31 - Yamashita Akane

Five years ago.

My name is Yamashita Akane, the daughter of a wealthy family, a life that many can only dream of.

However, the reality is that my life is far from perfect. The universe seemed to have given me everything. Abundant wealth, natural beauty, and an ideal body. But there is one important thing missing from my life.

I feel an emptiness that constantly haunts me, a restraint that I can't escape.

To others, my life always seems perfect. My parents, though rarely seen due to their busy schedules, always make sure that I am "well cared for" with a tight schedule every month.

But I know that their visits are nothing more than a formality, like a guest visit, while I remain isolated in this large villa. Fortunately, I have many servants who I consider my family.

I can get anything I want— except for one thing: freedom.

Yes, that’s enough. I should be grateful for living like this. Many people suffer more than I do.

But, am I really happy?

Every day, following my dad's orders, a private tutor always gives me lessons on etiquette, grace, and how to become the perfect daughter. Every move I make is watched, every step I take must be elegant. I have to study, dance, maintain my appearance, and learn the manners and grace of a princess.

I am also instructed to wear a "mask" on my face, and always suppress every emotion I feel.

However, despite all of this, I never felt burdened. I had received so much from my dad; all of this was just to return the favor for everything he had given me. That one reason is enough for me to always walk forward.

***

My dad, Yamashita Shigeki, is a cold figure with a genius reputation in the fashion world. People admire him, but to me, he is just a distant figure that I can never reach, like a star in the sky.

He looks at me with a cold gaze, one hand propped up on his cheek on the table, his eyes focused on me as though trying to assess every movement I make perfectly.

"Akane."

I lowered my head to him, before finally answering his words. "Yes, what is it, dad?"

"I say this for your own good. Don’t make the same mistakes as I did. The first rule of the Yamashita family: never show your true face to others, no matter how close they are to you."

"Dad wants you to do all this, so you won’t be taken advantage of by others," he continued firmly. I merely nodded weakly at his advice— I mean, his order.

I looked at his face. No matter how many times I tried, I still couldn’t find anything behind that face. I felt... that my dad— despite his coldness, he wasn’t a bad person. But why, then, does he continue to wear his "mask" even in front of his own daughter?

Perhaps it was some form of regret, maybe dad had once been betrayed by someone close to him. That reason is what led him to create this rule, so that his children wouldn't make the same mistake.

Still, I found it difficult to understand. I simply agreed with everything my dad had said to me. Time passed, and I started to learn slowly, how to wear a mask like my dad.

If I felt happy, I had to smile. If I felt angry, I had to smile. If I felt sad, I had to keep smiling.

People started to get interested in approaching me. They said they liked me, wanted to be friends with me. But I knew that behind their smiles and praise, there was a hidden intention. People only saw me as an opportunity, in their eyes, I was nothing more than a naive daughter of a rich family.

"Akane-san! I’m short on money, can I borrow some from you? If it’s not enough, you can just ask your father. It's okay since you're rich, right?"

"..."

Statements like this started to appear more frequently. At first, it felt like a minor nuisance, but over time, the friends I once considered close, began to change. They no longer saw me as a friend, but just someone to be used and manipulated.

Gradually, I began to trust my father’s words. I wasn’t a fool, so I crushed their expectations of trying to manipulate me, one by one. Like dad, I started to create an image like a star that was impossible to reach by anyone.

But because of this mask, I began to doubt the meaning of a "friend". I slowly lost my emotions. Until I couldn’t tell anymore which emotions were real and which ones were fake.

***

As if the universe began to realize the excessiveness of my blessings, the sky started to drop a "burden" on me, one after another.

That was when— I met that person, as if the universe wanted to see me fall even deeper.

At first, it was just an accidental meeting. While working on an assignment given by my previous homeroom teacher, I saw a boy with bright white hair and blue eyes that shone in the darkness. His handsome face attracted many girls in class to him.

However, one thing made me envious. He was someone just like me, someone given excess, yet strangely, he could express himself freely.

Other than that, there was nothing more to my impression of him.

Days passed as usual. Until that day came. Today was the day that my dad took a break from his busy schedule, and I was very excited to see him, especially after my servant told me that dad would visit our villa to spend time with me.

I was so excited.

However, I didn’t know that dad was bringing another guest. His business partner.

Upon arriving at my villa, my dad hosted him in the living room. The appearance of the man seemed suspicious, I didn’t know why, but I felt like— he was a DANGEROUS PERSON.

Still, I didn’t see my dad retreating or showing even a hint of fear toward him. He maintained his mask well, meaning they were on equal footing. That fact at least made me feel a little better.

But why did dad bring such a dangerous person here? That question kept spinning in my head.

Unable to contain my curiosity, I decided to eavesdrop on their conversation.

From behind the wall, I focused my eyes on the table, where I saw several piles of documents scattered on it. My name was also on them.

My dad's business partner casually sipped tea from his cup, his eyes fixed on the pile of papers. He sat across from him, carefully examining the documents the man had provided. When one sheet was flipped over, a picture of a boy appeared among the pile.

White hair, blue eyes...

Yamamoto Rion?

THUMP.

All my questions were instantly answered when the man spoke. "When will the engagement of our children take place?" he asked with a thin smile.

Engagement..? Could it be... that he means me?

I bit my nail unconsciously. I felt my teeth sink into the skin of my finger, but the pain wasn’t enough to calm my unease.

"We need to make a fair contract first, it may take quite a while," Dad replied, not looking away from the papers.

The man suddenly burst into loud laughter, for no clear reason. "Are you worried about your daughter? Don’t worry. Isn’t it you yourself who knows best that she’s a smart child?"

"She will definitely accept this engagement if it benefits you. She will do it as a return favor for all your kindness, right? You taught her all that," he continued, holding back his laughter.

That question made me even more nervous. I desperately wanted to hear the word "no" coming out from my dad's mouth. I wished he would say that I was more than just a pawn to him. But all I got was complete silence.

In an instant, all my hopes shattered like broken glass.

My eyes widened, my lips bit until the taste of blood filled my mouth. All of this was so unexpected that I couldn’t even cry. There was nothing left in me to cry about. The "mask" I had worn all this time began to crack.

From the start, I had been nothing but a lifeless puppet. A pawn in their chess game. My role had already been decided.

MY DAD HAD ONLY BEEN USING ME.

That thought kept spinning in my head, replaying various possible scenarios. What if I failed? What if I had to spend my whole life as a puppet?

I DONT CARE ANYMORE.

I ran quickly from that place, taking steps with no direction. I didn’t care where I was going, didn’t care what would happen. All I knew was, I had to get out of there.

While running, I accidentally bumped into a boy in the hallway.

He fell, but I didn’t care about him. I kept running. I felt so sad about what had happened, I wanted to cry but couldn’t. This "mask" stopped me from doing so.

The tears I wanted didn’t fall. This mask that pressed on me was too strong. I ran outside, cutting through the cold night air. The snow piles on the road blocked my steps, I fell, then got up again.

The streets, glittering with various colored lights, made me feel nauseous. Children’s songs echoing in the air hurt my ears. I covered both ears in frustration. I kept running without looking back, ignoring the strange stares of people on the street.

My feet tripped over a snow pile.

"I fell again..."

I looked at my body. I felt so weak, and my hands were shaking terribly.

I... am hungry...

My eyes were drawn to a food store, and right now I really wanted to have a meal from a family restaurant. I always wanted a vacation to a place like this, even though every day I was served delicious food by many famous chefs. What I wanted was simple— I just wanted to spend time with my family.

But no matter how much I wanted it, it was impossible. My parents were always busy with their work.

Thinking about that only made everything more painful. I quickly erased that thought. I then reached into my pants pocket, but found no money at all. This was the first time in my life I regretted always paying with a card.

Weary, I sat on the stairs in front of the restaurant, ignoring the people passing by on the street. From the deepest part of my heart, I wished for a hero who could save me. Like in the movies I often watched.

Tap-tap.

I heard footsteps approaching. I didn’t even glance up or look around; my body was too tired to care.

Could it be the restaurant owner..? It seemed like I’d be kicked out soon, so I should probably just—

Just as I decided to get up, a hand suddenly reached out toward me. I raised my head slightly. I was a bit surprised when I saw who it belonged to. It was a random boy... His face was flushed, as if unsure of what to do. His movements were awkward, making me unsure of what he wanted.

"..?"

"He-hello..! My name is Ueda Yuichi. And you..?"

Ueda... Yuichi..?

That moment felt as if the sun had broken through the dark clouds during a storm. My meeting with Yuichi back then was the moment I first felt what "love" and "freedom" were.

TO BE CONTINUED.