Uneasy daily life

My brother has gone bad!

Chapter Ninety-Five: Pure Coincidence

[Both "Twelve Heroes" and "The Lights" will be released in three days. All are welcome to attend.]

Post a status update, discuss it with a few haters, and kill some boredom.

Bai Ying had been feeling quite irritable lately, as if he had neglected something. He took a short break to relax his mind and then typed on the screen to sort out the situation.

The little girl's condition has been roughly understood. Her problem is that she underestimates herself. After all, she is just a personality that was born from Azusagawa Kaede's escapism and accompanied by puberty syndrome. She has no past and can't see the future. When she was born, she faced rejection from doctors and parents. She is just a state of Azusagawa Kaede's illness. She is something that barely exists after Azusagawa Sakuta gave her a name and acknowledged her existence.

A memory, a realization, a thought that changes as a person grows and changes.

Even if the playwright insists on locking her in her little dark room, it won't be Azusagawa Kaede who's locked in, but rather a memory aliased as Azusagawa Kaede… A solution has been found and is beginning to take shape; compared to the previous disappearances, this time it's been postponed until summer vacation. The little girl is filled with anticipation and unconsciously wants to stay a little longer. Besides, tutoring at home is also a form of learning and growth, which is less effective than simply going out for a stroll, so naturally, she can delay it a bit.

Koga Tomoe maintained her self-deception. Even though Azusagawa, that scumbag, was completely incompetent, her easily manipulated nature remained consistent. As long as her emotions didn't build up to the point where a confrontation was necessary, she would continue to unconsciously rewind time. Judging from the past, she only felt that Azusagawa still didn't like her when they went to the beach together during summer vacation, and thus rewound time to the day she agreed to pretend to be his girlfriend… Did she then realize that her figure didn't attract Azusagawa either, causing her great distress? A young girl's heart is always sensitive and strange.

Fortune teller?

Bai Ying thought of the accomplice who had acted differently in the previous instances of time reversal—mainly reflected in dying in different places.

Dying in front of his own house, in front of Azusagawa's house, on a film set—it doesn't always backfire on him, but it always seems to drag people he knows down with him… It's a pseudo-random death, leaving behind a mess of unresolved issues. The fortune teller only appears in his field of vision as a corpse, and he can never find the living person in his life.

In short, it's suspicious, very suspicious, but it's normal for colleagues to be suspicious as well.

He thought for a moment, then pressed the send text message button on his phone.

[You charlatan, where do you plan to die this time?]

A moment later, a text message came back: "[Oh, you believed my prediction that I'd die at forty?]"

[I've seen your corpse many times, believe it or not?]

[Some strange things have indeed happened, haven't they? But it doesn't matter. Guided by fate, I will step onto the stage, fulfill the prophecy, and earn the title of the greatest diviner!]

Bai Ying couldn't figure out what this guy who was dying everywhere was up to. It seemed like he was doing something, but it also seemed like he wasn't doing anything at all.

So is there anything else that has been overlooked?

Makinohara Shoko?

Speaking of which, Makinohara Shoko has never appeared in the several time reversals, even though Azusagawa was particularly depressed because of the little girl's disappearance, which doesn't quite fit his deduction... The future Shoko and Koga Tomoe, who caused the time reversal, are both involved in time, could they be interfering with each other?

Is it her that I'm ignoring? The annoyance that Da Xiangzi brings me?

Bai Ying pondered, pinching her chin, when suddenly a flash of inspiration struck her.

……

……

Shoko Makinohara sat on the hospital bed, her small face pale. She turned her head to look at the sunlight outside the window and sighed softly with a calm expression.

"So fast...?"

The middle school student murmured softly.

"senior!"

"What's wrong? Koga, don't make such a loud noise in the hospital all of a sudden."

Two familiar voices came from outside the door, and Makinohara Shoko was startled. She carefully got off the hospital bed, stepped barefoot on the floor, and stealthily approached the door. The faint conversation outside became clearer.

"Senior..." Koga Tomoe's voice was somewhat dejected, "What if we still can't save Kaede this time?"

Sakuta Azusagawa said in a calm voice, "It's not your fault, so why do you look guilty? I've already prepared myself... no, I should say I've personally experienced that outcome several times. If it's unavoidable, I can only do my best to help Kaede fulfill her wish and send her off with a smile—Kaede doesn't want to be a reason for my sadness, so I will try my best."

Shoko Makinohara eavesdropped silently, her expression darkening. Sakuta's sister was in the same boat, facing an inescapable fate so soon.

"Senior, you're lying."

"No."

Azusagawa Sakuta denied it.

"If you really decide to accept this outcome, why are you being so distant with me..." Koga Tomoe's voice trembled with a hint of tears, "Is it so that time can be turned back, and we can try to save Kaede?"

"not like this."

"that is!"

Koga Tomoe raised her voice.

"Don't talk loudly in the hospital." Sakuta Azusagawa's tone remained calm and composed. "What I mean is—we're only in a fake relationship to begin with. If I don't maintain a distant relationship with you, should I maintain an even more estranged one?"

Koga Tomoe was taken aback: "Uh..."

Sakuta Azusagawa casually retorted, "You don't actually think I like you, but you're only keeping a cold attitude to save Kaede, do you?"

"senior!"

"I've already told you not to talk loudly in the hospital."

The area outside the door fell silent for a moment, with only the girl's increasingly heavy breathing sounding very angry.

Shoko Makinohara rubbed her temples with a sigh. Sakuta was being far too direct; those kinds of words can be very hurtful…

"So...can you accept it, Senpai?" Koga Tomoe's slightly nasal voice rang out. "So, I guess I've been rejected? Now, whether time can turn back is anyone's guess...Are you planning to give up on Kaede, Senpai?"

After a long silence, Sakuta Azusagawa said somewhat stiffly, "I'm prepared..."

"Won't you regret it? Won't you be in pain? Won't you be sad? Won't you feel guilty for not doing your best?" Koga Tomoe sniffed and said softly, "Senpai... there's still a chance to try harder for Kaede's matter, right?"

“It’s not that simple about Kaede…” Sakuta Azusagawa said, somewhat bewildered. “Besides me, probably no one cares whether Kaede is Kaede or not… Dad and Mom need Kaede to come back; Kaede is just an accident.”

"There must be a way. If time can be reversed, then there must be a way to save Feng. As long as we start over again and again and look for possibilities, I believe that miracles can happen."

Koga Tomoe said earnestly, "Senpai! Let's make a promise. If we save Kaede, we'll go from being fake lovers to real lovers! That way, if we fail, I'll unconsciously turn back time and try again!"

Sakuta Azusagawa: "Why did you hang me up?"

"Because... I can only confirm my feelings for my senior, but I can't explain what my feelings are for Kaede." Koga Tomoe said frankly, "I can't control my adolescent syndrome. I don't know if my sympathy and pity for Kaede can be the cause of time reversal... I guess I'm not a very gentle or empathetic person. Every time time reversal occurs, I'm just troubled and unwilling to accept my own situation."

"So, senior! Please make a promise with me!"

"No, this kind of thing..."

"Does Senior still like that Miss Xiangzi? Is my affection in no way comparable to hers?"

"This isn't a matter of comparison, this is..."

“This is a matter of feelings—but, senpai hasn’t seen Ms. Shoko for a long time, has he? What exactly are Ms. Shoko’s feelings for senpai? Do you really know? I heard you say that it was Ms. Shoko’s encouragement that made you acknowledge Kaede as your sister, so I can do it too! Koga Tomoe wants to do her best for senpai and rescue Kaede!”

"Wait, let me think..."

Two hurried footsteps came from outside the door, and the door shook with a loud bang, as if someone had slammed their hands on it.

"Senpai!" Koga Tomoe's voice rose and then fell back down, mixed with a stubborn humility, "I'm not very smart, you can keep lying to me... Just accept the promise and lie to me, Senpai."

Sakuta Azusagawa smiled wryly, "I never expected to be pinned against a wall by you... Koga, this isn't about lying, I..."

My head feels a little heavy as I stand behind a door.

Shoko Makinohara pursed her lips. Even though she had mentally prepared herself, she still felt extremely uncomfortable, with an indescribable sense of unease. But this was probably a better outcome, wasn't it? Sakuta shouldn't be held back by her, this ghost of the future... But it still hurts so much!

"senior……"

Koga Tomoe's voice grew softer, becoming indistinct like the mist in the mountains, as if a storm was about to break.

Hey—what do you want?!

Shoko Makinohara bit her lip, her calm heart rippled with turmoil.

Even though I'm prepared to compromise and let go, I don't want Sakuta to do anything foolish for me, and I also want to wish him happiness in the future...

But Sakuta should at least wait until after he passes away before he gets a girlfriend.

I also plan to have a serious date with Sakuta before the deadline!

Why has it suddenly become so quiet outside? What is that Tomoe Koga trying to do? Could it be...?

Shoko Makinohara felt a pang of unease and instinctively reached out to open the door a crack.

Hmm? I didn't feel anyone pressing against the door...

Shoko Makinohara peeked out and saw four legs. She instinctively looked up and met the gazes of Shiro and Sakuta Azusagawa. There was no one else in the corridor besides them.

Ah this...

“Shoko…” Sakuta Azusagawa asked leisurely, “Or should I call you Miss Shoko? I didn’t expect that the chaos caused by Koga would turn Miss Shoko and Shoko into one person.”

"I don't know the exact reason either. I guess I got caught up in this and can't go back to the future. I'm temporarily stuck in the present..." Makinohara Shoko asked strangely, "How was I exposed?"

Is there anything important about this?

The voice of Koga Tomoe emerged from the white figure: "Miss Shoko! I heard you were prepared to die, so why did you have to interrupt my good time with my senior! Was your preparedness all a lie? Damn it! I will not admit defeat!"

"Shiro, you should just admit defeat. I'm already Shoko's dog." Azusagawa Sakuta said in a serious tone, "Seeing Shoko moved and lose her composure for me makes me very happy. I'm so happy that I could die without regrets."

Shoko Makinohara: "...Ahem, you came to me just to confirm my identity?"

"I was just passing by and trying to steal your man," Bai Ying said casually. "The main reason is to invite you to the movies."

"I'd like to invite you to see a movie tomorrow since I'm going that way."

Sakuta Azusagawa said calmly, "Mainly, I really wanted to talk to Ms. Shoko... but..."

He looked at Makinohara Shoko, who was in her first year of junior high school, with a strange expression and a slight hesitation. He used to say that he was a lolicon, but now it seemed that Miss Shoko had really become a loli.

Shoko Makinohara sighed, about to speak.

"Oh, what's there to talk about?" Bai Ying nudged Azusagawa Sakuta with her hand. "What would you say if your dream girl didn't want you to give her her heart?"

Sakuta Azusagawa smiled: "At least we can hear each other's thoughts before one of our hearts stops beating."

Shoko Makinohara scratched her head and gave a gentle smile.

"Sakuta's become mischievous..."

After a brief chat and agreeing on a time, Makinohara Shoko watched Shirokage and Azusagawa Sakuta leave, her thoughts drifting... Sakuta thought about the same thing as her, and Kaede seemed to think about the same thing as her. How should she face this sad outcome, and how should she decide her own choice?

Feelings I wasn't even aware of were completely stirred up by Bai.

If he were to pass away, that would be one thing, but while I'm still alive, I clearly don't want Sakuta to develop intimate relationships with other girls, and I can't maintain a truly calm and peaceful attitude.

Instead of worrying about these things, we should think about how we want to spend our limited lives.

but……

Shoko Makinohara frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled, as if she had overlooked something.

……

……

Pedestrians come and go on the street in front of the movie theater.

Bai Ying, accompanied by Angelina; Azusagawa Sakuta, accompanied by Azusagawa Kaede; Makinohara Shoko, accompanied by Koga Tomoe; Sakurajima Mai, accompanied by Toyohama Kazuka; and Toshi and Okita Masashi—a group of ten—bought their tickets at the front desk and entered the cinema one by one.

He swung his fan smugly, wearing sunglasses, exuding the aura of a famous director.

She sat down in her seat, prepared her popcorn and cola, and watched the big screen in the movie theater with great interest.

"Hmph, today is the first day we fire the first shot in our overseas campaign, and that Xi girl just won't come no matter what. What an unlovable little sister who doesn't respect her older sister at all..."

"Yeah yeah."

The person next to him reached out, picked up a grain of popcorn, and put it in his mouth, making a crunching sound as he chewed: "I wonder how the younger sister makes fun of her older sister."

"That pretentious guy was just saying we're getting carried away..."

Nian casually replied, then suddenly froze, slowly turning her head to look to the side.

A woman dressed in a blue and white robe leaned back in her chair. Her eyes gleamed slightly in the dim light, and her beautiful face had a hazy, languid expression. She propped her chin up with one hand, her long, azure hair falling down her cheek, and reached for a piece of popcorn, casually tossing it into her mouth.

Despite her peculiar temperament and appearance, the people around her seemed to ignore her as if they couldn't see her.

"Ninth Sister, why are you looking at me? Are you watching a movie?"

"Ahem... Sister, this is based on real life and is an artistic creation. Any resemblance to actual events is purely coincidental."

Chapter Ninety-Six: The Twelve Heroes

In ancient times, there was a beast that controlled all things in heaven and earth. When it breathed out, it became wind; when it inhaled, it became rain. When it opened its eyes, it brought daytime; when it closed its eyes, it brought nighttime.