Chapter 10: Gaining Grandpa Oda's Approval 3
When I got out of the stretched Lincoln, I heard screams one after another.
Especially when the popular Oda Hideki opened the door for me personally, and the person I was holding hands with as I got out of the car was the old patriarch of the Oda family.
Senior Hasunuma later said that it was essentially an admission that "you are Hideki's future partner."
As if by magic, the past criticisms and confrontations disappeared overnight. Although there were still occasional hostile looks, no one dared to provoke me in person anymore.
"If I provoke you now, I will be disrespecting the Oda family. The Oda family is not a family that can be easily provoked. If things go wrong, we will lose everything we have now."
A few days later, at lunch time, the eldest lady said this to me while eating her favorite noodles with soybean paste.
"No, not really. It's just something between us kids..."
"That grandpa is called an evil ghost by outsiders!" The eldest lady laughed.
"But I think Grandpa is a very good person. The day he sent me back, he told Hideki, 'Let Grandpa help you solve your problems.'"
"Hehe, that old man is the one who will go to our shrine to perform the cursed dance!"
"Ah? Really? What's going on?"
"It's better for Xiao Liu not to know...those old guys are so weird!" The legendary radio girl laughed triumphantly.
"Hey, you're lying..." As soon as I finished saying this, I saw the eldest lady's face change. Not only that, she picked up the plate and tried to slip away.
"Where are you going, Miss?"
"Shh! Don't call me, that annoying guy is here again, I have to run away quickly." The eldest lady pursed her lips, I looked over there and found that it was senior Hasumi who was looking around.
"I'm getting so annoyed by him lately! Please don't betray me and tell him which way I'm going!" The young lady warned me as she ran away - pfft, no one will believe it if I tell others! Miss Seta, who was avoided by others like a virus, would also avoid Ren Jianxi like avoiding a virus.
As soon as the young lady ran out of the side door, seniors Hasumi and Shimizu came in front of me.
"Hey! Why are you alone here, Xiaoliu? Where's Atsuhime?" Senior Hasumi asked me with a puzzled look on his face.
"I, I can't tell you!" Actually, I really wanted to say it. To be honest, I was really moved by Senior Hasumi's deep affection for the young lady, but Atsuhime is also my good friend, and I can't betray my good friend!
"It seems that she escaped again. Tell me which way she went?" Lian Jian's senior looked clear-headed. It was obvious that the young lady had been hiding from him for a while.
"No." Although I said this, my eyes were looking sideways at the side door.
"Thank you!" Senior Hasumi patted Senior Qingshui on the shoulder, "Yang, I'll go after her!"
Senior Hasumi ran out quickly, but Senior Shimizu sat down in front of me. Our relationship has become much closer these days.
I was eating and chatting with my senior about random things, and occasionally classmates passing by would cast curious glances at me.
Now almost everyone knows that I’m dating Hideki, so it must be confusing for people to be with Shimizu-senpai so naturally!
Just as I was thinking this, Senior Qingshui suddenly said something.
"Actually, that day, I wanted to grab Xiao Liu and not let you go to Xiu Shu no matter how you struggled—"
"Where did I start..." I even forgot to eat the noodles I picked up and stared at my senior blankly.
"Because I feel like I won't meet a girl like you again! You have a strong heart hidden in your small body. When Hideki didn't show up, I wanted to say something bad about that guy, so I might as well trick you into my hands. Anyway, that guy can find someone else even without you, but it's not that easy for me to be interested in someone else! Thinking of this, I feel like I should keep you and never give you to anyone else..."
"Uh..." I had no idea how to respond to Senior Shimizu's sudden words, and could only make a dull sound.
"But if that happens, Xiao Liu will definitely not be happy! When standing next to you, there is an angle you can't imagine. Xiao Liu's eyes are looking at Oda Hideki, and his heart is also thinking about Oda Hideki. If compared with that guy, there is no way he can win. Even if he really keeps you, the name of the person in your heart will never become Qingshui Yang."
"S-sorry!" I was such an idiot that I didn't even realize how Shimizu-senpai felt.
"There's nothing to apologize for about this! If you stay with me but think about someone else, you need to apologize to me. I just want to say it. My mother once told me that no matter whether it's flower arranging or tea ceremony, once you start, you have to be serious to the end and never give up halfway. Now... it's all over! And Amakusa said that I will meet my destined person again."
Senior Shimizu said this, with his arms spread wide as if flying, a dazzling smile blooming on the corners of his mouth.
"Actually, I came here to tell you that Hideki is waiting for you at his apartment. He said he has something to tell you."
"I, I'll go right away!" I quickly cleaned up the dishes, said goodbye to Senior Shimizu, and hurried to Hideki's detached house.
I hope that Senior Shimizu can find another special person, the "destined one" as soon as possible!
Standing outside the iron gate carved with roses again, I calmed myself down before walking in.
"Hideki...Hideki?" That's strange, why does he seem to be away?
"I saw you here for the first time, Yaya!" Hideki appeared behind me and hugged me suddenly. I was startled, and then relaxed and nestled in his arms.
"At that time, you looked like a little lamb that had strayed into a restricted area!"
"You, you called me here just to talk about this?" I stammered and lowered my head.
"No." Xiushu turned me around, so that I was facing him, and gently lifted my chin. "I wanted to tell you what I wanted to tell you that night at Huanghua College. I wanted to tell you on the way back, but grandpa said too much."
Based on the principle that "children should study hard during their study period", on the way back that day, my grandfather kept talking to me and Hideki didn't even have a chance to interrupt.
"Yang told me that he had told you some things about my family, but there are some things I still want to tell you in person." Hideki said gently.
He has changed a lot since we confessed our love to each other. Recently, when we do homework together every day, although he still sometimes calls me stupid and hits my head with a pen, he feels so gentle.
"Would you like to listen, Duck?"
"Yeah." I nodded. No matter what Hideki wanted to say, I would listen carefully.
"I was born as a substitute for my eldest brother, and everyone paid attention to my eldest brother. My father died very early due to poor health. Maybe because my eldest brother looked like my father, my mother paid more attention to him."
Hideki's body was trembling slightly. I reached out to hold his hand, but he held my hand in return, drawing strength from me to continue talking.
"I don't know since when, everyone's attitude towards me became indifferent, so I began to think that even if it was just hypocrisy or lies, as long as people noticed me, it would be fine. Later, until you told me that you hated me, I realized that hypocrisy was not enough. I also wanted to be cared for, to be cared for like a duck."
Hideki held my hand tightly, and I felt a little pain, but I still endured it. I know that Hideki now needs to rely on this kind of strength to talk about the past.
Just like what Senior Shimizu said, only after we truly say goodbye can we start over.
“The me who is excellent and optimistic in the eyes of others is not the real me. It is just a mask I put on to escape everything. I am afraid that the real me cannot get the attention and love of others, but I forget that the attention and love I get because of that false mask do not really belong to me in the first place.”
"You make me feel like I have nothing, Yaya. I found that only in front of you, I don't need to cover up or hide. I don't care how others treat me. I just want to have you, want to protect you, and make you smile happily."
"I like you, Yaya!" Xiushu looked up, staring at me with deep eyes, his eyes full of affection, "I like you so much."
"I always feel that if you like me, I will have the confidence to face everything, even the self that I have never dared to face. If it is for you, I am willing to fight and change..."
Hideki's whispers lingered in my ears. His hot breath sprayed on the skin of my neck and face. I knew I was crying again, moved by him.
There is such an excellent boy who said he liked me and wanted to protect me, even when he himself didn't understand himself. Being needed like this, what a happy thing it is!
Unconsciously, my hands climbed onto Xiushu's shoulders. Will this strong shoulder carry my dreams and love in the future? I don't know such a distant thing, but I know that the temperature of this body makes me obsessed.
Hideki looked at me quietly and wiped the tears from my face. His movements were serious and gentle, as if he was treating a priceless treasure.
Suddenly, he hugged me tightly, with my head on his shoulder and my body pressed tightly against his chest.
I don't know how long it was, but when I felt it was becoming difficult to breathe, he suddenly pushed me away, and then a kiss as light as a feather fell on my lips.
Something in my heart seemed to float and slowly rise with this kiss.
The last flower was inserted, completing the flower arrangement bonsai named Love between Duck and Wolf.
Leaning softly on Hideki's chest, something unexpected happened - Hideki suddenly fell on the red sofa.
"Oh, it's too bad that I'm going to be weak over something like this!"
The tense mood caused by his actions suddenly relaxed and I burst out laughing.
“You, you…”
"I have weaknesses too. Right now, Oda Hideki's weakness is Oshima Ryu!"
Hideki complained like a spoiled child, burying his head on my shoulder.
This feeling is just like being pampered by a large canine, it's totally irresistible.
"Don't, don't talk nonsense, it's not because of me!" I pushed his head, but Xiu Shu fell on my legs and used my thigh as a pillow, "Get up quickly!"
"I have no strength. Because of you, Stupid Duck, I have become the weak Oda Hideki." Hideki actually started to act like a spoiled child.
"That's enough, really!" I couldn't stand it anymore and slapped Hideki, but he grabbed my wrist.
"Hasunuma is too much. He actually acted with grandpa and plotted against us." Hideki suddenly became serious.
I nodded: "But he also has his own purpose!"
Even though Hasunuma did that with Grandpa, it is thanks to him that we are able to be together.
"Well, I never paid attention to that guy's goal before, thinking that he was just helping out a friend. But now that he has included you and me, I think it's necessary to find out..."
When Hideki said this, his eyes sparkled, and he looked like the Big Bad Wolf again - it seems that Hasunuma is going to be in trouble! Because my Hideki is a very scary guy when he is serious!
"I decided to find an opportunity to plot against him. But, stupid duck, you have to tell me first, your liking for me has nothing to do with being plotted against, right?"
"Hey? Why do you think so? Of course it doesn't matter!"
"Stupid, I just want to hear you say you like me!"
“Eh? Ah…”
I blushed. How could this guy still be such a scoundrel? I want to take back what I said before that I thought he had changed his attitude towards me!
"I...I like you..."
Under that guy's aggressive behavior, I had no choice but to confess my feelings to him once again!
But... there are also gains.
"I like you, Duck."
The smiling black-haired boy spoke sweet words softly. He will probably be by my side every day in the future.
But how should I tell my dad about this?
Ahhh... a new challenge has arrived!
