Uneasy daily life

[Crow: You're right.]

What kind of situation is it to mix personal matters with work?

This is quite awkward, but it's okay since Mom wrote a letter. Anyway, put your feelings aside for now and focus on completing your work.

"Thank you." Mai Sakurajima maintained her smile. "The production team has gone to so much trouble..."

"Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday..."

Bai Ying clapped continuously, offering her congratulations in a gentle tone.

The constant congratulations around Mai Sakurajima were like a broken record filled with emotion. Listening to it once was okay, twice was just so-so, three or four times made my head spin, and five, six, seven, eight times gave me nightmares.

Using the table as cover for the camera...

Step on someone's foot.

The white figure stood still, clapping: "Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday..."

Mai Sakurajima recalled a strange, bizarre dream that sent chills down her spine.

You hater!

"Thank you, but I'm no longer moved."

Mai Sakurajima raised an eyebrow and said, reaching for a knife to cut the cake, steer the conversation from birthday to TV drama: "Speaking of which, it's a bit of a shame that Night Diner hasn't filmed a classic birthday cake yet."

Uesugi Taro: "This... "

“Of course, birthdays rarely have any special meaning.” Bai Ying took the cake and pointed, “On a day that can only be happy, if you are not happy, it becomes a sin. Therefore, birthdays, which in our understanding represent ‘happiness and joy,’ are actually the most suitable material for writing tragedies—if the old man uses them to write comedies, it would be vulgar on top of vulgar, unbearably vulgar.”

"Is it possible that since this is a joyous occasion, I don't need to add any extra details?" Uesugi Taro immediately retorted. "On the contrary, it's your insistence on adding a touch of sorrow to this joyous occasion that seems superfluous and shows you can't stand seeing others happy?"

Bai Ying retorted, "Most people who reminisce about how wonderful their youth is are people who have accomplished nothing."

Those who look down on suffering are probably arrogant!

"In the story, people are not selfish, things are not evil, hearts are connected, and minds are aligned—but when it comes to the human world, it's absurd."

"In this mortal world, there are pitfalls on the road, sand in the wind, no door in front, no home behind—sink into a peaceful dream, serene and serene."

"Good! The old man is quite formidable today! No wonder he's a science fiction author!"

"Science fiction?"

"Just tell me if it's real or not."

"What's the point of a story being fantastical or not? If you try to shackle it with reality, then all creation is just making trouble out of nothing!"

The two screenwriters continued their back-and-forth banter, their tongues still deftly provoking each other even while they ate cake, determined to fight to the bitter end on the level of art and aesthetics.

The director and two actors sat quietly to one side, eating cake, just like the audience.

[Moyu: I suggest renaming the program "Night Food: The Writers' Debate".]

[Little Ma Zi: Please give Mai-san more screen time!]

[Crow: Go, Uesugi-sama! Slay that bastard!]

After a while.

Mai Sakurajima began, "My two great screenwriters, it's almost time for the show."

"Hmm? Almost there?" Bai Ying waved happily. "Time to get off work!"

Toyohama Kazuka retorted, "Shouldn't we be saying 'goodbye' at a time like this?"

"Does saying goodbye make you feel happier when you can finally leave work?"

Bai Ying said confidently, "I think that compared to other words, saying 'I'm leaving get off work' is the real two-way blessing, something that makes everyone happy! If you don't believe me, just look at the comments; they're all agreeing!"

"How can this be……"

Uesugi Taro didn't believe it, but after coming over and seeing for himself, he had no choice but to believe it.

"It's not bad to say goodbye in a novel way either." Mai Sakurajima smiled and looked at the camera, saying, "Well then, thank you all for your birthday wishes. That concludes the interview for Night Diner—time's off!"

……

……

Mai Sakurajima approached naturally with a smile.

"Hahaha! How did it feel to have a group of people celebrate your birthday on a TV show? Were you so embarrassed that you could dig your toes out of your seat? Did you feel awkward and uncomfortable but had to pretend nothing was wrong? Did you feel so nervous that you couldn't even keep up a professional smile?"

"Hey hater, come here obediently."

"No, the one who should come is you—because the letter is false."

"?"

Oh dear, killing intent is coming! But even faster is another one—

"Hey! What kind of trap are you setting for me on the show?!"

“I’m helping you! Aren’t you happy to be on the show with your sister? Wouldn’t it be even happier if you could take it a step further and call her ‘sister’? And take it a step further—that would be to have fun interacting with your sister! Tell me, am I helping you? Am I helping you?”

"Climb, climb, crawl!"

"Wow! You might get fooled if you listen to me, but you won't be if you don't. You're actually quite clever!"

Fengbin and Hua chased the white shadow, weaving through the streets at night.

Mai Sakurajima was quite annoyed, but a text message suddenly appeared on her phone, preventing her from chasing after him.

[Mom: Mai, happy birthday.]

Mai Sakurajima paused for a moment, then raised her hand to dial a number, holding the phone to her ear: "Mom, did you watch today's program? Did you write that letter?"

"No." Sakurajima's mother chuckled. "Since you separate your work and personal matters, why would I send a letter to your program? My original plan was just to send you a text message or make a phone call, but it seems Shiro beat me to it."

"I was unexpectedly happy when I received the letter," Mai Sakurajima said with a helpless smile. "The hardest standard to follow is probably the standard we set for ourselves... I'd rather hear my mother say it again than read it to me via text message."

Happy birthday, Mai.

"Yes, I'm very happy today."

Sakurajima Mai hung up the phone, looked at the white figure walking her younger sister in front of her, and felt annoyed.

Feng Bin and Hua were panting heavily, somewhat motionless, trying to kill the white figure seven steps away with their eyes as it moved left and right.

"Hey hater, can you just say what you want to say in the future? Don't create these chaotic situations for everyone."

Mai Sakurajima walked up and slowly approached.

Bai Ying thought about it and agreed, nodding and saying, "Brave Plus, in the future, if there's anything, just say it directly. Don't keep it bottled up inside, okay?"

Mai Sakurajima slowly approached: "..."

"You want to be willful! You want to apply double standards! You want to exercise your girlfriend's rights!"

Bai Ying glanced at them, then immediately stopped, turning and walking forward, swaying left and right with his hands behind his back like a crab walking straight. He sighed with a melancholy air, "Emotions that are not spoken will turn into dust that settles on the heart. Over time, one loses sight of oneself, living in a daze, not knowing why, and from then on, one becomes like Ying Shanlin and San Binhe... As your boyfriend, it is my duty to help you be happy and regain your confidence. You are welcome."

Step on someone's foot.

"To treat paronychia, you offered a solution of amputation, and you expect me to thank you?"

"It's alright, I'm very generous..."

"Nisunai——!"

boom!

"You two idiots, stop your insolence! Don't you know that a thousand-mile dike can be breached by an ant hole? Rounding up and going through several cycles, I've cured two people with depression..."

Since things have come to this, let's retreat first.

What? They're angry? That's called a little temper.

True anger is mostly cold and gloomy.

The white figure ran swiftly and decisively through the dimly lit streets, heading towards the apartment building and disappearing into the night.

I can hardly feel the presence of hand fetish anymore.

Kira Yoshikage has slipped away from his own mind and into Killer Queen. If he continues to be suppressed and remain one with me, he'll only ever be able to cause occasional trouble, adding insignificant problems to assert his presence. Even if he struggles to the extreme, the result will only be mutual destruction, meaning he has absolutely no chance of winning.

I've developed a fondness for it.

I promised them I'd keep an eye on things, so I can't let the moon explode before they even arrive, can I?

We need to proactively reach a decision.

Bai Ying chuckled.

What opportunity is Yoshikage Kira waiting for? The only possibility is Bites the Dust, right? He's waiting for despair, whose despair? His? Mine? Ours? In the end, we're all people who were stuck in traffic in the same place after being reincarnated, so our hearts are somewhat connected.

He saw my past life, and I can use his substitute.

Could it be that he felt I was in despair when I died in my previous life?

Therefore, as long as I have even the slightest attachment to the people and things in this world, I am destined to have moments of despair.

Yes, the human heart is susceptible to demonic influences—investment breeds expectation, and when those expectations are not met, sadness, doubt, anger, fear, pain, rage, repression, and even despair arise…

Feelings don't disappear; they just transform into another kind of feeling.

The difficulty lies in the fact that everyone has a different formula in their mind.

However, Yoshikage Kira wouldn't understand.

Yoshikage Kira is focused on his desires; as long as those desires are satisfied, that's enough. He understands the law, how society works, and how to learn and work, but he doesn't understand people, because there's no need for him to.

He believed that if I invested my emotions, I would inevitably experience despair.

After reading about my past life, all I could see was this kind of thing, which shows how pure I really am—a pure and classic villain.

Although it's possible that they're deceiving me.

Bai Ying took a shower and changed into her winter clothes, which looked exactly like a copy of her own.

Looking at the wardrobe—this could be a plot point where Yukino criticizes her own fashion sense, then thinks about buying new clothes, shopping, going on dates, and having all sorts of wild fantasies.

Bai Ying wandered over to the refrigerator, pulled out a bottle of extra-strong black coffee, opened her laptop to refine her light novel, and sent the manuscript to her former editor who had already urged her to update more than a dozen times.

Beside the living room—a woman dressed in shawls might squat down, seemingly casually starting to promote her work as a screenwriter or actress, hoping to reconcile the disparity between life and work by working in the same place.

I opened a strong black coffee and took a sip. Bai Ying played a song and looked out at the night. If it were daytime, sunlight would stream in through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

A lounge chair on the balcony—you can squat on the sun, bask in the sun, play the guitar, and slowly talk—it can be the truth, it can be a lie, it can be a joke, or it can be a tease.

Not interested in watching TV, Bai Ying didn't touch the remote, but glanced at the sofa and the half-empty bottle of black coffee on the table.

Sofa TV—she could squat down and lie on her side with the remote control in hand. Her toes were a little itchy, so she rubbed them together. She casually picked up a half-empty bottle of black coffee, took a sip, and her face scrunched up like a bun.

Bai Ying sat quietly, her thoughts drifting away, a slight smile appearing on her lips.

Everyone suddenly came alive. Yukino walked from her room to the living room, complaining about her poor fashion sense. Mai temporarily stopped her sales pitch and joined the conversation about shopping for clothes. Haruno then started to egg them on, singing "Unattainable Love" on the guitar. They finalized their date plans, and Yukino patted Kazuka's leg, asking her to make some space. Kazuka pulled her legs back, feeling uncomfortable, and sat cross-legged on the sofa. Seeing this, Mai asked Kazuka about her job. Haruno excitedly said, "I'll take care of your little sister! If she sleeps with me, I'll give her a chance to be a backup dancer on stage..."

Perhaps he was secretly pleased?

The city outside the room is bustling with life.

The desperate chef mustered his courage to recount his past, confessing his love to his subordinate for the second time with a high success rate; the Queen launched a fierce offensive on the Prince, though she acted like a mother caring for her son; the Aunt was pondering her past life, contemplating whether to cause family turmoil over matters from the past decade or so; the eldest brother trained the Seven Immortals of Quanzhen, stubbornly resisting despite the setting sun several times; Too Long Never Thinks cautiously peeked at the weighing scale; within the Scarlet Troupe, arguments and events raged on endlessly, while the troupe leader silently observed everything from the depths of the room; across the sea in his hometown, his parents might have already had new children, waiting for their somewhat special child to return home…

Bai Ying closed her eyes, her drifting thoughts sinking into the gloom.

One by one, the people in the room disappear. Yukino will pursue her dream of a political career, ultimately realizing that this relationship was a mistake; Mai comforts herself from her obsession, casts aside her unease, and moves forward; Haruno finds her true self, plays a joyful melody for this love, and waves goodbye in confession; Kazuka overcomes the troubles and anxieties brought about by her impulsive feelings, and also overcomes feelings themselves, striding freely towards becoming her sister...

Perhaps you are feeling sad?

The chef, unwilling to leave prematurely, ultimately misses his chance with his subordinate; the subordinate becomes a corporate slave, clinging to Komachi's leg only to be kicked in the face; the Queen and the Prince are admitted to different universities, separated by distance and new social circles, gradually losing contact; while the aunt is still pondering, she suddenly hears the news of her father's death, and the question remains unanswered; the eldest brother gives away the Big Dipper, no longer needing them to watch over the house; the Scarlet Troupe remains noisy, batch after batch passing through the long years, only the troupe leader watching everything; Too Long to Read becomes a self-destructive fat man; the parents back home invest their emotions in life and their new children, not missing or even hoping that I won't appear and disturb their lives...

These joys and sorrows are everywhere.

Yoshikage Kira, you, with your desires alone, should be too lazy to watch.

If you want something, you'll stop at nothing to get it. Desire makes you ignore all risks until you're in a hopeless situation.

"The heart remains untainted by worldly dust, yet time may still erode it. Having sung of both joy and sorrow, true freedom lies within."

Wait until I despair?

I was born into this world, and now I'm just going through it again.

The white figure and the suddenly appearing assassin queen stared at each other silently.

Bai's Two-Finger Zen!