𝑨𝒔 𝑳𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝑨𝒔 𝒀𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝑩𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝑴𝒆 | Kamisato Ayato x Fem Reader

Chapter 1: 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘢'𝘴 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦

"Why did you make the rice so sticky and soft?! What is this?"

The sound of wooden chopsticks were slammed harshly onto the wood-maple dining table.

"I... just thought it'd be easier to digest, since you're sick..." I replied, looking down into my own bowl of freshly cooked rice.

"So what? Are you planning on worsening my cough so that I actually come down with a fever?"

"What? No, why would I-"

"Whatever. I lost my appetite anyways." The young lady stood up, leaving her unfinished bowl of rice untouched and unattended at the table. The sounds of footsteps drawing further away from the dining room echoed through the hallways of the estate, followed by a loud door being slammed shut.

"Y/N, just shut your mouth and go cook another bowl of rice for Maki, and do it correctly this time." Mother demanded, her eyes sharpening at my figure.

Wishing to avoid anymore conflict or arguments, I nodded as a sign of acknowledgement for her words, before standing up, leaving my own meal at the table untouched.

"Oh, and Y/N..." Mother's voice had stopped me in my tracks, making me fear of what other harsh words she may say to me.

"Take care to not burn yourself again. Honestly, why are you so clumsy that you somehow managed to burn yourself while not being able to cook rice properly?"

"Seriously... You're supposed to be a proper lady, and yet you always get scars and cuts from who-knows-where." Father interjected with a hint of annoyance.

After a few more seconds, I excused myself from the room, hearing Mother brew up another storm of arguments with Father.

"And where did she get her clumsiness from? Hm?" The lady of the house held her chin high, before sending another sharp glare towards her husband.

"Yumisa. Are you trying to blame me for a trait that your daughter has?"

"Hah. Don't make me laugh, Ryoko. I hope her existence serves as a reminder for your own shortcomings too."

Standing outside at the door of the dining room, I lifted my right hand up at my eye-level examining the infested burn I've acquired.

It was shaped like a jagged teardrop at the knuckle of my pointer finger... a teardrop that will never fall, yet, forever be engraved on my skin as if it's meant to serve as a reprimand of my own clumsiness—to serve as a reminder for never doing anything right.

It seems this one will leave a really bad scar... just another one of many others.

"Lord Hanamura, your daily newspapers are here." A servant bowed before placing them in an orderly fashion on his desk. "In addition to these, you've also received some new mail and letters addressed to you."

"Hm. You may leave now." The old male replied sternly.

"Yes, my lord." The servant answered and bowed politely, before opening the door and taking her leave.

After the servant left, Ryoko turned away from the window breaking his gaze to turn his attention to the pile of documents, a thin stack of papers containing the latest news, and a number of envelopes of mail, all laid upon his cluttered workspace.

Typically, Ryoko would go through letters and mail during the evening before he retires for the night, but since it was on his desk, desperately waiting for a reply or for him to read the mail, he indulged in its calling.

As he swiped the mail off his desk and skimmed through each letter passing through his wrinkled fingers, he let out a surprised gasp as two envelops caught his eye.