Chapter 322: Chapter 320: The Definition of Trouble
The key was inserted into the lock, gently turned, and with a click, the couple sitting on the sofa immediately shifted their gaze over.
"Xiao Mo..."
"Chiboku..."
"Father... Mother... I’m back."
Little Invisible called softly, looked down and started changing her shoes, and casually placed her bag on the cabinet by the entrance. The woman quickly approached and said softly, "Welcome back."
"Was school tough today?"
"It was okay."
"Do you want to eat something? Mom can make it for you... how about hamburger steak, you used to love that..."
Tachibana Tomoku opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end, she just nodded lightly.
"Chiboku... how’s your studying going lately?"
The man on the sofa had a dignified and serious expression, with an aura of innate authority, but when facing his daughter, he tried to soften his tone.
"I sent you the results of the last exam... the semester has just started, so I can’t really answer your question..."
"Oh... I see..."
Father and daughter sat in silence on the sofa for a while. The man seemed to want to find a topic to discuss with his daughter, but found himself at a loss for words. His gaze dimmed a bit as he said, "I’ll go help your mother with the cooking."
"I can help too..."
"No need... you should go study."
"I... I understand."
Little Invisible slowly walked up the stairs, looked back at her familiar yet distant parents, and sighed softly in her heart.
Sometimes, communication between people is like this; although you know that opening up and communicating well can solve problems, you still remain silent, letting the gap widen until neither side wants to face it...
"Xiao Mo... eat a little more... this tastes really good... try your mom’s cooking..."
"Okay..."
"And this... you seem to have lost weight lately..."
"Thank you..."
The girl slowly ate from the bowl, occasionally answering their questions. The woman smiled softly and said, "This time, your father and I can stay at home for a week... if there’s anything you want to eat, just let me know, I’ll try my best to learn."
"Alright... I understand..."
After finishing the hamburger steak in her bowl, Tachibana Tomoku put down her chopsticks and softly said, "I’m full."
"Won’t you eat a bit more?"
Tachibana Tomoku shook her head gently, "I’m going to study."
"Okay, do your best, but don’t overwork yourself!"
The girl nodded again, then turned and left the table. As her silhouette slowly disappeared up the stairs, the woman’s gaze reluctantly followed.
"That child... eats so little..."
The woman looked at Tachibana Tomoku’s bowl and chopsticks, muttering to herself, and suddenly tears began to fall...
"She obviously doesn’t like it... yet she still forces herself... even though I’m not a competent mother... I don’t even know what my daughter likes to eat now..."
"Why... why is it like this..."
Beside her, as his wife cried like rain, the man also fell silent, his originally imposing figure now seeming somewhat desolate. After a long pause, he gently patted his wife’s shoulder and said, "We are doing this for Chiboku too..."
"No! This isn’t for her at all! What kind of parents are we to fail this much! People who can’t even take care of their own child have no right to say such things!"
"There is no way..."
"You have! Kaisuke! You have a way! You just don’t want to do it!"
"I can’t!" the man said in a deep voice, "Right now, this is the best arrangement."
"The best arrangement? With things as they are now! You probably wouldn’t even dare go to Xiao Mo’s wedding! If our daughter gets married in the future, would you dare accompany her down the aisle?"
"I would."
Tachibana Kaisuke said indifferently, "No matter what, right now this is the best situation for Xiao Mo..."
"As for the future... I’ll think of something."
"You’ve been thinking of something for so many years! Will we really wait until our daughter thinks we parents are dispensable before we come up with something?"
The argument at the dining table was quite intense, but the voices were incredibly restrained, as if afraid to startle their daughter upstairs... Meanwhile, at the bend of the staircase, Tachibana Tomoku, who should have been studying upstairs, was gently leaning against the wall, listening to the faint arguments from below, curling herself into a ball bit by bit.
I really hate this feeling... I hate this self even more... this troublesome self...
If I didn’t exist, Dad and Mom would definitely be better off...
It’s really bothersome...
As she thought this, her phone suddenly emitted a slight glow. The girl unlocked the screen, and a familiar LINE icon lit up.
[Tachibana, if Tsukimi asks you to help with the Sports Festival’s quiz group, you can refuse. Don’t force yourself too much... it might be a bit tiring.]
[If it’s inconvenient to refuse, just tell me, and I’ll help you refuse.]
The girl was stunned for a moment, then opened the LINE app. Messages from Tsukimi sakurazawa and Asano Nazuki had long been sent, and they seemed to have already had a heated discussion with Shirakawa Sawahei in the group.
[Xiao Mo~ you can’t listen to Shirakawa! Come join us! There won’t be too much work! It’s all brainstorming! It’s easy!]
[Tachibana... if I could plan the Sports Festival with you... that would be great...]
Little Invisible stared at the phone screen blankly until the light dimmed, without noticing. After a while, she snapped out of it and unlocked the screen again.
If... I mean if... even someone as troublesome as me can have people who care...
That would be wonderful.
While replying to messages, the girl stared at someone’s avatar in the chat box, and a cute smile suddenly appeared in her eyes...
...
After finishing his message with Little Invisible Study Girl, Shirakawa Sawahei quickly received a reply, and the development of the situation clearly exceeded his expectations. Miss Tachibana Tomoku actually agreed to the plea of the whining monster!
Damn Tsukimi sakurazawa! Even trying to lure Tachibana away! Do you really think having Little Invisible somehow gives you a protective charm?!
Do you think I’ll hesitate? Not that easy!
If in doubt, ask Miss Kaori. Shirakawa Sawahei fully utilizes this fine tradition, finds an excuse for himself, and then goes to ask Miss Kaori if she wants to participate in the Sports Festival this year.
Evil Little Arrogant replied quickly as well. She first responded with a question mark, then slowly typed:
[Doesn’t Shirakawa know that true school belles are generally all-rounders in arts and sports?]
[...]
Goodness, you’d better apologize to weak school belles all over the world!
[What event do you plan to join?]
[I don’t know, what about you, Shirakawa?]
[Me?]
Shirakawa Sawahei’s expression turned strange: [I probably won’t join an event.]
[Oh.]
[This year’s events might be a bit unusual... you should be a little careful...]
[What do you mean?]
[Literally... anyway, it might have something to do with your sister.]