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I remembered when I was seven years old, how foolishly I believed that life would be full of happiness since I enjoyed time together with my family. My mother would always take care of me, and my father would play with me; he liked showing off his card tricks, and I was mesmerized by his skills. My uncle and other relatives would visit our mansion, give me gifts, and play with me.
When I turned eight years old, our dog, a ten-year-old Chihuahua named Shiryu, died due to health-related issues from old age. I remembered crying too much because Shiryu had been clingy since I was five years old, always staying by my side. I just hoped he could live longer. My parents calmed me down, and I remembered my mother telling me a lesson.
"Remember, Mei," my mother said gently, "fate cannot be controlled. No matter how hard you try to change it, things will happen as they are meant to."
I nodded and agreed with my mother. It was selfish of me to wish my dog, Shiryu, to stay longer when it was his fate to end.
But the word "fate" stole all that I had when I was nine years old, in the month of May. I accidentally had a fever, and my whole family planned to go to a restaurant to eat with other family members. My mother and father assigned the maids to take care of me while they were gone.
I just agreed and didn't protest since they were going to be back later. However, as the night passed, my parents didn't return home. I sat on my bed, waiting for them, and then turned to the head maid, Yuriko Kato, who had black hair and was in her fifties, standing beside me.
"Yuriko-san," I called her.
She turned to look at me and spoke, "What is it, young master Mei?"
"When will mother and father come back home?" I asked innocently.
"They will be back later, young Master Mei."
"Will they?"
"Of course they will," Yuriko said, patting my head gently. "So you don't have to worry about them. When you wake up tomorrow morning, they will be back, showering you with love!"
She pinched my left cheek, and I let out a soft voice. "awww..."
"You should sleep now, young master Mei. It's 8 p.m.," Yuriko said, releasing her hand from my cheek.
"Okay!" I smiled happily, lay down on the bed, and covered myself with the bedsheet. Before I closed my eyes, I looked at the maid one last time. "Good night, Yuriko-san!"
"Good night, too, young master Mei. Have sweet dreams."
I nodded, smiled sweetly at Yuriko, and closed my eyes to sleep.
But when morning came and I woke up, the whole mansion was silent, and my parents hadn't come to my room.
I got up from the bed, went out of my room, descended the stairs, and went to the kitchen. There, I saw the maids, but their expressions weren't as happy as before.
Even the head maid, Yuriko Kato, appeared sad. "Where are mother and father? Aren't they home yet?" I asked, puzzled.
When I asked, the maids looked away, Their sadness was evident, as if they were hiding a secret from me. They couldn't speak, and the head maid, Yukiko, inhaled and exhaled deeply before approaching me. She knelt down, reached out, and gently patted my head.
"They will not be here anymore, young Master Mei," she said softly.
"Why?" I asked, my voice tinged with sadness, as I looked down at the floor. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No, you didn't do anything to make them hate you, young master Mei," Yukiko reassured, continuing to pat my head gently.
"Then why don't they want to come home and see me? "
"It's because they can't, young Master Mei."
"What do you mean?" I raised my head to look at her.
"Your mother and father are..." Yukiko struggled to speak, as if something was preventing her from continuing.
Some of the other maids began to cry, unable to meet my gaze.
"Dead," Yuriko finally said the word, and when I heard it, it felt like everything crashed down around me.
"N-no, it's not true…" I stammered, tears streaming down my face. "It's not true that my mother and my father are dead!"
Yukiko hugged me tightly. "It's true, young master Mei. They died in a car crash on their way home."
I continued to cry on Yukiko's shoulder, feeling her and the other maids' embrace offer me some comfort. I couldn't speak; the devastation of losing my mother and father left me feeling alone.
Two weeks had passed, and I found myself in my room, staring out the window at the garden and the fountain below. The fresh air greeted me once again.
Last week, the funeral was held. I attended, and the last time I saw my parents was when they were in the coffin, so I hugged their coffins while crying out loud.
In the past week and this week, I barely drank water and ate only small portions of food. The other maids tried to entertain me in various ways, but my heart couldn't muster laughter or joy.
The pain of losing a loved one and the sadness and loneliness I feel make the wound in my heart remain deeply within me.
"I wish I could die together with you, mother and father; it's hard to live without you two." I muttered sadly in my face while still looking at the window in the garden below and the fountain.
Suddenly, there was a repeated sound of knocks on my door.
*KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!*
"There's someone who wants to see you, Young Master Mei," the head maid, Yuriko Kato, said.
"Who?" I replied sadly, still gazing at the window there at the fountain and lively garden below.
"It's a friend of your father, young master Mei."
"A friend of my father?" I turned around, intrigued.
"Yes, young master Mei."
I approached the door of my room, reached for the handle, and opened it. There stood Yuriko Kato, her expression filled with concern and sadness as she looked at me.
"Lead the way to my father's friend, Yuriko-san." I instructed.
"Understood, young master Mei," she replied, bowing her head. Then she turned and led the way.
I followed her, and we arrived in the living room. There, a luxurious yellow sofa awaited, and a man in his thirties sat upon it, clad in a black suit and pants.
He stood up and bowed his head at me. "Good morning, Young Master Mei."
"Why do you want to see me?" I asked, taking a seat on the other yellow sofa facing him.
"As I told your maids earlier, I am a friend of your father."
"And?"
"I have also become the new CEO or president of the Harashino Group."
"Harashino? That's my family name."
"Yes, you're right, Young Master Mei. The Harashino Group is your father's business, a huge conglomerate. But I want you to know that I don't have any ulterior motive to remove or eliminate you, now that I've recently become the president of the Harashino Group."
"What will you do then?"
He looked at me directly, then glanced at Yuriko, my head maid, and the other maids who were eavesdropping before clearing his throat.
"Ahem... It's not polite for others to hear our conversation when discussing your future, right, Young Master Mei?"
I glanced at Yuriko Kato and the other maids who were hiding to eavesdrop.
"Can you leave us for a while?" I asked Yuriko.
"But, Young Master Mei, he's a man, and it might be dangerous to speak with him alone—"
"Follow my order, Yuriko-san," I interrupted her firmly.
Yuriko hesitated but ultimately bowed at me. "Understood, Young Master Mei i'll be going now." She then signaled to the other maids to follow her outside, allowing me to speak with the man alone.
I turned back to the man. "So, what will you do to me?"
"I want you to change your perspective, Young Master Mei."
"My perspective?" I tilted my head. "What do you mean by that?"
"What I mean is to be like your mother—not the one you knew after you were born, but the mother before you were born."
Become like my mother before I was born? From what I know, my mother was kind and always paid attention to me.
"Your mother always believe that fate can't be changed," the man continued. "When the truth is, fate can be controlled and changed."
"W-what? F-fate can be controlled and changed...?" I asked, shocked.
"Yes, you're right, Young Master Mei." He smiled and continued. "Your mother, before you were born, came from another wealthy conglomerate family. She was a woman who loved your father deeply, and she was strict. She lived happily by protecting him. When your mother and father married, your father's conglomerate family and the conglomerate family of your mother joined your father's company, the Harashino Group, to strengthen it. But as time passed, as a couple, she changed. She was convinced by your father that they needed to have a normal relationship, not an unhealthy one, and that started their downfall."
"Downfall?" I asked, puzzled. When my mother and father were around and with me, they seemed happy being together and enjoyed their relationship.
"Yes, a downfall, Young Master Mei. There were other conglomerate groups that weren't afraid of the Harashino Group. Some of them planned together that someday they could kill your mother and your father because your mother became too soft and kind, and unfortunately, it happened; they died together."
"So you're telling me that I need to be strict and protective of my future lover?" I asked, looking at him seriously.
"Yes, Young Master Mei, you need to be strict when you find your future lover to avoid the same fate as your mother and father, who died together. You need to hold him tightly," he clenched his fist as he continued, "a tight grip that your lover can't escape, and never listen to his weak words about changing you."
"Okay... I lost my dog, and now my mother and my father. I can't lose... I can't lose another one that I love."
"That's right, young master Mei. Be that woman, and if you change, then I will let you become the president or CEO of the Harashino Group."
"Why do you agree to this? If you do that, you will be replaced by me."
"I know, young master Mei, that I will be replaced if you become the president or CEO of the Harashino Group, but I don't care; after all, I owe a huge debt to your mother and father. Without them, I wouldn't be here now. So that's why, young master Mei, as you evolve and improve, I will be the one protecting and leading the Harashino Group for now."
I stood up from the yellow sofa and extended my hand for a handshake, but before he could stand up and extend his hand, I interrupted him.
"Before we agree to this, I have one question."
"What is it, young master Mei?"
"What are the signs that I've found my future lover?"
"Before I answer that, Young Master Mei, I want to ask you too: do you feel sadness and loneliness in your heart, Young Master Mei?"
"Yes, you're right. I do feel those emotions in my heart."
"Then, if you meet that future lover of yours, you'll get the feeling that he is like a light—not just an ordinary light, but a light sent from heaven. He could also be a kind of medicine that makes the wound in your heart healed. If you find those symptoms in any man, then it means you need to own him and make him yours, so he can't go anywhere."
"Okay, I understand."
He stood up and extended his hand, and we had a firm handshake.
"Now we have a deal, young master Mei. Let's meet next time when you've become the woman that I want you to be." He said with a smile.
Two weeks had passed, and I found myself starting to change myself. I noticed that I was forgetting to smile, and I struggled to feel any emotions, even sadness.
Starting the day, I got up from my bed, left the room, and made my way to the private library on the second floor, near my parents' room.
There, I immersed myself in books ranging from mathematics to business strategies and the mindset required to be a successful CEO and president.
Despite my efforts to hide my sadness and concentrate on my studies, the pain in my heart remained. It felt as though I was bottling up all my feelings of loneliness and sadness, trying to endure them silently.
After all, I will meet my future lover, and he will clean and heal all the sadness and loneliness that I felt. In exchange for his kindness, I would make him mine, my property.
Three years passed, and I turned twelve years old. I became the president of the Harashino Group and the head of the family in my mansion.
The maids, guards, and drivers in my mansion no longer referred to me as "young master," but I wore a mask when I attended meetings at my company to cover my face.
Then, three years later, when I turned fifteen years old, I enrolled in Hanayami Academy with the identity of Emi Shinohara. I also bought another house, a two-story property, to make a Shinohara family house.
I also put in the enrollment form where they asked about my parents that they were on overseas, so I had an excuse for being alone.
On the first day of school, all students gathered in the auditorium for an introduction speech by the principal of Hanayami Academy. We all sat down to listen, and after his introductory speech, he called out someone.
"Before all of you go back to your respective classrooms, I want you to hear a piano piece from one of our students."
"Inzo Hayashi, you may start now," the principal announced, his voice projecting across the auditorium as he turned his attention to the boy seated at the black piano bench.
He began playing Chopin's Nocturne in E-flat major (Op. 9 No. 2). As the melody filled the room, a sense of calm washed over me, and I found myself unexpectedly moved. My heart, which had remained stoic for six long years, stirred within me.
*THUD...! THUMP...! THUD!*
With each note, it felt as though the wound in my heart was being gently tended to, wrapped up like a bandage. Memories of happier times with my parents flooded back, warming my heart. When the final note faded, applause erupted throughout the auditorium, and I joined in, my hands clapping with the rest.
"That's a wonderful performance, Inzo Hayashi," the principal praised, his tone carrying genuine admiration.
Inzo stood up from the piano bench. "Thank you, Sakayashi-san," he replied with a respectful bow. "I never expected my schoolmates to appreciate my piano skills. I've always had a passion for singing, so playing an instrument in public is a new experience for me."
The principal chuckled warmly. "And we never expected you to have such talent on playing a piano, Inzo-kun," he remarked, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.
"Inzo Hayashi, huh?" I mused quietly to myself, looking at him with interest.
He was a man with black hair and black eyes, wearing a white dress shirt, a navy blue blazer with golden buttons, navy blue trousers, and a red tie.
He looked so handsome and attractive. He also said that he was a singer. What if I could hear him sing? He healed my wounded heart and I found myself drawn to him. I wanted to know more about him.
From his habits, hobbies, his type of girl, his dislikes... Not just that, but I wanted to know EVERYTHING about him.
I clenched my fist tightly. "I should probably be friends with him. That's my first step. Then, next, try to get closer to him, eliminate all possible rivals until I am the only one remaining," I told myself.
With that plan in mind, my first year at Hanayami Academy began.
Becoming friends with Inzo Hayashi proved to be more challenging but i endured it by showing him my kind, friendly, and approachable personality that I always displayed at Hanayami Academy. And he seemed to like me.
Every time I had the chance to talk to him, his voice, his eyes, the way he spoke, laughed, and moved—everything about him made me feel hungry. I wanted to protect him, I wanted to possess him entirely, and I wanted to keep him for myself.
His voice was only for me and no one else. So when I went home, I needed to see him always so I ordered my head maid, Yuriko Kato, to print Inzo's pictures from his social media and other events where he was captured by the camera. She quickly obeyed without any complaints or hesitation. I was thankful I didn't remove this old lady.
She pasted them all, and now my room was filled with pictures of Inzo. Every walls was covered with his face. Come to think of it, in my other house, for my other identity as Emi Shinohara, I should probably put pictures of him too, but only the ones where he sings, so it would be unique.
But here, in the Harashino Mansion, in my room, I wanted all of his pictures. Whether he was not singing or singing, I wanted all of them so I could always think of him and imagine him beside me, cuddling me tightly, as if he were in love with me. But despite all my efforts and conversations with Inzo, he only saw me as...
A friend.
Why? Why? Why? Why?!!
I remembered back then that my mind was filled with frustration as I stood in the bathroom. I kept punching and kicking the walls in rage.
"Why couldn't I make him mine?!! It's already the second year, but nothing progresses! Shit! Shit! Shit!!!" I yelled in anger and frustration.
I stopped, calming myself down, inhaling and exhaling deeply. "Hah... Hah..!." I looked at myself in the mirror again. I looked beautiful. There should be nothing wrong with me.
Then, in a sudden realization, the reason dawned on me. "Oh, come to think of it, he also has some girls who are his friends too. That's why he saw me and treats me like one of his friends."
"Heh!" A wide grin appeared on my lips as I continued. "Changed of plans, then, my beloved Inzo. Now, I should just wait for the right moment. Be like a snake waiting for the right moment to strike when everything is gone for him. Then, I will appear to him as if I am the only one for him, and I could be 'more than a friend. Nice one, nice one, Emi. I'm really an intelligent woman. Really, I am."
Thinking about whether my plan B works makes me feel more excited, and when the time comes, he realizes that I am the only one that stays by his side through thick and thin. He would apologize for not seeing me that way before, and now he sees me as a lover.
After that, he would surrender himself to me—not just his body but also his soul and everything he has. Then, I would love him and keep him very well for myself.
And thus, during the second year of the Academy Music Contest, an accident occurred. Inzo lost his singing voice, and I couldn't help but feel worried as blood dripped from his mouth. He was clearly in pain, and laughter echoed from other academies.
I felt the urge to stand from my seat and rush to the stage to protect him, but before I could move, two teachers from Hanayami Academy rushed to help him and took him to the hospital.
A day passed after the contest, and in our classroom, many of our classmates blamed him. But what stood out to my ears was a conversation between a boy and a girl seated behind me, where I could clearly hear them.
"We should've won the contest," the boy said.
"It's because of him that our academy got humiliated and embarrassed," the girl replied.
"I remember how crazy you were for him," the boy smirked.
"Oh god, no. That was before, not now."
"Are you sure?" The boy leaned closer to the girl, his smirk widening.
"Yeah, he's not my type anymore. I don't prefer failure boys like him."
"You know what? I'm better than that, Inzo. We can go out on a date after this class. What do you say?" The boy leaned even closer to the girl, his lips inches away from hers.
"Fine by me." She pushed the boy away gently.
"Okay, so it's settled for our date!"
I clenched my fist. If only I could turn around, punch, and beat that girl. She's just a girl who only looks for Inzo's skills, not his soul and body. Girls like her should be gone. That's why I'm the only one who is allowed to be with Inzo.
After class, I made it a habit to visit him in the hospital and spend time with Inzo. It was enjoyable, especially since no one else besides his mother came to see him. I didn't mind his mother's presence; after all, I only needed to convince her that I was the best girl for her son.
Going back tonight, we arrived in front of the door of my room. Before I could open the door, I turned around to look at Inzo.
"Are you ready to see my collection, Inzo?"
"Yeah, I'm ready, Emi."
"Then behold..." I touched the handle and opened the door, and the lights automatically turned on, revealing what was in my room. I turned around to look at Inzo and smirked. "Do you like my 'collection'?"
It was filled with pictures of him in my room; every pose of him was displayed. He looked shocked and trembled. Was it fear that gripped him now? I noticed his left foot step back, so with my right hand, I grabbed his left hand tightly, not letting him go.
"Where do you think you're going, Inzo?" I grinned as I noticed sweat trickling down his forehead. "You don't have to be scared of my collection. It's just pictures of you. There's no big deal."
"A-are you really Emi Shinohara, the one I knew?" he asked, stammering.
"Yes, I am... This is the real me, and I'm your one and only friend."
"Then, why are all of my pictures all around in your room?"
"You see, as I said earlier, it's my collection. I always wanted to see your face, Inzo."
"B-but having these pictures of me in your room is weird, Emi. I thought you were a kind person that would never do like this."
"Hmm, a kind person, you say? Oh, now I get it. So you're referring to the attitude I show you?" I grinned. "Heh... It's all a facade, and part of my plan to make you mine."
I patted his head gently with my left hand. "I can be your friend, just as you wanted, or even more than that. So, can't you set aside your fear and let's sleep together?"
"B-but sleeping together while seeing pictures of me all around the room is so weird and creepy, Emi."
I didn't stop patting his head. "Just close your eyes, Inzo, and I'll help you sleep in my bed. Is it really so difficult for you to do as I say?" I leaned closer to him, our lips inches away, just a few moves away from meeting. "Please~?"
He softened, his cheeks turning red. Ahh~ looking at his face, he's so vulnerable. No doubt he's really my future lover.
"O-okay. As your friend, I will try to sleep in your bed but just keep patting my head. I like when someone spoils me like this."
"Mhmm~ I know, my dear Inzo, that you really like getting your head patted. That's why let's go and sleep together, shall we~?"
Inzo nodded, and I carried him suddenly in a bridal style, which shocked him and made him look embarrassed.
"W-what are you doing, Emi?" he asked, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.
"Starting tonight, we're going to be together now~." I held him carefully so he wouldn't fall and began walking towards my bed in my room, still carrying him in bridal style. I couldn't help but sing.
"Ding-a-ling-a-ling~" I copied the sound of chiming bells at a wedding, and the song continued until we reached my bed. I gently placed him down on the bed and joined him, lying down beside him. I whispered the final lyrics of the song, "ding-a-ling~ you may now sleep, Inzo."
Ah, I should probably say, "You may now kiss the bride." Oh, that sounds good, but I'm not a priest, and Inzo seems to be enjoying this, blushing in embarrassment. I patted his head once again to make him feel more at ease.
"Close your eyes now, my beloved Inzo~."
"Mhmm... Okay." He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
As he slept peacefully in front of me, I leaned closer and smelled his hair.
"Ahh~ nhnn~ such a wonderful scent of your hair, Inzo."
I couldn't stop myself from smelling his hair—it was addictive, like a dose that made my heart flutter even faster.
After I smelled his hair, I kissed his head. In response, he just smiled. Was he still awake or already asleep, dreaming about me? I wondered, but what mattered to me the most was that Inzo was almost mine, just a step away from becoming my property!
I backed away from him and grinned widely, looking at him, still asleep and smiling. "I've won~!"