The next morning you wake up to the sound of birds chirping outside your window. You came home shortly after the dessert course with Pierre and went straight to the bathroom to shower and head to bed. You haven't done much but sleep and work on classwork when you've come home on days you have supplementary class. Thankfully today is a weekend and there's no rush for you to get up.
Or so you thought.
You glance over at your phone noticing several missed calls and texts from yesterday. Haru, Zico, and a single text from Akaashi. Your chest tightens when you hover your finger over Akaashi's text. The knock on your door startles you, making you drop your phone on the bed.
"Miss, are you awake?" Pierre calls out to you from the door.
"Yes, Pierre." Your morning voice is soft when you speak up. Pierre enters the room with a troubled expression. "I'm sorry to come here when you've just woken up." He bows to you, noticing your bed hair. You shyly try to comb your hair with your fingers. "Your parents want you to join them for breakfast."
"Oh? Alright then. I'll be down there after I get ready. Thank you Pierre." A smile etches on your face when you look at Pierre. He nods his head, returning your smile with his own. He leaves your bedroom, closing the door softly.
A sigh leaves your lips when you ruffle your hair back into a mess.
What did your parents want you this early in the morning for?
They only ask of you when they have something they need you to do. It's never just to enjoy a meal with them.
Grumbling, you lift the blankets off of you and head towards the bathroom.
🏐･ﾟﾟ･｡.
You grow nervous the closer you reach the dining room. The last time you were here with them was with Akaashi. Clenching your hands into tight fists, you inhale deeply before entering the dining room.
"Good morning father, mother." You bow to them before taking a seat.
"Good morning Y/N." Father greets you, a half smile on his face.
"Glad to see you're awake." Mother comments, she places a cup of water in front of you. Pierre walks over and places a bowl of rice in front of you. You whisper a thank you and pick up your chopsticks, eyeing the different side dishes and mackerel on the table.
You weren't exactly hungry when you stare at the variety in front of you. Mother reaches over for a pickled carrot and places it on top of your rice. "You seem to look paler since the last time we've seen you Y/N."
You tense when you hear her words, your eyes lower to the carrot that rests over the bed of rice. "We haven't been able to see you a lot lately ever since you've started the supplementary classes. Is it a bit too much for you?" Father comments. He extends his chopsticks towards your bowl to place a piece of mackerel on top of the carrot.
What is this? Did they invite you down for breakfast to talk about their worries of you?
This is a first.
Have they grown soft because of their older age? Or is this a trap to make you drop your defenses?
"Y/N?" Mother calls out to you, her voice full of worry and not a sign of malice. You lower your chopsticks, staring at the two.
"Are you two actually worried about me? Or is there a hidden intention?" You speak up, feeling completely vulnerable after echoing your thoughts. Pierre who stands to the side, eyes you with a bewildered look.
"Is it not natural for your parents to worry about you?" Mother looks at you. You purse your lips, afraid to look her in the eye.
"It is but...not from you two." You murmur. The two feel a slight jab in their chest when they listen to you. You glance over to Pierre. His hazel brown eyes meet yours and you feel a warmth wash over you. You turn your attention back to your parents. "To be honest, Pierre is more of a family to me than you two are. I feel like I'm just a prop to the both of you. One you can make do anything whenever it is needed."
"Y/N." Father's voice grows stern. The tone that you're more familiar with.
"No, let me finish father." You steel your nerves. "I've done everything the two of you wanted of me for as long as I can remember. Not once have you thanked me or told me you loved me. Why would you care now if I don't look well?"
The two stare at you in complete silence. "We know we haven't been the best parents to you Y/N. We should be grateful to have a daughter who just takes the punches. We've realized that." Father speaks up, his brows furrowing together. "So, if these supplementary classes is a burden on you, we'll take you out of the classes."
Really? Are you hearing him correctly? There has to be an ulterior motive to this though, right? They aren't genuinely trying to change now, are they?
"I don't believe you." You reply, eyeing your father directly in his eyes. "What are you two trying to get out of me this time?"
"Honey, let's cut the act. Y/N is too smart for her own good." Mother exhales, a frustrated look etches onto her face. "Three years from now, we plan to arrange your marriage with our top surgeons son. The two of you might've crossed paths. We heard that you two attend the same school. Konoha Akinori."
K-KONOHA!? That idiot is a son of one of the top surgeons in Japan?
"How can you plan my life for me? I don't want any part of this family matter. You've said so yourself that I won't be inheriting a single penny from this family." You stand up, slamming your hands against the table. Mother winces when she hears the loud slam. Father glares at you, "Sit down Y/N. You're getting emotional again."
"Do I not have the right to be!? If I'm going to marry anyone, I want it to be with someone I truly care for." Your words fumble out of your throat and you feel the corner of your eyes tear up.
"And who is that?" Father's words loom malice. "Are they of upper class? We can't have you marry anyone lower than that."
Money and hierarchy is all they care about. The tears trickle down your face and you turn your back against them.
"It's that boy you brought here last time isn't it? Has he influenced you to become this way? To talk back to your parents?" Mother spits out. You bite your bottom lip, not wanting to tell her that she's right. You storm out of the dining room and hurry to the garden out back.