120 Chapter Nine: Endo Parents

Next door at the Endo house, Haruna was pacing up a storm. She had gone back and forth so many times in her room that she was bound to wear a hole through the carpet soon enough. "I'm so nervous," she thought. "Is it going okay? Are they arguing? Is Kanako crying?" Due to her own nerves, Haruna's thoughts began to spiral a bit before she stopped and took a breath.

"No, I'm sure it's fine," Haruna thought. "If it had gone poorly, I'm sure I would've already heard from Kanako." At this point, it had been about an hour since the two girls had arrived at their homes. If a whole hour had passed with a word, Haruna felt like it was safe to assume Kanako's talk was going well enough. "Besides, it's hard to picture her parents actually yelling at her. I haven't seen them do that since we were kids."

Of course, despite whatever logic she could come up with, Haruna still worried. A part of her was irritated with herself for that. "I don't remember ever being this much of a worrywart before," she thought. "But, then again, before I reconnected with Kanako, I was mostly just angry all the time." Angry at Kanako, angry at her new friends… angry at herself. Through all that time, Haruna had spent most of it just being mad. Now that she could look back at those four years of anger, she wished she could go back in time and hit herself for being so stupid.

"All I can do now is love her as much as I tried to hate her," Haruna concluded. And, as she came to that conclusion, she heard her phone vibrate. In a flash, her hand reached out to grab it and answer. "Kanako?!" she said with entirely too much panic. "W-Whoa!" the voice on the other end exclaimed. "C-Calm down Haruna. Geez, you scared me." "Sorry…" Haruna said, regaining her composure. "So, how did it go?" "U-Um, well…" Kanako said hesitantly. "My mom wants you to come over for dinner." "Sure, that sounds fine. What day?" Haruna said. "T-Tonight?" Kanako squeaked.

Haruna was quiet for a moment. She looked at the time, seeing it was already getting close to dinnertime as it was. "...Tonight?!" she finally replied. "That's so last-minute!" "I know, I know!" Kanako pleaded. "B-But she keeps insisting!" Haruna sighed. "Well, I guess I can ask my parents. Let me go downstairs."

So, doing just that, Haruna headed down and went into the living room area. A bit to her surprise, no one was there. "Huh? Where are they?" she wondered. Switching from a call to her texts, Haruna looked at her phone and saw a message from her mother. All it said was that both she and Haruna's father would be late tonight and that she could warm something up from the fridge. Checking inside said fridge revealed no options at all.

"Uh, so, my parents aren't home, and there's no food here," Haruna stated. "Then I guess you're able to come after all," Kanako said, almost sounding smug. Truthfully, any other time Haruna would've loved to have dinner with her girlfriend and even her parents. However, with their relationship so recently revealed, Haruna would've preferred to keep her distance for a bit. "But I guess that's not an option now…" she thought. Although, she also figured it probably wouldn't be that bad. If Kanako's parents were upset with Haruna, it wouldn't really make sense for them to invite her over.

"Alright, I'll be over in a few minutes," Haruna said. After saying their (what would would prove to be short-lived) goodbyes, Haruna hung up and went back to her room. Staring into her closet, she wondered what she should wear. "I really don't wanna wear my school uniform," she said out loud as she glanced down at her current attire. "But I don't wanna accidentally overdo it… ugh, I have no clue." Once again, Haruna's lack of fashion sense was coming back to haunt her. "I wonder if Jasmine-chan can help," she thought.

At first, she was going to text her, but then decided to go with a call. "If I text and she's asleep, who knows how long it'll take to get a reply?" Haruna thought. After more than a few rings, Jasmine finally answered. "...What's up Haru-chi?" she said, obviously having just woken up. "What should I wear to Kanako's house after they just found out we're dating and they invited me over for dinner?" Haruna fired off. "...Um, I dunno, funeral clothes?" Jasmine said. "Come on Jasmine-chan, I need a real answer!" Haruna huffed. "Alright, alright," Jasmine groaned. "Let's see… you like jeans, right?" "I don't know if I'd say I like them," Haruna said. "Okay, but you wear them a lot, right?" Jasmine said. "Sure, I guess so," Haruna agreed. "Then do that and a simple shirt," Jasmine decided.

"Huh? But that's no different than what I normally wear outside of school," Haruna said. "That's the point," Jasmine said. "Kana-chan's parents just found out the girl next door is dating their daughter. Like, they already know you, so there's no need to try to impress them or anything. Just be yourself, girl." "Ah…" Haruna let out, understanding. Kanako's parents had known her since she was born. Haruna could show up in the best dress ever, and they'd still only see the little girl that was friends with their daughter. "Thanks Jasmine-chan," Haruna said. "Sure," Jasmine said.

Taking that advice, Haruna put on jeans and a dark green shirt with a faded elephant pattern on it. "Well, it's definitely not stylish, but it is something I wear," Haruna commented to herself. With her outfit taken care of, Haruna grabbed her things and went next door.

When she got there, she knocked. About a second later, she could hear shouting on the other side. "No, mom, stop!" Kanako cried. "Hey, dad, just stay over there! Geez!" From the sound of it, Kanako was keeping her parents at bay. "What is going on in there?" Haruna wondered, a little concerned. A few seconds later, the door opened, revealing a somewhat exhausted-looking Kanako. "H-Hey… Haruna," she said, apparently slightly out of breath too. "Is everything okay in there?" Haruna asked. "Y-Yeah," Kanako said. "It's just that my parents are a little too excited to start asking you questions. Sorry about this." "It's fine," Haruna said. "It's better that they're excited than upset, right?"

Really, while Haruna wasn't necessarily looking forward to answering a bunch of questions, she was sure that was the better option over Kanako's parents yelling at her for their relationship. "Well, come in," Kanako said, moving aside. "Thanks for having me," Haruna offered politely. As soon as the door shut, Kanako's mother called out to her. "Kanako, is Haruna-chan inside yet? Bring her over here!" "W-Why are you looking forward to this so much?!" Kanako complained.

However, the only course of action was to head into the living room/ dining area, so the two girls did just that. When Haruna walked in, she saw a spread laid out on the table of various dishes, both Japanese and Western. There was tempura, rice balls, some sort of pasta, salad, and even miso soup, among other things. "I wasn't sure what to make for this occasion, so I just sorta made eveything I could think of," Kanako's mother said with a laugh. "It's… quite a spread…" Haruna said, not sure what to make of the feast before her eyes.

"Well, since everything's ready, why don't we go ahead and eat?" Kanako's father suggested. So, the group of four sat down, gave their thanks, and began trying the various dishes laid out. "These are all pretty good," Haruna said as she finished one of the rice balls after having tried several other items. "I'm glad you think so," Kanako's mother beamed. "Why do you look so proud?" Kanako wondered aloud, sounding a bit put off.

Surprisingly, dinner passed without any out-of-the-blue questions, much to Haruna's appreciation. She had been afraid of getting asked something so shocking that she'd choke on her food. Honestly, the way the night had gone so far, she was beginning to feel like she was just having dinner at a friends house. Although, that belief came to an end as soon as dinner was finished.

Still seated at the table, the question portion of the evening officially began. "So, Haruna-chan," Kanako's mother said. "Kanako told us all about what's going on between you two." "R-Right…" Haruna said nervously. "As we explained to Kanako, neither I nor her father quite understand due to our lack of exposure to couples of the same sex. But, we're going to do our best to try," Kanako's mother said. "But, whether it be boyfriend or girlfriend, we as parents naturally have a few concerns, especially considering it's your third year of high school. This is a pivotal time in both of your lives, and one where it isn't inconceivable to envision a future that lasts for years."

Maintaining her uncharacteristically serious tone, she continued. "Kanako has told us how she feels and what she hopes for in the future, but I want to know what you're planning to do too." Haruna needed a minute to think. "This is beginning to feel like a marriage interview," she thought, though she had never experienced such a thing herself. The closest she had ever come was watching scenes of them in TV dramas.

Deciding to match Kanako's mother in seriousness, Haruna made sure to sit up straight and keep her eyes locked on both parents. "I love your daughter," she said. "I love her so much that I didn't even realize it was possible to love someone this much. I've had romantic feelings before, but this time is so different. These feelings are stronger than anything I've ever experienced, and honestly, I feel like it's impossible for them to fade. Because of that, while I can't say for sure what I plan to do in the future for a career, I can say that no matter what, I want Kanako by my side through it all."

For a moment, both Nakatomi parents stared. "...Well, isn't that something," the father finally said. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen two people more in love than you two, and you're only high schoolers." "I guess that just means this was fate," Kanako said smoothly, glancing up a Haruna with a knowing look on her face. "Why're you acting like you knew all along?" Haruna asked, a bit annoyed. "Pretty sure it took me confessing to you for you to even think about it the idea of us dating." "B-But at least I thought about it! And I realized I felt the same way too!" Kanako cried. "Not before you crushed my heart…" Haruna muttered. "I-I still feel awful about that…" Kanako said back quietly.

"So, how did you fall for my daughter Haruna-chan?" Kanako's mother asked. "O-Oh, um, w-well…" Haruna sputtered. Looking next to her, she saw Kanako staring at her with anticipation written all over your face. "Why do you look so excited?" Haruna asked her. "You were there for most of it." "Yeah, but I don't think you ever told me about the moment you fell head over heels for me," Kanako teased. "Ugh…" Haruna groaned, feeling embarrassed already. So, resigning herself to her fate, Haruna began to tell her side of the story.

Obviously it was pretty similar to Kanako's, but the beginning part was what stood out the most, as Kanako had no way of knowing about any of it until Haruna told her. "Let's see," Haruna started. "I mean, it obviously all started with Miyashita-kun's stupid deal. Even if I don't love him anymore, I'm still kinda mad at him for doing that. Like, who actually suggests that two girls should date each other so that he can pick one?" "Didn't you agree to that deal though?" Kanako's mother asked. "Only because Kanako agreed as soon as he finished talking. I didn't wanna lose, so I just ended up agreeing too," Haruna explained. "B-But it all worked out, didn't it?" Kanako said. "Well, sure, but at the time I was pretty angry," Haruna said.

"But, I guess at some point, I realized that doing this fake relationship thing was going to make me have to confront my feelings," she continued. "Feelings for Kanako?" the girl's mother asked. Haruna shook her head. "My feelings of jealousy." She paused, unsure of how much detail she wanted to give. After all, Haruna was far from proud of that years-long fight with Kanako. The fact that it stemmed from being jealous of Kanako's new friends just made it sound even worse. "Maybe I'll just be vague," Haruna decided.

So instead, she simply told them about how she had held a grudge against Kanako and was forced to face it. That ended up leading to a smaller fight, but it served as a remedy as well, because once Haruna and Kanako had finally aired out all of their feelings, they were able to get along again. "After that," Haruna continued. "That's when everything changed."

She told them about how she noticed how she kept looking at Kanako all the time, or how she kept wishing things were going better with her. Once they had made up and hate was no longer in Haruna's heart, she eventually came to the only reasonable conclusion (after a lot of pushing by Chiyo): "That night, at the fireworks for the summer festival, I realized I was in love with Kanako."

"Oh!" Kanako exclaimed. "Is that why you ran away?" Haruna nodded. "I didn't know what to do with that realization, so I ran… But… A part of me knew exactly what I wanted." "What do you mean?" Kanako asked. "When I saw you standing there, and the fireworks lit up the sky around you, I realized I had never seen something so beautiful before," Haruna said, blushing and smiling as she spoke. "Once you think something like that, it's obvious what you want, isn't it? To have that sight all to yourself."

Hearing that, Kanako began blushing too, and even her parents were starting to feel embarrassed. "W-Well, you probably know the rest since Kanako told you," Haruna said, letting out a bashful laugh. "I think I'd still like to hear your side, if you don't mind," Kanako's mother insisted. So, Haruna continued, occasionally adding in an unknown detail, which usually got a reaction out of Kanako.

By the time she was done, it seemed that most of the parents' questions were answered. "Actually, I have a question," Kanako's father said after having been silent for quite some time. "So, does this mean you two are lesbians?" His question was immediately answered with a swift elbow to his midsection. "That's a bit too blunt, isn't it?!" Kanako's mother shouted.

Meanwhile, Haruna and Kanako looked at each other. "A-Are we?" Kanako asked her. "Why are you asking me?" Haruna asked, bewildered. Across the table, the parents continued. "I-I just wanted to know!" the father pleaded. "All I'm trying to do is keep up with the times!" "Even if you are, there was probably a better way to put that," the mother sighed heavily.

"U-Um," Kanako let out, getting their attention. "I-I'm not really sure if we are or not. I mean, I really love Haruna, but I don't really find other girls attractive." "Yeah, I feel the same," Haruna said. "How about we just say you love each other and are in a happy relationship and leave it at that," Kanako's mother said, mostly directing her statement toward her husband. "Well, I suppose it doesn't really matter," the father said, nodding in agreement, though it seemed he was agreeing more for his personal safety than anything else.

Soon enough, the group saw it had gotten quite late, and it was time for Haruna to go. "Kanako, I know you'd probably like to walk your, um, girlfriend to the door, but can I do that? I have something I want to talk to Haruna-chan about," Kanako's mother said. "Um, o-okay," Kanako said, though she seemed reluctant. "It's fine Kanako. We'll see each other before school tomorrow, okay?" Haruna said, which got a smile out of Kanako.

Arriving at the door, Haruna stopped just short of opening it when Kanako's mother spoke. "Haruna-chan," she said, sounding serious once more. "I asked Kanako this, but… you haven't been doing anything...l-lewd have you?" "L-Le-!" Haruna exclaimed, not even able to get the full word out. "O-Of course not!" "That's good," Kanako's mother sighed, relieved again. "Although, it's not like I don't want to," Haruna thought to herself. Putting that aside, she listened as Kanako's mother went on.

"That wasn't really what I wanted to talk to you about," she said. After making sure she had Haruna's full attention, she continued. "Whether you're a boyfriend or a girlfriend, that doesn't change the fact that you're dating my daughter. And, as I said before, you're both third-years now. This is a time in both of your lives when big changes will occur. After talking with both of you, it's clear that despite whatever careers you have, you plan to have each other in your futures. So, with that being the case, I only have one thing I want to say to you." Bowing her head slowly, she said the following:

"Please, take care of Kanako for us."

Seeing how earnest she was about it made Haruna straighten up. Then, after taking a breath, she bowed as well. "Thank you for allowing me to have your daughter. I promise I'll do my best." When they both stood up straight again, they smiled at each other. "T-That kinda felt like a marriage agreement," Haruna joked. "Should we call it that?" Kanako's mother asked, sounding like she was completely serious. "H-H-H-Hang on! I-I was just- I-I mean-" Haruna sputtered in a panic, her hands waving frantically, but Kanako's mother just giggled in response. "I'm only kidding Haruna-chan," she said. "I'm not so old-fashioned as to try to decide who my daughter should marry."

This time, it was Haruna's turn to breathe a sigh of relief, although the feeling didn't last long. "But, I'd love to see you both in wedding dresses one day. One bride is always pretty, but two must simply be magical," Kanako's mother said dreamily. "She seemed unsure about our relationship before, but now she's picturing our wedding?" Haruna thought, baffled by this turn of events. "Sometimes I really don't understand Kanako's mom."

So, with that, Haruna left the Nakatomi household. She had been nervous earlier, but now she felt like she was over the moon. "That went so much better than expected," she thought happily. It gave her a weird sense of optimism she hadn't felt much of lately. Of course, she knew that her own parents were quite different from Kanako's. They wouldn't be nearly as interested in their daughter's romantic developments as much as they probably would be in why exactly Haruna had chosen to pursue such a relationship.

But, thanks to Kanako's parents, Haruna was beginning to feel a little more confident. By the time she reached her own bedroom, she had already made a decision on what she would do next. "I'll tell them tomorrow," she told herself with determination. Perhaps she was just riding the wave of momentum she had gotten on next door, but there was also a crucial detail that couldn't be ignored.

They'll have to tell their parents eventually. That was something Kanako herself had pointed out, and while Haruna had been reluctant at the time to acknowledge that, her recent experience was convincing her that maybe her dread wasn't quite as warranted as she had believed. The real question was, was that something she truly believed, or was she just high on nice emotions?

She hoped it was the former and not the latter. And, with that hope, Haruna began to think about how to best approach such a conversation. Really, she could hardly recall a time when she had needed to talk to her parents about something so serious. Had she ever? If she had, her memory was failing her. Whether it had been something simple like wanting her parents to come to a festival, something bigger like joining a club, or even going on any sort of trip, the discussion had always been brief. Was that simply by design, or was it because Haruna's parents had been able to be so decisive?

It wasn't like there was a real decision to be made, but Haruna wondered, if her parents tried to force one, how would she react? If they tried to force Haruna to end her relationship, and even association, with Kanako, could she stand firm? Did she possess the same strength her girlfriend did? When put that way, Haruna's high sank a little lower.

She doubted she had such strength. If she did, it wouldn't have taken her so long to confess or finally stop running away from Kanako. When things got difficult, it seemed she tended to run away… But… perhaps now was different. In all those times before, Haruna had been alone. Not literally, of course. She had friends like Chiyo and Jasmine, but it wasn't as if they shared her plights. Now though, she had someone like that. Someone who swore to be there every step of the way and shared her burdens when they arose. If Haruna could just lean on that pillar of strength instead…

"...No," she thought. "That's not right." Sure, she could lean on Kanako, but it felt like what she was thinking of was more like dependence. And, if Haruna had any hope of shaking that dependence, she needed to approach her problems the same way Kanako did: on her own two feet. When Kanako had spoken to her parents, she hadn't had Haruna in the room, but she had believed that Haruna was by her side, supporting her. That was what Haruna needed to aim for. She wasn't alone; she had Kanako. But, at the end of the day, she also needed to fight for what she wanted with her own strength as well, rather than relying on Kanako's.

*****

The next day at school, Haruna continued thinking about how she would approach her parents. Straightforward was probably the best method, but she wondered if she could do that without sounding like a bumbling fool. Truthfully, she wanted to talk to Chiyo about it, but she also wondered if that was a good idea.

For the second day in a row, Michi was absent, and it was clearly affecting Chiyo's mood. While she was doing her best to appear upbeat and happy in front of others, Haruna could see the wear on her heart. Whatever was going on between the two girls had to be bothering Chiyo a lot, and Haruna wanted to help. Jasmine had told her she'd take care of it and fill her in later, but that hadn't happened yet, and with Haruna feeling a need for her best friend, she decided she'd take it upon herself to find out what was bringing down the gal.

So, when lunch came around, Haruna dragged Chiyo off to a mostly unused room. "Is today your turn with me Haru-chi?" Chiyo asked, joking. "Sorry," Haruna said. "I know Jasmine-chan said she'd take care of it, but…" "Thanks," Chiyo said, prompting Haruna to look surprised. "You're worried, yeah? I appreciate that. It's nice knowin' how much you two care about me." "W-Well, it's mostly that, I guess," Haruna muttered.

After a moment of silence, Chiyo spoke. "...Mi-chan and I are kinda fighting," she said. "Although, I guess it's more like, a big difference of opinion with personal consequences." "I'm confused," Haruna said flatly. Of course, Chiyo hadn't been planning to stop there, so she went on to explain her whole situation with Michi.

When she finished, Haruna wasn't sure how to feel. She was mad at Michi for acting how she did. She was so mad that she wanted to punch the girl. But, she also knew that confronting Michi wouldn't do any good. On top of that, Chiyo was clearly broken up by what happened, but Haruna had no idea what she could do for her. "I want to help…" she mumbled weakly.

Hearing that, Chiyo put a hand on Haruna's shoulder. "You are helpin' Haru-chi," she said gently. "Being able to tell you all of this makes me feel better. It doesn't solve anything, sure, but like, at least I don't have to keep it all bottled up, y'know?" "Are you sure that's enough?" Haruna said. Chiyo's hand dropped. "Of course it ain't," she said somberly. "I wish it was possible to feel better completely just from talkin'. But, the fact is, the only way it'll get better is if I talk to Mi-chan. Although, I don't even know if she'd open the door for me…"

Looking up at Haruna, Chiyo gave a reserved smile. "I know you're worried, but I gotta be the one to fix this. Just take me out for ice cream or something if it gets way worse, okay?" "Sure," Haruna agreed. She still wished she could do more than that, but if that was what the gal wanted, then Haruna would do her best to respect that,

"So, I'm assumin' you got somethin' you wanna talk about?" Chiyo said, insightful as ever. "Um," Haruna let out, then just nodded meekly. Taking a breath, she explained her own circumstances. After listening to it all, Chiyo thought for a moment before finally giving her advice. "Just be honest, Haru-chi," she said. "It's not like I was planning on lying to them," Haruna said, but Chiyo shook her head. "That's not what I mean."

"Haru-chi, you've got this horrible habit of not being honest with yourself or other people until you're backed into a corner," Chiyo pointed out painfully, drawing an "urk…" from Haruna. There was no way she could deny that. "Instead of waiting for the pressure to come on, just tell them how you feel and what you want. If they can't accept that, then you'll just have to work hard to show 'em how bad you want it."

"But is it really that easy?" Haruna asked. "It's not about ease," Chiyo stated. "It's about pursuing your desires. Be selfish. Tell your parents what you're doing, what you're gonna do and that that's how it is. Then work hard. Whether they approve or not, that hard work will be necessary in the long run, won't it? So start doing it now, and show everybody that needs to see it that you can have what you want."

By the time Chiyo stopped speaking, it had begun to sound more like she was talking to herself more than Haruna. Regardless of that, Haruna understood what Chiyo meant. "It's just like Kanako always says," Haruna thought. "I have to believe in our love." As soon as she thought that, she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. It was cheesy, no doubt, but the idea also held a power of it's own, and it was one that Haruna hoped to make use of.

*****

By the time night arrived, Haruna was a tightly-wound bundle of nerves. Even considering her past snowboarding competitions, she couldn't recall a time she had been quite this nervous. It had been several hours since she had arrived home from school, and she was beginning to wonder whether she should still go through with her plan or not. After all, it was going to be fairly late by the time her parents got home from work. Would they even be open to the idea of having a serious talk after working hours of overtime?

Then again, that almost felt like an excuse. As the minutes ticked by, it seemed that more and more thoughts like those were coming to Haruna's mind as a part of her looked for a way out of the inevitable. Unfortunately, being alone made thoughts such as those feel even more pronounced, but Haruna knew this was something she had to do on her own. Was it that "belief in love" that pushed her to that idea, or was it competitiveness with Kanako, thinking "if she could do it on her own, then so can I."?

It was ridiculous to make a competition of it, and perhaps that was simply just an old bad habit of Haruna's showing through. Nerves can do all kinds of things to a person, and feeling that firsthand made Haruna wish that her parents would get home already. The sooner she could get it over with, the better.

Honestly, she still had no idea what she was going to say, but she at least knew that she wanted to speak from the heart. Whatever words came from that would hopefully be good enough. The real question was if they would be convincing. No doubt Haruna would have to persuade her parents that the relationship she was in wasn't a bad thing. She had no idea if her parents were against such a relationship, but she got the feeling that they probably wouldn't react positively to it. Whether that was just her nerves again or genuine intuition was hard to say.

Haruna had decided to set up in the living room, and glancing at the clock that hung on the wall, she saw it was around 7:00 p.m. With the times her parents usually went in, it looked like it was setting up to be another 10+ hour day at least. Being home alone at this time of night wasn't necessarily uncommon for Haruna, and usually it didn't bother her, but tonight she was especially feeling the time pass. "Seriously, how much longer?" she wondered.

Luckily, her question was answered soon enough, as about five minutes later she heard the door click open. "We're home," Haruna heard her mother announce, sounding quite tired. "Should I really bring this up now?" Haruna thought. "If they're completely beat, then that really lowers my odds of getting their approval." Long hours often meant a more irritable person. If Haruna was bringing up a topic they didn't want to talk about, it was bound to go poorly.

When her parents walked into the living room, they spotted Haruna on the couch. "Oh, were you waiting for us?" her mother asked. "Um…" Haruna hesitated. "...sort of." "Oh?" her father let out. "B-But if you're too tired, it's fine," Haruna said. Already, it felt like she was giving herself a way out. However, to her surprise, both parents shook their heads. "I don't believe either of us are that tired," her mother said. "It's been mostly recovering from the flurry of activity at the office this morning," her father added. "We had to play catch-up all day, so it was a little exhausting, but not to the point that we can't talk to our daughter."

Haruna felt both relieved and disappointed by that sentence. Naturally, a part of her had hoped to get out of having this conversation, but she knew that there was really no way around it. "So, was there something you wanted to talk to us about?" her mother asked. Her nerves sending her into formal mode, Haruna stood up and said, "Yes, if you don't mind," her voice sounding unusually polite and tense.

Noticing that, both parents exchanged a glance before going to sit down where Haruna had just been. As for the girl herself, she decided to stay standing. It felt better to be able to move around if necessary rather than being trapped in a sitting position. Once everyone was in their desired positions, Haruna took a deep breath and searched for the words she wanted to say.

An awkward silence fell over the room, but it was over shortly, as Haruna finally found the words she was searching for. "So, listen," she began. "You know how Kanako and I had been fighting for a while?" "It would've been harder not to notice, dear," her mother said. "R-Right," Haruna said. "Well, last year, we made up." "I'm pretty sure we know this already Haruna," her father pointed out. "I know, I know," Haruna said. "That's not really the point. What I want to tell both of you is that thanks to fixing our friendship, we've gotten a lot closer than before, a-and, um…"

Haruna froze. Could she say it? Could she really tell her parents the truth? Her jaw felt weak, and the sweat on the palms of her hands was building by the second. Unintentionally, she swallowed hard, feeling a lump go down her throat. "Just tell them," she thought. "That's all I need to do." So, gathering her courage, Haruna straighten her back a bit, did her best to maintain eye contact, and spoke.

"Kanako and I are dating."

She let the words spill from her mouth, and as they washed over her parents, she watched with baited breath as they took in what she had just said. For her mother, her face slowly shifted from neutral to what seemed to be shock and confusion. It was clear she was doing her best to make sense of what her daughter had just said. Haruna hoped that that was all it was. If it was just confusion, then it would be like Kanako's parents. She could tell her story and let them see how much Kanako means to her.

But, before she could go any further in a positive direction, a heavy voice broke through the silence.

"...Is this some sort of joke?"

Hearing that, Haruna turned her head. What she saw was the version of her father she liked the least. While he had been a stern teacher to Haruna through the years, he was also usually fair. By no means did they have a strained relationship. However, there were times, rarely, where Haruna's father was simply not going to listen. She had witnessed this on several occasions, the most common of which being when he got into arguments with Kanako's father on differences of opinion. In those instances, Haruna's father always refused to budge.

The expression he currently wore looked much like the one from those times. His face had hardened, eyebrows furrowed and a bit of a mean look had appeared in his eyes. "Haruna," he said, commanding her attention. "I want you to repeat what you just said."

There's a funny, unfortunate thing about confidence. When alone in your room, or even when talking with your friends, it's easy to say "I can do that!" or "Oh, I'd totally tell him/her that!" ...And yet, when the moment arises, that confidence vanishes, like it was never there in the first place. Now, Haruna was experiencing that same thing. Under the pressure of her father's gaze and mood, she could feel her confidence wilting like a dying lily.

"I-I said," she managed. "Kanako and I are dating." "And I asked you if that was supposed to be a joke," her father stated. Haruna stared back at him. If her confidence levels were in a gauge, the meter would be plummeting. "I-It's not a joke," she said, though the strength in her voice was already dropping. "Then," her father said. "I will give you a chance to take back what you have said."

"Take… it back?" Haruna repeated. "Yes," her father said plainly. "I will allow you the chance to take back your words and to undue whatever actions have come of them without consequence." "Undo… my actions?" Haruna said. "W-What are you saying?"

It was at this point that her father snapped. "No daughter of mine is going to go around claiming to be some lesbian, especially with the daughter of a good friends of ours!" he exclaimed. "Whatever you've done, I want you to put a stop to it right this instant Haruna. You take back what you said, march over to the Nakatomi's, and put an end to whatever farce of a romance you two girls concocted."

"It's not a farce!" Haruna cried. "I love-" "ENOUGH!" her father declared. "I won't allow you to finish that sentence! If I did, you'd just be bringing further shame on our family!" "What the hell is shameful about loving someone?!" Haruna shouted. "Don't call what you're doing love! It's just a perversion!" her father yelled back. At this point, he had stood up, and while they were still a small distance apart, everyone in the room could feel the horrible heat between father and daughter.

"If I would've known you'd do something this idiotic, I would've taken up that man's offer for a marriage interview," her father commented. "What marriage interview?" Haruna pressed. "A man at the office a few months ago said he has a son who wanted an arranged marriage. At the time, I told him no because I believed you had your heart set on the Miyashita's boy. But now… perhaps I should reconsider his offer." "I refuse!" Haruna said immediately. "You have no right to refuse!" her father bellowed back. "You are my daughter and you will do what your parents think is best!"

"Besides," he continued. "Obviously you were just lying to us the whole time, so your words or feelings hardly matter at all right now." "What the hell was I lying about?" Haruna asked. "You told us you loved the Miyashita boy, but you just told us you're 'dating' a girl! Did you ever really have any feelings for that poor boy at all?" "Of course I did!" Haruna shouted. "But feelings change!" "I'm sure Akio was devastated when he heard about this nonsense," her father commented, not really listening to what his daughter had just said.

"Yeah, right! This is all his fault to begin with!" Haruna announced. "Don't blame your problems on other people!" her father said back. "I'm sure I've taught you better than that." "But he-" "What did I just say?" her father asked, silencing Haruna.

Though, her silence wasn't entirely because of her father's most recent words. It was the whole situation. Never before had she ever seen him be this unreasonable. Being the target of that unreasonableness, what more could she do? It was beginning to feel like all of her hopes were fading, and her world was gaining cracks all around as it prepared to fall to pieces.

"Haruna," her father said, appearing calmer than a moment ago. "You're a smart girl. You try hard and often speak your mind. Those are all good qualities to have. Qualities that would make you a fine wife. But being a wife means having a husband, not some other girl. You understand that, don't you?"

Should she break down and cry, or shake with rage? Should she scream, or try to reason with him? No matter the question posed, Haruna had no idea which direction was the right one to take. If she cried, it would feel like she had lost somehow. If she raged on, nothing would be solved. Screaming would bring much the same result, and reasoning didn't seem to be getting through. Was there anything she could do?

"I love her."

She turned off her brain. This was no time to think. Haruna simply needed to do what she had resolved to do: speak from the heart. Regardless of her father's orders, she would say how she felt, and he would hear it whether he liked it or not.

"I love Kanako."

As she spoke, she could see her father beginning to seethe. Had he ever been this angry with her before? Haruna couldn't remember a time. "We're dating, and I plan on building a future with her. I'm sorry if you don't approve, but this is what I want to do."

In response, her father was silent for a moment. Then, in a couple of strides, he stood inches from Haruna. "I will not allow it," he said darkly. "I will not allow my daughter to throw away her entire future for something so fruitless and ridiculous!" Then, before Haruna knew it, the man's hand had raised. It swung down, and Haruna tried to brace for impact.

There was nothing. Having closed her eyes in response, Haruna slowly opened them to see that her father had stopped just short. Dropping his hand, he turned away from her so she couldn't see his face. "You are not allow to see Kanako Nakatomi any longer. I'll be calling her parents to inform them of that as well." "W-What?!" Haruna exclaimed. "You can't do that!" Turning to her mother, she pleaded. "Mom, say something!"

However, the woman who was still seated on the couch remained silent. She hadn't spoken a word, appearing to be perfectly comfortable with allowing her husband to handle the issue. But, as Haruna continued to stared at her with begging eyes, she finally said something.

"I think it's best that you listen to your father, dear."

Haruna was stunned. It wasn't so much because she had been expecting her mother to bail her out. Rather, it had more to do with that her parents, the individuals who were supposed to support her the most, had completely abandoned her. "C-Come on…" she uttered. "Seriously…?" That was all she could manage. The only thing waiting for her at the end of this conversation was defeat.

Even if she believed in her love for Kanako, or even if they swore to stay together, Haruna's parents were going to do everything they could to put a stop to her relationship with Kanako. Sure, they could still see each other at school, but it was possible to lessen that time together. What if her parents asked for Haruna to be switched to another class? If the school approved (which considering the state of some of their teachers, they might), then that would mean only lunch together. Maybe the walk home too if they got lucky and Haruna's parents weren't home before the girls were.

And what about even simple things, like calling or texting? That was easy enough to solve. Haruna wasn't a social butterfly, so her parents taking away her phone wouldn't seem like a loss to them. On the contrary, it would be one less bill to pay. It seemed no matter how Haruna looked at it, she had lost.

"I can't believe this…" she muttered. "You guys are the worst…" "We just want what's best for you, dear," Haruna's mother said. "Like hell you do!" Haruna screamed, tears building in her eyes. "You just want what's best for yourselves!"

With those words spoken, Haruna could take no more. In a way, she had said her peace. Quickly, she turned around and made a run for the door. Before either of her parents knew what was happening, she had bolted outside and down the street. Even if her ankle began to throb, she didn't care. All Haruna wanted was to get as far away from the Endo house as she could.

…

After that, no one heard from or saw Haruna for several days.

End of Chapter Nine.