Fighting Fire with Fire.

We left the store after we confirmed that Agatta was truly okay and we headed straight to my home, this time Agatta didn't opposed to have dinner with us when I mentioned it, and as we arrived Tsuji told us:

"Well, master, I will retire for today, I'll come see you tomorrow's morning right here so I can escort you to school."

"Wait, Shi-kun."

"Yes, master?"

"Since you are already here, why don't you have dinner with us?"

"Oh I can't, master, it wouldn't be proper from me to do so."

"But you have gone through all the trouble to come with us here, I'll feel bad to make you return home just like that."

"You'll get over it soon, master, I'm sure of it."

Wait a minute. This is the same guy who proclaimed himself as my butler because he said he wouldn't be able to live on with the guilt it gave him to have 'insulted' me.

How come I 'will get over it soon' but he won't?

I thought that was the stupidest thing ever, so I tried to imitate what he said to me before, hopefully he would remember that he said the same stuff and then he would come and have dinner with us, and maybe realize that it's stupid for him to be my butler.

"No, you don't understand." I said. "You have done an incredible job, and my conscience won't let me rest knowing that I just let you go as if nothing ever happened. So please, come inside and share the table with us."

There was a moment of silence, I could feel that Agatta had a judgmental stare on her face and it was looking right at me, but I was just looking at Tsuji directly in the eyes waiting for his response.

"Come on dude…" He said, breaking the character and patting my shoulder. "I didn't do anything today, I just walked you home. Don't be so melodramatic."

I wanted to punch him in the face so much when he said that.

He was going to go into the street with no shirt on just because he didn't know what happened to me the day before. But no, I AM the melodramatic.

Agatta saw how angry I was and she thankfully decided to intervene.

"I'm sure there is a good reason for you to not accept the invitation. It's ok, we really wish you would eat with us but nevertheless, we respect your decisions."

Tsuji stared at Agatta for a few seconds tilting his face to indicate that there was something he didn't fully understand. Finally, he asked:

"Are you two married already?"

"EH?!" Asked Agatta surprised.

You know, I believe she has spent so much time these days turning red that you can argue now it is her natural color.

"I mean…" Continued Tsuji. "You two surely are close, but there's more to it, I can swear not even my parents are as close as you two."

"N-n-no, we aren't-" She tried to reply.

"But it is already arranged, right?"

"I wouldn't say that-"

"Oh, then what is it? Do you already have a child of your own?"

"N-n-no-"

Usually, when conversations turn to this point is when I am supposed to jump in it and try to save Agatta, and I believe Agatta was hoping I'd do that, but I was still not over the fact that he called me the melodramatic one, so I was just starting at him frowning and not listening to their conversation whatsoever. So, to the people passing by, it looked like each of us were in a completely different conversation based on the look on our faces. I was all frowny and mad, Agatta was embarrassed to the core and trying to hide her face, and lastly Tsuji who was genuinely confused by how close we really were.

Finally he decided he would get nowhere trying to get answers from us, so he just said:

"I'm sorry, you're right, I don't know you two enough to ask all of those personal details, and I'm sorry for my indiscretion. Then I'll be on my way. See you tomorrow!"

"Eh, ah, yes. Go home safely." Replied Agatta.

Then, as Tsuji was walking away, she started to blow some air to her face with her hands to cool herself, but soon after she realized that I was still looking straight in the direction Tsuji was leaving with an angry face. So she rightfully try to make me get over it.

“Come on Impo.” She simply said.

“But he-” I immediately replied.

“I know, I know.” She replied. “But you won’t get nothing from being mad at him.”

“But-”

“Yes, I know he did the same thing.” She was really anticipating everything I wanted to say. She then patted my shoulder to calm me a bit more. “But it’s useless to try to fight him.”

I lowered my head as a child does when they are scolded for something, then I started sulking and for some unknown reason I felt like throwing a tantrum. I don’t even know why, but I really feel like dropping to the ground and rolling around just to let out my anger. Thankfully Agatta managed to calm me once more saying:

“Come on, we need to help your mom to set the table.”

I sighed, then I said.

“Yeah, you are right, let’s do that.”

We came into the house, dinner was still cooking so we set the table just as planned, my mother just greeted us but we didn’t get into any conversations, she just told us what things went where and soon after everything was ready but my dad was yet to come, so Agatta and I started doing our homework.

But not long after, Dad arrived and finally dinner started. As usual all the chatter at the table was just how school was going, my parents never were really into any clubs, so it is new for them to hear us talk about the experiences we have in the swimming club.

Once again we were waiting for my mother to say another wild thing, just like yesterday, so none of us were drinking big sips of our teas, just small ones that we could swallow right ahead. And surely, it came:

“So… you guys got preservatives from the store, right? Anything interesting?”

“No, we don’t need them, mother.” I quickly replied. Agatta, who was sitting right besides me, just nodded her head to indicate she agreed with what I was saying.

“Eh?” She asked. Then her eyes got full of tears and she continued: “So you already filled the marriage registration?”

“EH?!” Agatta screamed, surprised.

“No, we didn’t!” I replied. “We didn’t do any of that!”

After I said this my mother looked at me puzzled by my words, she seemed to not understand what I said, so she asked me:

“What do you mean you didn’t do anything?”

“We just didn’t.”

“But why?”

“What do you mean ‘why’?”

“I’m seriously confused, why didn’t you make the most of it now that you were completely alone?”

“Because we don’t-”

“Don’t try to say you don't want to, come on, don’t play dumb with me, just a week ago I heard rustling in your room at night and you were moaning ‘Agatta!’ while doing so.”

I tried to speak but the words just didn’t come to my mouth, I simply could not believe that my mother exposed me in front of my girlfriend. Then she turned towards Agatta and told her:

“Agatta-chan, you should really take advantage of this situation, you never know when you’ll have another chance like this!”

Agatta was as speechless as I was, she didn’t knew how to answer to what my mother was saying, so my mother just kept going:

“I know, maybe you two need just a little push, wait here for a minute, I’ll bring you some nice clothes that will help you get going right away. I’ll be right back!”

WHAT?!

WHAT KIND OF CLOTHES ARE THOSE?

But I didn’t had time to figure it out, as soon as she left the kitchen my father handed me twenty thousand yen in two bills and told me:

“Take this and go now son, if you don’t leave now she won’t let you two get away!” He was speaking in a quiet voice so my mother wouldn’t hear him, but his voice was intense, it was clear that he was being serious.

“But dad, it’s useless if we run, we are literally going to be right in front of here.” I pointed out. “There is nothing we can do to keep her occupied enough to leave us alone!”

“No son, there is something, and it's something only I can do…” He replied.

He left his chair and went towards the kitchen drawers, there he took one little bottle that I didn’t distinguish what it was at first, but once he gulped it down and left the empty bottle on the counter I realized what it was.

“No, no dad!”

“I’m sorry son.” He said with a sad expression on his face. “But there is no other way.”

I have just seen that kind of bottle twice before, but I could never forget it for what it does. The first time I saw it was about 8 years ago, on Valentine’s Day. Since it was a lovely weekend, my parents sent me with my grandparents to spend some time with them. I had a great time and everything was great, even if I just spent one night at their place, but when I returned home I couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing.

My grandparents left me right at our house door, there my mother came to receive me and greet them, then she kept talking with them for a few minutes, but since I had such a great time with them I couldn’t wait to tell them about it, so I ran inside looking for my father. I found him in their bedroom, he was lying in their bed with a sheet covering most of his body, but it looked as if his life was sacked out of him, he was pale, disfigured by dehydration, breathing heavily as if he was in his last moments.

“Dad?” I called him, not knowing entirely if it was him.

With what little strength he could find he turned his face to look at me and did his best to put a smile on his face.

“Hi son, did you have fun with grandpa and grandma?” He slowly asked.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” Then he lifted his hand as high as he could and told me: “Come here son, come next to dad.”

I did as he asked and he patted my head with what little strength he had.

“You are a good boy, and I’m sure you will grow to become a great man.” He continued. “But if genetics work the same way they have for the past 3 generations in our family then that means you will inherit our family’s curse.”

“Curse?” I asked.

“Yes, don’t worry, it is nothing bad, actually, to the rest of the people it would seem it is actually a blessing, but trust me, it is a curse, and we should bear it for life. You just need to find a good woman and it won't be as bad all the time.” Then he fell asleep just as he finished saying that.

In the shelf next to their bed there was that little bottle, completely empty.

But I never knew what it was for until 2 years ago, on their anniversary, once again I was going to see my grandparents over the weekend, but this time I was old enough to go there by myself on a train. But as I was just about to reach the station I realized I left my phone's charger at home, so I had to come back and pick it. However as soon as I reached the door I heard a lot of rustling, and some noises that seemed to be made by my mother. What kind of noises? You already know that. And by that age I also knew what it was about, so I just rushed inside to get my charger, which I left in the living room since I was charging my phone there. And then, when I picked it up I saw that in the kitchen counter there was another one of those little cans. Then I understood what they were for.

But not only that, the two times that I have mentioned I have seen those cans my father has always been in the state I described you before, and it has taken at least 3 days for him to completely recover his health.

And right now he just drank another one of those, just to save me and Agatta from my mother.

"Agatta-san." Said my father. "I am sure that you are that good woman that so much I have long for Impo to find. And I'm sorry if this is against what you want, but if you love my son for how good of a person he is then I need to ask you to please wait a little more to love him as a man."

"I will." Replied Agatta, seeing that my dad was entirely honest with his words.

"Father please, don't do this, we will find a way-" I tried to intervene, but he interrupted me before I could finish.

"This is the only way, son. Now go." He said walking towards the door. "Youth has more amazing things than just this, so leave yours to the fullest, before the curse is completely unleashed upon you."

"No, dad-"

"We have to go Impo, or we won't make it!" Said Agatta, grabbing my arm and pulling me towards the door."

"No, please don't-" I said as she almost dragged me out of the house. I reached out my hand trying to grab anything that would impede me from leaving the house.

But the only thing I could reached was my father's hand, whom with a tear on his eyes just told me as my body was dragged away by Agatta:

"I love you son, always remember that."

"No. No please don't…" I said, breaking into tears. Then as Agatta finished pulling me out the house and the door began to close I yelled with all my lungs: "DAAAAAAAD!!!!"