Uneasy daily life

[Bai Liang and Bai Ying: I'll take care of you?]

[Poch-chan: Okay!]

"In short, what strange things did Brave Pro go through?"

Bai Ying said regretfully, "It's a pity I couldn't witness it in person—I'll go join the fun tomorrow since it's a holiday!"

Chapter Seventy Elevator Accidents

"Sister, I'm downstairs at the apartment building!"

Saturday, a day of rest that is sacred and subject to arbitrary intrusion.

Toyohama and Hana walked down the streets of Chiba, took out their phones to make calls, and barely managed to rouse themselves a little.

To resolve the lingering issues left by Yukino and Shirakage, I've been through a lot these past few days. I have to find a way to get rid of my school duties and responsibilities, and also find a way to become the leader of an idol group... The former is manageable; I can use my plan to transfer schools next semester as a shield. But the latter...

It's so weird. Suddenly being the team leader and facing my teammates feels as awkward as wearing my elementary school underwear!

I've wanted to punch Daiyuki and that bastard so many times already!

"Hmm... Oh? On set? Of course I've been training and working hard. Today's my day off... I won't be home until tonight. Well, I'll go shopping then."

Toyohama Kazuka was a little disappointed. She looked up at the apartment building in front of her. It was alright if her sister wasn't here. She could go and see what that bastard was up to. She couldn't possibly take another half hour on the train back to Yokohama, could she?

Come anyway.

Feng Bin and Hua Xin were overjoyed and felt a surge of strength in their legs. They couldn't wait to confront that bastard, point out all the trouble he had caused, and finally give him a kick that would make them feel refreshed!

Taking out her access card from her pocket, Feng Bin and Hua entered the apartment smoothly and skillfully took the elevator upstairs.

Before the elevator doors even opened, some sounds drifted in.

"Editor, do you believe in gravity?"

Bai Ying held her phone and asked in a deep voice.

[Teacher Wuxin? I'm no longer an editor.]

"Changed careers?" Bai Ying frowned, saying regretfully, "In that case, you're useless now. My contact list can't hold numbers of idle people..."

"I'm the editor-in-chief now, in charge of managing the editors," the man on the other end said in a low voice.

Bai Ying's tone changed: "Your phone number is definitely etched in my memory, impossible to fade."

[Ha...should I say that after a year's absence, Teacher Wuxin has become worldly-wise?]

“Look at what you’re saying. Mature adults never delete phone numbers; they just tacitly stop contacting each other,” Bai Ying said confidently. “I’m still a little bit away from being worldly-wise.”

"Oh? Looks like Teacher Wuxin hasn't wasted his time either; he's even more eccentric than before." The man remarked, then steered the conversation back to the main topic, "Teacher Wuxin, are you calling because you're planning a comeback? I was also very disappointed when your work was canceled back then."

"That's right, I've figured out the ultimate secret of light novels!"

"Hmm?" The man's tone rose. "Teacher Wuxin! You finally understand what light novels are—"

"Light novels are just lightly erotic novels!"

"That's right! Relaxed and enjoyable is the key—huh?!" The man was momentarily confused. "Mildly erotic?!"

"Yes, I understand completely now..."

[Wrong!] the man retorted loudly, [Light novels aren't adult works! It's true that there's a saying now that illustrations are the core of the story and the quality of the female characters determines the quality of the novel, but that's just the wild opinion of laymen! Light and enjoyable content is the essence of light novels!]

"You're talking nonsense!" Bai Ying retorted on the spot. "This is the conclusion I reached after reading ten best-selling light novels in a state of mental derangement!"

"You're talking nonsense!" The man seemed to slam his fist on the table, a surge of youthful passion washing over him. "Those light novels were just lucky; their popularity was temporary! You're exhibiting survivor bias! Do you understand? After the high pressure of the workplace, the exhaustion of life, the trivialities of family life, you're uninterested in any form of entertainment. If you randomly pick up a novel at this point, what do you think it should be?"

"How to Start Your Life Painlessly?"

That's too fast!

"Successful people often have these personality traits?"

This is outrageous!

"Is the editor probably born in the 80s?"

【What's wrong? 】

"The reason why the post-80s generation is so down-to-earth and persevering is actually this?"

"Who are you flattering?" the man retorted skillfully, launching into a barrage of criticisms. "Before they reach adulthood, they're seen as a lost generation; once they enter society, they're seen as hardworking, intelligent, polite, flexible, and intellectually profound; and once they completely disappear from the news, they'll be considered a useless generation, right?"

"As expected of my editor, so witty and insightful."

[This is the line you used to use to fool me!]

"As expected of me, witty remarks abound."

In short, in that situation, the book needed is...

"The Communist Manifesto?"

[Too extreme!] It's back! That feeling, like a thorn in my heart, a fishbone stuck in my throat, a fountain in my head—it's all back! The man skipped the minutiae and stated his attitude directly: [People who are physically and mentally exhausted need light and uplifting novels; that's what light novels are all about!]

"Erotic is also acceptable."

[You washed away the tragedy from your mind and filled it with eroticism?!]

“Editor, this is the market’s choice. Readers chose erotica, so light novels became erotica. It’s a two-way street.” Bai Ying said earnestly, “Days off are like people on standby. Their happiness has been castrated. Even the pleasure of momentary indulgence is only whispered in their hearts.”

The man couldn't help but sigh deeply: "[...Damn it! Why have light novels become like this?!]"

"So the problem lies with the readers, not with your ideas!"

[That's right! The readers are no good...] The man's mind raced, a memory surfaced, and he blurted out, [Isn't this the twisted logic you gave me back then?!]

Bai Ying read aloud, "Oh dear, we've been discovered."

"Alright, let's get back to the light novel thing." The man skillfully pulled himself out of the barrage of sarcastic remarks, calmly switching to his corporate slave mode. "If Wuxin-sensei is planning to try his hand at light novels again, using suggestive content as a selling point is indeed a viable strategy. However, light novel publishers have their rules, and suggestive content isn't so easy to pull off."

With Wuxin's writing skills, specializing in lighthearted and enjoyable storylines and character designs, I don't think there will be any problems. Why don't you reconsider?

"As a professional editor, can't you see the trend of light novels? The end of light novels is eroticism!" Bai Ying said calmly and forcefully. "Humans like to cross their own bottom line—for example..."

He glanced around and naturally noticed the elevator in the corridor: "Hmm, this elevator is pretty good."

"The elevator?" the man asked, puzzled. "You're not home?"

"What's more exciting than an elevator at home?"

"...Are you going to give me an impromptu performance again?"

"The elevator, suspended in the elevator shaft, moved step by step from the tenth floor to the first floor, stopping briefly at each floor. From the tenth to the ninth floor, the elevator operated normally, only breathing heavily when the doors opened. Outside the elevator doors on the eighth floor, a few pieces of clothing were scattered. It continued to descend slowly. On the seventh floor, as soon as the doors opened, a few pieces of underwear were forcibly thrown out."

Bai Ying popped a piece of chewing gum into her mouth, making a popping sound as she chewed. At the same time, she clearly described, "The elevator goes up and down day after day, but today it made an extra move. It arrived at the sixth floor with a series of slight swaying. When the doors opened, the elevator doors suddenly trembled violently, and then fell silent—the elevator doors slowly closed and glided to the fifth floor in an unusual quiet."

"The fourth floor, the elevator doors closed again, and it began to sway slightly from side to side. As it continued to descend, the swaying became increasingly violent, as if without limit. The creaking noise seemed to suppress a restlessness. Fourth floor, third floor, second floor! As if to repay its former obedience, the elevator jumped up and splashed water, a wet dance, its steps up, down, left, and right, exceptionally chaotic. The ever-decreasing number of floors was like a countdown to a fantastical time. The closer it got to the end, the more it longed to bloom, to sway its melancholy into joyful notes..."

Ding Dong!

The woman in white stared at the elevator stopped in the building, her gaze seemingly gazing into a story, her lips uttering the elevator's arrival notification sound: "Ding-dong! The notification sound is exceptionally beautiful, like the school bell of my youth, releasing the pent-up heat. The elevator and life return to their former quiet, leaving only a lingering, nostalgic aftertaste. The woman, immersed in happiness, leaned against the elevator, her body trembling slightly as she exhaled, filling the narrow elevator with happiness, and then reluctantly inhaling it back into her body."

"The elevator doors open."

Feng Bin and Hua stood in the elevator, staring at each other. Her cheeks twitched violently, her hands clenching into fists and claws, showing her unusual unease. There was a strange feeling that the elevator was dirty and she felt awkward standing in it. A blush, whether from embarrassment or anger, rose on her fair face. She roared through gritted teeth from the elevator door, which was not yet fully open: "I'll teach you to be a pervert!"

"and many more……"

"Nisunai——!!"

Kazuka Toyohama leaped out of the elevator with a flying kick.

"This is artistic embellishment! Art!"

"Pervert! Pervert! Baka!"

"I said..." the man hesitated, listening to the girl's voice coming from the other end, "You're not acting this out live, are you? Have you finally gone down the path of actual perversion?"

"Of course not! I was just using the ideas of a light novel to create some erotic scenes!"

From a purely rational perspective, this is a significant amount even within the realm of light novels.

"Just tell me if it's against the rules or not—damn it! Calm down! You didn't do anything weird in the elevator, so why did you kick me?"

"No reason needed!"

"Well, in terms of concept and writing style... or perhaps sexual awareness, Teacher Wuxin has improved a lot." The man asked in a normal tone, "So, what about the sequel?"

Bai Ying dodged the kick with a quick movement, circled behind Feng Bin and Hua, and with a twist of her buttocks, slammed them against the door. It was like pressing down on the center of a turtle's shell, instantly restoring her limbs to mobility, but that was all.

"I was returning home from a business trip, waiting for the elevator, and as I waited, I started thinking about things at home..."

"My daughter has entered adolescence and started to become disobedient, and my wife has an ordinary relationship with me. Thinking about these things, I feel indifferent and have no strong emotions. Perhaps I am even a little tired and weary."

"Why isn't the elevator here yet? I glanced at the elevator, which stopped right after going down one floor. The numbers on the meter kept ticking, and it stopped again after going down one floor—probably some naughty kid who treated the elevator like a toy and pressed all the floor buttons randomly."

“I don’t want to waste my energy climbing the stairs to block the elevator. Waiting a little longer won’t hurt. Speaking of which, my wife used to be a beautiful and lovely young woman. Now, I can no longer hear her lively, bird-like voice. All I hear is her incessant chatter. She will make breakfast and, while eating, she will constantly ask, probe, and urge our daughter to study. Gradually, our daughter will start to talk back in a bad tone, and that’s when she will turn her sharp tongue towards me.”

"The elevator was unusually slow and noisy today—I sold my life to life for a pittance, without the wealth to maintain a relationship, but there's nothing I can do about it. After all, it's not people living life, but life living life for people."

"I snapped out of my daze and looked at the elevator, which had fallen silent after the ding-dong."

"The elevator doors open."

[Two perspectives, different reading experiences...] The man commented, his tone suddenly turning frantic, [I thought you had given up the theory of tragic writing, and even if you went down the path of skirting the line, it would be a pioneering effort in the light novel field—I never expected you to be creating readers with explicit content!]

Beep beep, the phone call has ended.

Bai Ying asked, puzzled, "Stickman, is this considered a tragedy?"

"Uh... I guess so?" Feng Bin and Hua were momentarily stunned, then asked subtly, "If this isn't a tragedy, then what is?"

Bai Ying gave a simple example: "The next day, life went on as usual."

Feng Bin and Hua choked, imagining the scene in their minds and then thinking about their own situation, they felt a subtle sense of empathy. They immediately glared and struggled, shouting, "You pervert! Get out of my way, I'm going to kick you!"

Feng Bin and Hua, who were squeezed against the door, braced themselves against it with both hands, but Bai Ying shifted her hips and pushed her back down.

Feng Bin and Hua glared angrily, trying to sit up with a loud cry: "If you're so capable, then don't use that kind of stand-in!"

The white figure scoffed, "A mere stick figure has no need for the Assassin Queen."

angry!

Feng Bin and Hua took a deep breath and tried to push the door open with both hands.

pat.

The door was slowly but irresistibly pushed open slightly, revealing half a face through the crack.

Yukino Yukinoshita asked softly, "What are you doing on someone else's door?"

"Hero, you seem to be losing your composure..."

The white figure took a few steps back solemnly.

"Xinei!"

The moment Feng Bin and Hua escaped, they turned around and kicked each other.

boom--!

"Ouch——!"

"hiss--!!"

……

……

"It's that weird light novel of yours again... White Fungus, if this keeps up, you'll become a species that only proliferates in prisons, won't you? Let me see where Chiba's prison is located, I can bring you some nutrient solution then."

The light blue skirt just covers the knees, the white long sleeves lightly cover the upper body, and the buttons at the neckline are neatly fastened, making it slightly cool and beautiful, just right for the upcoming autumn weather.

Yukino Yukinoshita coldly retorted, having agonized over what to wear for so long, only to find out this guy was not only acting crazy outside, but also...

"You know me."

Bai Ying proudly declared, "My wardrobe is just a copy and paste folder."

"Ha..." Yukino Yukinoshita let out a disgusted sigh, glancing at the extra person. "Where's Toyohama? You're probably here to see Sakurajima, right?"

"My sister is busy on set."

Toyohama and Hana glared angrily at the white figure, seemingly plotting their next move: "Weren't you guys planning to go to Shimokitazawa in Tokyo? I'm free anyway, so I'll come along—you bastards, aren't you even planning to buy some clothes?"