Lesson Learned

Something's wrong...

When Mitsuko went downstairs that morning, the minute she hit the threshold of the kitchen door, it was very clear something was wrong.

Her skin crawled when she stepped into the kitchen like there was this dark smog polluting the air and making it hard to breathe. It set her on edge immediately.

"...M-morning," she greeted her family, looking over at her mom who was making a cup of coffee, and then her brother who was staring at his plate of food while he poked it with his fork. Her dad was staring at his laptop typing something while his breakfast remained untouched.

None of her family greeted her.

Mitsuko hesitantly walked over to her usual seat. "Is everything alright?" she asked, looking at her brother worriedly.

"Yes, Why wouldn't it?" Dad replied calmly.

From the corner of her eye, she saw her brother stab his eggs hard with the fork.

Mom walked over with the coffee and placed it in front of dad. "There you go." The smile on her face was tight.

"Thank you," dad replied, taking the coffee.

Mom glanced at the untouched breakfast. "Not hungry?"

"You undercooked the eggs," he told her dismissively, sipping his coffee. "And the coffee's bitter."

"O-oh." Mom looked put on the spot and hastily grabbed his plate. "Well let me redo—"

"There's no point wasting food on a second attempt," he replied lightly, sliding the mug to the side. "I would have assumed that today being your day off you would have had more time to prepare."

Mitsuko stared at her dad in disbelief. "You don't have to be so rude."

"Mitsuko," Mom quickly shushed her, placing her hands on her shoulders. "Don't talk back to your father."

"But, mom—"

"Mitsuko!" Mom squeezed her shoulders tight, looking worried. "That's enough."

Mitsuko tensed, feeling a deep pit of dread settle in her stomach.

"I can make you some tea instead, Gakuhou," mom said evenly, tucking some of Mitsuko's hair behind her ear. "If you'd prefer that instead?"

"No." Dad sighed, closing his laptop. "I don't have much of an appetite today anyway, not with all the work to be done."

"...What work?" Mitsuko's eyes narrowed.

Dad smiled, which was never a good sign. "Well, with A-Class's most recent failure, I've decided some more personal guidance is required to help build their strength for finals."

"A-Class didn't fail," Mitsuko argued; her mom squeezed her shoulder. "They won first place and outranked the high school!"

"You did?" Mom looked over at Gakushuu in surprise. "Oh, sweetie, that's wonderful!" The anxiety faded from her face and was replaced with a large smile. "I'm so proud!"

Mom hugged Gakushuu; he looked tense but to Mitsuko's surprise, he didn't make a disgusted face or try to escape the embrace. "...Thank you."

Mitsuko's eyes widened in concern when she saw the almost defeated look in her brother's gaze.

"Don't encourage failure, Mayumi," dad's voice was cold, causing the three of them to stiffen.

"I'm sorry, dear..." Mom's brow furrowed, cradling Gakushuu's head against her stomach protectively. "I don't understand what you mean."

Dad sighed deeply, clasping his hands on the table. "These last two terms have been distracting, to say the least," he told them evenly. "And I'm aware I haven't been attentive in the home as much as I should be."