Uneasy daily life

"Everyone, please don't relax too much. Remember to let us know immediately if anything unexpected happens..."

"Alright, alright, why do you always like to dampen people's spirits?"

"This is not a discouragement, but a reasonable risk prevention measure."

"Yes, yes, yes... Hmm? Who's coming upstairs?"

I climbed up the stairs to the second floor in no time.

Angelina wiped away sweat, panting.

Damn it! How come there are so many people having affairs with their superiors everywhere...?

Oh, the officer is a scumbag.

That makes things even more complicated!

I will avenge being deceived and rejected when I confess my love!

Angelina gritted her teeth indignantly, yet a sense of anticipation stirred within her.

hum!

Time is a strange thing; it can slow down when you're anxious, and then fly by in the blink of an eye when you're not paying attention to it.

Does the superpower of manipulating time even exist in the world?

I've heard that if gravity is strong enough, it can warp time?

I can't create a black hole!

According to the comics, the Commander's Killer Queen can turn back time?

Angelina put on her maid's uniform, her mind racing with thoughts.

"Students from Anxin College, let's work harder!"

Yes! Keep it up!

"?"

Chitanda Eru, dressed in a shrine maiden's outfit, looked at Angelina, who had her back to her, with a slightly puzzled expression.

I feel like Anxinyuan is acting a bit strange today?

"Yeah, yeah, good luck anyway!"

Angelina went backstage and found Houtarou Oreki chatting with Hachiman Hikigaya.

"You're playing a ronin?" Hachiman Hikigaya looked him over curiously. "This straw hat looks pretty old. Where's your sword?"

ε=(′ο｀*).

Boys probably have an innate love for wielding weapons, and Hachiman is no exception.

Houtarou Oreki said calmly, "Please do not disturb the backstage area if you are not a person with special permission."

"I just saw the minister's attire. He was wearing the same samurai outfit that Yukinoshita's sister wore yesterday, only with an oni mask added," Hachiman Hikigaya said quietly. "I touched it, and the armor is made of genuine metal. The minister even demonstrated his sword-drawing technique, splitting a wooden board in two with a single stroke, and saying things like, 'Which is harder, the greatest threat or a wooden board?'"

Oreki Houtaro: "..."

Hachiman Hikigaya patted him on the shoulder and tugged at his ronin outfit, which was made entirely of cloth: "Hmm, this probably has about 5 points of defense? It shouldn't be as easy to cut in two as a wooden plank."

Angelina couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

Don't worry, Oreki! I'll help you!

Dangdang Dangdang!

As the backstage curtain opened, a figure clad in armor, sword sheaths hanging upside down at his waist, strode in, exuding a powerful and imposing aura. His face was menacing, a sinister grin spreading across his chest. He looked at Oreki Houtarou and, with a hearty laugh, said, "Time's almost up! Are the actors ready? Give it your all today!"

"Uh-huh!"

Angelina nodded meekly and agreed, but a strange light flashed in her half-closed eyes.

"Hey! Is it almost our turn?"

Chitanda Eru walked in from the side, looking around anxiously.

"Please rest assured, Your Highness."

Bai Ying raised her hand to straighten Chitanda Eru's slightly crooked headband. The fierce and heroic spirit that had just been about to kill her instantly turned into the delicate gesture of reaching out to shield the flowers from the rain: "Third-rate actors are lifted up by the stage, second-rate actors coexist with the stage, and first-rate actors raise the stage to their feet!"

The evil spirits pulled back the curtain and charged onto the stage with powerful, resounding steps.

After the lights were turned off and the curtains were drawn, the gymnasium appeared quite dim. The few lights on the stage made the two performers appear even brighter, and the audience watched the song and dance performance quietly.

A musical performed by the sisters is nearing its end.

“My dear sister, have you received more, or have I received more? If you put your thoughts and feelings on the scales, your heart will begin to become unbalanced. What belongs to them will always be theirs, and what they give you will also be theirs—come on, raise your hands, the light and warmth you reach are the sun that belongs to you.”

Mai Sakurajima spoke gently, lifting the hem of her white skirt with her left hand and holding Kazuka Toyohama's hand with her right.

Feng Bin and Hua returned each other's gaze with shame, mimicking the other's actions, gently lifting the hem of her black skirt with her right hand, and trying to speak softly, "Dear sister..."

In a story depicting tender family affection, a demon suddenly appears on stage. Because there are no lights shining on it, the shadowy figures create an atmosphere of terror.

"If one is not arrogant and domineering, how can one become a hero who saves the suffering?"

"If not for the deepest emotions, who would willingly let out a loud wail?"

"If one is not notorious, others will despise and insult one."

"If it weren't for the vast differences in the world, love and hate would be one and the same."

A chilling, menacing voice suddenly pulled the stage away.

"A demon emerges from the mountain! Cruel and bloodthirsty, it hastens death! Insatiable greed gathers gold and silver, and lustful women fill its cup with wine!"

The demon drew his katana with a clang on the stage and pointed it at the sisters: "Hehehe! My two little beauties, come with me up the mountain for some fun!"

The two sisters froze. Suddenly, the older sister shielded her younger sister behind her, her voice filled with obedience but suppressing her grief and indignation: "I'm willing to go up the mountain with you, please spare my sister!"

Younger sister: "Older sister?!"

"No!" the demon sneered. "I want them all!"

The older sister was stunned, then her voice trembled as she desperately threatened, "Then I'll have no choice but to bite my tongue and kill myself..."

"You seem to have misunderstood something."

The demon said, "I mean you look plump, and your sister looks chewy."

After a moment of silence.

Sister: "You're the one with the chewy texture!"

"Run!"

The older sister, feigning grief and indignation, turned around, grabbed her terrified younger sister, and ran away.

"Where do you think you're going! Hahahaha—ga ga ga ga—hehehehe!"

The demon brandished its knife and gave chase, its wicked, ferocious laughter echoing in the depths of darkness.

"I have heard of this rumor and have come here to vanquish the evil spirits in the mountains."

The samurai, dressed as a wandering knight, slightly lifted his straw hat, handed his sword to the maid as a sign of respect, and then looked at the priestess in front of him.

The simple red and white shrine maiden's robes draped over her body, and beneath the swaying headdress with its pendants, her eyes were as calm as spring water, yet possessed an aura that was difficult to disturb. She spoke softly, "There are no evil spirits in the mountains. It's just something that the village parents say to scare their children. I'm sorry to trouble you, sir."

The samurai and the priestess stared at each other silently, as if a breeze was blowing, bringing with it a few somber howls.

"The formation emerges from the surrounding mountains on multiple sides. When the wind blows through the cliffs, the sounds of ghosts and spirits howling can be heard," the priestess said softly. "That's probably why there are rumors of evil spirits in the mountains."

"I see."

The samurai nodded, cupped his hands, and said, "I apologize for disturbing you. Since there are no evil spirits here, I cannot linger any longer..."

"If you are not in a hurry, sir, you may stay in the camp for a few days. Although this is a remote rural area and not as prosperous and magnificent as the capital, it has its own beauty."

The priestess softly pleaded with her to stay.

"I wander far and wide, where thousands of buildings shine brightly and fields are scattered with beauty."

The samurai shook his head, smiled, and turned to leave.

The priestess remained silent for a moment, then the maid beside her spoke up, "Miss, he shouldn't have noticed, right?"

"I don't know, but even the samurai have come..."

The priestess bit her lip slightly, then suddenly stood up and said, "Let's go, let's go into the mountains!"

The priestess and her maid packed their things and immediately headed into the mountains. The rugged mountain path was not easy to walk, and the two of them trudged along for quite some time before finally reaching the depths of the mountains.

Before the two could even take a breath, they suddenly heard a series of powerful footsteps.

A crimson demon, clad in armor and wielding a sword, slowly emerged from the darkness. He met the gaze of the priestess's maid and remained silent, but his subtly tense body exuded a dangerous aura.

"Father."

The priestess called out cautiously.

"Ah..." The demon's voice was very gentle, "Daughter, have many people come to Zhenchu ​​recently? Are people talking about Zhenchu? Has someone remembered this land and named it Zhenchu?"

“Yes, Father, recently many people have come to see what the demons that appear are like, making the village quite lively.” The priestess said, her eyes filled with doubt. “But is it really okay to do this?”

"It's alright. As long as we keep doing this, the village will return to what it used to be, and people will come and go again here..."

The demon's voice suddenly became resolute.

"Your stubbornness will ruin everything."

A voice suddenly broke into the conversation. A samurai stepped forward, his hand on the scabbard at his waist, his gaze beneath his straw hat exceptionally sharp.

The demon looked back, its eyes behind the mask faintly red, and its breathing became rough and heavy.

The maid exclaimed in surprise, "You've been following us?!"

"Sir Samurai! This isn't a demon, it's my father!" the priestess quickly explained. "He just wants Jinde to return to its former lively state..."

"Miss Shrine Maiden—where do you think evil spirits come from?"

The samurai raised his hand and removed his straw hat, his voice carrying a habitual helplessness: "You can ask him if he can still take off that demon mask."

The priestess turned around in a daze.

The demon didn't move, but simply looked up towards the village, where everything was shrouded in a hazy darkness. The old people had long since extinguished their candles and fallen asleep, with only a few faint flickering lights. He muttered, "Before, when you looked into the village from here, it was brightly lit. During festivals, every household would light up at night, like stars fallen from the sky. Children could ask adults for candy, adults would fan themselves to cool off, and vendors carrying their goods would hawk their wares along the streets..."

“That’s all in the past.” The samurai knew how to expose the demon’s mask. He coldly interrupted the other’s words. “Wishes may be beautiful, but if they are driven by obsession and coercion, they will become vain mistakes. No one can make the times stand still for them. Let it go! Even the shrine maiden is ready to go with me to a more prosperous place!”

"Ugh?"

The priestess was stunned.

The demon suddenly raised its hand and pressed down on the hilt of the knife, unleashing a terrifying aura.

The samurai tossed his straw hat aside.

Sonorous——!

With a flash of light, two straw hats flew into the sky, and the demon suddenly appeared in front of the samurai, letting out a sinister and sharp roar like that of a wild beast.

"Well done!"

The samurai drew his katana from his waist… or perhaps a dagger?!

Sonorous!

Barely managing to block the attack, the samurai staggered backward, looking down at the dagger in his hand, which was less than a foot long, and then at the three-foot-long blade in the samurai's hand, before staring at the priestess in disbelief.

The priestess looked at the maid.

The maid looked up at the sky.

"It's alright, even a short dagger is enough to slay the evil spirit!"

The samurai roared, "When the human heart is filled with delusion, it creates a demonic appearance! Why don't you wake up at once?!"

"So what if it becomes a ghost or something else?!"

The demon unleashed its full power, unleashing a series of slashes that knocked the samurai's dagger from his hand. It then used a whip kick to bring the samurai to the ground with a thud.

"what--!!"

The demon raised its blade, poised to strike, but the priestess charged forward and blocked the samurai's path, her face filled with sorrow and anxiety.

The evil spirit suddenly stopped moving.