The Ashikagawa Family

Another dream...

I opened my eyes wide awake. I sat upright and reached for the glass of water beside the bed, but as I moved my trembling hands, something caught them.

“Mai...”

Mai, my little sister, held my hand as she slept soundly. She didn’t like sleeping alone these days, so she wanted to sleep together.

I caressed her head and whispered, “Why did this have to happen...?”

On Mai’s birthday, our family decided to go to an amusement park to celebrate her birthday. The weather already sucked when we got there but nevertheless continued to enjoy the day. By the time we were driving home, it was already raining, and a thick fog settled in.

Everything during that was a blur. The only thing I remember after the accident was me and my little sister getting into ambulances.

I sighed and got up to look at my school uniform. It wasn’t for school but for the wake today. After waking up Mai, we got up to dress and headed to the venue.

My parents were quite well-known in the neighborhood, and along with their coworkers and other friends, the wake was quite packed. Everyone greeted us and offered their condolences.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” a man said. I basically knew everyone in the funeral, barring this man. I’d never seen him before, but it seemed like some people knew who he was.

“Sorry for being rude...but who are you to my parents?”

“Well, I'm not surprised you don’t know who I am.” the man chuckled. “I’m Minoru Ashikaga. Your parents and I were classmates from our highschool days.”

“I see...my parents talked a lot about their youth but there were so many stories, I’m not even sure if some of them are real.”

“Haha, I assure you, your parents are as crazy as they are in their stories, especially your mother.” Mr. Minoru gazed at me with wistful eyes.

“Was my mother really like that back then?”

He nodded with a smile. “Yes, she was the life of the classroom back then. She was always joyful, hopeful, and positive. Her smile feels like all your worries will be blown away. That being said, she was a troublemaker that likes an adventure, like a wandering cat, you know?”

“Well, I can see that...” my mother had always been a hyper, carefree person. Even at forty-five years old, she was always like a child who had eaten sugar just before going to sleep. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what she was like at her peak youth. My father, on the other hand, was as quiet as a night owl. He was her opposite—all doom and gloom—that you’d wonder if he really was her husband. “It’s a wonder how my father married her.”

“It really is, isn’t it?” Minoru chuckled as he shook his head. “it’s really a shame they’re gone...”

The sadness in his eyes was palpable. Even though this was the first time I met him, I knew everything he just told me was the truth.

“Let’s talk about you and your little sister. How are you two holding up?”

“Well, it’s not been easy...”

As if my parents’ death wasn’t enough misfortune, the aftermath dumped more problems on us.

Me and my little sister were basically orphaned now. Both my parents were only children, and our grandparents were also gone from this world.

“You two are orphans now, right? Has the child welfare contacted you yet?”

“Yes, we’re being told to meet them tomorrow.”

“Well then,” he said with a carefree smile, “how about I become your legal guardians?”

******

I craned my neck up as I looked at a towering building. It was probably the second tallest building in the city. It was a giant amongst giants.

After the funeral services, Minoru asked us to come to talk more about him being our legal guardian. Apparently, he had already talked with the child welfare services and had come to an agreement that they could take us if we consented in doing so.

We were supposed to meet someone as we waited under the shade of a tree near the said building.

“Excuse me, are you the Anzai family?” a blonde woman in a formal suit greeted me and my sister.

At first, I looked around to see if there were any other people with the surname Anzai. Nope. “Y-Yes, that’s us.”

“Please follow me. Mr. Minoru is waiting for you.” She succinctly said then turned around, not even waiting for any response.

“Are we following that lady?” sister tilted her head as she asked.

“Yeah,” I held her hand, “don’t let go, okay?”

“Okay,” I felt her hand held mine tightly.

The entrance brimmed with men and women in suits as they entered and left. There were so many that there were practically lines forming as people continued to enter and leave.

“It’s the secretary! Make way!” A person shouted. And just as he did, everyone parted, and we were able to smoothly enter the building.

The blonde woman, or the secretary, passed through without stopping for anything.

While the outside looked imposing, the inside of the building looked extravagant and fancy. It was so pleasing to the eye that it felt wrong for someone like us to be there.

The lady continued to walk at a brisk pace. It wasn’t hard to follow her, but it was clear that she wouldn’t wait for us.

We entered the elevator, and the lady pressed the highest floor. As the door slowly closed, the clamor was cut off, and silence reigned in.

When we stepped out of the elevator, we were greeted by a wide office. It was as if the floor itself was the office.

“Ah, you two are here,” Mr. Minoru put down a stack of paper as he greeted us with a smile. “Sit down, sit down.”

The blonde lady placed down tea and sweets on the table. There were so many that I thought it was going to be for a party. “Please, help yourselves.”

Mr. Minoru took a sip and bit on a sweet. “Now, before we get started, I want you to meet my wife, Susumu Ashikaga.” He then looked over our shoulders. And as we turned around, a beautiful woman stood behind us.

She walked towards her husband, sat down, crossed her legs, and said, “So, these are the two?” as she stared at us from head to toe.

“Yes, my love. They’re the children of Mizuki and Tetsuya.”

“Your former classmates, right? Are you sure you didn’t do an affair behind my back?”

“My love, I would never! Sure, their mother not only made my youth one of the best times in my life but also my first love. But that doesn’t mean I would cheat on you over her. No way. Never!”

“Wait, my mother was your first love?”

“Yep,” he let out a chuckle like that revelation was nothing. “But of course, the only one I love right now is you dear!” He then went for a kiss, but Susumu blocked it with a piece of cake.

I feel like he’s digging his own grave.

“Hmm,” Susumu spared his husband a glance and looked back at us. “Then? Are you not going to introduce yourselves?”

I immediately stood up. “I-I’m Haru and this is my little sister, Mai. Mai, say hi.”

“H-Hello...” Mai said as she clung to my clothes.

“Very good,” she then patted Mai on the head with a smile on her face. Maybe she had a weak spot with little children. "Now, to get to the point, do you consent with us becoming your legal guardians?”

“Y-Yes…I’ve talked to Minoru here, and I know that he means well and wants to help us.”

“Hmm? And what exactly have you talked about?” She shot a cold look towards her husband.

“W-Well, I might have said something along the lines of I’ll cover all their expenses until he becomes a legal adult and have a proper job to support himself and his sister.”

“And this is why I don’t include you in our meetings. Your face is too easy to read, and your sense of business is upside down.”

I can vouch for that. But if it wasn’t for that, I’d have a hard time trusting him. It was a double-edged sword with its own pros and cons.

“While my husband might be naïve, I, for one, am the opposite. I am very sorry for the loss of your parents, but they are essentially strangers to me. So, if you want us to be your legal guardians, you’re going to have to give something in return.”

“Something in return...?”

“Yes. In business, a deal can only be made if two parties benefit from it. You will certainly benefit from me but how will I benefit from you?”

I got nothing. She clearly looked like a rich person. She probably made more than what my parents earn in a month. What could I possibly give her that would benefit her?

Just as I racked my brain thinking of something, Minoru spoke up. “My love, I knew you were going to say that. That’s why I’ve prepared a proposition.”

“Oh? It's not every day I hear that from you. Out with it.”

“How about we let him take care of our daughter?”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

While I blinked in surprise, Susumu scowled at her husband.

“What are you talking about, dear? Didn't we agree to make her life as miserable as possible?”

“Well, it got me thinking,” Minoru explained, “we’ve now made her life miserable, right? What if we gave her a taste of her life before she rebelled against us? Then she might realize how good she had it and maybe change or even give up her dreams. It's worth a shot, no?”

“Hmmm,” Susumu stared out in a daze and then clicked her tongue. “I know I'm going to regret this but very well. Let's see if this method of yours will bear fruit. But if it has little to no effect, then I want it gone immediately. I still think making her life miserable is the best thing we can do.”

“Of course, my love.”

“Uhm, excuse me,” I raised my hands timidly. “Can someone explain to me what’s going on?”

“Well, basically,” Susumu crossed her legs, her warm, motherly smile came into view. “We want our daughter to give up on her dream and take over the company.