Chapter 5 – The Secret of My Birth? No Peeking at the Preview
“Hey, Mom.”
“Hm?”
“What kind of guy was my father?”
“A piece of s**t. No—worse. A f*****g waste of oxygen. A walking pile of human garbage that should've been scraped off the bottom of someone's boot.”
Well, damn. That was harsh.
I had never really asked her before. Never cared enough to dig into that part of my life. But today, for whatever reason, I figured I'd finally get around to it. One simple question. And just like that, the entire conversation was over in less than ten seconds.
Yeah, no. That wasn't something I could just let slide.
“Could you, like, elaborate a bit more?”
“If I start talking, we're looking at an all-nighter. You sure about that?”
“Good night.”
“What a shame.”
And just like that, she shut me down again. Classic.
“Anyway, Yuuya, just make sure you kept up with your studies. If you did that, you'd definitely end up on the winning side of life.”
“I'd rather be winning right now. How do I do that?”
“……”
Silence.
Figures. Even she couldn't argue with that.
“All that studying got me labeled a scrawny nerd. Even in high school, my grades were top-tier, but my social status was rock-bottom.”
“……”
More silence.
Not even a word of reassurance? Nothing about Oh, Yuuya, you'll be fine! Girls love smart guys! or Don't worry, things will get better!?
Nope. Just straight-up radio silence.
Damn, even my own mother had nothing to say about my miserable ranking on the high school food chain. Almost made me wonder if I had even been conceived naturally. Hell, was I the result of artificial insemination or something?
Jokes aside, I had already pieced together the truth.
Mom had probably gotten caught up with some no-good b*****d, just like Chihiro-san had. If only she had kept it to just her mouth, things would've been a whole lot simpler.
Even so, I had nothing but appreciation for the fact that she had raised me all on her own. It wasn't like I had been trying to corner her with this, so letting it go here was probably the best call.
***
Then came Monday.
The second I stepped through the door, Mom was on me.
“Hey! Yuuya, is it true that Mahiro-chan got a boyfriend!?”
“Huh?”
I glanced past her into the living room.
Chihiro-san sat there, looking way too smug for my liking. Yeah. She definitely ratted me out.
“I dunno the details. I barely even talk to Mahiro these days.”
A half-truth, a half-lie—the perfect escape.
Mom didn't buy it for a second.
“This is a disaster…! All our plans to raise Yuuya into an elite, high-class, prime marriage candidate and have him end up with Mahiro-chan for a happy life… all wasted…”
“Hold the hell up! You were actually plotting that!?”
What kind of insane confession was that!? Did her mouth just slip from being too damn hydrated or something!?
So wait—me falling for Mahiro was all part of her grand scheme? What the actual f**k?
Well, now I was pissed. Might as well throw some sarcasm her way.
“So basically, since Mahiro strayed from your plan, she actually found happiness, huh?”
“…Happiness, huh…?”
Chihiro-san, resting her chin on her hand, let out a long sigh. And goddamn, those tits. Even when she looked all melancholic, she had that effortless sex appeal. God only knows how many guys she left heartbroken back in school.
“If she's with someone she loves, she must be happy, right?”
“…And just how real is that love, I wonder?”
“Love can be real or fake?”
Silence.
The Mom Alliance—now down to two members—had nothing to say.
Seriously? A high schooler schooling the both of you, and you’ve got nothing? Guess wisdom didn't come with age—just regrets and questionable life choices.
But I got it now.
They saw Mahiro in themselves. They'd lived through the same mistakes. They already knew where this was headed.
Love's something you gotta experience to understand, right? The Mom Alliance had learned that the hard way.
As long as the pain didn't go beyond expectations, at worst, it just got a little overused and worn out. Give it time, and it became a memory you could laugh about.
—As long as the pain didn't go beyond expectations.
Not my problem, though.
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2 Comments
Bad luck with women s more appropriate for this novel at this point, and that only chapter 5
Dude's surrounded by 304's, including his own mother. They were trying to turn them into the beta provider for his childhood friend (who would likely cheat with Chad and Tyrone while he's at work providing for the family). Stay on your grind, bro!