Taro Yamada woke drenched in cold sweat, his heart racing. His eyes darted across the room, taking in the familiar surroundings, and then on himself. So far, nothing out of the ordinary. It was then he realised his arms were crossed behind his back, as if tied. Then it came back to him. The most terrifying, realistic nightmare he ever had.
Taro screamed in fear, a primal emotion now ingrained into him, as his parents rushed to the source of the unnatural wail. They found their son writhing on the floor, shaking off shackles that weren't there, fighting off unseen assailants. Attempting to restraining him only made it worse - Taro roared in defiance, his newfound strength battering his father as the older man tried to pacify his son.
It soon became apparent to Yamada-san, as he retreated to his wife's side while sporting a broken nose amidst other injuries, that something was very wrong with their son. There was nothing they could do - Taro was no more than a rabid beast, and all they could do was watch helplessly as he continued screaming and kicking at invisible demons, pushing himself against the corner of the room furthest from his parents, all while screaming. Finally, long after the blood on his father's shirt has dried has dried, Taro regained a little of his sanity, enough for his parents to try again.
"Taro, can you hear me?" came a timid, yet concerned voice. His mother's.
"Mom…? What…? I - I don't..." Taro said, looking towards the source of the voice, as the final vestiges of his brain recognised the voice of his mother.
"Yes, are… are you feeling better yet? Do you need us to bring you to a doctor?" Taro's mother asked again, her voice firmer now.
"I… I don't know… I don't… don't hurt me…" Taro moaned as he was reduced to a pile of tears, a sobbing wreck before his parents, who could only look on in shock as their son had a nervous breakdown.
Ayano Aishi opened her eyes and found herself sitting in a dimly lit room. She tried to stand, but found herself unable to. The position of her hands, as well as the pain from her joints indicated that she was restrained in some way. She tried to move her hands, but they were securely tied behind her back. Her legs were of no use either - they were tied to the chair.
A normal person would panic, surely. They'd scream for help, but Ayano did not make a sound. This was largely because of the gag she had on, but she had no impulse to make any noise. Instead, she trained her eyes on the room, her mind processing every small detail. She searched for the source of light - there, right above her head. A light source set to the minimum brightness. Almost immediately, she realised that she was not alone. There was another person in the room with her. A person wearing a white mask, staring intently at her, perhaps to intimidate her.
Any sane person would have started to panic by now - restrained and held captive against their will in a hostile environment, but Ayano simply returned the stare with her own, emotionless gaze. A look she has had for as long as she could remember.
A full 10 seconds passed with no reaction from either side. As if satisfied, the figure spoke.
"Welcome back." the woman said in a warm voice as she manipulated the light switch, illuminating the basement with a bright glow that momentarily blinded Ayano.
As she recovered from the sudden flash of light, Ayano focused on the mask of her captor. It was a plain, white mask that concealed any and all facial features, as well as emotions. Not that the woman wearing it needed to, as the she undid Ayano's restraints.
As Ayano rubbed her sore arms and legs, she noticed that the areas that were bound were bandaged beforehand. Probably to prevent the marks from showing. After all, it's important to keep up appearances.
As her captor finally undid the last of the restraints, Ayano stood and admired her captor's handiwork. A windowless basement, with no furnishings or decorations except for a plain table and chair that she was currently sitting on. Looking at the table, Ayano noticed a plain toolbox, one you'd probably find in just about any home. Several tools have been taken out, namely the pliers, hammer and a tape measure. The only other object on the table was a clock. To be precise, it was an everyday analog clock, one you might find mounted on the wall. The only difference is that it was a broken analog clock. Judging by the state of its glass, it was probably broken recently, and almost definitely by her captor.
Speaking of her captor, Ayano turned to face the woman, now maskless as she started cleaning up the scene, using a broom to carefully sweep up the shattered glass.
"Thank you, Mother." Ayano said as she turned to leave the basement. School was starting, and she wouldn't want to be late.
"Not at all. Please do shower first, and throw that away after." Ryoba Aishi replied, pointing at Ayano's crotch.
Ayano looked down and found herself wearing a diaper under her pajamas. Wordlessly, she nodded as Ryoba continued with the housework.
The interaction was over. Nothing more needed to be said. Besides, Ayano had more pressing issues to take care of. Getting to school, for one. It's extremely important to keep up appearances, after all.
As Ayano stepped out of the house in her uniform, ready for school, a smile - a real, genuine smile from the bottom of her heart - crept to her face.
"Have fun at school, Ayano!" Ryoba's voice came from behind her. Ayano turned to see her mother walking to the trashcan, carrying an opaque bag. Nodding, Ayano made her way towards the school. She did not realise that her smile had become just like the mask Ryoba wore just an hour ago.
A facade. A fake. One devoid of any real emotion or expression.
In short, it was just a mask for keeping up appearances.
Ryoba disposed of the last of the evidence and smiled. A smile of genuine joy, because she had just seen her daughter give a smile. A smile Ryoba too was wearing, as her beloved husband came into the kitchen.
The signature smile of the Aishi Bloodline. The only way a woman of the Bloodline can truly feel alive.
The smile when all you can think about is Senpai, as Ryoba wrapped her arms around her husband.