“In other words, the reason Sour Sweet targeted you was because you took first place, which led to her being constantly beaten by her father?”
In the coffee shop, Ashford looked at Twilight Sparkle with a face full of disbelief, his expression as if saying, ‘Are you kidding me?’
After taking a sip of coffee, Twilight Sparkle gave a helpless sigh; she knew that what she was saying sounded truly surreal.
But that was the truth of the matter.
“Ashford, I know what I’m saying sounds surreal, but it really is the truth.”
“So, do you have any ideas?”
“What else can I do? I’m even thinking about whether I should intentionally get a few questions wrong during the exams to give up the first-place spot.”
As soon as Twilight Sparkle said this, Ashford immediately objected, his gaze full of frustration at her lack of resolve.
“Twilight, they say you’re a bookworm, and I see they’re right. Do you think everything will be fine just because you give up first place? Even if you do, does that mean Sour Sweet will definitely become number one? Of course, if you don’t want to save Sour Sweet, then that’s indeed a good way, and I’ll support you.”
After finishing, Ashford closed his eyes, lost in thought.
Hearing this, Twilight Sparkle became emotional.
“How could I not care about Sour Sweet? As a classmate, I definitely have to help. But do you have a better idea?”
“A way? It’s simple. It’s nothing more than getting into her heart, helping her resolve her confusion, starting her rebellion against her father, and in the end, everyone is happy.”
“Is that kind of method really useful?”
“There’s also a more direct way.”
…That night, Sour Sweet looked at her front door, unable to stop the fear in her heart.
But this was her home; even if she ran, where could she go?
She walked tremblingly to the door and took out her key.
The moment she opened it, the stench of alcohol hit her, making her gag uncontrollably.
“You’re back?”
“…Yes, I’m back.”
Suan Tians Father hiccuped from the alcohol, showing not a shred of care for his daughter.
“Why are you back so late? Don’t you know I still need to eat? Get to the kitchen and cook, now.”
“I… I still have homework to finish.”
“You won’t even listen to your father anymore?”
The slap was so powerful that Sour Sweet was knocked to the ground.
Sour Sweet couldn’t even shed tears anymore; this home was a complete hell.
“What a useless bitch. Your mother was no good, and you’re even worse. Still going to school? What’s the point of spending so much of my money for you to learn nothing? You’d be better off using those looks of yours to work at a hotel. That way, at least I’d have money for booze.”
Just as Suan Tians Father raised his foot to kick her, the front door was suddenly burst open with force!
The entire door was kicked down, instantly sobering up the abusive man.
After the door was smashed open, a group of Police Officers armed with live ammunition walked in.
One who seemed to be the captain pulled out his badge and handcuffs.
“Excuse me, sir. You are being charged with child abuse, failure to fulfill parental duties, and inciting a child to a path of no return. The body cams have recorded everything; the evidence is conclusive. You are now under arrest according to the law, and your parental rights are being revoked.”
After showing his badge and credentials, the lead officer took out handcuffs and restrained the man.
The fellow still wanted to resist, but under the officer’s baton—before the third strike even landed—he behaved.
Well, now he had an additional charge of resisting arrest.
Now he’d be rotting in prison for a long time.
Outside the house, Twilight Sparkle gently wiped the wounds on Sour Sweet’s face.
She looked on, dazed, at the figures of Principal Principal and Director Cadence negotiating with the Police Officers.
“Sour Sweet, does your face still hurt?”
“No… it hurts, it hurts a lot.”
Hearing Twilight Sparkle’s question, Sour Sweet’s first instinct was to say it didn’t hurt.
But the words turned into ‘it hurts a lot’ as they left her mouth.
Sour Sweet’s tears rolled down her cheeks, as if expressing all her grievances.
Seeing that the fellow had been hauled away, Principal Principal and Director Cadence came over to the children.
“Sour Sweet.”
“P-Principal.”
Principal Principal adjusted his glasses and looked down at Sour Sweet.
She didn’t know if it was an illusion, but she thought she saw a hint of gentleness in the Principal’s eyes.
“Sour Sweet, from now on… come live with me.”
“W-What?”
Hearing what Principal Principal said, Sour Sweet’s brain couldn’t process it for a moment, and she stood frozen.
“So… it’s solved just like that?”
Twilight Sparkle felt that everything happening was a bit unrealistic.
A voice deep inside told her that this wasn’t how things were supposed to go, yet the final result was good.
However, Twilight Sparkle’s look of finding it abnormal drew Ashford’s dissatisfaction.
“Otherwise? Should we send Sour Sweet in there too?”
“No, no, no, that’s not what I meant. I’m just saying, based on the settings of anime on TV, the plot shouldn’t play out like this, right?”
“…Twilight Sparkle, are you even awake?”
Looking at Twilight Sparkle’s dazed expression, Ashford once again suspected that she had read herself silly and become a complete bookworm.
In this situation, if you don’t call the police, how else would you handle it?
One could only say it was just like Western medicine—it worked faster than Chinese medicine.
Though it might be harsh on the body, it certainly cured things quickly.
“From now on, Sour Sweet will never see that scumbag again, and she has now become Principal Principal’s child. Whether you look at it from the perspective of interests or daily life, Sour Sweet’s hardships are over and the sweetness has begun. What else could you be unhappy about?”
“…”
After hearing Ashford’s explanation, Twilight Sparkle finally accepted the outcome.
For Sour Sweet, this was indeed a good ending.
However…
“Twilight~, Ashford~, so you two were here. Do you want some coffee? It’s on me.”
Sour Sweet ran over to the two with a happy smile and pulled Twilight Sparkle into a hug.
Ever since she escaped her misery, she had become increasingly clingy toward Twilight Sparkle, and she even frequently chatted on the phone with Ashford for hours.
When the students at Crystal Preparatory Academy saw Sour Sweet, they all felt she was different from before.
The current Sour Sweet loved to laugh, but it was different from her old smiles; those had felt devious, whereas now her smile was full of sunshine.
Aside from Principal Principal and the other two, no one else at the school knew exactly what had happened that night.
And Ashford, at Crystal Preparatory Academy, certainly wouldn’t speak of it either.
“Ashford, I heard from Twilight that this was the solution you proposed?”
Sour Sweet rubbed her face against Twilight Sparkle’s, snuggling while she questioned Ashford.
“Of course. I thought it was the fastest way to solve the problem. Look at you now, you smile so much.”