Chapter 10: Gaining Grandpa Oda's Approval 2
"I know that I can't get into Huanghua College with my academic performance. I'm sure you know this too. Before entering high school, I didn't even have a single friend... But even so, I am still special. Maybe it's not the case for you. And in this world, I am me, and I can't be anyone else."
"Interesting." Grandpa Oda leaned forward slightly, put his hands on his crutches, and stared at me. "But even so, you are not good enough to impress me and let Hideki go."
"I didn't think about impressing Grandpa," I said.
"Really? I thought you came here to see Hideki." Grandpa Oda narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"Yes, I want to see Hideki, but that's because Hideki and I had an appointment tonight. He wanted to see me. It was Hideki's own decision to see me, just like it was my own decision to come here. A person's decision cannot be replaced by others, and when making a decision, you need to fight with yourself, which is not something others can understand."
"I don't know what Hideki wants to say to me, but I want to see him and tell him something." Unconsciously, I was looking straight into Grandpa Oda's eyes without dodging at all.
Like I said, I went through a war, a war with myself.
I want to come here and tell Hideki the result.
I didn't think about anything else, and I didn't even think about how things would develop between Hideki and me after I told him the result. However, I felt that I had to tell him that I liked him, and I had to say this.
"You are so persistent! You are really a special child just like Hideki said..."
"Huh?" I was a little surprised. I never expected that Grandpa Oda would say this to me. It sounded like a compliment?
"But then again, it's also because I, Grandpa, have good eyesight!"
As Grandpa Oda spoke, he began to narrow his eyes, stroke his beard, and began to speak in a way that I could not understand at all. What...what is going on?
Before I could ask a question, someone else spoke before me.
"Of course. Didn't you realize Miss Oshima's uniqueness ten years ago or even earlier? By the way, it's really risky for you to decide to choose such a little girl so early!"
That strange and mysterious accent and thin voice - when I looked up, I saw the person I was thinking of.
Hasunuma Shimu, who was supposed to stay outside the house with the others, had walked into the study room at some point. Not only that, he leaned against the window with an interested look on his face and started chatting with Grandpa Oda.
"Tsk tsk! Kid, don't you know that Hideki's pocket money has turned into a large sum of money because of his effective angel investment? Although compared with our Oda family's assets, it's just a drop in the bucket, but do you still doubt our Oda family's investment vision?"
"I wouldn't dare, but Grandpa, you'd better explain the whole story to Yashima. I think she's completely confused now!"
When Hasunuma Shimu let out her sweet but somehow annoying laugh, my brain had indeed become a ball of thread that had been tangled up by a cat, and I couldn't find the beginning.
"Oh my! This is really my fault, old man." Grandpa stood up from in front of me, walked to the bookshelf in the study, picked up something, and walked back to me.
"Little girl, look, what is this!"
"Hey? How, how could it be?"
A red and white duck that looks exactly like Ajinzai is lying in grandpa's palm. It's obvious that it was made by my mother or me.
"Eleven or twelve years ago, Hideki's grandmother was hospitalized. She had a serious illness and the surgery didn't work. Later, the disease relapsed. I was in a bad mood at the time. On the one hand, it was because of Hideki's grandmother's condition, and on the other hand, my little grandson Hideki had some problems——"
Grandpa put the duck in my hand. After I looked at it for a while, some memories gradually came back to my mind as Grandpa told me the story.
At that time, my mother's condition was not particularly serious. She began to teach me how to make such a little duck, saying that it could make wishes come true.
I was still young at that time and always liked to visit other wards.
There was a kind old lady living in a ward. Every time she saw me, she would call me over, give me some candy, and tell me fairy tales.
Later, the grandmother heard me talk about the duck and hoped that I could give her one. After I told my mother, she taught me how to make this red duck.
"Oh, you are the grandfather that grandma was talking about." I remembered that grandma said that her husband had become very bad-tempered and was always in a bad mood, so she wanted to give him this little duck that can only fulfill wishes.
"That child I like very much said that believing in this duck can make people's wishes come true. Old man, my wish is: even if I am gone, you have to live a good life."
When Grandpa Oda talked about Grandma Oda's wish, tears appeared in his eyes.
"From that time on, I remembered you, a kind and innocent little girl. Later, I also made a wish to the duck. I hope there is someone who can let my grandson be his true self. Hideki is a child who does everything too perfectly. It's so perfect that it makes people feel sad! I can't watch my grandson live under a mask forever, and can't even open his heart to his grandfather, or even his parents and older brother Kazuki."
"So grandpa took advantage of this bet - you are the only one chosen by your parents!" Hasunuma Shimu said with a smile, "But I didn't expect it to go so smoothly. At that time, I advised you to withdraw, which was actually grandpa's idea - Hideki's problem is due to the negligence of your family, but it didn't accumulate in one day. Grandpa was also afraid that you wouldn't be able to cope with it and get hurt!"
"But now it seems that the kid has completely taken the bait! Hahahaha!" Grandpa Oda laughed heartily.
"So..." I called grandpa carefully, "Can I...see Hideki now?"
"Hey! Right, right! How could I forget this - don't mind me, an old man like me is just suspicious and wants to make sure whether you are serious about our Xiushu. Wait a moment, I will let him come right away!"
After saying this, grandpa immediately got up and left, and Hasunuma Zimu helped grandpa out the door. When he was almost out of the door, I saw a smile on the corner of his lips - he was completely tricked by this guy Hasunuma and grandpa, but I didn't feel angry at all.
If it weren't for this, I don't know how many hardships would be waiting for Hideki and I! At this point, I can only feel that Hideki and I are destined to be together, just as Amakusa-senpai said.
Just as I was thinking about this, I heard a bang and someone broke in.
"Ah...Hideki!"
"Stupid duck! Why are you here?"
I looked stupidly at Hideki who came running in. He was wearing a very beautiful indigo three-piece suit, looking very handsome, and his black hair was blown into a neat and handsome style.
"I, I have something to tell you..."
"So you came here? What are Amakusa and the others doing? What's going on with Hasunuma? Are they going to let you face my grandfather?" Hideki said angrily, as if he was sure that I had encountered some disaster.
"Grandpa, he's very nice, very good to me..." I quickly grabbed Hideki's arm. I always felt that if I didn't do this, he would run to his grandfather and yell.
Even though I was scared before, it was just a false alarm, and that’s enough ... Being able to see Hideki again is enough.
"I waited for you for a long time, but you didn't show up until the show was over. Later, I heard that you seemed to be kept in the care of your grandfather. I came here without telling you. Such a huge house makes me feel a little weak in the knees... hehe..."
I don’t know what I was saying, or why I was laughing so foolishly, and I don’t know why tears fell after I said these words with a smile.
Maybe it’s because I was mentally relaxed, even my tear glands became relaxed, how terrible!
"Is it... to see me?"
"Uh..." I looked up and met Hideki's beautiful eyes. His warm hands were holding my small shoulders, so ambiguous... Is this guy's "skin hunger" acting up again?
My face turned red and I turned my eyes away embarrassedly.
"I don't know what happened to you, so..."
"Are you worried about me? Are you worried about me, so you ran to a strange place by yourself?"
"I'm not alone either." I stammered, "Senior Qingshui and the others brought me here..."
"So, what are you doing here, Duck?"
ah--
The boy with medium-length black hair, the one I like! You looked at me with such expectation that I felt shy even though the words were on my lips.
"I..." I mustered up my courage and finally said this sentence which had already become a fact but I had always denied it, "I want to tell you that I like you."
"I like Hideki!"
Tears welled up again. It was so strange. I had no tears at all even when my grandfather frightened me just now, but just because of this simple sentence, they welled up like a dam breaking.
"like me?"
"Hmm!" I raised my hands and covered my face hard.
It's so embarrassing. I don't want Hideki to see me like this, especially since I know my face will turn into a frog with swollen eyes if I cry.
I must be very ugly now! The eyeliner that Hasunuma carefully drew on me must have been smudged, and because of talking and nervousness, the shiny lip gloss was licked clean by me a long time ago. I must not look like the glamorous appearance that Hideki wanted to see tonight!
Saying these words to the boy I like makes me feel like I can't face him. My face is burning enough to bake cookies and my hands and feet are shaking.
Before Hideki proved it to me, I had already rushed to prove my feelings. I really like this person very much!
"Shh! Don't cry, stupid duck! It's not a bad thing, why are you crying?"
Hideki gently grabbed my shoulders and pulled me into his arms.
This was probably the first time I was so calmly embraced by this person! It was so strange, why did I struggle in his arms in the past? Why did I want to leave? This is clearly where I should be! Otherwise, why did I feel so warm, so warm that I wanted to close my eyes and lie in his arms forever?
"Because I thought I would never see you again. They said grandpa might let you study abroad. I thought I would never have the chance to tell you again, uh... Hideki..."
I stretched out my trembling hands and hugged the boy's warm waist tightly. My tears fell on his suit, and the expensive handmade suit was wet by me.
"Idiot! If that's the case, I'll stay for you even if I have to fight with Grandpa."
“Woo…”
I cried and hugged Xiushu with all my strength. Although my tears kept falling, I knew that what was flowing from the bottom of my heart was full of joy.
I like it very much. I like it very much. I really like Hideki.
I love it so much that my heart is twisted and aching, I love it so much that I can't control myself. I don't know what to do with this feeling.
"Duck Duck..." Hideki's warm lips fell on my forehead, "My Duck Duck——"
She kept murmuring to me, the same call she made to her mother, but the one coming from the boy I liked.
What a wonderful feeling, the feeling of liking each other. So sweet, just like the sweet and sour flower and fruit tea!
He brushed his hand across my forehead, kissed the tip of my nose, held my face in his hands, and looked at my face that was wet with tears.
Will he kiss me again?
However, just as I was thinking this, I heard the bang of the door opening again.
"The time for lovers is over!" Grandpa Oda's powerful voice rang out, scaring Hideki and me so much that we bounced two meters away.
"Grandpa, Grandpa!" It's rare that Hideki would stutter, but I guess I would stutter if I were asked to speak now!
"Pfft!" I looked at Hideki and laughed.
"Crying and laughing, puppy peeing." Hideki took the opportunity to complain about me again.
"Okay, okay!" Grandpa walked in and grabbed Hideki's hand. "Grandpa, I am still very open-minded, but now you two are still students, and this semester hasn't even ended yet, and that kid Hasunuma's gambling is still going on! Hideki, listen to me, from today on, your mission is to make the little girl study hard, and make sure she stays in Huanghua College in a year, do you hear me?"
If you were to see Grandpa puffing his beard and glaring at you at ordinary times, it would probably scare you to death! But now, Hideki and I just smiled at each other through Grandpa.
The fact that he was sent back to Huanghua College by the grandfather of the Oda family became a new rumor in Huanghua College the next day.
