A guide to survival in a heavy girl's world

After hearing this reason, Chihaya Tetsuya immediately smiled and nodded.

"Wakaba-san...you really are good at caring for others."

Recalling the first time he met Wakaba Mu, Chihaya Tetsuya said:

"Whether it's buying a new guitar in advance for the band's new song, buying new cucumber seeds out of my curiosity, or these chocolates, they're all proof of your care for others. If you think about it, Wakaba-san wanted to get to know me out of her concern for Xiangzi."

Speaking of this, Chihaya Tetsu couldn't help but sigh:

"It's completely different from the cold appearance."

"This statement... is a little problematic."

As Wakaba Mutsu said this, he took the packaged chocolates from the counter next to him.

"Rather than saying 'concern', it's more like I'm trying to find a way to 'not make mistakes'... Just like the reason I do these things is more to avoid being disliked than to be liked by everyone. Including when I was choosing the dress just now, I just didn't want Chihaya-san to be embarrassed by my taste, so I couldn't make a choice."

Under Chihaya Tetsuya's gaze, Wakaba Mu revealed for the first time something she had never told anyone before.

"Anyway, let's talk as we walk."

Wakaba Mutsu held the chocolate bag in his hand and said:

"If it were me now, I would have made the choice."

……

Under the strong pressure and strict control of his mother, Ruo Yemu has been accustomed to obeying orders rather than expressing his ideas since he was old enough to understand.

The strong and stubborn mother will never listen to her ideas once she has made up her mind, so she subconsciously develops the idea that "her own ideas are unimportant".

After that, the appearance of Xiangzi further deepened this idea.

On the one hand, it is because of Xiangzi’s own strength, and on the other hand, it is because of Xiangzi’s correctness.

Making new friends, forming a band, hanging out, rehearsing, trying all sorts of new things... Under Xiangzi's guidance, she didn't need to think or make any decisions, and could fully enjoy her youth and campus life. This enjoyable experience made her believe that she didn't need to express herself or make any decisions on her own...

However, as Xiangzi's family suffered misfortune, the band disbanded, and everyone fell apart. She, who originally only had to follow Xiangzi, finally had to make her own choice.

In order to keep Xiangzi's secret, she had to conceal Xiangzi's actual situation and give extremely indifferent answers to others.

In order to prevent Su Shi from despairing, she will keep in touch with Su Shi within the permitted scope, but she cannot actually solve any of Su Shi's problems.

In the end, she was caught in a dilemma and failed to take care of either side.

In the end, she was unable to completely keep Xiangzi's secret, and was completely unable to calm Su Shi's mood.

She tried to take care of both people's emotions at the same time, but in the end she took care of neither.

In this way, under the combined influence of this series of factors, Ruoye Mu no longer had the desire to actively express her own ideas. In her opinion, wanting to correctly express her true thoughts without making any mistakes... was too difficult. So much so that compared to achieving her goals, Ruoye Mu would prioritize thinking about how to "avoid failure" -

"Inviting Ms. Yutenji to join the band could barely be considered my first proactive attempt... But that was only because of Chuhua's presence, and because she wasn't so important as to be irreplaceable, that I had the confidence to negotiate with her. If I were alone, I definitely wouldn't be able to accomplish anything."

Speaking of this, Ruoye Mu's expression was a little depressed.

"After all, I'm not very good at expressing myself, and I'm not very good at speaking... When people chat with me, they often fall silent because of my answer, and the originally lively discussion often ends directly because of my summary."

"After all, Wakaba-san has always been very direct in his words."

Chihaya Tetsuya sighed as he spoke:

"Just like me."

"Eh?"

After hearing this, Ruoye Mu immediately showed a very puzzled expression.

"Chihaya-san's eloquence is obviously much better than mine, isn't it?"

"I often get angry at people for saying things too directly or without thinking. People like Xiangzi, Sushi, and Chuhua have all lectured me about this."

Chihaya Tetsuya shook his head.

"But even so, what needs to be said...must be said. Because only in this way can others understand your thoughts and feelings. Even if these thoughts don't please the other person, or even have a counterproductive effect, at least they can deepen mutual understanding and move things forward."

"..."

Ruoye Mu was silent for a moment after hearing this, and then asked:

"Even if it's in a bad direction?"

"Yes. After all, silence won't keep a problem from being resolved forever. Instead, it will cause a situation that could have been resolved to become irreversible due to delays. Just like Xiangzi's case, although Su Shi found it difficult to accept it at first, after venting her anxiety and grievances, didn't they still accept the reality and reach a settlement?"

"This……"

After hearing this, Ruoye Mu fell into deep thought.

Now that I think about it, when Chihaya Tetsuya first started to get involved in the relationship between Suyo and Xiangzi, Suyo's attitude towards him was completely incomprehensible and unacceptable.

If everyone remained silent, the misunderstanding would have remained unresolved, and the relationship would have been impossible to repair. However, under the strong leadership of Chihaya Tetsuya, as everyone expressed their thoughts, they did find a consensus that they could accept and reunite along this path. Although the disbandment of [CRYCHIC] was irreversible, the relationship between the members was able to be repaired...

So, even if expressing oneself leads to failure... is it better than silence?

Even though she is not good at speaking and her way of speaking is totally unpleasant, does she have the qualifications to actively express her thoughts to everyone?

"Communicating with others is a profound skill that requires a lot of time to master. It doesn't matter if you're not good at it now. You can practice it over time."

As if he could see Wakaba Mu's hesitation, Chihaya Tetsuya continued:

"And even if you do say something wrong in the future, you can always say, 'Chihaya Tetsuya told you to say that!' Just like today's dress, if your mother isn't satisfied, it's entirely because I narrowed it down for you first."

"In short, whether you make a mistake or say something inappropriate, there will always be someone who will shoulder the responsibility with you. This way, you should have the courage to move forward, right?"

"..."

After hearing this, Wakaba Muxian stopped involuntarily and looked carefully at Chihaya Tetsuya's expression.

And after seeing that sincere expression as always, without any self-consciousness, she sighed deeply.

"Chihaya-san...you're indeed like me, not very talkative."

"Right! Although I don't know what's wrong with what I just said..."

"Ugh……"

If she agreed to this, wouldn't she no longer be able to be satisfied with the relationship in which she could remain silent?

"Let's...wait a little longer."

Wait until the germinated seed officially breaks through the soil and stretches out vines that are strong enough to wrap around it.

She would definitely take that step as Chihaya Tetsuya said and face the inevitable future.

24

Chapter 24 A slightly bold first step.

"Oh, is this the dress Tetsuya-kun chose for you today..."

Shoko Toyokawa looked at Wakaba Mutsu in her dress with shining eyes and clapped her gently.

This is a strapless off-shoulder dress. Although it may seem a little lacking in momentum for a slightly flat figure like Wakaba Mutsu, this little dress cleverly uses a lot of lace and ruffles to dilute the original sexy elements, turning it into a more youthful but cute little dress that is also full of feminine charm.

"I think it suits you very well, Mu."

"...Yes, thank you."

Ruoye Mu nodded with a slightly shy smile on his face.

"But I have to correct one thing. To be precise... this dress was chosen by the two of us together."

Then, Wakaba Mutsugu explained to Toyokawa Shoko what had happened today, how she was initially hesitant to make a choice, how she gradually dared to express her own thoughts after her date with Chihaya Tetsuya, and finally, when she returned to the dress shop, she made a decision without hesitation...

"So, it was Mu who made the final decision."

While marveling at Wakaba Mutsu's experience and growth that day, Toyokawa Shoko looked at Wakaba Mutsu's clothes again with great curiosity.

Because she hadn't personally seen the other options, Toyokawa Shoko couldn't yet judge Wakaba Mu's choice based on her own aesthetic taste. But considering Chihaya Tetsuya's vision and aesthetic, since he said he couldn't choose the best solution, it meant that those other outfits were definitely as charming as Wakaba Mu's current dress...

"Even Tetsuya-kun couldn't make a choice... How did you choose this one, Mu?"

Toyokawa Shoko asked with great curiosity.

When Wakaba Mu heard Toyokawa Shoko's question, she first lowered her head to glance at the small dress on her body, and then said in her signature calm tone an answer that made Toyokawa Shoko almost choke on her saliva -

“Because this one is the most lustful.”

“…Puff!?”

Although Toyokawa Shoko had long known that Wakaba Mutsu was always straightforward in his way of expression, she still felt a little embarrassed when she actually heard such an answer.

"The term 'most lustful'... that's too impure of a motive!"

As an outsider, Toyokawa Shoko said in a shaken tone:

"Also, this dress... while it does reveal a bit of shoulder, it's definitely not sexy!"

"It's just the most colorful one compared to the others."

Compared to Toyokawa Shoko, Wakaba Mutsu's face was also slightly red, but he still tried to keep his tone stable.

"And of all my own clothes, this one is probably the most revealing."

"Well...that's true."

Toyokawa Shoko nodded in agreement with Wakaba Mutsu's statement.

Because of her background, Ruo Yemu's temperament and dressing style are full of the reserve of a noble daughter. In addition, her pure, lovely and pitiful appearance and temperament make all her clothes basically maintain the minimum exposure.

Although the exposure of this small dress was only average for women's clothing, before this, Ruo Yemu had never worn clothes that exposed his shoulders, let alone a skirt with a hem that only covered half of his thighs...

"Most of my clothes were chosen for me by my mother. If it were her, she would never take the initiative to buy clothes like this for me."

If Ye Muru said:

"So, at this banquet, I also want to use this dress to let my mother see a little bit of how I am different from before I left home."

"……I see."

After hearing this, Shoko Toyokawa immediately showed an expression of understanding.

"I think it's great. It's not too radical, but it will also help Ms. Minami realize your changes."

However, the next second, just when Toyokawa Shoko was about to follow Wakaba Mutsu's words and praise her a few more times, Wakaba Mutsu quickly gave a second reason that made her choke on the spot.

"And if I wear this costume and stand next to Mr. Chihaya, it should be able to protect him a little."

"Ah...indeed."

So, when the Mu family held a party, other guests would indeed bring their own children. And among them, there would naturally be young women of similar age. Chihaya Tetsu had already gained some fame in the fashion industry thanks to the joint exhibition. Add to that his handsome looks, excellent fashion sense, and his allure towards women, and there was a high probability that some young women would actively approach him...

If Wakaba Mutsu had worn his previous well-behaved and slightly childish style of dressing, even if he was with Chihaya Tetsuya, everyone would just see him as a child attending a party with adults. But if he wore this dress now, the "age difference" brought about by his dressing style would disappear, and he would become a well-matched and well-matched young man and woman, naturally isolating himself from those young women who might have ulterior motives.

"Mu actually considered so many things through a piece of clothing..."

Unlike her usual indifference to everything, the thoughtfulness that Ruoye Mu showed through her clothes at this time made Toyokawa Shoko look at her with admiration.

But then, Shoko Toyokawa smiled and shook her head.

"No, to be honest, Mu has always been good at thinking."

Although Mu herself would not express it actively, Toyokawa Shoko could occasionally feel her delicate thoughts through her seemingly self-willed behavior.

For example, when she took the initiative to request songs when she went to KTV with her band members for the first time, although it seemed very ordinary, for this girl who lacked the desire to express herself, was this behavior her own way, or was it to take care of the other people on the other side who could not fit into the atmosphere?

Or when she first heard from her about Chihaya Tetsuya's proposal to meet someone, it was also completely contrary to her own style of doing things, but out of concern and worry for Shoko, she still mustered up the courage to meet a strange man.

Of course, due to her extreme lack of experience in expressing herself proactively, she often makes various mistakes in the process of executing what she wants, and her wording and speaking style are always too direct and inflexible... But one day, Ruo Yemu will combine these small improvements and courage into considerable growth, and finally find the "correct way" that suits her best and will no longer hurt others.

As for now... as her childhood sweetheart and relative, I'll just stand by and witness her efforts and achievements.

"Since Xiangzi has already seen this dress, I'll go change it back first."

"Eh? Of course I can...but since I finally got dressed, wouldn't it be nice to show it to everyone later?"

Since no one else in the family had returned yet, Toyokawa Shoko naturally wanted Mutsuya to show everyone this lovely new dress.

However, Ruoye Mu immediately shook his head and refused:

"Although I did choose this dress myself... and I did plan to wear it to the party, right now... I still can't fully adapt to it."

As she spoke, she unconsciously placed one hand on her shoulder, while the other hand gently tugged at the hem of her skirt.

"For now, wearing it for Xiangzi and Chihaya-san is already my limit..."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. After all, this is your first time wearing this type of skirt..."