restless daily life

Hayato Hayama had reason to suspect that the white figure was fishing for him, so he gave a perfunctory smile and thought about how to find an opportunity to retreat...

"These thoughts, these ideas, these things—of course they're illogical," Bai Ying waved her hand and sighed. "The surging emotions in one's heart are indescribable and difficult to suppress, so they have to be expressed, but when they are expressed, they come out as these kinds of illogical words. Only single people would seriously analyze the logic, like a commander nitpicking a draft, pointing out how unreasonable, illogical, and improper these words are, completely unaware that the other person is just trying to be affectionate and express their feelings. But that's normal, after all, if you have to be logical, what's the point of dating?"

"Hmm? Why does your face look dark and your expression isn't very friendly?"

Hayato Hayama's brow twitched slightly, and he sighed softly, "Haku-kun..."

Bai Ying asked with interest, "You don't think I'm spreading rumors about the hero, do you?"

"This……"

Hayato Hayama was trying to sort out his thoughts and say something when he felt the topic was getting more and more off-topic...

"Or is it that this unreasonable hero is nothing like the Yukinoshita you remember?" The white figure yawned. "Yukinoshita is supposed to be correct, stubborn, and only listen to reason... right?"

Hayato Hayama paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I know that Yukinoshita has changed a lot..."

"Variety?"

The white figure chuckled, its words suddenly transforming into an arrow: "Is it possible that it's not that the hero has changed drastically, but rather that the Yukinoshita in your memories has never changed?"

"?" Hayama Hayato raised his hand to rub his temples and retorted, "Are you being unreasonable?"

“That’s right! I’m being unreasonable!” Bai Ying placed the candle on the table, crossed her hands to support her chin, and said with piercing eyes, “I devised the plan to eliminate my rival!”

What kind of rival do you think I am?

Hayama Hayato stopped talking.

"You're probably thinking, what kind of rival am I?!" Bai Ying snorted. "I just helped her when we were kids, which made me feel guilty. I never had a chance to make amends, so even though I was very worried and cared, I had no right to get close to her. Fortunately, she eventually got out of her predicament on her own. I did nothing wrong, so even though I'm a little jealous, I can only offer my blessings and keep my distance quietly, trying not to interfere with her life now. Only occasionally do some memories of the past flash through my mind..."

Hayato Hayama hardened his fist.

Bai Ying concluded, "You clearly have single syndrome!"

Single syndrome? What's that?

Hayama Hayato said with a headache, "Shiro-kun, dating in high school isn't some kind of ironclad rule of life..."

“I didn’t say that,” Bai Ying said softly. “When you invest your emotions into memories, those memories come alive, but no matter how you change and beautify them, they are still far removed from reality… You know that, right? The person you love isn’t the hero, but Yukinoshita from your memories. Every ray of moonlight comes from light-years away. Even if the hero stood in front of you, you would only look towards her in the past—you know very well what the present is, but you just can’t help but reminisce. The more you reminisce, the further away you feel from the present, and the more lonely you feel.”

Hayato Hayama remained silent, then sighed softly, "Shiro-kun, this is just a crush that never even began..."

"No, this isn't unrequited love. By definition, unrequited love is having feelings for someone but not expressing them due to external factors. You know very well that you don't like the hero."

Bai Ying's words gradually sharpened: "You like the snow under your memories, you like the self in your memories, you like this feeling of recalling the past, you like the loneliness that comes from pouring emotions into memories... If I had to say, this is narcissism. Pouring emotions into yourself, thereby gaining inner fulfillment."

"enough!"

Hayato Hayama abruptly interrupted, realizing he was losing his temper, and immediately regained his composure: "What does this have to do with you?! I haven't affected your relationship, I don't usually associate with Yukinoshita, and I don't intend to interfere in her life—is there something wrong with what I'm doing?!"

He doesn't seem very calm.

Hayato Hayama tried to calm himself down, but the emotions that erupted at that moment were extremely chaotic...

"Of course you have no problem, it's just that I'm being unreasonable."

The white figure replied in this way.

"?"

Hayato Hayama retorted sarcastically, "Even the lawless Haku has moments of insecurity?"

"Alright, alright, we're not discussing romance here." Bai Ying waved her hand. "Anyway, go and incite them to rebel."

Huh? Oh, it seems we were discussing this at the beginning...

Hayato Hayama: "Why would I do something so strange?"

Bai Ying: "Then I can only tell the Queen that the Prince doesn't like her because he's narcissistic."

Hayama Hayato: "?"

How did this all get to Yumiko again? What kind of nonsensical logic is this? But if Yumiko finds out, I have a feeling it will be troublesome again.

Hayato Hayama felt a headache coming on and waved his hand helplessly: "Fine, fine, I'll do it, okay? The premise is that there really is some kind of rebellion planned... I mean, there are really that many opposing opinions among the students."

He had given up thinking and just wanted to get away from the white figure as soon as possible. Being next to this guy made him feel extremely emotional, and his head was buzzing.

In short, agree first, then talk about it quietly by yourself.

"Xiao Ye, I'm leaving this to you. Make sure it's done quickly and well..."

"Go, go, go."

Hayato Hayama gave a perfunctory reply, got up and left the small stone house, then suddenly noticed someone outside...

Mai Sakurajima nodded in greeting.

Thankfully, it wasn't Yukinoshita, avoiding an even more chaotic scene that left people wondering how to think.

Hayato Hayama nodded and hurried down the hillside back to the student living area.

It seems like I heard something terrible... but it's not really a terrible situation.

Mai Sakurajima thought for a moment, then stepped into the small stone house. She glanced at the white figure with his hands crossed and chin resting on his hand, looking serious and deep-seated. She then looked at the wall and slapped it with her hand.

*Snap!* The light came on.

"Why turn on the light when you're using candles? Doesn't electricity cost money?"

"It's ok."

Mai Sakurajima sat down opposite the white-clad figure, lazily propping her cheek with her left hand, and leaning back on the table: "I'll support you by filming kissing scenes."

"That's unreasonable!"

Bai Ying immediately asked, "What role do you play? I'll film it!"

Mai Sakurajima squinted and chuckled, "Of course I'm playing the female lead."

Bai Ying nodded in agreement: "Okay! I'll take the lead role. I'll film the kissing scenes for you and support you!"

"?"

Sakurajima Mai's narrowed eyes flashed with a cold light, her smile unchanged, as her left foot under the table precisely ground down on the white figure's toe: "Hmm—?!"

"Any questions about 'Brave Plus'? In terms of acting skills and talent, how can you compete with me?" Bai Ying tried to move her toes back, but couldn't. She smiled and pointed a finger. "As long as the clothes are a little loose and conceal my proportions, I might just be able to take on the lead role..."

Mai Sakurajima glanced at her boyfriend with a smile, then turned to a potentially disastrous question: "If Yukino and I fell into the water, who would you save, you hater?"

The white figure instantly replied, "Save me."

碾！

The little leather shoe tip twirled back and forth on the sneaker tip, and the smiling look in her eyes had turned into a hint of annoyance.

Mai Sakurajima idly twirled her toes, her annoyance fading. She changed from a half-lying-on-the-table position to one where her hands were clasped together, her head resting on the table. A comfortable, languid ease appeared on her face. Her eyebrows seemed to gently lift her eyelids, her eyes lifting slightly. Her usually deep eyes, reflecting the light, suddenly became bright and radiant, blinking as if she were typing some secret code, conveying a message known only to her and herself.

The white figure leaned back slightly, meeting Sakurajima Mai's gaze, and pondered, "Is this the legendary Thirty-Six Strategies of Youthful Romance: She Likes Me?"

"They say guys can't resist that kind of look." Sakurajima Mai was actually feeling a bit sleepy. As she spoke, she slightly opened her mouth and yawned, a smile playing on her lips. "Did the hater notice?"

Bai Ying retorted, "Only if you move your feet away."

"Hmm? You don't like this?"

Mai Sakurajima shuffled her toes, her tone turning forceful: "Come on, say you like it."

"So-so." Bai Ying pouted. "She didn't even take her shoes off."

pat.

The sole of the shoe made a crisp sound as it struck the floor. The sensation from the toe of the shoe changed from hard to a combination of hard and soft, as if it were breaking free from an uncomfortable constraint. The toes tapped around lightly and freely, as if the toes of the shoe were being used as a piano, leaping and twitching playfully.

Bai Ying suddenly wanted to take off her shoes too.

"Don't take it off." Mai Sakurajima struck first, stepping on the toe of the man's hesitant shoe, her eyes sparkling with a smile. "Is there anything else you haven't said?"

"What's our relationship? I'm your number one hater."

Bai Ying said earnestly, "Even if you hint that I should coax you, you'll already know I'm going to coax you, so you won't be able to be coaxed into being happy."

"Hmm?" Sakurajima Mai let out a slightly annoyed nasal sound, tilted her head to the side, and continued lying down. "Because I'm very reasonable?"

“Brave Plus is very self-aware,” Bai Ying praised. “You have a lot of stupid fans, and I spend all day online debating with them. Do you expect me to give up my dreams because of that? We’re all mature people, and we can’t all be as unreasonable as Brave Plus.”

Am I easy to talk to, or easy to be perfunctory?

Sakurajima Mai said, half-jokingly annoyed, "Those things the hater said to Hayama-kun, while mostly intended to help him out of his mental predicament, weren't they also somewhat unreasonable? And now you're trying to reason with me? Three—"

Suddenly, a number that had no meaning popped out of his mouth.

Bai Ying decisively bent down and reached out to grab the black silk-clad feet that were dancing on the tips of her shoes.

"Then I'm not welcome!"

"Wait! What do you mean by 'you're welcome'..."

Mai Sakurajima wasn't panicking at first; it was normal for the hater to do strange things... But when she suddenly felt a warm breath on the back of her foot, that wasn't normal!

"Don't move! I'm just trying to comfort you!"

"Then point it at my face, not my feet!"

"Damn it, are you asleep yet...?"

Outside the door, Feng Bin and Hua walked in casually, then stared blankly at the older sister who seemed to be pulling her leg away on one side of the table, and the bastard who was almost crawling under the table on the other side.

What kind of pose is this?

Sakurajima Mai sprang her leg as if in shock, a muffled thud came from under the table, and the white figure leaned back, rubbing her forehead as she sat down in the chair, scolding, "Stickman, you've come at the worst possible time!"

Feng Bin and Hua rolled their eyes and retorted instinctively, "You've come at the worst possible time!"

“That’s right!” Bai Ying immediately stood up and walked respectfully towards the door. “I’ve come at the wrong time. Please continue, I won’t disturb you any longer.”

Paji.

Sakurajima Mai swiftly raised her hand and grabbed the white figure's face, slipping one foot into her little leather shoe. She tried to appear calm, her face still flushed with a faint blush of embarrassment and annoyance: "You've come at just the right time, you black-fan!"

The white figure raised both hands, and Sakurajima Mai quickly released her grip and took a step back. Toyohama and Hana came to their senses and glanced down. Both her sister and the scoundrel were wearing pants, so it shouldn't be anything lewd... Ah, what am I thinking! It's all Angelina's nonsense!

An inexplicable silence suddenly filled the small stone house.

"Back then, I secluded myself in this very stone house. After several arduous struggles, I finally defeated my inner demons and overcame the insurmountable barrier of Caven. Now, revisiting this place, the past events are still vivid in my mind, and I am filled with emotion..."

Bai Ying recalled the past with a sigh.

Toyohama Kazuka: "Huh?"

Mai Sakurajima: "When the hater was creating the story, was the transition between paragraphs so abrupt?"

"What else?" Bai Ying asked in surprise. "Are you going to explain to the stick figure the whole story of how you deliberately seduced him and then forcefully made him lick your feet?"

Toyohama Kazuka: "Huh?"

"Black! Pink! Guy!"

Chapter Forty-Five: Deceiving and Fooling

On the deserted island, besides the wildly growing plants, there are also some old wooden houses built recently, as well as some ancient ruins, suggesting that people have been on this island before. Perhaps they left, perhaps they didn't, or perhaps they left and came back.

In this place, far from the city and people, naturally isolated by the sea, the rocks silently etch the passage of time, and time subtly conveys stories, while explorers patiently translate the chapters...

A small stone house

[Its exterior resembles a dusty, black box, its structure enclosed and windowless. The interior, though not small, feels strangely cramped and narrow. The architectural style initially evokes a primitive, ancient feel, yet the interior contains wiring and pipes, providing modern conveniences for daily life. It stands silently on the deserted island, a silent guardian of time, as if destined to become an immortal part of history…]

"To allow me and the playwright to go into seclusion in peace, the troupe leader somehow managed to procure a professional construction team to build this little dark room on the island. Despite its unremarkable appearance, even the Killer Queen couldn't break through the walls. I wonder where they got the materials from... My older brother, as a veteran in the construction industry, spoke highly of this little dark room, saying it was a perfect blend of classical and modern styles, a model of prison architecture. It's hard to imagine the client's mental state."

"Huh? There aren't any cracks in the wall?"

Feng Bin and Hua curiously touched the wall: "There's no coating...and there are no visible seams between the walls..."

"It's like something carved out of a large rock."

Mai Sakurajima looked around curiously: "Since he's the leader of the Crimson Troupe, that makes sense... Hmm? What's with this wooden door?"

Behind the dark brown painted wooden door was a standard prison cell, with long, narrow, mottled marks on the outside.

Wooden Door

A door, dividing a large space into a smaller one, stands at the dividing line between freedom and constraint. Can freedom be divided? Or is freedom only freedom when it is divided? Terrifying marks remain on the door, suggesting that the free world outside does not necessarily represent safety...

Feng Bin and Hua reached out and touched the marks on the door, comparing the size of the narrow marks with their fingertips. Suddenly, a chill ran down their spines: "...This was made by someone?!"