PlayboyKouji [Discontinued For My Better Fic]

SS2: Chiaki Matsushita

Matsushita POV

I have always been an obedient daughter.

From the moment I learned how to read and speak, I followed my parents' orders like they were absolute. My father was the owner of a major telecommunications company that handles about a quarter of the country, while my mother was a high-ranking secretary of the House of Councillors. The both of them were extremely busy people and they rarely spent time with me, but whenever they were around, let's just say that they were a bit strict with me.

From the start, I was told by the two of them that I have to follow whatever they say, no matter what. Even though I was still young, I knew that I had to listen for my own good. I always told myself that failing to do what they said might result in something bad happening to me, and I was too afraid of letting that happen.

I worked hard to gain their approval and favor, studying to the best that I can and learning about my father's business in the chance that I would take. I never asked for anything from them, because I was afraid of being rejected and the possibility of being chastised for doing something wrong. I even stopped crying by the time I began going to school, because I was afraid that my father would scold me.

In return, my parents gave me an enjoyable life. A good school for me to learn in, a nice house to call home, and everything I needed to. They even became less strict with me, to the point that they asked. I wondered if they were simply acknowledging that I did a good job or they were really trying to show affection towards me. Eventually, I chose not to think about it because it might distract me and I didn't want that to happen.

And then, time passed. I was about to start high school in the Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School. Since that school was the most prestigious in the country, my parents wanted me to go there and truth be told, I also wanted to go there. Thanks to their influence, my parents were easily able to secure me a spot as one of the students who'll take the entrance exams for the school.

A few days before the exam, they told me to find a suitable husband for me in this school, which caught me off guard initially. As far as I'm concerned, since I'm the daughter of a company owner, I'd be put in an arranged marriage with some stranger who's also the child of a powerful person. You know, a typical scenario in family that's involved in business and politics. From how I was raised, I was already prepared for that possibility.

I asked my parents what they meant when they said those words to me, and they simply said that I have to look for someone whom I will marry in the future. I even asked it again just to be sure that I wasn't hearing things, and they only said the same thing again. When I asked them for their reasons why they're allowing me to choose on my own and not making the decision for me, both of them told me that they trusted me in my decisions, and that they know I'll choose the right person.

Apart from that, they told that I was free to live my high school life as I wished. Basically, they were telling me that I didn't need their guidance anymore, and that I can take care of myself now. 

For the first time in many years, I cried and embraced my parents, who did the same. I felt like a kid again when it happened. It was probably the first time we've all hugged each other like a normal family in twelve years.