"You're friends with the Momobami's?"
Rei asks when she sees a message from Sayaka about joining her and Kirari for dinner.
"I am. I thought you knew."
Rei shakes her head and shows you the message that had been sent.
"Hmm. Dinner. I have a feeling this is not just for pleasure. Would you like to accompany me? I feel like dinner would be dreadful without you there. I love Sayaka but Kirari is intense."
"....no. You shouldn't go with them either."
You frown as you watch her decline Sayaka's invitation. You didn't bother to stop her, figuring that she might have a valid reason for doing so.
"Mind telling me why you were so quick to turn them down."
"The Momobami's are people that you don't want to associate yourself with. One wrong move and it's over."
You take her hands in yours, running your fingers on the marks that were just barely visible.
"They have something to do with how bad your childhood was?" Rei looks away, unable to meet your eyes. The two of you had been dating for a couple of years now and she had yet to tell you about her childhood. "Rei, you can trust me. We're getting married soon and I'd like to think that you completely trust me."
She takes a deep breath before turning around to look at you.
"It's just....I've buried it deep in the back of my mind. I don't like to remember it. You never asked about it and I never felt the need to tell you."
You press a kiss to the back of one of her hands and then gave her a soft smile.
"It's alright if you don't want to tell me then. There's no reason to bring up the past if you don't want to remember it."
The two of you went back to watching tv but Rei wasn't paying any attention. She kept thinking about how she was going to tell you about her past.
X
"Before I become a Jabami, I was a Batsubami. My family received it as a punishment for losing and result in us becoming servants for the Bami family."
Rei starts talking just as you're about to fall asleep. Hearing her start to explain herself, you make yourself more awake.
"You were a child, Rei. They really made you a servant?"
"They did. While all my cousins played together, I was forced to stand at the side to assist them in anything they needed. I spent my days cleaning and attending all of them. Eventually, one of my older cousins took me under her wing and became my friend. I didn't know her name but I knew she was a Jabami. She always made me feel normal and I always looked forward to her visits. The last day that I saw her was on my birthday. She gave me the hairlip that I always wear and told me to make my own destiny. She's the reason why I was able to break the chains of my family name. The Momobami's made my life hell. While they might've given me my freedom back, I could never forgive them for what they did."
You whispered words of comfort as you held her while she cried. It pained you to hear about the terrible childhood Rei had. It sickened you that you had actually considered the Momobami's as your friends. They knew who you were dating and yet they never even spoke about the hell that Rei's childhood had been.
"Maybe it's time that I terminate our partnership with them."
At the mention of this, Rei turns around in your arms.
"No. This happened a long time ago. This is...."
"I don't care that this happened a long time ago, Rei. I care about the fact that hurt you and brushed it off when you became a Jabami. I can't work with people like that. There's other people that I can do business with rather than the Momobami's. It's likely that they'll need me more than I need them."
Rei leans in to give you a soft kiss with a smile.
"I love you so much, (y/n)."
"and I love you so much Rei."
X
The next morning, you terminated all contracts with the Momobami's. Sayaka and Kirari attempted to make you reconsider but you ignored them. You were soon going to marry Rei, you couldn't have any contact with those that had made her life hell.