Chapter One
"There's no way I'm stepping a foot into that goddamn house!" I protested, for what seemed like the fiftieth time today.
"Sayu, I don't see why you shouldn't. They are offering you a place to live, sending you to a private school, even giving you a really reasonable wage!" Oka-san said, trying hard to keep her patience. Wrinkles formed between her eyebrows when she frowned. Seeing this, I softened.
"But oka-san, I don't want to have anything to do with them. I don't want to be like them! There must be another way." My voice was a little calmer now.
"It's one of the conditions to keep our house and land. Since your old man died, our monthly income cannot cover the bills. If it wasn't because of your oto-san, rest in peace dear," she put both palms together, a funny gesture she always did when she talked about oto-san. "The Nagoya's would have kicked us out and build a swimming pool years ago!" she was back to her old self again.
"Oka-san, they own the huge private pool across the street! They don't need a bloody pool near their house!"
"I thought the Nagiya's owned the pool." oka-san pointed out the rich neighbours who lived opposite the Nagoya's.
"They own the skyscraper called "The Pool"! Besides, it is the Nijiya's. Nee-jee-yaa's!" I argued, correcting her.
"Wait," I quickly said before she manages to rebut me. "don't change the subject, oka-san!"
"Hmm, rich people have no individuality. Nagoya, Nijiya, how are people supposed to know…" she talked to herself, ignoring me.
"OKA-SAN!" she was teasing me on purpose again.
"Anyway, no matter what, I'm not going to work for the Nagoya's and be some gay butler there." I concluded our argument because I was running late.
"Domestic work boy, not gay butler." oka-san mumbled, loud enough for me to hear.
"Whatever." I grabbed my bag, shoved the sling to my shoulder, fixed my tie and went for school.
While I was just turning into the road, I heard oka-san called out.
"Sayu-kun! You haven't called Sakurai up yet!" hearing her faint voice, I guess she must be in the kitchen. I'm supposed to wake my sister up every morning but I won't care less anymore.
"She can call herself up!" I yelled back.
I turned into the road and looked at the huge neighbourhood. We must be the poorest people here, I thought. Every home belongs to rich families, and when someone says "next door" in this residence, it actually means 500 metres away, with ridiculously large swimming pools, statues as tall as Liberty herself and a whole row of all the different trees you could think of.
I passed another bungalow: the exact replica of the white house. These people are filthy rich, and they all live in this rotten area. Don't mistake me as one of them. I'm condemned to live here for the rest of my life, unless I pay back 50 years of debt anyway.
By the way, I'm Makino Sayu, age 16, one of the poorest residents that live in this corrupted area, besides my oka-san and sister. Among the many villas and bungalows, our house is just a single storey detached, with a toilet and two bedrooms, right beside the most wealthy and powerful family here, the Nagoya's. This family has a history of 500 years, all dark and uninteresting to know, so when the first time I heard about them, I immediately shrug it off and not want to have anything to do with it. However, the universe must have tilted on its axis or something or some higher power thinks I'm a threat to humanity because somehow, my oto-san's oto-san's oto-san (my great grandfather) was a really good acquaintance with the Nagoya whatshisname great grandfather. And somehow, my oto-san, working class oto-san, was even closer to the one of the many heirs to the Nagoya's fortune than normal brothers are. So my dad easily got a job in one of their large companies. You would think that being connected with one of the noble family in Japan makes us all high and powerful too.
Well, think again.
Ever since my oto-san started working with Nagoya Inc., he would come home really late at night, overwork himself again, and finally got ill and died. The all so "close" heir of the great and almighty Nagoya worked my oto-san to death, which, led my family to what we are going through today.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and quickly turned around. It was Haru, my schoolmate, who has a love for brown-eyed girls, namely my sister. When I saw him, I then realized I have walked out of Kansha area and was only two blocks away from school. Despite the luxurious Kansha area, the government somehow managed to build a public school for commoners like me nearby.
"Ohayo, Sayu. What's with the total blank look?" he flashed a grin, showing black braces that looked like holes in his teeth.
"The stupid Nagoya affair." I replied with a scowl, with Haru walking and grinning beside me.
"Ah. Sheesh dude, seriously, I don't get why you won't agree to this. I mean, after you infiltrate," Haru lifted his two fingers and gestured the quote sign. "that enormous house, you can leech on anything you desire! They have so much property I bet they won't even notice."
"What do you think this is? Daylight robbery?" I rolled my eyes and walked faster.
"Fine, gomen. Nevertheless, Sayu, I still don't understand why you detest that family so much. They are most famous for hosting charity events and stuff. I mean, who donates 3 billion US to the cancer society every year??" he tried to catch up by pacing faster.
"They worked my father to death!" I raised my voice slightly, getting frustrated of this conversation.
"Whoa, easy. Okay, let's talk about this no more. It's the last day of school! We should have fun!" Haru said with enthusiasm, grabbed me by my collar, and pulled me towards school.
***
"Makino Sayukiwa, 38%, fail." the teacher announced my results for math.
"Darn." I mumbled, while gritting my teeth.
As I got up to get my paper, I felt all eyes in the class are on me.
"Lowest again." the teacher said in a low voice, loud enough for the whole class to hear. I snatched the paper away from her purposely and clutched it until it crumpled between my fingers.
"OK class, corrections are to be done by the end of this period and submitted to me. Especially those who got 40% and below."
I know for sure she was mentioning me. I'm the ONLY one who got 40% and below. It's not like I'm a lousy student or anything, it's just that I'm a lousy math student. I rather eat glass than do math homework, not that I never tried, but I just don't get it.
"But sensei, today's the last day of school! Can't we be excused just this once?" someone protested.
"Learning is something we do for the rest of our lives. There is no limit to obtaining knowledge, therefore…" the teacher started preaching away, and after a gust of cold wind blew past our class, we started chatting away.
"Dang, another fail, this is gonna affect your overall average, again." Haru nudged me, while pulling his seat in front of my table. He placed his 70% paper on my desk, front side up, obviously trying to show it off to me.
"Don't tell me something I already know." I showed him my fist.
"But since your other marks are so high, I guess it won't really change your place in the overall rankings." Haru said, as a-matter-of-factly.
Like Haru kindly pointed out, I'm not a bad student at all. Not to brag about it, but the marks I get in other subjects are usually quite above average and most of the time, I'm one of the top five among all the students of the same year, sometimes without even trying. I'm just helplessly bad at math. I mean, how am I supposed to know what x means when the question just gives me more y's? It's just unreasonable.
"So which school have you decided to get into?" Haru asked. "Jyuuji High? Sakeno?"
"Like I'll ever afford those schools with oka-san's and my minimum wage. Oh, and my math results." I rolled my eyes. "I'm getting into Furugasa High. I passed the entrance exam already, so it won't be a problem."
"You can't be serious!" Haru exclaimed and stood up. "Your results are one of the best and you want to get into a commoner school? Again??"
"You're overreacting, Haru. Sure it doesn't have the facilities, but the standard is-"
"How about Tsukima Private?" Haru cut in. Having heard this I just stared at him.
"I could, if I work for the people who killed my father." I said sarcastically, reminding him.
"But all your talents will be wasted if you go to commoner school! Think about it, Sayu, TSUKIMA PRIVATE INSTITUTE, one of the best Japan has ever seen! People would cut themselves just to get in! And you can only if you would serve tea or bring the daily paper to the Nagoya's!" Haru said, trying too hard to persuade me.
"Well, I would rather cut myself than serve tea for the Nagoya's." Haru must be joking, me, working for the Nagoya's? In a million years.
Tsukima Private is the best senior high school in this province. And of course, all the rich bastards go there, having air-conditioned rooms, full-course tea and lunch, overly expensive facilities and equipments… Even if it produces the best of the best students in the world, I wouldn't let myself be "pampered" with all that, over my dead body.
"Sayu my friend, in the future, you will look back and say to yourself "oh, I should've worked for the Nagoya's.." or "Oh, I should've gone to Tsukima and not lousy Furugasa commoner school!" and wonder why are you wasting your precious time with a hug belly, a sucky job and an unmarried life." Haru shook his head and tried to look disappointed.
Not working.
"Whatever, I got my eyes set on Furugasa and I'm not turning it away."
"Sayu, Sayu, Sayu… Something WILL happen to you one day and even you might not be able to fight it." Haru's tone was suddenly serious as he walked away. At that time, I didn't know how right he was.
***
"Tadaima!" I announced as I took off my school shoes. I waited for ok-san to welcome me like she usually does. She didn't. The front door slid to the left. My sister has reached home too.
"Tadaima!" she said, shortly after putting her shoes aside.
"Ah, oni-chan." she noticed me standing there. "Where's oka-san?"
"I was wondering the same thing."
Then, we heard faint voices coming from the living room. Oka-san. And other people. I started to get worried if oka-san was in some kind of trouble.
"Be careful, Sakurai." I warned my sister, my voice unconsciously descended into a whisper.
After she nodded her head, both of us tiptoed into the living room. We hid behind the wall that separated the corridor to the front door and the living room and peeped to se what was going on. There were three huge men in tuxedos sitting on our beige-coloured sofas (courtesy of Ayuri oba-san). Oka-san was sitting on the sofa opposite them. The three men looked identical, tall, dark hair, pale skin and all were wearing sunglasses. Indoors. They would look pretty cool if they were the real Men in Black or something. The men and my mom seemed to be engaged in a heated discussion since they didn't notice us when we came back. I put a finger in front of my mouth while motioning Sakurai to keep silent while I tried to eavesdrop.
"Ma'am, are you positive that Sayukiwa-dono insists on not going?" I heard one of the three men said. There are talking about me? Not going where?
"He said he wouldn't be caught dead going into the Nagoya house. I'm sure he blames the family for his oto-san's death. I wished he knew everything." oka-san sighed.
Nagoya? These people are work for the Nagoya's? What do they want with oka-san? Or rather me? Wait, what did oka-san mean when she said she wished I knew everything? The words kept circling about in my mind. The more I try to interpret it, the more confusing it gets. Sakurai was nudging my shoulder behind, probably wondering what was going on too. I ignored her and continued to listen.
"I know Nagoya-sama really wants to take in Sayu, but I want Sayu to be happy… Is there anything we can do to make it up to the family? We need this house and land so badly…" oka-san looked at the men in black pleadingly.
"Well ma'am, if Sayukiwa–dono cannot go and serve, we have no choice but to have Sakurai-dono replace him." Another dude said, expressionless. Oka-san just sat there with a blank face.
When she didn't answer, the third man continued.
"And as you know ma'am, the young masters of the Nagoya family," he paused, as if giving oka-san time to prepare herself for what he was going to say. "find women, especially young ladies, very attractive." oka-san's expression turned from blank to shock in a split of a second.
Oka-san wasn't the only one who was taken aback and speechless. Little did she know, that there were two siblings standing just six feet away from here, out of sight, unable to respond, and was frightened of what was going to happen to them.