Peach-Orange! – Chapter 212 – Liking Isn’t About Obedience, But Initiative

For over a month, Su Tao had almost completely shut herself off, lingering in the past and her memories.

Of course, she had thought about many things.

Including, but not limited to: Chi Xiaocheng not dying, her still being alive and waking up, herself being the one who died, or even accepting the yandere version of Xiaocheng much earlier.

Originally, she had faced many choices, like playing a lighthearted galgame.

She could have closed her eyes and picked randomly, skipped through the dialogue, and as long as she was aiming to romance the heroine Xiaocheng, she could have easily reached the perfect ending.

But reality was different. Faced with countless choices, she had picked the wrong one every single time.

And then triggered the Bad Ending that only a tiny fraction of players would ever see.

What would she do if Xiaocheng came back to life?

She had dreamed of Chi Xiaocheng coming back to life, and through the advice and scolding of others, she had gradually come to understand: if Xiaocheng really did wake up—

She would confess to her!

Be with her!

This was what Xiaocheng had wanted most before her death, her final wish. Only by fulfilling this would she not immediately turn into a full-fledged yandere.

But what about after the confession?

Su Tao hadn’t thought that far ahead.

Because Chi Xiaocheng coming back to life was already the best news possible for her. How could she spare the energy to imagine anything beyond that?

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Yet Chengcheng had dragged the thoughts she had been subconsciously avoiding out into the open.

Those dark eyes glancing at her were unfathomably deep. For a moment, Su Tao even hallucinated that they were Chi Xiaocheng’s crimson ones.

Seeing Su Tao silent and lost in thought, Chengcheng asked teasingly, “Did you not think it through again? Don’t know what to do?”

Su Tao took a deep breath at her words. “No!”

Her gaze grew firm, and she clenched her fists. “No matter what, I’ll stand by Xiaocheng’s side. If she becomes even more yandere, then I’ll accept that part of her and love her for it!”

This declaration surprised Chengcheng. “That’s quite the resolve.”

Su Tao exhaled. “I’ve made enough mistakes because of my hesitation and avoidance. I don’t want to repeat them. Even if the road ahead is hard, I’ll force myself to adapt and get used to it.”

She didn’t want to disappoint her again.

Chengcheng took a small sip of water, her eyes flickering to Su Tao’s hands, which were trembling slightly where they rested on her sweatpants-clad thighs.

It was clear that saying these words had taken all her courage, and in a short time, she had steeled herself mentally.

If Chi Xiaocheng really did become even more obsessive after waking up—

Then she would accept that obsession too.

After a pause, Su Tao turned to her friend. “Chengcheng, you’ve also studied yanderes. If you were Xiaocheng—”

Su Tao didn’t notice Chengcheng’s hand twitching.

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“—if you put yourself in her shoes, how would you react to an answer like mine?”

Chengcheng thought for a moment, taking a tactical sip of water. “I’d feel a little relieved, but not particularly happy or excited.”

Su Tao was taken aback. “Why?”

Chengcheng explained, “First, I’m not Xiaocheng. I don’t know how she’d think.

“Second, from my personal perspective, the relief would come from the fact that you’ve finally stopped running away and are facing things head-on, even if you’re only doing it because you’re pressuring yourself.

“But I wouldn’t feel particularly happy because your confession, your acceptance of her yandere side… none of it comes from your own heart.

“It’s born from external pressure, or a sense of obligation.”

Chengcheng set her cup down and looked at Su Tao. “You want to confess after Xiaocheng wakes up because her dying wish was to truly be with you, right? After all, you said you two argued about it right before she died.

“And accepting her yandere side is just your last resort. You don’t know what else to do, and you can’t defy her.

“It’s not because you’ve realized the key point: ‘Her yandere side exists for me, so I should love that part of her too.’

“Tao-Tao, putting yourself in her shoes is necessary, but in your future together, you can’t just blindly obey her. Understand?”

Su Tao lowered her head at these words, biting her lip slightly.

If she were to speak from the deepest part of her heart—

She did like Chi Xiaocheng. That much was absolutely true.

Unlike the tangled sisterly affection of the past, this feeling even transcended gender. She enjoyed the way she felt when she was with Xiaocheng, loved it when the other girl clung to her and affectionately called her “Tao-Tao.”

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After Chi Xiaocheng’s death, through one dream after another, she had become certain that this was what she understood as romantic love.

But it was also undeniable that Chi Xiaocheng had put a lot of pressure on her.

Compared to all the other emotions and thoughts, this “like” was only partial.

Just like the status glasses showed, her affection for Chi Xiaocheng was only around 65.

Even if she confessed after Xiaocheng woke up, “liking” her would only be part of the reason. The bigger motivation would likely be because Chi Xiaocheng “expected” her to do so.

The words struck her like a wake-up call.

But even after waking up, Su Tao didn’t know how to change things right away.

At this point, Chengcheng glanced at her and asked, “Your silence means I hit the mark, doesn’t it?”

With no outsiders around, Su Tao nodded dejectedly. “At least… mostly right.”

Chengcheng sighed. “You… it’s because you’ve never truly lost her that you’re stuck in this contradiction.”

Su Tao pouted. “I’ve already lost her twice.”

Chengcheng shook her head. “You know that’s not the kind of loss I’m talking about.”

Su Tao fell silent again.

Who knew what she was thinking about?

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It’s always harder to figure things out alone.

People can’t teach you lessons, only experience can.

But in the end, it all boiled down to one thing:

Chi Xiaocheng just wanted Su Tao to like her more.

To look at her and care about her a little more, to fill the void in her sense of security.

After a long while, Chengcheng glanced at the clock on the wall. Seeing that Su Tao still hadn’t reached any epiphany, she stood up. “Think it over yourself. I’ll head out first.”

“Eh?”

Su Tao stood up too. “Leaving so soon? I was planning to treat you to lunch.”

Chengcheng shrugged. “Given your current state, I doubt you’re in the mood for a proper meal, are you?”

“Actually, I’m waiting for a friend. An old friend I was really close to, though we haven’t seen each other in a while. I wanted to introduce you two. I think you’d get along.”

Chengcheng narrowed her eyes at this. “Really close?”

“Yeah, a friend from middle school. She helped me out at the birthday banquet last time, so I wanted to properly thank her over lunch.”

Chengcheng checked the time again. She still had an hour and a half before she had to return.

So she sat back down casually. “In that case, I’m not in a hurry anymore. You know how much I love making friends.”