Ch. 115.3 - And Thus, Shihou Chouko Takes a Step Forward Pt3
…
After climbing out of the courtyard, Chouko didn’t immediately leave with Harutaki. Instead, the two of them circled around and reentered Shihou Suishōen through the main gate, walking straight to the reception room without encountering any resistance along the way.
“So? You run away from home in rebellion, and yet you still have the nerve to come back and face me?”
Her great-grandmother sat behind the tea table, idly turning an empty teacup in her hands.
“I know I’ve made many mistakes before,” Chouko said. “But I want to try one more time. If you don’t fight, you won’t get hurt. If you don’t compete, you won’t fail… As long as you stay quietly at home like a bird in a cage, life will pass by peacefully. If you never do anything, then you’ll never make any mistakes—”
Chouko pressed both hands onto the tatami and lowered her head.
“—But I don’t want to become that kind of person. I don’t want to become that kind of boring adult! Everyone says that even if you try your hardest, you might still fail. But if you don’t try your hardest, you’ll never know whether you could have succeeded. I want to go to Tokyo. And I won’t abandon the responsibilities and duties that belong to me!”
“And when you fail again,” her great-grandmother asked coldly, “will you still be able to take responsibility?”
Her mother sat nearby, watching anxiously, as if she wanted to speak but couldn’t.
“What if the family cuts off your financial support?” the old woman continued. “No tuition. No rent. None of your living expenses. Would you still be able to bear the weight of pursuing the future you desire?”
“I can—”
“Wait!”
For the first time, Chouko raised her voice sharply to stop Harutaki. The confused look in his eyes and the troubled expression on his face made her chest ache.
But still—
“At a time like this, I refuse to keep relying on Harutaki’s sacrifices! If Harutaki wants to take responsibility for me, then he can find a better moment—prepare a proper confession and proposal ceremony! Even on my own, I can keep moving forward!”
She turned back to her great-grandmother.
“If I have no money, I’ll rent a smaller apartment. I’m ranked in the top ten of my grade at Nichiya High, so plenty of people would hire me as a tutor…”
As she spoke, she couldn’t help smiling mischievously.
“…And I should thank you and Mom for raising me so well. The education I received at home was the best there is. If I teach tea ceremony, flower arrangement, or calligraphy, I can make plenty of money too.”
“I could make sure no one dares hire you.”
How tyrannical…
But—
Chouko glanced at the silent Harutaki beside her and smiled meaningfully.
“Then I’ll just move into Harutaki’s place and sleep with him every night as payment for room and board.”
“Pff—cough—cough, cough!”
Harutaki immediately choked on his water, covering his mouth as he coughed violently.
So Harutaki can make that kind of cute reaction too, she thought.