The Plight

“Oww…” I rubbed my head. Did I see something I wasn’t supposed to see? Was that why I got hit in the head with a pan?

Shou and Tsutomu frowned. They both pitied me, I could tell that much.

“That’s how you got your nasty bump.” Tsutomu nodded to himself. “I thought something was off about your situation at home. Your dad suddenly got remarried, and you got really sick after that.”

“True. If there is anything that this Izayoi Shou can…” She trailed off because she realized she just said that a while ago.

“What should I do, you two? At this rate, I’m going to kick the bucket.” I clenched my fists. Playing card games with Tsutomu helped lessen my anxiety, but now that it was over, that sense of dread came rushing back to me. Am I really going to die because of my own family member?

“You could send them to Another Dimension.” Shou shrugged.

“Who in their right fucking mind would send their own stepmother to another dimension? This isn’t some isekai anime.”

“Another Dimension is an ultimate move used by the Gemini Gold Saints! It has nothing to do with isekai!”

“Right, right, calculator. As if I’m interested in your Saint Seiya shenanigan.”

“As if I’m interested in your card games.”

“But you know all the rules! You’ve never made any mistake monitoring the game!”

The last thing I needed was two weebs yelling at each other over my head.

“Oh, would you two just fucking quit it already?! Give me a break. I’m tired! Leave me alone!” I pulled my own hair. The two looked at me wide-eyed.

“Yuuya, I’m sorry, I just…”

“We just wanted to lighten the mood. I am sorry, I did not think it would ruin your mood instead. I’ll…leave for now.” Shou got up and left.

“Hey, call us whenever you want anything. We’re your friends.” Tsutomu followed her.

I wanted to say something, but the cat got my tongue. I sat alone at my desk in the middle of the classroom, surrounded by people, but alone.

The bell rang, and it was time to go home. Students filed out of the school. Some rode bicycles along the beach, while others went to the Aeo Mall down the hill before heading home. Shou and Tsutomu were on cleaning duty today, so they remained in the classroom.

I went home alone. I dragged my feet, walking past old houses that had no fence. Then, I had to make a turn…

“Nii-nii?”

A girl looked up at me from the shadow of the alley. I stepped back.

“Akame?!”

What the heck was she doing here, alone, at this place? I didn’t get a chance to ask before she dragged me into the alley and pushed me down.

“Stop it! Get off me, Akame!” Somebody help!

“I wanna eat more…”

Her eyes were dark.

“Nii-nii smells so nice…like candy…like a youkai…”

Youkai?! What the fuck did she just say? This kid is crazy!

Her pink tongue drooled out, and…

“Ouch!!!”

I pushed her off and ran for my life. I did not know where I was going, and ended up at the pier. I could see the lighthouse, the coast guard ships, and the afternoon sea.

Then, I remembered something.

Dad.

This was no time to be appreciating the scenery. I absolutely could not leave dad with these two crazies! He was the only family I have left. I could not leave him alone in a house with two monsters!

I ran home, my muscles screaming in pain. I kicked the door open, and saw Kaname-san cooking and dad watching the news. Dad came home unusually early after getting married to her.

“Welcome home, Yuuya-kun. What happened? Why do you look so disheveled? And your glasses, did you drop them somewhere on the way…”

I ignored her and grabbed dad.

“Yuuya?! What’s going on?” He protested.

“Come with me, now!”

When we got far enough from the house, I stopped walking.

“What’s going on, bud? And where did your glasses go?” Dad placed a hand on his hip, raising a brow.

“We can’t live with those two! Something’s very wrong with them. I almost got assaulted by my own little sister!”

“Yuuya!” Dad shook my arms. “Get it together. That’s Akame you’re talking about. She’s half your size.”

“It has nothing to do with size! Something’s wrong with her. She’s got a whole set of screws loose!”

“She’s a kid. She doesn’t know what she can and cannot do. Calm down, Yuuya. Do you want to break our family up? Is that what you want?”

“Are you really okay with marrying Kaname-san? Did you forget all about mom? Yeah, sure! That’s why you’re telling me to put up with all this!!!”

Dad went quiet.

“No. You’re wrong. Not a single day goes by where I don’t think of Kuuga. Not one.”

“Then, why are you getting married to that woman?!”

“It was for you!”

“I’m not a kid. I don’t need a new mom!”

“It’s not like that!”

“Then what’s the story, huh? Why didn’t you do anything when I was sick? And do you not believe me, your own son, when I say that those two are…”

“Stop calling them those two, Yuuya. They have names.”

“Answer me!”

Silence. Then…

“It’s not the time.”

“Then when? When is the time? Ten years? Twenty? When I’m dead?”

A crow flew past. Maybe it was a bad omen.

“Dad. You’re hiding something.”

He did not deny it.

“Kazakiri was mom’s surname. You changed your surname after hers. Why?”

Silence.

“Why aren’t you telling me anything?”

“Yuuya.”

Dad patted my head.

“Let’s head back inside.”