Chapter 5: Meows!?

Orange Quiet Forest was also stunned.

“This…”

I couldn’t possibly say it was my fault, right?

If the news had come just an hour earlier… no…

Even half an hour earlier, if it had come during the negotiation just now…

I would have had a chance to back out…

Orange Quiet Forest looked at the apartment building and cautiously asked.

“Then… should I still go visit?”

Orange Peach glanced at Orange Quiet Forest through the rearview mirror.

“Forget it, let’s go home first. It’s not the right time to visit now. Her daughter in the apartment probably just got the news too. It wouldn’t be good for us to go now.”

The engine roared, and the car smoothly turned around.

In that instant, Orange Quiet Forest’s heart exploded with brilliant fireworks.

Yes!

I can go home!

This time, Orange Quiet Forest will definitely go back to school!

I’ll also prepare for the postgraduate entrance exams!

I’ll drag it out as long as I can!

It’s so terrifying!

Even though I’m gloating over others’ misfortune, at least my own life is still salvageable…

Mom glanced at me.

“Are you still going to Orange Berry’s place to hang out?”

Orange Quiet Forest nodded frantically like a chick pecking at rice.

“Mhm… I’m going! But…”

Orange Quiet Forest paused, her eyes becoming unprecedentedly firm, firm as if she were about to join the Party.

“Before that, I want to go and complete the re-enrollment procedure first.”

Hearing this, Orange Peach didn’t show any surprise.

She just revealed a cold smile that said “I knew it.”

Mom glanced at me again through the rearview mirror.

“Then let’s go back to our place first. I prepared the materials a long time ago. I was planning to drag you back to re-enroll today. Orange Berry saved your life. Then there was that arranged marriage business… what’s done is done, so I didn’t bring it up again. But now it’s different.”

To show her loyalty, Orange Quiet Forest’s obedient little head began to nod frantically, the frequency so fast it almost left afterimages, trying to sweep away the lingering awkwardness in the car with the motion.

“Pfft—”

My old father and aunt, who had been too scared to speak, finally couldn’t hold back their giggles when they saw me like this.

“Still laughing!”

Orange Peach’s eyebrows shot up as she glared at them.

“Orange Quiet Forest, if you had listened to me earlier, would we have had such a huge farce today?”

Orange Quiet Forest skillfully activated her acting cute/coquettish skill.

“I was wrong~~~ Mom.”

“Hmph hmph.”

Orange Peach snorted twice.

Although her tone was still stern, the frost in her brow had clearly melted quite a bit.

“Whenever things turn against you, you know to act cute and show weakness to me. Why don’t you usually listen to me this obediently?”

“I’ll listen in the future.”

Ms. Orange Peach’s voice in this instant became like a fierce tiger’s.

I shrank back, scared.

Truly the head of a company.

When she puts on that face she wears outside, it really is terrifying, meow meow.

“You’d better.”

“I really will.”

—

After that, I really did complete the re-enrollment procedure.

I promised the professor I would attend every class from now on and get good grades.

Grades aren’t really a problem anyway.

Even normal university students who go to class regularly cram at the last minute.

Isn’t it just slacking off and goofing around during the term, then creating miracles the week before exams?

After settling things at school, that so-called idol audition initial screening…

I also casually submitted that talent video.

It was called a talent showcase, but it was really just me casually singing a pop song a cappella in my room, facing the camera.

No pitch correction, no camera work, you could even see my messy, unfolded quilt in the background.

I don’t have any innate songstress talent, meow meow.

When I watched the recording, it was just at a level where I hit the right notes.

I was pretty embarrassed.

I’ve hardly ever sung in my life.

After submitting the video, I casually browsed the official website.

Wow.

Number of applicants: 13,250.

Seems like quite a lot.

I searched around, and it really was as my aunt said—a completely new company.

The official website page was so simple it was almost crude.

The company introduction was only a few lines.

The registered capital section was filled in with an absurdly high number, but the higher it is, the more suspicious it seems, right?

Other than that, there were no past success stories, no information on any signed artists.

To be honest, if it weren’t for my aunt, even if I wanted to be an idol, I wouldn’t choose this kind of talent agency.

It’s like a company that popped out of a rock.

Its background and information are way too clean.

What if it’s a scam group using auditions as a front to lure pretty girls in and harvest their kidneys?

These days, there are still over ten thousand girls rushing to sign up?

It seems the girls of this era really want to be idols.

Anyway, without my aunt, I really wouldn’t dare to continue participating.

Too suspicious.

I think she said it was her friend?

I’ll trust my aunt for now.

I might not even get selected anyway.

But since Mom allowed me to just play around these last few days, I don’t really need to be at my aunt’s place.

Aunt can’t cook either.

I can, but I don’t want to.

Didn’t I come to her place to relax… not to be a free cook.

Cooking is such a greasy, tiring job.

What if I hurt these hands I still need to play games with?

Hmm…

I took out my phone and sent my aunt a message.

“I’m going home, meow meow. ฅ(̳•◡•̳)ฅ”

I even added a kaomoji on purpose.

Ding-dong.

An instant reply.

An indifferent “OK” hand gesture emoji popped up on the screen.

Followed immediately by another message.

“Remember to check the initial screening results. Tell me the moment they come out.”

Huh?

What’s your role in this…

You want me to tell you?

Or is it to avoid suspicion?

Really…

If you wanted to avoid suspicion, you shouldn’t have forced me to participate in this thing in the first place.

I pursed my lips, my fingers flying across the screen.

“Understood, meow meow.”

And so, Orange Quiet Forest returned home.

Her old father was already off work and busy in the kitchen.

Her old father doesn’t have fixed working hours.

He comes home after finishing his assigned tasks.

Something about debugging machinery or something.

I don’t know, meow meow.

He only stays at work if Mom is really swamped and can’t handle it.

As soon as I got home, he greeted me with a happy expression.

“Quiet Forest… welcome home.”

“I’m back.”

Of course, I had already told him I was coming back.

“I have a piece of good news and a piece of bad news for you.”

Orange Quiet Forest nodded.

“Mhm mhm… tell me the bad news first.”

“The bad news is… the cooperation between the two families was decided quite early… the arranged marriage was actually decided last.”

“That’s why it was so late, and pushed through so quickly.”

Even though it was bad news, my old father looked even happier.

“So it can’t be undone… the arranged marriage between our Orange Family and the Kujū Family, both branch families, will probably have to continue, even if it’s only a marriage in form now.”

“Wow, so I have to marry someone else from that branch family?”

Old father shook his head.

“No, no, no… the other person from the branch family is already married, they even have kids. The opinion on both sides is to maintain the status quo and push the cooperation forward, since the legal marriage procedures are already complete. But for a while, don’t be seen in public with members of the opposite sex, to avoid giving people something to talk about. And then… your marriage news won’t be announced. This is just a precaution.”

Oh, oh.

“So, you’re telling me I can’t date? That’s the bad news.”

“Mhm, don’t tell me… you have a lover!”

Orange Quiet Forest shook her head.

“I don’t! So what’s the good news?”

“The good news! Of course, it’s that you don’t have to worry about being forced into marriage by the Family Head anymore! He’s very conservative. If an arranged marriage he orchestrated doesn’t bring happiness to the younger generation, he feels very guilty. So this matter is considered over.”

Orange Quiet Forest was speechless.

Then what was the point of me re-enrolling?

“He feels guilty?”

“Don’t talk about the Family Head like that. He’s a male chauvinist, but he also has a sense of responsibility.”

“Oh.”

So that means I temporarily dodged a bullet?