11 She's Free Real Estate. What Did You Expect? (3)

The show on the television right now, was of an idol team happily giggling and dancing on the stage; the girls were dressed in cute frilly clothes, signifying a colorful vibrance I've always yearned for.

"Ojou-sama...ojou—" The maid oba-san tried to stop me, who was dancing and—although rather imperfectly—mimicking the movements of the idol girls. Her speech however, was abruptly canceled by her jolting in surprise due to...

The door to the room I was in, suddenly banged open as a girl with an angry expression entered.

Seeing that ever-familiar face renowned in this house, my hands started trembling while my foots turned into rock—eventually, every part of my body became frozen. The maid assigned to me didn't forget to do the same either as she flinched whilst stepping back—reminding me that I couldn't rely on anyone here to even help me out occasionally.

"What's going on in here?!"

The girl's peerless elegance spread throughout the room, striking fear in my chest and making my maid's lips tremble in distress.

Her elegance was only a sham—she was the representative of the type of people I hated the most, the hypocrites.

She looked towards my dress—something I previously bought in a store designed for little girls and idols with my father— and frowned in hatred.

She hated me, and even more so when I tried to dress like this, nonetheless more when I tried to dress up like my favorite idols.

I can't understand. Why does she dislike me trying to look pretty and...trying to get out of my shell?

"I told you before, didn't I Sakura?! Don't waste your time by doing all of these!" She came beside me and turned off the TV with a furious expression.

"A-aneue...I-I'm s-s-sorry!!..." I bent my waist as a tear dropped from my eyes; I innerly steeled myself for the incoming slap as I knew that my ane-ue doesn't like me tearing up in front of her.

[TL time! Ue, just like san, sama, dono, kun, is a Japanese honorific. Ue however, is a formal title that means "above" and denotes a high-level of respect from the user.]

Ane-ue gnashed her teeth together as she slightly nodded her head, and said, "Don't talk with a stutter in front of me, little sister. I don't like people like you—especially when they're useless."

"Listen, I only came here two days earlier and saw you like this—and I can't bear to see you like this. I'm taking away all of your clothes."

"And yes, don't dress in things like these without my permission. I don't like them, nor can you, understand?" Ane-ue pointed her fingers at me and the turned around towards my maid.

I hate this woman. She herself dresses in pretty clothes, so why can't I?

" You..."

" Yu—"

" How dare you talk back? Get out, right now, and at this very moment. "

The maid nodded and exited the room, not even sparing a glance towards me, who was still in a bowing position and absolutely sure I would be slapped or even worse...

" Sakura, look at me. " She said with a grim and serious tone.

I looked up, my eyes were closed in fear while my fists were all curled up into balls, and saw that she was staring at me with a wide, and sharp smile.

Fake. I never fail to see someone's true intention through their facial expressions.

"Sakura, you look unusually ugly right now. Do you know that?"

I know that.

Why are you so adamant about stuffing it in my mouth! I know more than you about how ugly I am!

"Y-yes, a-ane-ue...!"

She faintly smirked, as if she was pleased with something, and said, "I'll take a bit of pity on you, and say it. The clear reason for your increase in ugliness is due to the way you dress."

"There's a saying you know, that roses shouldn't be stuffed in dung cakes, right?"

"You only waste money and mock these beautiful clothes by draping them on your deformed body. Listen to your elders. Don't go outside your boundaries."

The tears I held back rushed out of my eyes.

How can someone be so cruel? I know that I...I am so ugly, yet why push it in my face...? I only have only hobby...does every family behave like this towards their members?

" Aw, the miserable ugly-wugly is crying. That's what you should do, cry. It suits someone like you. After all, what else can you do to protect yourself?" She chuckled, although with restrain, by putting her hands on her mouth.

I'm miserable. I hate myself, and my life. Why couldn't I be born as someone else, someone outside of this, distressing family?

Everyone's the same here. All of them are the same—hypocrites.

I used to think that my mother said she loved me, but it was a lie. And the truth was what she told me via all these years of coldness and avoidance, it almost felt as if I wasn't her daughter but someone picked up from the trash—which I honestly believe in, even until now.

But I see now that she back then hated to tell me she "loved me", because it was false, and when she called me stupid worthless and incompetent that was the truth, not a lie or something spouted in anger. I believed what she said about me for a long time, that she loved me.

I still see these lies as honest statements from her sometimes—often in an attempt to easen my load and frustrations by feigning that in some alter reality, she actually likes me, and so they continue to haunt me.

My mother...I dislike her. And she shows that too by showing how much she loves my older sister over me and ignoring me.

My ane-ue on the other hand, is a liar, a sick person who is uninterested and incapable of being genuine or honest with anyone.

But at least she's honest with me. She doesn't try to hide or blow it off and truthfully says that I'm ugly. And even though I feel a tightness and a feeling of worthlessness wash over me, I still feel relief that she's less of a hypocrite than them.

Regardless, everyone in my family looks down on me and all of my dreams, they see them as naïve, something to be taken lightly of.

My father is a father who doesn't remember, take note of what makes their children happy, excited, interested. . There was no love inside him, at most she was codependent with an intense fear of abandonment, which is not love.

"Hey, dimwit, don't worry. Even if no one likes you, you still have your family to fall back on."

"Y-yes...ane-ue..."

"Worthles..."

She came forward, and with a sharp and disturbing grin, she unlatched the bow-like latch on the back of my dress.

I whimpered in fear as I put my hands over my chest and shamefully look towards my feet, I didn't dare to even stop her as she undid my panties.

"There you go, an animal. And an animal always looks better in the nude rather than in fancy clothes, don't they?"

"Y-yes...ane-ue..." I flinched as she thew a white sundress and a pair of underwears at me.

The sundress was ugly and filmsy, as if it would tear at the slightest pressure. The underwear were, thankfully, normal.

I didn't mind her insults as I quickly moved to wear the underwear, although my legs and arms were cold and heavy due to fear and anxiety.

"Look at you. Your chest looks to be of a man's, doesn't it? Your hair is ugly and frizzy. While the rest of your body is just as deformed and imperfect."

"I don't think even mothers would accept girls like you, much less boys."

"Cheh. I'm wasting my time. And yes, I'd like it if you went outside for a while. I have serious business with someone here."

I nodded.

...

...

I wiped my eyes with force as I lowly sobbed and exited the apartment block, and I didn't forget about anything that happened as I looked towards the sky and mourned for my life.

What's the point in living, when you're already dead, and most like hated?

That's why I want to be a star. A glamorous one, hidden from every type of hate and loved. Is that too much to ask?

But unfortunately, I'm ugly.

As the people beside me passed by, I flinched often and tried to avoid them and their gazes. When they came in front of me or anything, I just fastened my pace while looking down on the pavement.

I ran, ran and ran. I didn't want to stop. I didn't even notice where I was going and how fast I was going.

But I didn't care. My ane-ue made my life hard, and I don't see any reason to not just die. Maybe that'll teach her how to treat her 「family」, maybe that'll teach her a lesson.

But I'm also afraid. I don't want to miss out on my dream, regardless of anything else that stands in my way.

Have you ever dreamt of something, so hard, that you know it's impossible to achieve, yet you strive on, without worry that you'll fail?

I know I will fail. Maybe broken things like me fail in every subject and fall down every time, maybe broken things like me are often better left alone.

I am like glass. Broken glass. Thrown away when I broke, but I was born like every other glass. My fault was being born broken.

Unknowingly, I entered Mifune-denchen-kyo. A private-residential area...

The sunlight hit my face, they weren't gentle. In fact, they were piercing and too glaring to my eyes.

It didn't take much time before the sunlight blinded me, and I fell by slipping on the muddy pavement drowned with rain-water.

The dark-chocolate like water hit my face as I sobbed from pain. Which happened due my cheeks hitting the pavement, in turn which created friction and grazed my skin.

There was no one near me to pick me up, or help me. Not that I wanted help either way. Nor would they help me if there was anyone.

I heard footsteps...

A boy appeared in front of me, and upon seeing me, his eyes shone as he gasped.

"Hey! Are you a fairy?!"

...

He looks ugly, is idiotic. He looks to be of the perfect match for me. Doesn't he?

I think I belong here, so why not try to befriend him if the chance comes—such thoughts polluted my mind as I looked at him with a frown.

Strange, he doesn't make me feel as anxious as others...? I'm not trembling either, so...?

"Fairy, can you take my hand?! I'll pick you up!"

"I-I'm fi—" I wanted to decline, but I couldn't. My hands were wet, and my entire body was slippery, I don't think I can pull myself up. So I did what I should, I accepted his pudgy and bulky hands, "Fine. Pull me up, please," although rather angrily since he lied about me to my face.

I'm ugly. So how can I be a fairy?

With his help, I was able to stand up, but my clothes weren't salvageable as they were wet and stained with mud.

I sobbed quietly as I looked towards the park in front of me. I mostly forgot that there was someone behind me looking at me with an enchanted gaze.

"So, fairy, what's your name?"

I softly whined and turned towards him, and in return, I met the boy's unique face looking towards me with unashamed excitement.

I felt astounded looking at him. I didn't flinch nor did I anxiously avoid his gaze, I instead felt a bit safe, as if he was harmless and...friendly.

He was also rather unique in an unusual way. His body was reeking of cleanliness, it was as if his entire soul was clean and open-to-others, as if he bore no fear and was confident in his own skin.

He's also ugly, so why can't I...be like him? Confident in my own skin...?

"M-my name is Sakura. Pleased to meet you." I bowed slightly out of courtesy.

"Ah, Sakura? That's a beautiful name for an enchanting fairy! Mine's Tenshi; Tenshi Ayama!"

Never heard of him before.

"So, I never saw you here before! Are you new in this city like me, or have you moved into this area recently?!"

"I...no, I've always been here since my birth. It's just that I'm not allowed—nor do I want to anyway— to roam outside of my house and school..."

"Hey, that's tragic. Fairies don't deserve to be locked in cages. Can we be fr—"

I felt a massive surge of fury in my head as I heard him call me fairy. Like, I know I'm ugly. It's not like you have to remind and mock me every sentence.

"Can you please stop mocking me! I barely know you, so why are you doing this?!" I screamed in rage, something I hadn't done before in my entire life.

I was always soft-spoken. I could never speak above a certain volume otherwise my own throat would burn for a while.

" Uh, I'm not mocking you though, fairy-chan. Can I call you chan? I can? Okay!" The boy chuckled.

"T-this is what I'm talking about! Why are you calling me fairy?!"

"Oh, so you're talking about that? You're beautiful, and I don't think there's another title effective enough to portray your...beauty? I...don't know though, you look like a fairy to me."

"T-that's not true! I'm not beautiful...!" For some reason, I blushed as I looked at him with curious eyes.

Fairy? Beautiful?

That feels nice...being called beautiful?

"You are beautiful though. Oh, how can I make you believe my words...?"

"Oh I know. You know why I approached you? Because you're beautiful. If it was any other girl of average facial value or lower, I wouldn't even bother and pass by without helping."

"I don't care if you dislike me for saying the truth. I hate hypocrites."

"Hey, you're shaking. Why are you shaking? Hey? Wait, did you get a fever? Why is your face red? Whoa, take my blazer...which sounds like a stupid idea, but take it anyway, I have lots of them."