Uneasy daily life

"Hmm, in that case, we'll have to add you to the painting." Xi muttered to herself, seemingly struck by inspiration. "The couple in front, with someone watching from the side, this composition feels a bit evocative... I feel like it would be even more evocative if it were a kiss? As the two bodies come together during the kiss, the gap revealing the third person gets smaller and smaller until it disappears..."

What kind of unorthodox composition is this?!

Just as Angelina was about to complain, she suddenly noticed that by the station, Yukinoshita Haruno suddenly grabbed the white figure and shamelessly... no, she should be said to bravely lean into the white figure's face! The white figure instantly raised her hand and grabbed Yukinoshita Haruno's cheek, looking like she was resisting to the death.

"?"

what's the situation?

Angelina stared blankly at the unfolding events—oh my god, no wonder her superior is so inhuman, she actually chose to open her mouth wide as if to bite! That way, the other party definitely can't... Holy crap! What is Yukino Yukinoshita doing? She actually chose to stick out her tongue, trying to suppress the white shadow's resistance and move forward?!

Is this... is this the Scarlet Troupe's reserve force? They're not superpowered, but they already have the demeanor of superpowered beings!

In just a few dozen seconds of struggle, Yukinoshita Haruno still dared not admit defeat. Her cheeks were marked with finger marks and were bright red, but she had a rather happy and playful expression on her face. The white figure stood ten steps away, seemingly pointing and gesturing indignantly.

When Yukino raised her hand to fan herself and pretended not to hear, she glanced over here by chance, paused for a moment, and then walked over at an extremely fast speed.

Alas!

Angelina was startled. Had she been discovered?!

What is she trying to do? Declare her dominance? Show that she was here first? Initiate a battle between reserves and regulars to decide who will be the rising star of the Scarlet Troupe? Ugh! What am I even thinking…

"Hey! Angelina's a psychic, right?" Yukinoshita asked with a bright smile. "Could you please keep that jerk under control?"

"Huh?" Angelina was bewildered and asked instinctively, "And then what?"

"Then it's time for children, please close your eyes."

"I'm sorry, but I can't! Superpowers aren't for doing those weird things!"

Angelina blushed and launched into a tirade, but the other person ignored her, simply skipping away with their hands behind their back, seemingly in a very good mood...

It's completely incomprehensible what she's thinking.

Ah, I see! You are the talent the Scarlet Troupe needs. It's better to leave important tasks like promotion to this junior!

Angelina was bewildered by the wind. She raised her hand and slapped her cheeks hard before walking toward the station with a tense expression.

The white figure was squatting on the ground, elbows supporting his knees, looking like a squatting thinker.

"Hey, what are you thinking about, sir?"

"Too long to read..." The white figure sighed deeply, "Should I have given up resisting just now?"

Dead fish eyes turned into eyes of contempt.

"The idea that you should always take advantage of any opportunity is a sign of a scumbag's mentality, like something falling from a height."

Angelina said with disdain.

"No, I suspect that after 9528's impulsive failure in those few seconds, she seemed to have started to waver. If I were to be more assertive and turn the tables..." Bai Ying gestured with her hands back and forth, as if she were strategizing on a sand table, "I would turn defense into offense and make her flee in disarray!"

"Huh?" Angelina's eyes widened. "What if it really happens?"

"Yup!"

Bai Ying slapped her thigh: "What if it comes true!"

"?" Angelina scoffed. "So what if it comes true? What's the commander afraid of?"

"I'm not quite sure." Bai Ying scratched his head. "Too long to read. Do you think I'm not impulsive enough?"

Not impulsive enough?

You're a commentator at sports festivals, a tutor at cultural festivals, you're keen on demolishing other people's homes, and you point fingers without restraint. What else could you possibly do that isn't impulsive enough? Want to kill a child for fun?

Ok?

Angelina pondered this for a moment with suspicion.

"Uh... does the commander always act impulsively after a long period of planning?"

"...You are truly a talent for contradictory literature."

Chapter Forty: Self-Discipline

It was awkward yet not really awkward, strange yet not really strange, creating a particularly subtle atmosphere.

Angelina sat on the tram and glanced at the somber-looking white figure next to her.

Hesitant to speak.jpg

Forget it.

Angelina looked away.

I couldn't help but glance at it again.

After repeating this several times, Angelina pretended to be a little itchy and casually reached out to scratch her head, while a series of screams of surprise erupted in her mind—What's going on! Why is she being so hesitant, acting like she cares so much but doesn't want to ask?

She's just like the female lead in a teen romance drama, with all this weird, coy, and hesitant acting!

And her boyfriend is a total jerk!

That's right! Remember this! Beware of scumbags, slander scumbags, and stay away from scumbags!

Ugh—I'm still really curious, what exactly was Yukino Yukinoshita doing before? Objectively speaking, it was just a girl trying to force a boy into an intimate relationship, but subjectively, I have a feeling that the superior officer must have done something...

As Angelina's mind wandered, she glanced to the side and met the gaze of the white figure, causing her wandering thoughts to pause for a moment.

"what are you thinking about?"

"Does Yukinoshita Haruno have bad breath...?"

Angelina subconsciously muttered to herself, and the conversation that had suddenly begun abruptly ended.

Bai Ying watched her silently, a deep sense of relief welling up inside her, and she let out a soft sigh of joy and emotion at her growth.

“…” Angelina quickly retorted, “This is just normal and logical reasoning! First, I ruled out the possibility that Yukinoshita Haruno did something wrong, then I confirmed that the mastermind was the superior, and then I reasoned about the possible reasons that might have caused that situation… In short! It must be that the superior jokingly said that Yukinoshita Haruno had bad breath, which successfully made her angry, and then that situation happened—right?!”

"Very good, 9527, you're no longer that naive newbie." Bai Ying said with satisfaction. "I will report this good news to the commander, and I'm sure your formal application will be approved soon."

"No, no, no, I'll just stay as a temporary worker."

Angelina immediately declined, saying, "Compared to Yukinoshita... compared to 9528, 9527 is indeed an older model. She doesn't have 9528's expressiveness, explosive lines, or superb acting skills at all. Shouldn't the commander give 9528 recognition and recommend her to become a full member of the Crimson Troupe?"

She spared no praise, going to great lengths to compliment Yukinoshita Haruno, not for any other reason than the simple logic of birds of a feather flock together.

This is exactly the kind of talent the Scarlet Theatre Company needs!

"Is it possible that the Scarlet Troupe is a legitimate superpower organization?" White Shadow asked, spreading his hands. "9527, are you misunderstanding the nature of this organization?"

“Huh? Really?” Angelina said nonchalantly. “Wow, we’re actually a superpowered organization, that’s surprising.”

“After all, the mental state of superpowered individuals often aligns better with the troupe’s selection criteria—9528 is still a bit lacking. His speech and actions are too contrived and lack a natural feel.” Bai Ying shook her head regretfully, then praised, “You still have more room for growth.”

Angelina shook her head decisively: "I don't think so."

"9528 is trying to be tough, probably out of 'doing something outrageous to prove that it's an emotional impulse'?" Bai Ying said, stroking her chin. "Simply put, she thinks I'm not impulsive enough, so she's trying to skip some steps... You're more dramatic than me, coming up with the reasoning that I said she was provoked by bad breath."

"?"

Angelina was a little confused: "Huh? She said the officer wasn't impulsive enough?"

“Yes,” Bai Ying said thoughtfully. “The impulse she wants… a kind of impulse that has no time to think, no standards to be used to judge it, and that throws aside all considerations about the future and the impact on the current relationship, and is a feeling and action that comes from the heart—that’s probably what she means.”

"Oh……"

Angelina seemed to understand but not quite: "It means to make the commander lose his mind?"

“No, that’s not it. How could someone without a brain have the impulse she wants… It’s a really troublesome problem.” Bai Ying gave an example, “To use you as an analogy, it’s about prioritizing the feeling of ‘I just like it’ over all the concerns about ‘I don’t want scumbags’ in your mind?”

"Oh--"

Angelina drawled, "It's like locking a white shadow in a cage, isn't it?"

"Have you been reading too many weird and wonderful light novel plots?"

"Is there anything strange?"

Angelina crossed her arms and said, "I think it's perfectly normal."

"Rebellious! You've grown wings and are actually trying to threaten your superiors with force!" Bai Ying leaned back involuntarily. "9527, you really are a traitor! Your loyalty is seriously questionable!"

"Given Bai Ying's style, I think it's already very loyal of her to consider you her superior."

Angelina habitually grumbled, then drifted off into thought about the current situation.

Sigh—why did this happen? Why did I fall for Bai Ying?

If I had to give reasons, I could actually find quite a few. For example, during that period of fear as a superpowered person, I happened to meet another superpowered person, Bai Ying. For example, if you look closely, Bai Ying does have some human-like features. For example, whenever we were together, all sorts of things would happen. Regardless of how things turned out in the end, it all left a deep impression on me...

There are a whole host of reasons why he shouldn't be like this: first, he's a scumbag; then, he's a scumbag; next, he's a scumbag; and finally, he's a scumbag... plus this dismissive attitude of being so nonchalant after making things clear! Ugh! I've tossed him around like a yo-yo for ages, and he hasn't even come up with a solution!

What?! Do you like me to tell you what to do next? And what about you?

Hmph, I won't say anything, I'll just keep putting it off.

Besides, if you don't even understand your own thoughts, what can you possibly say?

Oh well, the earthquake finally stopped... Could it be that I had some unconscious thoughts before, but I suppressed them because of my superior's philandering and having several girlfriends, which is why I triggered the earthquake while I was sleeping?

Is it a romantic relationship that you're unaware of?

Thinking about it carefully... We were often together (although most of the time the superior was assigning plans and I was being drafted), we experienced many dramatic stories (although most of the time we were filled with grief and indignation), and our relationship was very special (referring to the neurotic superior and the normal subordinate)... Maybe, at some point without realizing it, I started to care about my superior?

Everything was peaceful and stable until someone started it and broke the original relationship—oh, it must have been Yukino Yukinoshita.

Angelina followed the white figure off the tram. Looking at the tram station, her random thoughts suddenly stopped.

Huh? What am I doing in Tokyo following Bai Ying? Shouldn't we have gone straight home to relax and enjoy our vacation after the earthquake problem was solved?!

Gulp! Without thinking at all, I just subconsciously followed the white shadow's itinerary, chatting and complaining about strange things along the way, and that's how I ended up in Tokyo... Ugh! What kind of idiot am I?!

Angelina followed behind the white figure, bewildered and frantically questioning her own intelligence.

Why would I do something so stupid!

Well, since we're already here, let's just consider it as taking Miss Xi home.

……

……

It was as if a sun had fallen, radiating endless light and heat, making the room temperature unbearably hot. Beads of sweat appeared on the skin, only to be instantly dried by the scorching heat. The next second, it seemed as if the pores were about to be forced to produce oil by the high temperature. You could crack an egg on it and start frying it.

Bai Ying slammed the hotel room door shut. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, took two steps to the side, and politely bowed and gestured, "Miss Anxinyuan, please come this way."

"Thank you—do you think I'm stupid?!"

Angelina looked around in alarm and shouted into the room, "What's going on? Miss Nian, what are you doing? The hotel is on fire!"

"Haha, sorry, sorry. I was supposed to be forging it within Xi's painting, but I got a little improvisational and the painting was burned to ashes. There's nothing I can do about it..."

Loud laughter echoed from the room.

You bastard!

A scroll suddenly flew out of Angelina's bag, accompanied by Xi's somber voice. The paper detached from the scroll and slipped through the crack in the door: "Are you a six-year-old who's curious about everything? I told you not to come into my room, and not to touch my things!"

"Oh dear, life is full of unexpected situations, you never know. I'll just buy you a pen later..."

[Compensate? How are you going to compensate me for my good mood? You deserve to be locked in a water dungeon and reflect on your actions!]

From time to time, frightening noises emanated from the room, sometimes a monster's low growl that made the air tremble, sometimes the clanging sound of metal striking metal.

Angelina swallowed hard and quickly whispered, "Sir, what should we do now?"

"Easy to handle."

Bai Ying cleared his throat and shouted, "Drawing expert! Why don't you draw a strawberry hotpot for that terrible movie director!"

The room suddenly became quiet.

A few seconds later, Nian's frantic wail rang out: "Wait! Strawberries are red too, but they can't float on hot pot broth! What are you doing? You actually threw brown sugar cake into the hot pot? Stop right now, and I might forgive you, you insensible little sister—stop! Watermelon is out of the question!"

Wow……

Angelina was stunned: "No, as expected of Miss Xi, the painter's imagination is truly amazing, wouldn't you say so, sir?"

Huh? Why isn't there an echo?

She turned her head, and the white-clad figure, his face contorted with rage, reached out and ripped open the door. Then his eyes widened in shock and horror.

"How could you pour cola and coffee into a hot pot? A latte, no less—!!"