Middle Child Syndrome - Chapter 113

Chapter 113: Ch 113: A tense dinner
“Ugh, this is atrocious. Fey, Flourite, you make us all uncomfortable with your silent war. If you are like this, return to your room and resolve your issue. Don’t project it onto us.”

Charon snapped first as she lodged her fork in her food and looked disappointed at the beta twins sitting across from her.

Rika felt thankful that she was not the one receiving Charon’s look as she quietly ate her food.

“Tsk, it is not my fault. Why do I have to hear the same thing Flourite has to listen to? Scold him because he made a mistake, not me.”

Fey quickly defended herself and her actions, and Flourite said nothing. It seemed that their fight had been severe enough to prevent them from talking.

“It is not about who is at fault here or not! You both are responsible for your actions. Ugh, you both are impossible. Dorm master, I will be taking my food back to my room. My appetite would be ruined if I stayed here.”

The dorm master did not say a word as she watched Charon pick up her plate and run away.

She turned to Rika, surprised. Rika was still eating the food the dorm master had placed on her plate and looked unaffected by the silence.

Fey’s mod was terrible, so Rika did not expect to hear anything good from her. But she did not expect the female twin to turn toward her next and snap at her.

“What? Did you lose your appetite or something as well? You don’t have to force yourself to eat if you don’t want to. Come on! Don’t be shy and pretend you are fine right now.

Fey’s tone had just enough hint of mockingness for Rika to ignore.

Her willingness to let this fight go made Fey ashamed of her actions. A flush on Fey’s face extended up to her neck.

“Fey, Flourite, this is enough. I’ve told you this before – do what you want with each other. You can even fight to your heart’s content if you want to. But do not project your feelings on other people in this dorm.”

“If you do not follow these rules, I am afraid I will have to ask you to empty your rooms.”

The dorm lady was severe, and there was no hesitation in her voice. Rika had never seen her this serious or angry before.

And apparently, neither had Fey or Flourite because they flinched, and their eyes widened.

Fey opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

Thankfully, Flourite decided to step in and save face for both himself and his sister before the dorm lady could look even more pissed at their existence.

“Both Fey and I are ashamed of our behaviour and the tension we caused because of it. We will be careful in the future not to let this happen. Can you please overlook our behaviour this time?”

The male twin was just the perfect mix of politeness and charm. He was also keeping his sister in check, and his eyes looked sincere when he looked at Rika.

She felt speechless when she faced that man; clearly, the dorm lady also felt his sincerity.

“Fine! I will overlook your mistake this time. But only because you are being so polite and reflecting on your mistake. Make sure you clear out the air between yourself as well.”

That was the end of the conversation.

Rika wanted to say that it helped and the tension lessened, but that would be a lie. The tension increased, and now it could be cut with a knife.

Somehow, the dinner ended, and Rika tried to run away as soon as possible. But Flourite stopped her by blocking her way.

He looked uncomfortable, and his mouth opened and closed, almost as if he wanted to say something but did not know where to start.

“Do you want something from me?”

Rika asked in an almost nervous tone.

She did not know what this man wanted from her, but with all the tension in the air and what happened earlier, Rika could not imagine it was anything good.

However, Flourite surprised her by bowing before her and looking at Rika remorsefully.

“I apologise for what my sister forced you to do today. It was insensitive of her to drag you alone, bring you to date, and then ignore you as she did. But please, do not hold it against her. Fey has a good heart, even if it does not look like it.”

Flourite apologised on behalf of his sister, and Rika stood there, a little stunned.

“I-It’s fine? I mean, it is not fine, but I do understand why Rika did what she did. My older brother is also overprotective of my younger sister, so I am used to this situation. You don’t need to feel sorry for me.”

The longer Flourite bowed in front of Rika in remorse, the worse she felt. She just wanted him to look back up and not feel guilty about anything.

She even joked to lighten the situation, but Flourite did not seem to comply.

“No! It is not acceptable! I will talk with Fey and get you an apology. She should not have treated you as expendable, no matter what excuse she had. Please, tell me how I can make this up to you.”

Flourite seemed to have strong beliefs.

It reminded Rika of what Fey had said before. She had called her bother to have a soft heart, but in Rika’s mind, he looked firm and level-headed.

“Alright! I will tell you if I need anything from you in the future. I…should head to my room as well now. I need to feed Shuu. That poor puppy must be hungry by now.”

Rika made an excuse, and she left quickly.

She was aware of Fluorite’s curious glance, which looked at her curiously. It made Rika feel nervous in a way she did not want to think about.