"I'm so jealous of the people who get to see you live."
Five minutes later.
"Jun looks so handsome in this photo."
A zoomed-in picture, then another message:
"Who are those girls?"
Yume closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"What an annoying girl."
She shut the notebook before stressing herself out even more over the situation.
Plim! Plim!
"Oh, nooooo!"
Yume shouted so loudly that she woke Kenji up beside her in the studio.
"Damn, Yume... you scared me!"
"Sorry, Kenji, but this girl..."
Kenji adjusted himself on the couch, yawning.
"Leave it to me."
He grabbed the notebook and started reading the comments, then quickly typed a few things.
"What are you doing?"
"Replying."
"To the obsessed girl?"
"Haha, so that's what you call her?"
"Yes…"
"Maybe she's just a teenager with her first crush."
Yume rolled her eyes, clearly not buying the "teenager" excuse.
"And where's Jun? Didn't he say he was picking Sayuri up from class today?"
"They probably stopped somewhere to eat before coming here. Speaking of class, Yume, why didn't you go today?"
Yume tried changing the subject, but Kenji kept pressing.
"At this rate, you're gonna fail again."
"Ugh! Don't say things like that. I just didn't need grades from today's classes, so I gave myself a day off…"
Fshhh… Fshhh…
"Sayuri??" he called again. "Sayuri??"
Her mother answered from the kitchen.
"She'll be home a little later, she has a college project…"
"That's impossible. And you actually believe that?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
Fshhh… Fshhh…
He folded the newspaper and stood up.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to settle this once and for all," he answered while putting on his coat.
The man headed toward the university with heavy, intimidating steps. When he reached the front of the park, he noticed construction work blocking the path and was forced to take a detour through the park itself.
He walked a little farther before something made him stop.
He saw his daughter smiling, wrapped in the arms of a taller boy. The boy's back was turned, but when he pulled Sayuri closer by the waist, her father finally saw his face.
"I can't believe it... that... that..." he muttered, clenching his fists.
Sayuri and Jun didn't notice her father watching them. They were too focused on each other. Jun pulled her even closer and kissed her deeply.
That was enough to make her father boil with rage.
Unable to watch any longer, he turned around and stormed home, slamming the front door behind him.
"What was that?!" her mother exclaimed.
"Tell Sayuri to come home right now!"
"But she went to work on a project—"
He cut her off.
"NOW!!"
Her mother called her daughter, but Sayuri didn't answer. Her phone was turned off.
Enraged, her father left again, but when he arrived at the park, they were already gone.
"We're back," Sayuri said as she entered the studio. "We brought food."
"Yay!" Yume's eyes lit up.
They sat around the small table and ate peacefully, Sayuri laughing along without realizing the storm waiting for her at home.
That night, Jun, as always, dropped Sayuri off at the corner near her house. But she felt something strange, a bad feeling tightening in her chest, so she squeezed his hand.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing… just a bad feeling."
"You're probably just tired. Come here." He wrapped his arms around her. "Go home and get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow."
She nodded.
Jun started the motorcycle and headed back to Kenji's house to rehearse a little more.
Sayuri turned the doorknob. The house was silent.
Then her father's voice cut through the darkness.
"Where were you?" His tone sounded different.
"I was at the library—"
SLAP!
Her face snapped to the side before she could finish the sentence.
"LIAR!!" her father shouted.
"Oh my God, dear…" her mother said with a trembling voice.
"One more time: WHERE WERE YOU?!"
"I alrea—"
SLAP!
Another slap, harder this time.
"That's enough!!" her mother screamed.
Shattered and in pain, Sayuri slowly lifted her head, tears filling her eyes as she looked directly at her father.
"You're right…" she answered, exhausted. "I wasn't working on a project. I was with my boyfriend."
"BOYFRIEND??"
Her father placed a hand on his forehead, frustrated.
"That useless parasite? Haha."
"What?" her mother asked, completely lost. "Who?"
"That weird boy from Midori's house…"
Her mother looked disappointed too and turned to Sayuri.
"Is that true?"
"Yes," she sobbed. "We're together…"
"Since when?"
"Since forever, Mom…"
Tears streamed endlessly down her face.
"Well then…" her father took a deep breath. "From now on, this is over."
"No, it's not!!" Sayuri answered firmly.
"What??"
"You heard me. Nothing is ending. We love each other."
"As long as I'm your father and you live under my roof, you will obey me."
"No! No!!"
"Sayuri, please," her mother begged.
"No, Mom, enough already. I'm tired of living a life that isn't mine. I'm tired…"
"You're tired? You think you can handle adult life on your own? Especially with that bum?"
"Jun is not like that. He's wonderful, intelligent, and kind…"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!!!"
Her father turned and walked toward the couch, but before sitting down, he spoke again.
"No matter what you say, I won't change my mind. You are never seeing that boy again."
Hearing that sent Sayuri into despair.
What her father was doing wasn't fair.
"I… will… not…" she breathed shakily. "Stay away from him… never!!"
"Then you can pack your bags."
"No, dear, enough already. This has gone too far."
"Too far? Does she even know what limits are? I didn't raise my daughter to be all over the streets tangled up with that kind of boy."
Sayuri took a determined step forward.
"Not just on the streets…" she said coldly. "In his bed too."
That was the final straw.
Her father stood up and slapped her again without thinking.
"Get out of my house immediately."
Sayuri turned and started walking upstairs.
"Don't you dare take anything I paid for."
"I won't," she answered without looking back.
The moment she entered her room, she broke down.
She always knew this day would come, but she had never imagined her father would react with such cruelty and violence.
"Sayuri…" her mother whispered, entering the room.
She looked at her daughter and hugged her tightly.
"My daughter… why did you do this…"
"He doesn't understand, Mom… Jun isn't just some random guy. He's the love of my life…"
Her mother comforted her and helped her pack her things.
"Where will you go?"
"I'll stay with Yume until classes end. After that… I'll figure things out. I want my own life."
When she came downstairs with her suitcase, she looked at her father, who refused to meet her eyes.
"Goodbye, Dad…"
"Sayuri…"
She stopped.
Silence.
He hesitated before continuing.
"From now on, you'll have to pay for your own college."
"Dear…"
"She wants her own life, so let her have it." He turned another page of the newspaper as if none of this mattered.
"Take care, Sayuri…"
"Bye, Mom…"
Now Sayuri stood alone on the empty street.
Part of her felt relieved that the truth had finally come out.
But another part of her felt shattered and deeply wounded.
Ding Dong!
"Sayuri?"
Yume's mother opened the door.
"Sorry for showing up so late… is Yume here?"
The woman immediately noticed the finger marks on her face and, without asking questions, invited her inside.
"Go upstairs. She's in her room."
Sayuri climbed the stairs, struggling not to cry in front of her.
When Yume opened the bedroom door, she couldn't believe what she was seeing.