Uneasy daily life

"Fleeting light is a rootless thing; it comes and goes when it shines into joys and sorrows."

"Hmm~ Hmm~"

"The 'should' and 'should' are filled with the cyclical past."

"I don't know when it started, but catching a cold feels so common now."

"Sometimes I pray that death will take away my sorrow."

"But I'm still singing, for this false time."

"Tomorrow will be dawn again, and yesterday was just like any other day."

"I want to boldly express my love..."

"Alas--!"

Yukinoshita Haruno shivered, clicked her tongue, and decisively threw down her pen, leaving the writing to that jerk.

The lyrics for this song haven't even been written yet, but they're enough to kill you off before you even finish writing them!

All that sweet, romantic stuff isn't really suitable for college students; it's much better suited for naive high school students!

Yukino picked up the guitar next to her again, strumming the strings absentmindedly, and humming a tune softly with her eyes closed.

The melody begins peacefully and gradually becomes more subdued, like a stream slowly turning back into a river, gradually speeding up along the diagonal angle, crashing against the rocks again and again, creating broken waves. If water is born to flow downhill, is it also bound by rocks and mud to determine its direction?

The river crashes against the stones, shattering them into pieces. Two lives reflect each other. The so-called lack of freedom is probably not even being able to feel that one is not free.

Rocks and soil guide the river's direction—only by following this path can one reach the ocean.

Rushing forth, it shatters into pieces; slowly seeps into the mud and sand; meandering around the mountains; and silently disappears into the wilderness.

Not every river reaches the ocean.

The sunlight will evaporate the rivers from the earth, causing them to rise slowly, gather into a sea of ​​clouds, and freely fall upon other lands...

"Hmm...it still feels a bit off."

Yukinoshita opened her eyes, smiled, and continued strumming her guitar. She thought that when she had time, she would play with the rascal and maybe get some inspiration.

"Oh dear, it might not be a good thing that Yukino-chan lives nearby. I hope she doesn't let it cloud her judgment..."

……

Yukino Yukinoshita has a perfect cat.

To be a perfect cat, you need two colors, one black and one white. The two colors must have a strict distribution and an even, beautiful interplay – black around the eyes, white on the neck, black ears, black back and forelegs, white belly, black hind legs, and white tail.

That's right, the most perfect cat is one that looks like a panda.

Although I don't know where it came from, it is undoubtedly my favorite. When I hold this cat in my hands, I can't help but feel a surge of joy.

Hmm... let's name this cat White Shadow!

Yukino Yukinoshita happily rubbed her face against the cat, and the cat seemed to like her affectionate gesture, sticking out its tongue to lick the tip of its nose.

"No, it's a little itchy..."

Yukino Yukinoshita smiled and wrinkled her nose.

The cat continued to lick with its tongue.

"No licking allowed!"

Still licking!

"If you lick me again, I'll get angry and I'll rub you all over my face."

Lick lick lick...

"You naughty little kitten, I'm going to take you for a bath..."

Yukino felt an unbearable itch in her nose and angrily uttered a threatening remark.

"Want to take a shower? Let's take one together!"

The cat suddenly turned into a white shadow, and Yukino Yukinoshita stumbled and fell, looking up at the white shadow, her face flushed red: "You..."

Just as she was stammering and feeling ashamed and angry, trying to push the other person away, Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly felt a heat on the tip of her nose as the other person stuck out their tongue and licked her.

Yukino Yukinoshita felt she had a lot to say, but for a moment she couldn't say anything. She could only look away with a hazy, dreamy gaze, avoiding the other person's gaze.

Next... is it... difficult...?

My nose was licked again.

"Ugh... Don't bully me..."

Yukino Yukinoshita bit her lip and mumbled something, then turned her head away. Her nose was itchy, and she suddenly felt like sneezing—but how could she sneeze at a time like this? She subconsciously tried to hold it in, keeping the sneeze at 99%, unable to muster the last breath.

Yukino Yukinoshita shuddered involuntarily as she swallowed the sneeze that was stuck in her throat.

She opened her eyes, her gaze blank as she looked up, meeting the chin of the white figure. The sound of a program could be faintly heard from the television.

[Out of personal and international friendship, I can't comment on director Nian's films. Although they all feature several of the same actors, the performances are vastly different. I suppose I don't need to elaborate on the reasons for this disparity...]

A director is popping champagne.

Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but twitch her nose, feeling a ticklish sensation. She lowered her eyes slightly and saw a white figure holding a strand of hair in one hand, poking her nose with the tip of the hair.

It was a dream... After thinking about those things in the afternoon, I ran to find Bai Jun. When I felt safe in his arms, I became sleepy and fell asleep.

Her thoughts slowly returned from the sluggishness of waking up. She squinted and saw that she hadn't noticed that she was awake yet. She was watching the white shadows that the director was making up on the show. Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but feel annoyed - who wouldn't play childish tricks at a time like this?

She spotted Bai Ying's movements, then suddenly leaned forward, opened her mouth, and bit Bai Ying's finger.

"Ok?"

Bai Ying looked down at her, puzzled, and asked, "I'm using your own strength against you... What are you playing at? Are you being fished out?"

"..."

Yukino Yukinoshita released her mouth and sat up calmly: "I was just a little sleepy just now."

"Oh." Bai Ying nodded, then glanced at the time. "Isn't it time for dinner?"

Do I need to let you out to eat grass roots?

Yukino Yukinoshita subconsciously reached out to touch her slightly itchy nose, about to retort, when she suddenly touched a damp spot...

"...I bought the ingredients for dinner. Come over and let's cook dinner together and eat together."

Yukino Yukinoshita changed her mind without saying a word, got up and walked towards the door.

The white figure immediately followed up: "Brave warrior, have you ever considered challenging your physical limits?"

"No, there was no subjective intention, no objective conditions, nothing at all."

"After seeing my past, you still can't like spicy food?"

"You don't actually like it; you just need extra spice and oil to give yourself a real thrill... Anyway, you'll never be able to eat that kind of dish where the seasoning is burnt."

Heavy-seasoned takeout, fried fast food—eating when hungry and ignoring it when full—this seemingly repetitive life is actually interspersed with a chaotic rhythm…

Yukino Yukinoshita recalled the other person's attitude towards life in their previous life and found it utterly intolerable.

Dinner was simple and palatable, mainly savory, with fish, eggs, chicken, and vegetables. The pan-fried fish wasn't too oily, and occasionally you could chew on a grain of salt that melted in your mouth, instantly making the bland fish more flavorful; the eggs were made into an egg crepe rolled with some lettuce, which was crisp and delicious; the chicken soup was a little undercooked, but it was warm and comforting once it entered your stomach.

After finishing her dinner, Bai Ying casually asked, "I'll wash the dishes. Why don't you go take a shower first?"

"I cook, you wash the dishes, it's only natural..."

Yukino Yukinoshita casually said, then suddenly paused—what do you mean I should go take a shower first?

Are you planning to go later? It's not like there aren't bathrooms over there...

A white figure happily skipped into the kitchen carrying a bowl, and soon the sound of running water could be heard.

Yukino Yukinoshita stood there, glancing at the kitchen every now and then, then at the bathroom... She must have misunderstood, no! It must be that Haku-kun, as usual, was deliberately saying things to unsettle her!

I usually brush my teeth before bed, or maybe I'll brush them while I'm taking a shower later.

Yukino Yukinoshita took a deep breath and slowly calmed herself down as she walked towards the bathroom.

My mood is a bit off today, not bad, but perhaps too good. I'm thinking about those unforgettable memories, comparing them to another set of memories in my mind. Even in a world where time could flow backward, we would still meet again, and those stories would play out again, just as they did in the world before time flowed backward…

This miracle made me feel a little too good.

Yukino Yukinoshita patted her forehead and went into the bathroom. While she was taking a shower, she suddenly heard the sound of the door closing outside.

Bai Jun, have you gone back?

After taking a shower and changing into her blue and white pajamas, she went to the kitchen and saw that the dishes and utensils had already been washed and put back in the dryer.

They really went back...

Yukino Yukinoshita pondered for a few seconds, then sighed. After preparing dinner for the two cats, she went into the bedroom and threw herself onto the bed.

The soft blanket enveloped her body. Yukino Yukinoshita lay on the bed for a few seconds, then silently wriggled and curled up to the inside of the blanket, letting out a long, muffled breath: "Ugh——————"

I'd been thinking about when to bring up the topic of living together with Bai Jun, but I never had the chance. I was just about to bring it up, but I couldn't bring myself to say it directly...

If I used to have some reservations about relationships with multiple people, now it's more about trying to control my emotions and not acting recklessly.

It's not that you can't do whatever you want. It's like... if someone who doesn't know what an apple is, and sees its bright red color, they'll need some courage and awareness to speak up, right?

Suddenly, a flood of thoughts overwhelmed my mind: Bai Jun's past life, believing in the miracle of reunion, and now that the miracle has come true...

It turns out that Bai Jun's ability to read people's hearts is not a superpower, but rather because he did not become dulled by other people's thoughts in his previous life; on the contrary, he became even more sensitive. In this life, he uses his life experience from his previous life to always be able to see similar feelings.

It turns out, Bai Jun truly doesn't understand love, can't see love, and has never had love... Perhaps he did, with a naive infatuation and concern during his student days, but that ultimately couldn't be called love. Although it seems he's liked quite a few people in this life, let's just say it's a refund from the gods, allowing him to receive more love in this lifetime.

It turns out that Bai Jun is the kind of person he is because he was that kind of person in the past.

Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't help but roll around on the bed a few times, her thoughts drifting aimlessly, tinged with memories, and soaking in a sticky feeling.

It's liking, not liking more than before, but liking what I used to like even more.

Bai Jun's dilemma is: what does it mean to like someone? Laying one's entire life bare before oneself, without a hint of shame or excessive self-awareness—is this typical of teenage boys? When they like or care about someone, they either remain silent or erupt in a frenzy of expression, overly self-conscious and completely disregarding how awkward or shy others might feel…

Although I wasn't embarrassed, I was still quite shy.

Yukino rolled around a few more times.

Oh no, such a wonderful and magical thing, and suddenly it just popped into my head, I can't control my impulse at all... But that's not right...

Yukino Yukinoshita rolled back.

"Well……"

Sometimes I want to complain about my troublesome personality. I always overthink things, whether it's good or bad, and I always end up arguing with myself. I really want to say something, but when it comes to my lips, I feel that words are too dull and weak. I can only hope that the people I care about can understand me...

Ah, thinking about it that way, Yukino Yukinoshita is such a troublesome girl.

Yukino Yukinoshita twisted and rolled around, her emotions and wavering decisions swaying.

She unconsciously rolled to the edge of the bed, her wandering gaze meeting the white shadow peeking out from under the bed.

Yukino Yukinoshita stood frozen by the bed, her slightly pouting expression gradually hardening.

The white figure silently shrank back under the bed... Damn, I underestimated the hero's emotional state today.

silence.

A silent atmosphere enveloped the bed and the area beneath it.

"Bai Jun—! Come out here!"

The girl's out-of-control roar exploded in the bedroom.

Chapter Two: The Shift in Offense and Defense

"you--"

"I!"

"What are you doing under my bed?!"

Yukino Yukinoshita managed to utter a question, seemingly realizing her attack wasn't strong enough, and followed up with, "Is it fun to get covered in dust?!"

"Don't worry about that..."

A white figure twisted out from under the bed like a snake, then turned over, revealing a clean back of clothing: "I already cleaned under the bed beforehand!"

"No, I mean..."