Interlude II - Part One
The circumstances of Fujiwara Michiko
After decades of maintaining her integrity, one week was all it took to ruin everything.
7 mere days were all it took after Michiko's disgraceful public stunt for her name to be stepped into the dirt.
Illegitimate children were hardly a rare occurrence in their social circle, although it was a topic rarely conversed about. After all, mistresses aside, illegitimate children were people who could actually threaten the actual wives and their own child(ren), if they had any.
That said, there are so many different ways to ruin those pesky wedlock nuisances without getting their own hands dirty, that actually killing them off was actually one of the worst scenarios.
Killing a person, by your own hands or by your request leaves trails. Any idiot with half a brain would eventually be able to link the victim's deaths to those who would benefit the most from it – overall it is a rather risky and low-class course of action in the eyes of the rich and powerful.
Why let the source of your pain die and escape while you remained in this life filled with anger? What better way could you find, to relieve yourself of some stress by watching them struggle in the mud, alone and hopeless? Would it not be more satisfying to have them kneeling before you and begging your forgiveness without a shred of dignity left?
Those who used to be on talking terms with Fujiwara Michiko simply shook their head at the mention of her name after that fateful day.
One wrong step, and the one with more to lose would at a disadvantage. After all, when one had nothing left to lose, the only way to go is up; and same for the other party. With someone at the top of the pyramid like Michiko was, the only direction for her to fall is down.
Michiko had it all, a capable and responsible husband (well, he doesn't bring home any strays does he) and a clever handsome son who ranked in the top 3 amongst the world record of Go competition.
Michiko must be too blinded by her anger after learning about her husband's illegitimate son, so much so she couldn't even think straight. Even those who disliked her in the past only had pity left for the once arrogant matriarch of the Fujiwara family. Others simply couldn't understand her decision of personally hiring a hit-man and plotting the death of the boy and his mother.
No matter how carefully she had led her life till now, she still took a wrong step, and it was all it took to reduce the Fujiwara Matriarch to a mad woman locked away in the asylum for the rest of her life.
The circumstances of Shindou Mitsuko
Shindou Mitsuko was frequently described by all those who knew her to be demure, sweet and gentle – a true Yamato Nadeshiko. She may not be exceedingly beautiful, but she was the kind of woman that men bring home to marry with their parents' full consent.
Sweet, caring, loving, but beyond all those, was how compliant and malleable she was in a relationship with a man she loved.
For years, many would lament that her high school sweet heart was a bastard (albeit a good-looking rich bastard that any girl with eyes wouldn't mind having a fling with; but would never fall in love with). He had ruined the love life of a girl so much; as a bad relationship experience that she had sworn off letting anyone else into her life.
However any pitiful looks thrown her way quickly turned into judging ones, when she was discovered to have given birth to a son just years later after graduating from university.
It didn't help that some of the more nosy neighbors observed that while she quit her job to care for her son full time, she could still afford to lead a comfortable lifestyle (which was obviously well above the non-existence pay-grade of a full time at-home single mother).
Be it jealousy at work or just plain observation, many came to a conclusion which might just as well be the closest thing to the truth – she found herself a sugar daddy.
Mitsuko knew what the neighbors thought of her, and how those who knew her gossiped behind her back.
But she had no choice. Some may say people always get a choice. But really, Mitsuko didn't.
When they re-met each other out of pure coincidence, she was a young lady who just graduated from university and freshly accosted by the harsh reality of life. She failed to land herself a job despite attending hundreds of interview; that had been a rude awakening to her own confidence – was there something wrong with her that everyone else could see but herself?
Someone once said, love is always special, but your first love moves you in a way that is inherently unique. That part was true for Mitsuko, she had several suitors in university and she did try dating, but no one just felt like the right person after the short relationship she had with Fujiwara Masao as a high school girl dumbstruck by love.
It was almost right out of the setting like a romance drama; Fujiwara Masao attended their school for one semester as an exchange student from a well-established and highly regarded private school. Mitsuko had been the lucky girl who was assigned to show him around and somehow they just clicked in all the right ways, with similar interests and common perspective over most matters. They got along so well that even without either of them even confessing to being in a relationship, the rest of their class and eventually the whole school came to regard them as a couple.
Sad to say, all things happy ended way too soon and it was time for Fujiwara Masao to leave and return to his own school when the exchange period was over. He promised to keep in touch and that he would give an answer to Mitsuko's daring confession the day before he left.
But he never did.
Mitsuko had no way of contacting him no matter how hard she tried. The phone number he had been using to converse with her previously became a number no longer in use.
The dormitory he had previously lived in was now empty and of course owner had no records of any contact information for Fujiwara Masao directly, only third parties agencies who were working for the Fujiwara group and had no access to personal information of the heir – not like they would disclose such information to a random teenage girl even if they did.
Being the teenager, albeit a good-natured one, Mitsuko was not without pride and anger.
Back then, she had been angry at being lied to, and thought that Masao had toyed with her feelings before forgetting all about her after leaving. So it was not really a surprise that she did not continue her quest to contact him after a few months, having only anger left about the whole ordeal. She was determined to forget all about this bastard and cut his existence from her life entirely; and eventually she would come to learn later on that if she had really managed to do that back then, it would have been a lucky thing.
After re-meeting, it took Masao a few months of sincere courtship before she relent and forgave him.
Her anger definitely did not subside quickly, but his sincere apology and his explanation of how his family had cut him off all telecommunications for months because they thought that a peasant girl was not good enough for him softened her resolution. Apparently he was then sent overseas to study and did not have the chance to even come back to Japan until recent years. By then Mitsuko too, had changed her phone numbers and even moved out of her parents' house.
Well, Mitsuko was not that stupid to even presume that a rich boy like Masao was going to give up his status and family for her. In fact, she believed that if he really tried he could probably get in contact with her at least once for a proper explanation. She was not arrogant enough to think that a normal plain girl like her would ever be worth enough for the Fujiwara heir to give up on everything else to be with.
That said, Mitsuko was content enough to just get the answers to the woes which had plagued her failed first love. She never had any intention to get back with Masao, knowing that she would never be able to become the wife he and his family needed. She watched enough television dramas to feel apprehensive about marrying into the rich and famous anyway, it never ends well for the girl with a commoner's background if they're not outstanding enough.
It was all Masao's fault.
He showered her with gifts, it was not all expensive and glamorous either, but a huge percentage of those gifts were actually sweet and personal little things she loved; that he still remembered those information from high school almost felt like he does care for her.
Coupled with the fact that he is young, rich and not bad looking, Mitsuko guessed she fell into his honey trap a second time like the stupid little girl she was. One time hurt was not enough for her to learn the lesson after all, it seemed.
But you should have guessed, a nasty little voice whispered in the back of her head.
Being as wonderful a guy as Fujiwara Masao was, how could it be possible that he was still single and available – waiting for the possibility to meet up with plain old Mitsuko once again?
She certainly never entertained the possibility of meeting him again on the street, they lived in 2 different worlds, and the short amount of time in which their lives managed to intersect when they were 18 was probably already a miracle of its own. Miracles don't happen two times, she would learn.
The news that the Fujiwara heir was getting betrothed was aired publicly not long later after she decided to give Masao a second chance, and was also all over every single media network which was available soon after. Mitsuko would have to be deaf and blind to not know.
Mitsuko cried. Mitsuko screamed. Mitsuko tried to stay away and cut off contact with him, she really did.
But Masao, sweet, loving, gentle Masao just wouldn't let go.
He didn't exactly turn nasty, no; he never ever had a harsh word for her. He just kept apologizing, kept his distance when she requested it like a real gentleman; kept his gifts habit to her on birthdays and special occasion, kept the sparse visits to her apartment every few weeks asking to have a meal and some time to speak to her – as a friend, he promised, because he had never had any of those at home and at work.
When Mitsuko needed a job, she landed one at a huge company soon after Masao learned of her predicament.
When Mitsuko needed a new place nearer to her work, she ended up with a recommendation by a friend of a friend, who end up hiring her to house-keep their apartment after moving oversea for work. She got paid to live in a large high-end apartment in city centre, not a single cent spent on rent, if anyone believed it.
When Mitsuko was harassed at work, the lecherous manager soon got fired by the company, even though he was the son of one of the shareholder.
Eventually no one believed she didn't have a boyfriend, not even herself.
Ten years down the road, when Mitsuko found herself living in a huge 2-story house in Tokyo center, without needing to work, and a cute little baby in her arms, she was still thinking (and not getting any conclusion) about whenever it was in her life had she gone wrong?
But then Hikaru started wailing, and her woes was soon forgotten in her frantic attempted to calm him down.
He was such an adorable baby she would never ever regret giving birth to him, and she would be the best mother she can even if it was the last thing she did.
"Mommy will always protect you and love you, my darling." She kissed the top of his forehead and sighed happily as she continued to stare at him as he slept for the rest of the night.
A/N: Wow time really flies doesn't it? Hope everyone is still alive and well after the whole pandemic ordeal... I actually had 90% of above already typed out right after posting the last chapter in 2019 (omg has it already been 3 years?) but was kind of stuck on the 3rd part which was supposed to be in Fujiwara Masao's POV - having some dilemma on how to portray him (evil? selfish? misguided?), so I thought to pause and re-think on how I want to personalize him for awhile...then...yea...
As everyone can tell, there's still no Masao POV here. I've decided to just go ahead and post whatever I have on hand first as Part One.
I recently started writing a new BnHA ff on AO3 then was asking my friend to read it; and she was like "WHAT ABOUT YOUR HNG STORY?" so I think y'all have her to thank for this update hahaha. By the way pls go support my new ff on AO3 if you are interested in My Hero Academia; title is "Trying to be a hero, the Shinobi way", same author name.
Yea, I really don't have anymore snippet of this story stored up, so... no promise on any update anymore in any upcoming years.
As usual, any grammar mistake spotted is deeply regretted - but I have no beta so it really can't be helped.