𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙁𝙤𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝 -𝘼 𝙃𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞 𝙁𝙖𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙘-

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑

"Oh. There you are, Yuihiso. I was wondering when you would show up." Tsuku, Hanako's mother, says as I enter the home, let in by a maid.

"I am sorry I was so late I had to take a taxi since Hanako never came to the station." I bow quickly in her presence. Such a cold woman. How do I expect to spend the rest of her life with her constantly being over my shoulder, judging me coldly?

"It's fine. We're just glad you're finally here to marry Hanako. Honestly, I don't know why you decided to pursue that silly dream of yours. If I were you, I would have married him quicker." Good to know that you hate me, you could just say it outright. I think that would have been less of a blow than you trying to lie through your teeth.

"Of course," I grit my teeth and clench my backpack strap until I can feel it cutting into my skin.

"Aye, come take Yuihiso's stuff." She snaps at a young-looking maid. "And Chiyo, run a warm bath for her."

Reluctantly I let the maid drag my stuff away, struggling under the weight of it. "Come this way, Yuihiso, I'll show you to your room."

Now she has plastered a smile on her face as she leads me through their ridiculously giant house. Who needs this much space when you only have one child, who happens to be an adult living on his own. Rich people problems, gross.

"So," Hanako clears his throat as a silent dinner drags on. "Yuihiso, how was medical school fairing for you?"

"Oh, it was going just wonderfully until someone decided he wanted to get married." I glare at him from across the table, my chopsticks tapping against my bowl like a bell.

He clears his throat again, beginning another attempt to make a conversation but I cut him off. "I just want to eat my dinner in peace, before I throw up listening to you."

Hush fills the depressing table. Anxious glances from his mother and father to him, but he disregards them. "The funeral, is on the twenty-second? Correct?"

"Yes." I grind my teeth, acknowledging that it will just end up damaging my jaw and cracking my teeth.

"After that, will you begin the wedding preparations?" He asks, clicking his tongue against the top of his mouth. Goodness, I hate him, I hate the way he talks, the way he looks, everything about him, I hate.

"Whatever you want." I sigh, placing my chopsticks on-top of my bowl. "I'm going to bed."

Leaving the dining room I hear the muffled voices of his parents and him. They're arguing; what a delightful sound to my ears.

"Yuihiso?" He comes into my room without permission and settles on my bed. I am curled up on the hard desk chair, scowling at him.

"What do you want from me? What is it that you need to make this experience less painful for both of us?"

"You're only asking me this because you want to seem like the good guy in this situation, oh, and because your mother told you too."

"I'll ask you again," Anger builds up in him. "What. Do. You. Want. In. Order. For. This. To. Work."

"I want a job. If I'm doing something, anything related to nursing and my college degree I will work with your Mother, and I will plan for our wedding."

"Okay. I'll get you a job."

"No. I want to get the job myself." I demand. "It has to be something I want to do, and a job I worked for. Not you."

He looks at me, his eyes blazing with anger. "Okay. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Leaving me once again in silence, I dive for my backpack where my precious laptop is. Not knowing where to start with job applications, I begin to look desperately for Dr. Hatori's email address. Maybe he could help me find something in the area, or maybe he'd offer me a job himself. I'm a great assistant to people I like, and he seemed very likable.