Uneasy daily life

“Brave Mini, I’m so happy to see how much you’ve grown,” Bai Ying said with satisfaction. “Of course, I still have a little doubt as to whether you’ve actually become braver.”

Tsurumi tilted her head in confusion, and said somewhat nervously, "Um... is there something wrong with me?"

"Let me test your courage!"

Bai Ying suddenly took out her phone and tapped the screen in Tsurumi Rumi's bewildered gaze.

First, let's define what a friend is!

Rumi Tsurumi was stunned.

I don't think that kind of casual, joking relationship counts as friendship. It's so easy to build and so easy to break up. Just because you're in the same class doesn't make you friends, and just because you don't consider someone a friend doesn't mean they aren't!

Tsurumi Rumi's toes began to mercilessly trample on the sole of her shoe.

[Because they want to get along well, they become so-called 'friends'; because they don't want to spend time together, they cease to be friends. In these relationships that are forged and destroyed in this way, their own thoughts are completely invisible; they are simply incapable of critical thinking.]

"Don't let it go!"

Tsurumi let out a mournful cry and leaped forward, trying to snatch the white shadow's phone.

Every line of dialogue felt like a boomerang, crashing heavily onto my shame; every line of dialogue felt like a pepper spray whip, slapping my face repeatedly.

Rumi Tsurumi waved her little hand haphazardly, her target not far away, yet it felt like it was separated by the ends of the earth.

"Hehehe! Foolish brave mini, it is indeed commendable to dare to face the future, but can you overcome your past self?"

The white figure pressed down on Tsurumi Rumi's head with one hand, firmly pinning her to the ground: "How dare you take advantage of the Juvenile Protection Law to forcibly change the story I wrote! This is intolerable! Take this! Historical Echo with a radius of twenty meters—see this volume up button? I'm going to press it, I'm going to press it! Hehehe... Gaa!"

Yukino Yukinoshita stared blankly at the phone bobbing around her head, playing noise. She expressionlessly reached out and snatched the phone away, then expressionlessly pressed the delete button on the recording file… The filename was actually “Tsurumi Rumi's Golden Hits,” so typical of Shiroi!

"Stop! This is a precious childhood memory for Brave Mini!"

Bai Ying's expression changed drastically. She quickly snatched the phone back and stared at the screen in disbelief.

"Alright." Yukino Yukinoshita nodded to Rumi Tsurumi.

Tsurumi Rumi puffed out her cheeks, staring at the white figure with indignation, momentarily speechless—her kind and caring older brother had suddenly pulled out his phone and started playing her embarrassing past…

"Bad guy!"

“Brave Mini, you’ve got it.”

Bai Ying nodded slightly and reached out to press a button on the screen.

The "Rumi Tsurumi Golden Hits" has started playing again.

Yukino Yukinoshita was stunned: "You have a backup?!"

"Of course! Not only is there a backup of Tsurumi Rumi, but also backups of others, such as 'Miss Haruno, you didn't want to either...' and so on..." Bai Ying said regretfully, "What a pity, what a pity. The classic quotes from back then, '9527, you are a good person,' 'You, the hero plus, made a rash judgment because you don't understand me,' 'You, the stick figure, made a rash judgment because you don't understand Sakurajima Mai'... These classic quotes came too suddenly, and I wasn't prepared to turn on the recording in advance."

Yukino Yukinoshita inhaled softly, Mai Sakurajima's eyes widened, Toyohama and Hana's eyes twitched, Yukino Yukinoshita smiled kindly, and Angelina was observing the gazes of the passersby...

The air was still, but the murderous intent within it was rapidly increasing, with only the "Rumi Tsurumi Golden Hits" playing.

Rumi Tsurumi gritted her teeth and quickly came up with a plan—as long as she ran fast, her dark history wouldn't be able to catch up with her!

The elementary school student turned around and dashed into the dance hall.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!"

Bai Ying's expression changed, and she immediately prepared to press her advantage and try to deliver another execution-like blow to Tsurumi Rumi.

Yukino Yukinoshita hugged Haku's left hand tightly, her smile exceptionally sweet as she turned her head and said, "Haku-kun, let's go, it's time for the first dance."

The white figure raised its hand and slapped, slapped, slapped...

Yukino Yukinoshita smiled warmly and put her arm around Shiro as they walked toward the venue. Shiro's feet didn't move, but her whole body began to move horizontally, which was really amazing.

The other four followed behind in tacit agreement, with Feng Bin and Hua even directly using the power drive.

"Waaaaah, he actually kept such a shameful thing about Xiaoyang on his phone! What if it gets leaked? How will Xiaoyang ever be able to face anyone again? What a big liar! All that talk about love and sex was fake! He actually did this to Xiaoyang just to satisfy his desires..."

“Hate Fan, I suddenly want to try harder. Could you write the script for the next thirty years and let me see it?”

"I kick, I kick, I kick, I kick..."

"Damn it! Why wasn't it recorded back then?!"

In the environment of being forcefully escorted and subjected to various mental and physical attacks, Bai Ying probably realized what was happening. She adopted a calm and composed demeanor, casually adding a smile, and walked into the ballroom with Yukino Yukinoshita.

The spacious and clean venue, the bright and warm lighting, the long tables laden with various desserts, snacks and drinks, the decorative Christmas tree in the corner, and the students and teachers dressed in formal attire—the atmosphere of a festival and a dance party was palpable.

Bai Ying smiled and nodded to the students who occasionally glanced in her direction, only to be met with surprised and wary looks, along with a deeply resentful gaze—wait, turning her head to look straight ahead, she couldn't see it; it must be her imagination.

"Bai Jun, if you dance with me, how will you appease everyone?"

Yukino Yukinoshita turned her head and smiled, every word filled with murderous intent.

“It’s alright.” Bai Ying said earnestly, “Brave warrior, if I feel guilty for dancing with you, wouldn’t that be wrong? How can I do something wrong? So I should feel no guilt, be righteous and have no need to coax anyone.”

Angelina asked curiously, "Sir, do you want to spend the same Christmas as Makoto Ito?"

"Who is Makoto Ito?" the others asked in surprise.

Bai Ying also asked in surprise, "Who is Makoto Ito?"

“A scumbag who got his head chopped off by his girlfriend for cheating on him,” Angelina said, pretending to be very serious.

Yukinoshita immediately replied, "Just give me the head."

Mai Sakurajima smiled and said, "Then I'll take the heart."

"I'm fine with anything." Feng Bin and Hua's attention was diverted by the ball, but she suddenly realized a blind spot. "Speaking of which, Yukinoshita is going to dance the first dance with that jerk, so what do we do? It seems like our dance partners are all pre-arranged, so we can just find anyone to dance with?"

"Shut up!" The white figure's expression changed drastically. "Stickman, if you write a plot like this, readers will flood the fountain with complaints!"

Toyohama Kazuka was baffled: "Huh? A reader?"

Angelina understood immediately: "Hmm, it's just a light novel plot—if the male and female leads don't dance together, and the female lead dances with someone else, readers will feel uncomfortable and suspect that the author is deliberately setting up for the relationship to change or something. After all, people who invest too much emotion in the virtual world are just silly people who like to be difficult with themselves..."

Yukinoshita's eyes lit up slightly, and she said with interest, "Kaname-chan has come up with a good idea, why don't we try stealing someone else's dance partner?"

"Hate fan?" Mai Sakurajima raised an eyebrow with a smile.

"Alright! As the student council president, I should do something different. When the music starts, we'll all go up together..."

As Bai Ying was pondering new ideas, the music for the ball started playing.

Yukino Yukinoshita grabbed Shiro's arm and led her straight into the dance floor, taking the center position first. She exuded a powerful killing intent after multiple buffs were stacked, forcibly suppressing her shy and awkward nature.

She took a small breath, looked up at the white figure, and tried hard to resist the urge to look away, feeling awkward as if others were watching her.

...It's also possible that he's just looking for an excuse to convince himself that he wants to create more memories with Bai Jun.

The white figure reached out with her right hand and wrapped it around Yukino Yukinoshita's waist, pulling her closer to her body with a little force. She placed her left hand on Yukino Yukinoshita's shoulder and smiled, ready to dance.

Hmm, I was found out! I was definitely found out!

Yukino Yukinoshita trembled slightly, her gaze wandering, but unfortunately the distance was too close, and the white figure's face was always in her field of vision.

"It's time to dance."

Bai Ying reminded him gently.

"……Oh."

Yukino Yukinoshita gave a soft reply, but her slow-reacting body was suddenly carried away by the white figure.

Under the warm lights and amidst the melodious dance music, the warmth is transmitted through touch, enveloping you like a hot spring, so comfortable that you don't want to open your eyes. Only then do you suddenly realize that the hot spring isn't just surrounding your body, but rather overflowing from your heart...

Subtly shifting their gaze to meet each other's unwavering eyes, the exchange of movements seemed to connect them completely.

Isn't it a bit too close? I can see my own reflection in Bai Jun's eyes, and I can't see anything else besides Bai Jun.

Following the force from her arm, Yukino Yukinoshita spun outwards in a dance, then, with the force in the opposite direction, took a big step back into her arm's embrace. The white figure suddenly lunged forward, and Yukino Yukinoshita instinctively leaned back and bent over, only to be firmly supported by her arm.

The ceiling light was exceptionally soft, not only failing to blur the view but also illuminating the faces above.

The white figure released her other hand and gently pinched Yukino Yukinoshita's nose, causing a slight blush to spread out like ripples.

Hmm...why are you suddenly acting so well? Is it compensation for making me angry? Is it guilt from being in this mess? Or is it because you like me that you're being gentle?

Yukino was pulled up by someone, her hands instinctively wrapping around the white figure, leaning against him, surrendering her body to his dance steps, a gentle breeze constantly blowing past her temples...

Hmph, even if you're right, you're not allowed to feel guilty. You have to like me with a clear conscience, instead of trying to make it up to me.

The dance steps kept changing, the positions kept shifting, and somehow, their gazes met clearly in the blurry passing scenery.

The ponytails chased the wind as they danced, and the two reached out a hand to hold each other, circling around the dance floor at the same time. With a variation of the dance melody, the white figure reached out and pulled, and Yukino Yukinoshita understood and spun around, leaning her back against the white figure's chest, her head gently resting on his shoulder.

The white figure naturally embraced Yukino Yukinoshita, overlapping her hands on her flat stomach, gently pressing her chin against her slender shoulders, and with light steps, the two of them spun around, leaping smoothly like figure skating on the flat tiles.

Hmm, their faces are practically touching. Do they need to be this close for dancing...?

Because I was standing with my back to the white figure, my gaze immediately shifted from the white figure to the students dancing ballroom dances a considerable distance away.

They were dancing a ballroom dance where physical contact was limited to the hands. Most of the time, it was just simple swaying back and forth. But neither the men nor the women seemed to care much about how well they danced. Instead, they were watching the area drawn by the two 'dance masters' as they danced.

Even real couples wouldn't dare to dance like this in a public setting, with their noses pinched, their bodies pressed together, and their faces blatantly touching...

Yukino Yukinoshita and Mai Sakurajima, who were dancing together, naturally skipped past each other.

In the brief moment their eyes met, Yukinoshita chuckled softly.

"6."

Yukino Yukinoshita is probably dead.

Chapter Ninety: If Discovered...

When the slender body in her arms suddenly moved from stillness to movement, bursting forth with tremendous power, Bai Ying knew that the moment to test herself had arrived!

In an instant, the facade of a gentle boyfriend is torn away, revealing a bottomless, wicked desire—Trying to run? Too late! Let me savor this shameful act of flirting and pulling at each other in front of everyone!

The white figure moved with the rhythm, releasing her arms in the process. Yukino Yukinoshita suddenly regained her breath, adjusted her emotions slightly, and pretended to leave the dance hall naturally, sneaking into the control room to pretend to work hard... In the instant she relaxed her vigilance and was about to leave in a panic, the white figure shifted position and rushed out precisely when she had no time to stop.

The person's skill in staged accidents is top-notch.

Yukino Yukinoshita bumped headfirst into the white shadow's arms.

The white figure raised its left hand and placed it across Yukino's shoulder and back under the snow, then raised its right hand to grab Yukino's left hand and lift it up. It moved its feet and led her in a light dance, and in the blink of an eye, it had turned from a waltz into a tango.

Whether he was stunned or his computer crashed, the hero, apart from a slight tremor, seemed to have lost all strength and buried his face in his chest without moving.

Wow! With no way to escape, he actually chose to retreat by advancing? As long as he can't see himself, there's no one else around? Is this a display of bravery and wisdom, or utter stupidity? Heh heh heh! Foolish idealist, accept the torture of reality, let me taste your explosive shame!

The white figure smiled as she danced, slightly lowering her head and gently sniffing the strands of Yukino's hair beneath the snow.

Huh? You're not even struggling? This makes me feel so unfulfilled! Don't you know the worst performance is one that leaves the audience completely unmoved?!

Even the worst movies directed by Nian are so cringeworthy they're enough to make you cringe to death!

Get ready! Behold my ultimate combo: a gentle, 45-degree angle gaze from close range followed by a light, 45-degree lift of your chin!

Using a dance move to adjust the angle, the white figure put one arm around Yukino Yukinoshita and launched a lightning-fast sneak attack with the other, lifting her chin with a slightly bent index finger and deliberately pressing her thin pink lower lip with her thumb.

A blush crept onto her cheeks, her cherry lips trembled, and a gentle spring breeze caressed her slender waist; a hint of annoyance flickered in her brows, her expression was blank, and her tender gaze swept over him. Looking into her eyes, a sudden surge of infatuation overwhelmed him, a myriad of emotions swirling within him, yet finding no solace; her teeth parted, a hint of resentment in her voice, for how much joy and sorrow she owed him!

Yukino Yukinoshita's eyes were faintly glistening with tears of extreme embarrassment. She noticed her chin being lifted and her lips being pressed. She instinctively opened her mouth and bit the white shadow's thumb with resentment. Her body, however, was weakly pressed against the white shadow's chest. She could only look at him with a thousand words in her eyes, her thoughts incoherent and her gaze unfocused, unable to express her feelings of joy, sorrow, anger, or confusion.

Gulu.

I feel a bit horny.

Bai Ying swallowed hard, averting her gaze slightly. Suddenly, she half-carried Yukino Yukinoshita and stepped forward, her graceful dance steps precisely weaving through the gaps between pairs of dancers. She led Yukino Yukinoshita out of the crowd of dancers and naturally left the venue, arriving at the deserted passageway leading to the control room.

"?"

Yukino Yukinoshita leaned against the wall, her gaze still somewhat blank and confused. Her chaotic emotions made her thoughts slow and sluggish. She subconsciously looked at the white figure in front of her, slowly realizing what he was doing, and wanted to question him about what he was doing...

The sensation of a fleeting touch on the lips.

Yukino Yukinoshita widened her eyes slightly.

"You look beautiful when you cry, so from now on, only show it to me."

The white figure chuckled and tossed out a sentence before disappearing into the passageway in the blink of an eye, returning to the ballroom.

Yukino Yukinoshita touched her lips blankly, taking more than ten seconds to suppress the overheated sensation. Then, she snapped out of it, squeezed her eyes shut, took a few deep breaths, and muttered under her breath, "Dream on..."

Ugh—you bad guy! Wait until nobody's watching, I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!

Yukino Yukinoshita patted her cheeks, composed herself, and regretted not having a mirror to check if she was back to normal. But she thought she should be alright. Her face wasn't hot, her heart wasn't racing, and she was calm and composed... Whew.

She stepped into the control room, nodded briefly, exchanged places with the students guarding the room, and watched them leave for the dance.

Only two people remained to guard the control room.