Chapter Two Part 1

It was quarter past seven in the morning and Yuya was cycling home tiredly. His whole body ached, but he had to do his morning student job. For almost a year now, he had been delivering newspapers in the neighborhood every weekday morning. He liked doing it, even if his father and brother looked down on him for it. They thought newspaper delivery wasn't real work and wasn't fitting for a man. They repeatedly stated that instead of spending his mornings on useless activities and wandering around, Yuya should be poring over his books. But his father didn't forbid him, as long as his grades didn't get even worse. When Hokuto told Yuya the previous evening that he could go to work, so he would finally see what the real world was like, he was actually shooting in the dark. Yuya wasn't angry about this, as he knew his brother had never worked a day in his life. Their parents wouldn't allow it, as the precious, firstborn had to be provided with everything; he had to study to make something of himself. Their father, Miyazawa Kentaro, deeply despised student workers, even though he himself had worked as a student. He was an assistant in a general store until his father found out and ordered him to quit, because it was a waste of precious time meant for studying. Yuya knew about this, so he thought that if his father didn't understand him in other things, perhaps he would in this. Well, it seemed not. All this led to that Hokuto wasn’t allowed to work, but he didn't want to either. Yuya didn't work because he wanted to freeze to death or roast to death every morning. He simply needed the money, because the monthly ten thousand yen allowance his father gave him as pocket money wasn't enough for anything. And if he had dared to ask for something he needed, he would have been told off for squandering money and not knowing how to handle it.

Because of this, Yuya preferred to work and earned well, although the money itself wasn't that much. But at least he could manage it, and there was still some left at the end of the month. He worked well, hard, and his boss, Yoshitaka-san, was also satisfied with him. Perhaps he was the only one besides Hokuto's girlfriend, Amano Rei-san, who spoke kindly to him. But Rei-san hadn't visited them for a while, even though the girl always inquired about his well-being, listened to him kindly, and sometimes gave him advice. It was good to talk to her, and Yuya missed the girl. Especially because when Rei-san visited them, his family also seemed more normal. Yuya could only think that perhaps they had argued with Hokuto, and that was why his brother was more violent and cruel than usual lately.

It was half past seven when he got home and put down his bike. Of course, carefully in its place, and locked it. It was an old vehicle, his brother had discarded it, then "graciously" gave it to Yuya in a half-ruined state. The boy had to spend some money to be able to use the discarded iron horse, so he only used it for newspaper delivery. It was his old dream to buy a better bicycle, but even used ones currently exceeded the contents of his wallet.

~*~

Yuya heard his mother bustling in the kitchen; the woman probably heard her younger son come home, but she didn't say a word. The boy shrugged, then scurried to his room to change into his uniform in time. He put down his things, then took his uniform pieces off the hanger and neatly spread them on the bed. Classes only started at nine in the morning, so he still had enough time to get ready. Then he remembered that they also had physical education that day, which made him break out in a cold sweat. He knew he couldn't exercise, couldn't change, because then his classmates would see the blue and green bruises, the contusions that covered his upper body, both arms, and his left shin. They would start asking questions, tell the homeroom teacher, which would lead to a lot of problems. At the same time, he definitely had to take his gym clothes so as not to arouse suspicion at home. His mother knew exactly, what his schedule was and would surely question him if he didn't see his gym bag with him. He decided he would come up with some excuse before P.E. to go down to the infirmary. For example, a sprained ankle or feeling unwell. It wouldn't count as an absence if he spent P.E. in the infirmary.

He knew he couldn't linger in his room for long; he had to hurry if he wanted to leave before his brother and father. He didn't want to have breakfast with them, listen to their "well-intentioned" lectures, or see their condescending and pitying glances. He decided to leave earlier, so he quickly put on his uniform, combed his hair, and made his bed. He quickly brushed his teeth in the bathroom and already heard movement in Hokuto's room. His heart skipped a beat, even though he knew his brother wouldn't come out for at least another fifteen minutes. Thank goodness it was already Thursday; one more day and the weekend would follow, as Saturday classes had been abolished several years ago at Sendai High-School, where Yuya attended. This was not the school Yuya's parents wanted him to attend. His father wanted his younger son, following family tradition, to be admitted to the elite Suzumira High-School, which was also an expensive private school. Hokuto fulfilled this wish, but Yuya missed the opportunity by a few points, which he didn't really regret. Sendai was not a bad school; in fact, it was among the best, but Yuya's father was still not satisfied. In Miyazawa Kentaro's eyes, this was another failure on his son's part, bringing shame to the family. And he wasn't afraid to voice this at every turn. Especially because Sendai was "only" a public school, although it occupied a very elegant place among them. Then, since Yuya's performance was not among the first and he wasn't even the best student in his class, the old man considered the whole thing another failure. Of course, it all didn't start last school year, but much earlier, when Yuya was ten years old, when it turned out that the boy was not as smart, talented, and outstanding in sports and academics as his brother, Hokuto.

Yet Yuya did everything he could, studying day and night, participating in academic competitions, sports competitions, giving his all on every Sports Day, but to no avail. He tried to conform, but slowly realized it was useless, as he wouldn't achieve anything in his family's eyes anyway. Initially, he looked up to his brother, trying to be like him, because he genuinely loved and respected the boy. Hokuto was his role model until his brother also started to look down on him and hurt him. Then respect and admiration turned into fear, and love, if not into hatred, then into negative emotions. Yuya slowly became more and more withdrawn and introverted. For a long time, the only joy for him was photography. His family, of course, did not support him in this either; his father even called his hobby childish and declared that he would never be able to make a living from it. He kept his hobby a secret from everyone, not wanting to be laughed at, although he sometimes toyed with the idea of joining the Photo Club or the School Newspaper. But he knew his father would veto his plan anyway. So he only uploaded his photos to the internet so that others could enjoy them. But he didn't want to give up photography, because besides White Dragon's podcasts, it was the only thing he considered worth getting up for in the mornings.

Yuya, as always, took his camera with him this time, and carefully locked the album in a drawer. His mother never came into his room on her own, especially since Yuya had been cleaning and tidying it himself for years. But he couldn't know if Hokuto might not feel like "looking around" after yesterday. It would have been terrible if he found the album and perhaps destroyed it. Or handed it over to their father. Neither possibility was exactly promising.

His mother was busy in the kitchen, preparing breakfast, but three boxes were already waiting on the dining table to be taken away. Miyazawa-san put the family's lunch in these. Each one was labeled, so Yuya quickly slipped his own into his bag. Although his mother supported her husband in being hard on Yuya, she would never starve her own child. She was not a heartless woman; in her own way, she loved both of her sons very much. However, she completely submitted to her husband's will. Why wouldn't she? Miyazawa Kentaro had an excellent job, working in the Ministry of Justice, holding an important high-ranking position, and bringing home a good salary. Yuya's mother, on the other hand, never worked; after a two-year women's college where she studied Literature, she immediately married Kentaro. It was an arranged marriage, and Yukari – as Hokuto and Yuya's mother was called – never even thought of objecting. Her family was of appropriate social status for Yukari to marry into the Miyazawa family. Moreover, in neither family was it customary for women to take jobs; instead, their days were traditionally filled with managing the household and raising children. Yukari was completely dependent on her husband, had no money or valuables of her own, and knew well that one small misstep could ruin everything. Kentaro would not have thought twice about getting rid of her if he felt like it. That's why the woman also overlooked the fact that her husband had been cheating on her with another woman for four years already. She remained silent, pretending not to know anything, as preserving the perfect and happy family image was more important than anything else. The woman had no idea that, if not Hokuto, then Yuya knew exactly that the head of the family was having an affair. But Yuya also had more sense than to say it out loud. That's why, although his father's words hurt him when he called him a loafer, good-for-nothing, and a disgrace to the family, he actually looked down on the man. After all, it wasn't he who brought shame to the family, but precisely the one who lectured him every blessed evening at the dinner table.

"Aren't you having breakfast again?" Yuya was pulled back to reality by his mother's voice. He shook his head, then looked at the woman. "It's not good for your body if you don't eat. How will you manage a whole day of studying like this?"

"I'll... buy something on the way," Yuya replied softly. He didn't want to hurt his mother, but he would have been unable to swallow even a bite in the presence of his father and brother.

Yukari sighed. She was once a beautiful woman; Yuya had seen pictures of her from before her wedding. But now she was just a tired woman in her forties, with the first wrinkles appearing on her face. She was still not ugly, but she should have taken better care of herself.

"You know best," the woman finally shrugged. "But please pull yourself together and control your temper! Hokuto told me last night that you had a fight and you said some harsh words to him." Yuya wasn't even surprised that his brother had lied to his parents' faces. He just stared blankly ahead. He even conjured up a little guilt on his face, just enough to make it seem as if he regretted something he hadn't even done. "Your brother is going through a tough time right now. He recently broke up with his girlfriend, and he also has a lot to study for his exams. I'd like you to be considerate of that, Yuya! You're not a little child anymore; you can surely understand that your brother's scholarship is at stake. Don't cause any trouble! Apologize to him tonight, understood? Hokuto deserves that much."

"Understood," the boy nodded, then headed for the door. He wanted to get out of the house as soon as possible. "I'm going, see you tonight."

"Take care!" his mother called after him, but by then Yuya, in his street shoes and coat, had already stepped out of the house.

Yuya finally realized why he hadn't seen Rei-san lately and why his brother was so nervous. So that was the reason. He was sorry that the girl wouldn't come over anymore, but he felt that such a relationship had ended in time, one that would later only bring pain, suffering, and a lot of disappointment for Amano Rei-san. The boy hoped, that the girl finds a much better boy than Hokuto and won't end up like her mother. Trapped in a loveless and hopeless marriage where nothing matters but appearances.