Peach-Orange! – Chapter 345 – Love, From Beginning to End

“Tao-Tao had transferred to my class some time before.

“She was neat, clean, so pretty, with her hair tied up high, smelling so nice. On her first test, she scored first in the entire class.

“Loved by many, often praised by the teachers… how wonderful….

“But I also knew that someone as ‘high and mighty’ as her was nothing like me, a little mouse who was always bullied and only dared to hide in dark corners.

“It was like heaven and earth. We could never intersect.

“But then, no matter how I hid, she always seemed to find me.

“When I was being bullied again, she appeared by my side, reaching out her hand to me, saying she would protect me from then on.”

The girl let out a long sigh. “Back then, she took me back to her little rundown house, gave me a bath, combed my hair, even gave me a little hairpin. At night, she took me to the street and bought me candy.

“So happy… I felt like the protagonist of a story.

“From that moment on, we leaned on each other. Even though I was still bullied when I was with her, she would protect me again and again.

“Though I caused her a lot of trouble, she never resented me, never abandoned me. She wiped my tears and said she would protect me forever, stay with me always.

“I can’t quite describe what that feeling was like, but every time she hugged me, I loved burying my face in her hair.

“And then I’d think… she smelled so nice.”

As the girl poured out her heart, sentence by sentence, the little light sphere finally felt for the first time that the person who had died over forty times without giving up was, in truth, just an ordinary girl.

In the original novel, she was just a side character who died early on.

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The little light sphere could understand why, after staying by Su Tao’s side and being protected by her, the girl had actually suffered even more.

Staying close to the protagonist meant all sorts of unexpected things would happen.

But all those unexpected things had also been shielded by this protagonist.

The girl continued, “I don’t know when my feelings started to change.”

“Maybe it was as I grew older, or maybe because Tao-Tao secretly took me to watch some TV dramas. Or maybe it was just girls maturing early?

“I realized I kind of liked her.

“I didn’t know if it was that kind of ‘like,’ but being around her was comfortable, enjoyable, reassuring, and happy.

“Those romance dramas said this was love.

“And Tao-Tao would imitate the people on TV, saying she wanted to be with me forever.

“I believed it. And I was sure that maybe… I had fallen for her.”

The girl blushed slightly, scratching her cheek with her index finger in embarrassment. “Actually, back then, I even secretly kissed Tao-Tao once while she was asleep. Must’ve been in seventh grade? I forgot.

“Soft, sweet, with a faint peachy taste I can’t describe. I loved it… I couldn’t get enough.

“But after almost getting caught once, I didn’t dare do it again.

“Then, in middle school, the biology textbook said girls were supposed to end up with boys.”

The girl’s expression turned puzzled. “That’s weird, right? Girls are supposed to be with boys?!

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“I agonized over it for a while, afraid that if I was strange like this, Tao-Tao wouldn’t like me anymore. So I hid this ‘like’ deep in my heart.

“And this vague, fluttering feeling stayed hidden for years.

“By the time I realized it, I found I couldn’t leave her at all.

“Until after high school, when she accidentally met Ye Liang.

The girl’s voice grew quiet. “From then on, it felt like everything changed.

“You already know what happened next, don’t you, little light sphere?”

The little light sphere nodded. “Because the main storyline began. Your Su Tao’s self-awareness, after meeting one of the male leads, started being influenced by the will of the world.”

That argument was the beginning of all the conflict and strife.

The girl sighed deeply. “It’s been so long since I left Tao-Tao now… forty-something times?

“Forty-something sets of four months?”

Her sense of time had blurred. She just kept repeating that day, praying for some new turning point.

But now, she felt like she was barely holding on.

It was too lonely.

She wanted someone with her.

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Wanted someone to talk to.

Anyone would do. Even just a little encouragement, anything to keep her from being alone in this pure white space every time.

The little light sphere was someone to talk to, but it had no physical form, wasn’t human, and had no warmth.

Sometimes, the girl would reflect on herself. “Little light sphere, do you think it’s because I’m too weak that I’ve made no progress?”

The little light sphere was silent for a moment. “You’re the strongest girl I’ve ever met.”

“Thanks for the praise.” The girl smiled faintly. “But if there were a smarter Chi Xiaocheng, a better Chi Xiaocheng, maybe things wouldn’t have turned out like this?”

But she was herself. No one could replace her.

Having spoken her mind, the girl felt a little better.

After thinking it over, she stepped through that door again.

And then, failure after failure.

Even if she endured the loneliness, not seeking out Su Tao for the entire four months, leaving the city entirely… she would still die by some accident on December 25th.

That was an even deeper despair.

She didn’t even have the chance to survive.

The 50th time.

She returned to this space. The conversation she’d had with the little light sphere earlier felt like a last flicker of light.

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Now, the willpower driving her forward was growing weaker and weaker.

The girl made a request of the little light sphere. “Little light sphere… can you create someone to keep me company? Just for a little while. I’m afraid… I’m afraid I can’t hold on anymore.

“I don’t want to give up on Tao-Tao.…

“But… it hurts so much.…”

She hugged her knees, curling up on the ground. Sobs escaped her, tears blurring her vision.

The little light sphere was silent for a long time. “If it’s just an illusion generated within this space, centered on your consciousness… I can barely manage that now.”

It stopped speaking.

From the floating screens representing memories, black butterflies emerged.

Dozens of butterflies gradually gathered, forming a black evening gown… and then a girl who looked exactly like her, though her expression was somewhat vacant.

High heels clicked against the floor, a black rose pinned in her hair.

Tapping the ground lightly with her toes, the dark-gowned Xiaocheng floated slowly behind the girl, wrapping her arms around her and holding her tight.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

Translator Note

Here’s a long overdue art