8 That Kamiyama Bastard

"yes." the cop shows me the black sentence. "you didn't read this when you signed this?"

i didn't read any of this. i try to read the words. ah! am i an illiterate? why can't i read it properly? i can't even pronounce these words.

"what is this language?"

"miss, did you go to school?" he asks me doubtfully. "it is the same language that you are speaking. i agree that these words are tough and formal. you need a good lawyer to tackle this."

"..."

i stare at kamiyama kiyohira. he doesn't have any expression. but, in his eyes, i can see that he is complacent about it. do you feel happy to fool a high school graduate? i turn to the cop.

"is prison a bad place to live?"

"miss, it is better if you agree with them." he rereads the papers.

"you will get a rebuilt house with the best material. you will get a high paying job with promised promotions in every three years. you will also get free holiday trips until you retire. kamiyama family is also taking responsibility for your wedding, your future's children educations and jobs, and they will even help you find a groom if you want them too."

"this is slavery." i grab my head. "this is what hell feels like."

"miss, life is not good in prison." the cop gives me back the papers. "you will get a lifetime record. you will lose this house to the kamiyama groups. you will never get hired at any place for the rest of your life. that is the true hell."

prison or hell? prison or hell? prison or hell?

"hell, it is." i pick up my laptop and hug it. "i will do what they want. i don't want to go to prison."

"good choice." the cop smiles at me. "we are happy to resolve misunderstandings."

after the cops leave, kiyohira turns to look at me. "let's go."

"where?" i really have no energy left. he grabs my arm and drags me along with him. he opens the car door and pushes me inside. i see them demolishing my house.

my safe haven...is disappearing.

the driver starts the car. i keep my eyes on my house until it disappears from the view. my poor house.

"until the news dies down, you have to stay at our house and pretend that you are going along with our family." i hear him say. "you have to dress nicely and act like a sister to my younger brother and a granddaughter to my grandmother. you have to use a clean and polite language. after a while, i will send you to stay at the other place until your house is rebuilt."

"huh?" i look at him. "you will let me go back?"

"yes." he checks his phone. "you have to go to the work daily on time and work seriously. for other people, our family is seriously taking care of you. so, i hope that you work there diligently. i don't have many expectations of you. someone you can't even read a legal document properly can't be worth much."

"hey, it was really hard," i yell at him. "you deliberately made it hard."

"still, you should have studied hard in the high school." he leans back. "after everything becomes the same way again, you can leave the company and go back to the way you lived before. the kamiyama family will not have any connection with you."

i take a deep breath and stares out of the window. anything is better than nothing right now.

***

kiyohira watches her fall asleep with a pleasant smile and drools dripping out from the corners of her lips. he brings out his handkerchief and reaches to wipe away her drools. he stops midway and frowns. what is he doing?

he recalls all the words that she has spoken to him and how she even slapped with that small hand of her. why is she still alive? he needs her to be alive to amend this situation.

until this news fades away and everything becomes the way it was, he would let her live. it would be inconvenient if she runs around with that wild mouth of hers.

after it dies down, he will make sure that she takes each word back.

after it dies down, he will make sure that she disappears from this country.

after it dies down, he will make sure...

the list is long.

"kiyo..." she mumbles in her sleep. kiyohira looks at her. is she dreaming about him?

"you bastard!" she cusses in her sleep. "die! you bastard."

kiyohira grabs her shoulder and tries to jerk her awake.

"waaaa." she lifts her head. strands of her hair fall on her face with patches of dried drools on her chin.

"who are you?"

he flicks her forehead. "who i am?"

"you are that kamiyama's bastard."