"What are your relations to this woman, sir?" The officer pressed, tilting her chin forward in suspicion.
"Well… none, really. Apparently, we go to the same high school, but I've never seen her before. She caught my eye earlier, and I just want to take her to dinner, to be honest," the interrogee responded thoughtfully. He mulled over his response for a moment, before returning eye-contact and beaming a pearlescent smile.
Mouth parting in awe, the detective shook her head before slamming her hands onto the desk.
How very cliché, the man pondered, will she shine the overhead lamp in my eyes next?
"Look, kid. She demanded she call your number, instead of an immediate relative's. She wouldn't phone some guy she had only recently met to pick her up from jail. Do you realize how suspicious that is?" She didn't wait for an understanding response, but instead pressed on.
"If you are in any way related to the individual, or the crime committed, you will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. I will see to it myself. I don't play games around here, and that coy grin on your face won't charm me to your will."
Despite the indirect accusation, he maintained his "coy grin", crossing his arms in entertainment.
"Look, ma'am. I couldn't even tell you the girl's first name. I've already given the full story of what I know. I'm not one to beat around the bush, after all," he held up his hands defensively before continuing, "So if that's all, I'll be collecting my prize, and be on my way."
He stood to exit, but her voice pierced the air.
"Prize?! What kind of twisted game are you playing here? You claim to not know this woman personally, yet you'll swoop in and rescue her without the blink of an eye, claiming her to be some prize? There's definitely something you're not telling me, and I will not permit you to leave until the full truth is known."
Patiently, he turned towards the flustered woman, respecting that she was truly just doing her job. In all honesty, he understood her confusion; this was no ordinary situation. However, he did grow tired of playing the back-and-forth game with her.
"Your professionalism is faltering, ma'am. I digress, this is quite the peculiar situation. But you cannot legally contain me here without sound evidence that I am linked to the crime. I came to bail someone out, and instead received a full blown interrogation. Truthfully, you cannot link her to the crime either; she just appears to be your first suspect, and therefore you cannot hold her either. I'll gladly return for more questioning once some solid ground is established. But, I assure you, there is none; I have no prior relations to this woman. Frankly, all this talking has made me quite hungry; I'd like to get to dinner as soon as possible. Now, if that is all, I'll be on my way."
He bowed respectively towards the woman who had just unabashedly showered him with questions, before slipping out the door.
Once the detective knew he was beyond earshot, she let out a frustrated sigh.
Don't take me for an idiot, boy. I may be young, but I'm not inept. I'll reveal this case for what it really is soon enough.
- 2 Weeks Before -
"Onee-chan…" her sister whined tiredly, "when's dinner?"
Misaki stood triumphantly in the kitchen, an all but destroyed apron tied around her waist, and a look of valiance on her face.
"Just a minute, I'm almost done!" she called back to her sister, whom had been holed up in her bedroom for a majority of the evening, waiting to be fed.
"Hurry up already," she retorted.
"Oui, did you finish your homework yet Suzuna?" The chef growled before hearing Suzuna's footsteps prance down the hallway before hiding behind a closed door.
That ought to buy me some time, Misaki sighed and wiped the sweat off her chin onto her already dingy shirt sleeve, the last thing I need is Suzuna falling behind in school.
Misaki and her sister lived in quite the peculiar situation, one atypical of two teenaged sisters. Both of their parents were out of the picture. They did not classify themselves as orphans though, as their father had left on his own accord. Upon his unannounced departure, an enormous debt was placed onto Misaki's poor mother, whom her father had managed to pile up unbeknownst to his family.
Determined as her mother was, she managed to juggle three jobs (sometimes even four, when money was exceptionally scarce) in an effort to support her children, and to make payments towards the towering debt. Growing up, Misaki always saw her mother as a hero. Once Misaki was of working age she followed her mother's footsteps and picked up a part-time job after school. Though her contribution was small, it still helped ease the burden on her mother's back, which was all Misaki wanted.
There were often nights where Misaki's mother had worked an exceptionally long day, and would return home hobbling on weak knees and sore feet. Her back had started to curve forward due to the daily strain, and some nights were worse than others. On these days, Misaki would draw her mother a bath, feed her whatever lukewarm meal she could conjure, and help her to bed.
It was on these nights that Misaki raged a mental war with herself. She knew that her mother could not continue the way she was; her health was directly reflecting that. Misaki danced around the thought of picking up another job at the cost of her stellar grades, or dropping from high school altogether. But she knew this would break her mother's heart. The only reason that she worked so many jobs day after day was so her beloved daughters could go about with a somewhat normal life. She often expressed her dreams of Misaki going off to a prestigious Undergraduate school and later receiving her Doctorate degree. Misaki would always rub her mother's back in comfort and nod, not wanting to upset her with the prospect that they could not afford to send Misaki to college.
Misaki and her mother did their best to shield the ugliness of their situation from young Suzuna. They knew that she was too naïve and innocent to comprehend the severity of their misfortunes, and wanted to ensure that her upbringing was as normal as possible. Never did they entertain the thought of having Suzuna work part-time when she was old enough. They wanted to protect her as best they could from the cruel way of the world. Eventually, it seemed more like two mothers caring for their beloved daughter, as they took turns cooking and tending to Suzuna's needs. Though she gave about airs that she was aloof to the situation, Suzuna was no fool, and stayed up late at night worrying over her mother and sister.
After some odd years had passed living this grueling lifestyle, Misaki's mother fell incredibly ill. Due to an extreme lack of sleep and nutrients, the excessive workload had all but wiped out her immune system. She was diagnosed with a severe case of pneumonia in early January of Misaki's final year of high school. Despite doctors' best efforts, and with what the Ayuzawa family could afford, her mother passed away almost 2 weeks later.
Misaki blamed herself. She woke up with the inexplicable guilt every morning, and fought it every night until she forced herself to sleep. Suzuna was equally heartbroken, but handled her grief in a different manner. She began entering in as many raffles as she could, as she was too young to begin working, and was surprisingly fortunate at winning prizes. Though Misaki was skeptical at first, she was soon fully supporting Suzuna's efforts and always commended her for the amazing payoff. Often times, the raffle prize would be bulk unperishable foods that would feed the sisters for a few weeks. Since money to spare for groceries was sparse, they relied heavily on Suzuna's winnings.
Sakura and Shizuko, Misaki's closest friends, were not oblivious to Misaki's misfortunes. They helped as best they could, bringing over groceries, hand-me-down clothes for Suzuna, and offering to help Misaki cook and clean. More than often, Misaki turned them away. She was already indebted beyond belief due to her father's negligence, and didn't want to feel indebted to her best friends as well. She greatly appreciated their support, however, and it kept her going even when the darkest days overcame her.
Somehow, Misaki had managed to maintain her perfect grades, as well as secure her position as Student Council President, all while keeping up with her demanding part-time job. She was truly a force to be reckoned with. Her high school had just recently become co-ed, and she made it her utmost duty to ensure all females felt safe in the seemingly perverted environment.
The President gained a bit of a reputation for being almost tyrannical, often confiscating erotica magazines and berating the male students when they troubled a girl at all. She didn't mind the title she grew to be known by: the Demon President. In fact, she found gratification in it; it showed that her work was not in vain. And it wasn't; with the efforts she had put forth, reported harassments on campus dropped drastically in just one semester, and her female peers greatly admired her.
Though her life had proven to be difficult, Misaki was still hard-working and determined. She would not let Suzuna down. She would pull them from this debt, no matter what it took.
"Okay! Dinner's ready!" Misaki called as she set the steamed rice and beef stew on the small dining table. It barely sat two people, which was convenient for space conservation in the sisters' tiny apartment. Since their mother had passed, the monthly house payments and maintenance fees proved too daunting for the sisters to handle.
They had decided to downsize to a quaint apartment closer to the heart of the city. The floors were made of grungy looking wood, and the walls had stains that even the strongest cleaning agents couldn't budge, and the plumbing was far from reliable. There were only four rooms total in the space; two bedrooms, a half-kitchen, and an extremely cramped bathroom. But neither of them complained; the situation could always be worse, and the sisters were used to living in poor conditions. They were just thankful to have each other.
While eating the decently cooked meal, Suzuna and Misaki shared the events of their busy days. Suzuna had a study group meeting after school, and helped an elderly woman carry home her groceries on her way back to the apartment. She arrived home just before Misaki returned from work, meeting her at the door with a relaxed smile. Seeing her sister's calming expression upon coming home immediately put Misaki at ease.
Her part-time job had been especially tiresome today, and being at home with Suzuna was all she could think about until her shift was over. Misaki recalled a few instances where she had confronted some boys on their negligent behavior, citing one particular moment in which she had ripped the earrings right out of a delinquent's ears for not complying when asked politely.
Suzuna nearly choked on her food upon hearing this, and let out a genuine melodious laugh. Laughter in the Ayuzawa household was rare, and seeing Suzuna's amusement over such a silly ordeal made Misaki follow suit. They giggled together for the first time in what felt like years. It was precious moments like this that the sisters cherished, no matter how small they seemed.
In this cruel world, they held onto each other, in hopes of a brighter tomorrow.
It was finally Friday, Misaki's second-favorite day of the week, following closely behind Sunday; the one day she was free of responsibilities and could spend the entirety of with her friends and Suzuna. After her Student Council obligations, Misaki only had to get through her nightly shift at work before heading home to rest. The minutes could not tick by fast enough.
On today's agenda, Misaki was tasked with sorting through all confiscated materials from this week. A large portion of them were questionable magazines, but also included electronic devices not permitted on school grounds during class, such as cell phones and laptops. This was Misaki's obligation as President every Friday. She didn't mind so much, as she knew her work was all in the name of protecting the female student body. But sometimes she cursed the boys' inability to have self-control, so her job wouldn't be so demanding. She had work soon, and still had to study for the impending end-of-semester exams. Misaki was used to things not going quite her way, though, and learned to just bite her tongue and endure.
Misaki was so engulfed in her dissection process that the Vice President, Yukimura, had to repeat her name several times before finally arousing her attention.
"Ah, sorry," she sheepishly apologized, mentally chastising herself for not being more alert to her surroundings.
"President, it's getting late, I can take over from here if you want to leave," the boy gently offered. Out of the entire male population, Yukimura was the only student that Misaki didn't hate. In fact, she was quite fond of her Vice President, as he held no similar traits to those of his bigoted peers. Glancing at her wrist watch, Misaki realized she had only half an hour to get to work. Scrambling to her feet, she began gathering her belongings.
"Thank you, Yukimura. I leave this in your hands!" she called with a smile before dashing out of the door and down the hallway.
"Geez… That President, always working so hard." Yukimura thought aloud, before sitting in Misaki's place to continue her task.
Maid Latte, Misaki's current place of employment, was at least a 20-minute bike ride from her school, Seika High. Under normal circumstances, the hard-headed and man-hating Misaki would never seek employment under such a seemingly degrading institution. However, once Misaki had caught wind of the substantial pay, and not to mention the decent amount of distance between the café and her area of residence, she couldn't stay away. Her job basically entailed being a hostess whom adorned the persona of a maid. She greeted her guests as "Master" or "Milady", and wore the classical black and white maid dress and apron. The café was quaint, yet held an air of elegance. Being a hole-in-the-wall establishment, it gave off a very homey and pleasant aura. Many guests were regulars, and new guests always left pleasantly surprised with their service.
No one knew of Misaki's "risqué" occupation, other than Suzuna. Being the supreme overlord that she was in school, having her peers see her as a part-time serving maid would completely blow any shred of respect she held. If it weren't for the beautiful bi-weekly paycheck, and the incredibly friendly coworkers, Misaki would have never found herself working in a place like Maid Latte. But given the circumstances, it had been her job for two consecutive years, and she genuinely enjoyed it.
Though she was an outed man-hater, she always treated her customers with a great amount of respect, and played her role flawlessly. She was a favorite between many regulars, male and female alike, and was constantly asked on dates after her shifts. She always politely declined said requests, as she knew there was absolutely no time in her life to be dating. And rightfully so! She didn't want to be dependent on a male whatsoever, and after her father had betrayed her trust so many years ago, who could blame her?
Misaki jumped off her bike before it had come to a complete stop, shoving it into the bike-stand and locking it before dashing into the back entrance. She paid little mind to her sour co-maid, Honoka, who tsk'd her as Misaki hurriedly made her way to the changing room. The two had never gotten along, and Misaki didn't care enough to do anything about it. Her job didn't depend on being buddy-buddy with everyone she worked with, and she was plenty friendly with her other coworkers anyways.
Daring a glance at her wrist watch again, Misaki noted that she only had 3 minutes to change into her uniform and be standing ready at the hostess desk.
I can make it, she reassured herself.
In 2 minutes and 47 seconds flat, Misaki was pristinely dressed and standing in her position, waiting for the first guest to enter.
The Demon President barely noticed the time flying by until her bubbly manager, Satsuki, told her she could head home for the night.
This was the life of Ayuzawa Misaki; she hadn't known much different since she was forced to grow up so quickly that fateful day.
Misaki left after a cheerful goodbye to her remaining coworker Erika, before heading off. So far, the day hadn't been so bad. Nothing Misaki wasn't accustomed to.
It wasn't until she arrived at home when things took a sudden turn.
Taped securely to the apartment front door read a sign clear as day. Yet Misaki had considerable trouble mentally digesting the words.
"EVICTION NOTICE – EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY"