing by and disturbing others was somewhat asking for trouble.

“Then I’ll give it a try.” Yukinoshita Haruno was quite interested. She picked up the candy from the flower bed, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth. “It has a very sweet and comforting taste. That child is quite interesting.”

Could it be a superpower?

Yukino Yukinoshita glanced at the prop master with considerable suspicion. Come to think of it, those fireworks aimed at people were probably made by him; it was quite audacious of him.

"Seeing the world through a child's eyes is a different experience," the prop master suddenly asked. "And what about Ms. Yukinoshita? What made you like Kurohiro?"

Yukino immediately turned her attention to her younger sister.

"...Why are you so certain, prop master?" Yukino Yukinoshita countered. "Did Haku-kun tell you that?"

“No, Xu Bai never cares how many people approve of or like him, or how many people dislike or resent him. He won’t flaunt or display other people’s emotions as possessions.” The prop master thought for a moment. “If you’re a sentimental person, he’ll probably use it to tease you often.”

Yukinoshita Yukino: "..."

"So? What's the reason?"

“I also have some questions to ask,” Yukino Yukinoshita said hesitantly.

“Let’s make a deal then, it’s fair,” the prop maker said. “If you’re worried I’m lying, I have some magical Truth or Dare Coke, and chocolate that can instantly make someone drunk…”

“Then let’s forget it.” Yukino Yukinoshita thought for a moment, then coughed lightly and said, “It’s undeniable that Haku-kun has indirectly helped me a lot, especially with things that I myself was powerless to do and could only sigh about… But it’s not because of those things, but because…”

Being seen through, understood, rejected, amused, angered, attracted, and surrounded by the loneliness that makes you feel helpless at the thought of losing her...

I can't think of a suitable description for Yukino Yukinoshita.

“It would be so unfair to let someone else get away with making such a mess of their life,” Yukinoshita Haruno said with a smile, turning her head to the side. “Right, Yukino-chan?”

"..."

Yukino Yukinoshita wants to find a time machine.

"It's still a rather abstract expression. Finding a formula for love is really difficult." The prop master sighed and said, "By common sense standards, Xu Bai is fully capable of dismantling any aspirations. Even if he likes to create stories through his own actions and easily interacts with others, those viewers who happen to feel grateful to him or are attracted by his appearance will eventually be disillusioned."

Yukino Yukinoshita narrowed her eyes: "The audience?"

That's true, considering Bai Jun's appearance...

The prop master said, "For example, a woman with a noblewoman's demeanor was attracted by his performance on stage and took the initiative to approach him in private. Xu Bai only needed to say one sentence to make her leave in a sorry state."

"You sow?" Yukinoshita Yōno guessed, uttering a vulgar curse.

The prop master said, "Mom."

Yukinoshita Yukino: “?”

Yukinoshita Yono: "?"

The prop master recalled: "Bai Yinghua was very interested and investigated privately—the woman was a pianist, her marriage was devoid of love, and she lived a life of mutual non-interference with her husband. She had been pregnant but unfortunately miscarried. The mess of her marriage, the longing for love, the pent-up maternal love, her keen sensitivity, the pressure on her mind, the impulse of rebellion, and many other life factors influenced her behavior—to the point that when she saw Xu Bai, she had the idea of ​​using Xu Bai as a guide."

Yukino Yukinoshita unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

"That scoundrel's past life was quite colorful," Yukino Haruno commented.

"Those who harbor admiration for him always end up in a sorry state, their true nature exposed in all sorts of ways that are hard to look at," the prop master asked curiously. "Haven't you experienced that yourself?"

Yukino Yukinoshita raised her hand and smoothed her hair: "I'm different from them."

The prop master corrected him in Japanese: "You're wrong, it should be 'them'."

Yukinoshita Yukino: "?!"

"Oh my, it's quite colorful and vibrant," Yukinoshita Haruno commented further.

“You seem to care about this.” The prop master’s eyes lit up slightly. “What’s the next step for you? Dating, establishing a romantic relationship, getting married at the right time, in front of the eyes and approval of both families and friends, and obtaining a marriage certificate issued by the government—this is common sense and the rule of modern society.”

Do all the people in the Scarlet Theatre have such quirky conversations...?

Yukino Yukinoshita coughed lightly: "Is there a problem?"

“I have no right to judge right or wrong, I just want to understand some things.” The prop master stood up. “Xu Bai is a short-lived person. The future you vaguely hope for is very likely to go astray.”

Short-lived?

Yukino Yukinoshita and Haruno Yukinoshita were taken aback.

"Wait—what does 'short-lived' mean?!"

Yukino Yukinoshita quickly called out to the prop master who was about to leave.

"question?"

"question!"

"Because Xu Bai might die at any time."

The prop master succinctly dropped a bombshell.

Terminal illness? Yukino Yukinoshita froze, an indescribable anxiety, panic, and confusion welling up inside her. No wonder Haku-kun was so special—was he suffering from a terminal illness? Didn't he have superpowers? Wait, what silly thing am I thinking? Superpowers and terminal illnesses aren't necessarily related…

Yukinoshita Haruno came to her senses and hesitated before asking, "Let me ask you this: assuming there are no illnesses, natural disasters, or man-made calamities, how long can Shirokage live?"

"How would I know? Oh... you've misunderstood." The prop master suddenly realized. "If we're talking about natural lifespan, it's probably around average, right? But I'm not a professional doctor or a prophet, so I can't make any rash judgments. It's just that, based on my intuition, his health is such that he could outlive you all—can I ask you one more question? When you learned that the person you love was about to lose their life, what did you feel? What were you thinking?"

Yukinoshita Yukino: "..."

Yukinoshita Yono: "..."

“Okay, don’t look at me like that. This is just a normal thought process survey. Consider it an apology, a warning to you. Be careful of Bai Yinghua… This doesn’t seem to be very helpful. Let’s put it another way—when things are going well, be sure to be vigilant… This doesn’t seem quite right either.”

The prop master frowned and pondered, then suddenly realized, "Simply put, when you feel that Xu Bai makes you particularly happy, go and rummage through his crotch."

"Props maker, please leave!"

Yukino Yukinoshita had a faint blush on her face, whether from embarrassment or annoyance was hard to tell.

Yukinoshita Haruno snapped out of her reverie and nodded solemnly, saying, "Alright! I understand! Thank you for your advice..."

"elder sister!"

The prop master left without getting an answer, his departing figure appearing somewhat desolate and regretful.

This was clearly sincere advice...

The older sister, who was teasing her younger sister about the previous topic, had a series of #s popping up on her forehead from time to time, while the younger sister would occasionally open her mouth to retort.

The two sisters playfully headed towards the river—one giggling, the other looking annoyed.

Before they even reached the river, the Yukinoshita sisters stopped and looked at Mai Sakurajima and Kazuka Toyohama, who were with the band after their performance. The pink object that was starting to turn into a slime... What was Ichiri Goto thinking about again?

"Ah... not having a boyfriend is so outdated... Heh, someone like me is only suited to growing old alone..."

"Why is this happening? My life so far... it's so shallow it's hard to look at..."

"Gulp... Destroy! Destroy all couples..."

Mai Sakurajima, who was comforting Ichiri Goto, seemed to sense something and looked up. Stepping through the crowd, she met Yukino Yukinoshita's gaze and noticed her dark blue yukata with morning glory patterns...

Did you two wear the same outfit?

"Friends for life, a cola and a wine, if the wind is too strong, bow your head, pat your shoulder, and don't say a word..."

Before I saw the person, I heard his voice first.

The white fungus is really growing again... huh?

Yukino Yukinoshita's expectations were once again shattered by reality, and she couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Hachiman Hikigaya, Houtarou Oreki, Shirakage, and... Hayato Hayama?

The four men, arm in arm, linked by an iron chain, swaggered in from the other end of the street, giving off a subtle, almost hypnotic feeling.

Chapter 148 Wine Doesn't Intoxicate, People Intoxicate Themselves

By the river, a white figure flicked a string of fireworks in his hand, the tiny sparks swirling in circles, as he earnestly comforted the somewhat dejected Hayama Hayato.

"Don't be so sad. It's just a failed confession. There are plenty of fish in the sea, you can find one if you want..."

"Bai-kun, this isn't about being sad." Hayama Hayato, hands in his pockets, looked at the fireworks exploding on the river, stared blankly for a few seconds, and then said, "I really hate your way of doing things..."

You'd be a fool to like it.

Hachiman Hikigaya rolled his eyes and decided to listen from the sidelines. If they got into a fight later, he would have to stop the captain from doing so, lest he end up kneeling next to Hayato Hayama begging him not to die.

The Killer Queen is a power A!

“Alright, since Hayama-kun has already said it, then I’ll say it too.” Bai Ying’s smile faded, and she sighed softly, “Hayama-kun, you should be the last person who needs to pity me. Even if everyone hates me, it’s my own fault, and you don’t need to feel any psychological burden because of it.”

Hachiman Hikigaya was stunned. Huh? There really is such a shameless person?

When Hayama Hayato said he disliked something, he was clearly disliking the minister's approach of directly confronting them and seeing how they couldn't maintain their facade of interpersonal relationships!

Houtarou Oreki wasn't interested in the topic, so he only listened without speaking. He glanced subconsciously at Eru Chitanda, who was having a great time, and then his mind went blank... He should have brought a book to read to drown out the noise of the fireworks.

"Bai, you seem to have misunderstood me. That's not what I meant—"

Hayato Hayama sighed; he had been feeling quite mentally and physically exhausted lately.

"Isn't that what you're talking about?" Bai Ying spread her hands. "If you don't believe me, let's go through this—you were originally planning to reject Miura, right?"

"……Um."

Hayato Hayama gave a brief affirmation.

"Your idea is to ask her out for a walk and a chat. If she shows interest or takes action, then reject her. If she doesn't, then try to subtly express your feelings! Of course, you'd prefer to have the illusion that 'she likes me'!"

Bai Ying snapped her fingers, pushed up her non-existent glasses, and stated her reasoning: "You might be thinking that we can continue to be friends, but you also know that your idea is somewhat unreasonable, so you didn't invite anyone else to avoid any potential negative impact on Miura, right?"

Hachiman Hikigaya glanced at the white figure suspiciously—the department head probably wasn't talking about me, was he?

"……Correct."

Hayato Hayama responded.

"From this, we can deduce further—you know this is unavoidable, that it will inevitably hurt Miura, but it's something you have to do, and you're mentally prepared to bear the guilt!" Bai Ying crossed her arms and circled around Hayama Hayato. "You came here fully prepared, even with trepidation, unease, guilt, and frustration, you still had the determination to do this. No matter how much you resemble Guan Gu Shenqi from the movie, you are not Guan Gu Shenqi."

"After all, you've already experienced a failure, and you have the ability to make decisions when necessary, right? Hayato Hayama."

"..."

Hayato Hayama didn't speak, but just gazed at the river, lost in thought.

Therefore, it is a hypocritical relationship. Relying on the efforts of one person to mediate, people who are dissatisfied with each other appear to be on good terms, and everyone looks like good friends.

Hachiman Hikigaya shrugged and happily watched the drama unfold. Of course, he disliked Hayato Hayama—this kind of super-popular person should just explode in the midst of an explosion.

“I simply pointed out to Miura the situation she would face: rejection from you. You tacitly accepted this, and after a frank and friendly conversation, Miura understood and left,” Bai Ying said, her hands behind her back. “You achieved your goal. You didn’t directly reject her, so you can continue to act as if nothing happened with Miura, remaining a couple that others perceive as more than friends but less than lovers. Even girls who have feelings for you will hesitate to confess to you out of consideration for Miura…”

"The only cost is that I might be disliked by Miura, isn't that a good thing?"

The white figure spreads out his hands, smiling at Hayato Hayama, while fireworks rise into the sky and explode in the distance behind him.

Hayato Hayama's tense face reflected the rapid shifts in light and shadow.

"This has nothing to do with Bai-tongxue—"

“That’s right! This is the price you should bear yourself, and you think you should bear it alone—what are you thinking now? Feeling a little ashamed, aren’t you? Feeling relieved that I took the price for you, and maybe you even feel sorry for me. Being disliked is such a terrible thing.”

Bai Ying shrugged and said, "The proof is complete. Shouldn't you thank me?"

Hayato Hayama stood frozen in place, his cheeks twitching; to be honest, his fists were very hard.

"..." Hachiman Hikigaya was taken aback for a moment, and said with a strange expression, "Hayama, you really are a... strangely nice old man."

"It's really weird that Hachiman doesn't have a single friend, isn't it?"

Hayato Hayama retorted rather aggressively.

"Hmph, but I have... never mind." Hachiman Hikigaya paused, then gestured, "You guys continue talking, I'll listen in."

Hayato Hayama sighed, then seemed relieved: "Fine, do you want me to thank you for making Yumiko run away and saving her from embarrassment?"

"No need for thanks. A son's feelings for his father are always a mixture of closeness and distance."

Bai Ying smiled and waved her hand, saying, "After all, it's not a lie that you hate me..."

Hayato Hayama paused for a moment, then was about to speak—you just wait…