Uneasy daily life

Understanding others is a form of self-examination, a process of both gazing into the abyss and being gazed into by it.

To put it more vividly, understanding others is like creating a painting. When you're sketching, you can't help but notice how many wounds the other person has, how dirty their clothes are, and what you find ugly about their features. The finished painting will inevitably bear your personal mark, differ from the actual subject, and contain your own interpretations.

A gentle person will downplay the other person's flaws and try to make the portrait as close as possible to the ideal image they have of them.

If I were to draw a portrait of someone, whether it would look like them or not is another matter, but I certainly wouldn't draw their clothes.

Heh heh heh, let the brave plus remember this well! Understanding the kindness of others is utterly meaningless; it's merely a cold, presumptuous conjecture. Silence will never yield the truth, just like...

"Huh? You're really getting in the way. Is all you can do besides hand fetishism and spreading negative energy? Give me a standing strait and do a great roc spreading its wings!"

Bai Ying gave orders to the bruised and battered assassin queen, then took off her blood-stained clothes and slowly moved into the bathroom.

That mere 9528 dared to use Aikido to throw me!

I will remember this grudge!

Chapter 116 A Brand New Way to Confess

on Monday.

After washing up, Mai Sakurajima put on her Sobu High School uniform and looked in the mirror.

Her hair was neat and tidy, her face and eyes were clean, and her clothes were neat... Her appearance was fine.

Yesterday's filming went smoothly, except for the two screenwriters arguing with each other on set.

One person criticizes another's work as petty and full of negative energy, saying that even the best writing would smell bad if thrown into a latrine, which is a waste of talent and life. If you don't need inspiration, you can give it to him, but don't use it to make some filthy stuff!

One person criticizes another's work as being flashy, overly formal, and bound by rigid rules, conveying an unrealistic and false sense of beauty. They argue that this is simply a form of deception and fraud, and that one should not give the other work inspiration if they don't want it, lest their own creative work be polluted by clichéd ideas!

The director stands idly by, his face etched with the deep cunning of a schemer, seemingly detached from the world, but in reality, he's observing the power struggle from the sidelines. Occasionally, he'll utter comments like, "I think the one who works hard to create is right," "Why don't both sides write ten episodes of scripts so I can give them my full opinion?" "Whose storyline will be used in the next episode depends on your abilities," "I'm impartial; I'll help whoever wins, highlighting my love of victory," and "Screenwriter Bai, don't try to bribe me with snacks. What? I don't remember accepting any? Go find the evidence in the bathroom!"—these kinds of comments urge the audience to finish watching the episode.

A small film set, yet a turbulent world unfolds...

All I can say is that elementary school students are engaged in a terrifying battle of wits.

Mai Sakurajima picked up her schoolbag, opened the door, and took a step outside when her right eyelid twitched involuntarily.

Hmm? I have a bad feeling about this?

My gaze involuntarily drifted to the neighbor's; the day before yesterday, the hater was yelling that he'd give me a piece of his mind at school...

pat.

The door across the hall opened, and Yukino Yukinoshita, with her schoolbag slung over her shoulder, paused slightly before closing the door behind her: "Good morning, Sakurajima-senpai."

Good morning, Yukino.

Mai Sakurajima greeted him with a smile, subtly observing him. Generally speaking, Yukino shouldn't be associating with the anti-fan, right?

Yukino Yukinoshita walked straight to the elevator, pressed a button, and waited quietly. Mai Sakurajima walked over: "Aren't you waiting for Hater-kun?"

"Haku-kun said he's already gone to school to prepare for his midterms," ​​Yukino Yukinoshita said calmly. "With that stammering, 'I'm lying' attitude... does Sakurajima-senpai know what Haku-kun is planning?"

"It's hard to say, he just said some harsh words to me."

Mai Sakurajima shook her head and briefly revealed what had happened before: "Well... I said that Black Fan is a gentle person who can understand others, and he sounded like he was going to prove me wrong—Yukino, what do you think?"

"Gentle?" Yukino Yukinoshita was slightly surprised. "You mean someone who deliberately says things that make people angry, and then who would dare to approach and attack?"

"Really? It seems we have some different ideas."

Mai Sakurajima stroked her chin, seemingly lost in thought.

"Is this what Sakurajima-senpai's feelings are?" Yukino Yukinoshita shook her head. "I roughly understand what Sakurajima-senpai means, but understanding others is definitely not a kind thing..."

If I had to give an example, my mother and I would be the most obvious example. At first, when I understood the reasons behind my mother's strong actions, I felt sadness, anger, and resentment.

"That makes sense."

Mai Sakurajima stretched, the buttons on her black blazer pressing down on her waist and abdomen, revealing glimpses of the white lining underneath. The red ribbon, originally intended to fasten the collar and conceal while also being aesthetically pleasing, was instead slightly lifted up by her chest, like a red knot on a gift box.

She put her hands behind her back, tiptoed to stretch her body, glanced at the numbers flashing on the elevator dial, then turned her head and smiled, "Let's go, looks like we'll have to be careful of the haters today... Hmm? What's wrong with you?"

"Cough cough..."

Yukino Yukinoshita quickly turned her head and stepped into the elevator.

Hmm—when did Soubu High School's uniforms become like this? It's so incomplete...

Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but look down at her school uniform.

The clean and neat black coat is fitted but not too tight, and the red ribbon at the collar is tied into a bow, neatly and properly tied at the collar, which perfectly fits the stereotypical image of a model student.

Mai Sakurajima suddenly leaned closer, her expression playful: "Hmm? Could this be the difference between an older sister and a younger sister?"

"..."

Yukino Yukinoshita suppressed the urge to cover her chest with her hands and said coldly, "The diversity of human beings is a manifestation of diversity, so aesthetics are also diverse. A single standard of judgment is always a fallacy. Some people will cater to it, while others will oppose it. If you can't see this point and still get involved, you will only get trapped in endless, meaningless arguments..."

Mai Sakurajima blinked and just looked at her quietly, her smile carrying a subtle mix of pity, teasing, and mockery.

"#!"

Yukino Yukinoshita quietly took a breath.

Hmph, calm down, caring is the real loss!

Amidst the minor incident, the two chatted casually as they walked towards Soubu High School, when they suddenly spotted two familiar faces at a corner ahead.

"Hikigaya, Yuigahama?"

Yukino Yukinoshita was slightly taken aback: "What are you doing here?"

"..." Hachiman Hikigaya pushed his bicycle, glanced back at the two of them, and said in a calm tone, "Because the captain is on that side, I'm on this side."

"?"

Mai Sakurajima had a vague premonition and tiptoed to look around the corner.

A white figure stood at the school gate, wearing the uniform of Zongwu High School, but with a small white flower pinned to his chest and a bunch of... definitely not roses, small red flowers in his hand. He stood at the school gate early in the morning, his posture upright and his face serious, as if he were about to launch an invincible attack, with the remarkably calm gatekeeper standing beside him.

The two silently gazed at the distant road and pedestrians. If dusk were to fall at this moment, and they lit cigarettes, it would surely be a painting with a lingering artistic conception.

What kind of wedding and funeral arrangement is this?

"Sakurajima-senpai," Yukino Yukinoshita probed indirectly, "didn't you say that Haku-kun made some harsh remarks to you?"

Hachiman Hikigaya and Yui Yuigahama both looked at Mai Sakurajima—"Is it you who led the club president (Shiro) to block the door?!"

"Hmm, I'm curious to see what kind of tricks the haters will come up with."

Mai Sakurajima calmly took a step forward, then suddenly noticed a person with a cigarette in their mouth walking towards the school gate from another direction...

Shizuka-sensei?

Mai Sakurajima paused briefly, and the others peeked out from behind the wall, observing from the shadows.

"Great!" Yui Yuigahama clenched her fist excitedly. "Since Shizuka-sensei arrived early today, Shiro definitely won't have a chance to mess around!"

She is an optimist.

Hachiman Hikigaya analyzed the strength of both sides: "It's hard to say. If the teacher and the captain communicate, they might lose the opportunity to make a move. By then, it will be too late. In the end, the captain will definitely not give up until he achieves his goal. The teacher's safety does not mean our safety..."

He is a pessimist.

"Why are we even standing here watching?" Yukino Yukinoshita pondered. "No matter what Haku-kun does, we should just go over there. He can't just close the school gates and not let us in."

She is an activist.

Sakurajima Mai chuckled: "Isn't it nice to watch the show? I'm more curious about what kind of things this hater-kun can do..."

She is an indifferent person.

The three of them couldn't help but glance at Sakurajima Mai, and each of them felt an urge to urge her on.

Let's take a look at Hiratsuka Shizuka first.

"Hey kid, aren't you going back to the classroom to prepare for your midterms? Always thinking about random things, watch out..."

Hiratsuka Shizuka, a cigarette dangling from her lips, glared at the problem student—the student who caused problems for others.

"Teacher Jing! I like you!"

The white-clad figure confessed his love in a loud voice and then handed over the small red flower in his hand.

"understood."

Hiratsuka Shizuka rolled her eyes: "I'll call your parents later to talk to them..."

"Although I'm already 27, I smoke, drink, race cars, and get into fights. I'm a know-it-all and love to talk nonsense. I dress casually and have a lot of bad habits. I still have an unrealistic heart, yearning for the pure and reckless encounters of my 17-year-old self. I always spout some life philosophies of a 40 or 50-year-old! I love to meddle and I'm very talkative. My mind is always jumping back and forth between 'Is there something wrong with my life?' and 'There's nothing wrong with my life.' I question myself. In every way, I'm more like a man than a woman. There's a kind of beauty in me that makes me feel like an older brother..."

puff--!

It was as if I could see Hiratsuka Shizuka's back instantly riddled with arrows, blood flowing everywhere.

Several people's eyes twitched violently.

This...this is a fight to the death, isn't it?!

"Cough cough..."

Hiratsuka Shizuka staggered back a few steps, the cigarette in her mouth falling to the ground. She came to her senses, raised her toes and crushed the cigarette butt out. She clenched her fists, and her white coat fluttered without wind, a fierce aura emanating from it, a white shadow, as if a fierce physical exchange was about to take place in the next instant.

"You kid——"

"But I like you!"

The white figure was interrupted by a sincere earthquake sound.

boom!

Then he got punched on the head.

"Like my foot!" Hiratsuka Shizuka said irritably. "You think you can just take all that stuff with me with a single sentence? You think I'm that easy to talk to? Get back to the classroom and cram for your exam..."

You're obviously very easy to talk to.

A silent, unspoken agreement from around the corner.

Yui Yuigahama was startled. "Huh? Yumiko!" Wait a minute, Shiro rushed towards Yumiko...

Yumiko Miura was rubbing her eyes as she walked towards the school gate, looking somewhat tired from staying up all night. She was chatting casually with a friend and didn't pay much attention to the minor incident at the school gate.

"I like you!"

"what?"

Yumiko Miura turned her head and immediately rolled her eyes listlessly: "Get lost, I'm not interested in you..."

"Uh...you said it to me?" Hina Ebina, who was wearing large glasses, pointed to herself with considerable surprise.

Miura Yuko: "..."

"Give me a moment, thank you."

The white figure circled around Miura Yumiko, holding up a small red flower.

"Although you wear glasses to hide yourself, you always like to make some yaoi fangirl remarks to establish your persona, label yourself as a yaoi fangirl to help you fit in with the group, complain about your lack of courage to change, feel relaxed in the company of others, like the reassuring atmosphere that comes from conforming to others, and hate yourself for gradually becoming distorted and silent in order to conform to others—"

Hina Ebina instinctively took a step back.

"Hey! Are you acting crazy again today?!"

Yumiko Miura instantly blocked Hina Ebina's path, veins bulging on her forehead: "Don't bother others here..."

"I like you!"

Bai Ying's energy gradually increased, his voice suddenly became high-pitched and smooth, he flicked the little red flower, and his lines became more ornate.

"Tall buildings need foundations to support them, flowers need green leaves to set them off, a queen should play the role of a queen, and a servant should play the role of a servant! I promise you a safe haven by my side, and you offer me your unwavering support. Unattractive servant, you make me beautiful; beautiful servant, you make me even more beautiful—the proud flower of desire, embracing all the colors, calls itself spring, and commands the east wind."

"?" Miura Yumiko was confused about what this person was doing. "What are you talking about? If you can't speak, you can donate your tongue to someone who is useful."

"Sorry, I was just overwhelmed with inspiration."

Bai Ying obediently lowered her guard and said bluntly, "Although you make friends with girls and use them to enhance your own value, I like you..."

puff--!

Yumiko Miura, sank.

Before Miura Yumiko could be revived, Ebina Hina quickly pulled her up and slipped away towards the school gate.

"Ah, I was rejected after confessing my feelings, I didn't even get friend-zoned, it's so heartbreaking..."