Tokyo Sick Girlfriend

Chapter 109 Takahashi? Shiratori!
"what?"

Takahashi Isao's eyelids twitched suddenly, wondering if he had misheard. He glanced at Rei, who was standing dumbfounded at the kitchen door, and then turned back to Mio to ask again.

"I said."

Looking directly into her father's eyes, Mio Takahashi said, word by word:

"I came back this time to tell you that I have decided to become an actor."

As she spoke, without looking at Takahashi Isao, she took a stack of scripts she had been practicing recently from her handbag, placed them on the table, and pushed them in front of him, saying:
"This is the script for the drama I'm going to act in. Filming is scheduled to start around December, and it should be released by the end of January next year."

Having finally said the most important thing, Mio Takahashi felt inexplicably calm, and her tone returned to normal:
"Because this matter is quite important, I came back specifically to tell you about it."

With each word Mio Takahashi spoke, Isao Takahashi's face grew increasingly grim, eventually becoming as dark and somber as a swamp.

"..."

A heavy silence fell over the air, the atmosphere becoming oppressive and heavy, as if a dark cloud was gathering between the two, making them feel dizzy, suffocated, and unable to breathe.

'Boom! '

Suddenly, Takahashi Isao slammed his hand on the wooden table and stared wide-eyed at the girl sitting on the sofa on the other side.

Mio Takahashi's heart skipped a beat, and her shoulders instinctively tightened. But then she snapped back to reality, clenched her fists, raised her eyes to look directly at her father, and asked in a trembling voice:

"What's wrong, Father? Aren't you happy for me?"

‘Dong-dong-dong! ’

These words seemed to ignite the anger in Takahashi Isao's heart. He slammed his fist on the table and said sternly:

"I think you are crazy!"

"Didn't I tell you since you were little to stay away from that circle?! How come you've forgotten who you are after just two days in college? Do you even know what you're saying?!"

As he spoke, Takahashi Isao suddenly stood up, staring down at his daughter with wide eyes.

Seeing this, Takahashi Mio bit her lip, then stood up without flinching, and said earnestly:
“I know exactly what I’m saying, and I know very well that my surname is Takahashi.”

"I don't understand. You clearly enjoy watching TV dramas, so why don't you want your daughter to become a star?"

"Why? Because your surname is Takahashi! You're my daughter, that's family rule, understand?"

"What family precepts? I don't know any? Then why can Sister Weixi become a model, but Uncle didn't react as strongly as you?"

"Takahashi Miki? Ha!"

As if he had thought of something, Takahashi Isao sneered, raised his chin, and cursed mercilessly:
"Don't you see what kind of person she is now? Does she even resemble a human being anymore? Has she made a name for herself? She's neither human nor ghost, no different from trash!"

Upon hearing his words, Takahashi Mio took a deep breath, her eyes sharpening as she shouted:
"For my own good? You know perfectly well that I've dreamed of being an actor and a star since I was a child. You say it's for my own good, but you won't even give me a chance to try. You're only thinking of yourself! Do you even consider me a person? You're clearly prejudiced against this industry, so you want to control others so they won't become actors! You won't even give me a chance to try. You're the truly selfish one!"

"Bastard!"

Takahashi Isao's eyes turned red with anger, and he raised his hand to slap...

Seeing this, Mio Takahashi did not avoid it. She closed her eyes, raised her face, and seemed to have expected this scene.

"enough!"

Mrs. Takahashi called out, then rushed over, grabbed her husband's arm, and turned to look at her daughter, unable to help but say:
"Mio! What are you saying? Apologize to Daddy right now."

Hearing her mother's trembling voice, Takahashi Mio opened her eyes, looked at her mother blocking her way and her father's arms frozen in mid-air, and swallowed hard.

"There's nothing to apologize for. I didn't come back to discuss anything with you..."

"Furthermore, Father, you just said that I'm not allowed to be an actor, which is a family rule of the Takahashi family, right?"

As she spoke, Mio Takahashi reached into her handbag, pulled out two documents, and slammed them onto the table.

'Boom! '

She stared intently into Takahashi Isao's eyes and said:

"A woman should follow her husband wherever he goes, whether he's a chicken or a dog, that's what you said, Father, isn't it?"

“I’m married now, and I don’t have the surname Takahashi anymore, so that doesn’t apply to me anymore, right? So what’s wrong with me directing a script written by my husband?”

"?"

As soon as Mio Takahashi finished speaking, the Takahashi couple looked at the documents on the table at the same time, and the bright, large characters at the top made them freeze in place.

[Marriage Application Form]

Husband: Seiya Shiratori; Wife: Mio Takahashi

【…】

[Both parties confirmed their shared surname after marriage: Shiratori...]

A silence fell over the air.

Looking at the contents of the marriage certificate and the individual seals of both parties, Takahashi Isao's anger vanished without a trace, as if he had lost all his strength, and his large hand slipped out of the air.

'Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong...'

Suddenly, a series of crisp doorbell rings broke the silence from the entrance hall.

Takahashi Isao felt his mouth go dry, and stiffly turned to look at his daughter, asking, "When did this happen?"

Mio Takahashi glanced at her father, grabbed the marriage certificate, pointed to the date on it, and held it up to him, saying:
"Isn't it clearly written above? Yesterday."

She paused, then placed the commemorative doll she had given her as a wedding gift on the table and continued:

"The acceptance certificate is with Qingzai. This is a copy I prepared in advance. If you want to see it, I can get it for you later..."

Upon receiving the marriage certificate, Takahashi Isao immediately pressed his face against it, staring intently at it, especially scrutinizing the photo of Shiratori Seiya for a long time.

'Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong...'

A series of doorbell rings rang again at an inopportune moment, and Reie Takahashi realized what was happening and said:
"I'll open the door."

Reie Takahashi was in a state of utter confusion. She quickly walked to the entrance without looking through the peephole to see who it was, and flung the door open, saying directly:

"Excuse me, I have some things to take care of at home today. Could you please help me?"

Before she could finish her refusal, she saw a stranger's face.

Reie Takahashi was taken aback for a moment, then saw the boy in front of her smile at her:
"I'm so sorry to bother you. My name is Shiratori Seiya, and I'm Mio's..."

Before he could utter the word 'friend,' he saw Mrs. Takahashi frown and ask:
"You are Shiratori Seiya?"

"what……"

Shiratori Seiya was taken aback.

Has Mio already told her family about herself? Or did she tell Takahashi Miki after they met last time?
With these thoughts in mind, he smiled politely and nodded, saying:
"Ah, it's me."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Takahashi opened her mouth, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated, and then looked him up and down carefully with a complicated expression.

Looking into the boy's clear eyes and his polite demeanor, Mrs. Takahashi nodded slightly.

He seems to be fairly honest.

Was it because he knew Mio was coming back alone, so he was worried and came along?

After briefly considering the reason for the visit, Mrs. Takahashi felt a little better, realizing that the child seemed to care about her daughter. She stepped aside and said softly:

"You come in first."

Upon hearing this, Shiratori Seiya was taken aback, feeling somewhat puzzled.

Before she could even explain anything, Mio's mother let her in.
What exactly did Mio say?
I sensed something was wrong, but I didn't ask any further questions. I simply bowed slightly and thanked them.

"excuse me."

After changing his shoes upon entering, Shiratori Seiya followed Mrs. Takahashi into the living room, first observing the situation there.

Seeing the father and daughter standing opposite each other, and the silent, oppressive atmosphere between them, he had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

Did they really say it after all?
But then, looking at Mio Takahashi's composed profile and the way her father was looking at something, he felt something was off.

At least this is completely different from the scenario I had envisioned.

Based on Mio's previous description of her father, if he had actually told her about this, he would have at least been furious, slapped her, severed their father-daughter relationship, and locked her in a room to reflect on her actions. At the very least, the situation would have been tense and hostile.

But now it seems that Takahashi Isao has gone silent?
On the contrary, Mio seemed to have victory in her grasp...

Could it be that things aren't as serious as she claims?

Just as he was thinking about these things, Mio Takahashi noticed him out of the corner of her eye and felt that the other person's figure was somewhat familiar.

She turned her head and saw something; her pupils constricted sharply, and she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise:
"Kiyoshi? What brings you here?"

"I……"

Just as Shiratori Seiya was about to answer, Takahashi Isao, standing next to Mio, turned his face towards him instantly, like a vulture that had smelled blood.

"Ok?"

He tossed the marriage certificate aside, glared at him with hostility, and said coldly:
"You are Shiratori Seiya?"

It seemed that Takahashi Isao did it on purpose; the marriage token floated in the air and finally landed at Shiratori Seiya's feet.

"Ah, it's me."

Shiratori Seiya responded, his gaze shifting to the documents at his feet. He bent down and picked them up.

[Marriage Industry]

When he saw the three large characters at the top of the document, he felt his mouth go dry and subconsciously swallowed.

His gaze shifted downwards, and when he saw his own name in the 'husband' column, his mind went blank for a moment. Then, he couldn't help but look up at the girl standing two meters away from him.

Sensing the tense atmosphere before him, he roughly understood what was going on.

Meeting his gaze, Takahashi Mio showed no sign of nervousness. Instead, she leaned closer to him, her face filled with emotion, and then wrapped her arms around his, gazing softly at his profile as she whispered:
"Kiyoshi, didn't I say I could manage on my own? I know you love me and worry about me, but I can't let you worry about everything for me, can I?"

"But I'm so happy you could come, honey."

"..."
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(End of this chapter)