My System Always Wants to Force Me to Confess-Chapter 541 - 533: Heaved a Sigh of Relief

"Shirakawa... are you together with Department Director Tsukimi?" Tachibana Tomoku whispered, "If you weren’t, her clothes wouldn’t be among your luggage... and you wouldn’t have hesitated when she called you..."

"Actually, I’ve always thought Shirakawa is amazing, possessing a courage that I’ve always lacked, and I’ve always admired you... The same goes for Department Director Tsukimi, two people I admire are together, but I just can’t feel happy about it..."

Xiao Mo lifted her head seriously and said, "Last night, I couldn’t sleep at all; I was afraid that if I fell asleep, everything I worried about would become reality, so I had to deceive myself like this... As long as Shirakawa and Department Director Tsukimi don’t say it out loud, I will pretend I don’t know."

"I guess I’m no longer a good child like this..." Xiao Mo lowered her eyes again, her eyelashes fluttering, "When I was little, Mom told me to be obedient, sensible, not to trouble others, so others would like me."

"Mom said so, Dad said so, and so did friends, teachers around me. I think, if everyone thinks so about one thing, there must be some truth to it, right?"

"So, I started being obedient and not troubling others. Even if I was bullied, as long as I met adults’ expectations by saying, ’It’s okay, I forgive you,’ I would get praised as a good child... Even if occasionally I didn’t want to forgive, adults wouldn’t think about why; they would just feel I was not obedient, and all the praise I had received seemed fake and vanished."

"As long as a bad child stops and does something good, others will like them again, no matter how disobedient they were before. But if a good child someday just stops following others’ expectations, no one will like them anymore."

"I was always so afraid before, that if Shirakawa saw my bad side, my mean side, he would think the former me was all pretence and wouldn’t like me anymore... So I never dared to ask about you and Department Director Tsukimi..."

Xiao Mo paused, then softly added, "But later on, I thought... If Shirakawa is truly the one destined for me, he will accept the imperfect me, the one who can’t always be a good child... He would tell me something like, ’It’s been tough being a good child all this time, now you can be willful with me.’

"I don’t want others to like me, I just want you to like me."

"I like you, Shirakawa. Even knowing you may be with Department Director Tsukimi, I still like you." Xiao Mo lifted her head to gaze firmly but shyly, "In the whole world, I like you the most."

"Shirakawa?"

"Are you the one... destined for me?"

Shirakawa Sawahei smiled gently. The wooden ema in his hand swung behind the girl with his movement, enveloping Xiao Mo in a hug, in the shrine witnessing the girl’s growth from childhood to the graceful young woman she is now, he softly replied.

"I am."

"You’ve worked so hard being a good child all this time, now you can be willful with me."

Tachibana Tomoku’s eyes curved into arcs, and her small face buried in Shirakawa Sawahei’s chest wore a cute and satisfied smile.

The happiest thing in the world is when the one you like just happens to like you too.

"Were you about to help me hang my wish plaque?"

"Yeah... but it was a bit too high..."

"Let me help..."

"Sure... Hang mine up there too..."

"Isn’t yours ’great fortune’?"

"I want to hang mine with Shirakawa’s, so the gods might see your troubles more easily."

If not, at least my luck can counteract it.

Without any suspicion, Shirakawa Sawahei reached out to hang the wish plaques on the high branch, waiting for the tree to grow, taking the message to the distant gods.

Tachibana Tomoku looked at the sky, her little hand tightly holding onto another warm hand, with satisfaction in her eyes.

This was good.

She lightly pinched her waist, and upon realizing it wasn’t a dream, she blushed and was about to let go of Shirakawa Sawahei’s hand. But how could the sly man let go of the little lamb in his hands? He held on tight, not allowing her to escape, and then slowly led her back the way they came. The vegetation by the shrine path was still ever-green and vibrant, and as the two passed through the torii gate, Tachibana Tomoku hastily withdrew her hand and bowed with palms joined to the shrine.

Shirakawa Sawahei mimicked her and followed suit, and as they continued walking, they unconsciously leaned in closer while talking.

He should have kissed her just now... Just hugging seems a bit lacking... Shirakawa Sawahei felt a bit regretful for not doing well just now, partly because he was moved by Xiao Mo’s words, and partly because he was still a bit nervous himself.

This was already the fourth confession... If he were still nervous, it would be inexcusable... If that doesn’t work, maybe for the next young girl, I’ll skip the confessions?

Hmm, good idea.

"Uh... Shirakawa?"

"Still calling me Shirakawa?" 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Then... Mr. Shirakawa?" Tachibana covered her face bashfully, "This feels a bit embarrassing... I’ll gradually change it later..."

"Really? I feel like calling you Xiao Mo is easy."

"..."

Even after the confession, Xiao Mo’s tendency to blush wasn’t cured. Seeing the only learning princess she managed to pursue almost self-combust, Shirakawa Sawahei had to helplessly say, "Alright, alright, I’ll still call you Tachibana for now..."

"But you must promise me, to change it in the future."

"Okay."

The two continued walking for a while, and Tachibana noticed the question she wanted to ask was interrupted earlier, turning and saying, "Shirakawa?"

"Hmm?"

The girl stopped, her eyes showing a bit of unease, hooking her little finger and softly saying, "That... Department Director Tsukimi..."

Shirakawa Sawahei: "..."

Alright then, there’s no dodging this calamity... It’s truly too much to expect Xiao Mo to be bad once and for all, it’s simply impossible.

Thus, Shirakawa Sawahei also stopped and turned, choosing his words carefully, "Tsukimi did confess to me..."

Tachibana Tomoku gently clenched the hem of her clothes.

"Also Ise Yu, she confessed to me before too."

Xiao Mo: "..."

"Furthermore Hayakawa Kashi... I also confessed to her..."

"So... so..."

The girl’s voice trembled uncontrollably; she had imagined competing with Tsukimi Sakurazawa but had not thought it involved so many people.

"So... I don’t plan to give up on any of you, including you, I will not let go of any."

"I like all of you. In simple terms... I’m what everyone calls a scumbag..."

After Shirakawa Sawahei said this, he looked nervously at Xiao Mo, only to see Tachibana Tomoku quietly exhale at this statement fit to transform someone into a "Chaidou Hime".

Hmm? Exhaled a sigh of relief?