10 Chapter 8.5

My name is Ogawa, no, Furukawa Kirino. Currently, I accompany my mother to SPA & Salon…

"Thanks for coming out with mommy sweetie, I've just been having the worst day!" Mom said with a sigh, sinking in the chair while her feet soaked in the footbath underneath. "Are you sure you don't want a full pedicure too? Your father is always tight with money, but I swiped his card so it's on me."

"Kenji-san's not my da- uh…" I quickly changed what I was going to say as Mom's look darkened. "It's fine, Mom, just enjoy yourself."

Mom's expression put my slip past her and she just settled down in her chair, even more, letting out a sigh as a lady came up to pull out and dry one of her feet. It had been a week since I had seen that wretched man at the mall, and I still just couldn't get the sight out of my mind. Why was he with that girl? Who is she? Who is that super beautiful girl?! She was practically my age or maybe little order by two or three years! I knew fa-err… that man was a despicable and violent person, but to think he prays on young women.

Were girls my age his type? No, that wasn't the right question. Who was she anyway? She must have been one of those escorts! That's right. That's the kind of man he was, he'd be the kind of man who'd hire escorts. That's what mom said he used to do while they were married. He used to cheat on my poor mother horribly. He'd sleep with prostitutes and other women and then come home to mom. If she didn't cater to everything he wanted, he'd hit her.

Fath-I mean, that man was horribly nefarious. He never let me, his daughter, see his true side. He always hid that in the dark as he beat mom in ways I never saw. She once even showed me bruises he had left on her butt. She said he had spanked her on the butt one day when she talked back to him! Had I not come over to see what he had done to mom and Kenji, I might have doubted mom's words, but the truth was clear to see!

"Honey, your face is all crinkled, it's going to give you ugly wrinkles. Why don't you tell me what's on your mind? Mommy makes everything better." Mom smiled.

Mom always liked it when I had problems. Rather, I should say that mom liked to help me out. She was never happier than when I was at my most miserable. No, that makes it sound negative. I was always there for mom. She was such a beautiful and gentle woman, that's why she needed her daughter's love. I had loved both of my parents, but as mom explained, sometimes a parent just isn't worthy of your love, and my fathe- that man is one of them! Damn him! Why was he even out in public? And with such a beautiful girl! What's she got that I don't have! No, what's with that thought, just to hell with th-tha-

"Kyou." The name slipped out of my mouth before I could help it.

Immediately, I felt the frosty chill of my mother. Any pleasantness she showed me died the second I mentioned his name. There was a time I remembered still calling him father, but mom told me I had a new dad now.

I vaguely recall a time I wanted to get dad's side of the story, but mom said, "Do you hate your mother so much that you'd go behind her back and talk to that man. Would you really betray your own mother? Just stab a knife in my back right now!"

I also remember her not giving me food for two days because I once said mom should forgive dad. She said I was getting fat and needed the diet anyway. It just… grew into a habit after that. Dad was a taboo subject that you couldn't bring up unless she brought it up. If mom brought it up, only completely agreeing with her would get me through the conversation unscathed. However, this was all okay, I understood that dad was a touchy subject. He was a bastard who beat mom regularly, so she had every right to despise him. It was really my fault for trying to hold on to the good memories I had of him. Those memories were a twisted lie, after all.

"What of that man?" Mom demanded curtly.

I had already said too much, so I had no choice but to talk now. Mom wouldn't let me keep any secrets. Since those secrets were about him, that was even more true. She loved any dirt on him she could find. It had grown into an almost unhealthy obsession. That was exactly why I had kept it from her to this point. It wasn't good for mom's heart to get so worked up over that man.

"Uh… it's just… da-uh… that man… he-" I grimaced, not sure how to word things that wouldn't make mom upset.

"What did he do?" Mom demanded darkly.

"N-nothing big! I-I just happened to see him the other day at the mall. H-he was eating with a woman. It looked kind of l-like a date?"

"What?" Mom stood up in the slamming her feet in the water and splashing the person who was lotioning her feet. "How dare that bastard get with other women!"

"Mo–mom?" I asked, a little confused by her question, what did it matter to mom if Dad dated? They are divorce.

"Ma'am, you can't stand in the water… bath…" The woman who had been splashed tried to encourage mom to sit back down, nearly in tears.

Mom thumped back into her seat with a snort, "What I mean, honey, is that he'll likely do the same thing he did to that girl as he did to your mother. I'm only worried that he's still out there victimizing women. He's truly the worst kind of man, I would have never married him if he didn't have such a large di- ahem… I mean, I regret ever marrying him."

"Hm?" I cocked my head to my side, not sure what mom was trying to say.

What did dad have that mom married him for? It was the first time since the divorce I had ever seen mom say anything close to a compliment about him. Did he have something even mom found enviable? Mom had already moved on though. She had learned her head back and was forcing the made to restart with drying and lotioning her feet again.

"It doesn't matter anyway." Mom sniffed. "A girl interested in that man is probably some ugly cow. It's what that man deserves."

"Hmm…" I looked away from mom, giving a non-committal comment.

If the woman had looked average, perhaps even I wouldn't have cared. However, she was so beautiful that it caught every eye. My friends wouldn't stop talking about that beauty they saw. When they realized the person with her was my- that man, they kept pestering me for details, of which I had none. If she wasn't ugly, I wouldn't be that upset, but dad was with a woman more attractive than me and about my age. It was really aggravating. I felt so jealous! No, that's not the right word. I'm not jealous, why would I be jealous? Jealous because she's so beautiful? Even if she's beautiful, she's with him, why does that piss me off so much!

"Honey, she is a hag, right?" I immediately felt like I had been goosed when mom spoke up. "What does she look like?"

Mom was looking at me now, and it looks like she had noticed that my answer was nonspecific. Furthermore, she had noticed the complex emotions on my face. In essence, I realized I couldn't keep anything back from her now. However, I wasn't going to tell her that woman was beautiful. If mom heard that assessment from me directly, she might cut off my allowance or something.

So, instead, I brought out my smartphone. One of my friends had actually snapped a picture of her at the mall, because she wanted to have her hair done up in a similar way. Naturally, I demanded to send me the picture. As to why I received the picture, it wasn't because he was in it! I didn't have any pictures of him, but he was sitting there next to her. He even seemed happy. The rare times I'd seen dad, he never looked happy. I swore he had grey hairs and was out of shape, but he looked really good. Why did he have to become so handsome?! It'd be easier if Dad was ugly!

I brought up that image and handed it to mom, who took the phone. No sooner did she see the image than her draw jobbed. Her body stiffened and it was as if she was a statue for nearly fifteen seconds. I was just starting to worry that I had broken mom when her face suddenly twisted angrily! The snarl-like look on her face was a pure rage.

Mom didn't use to be so angry. I think I remembered a time before mom left dad that she had been a kind and gentle woman. However, at some point, she grew really spoiled and viscous. However, that had to be because dad used to beat her, right? Naturally, her nasty behavior was his fault. It only made me hate him more! Mom's hand tightened on the phone and then she chucked it down harshly.

"My phone!" I gave a cry as it hit the floor.

Mom didn't pay attention, standing up once again and ripping her foot away from the service woman just as she was bringing out the polish.

"M-ma'am, this is inappropriate!" The woman cried out.

"Oh, shut up! You were doing a losey job anyway!" Mom kicked the tub of water, causing it to till and spill all over the floor, soaking the pants of the woman sitting on her knees.

I barely managed to snatch up my phone before a wave of water swept over it. The screen was cracked, but the phone was still operational. I breathed a little easier. I still had that picture. No! Why would I care about that picture? It was my $300 phone that i cared about!"

Mom grabbed my wrist and started walking out of the store, a furious look painted on her face.

"Ma'am… you need to pay!"

"Pay? For what, I didn't even get the pedi… and your service was awful. I'm not paying for that!" Mom snapped, walking out of the store with me in tow, my head lowered in embarrassment.

Fortunately, the woman didn't chase us, too put off and afraid to escalate the situation any greater. As mom pulled me away with heavy stomps as she put on her sandals and left, I could only feel regret that I had told mom. No, this wasn't mom's fault. This was that man's fault! He was the reason mom was angry! He was the one who thought he could date beautiful women my age. Was his own daughter not good enough! I hate him! I hate him! Soon, my face was just as stormy as my mothers.