Shinnosuke heard the car come into the driveway and then the beating of shoes on pavement.

"Shit!" he thought. His mother, Konatsu, was home. She set her handbag down beside the front door and strolled into the living room.

"Did you do the washing? I told you to do the washing!"

"Yes kaa-san, it's in the dryer at the moment."

"Well, get up off your lazy ass and mop the kitchen."

"I did that this afternoon. I've got to complete my homework."

"Seriously! You're the most sluggish child I've ever known."

Konatsu was a highly respected rakugo performer under the name "Kousukeroku". It made her a good living. After the death of Shinnosuke's step-father, Yotaro Yurakutei, she became a cruel, stern lady. Since then Shinnosuke was her private whipping boy even though he had reached the mature venerable age of eighteen.

Her hair was tugged back in a tight bun. Her face was firm and her eyes were like a couple of bland iron marbles. Konatsu could have looked attractive if she had tried, but this way she was just a cruel, unattractive, ax faced old woman.

Konatsu grabbed her handbag and withdrew to her room. Shinnosuke continued studying. He realized he had to attain good grades so he could leave this hellish house. He would complete high school in a few more months. He could not wait.

When he completed his homework he went to his room and took off his clothes. It was bath time. Shinnosuke glanced at himself in the full length mirror. At 6' 5'' with muscles gained from exercising, he was quite a striking figure.

Konatsu had never allowed him to have a relationship with a girl, so he was a total stranger to the world of sex and knew nothing much about females.

Recently when Konatsu was rebuking him or disciplining him for some insignificant misdeed, he had been harboring an unusual compulsion to kick her ass. She had been giving him utter hell for the past couple of weeks.

He then heard her piercing voice, "Shinnosuke, get your butt over here!"

He ran to her bedroom. "What happened kaa-san?"

"What happened? I'll tell you what happened. You didn't clean the floor beneath my bed. Are you trying to make me sick?" Konatsu sprung up and slapped his face.

Shinnosuke sensed something arise within him. He pulled back his clenched hand and striked her right on the jawbone. Konatsu fell down like a bag of rice. He could ascertain that she was unconscious. He knew he had seriously screwed up. There was no getting back from this situation.

To be continued...