Uneasy daily life

Yukino Yukinoshita rubbed her temples.

It seems the Yukinoshita family isn't a united front? Or is it a family property dispute? That's unlikely, the atmosphere within the family is quite good right now... Could it be that Yukinoshita's older sister is trying to help her younger sister and discourage me in this way?

Mai Sakurajima looked a little disheveled.

"Wow! The fireworks were really interesting! Even more interesting than the fireworks in Tokyo!"

"Agree!"

"Climbing up the mountain was so tiring, haha..."

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

"Hey~ Pochi-chan, why are you crying?"

Summer is over...

"Yes, the summer full of memories is coming to an end, which is quite sad."

"But I haven't done my homework yet... Waaaaah—"

Goto Ichiri was startled to realize how quickly time had passed and that there were only a few days left before the start of the new school term, which filled her with sadness.

Angelina, who was carrying snacks up to the shrine, was stunned by what she saw.

what……

Summer is over.

Chapter 153 Spring is Closer

The most exciting fireworks display has ended, the most dazzling colors have been seen, and the fireworks festival is gradually coming to a close. Many tourists and spectators have already left, while some people who were having fun or forgot to go home are lingering and wandering around in various places where the stalls are still open for business...

Others are worried about the start of school in a few days.

"It's over... I'm finished..."

Goto Ichiri slumped in the back seat, muttering listlessly, "Because I didn't finish my summer homework, Goto Ichiri was expelled from school and became a shut-in, spending his lonely and helpless life... No... it's not just a matter of being expelled from school..."

"So, I guess I still have to commit seppuku?"

Goto Ichiri came up with a solution.

"Goto-kun, calm down!" Kita Ikuyo quickly advised. "There are still a few days before school starts. If you catch up on your homework, you can finish it quickly! Besides, our school isn't so strict that you have to commit seppuku!"

Yamada Ryo, with his legs crossed, calmly said, "Pochi, do you need someone to do your summer homework for you? Of course, you know the price."

She rubbed her left index finger and thumb together.

Goto Ichiri's pupils dilated in shock as he slowly pulled out his piggy bank...

"Oh no! That won't do!" Kita Ikuyo quickly pressed the other person's hand back, and after a moment of panic, she said, "Well... it seems that all the summer homework for our entire grade is the same. If Goto-kun really can't do it, you can borrow my homework to refer to!"

Goto Ichiri froze, her expression blossoming with emotion: "Kita..."

"Dah!"

Ijichi Nijika separated the two with a black line on her face and said seriously, "Kita, even if you mean well, you can't corrupt Pochi-chan. And Pochi-chan, there's still plenty of time left. It's not difficult to finish your summer homework. Besides, before... Pochi-chan had to stay at school for extra classes after school because of her studies. If you take shortcuts now, you'll suffer for it later!"

"Band performances, fireworks displays—everyone's had fun and worked hard. Now, the rest of summer vacation is going to be used to bring it to a perfect close—that's right! The band's next mission!"

"Help Bochi-chan finish her summer homework!"

The back seat was noisy.

Wow, this is great! I feel so young again.

Yukinoshita Haruno smiled, fastened her seatbelt, and leaned out of the car window to call out, "Yukino-chan, I'm taking them back to Shimokitazawa. I probably won't be home tonight, so please tell my father and mother for me."

"Ah."

Yukino Yukinoshita nodded slightly, her gaze filled with a hint of doubt and inquiry, as if waiting for her to say something more.

Yukino Shino revealed a bright smile and happily set off in her car.

"Well……"

Yukino Yukinoshita gently bit her back teeth, her cheeks puffing out slightly.

My sister is really... no, I'm not a pushover.

Let's deal with things one by one first—for example, digging up Bai Jun, who's been buried somewhere.

"Minister? I don't know about that."

Hachiman Hikigaya was about to go home with his sister when he heard this and scratched his head, trying to remember: "Um...didn't you two go to the shrine on the mountain to watch the fireworks together?"

"White fungus is probably a type of dandelion," Yukino Yukinoshita muttered with a hint of resentment. She then composed herself, hesitated for a moment, and finally asked directly, "Hikigaya-kun, do you know about Yuihama's condition?"

Well, that's true... It's not surprising that Yukinoshita knew about Yuihama's plans.

Hachiman Hikigaya scratched his head and said, "She probably went out to play by herself."

"Okay, I'll look for her."

Yukino Yukinoshita realized that Yui had confessed to Yui without her knowledge, which led to her rejection. No wonder she hadn't seen Yui since.

The brother and sister waved goodbye and started their journey home.

"Brother—did something happen between you and Yuihama-nee?"

"No?"

"Oh? That's suspicious, isn't it? Lying will get you all your points deducted, you know?"

"Isn't Komachi, the goddess, gentle?"

"It depends on how Garbage-chan performs, hmm~"

……

……

At an oden stall that had already passed its busy and long queue times, Yui Yuigahama sat at a small table, eating her oden somewhat absentmindedly.

Sigh, I got rejected by Xiaoqi... How am I supposed to get along with her now... Pretending nothing happened would probably make her even more uncomfortable... Should I deliberately keep my distance? That feels a bit strange, and I might drag Xiaoxue into it... In the end, I don't think I fully explained myself before running away, which must have made Xiaoqi feel a bit confused, right?

And Xiaobai, if she wanted to tell me about Xiaoqi, couldn't she have told me privately? Why did she have to confess to Xiaoqi right in front of me?

Oh! Don't think about it! Don't recall that hellish scene!

Yui Yuigahama took a bite of tofu, breaking free from her frantic state, only to fall back into melancholy.

Ultimately, in Xiaoqi's eyes, she's still that 'gentle girl', right?

"Ugh……"

"Yui?"

Yui Yuigahama subconsciously turned her head. Yumiko Miura was standing on the side of the street, with a sparse crowd in the middle leaving the fireworks festival.

The owner, who had just taken a break and was playing on his phone, immediately served a bowl of oden to a new customer before returning to the counter to rest and relax.

"Yumiko, how was the fireworks festival?"

"The fireworks were quite interesting..."

Yumiko Miura ate a piece of radish and changed the subject, asking, "Where's Yui?"

Yui Yuigahama's gaze wandered: "Uh... fireworks are indeed quite interesting."

"Huh?" Yumiko Miura was taken aback. "That Hachiman guy—"

"It's not Xiaoqi's fault," Yui Yuigahama quickly interrupted. "There's no right or wrong in these kinds of things. Yumiko wouldn't think that way about Hayama-kun, would she?"

"..."

Yumiko Miura choked for a moment, chewing on her fish ball, and gave him a slightly unhappy look.

Yui, she must have been corrupted by Yukinoshita, right?

"Hahaha, that's not what I meant..."

Yui Yuigahama realized what was happening, gave an awkward laugh, and immediately changed the subject, saying, "Um... Yumiko, what kind of person do you think I am?"

"What kind of person?" Miura Yumiko asked, puzzled. "Let me think... a very warm-hearted and cheerful person, I guess."

Yui Yuigahama tilted her head and asked, "Could I be considered a gentle person?"

“Of course it counts!” Miura Yumiko raised an eyebrow. “What did Hachiman say? You’re willing to be friends with that reclusive guy, isn’t that kind enough? I think he’s a bit ungrateful…”

"I'm not sure if Yuihama is a gentle person, but Miura definitely isn't."

Yukino Yukinoshita stood to the side with her arms crossed, her cool voice cutting into the conversation: "Talking behind people's backs will make your tongue sore, Miura-kun."

"Huh? Xiaoxue?!"

"Huh? Yukinoshita—"

Flames gradually appeared in Miura Yumiko's eyes, and as their gazes met, steam seemed to hiss outwards.

Yui Yuigahama looked around frantically, her hands moving in a distorted Tai Chi pattern: "Um, you guys, please don't fight..."

“This is just a normal debate.” Yukino Yukinoshita raised the corners of her mouth slightly. “Miura’s willingness to shout and yell like a gorilla to stir up emotions is also a form of debate.”

Miura Yuko: #!

"You consider yourself Yui's friend? I don't think you know Yui very well," Miura Yumiko sneered. "Compared to Yui, I think that guy Hikigaya is more like your friend."

Yukino Yukinoshita retorted sarcastically with a slightly cold expression: "With your kind of ecosystem where everyone must keep in step and have the same atmosphere, you probably can't understand what it means to seek common ground while reserving differences, right? I can tell from your superficial understanding of Yuihama—'enthusiastic, sunny and cheerful.' That kind of evaluation you gave could be applied to everyone around you, right?"

"What's the point of your evaluation? It's neither yours nor a valid assessment. Ultimately, it's the same as a salesperson calling a customer 'handsome guy' or 'beautiful girl.' Salespeople do that because it's their job. What about you? Are you just being perfunctory? Or is making friends your job?"

Miura Yuko: ##!

If I weren't so tired and in the mood today, I would have at least fought with this guy!

"Whether it's online arguments or physical fights, the person who gets emotional first is the loser."

A white figure suddenly appeared, shaking its head and sighing, "Wow, Yuihama, you're such a womanizer."

"???"

Yui Yuigahama was overwhelmed by the question marks that popped up.

Bai Ying then turned to Miura Yumiko and earnestly instructed her: "To reach the top, you must first eliminate distractions and have a clear mind before you can engage in debate! You young man, you're not up to par. When a brave man makes a move, you neither refute nor attack, but act as if you've been hit and are under his control. How can you fight like that? How can you even fight like that? All you can do is glare, raise your voice, and make a fierce expression. Your three tricks are barely enough to scare Hikigaya. You really don't know how to use your own advantages."

"climb!"

Yumiko Miura retorted irritably, frowning as she said, "Where did you come from?!"

"You probably didn't notice, but it's not just me."

Bai Ying shrugged, and only then did Miura Yumiko notice that Sakurajima Mai and Angelina were also there.

"It's more likely that white fungi are good at appearing and disappearing suddenly."

The snow beneath the snow is gentle and close at hand.

"I wanted to say goodbye to the prop master, but I couldn't find him anywhere. He really doesn't treat me like a friend at all, hahaha."

Bai Ying offered a perfunctory expression of camaraderie: "Today, we must make sure he enjoys a modern absurdist drama like Waiting for Godot."

"Hmm?" Yukino Yukinoshita reacted, and asked subtly, "So, what did Haku want to see me about? Or are you here to see someone else?"

"Brave one, you don't need to give me any salary or bonuses. You can handle it yourself. You losers, keep chatting. I'm just passing by and will be going now."

The white figure cupped its hands in greeting, and amidst the disgruntled 'Little White' of Yuigahama Yui and the angry glares of Miura Yumiko, it called out to Angelina as she ran off into the distance.

Salary? Bonus? When did you start receiving those things?

Yukino Yukinoshita was slightly puzzled, then remembered—what about the benefits of fireworks for people?

"What a free spirit! Trying to put a collar on him would just make him run around on a leash instead." Mai Sakurajima pulled up a chair, sat down, and called out with a smile, "Boss, one serving of oden, extra bamboo shoots, please. And Yukinoshita?"

"Being led by the hand is more reassuring than letting go."

Yukino Yukinoshita sat down with them and said, "Boss, one serving with extra tofu, please."

"So what are you talking about?" Mai Sakurajima asked with a smile. "If it's something inconvenient to talk about, then just pretend I didn't ask."

"There's nothing inconvenient about it," Miura Yumiko said, pouting. "I just failed to confess to Yui, it's not a big deal."

Yui Yuigahama scratched her face: "Hahaha..."

Mai Sakurajima chuckled: "It's really not a big deal. At least it's better than the person you like becoming someone else's boyfriend, right?"