____****[Part three] ****____

*Stunned beyond measure*

—WHAT?!?!?! Now hold the FUCK up! The lady's playing right? This has to be some kind of sick joke! Right?!?

Nara…She...

She became breathless, after hearing her mother's words, the girl struggled to speak, but all she could ask was;

“What are you talking about?”

The raw emotions in Nara's voice managed to escape her hide, even though she'd subconsciously tried to mask it.

“I'm ‘not’ your daughter?” She asked in a breathless whisper. “Mom, what do you mean by that?”

And, as if being hit on the head by a bat, that set her brain straight. Mrs Akimitsu panicked, and cut the call before Nara could ask anymore questions. Afterwards, she smashed her phone on the ground in retaliation. Gasping in shock and struggling to breath, Mrs Akimitsu stumbled back, accidentally hit a picture frame down from her desk table, then dropped to the floor in despair. After which, she placed both her hands on her head, clawing handfuls of her hair as though she were going to rip it all out. Then, she began to mumble like a lunatic. Frantically scratching the back of her neck until the top layer of her skin began to peel and bleed without her knowing.

“Yabai!
(ヤバい!)
[This is bad!]

Wh-what do I do!?

Why did I say that?

How could I say that?!

What was I thinking?!

I shouldn't have said anything at all!

Fuck, what have I done!?

What have I done!?

What have I done?!”

—Forget Nara, this woman needs psychological treatment pronto!

Right! Nara, I forgot about her!

So…

Nara couldn't speak, her hands were shaking, No, her entire body was quivering! And due shock, her phone slipped from her hands, then landed edge first onto the ground, incidentally cracking it's screen. And just like Mrs Akimitsu, all Nara could do was mumble to herself.

—You sure that lady wasn't messing around? Because these two have the same energy. The mum was mumbling and now Nara is doing the exact same thing?

Nara stared intensely at the ground, her bold black eyes no longer had any spark. It's gleam had disappeared, only confusion and disbelief remained.“I'm not her daughter? Is that true?” The poor girl pondered deeply. It was like she kept receiving one emotional blow after the other. “The thing mum said...is it true? It had to be some sort of lie she cooked up out of anger. Yeah, yeah that's…that's right. It's not real. I'm sure…Mum didn't…She didn't mean a word she said.” Nara cried uncontrollably. Trying to make sense of it all. Trying to convince herself that her Mum had just said those things to hurt her feelings.

*Considering the facts*

—Honestly, what that woman said might actually be true. I mean, think about it. The only reason Mrs Akimitsu was bold enough to place Nara as collateral must be because they weren't related by blood to begin with. It’d make sense considering the fact that it's only a woman who didn't give birth to a kid she claims as her own, that would sell that child out so easily. If it were truly a biological mother, because of her debt, choosing the option of ’running away’ to another continent would probably be the first and only thought she comes up with. But in Mrs Akimitsu’s case, that offer literally came to her on a silver platter. Yet she declined.

And, yes, I know there are plenty of biological mother's who technically shouldn't even be considered a mother. But, even so, it's easier for a ‘non-biological’ mother to do this sort of thing. Because their excuse will always be; “Afterall they aren't actually my child.”

And so…

I'd say the possibility of Mrs Akimitsu not being Nara's biological mother is 80% over a 100!

That being said, it's not fair on Nara to have found out about that kind of thing through the phone. Especially now that she's swimming in debt on behalf of her supposed ‘mother.’ It's just…sad. Really sad.

And honestly, I feel bad for Nara for the very first time.

*Suddenly disgusted by thought of the Author*...

…Wow Author-sama. You really are a sick freak. To put this girl through all this? I applaud your cruelty.

Anyhoo…

So Nara kept mumbling to herself as she cried, deluding herself into believing none of what was happening was real. Her murmurs started getting louder as she stood up and paced back and forth before nearly falling back to the ground, but, thanks to the girls who ran up to her, they were able to prevent Nara from falling again this time. She was just too stunned. Everything was so scary, everything felt wrong, everything was so off!

Nara’s expression spoke of immense pain. She was in shock and she was vibrating no, trembling in sorrow. Mizuki embraced her tightly, pushing her head onto her bosom. Subconsciously Nara gripped tight onto Mizuki's arm for comfort.

—And then came the waterworks, right?

The mental dam had finally given way, causing Nara's tears to gush out without her permission. Mizuki cradled Nara like her own child, then kissed her forehead, saying to her; “You'll be okay.” But somehow, hearing those words made Nara hurt more, than finding out she was adopted.

—If that’s even the case.

The agony she'd held inside for a long time coming, was now finally left visible on her face. She cried hard and she cried loud, gasping in intervals. Ayame, being a very soft hearted person, started to cry too. It made Jacinth feel worse, because she could comprehend a little of the pain Nara was going through.

“This was not how I imagined the day would go.” Jacinth thought.

Nara squeezed Mizuki's arm holding on for dear life. Wanting to scream, but unable to. But after a few minutes, Nara suddenly raised her head. Her face was sullied with tears and mucus. Feeling the weight of it all, she hiccuped and let out rough breaths. Wiping away her tears, she requested to be alone.

“Are you sure? We can stay with you if you'd like.” Mizuki told her, trying to assure her best friend that everything would be fine as long as she has her. As long as she's there, she wouldn't go anywhere and she would be a shoulder for Nara to cry on.

“Yeah that's right Nara! We're all here for you!” Ayame agreed while Jacinth nodded. Unsure what to say. Neither of them knew what Nara and her mother had spoken about so they weren't too sure how to comfort the girl, and they didn't want to ask so they wouldn't cause any more emotional pain. But, it was obvious everything wasn't fine.

“Please…I need to be alone.” Nara told them, pleading with her eyes. Seeing how serious she was being, the girls respected her decision and left the room. Mizuki was tempted to stay, but, knowing Nara, this was the best she could do. Now wasn't the time for her to be impulsive and pushy. Nara needed to go through this herself. She needed some space. So, once everyone was gone. Only she remained, sitting on the floor while her head rested on the bed's edge.

Solemnly, she stared at the door. Then with whatever strength she had left, Nara pulled herself onto the bed. It was soft and comfy just like the one in her real room. Perhaps even more comfy than that one.

She didn't need this right now, she didn't need reminders. She was agitated to the bone. “How the fuck did they even manage to get the exact same posters I hung in my room?”

This place was making her uncomfortable. Thoughts she kept trying to suppress, the pain that she was feeling, when looking at the room, and being reminded of how possible it was for her entire life to have been a lie? Nara couldn't endure.

The pain will go away eventually. But this was too much. She tried as much as possible to hold in her screams, but they kept itching at the back of her throat. The sensation throbbed on every of her vital points. Her veins pulsated on her forehead.

This painful feeling was very familiar. And something she hadn't experienced in a long time.

“Oh no. It's happening again.”

—Ey?

Nara, her 'mark', it was…acting up. Nara placed her hand on the back of her neck, as if with enough pressure, the pain would stop. Except, it only got worse. Quickly, she unbuttoned her shirt, flinging it off at random. Wherever it landed wasn't her concern. Both of her knees went numb and sweat dampened the bedsheets. She couldn't bear it anymore, trying not to throw up; she forced herself to swallow the bitterness in her throat. Grabbing her pillow, Nara bit hard on it and clawed its edges for dear life. She wiggled and writhed in agony. Screaming into the fibres of the pillow. It felt like her skin was simmering.

Why? Why was her life so hard? Why did everything have to come to her, only to be snatched away and then shattered? Even her body seemed to hate her.

With a jolt of courage, or perhaps desperation. Nara bent her arm over her shirtless back. Monitoring herself in the far away mirror, she closed her eyes, and as teardrops trickled down sweat followed. Reopening them, she looked directly at the mirror again, grabbing the hook of her bra, slowly but painfully, she unhooked it.

The stinging pain began from the back of her neck, to the center of her back. The very part her bra’s strap ended at. Making sure to hold the pillow tight. Nara trailed her finger on the center of her back, as if trying to scratch an itch. She touched the injury slightly. Or in this case, ‘Mark’.

For as long as she could remember, Nara had an issue.

—So she's been having issues since birth huh. Figures.

She had a mark that looked like a scar of some sorts, well not very much a scar, rather, a kind of birthmark. In the eyes of doctors it merely looked like a faint pinkish line, which was very obvious, given the different shade of her skin compared to the mark. But the doctors failed to understand the problems it caused her. Only Nara understood the effects it had on her.

Right from time, whenever Nara became, agitated, over excited, afraid, anxious, or angry. Basically any other emotion except ‘happy and level-minded?’ Then the mark caused her pain. It would feel like her skin was simmering and frying up. But once she's back to normal and checks the mark in the mirror. It looked unchanged. Which sometimes made her believe it was all in her head. But once it happened more times, she concluded that she wasn't insane. That it was really happening to her.

But today, that sensation somehow felt worse than ever before. The poor girl had to endure this all her life, right from childhood. So when children her age cried after getting hurt, Nara would suck it in. Then laugh. This was how she developed a defense mechanism.

—The good ol’mood swings.

She realized that as long as she remained at a certain degree of calmness. She could trick her brain into believing she wasn't uncomfortable or unhappy. So with that, the mark wouldn't be triggered and would remain dormant. After repeating the same method, she had become a pro at hiding her emotions. So no one could ever tell how she felt sometimes. People got mixed signals and wondered if she was pretending to be happy or if she truly was. It was so odd seeing her behave that way. They felt she was two faced whenever they got to meet her. Not knowing that she had her reasons for behaving the way she did.

—And now I feel like a total jerk.

Nara would endure the harshest pain from insults and still have a smile on her face. Because that's what she had become over the years. She had become so good at pushing it all down like it doesn't exist.

But, today she couldn't any longer. She couldn't hold it in, it was too much, too much to think about, too much to consider! She felt angry, she felt sad, she felt pained, she felt wronged, and she felt like a complete failure. She felt like everything she had worked so hard to accomplish over the years was nothing but a facade. The family she'd come to know and love, it seemed like they were fake all along. And if they really were fake, doesn't that mean she herself was fake?

Maybe she truly wasn't supposed to be living this life. If what her mother said was the absolute truth, if the thing about Nara being a kid they found on the streets? Then, doesn't that mean that she wasn't even supposed to be in this world in the first place?

If she was found out there in the cold lonely world, didn't that mean that her true parents had discovered something about her that made her not worth keeping? Or worth loving?

—Ugh, once again Nara fails to realize that perhaps her real parents are dead. Or, maybe they gave her up to protect her. Or who knows? Maybe their deadbeats and she's better off without them! There are plenty of possibilities!!!!

Maybe she should have died, but she didn't and now she's here. Alive and  healthy, but, suffering the worst kind of pain.

“Shiawase ni naru! Shiawase ni naru! Shiawase ni naru!
(幸せになる! 幸せになる! 幸せになる!)
[Be happy! Be happy! Be happy!]”

Nara kept thinking over and over and repeated those words as she cried, and through the hurt, struggled to laugh.

“You're going to do great.” She encouraged herself, while crying and laughing all together. And somehow it was actually working. Placing her finger at the center of the spot, she rubbed it gently to relieve the stress and pain, as she continued to speak words of encouragement to herself.

“You can do it! You're awesome, you're strong!”

—You're older and wiser now.

“I'll do better,” She assured herself. Nara continued this action till the pain slowly but surely began to vanish. After a while, it completely subsided. However, the bed was completely soaked as though she'd poured a basin of water onto the sheets. She hadn't realized how much she had been sweating. That was a side effect that occurred whenever the mark started to react.

Nara was so hellbent on calming down that she didn't realize how much time had flown by. Since the pain was gone, she was finally able to sit up. “It's time for the next phase of action.” She told herself as she stood up. Since her bra was already unhooked it almost slipped off, revealing a lot of her cleavage.

—Pfft, fan service.

Luckily for her, she was the only one in the room.

—Well yeah, no shit. It's called ‘her room’ for a reason.

From there, she stood and continued to stare at the mirror. Forcing a smile, till it eventually became something believable. Throwing off the bra, Nara pulled off the rest of our clothes and strolled into the bathroom.

It was true that everything in her old room was the same as this one, but the only difference were the bathrooms. They had different tiles, and things weren't arranged in the right order. But it didn't matter, she didn't really care.

“Relax,” She told herself. She was still shaking and the effects of crying for a long time was taking a massive toll on her. Her nose was stuffed, her head was quaking, and it felt like she was about to collapse at any given minute. But, she continued to smile. Thinking; “Only a hot bath can heal me right now.”

—With what she's feeling, wouldn't a hot bath make things worse? An ice cold bath sounds more like it.

*Shrugs*

—But whatever works for her I guess.

After turning the valve, water began trickling down Nara's skin. It poured down on her face and flowed into your scalp. Feeling the warm liquid eased her body like it were healing magic. And while holding close to herself, she bent her head, crossing her legs as if protecting herself from sudden danger. Although, even with the water, her shoulders still felt heavy, it felt like a gargoyle had clawed its feet into her shoulders. Piercing her skin with Its sharp talons. And It wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. That was the burden she carried.

She was already beginning to think maybe if she died, it would finally leave her be. Realizing how stupid she was being, Nara shook her head frankly, slapping her cheeks as if trying to build in some color. “Enough with the the suicidal thoughts!  You can make the most out of it!” She told herself.

Soon after, she opened the bathroom door, and steam immediately fogged through.

Her body was wet and water pellets dripped from her feet onto the floor, leaving footprints as she walked towards the closet. Opening it, she found her luggage. But to her surprise, the closet was already filled with clothes that were exactly her style. Seeing this made her sigh. “Wow, this school never fails to impress me.”

—For real though, I get where she's coming from. Their method of enrollment may be questionable. But the school in itself is top notch, ain't gonna lie.

After unzipping her bag, Nara pulled out a girly onesie that had adorable ‘chibi head’ designs all over it. She pulled the onesie closer and sniffed. “Mmm, smells like…home.” Brushing aside her melancholic feelings Nara playfully chewed on her bottom lip, as she began putting on the onesie. She hadn't realized how small it was getting, so as she struggled to put it on she laughed at how hilarious she probably looked while trying to force her legs through.

“What's happening?” Jacinth asked Mizuki who took her ears off the door. “She’s…laughing.”

“Laughing?” Ayame and Jacinth spoke at the same time, then looked at each other in surprise before looking back at Mizuki who had placed her ear back on the door once again.

Suddenly the door knob began turning. Seeing this everyone panicked! Mizuki jolted back as if being electrocuted by the door. They all scattered about, trying to look natural.

—Lol.

Coming out of the room, Nara stared at everyone, scrutinizing each and every one of their faces. Just the fact that Nara hadn't said a thing, made Mizuki sweat in worry. Her heart was still racing after scurrying away like that. Even her knee was hurting, because she’d hit it against the hard part of their couch while attempting to escape.

At first Nara seemed to be unhappy, when suddenly she smiled brightly, as bright as she did, when she first got to the school. No one was sure what she would do next. Till she finally spoke.

“So, what's for grubs?”

÷÷÷÷÷÷÷

Aseop: And we've reached the end of today's chapter. These past few chapters have been an emotional rollercoaster ride for me in particular. Because of Author-sama I've had to work over time. So, I decided I needed to tell y'all the fact that I plan to sue Author-sama for this! If there's any of you who truly care about my well being. Then please, don't hesitate to support me in the comments section. Raise banners on my behalf! Author-sama should reduce my work load-d-d-d-d-d!!!

Anyways that's all folks. Stay safe. And get ready for: 💠 CHARACTER INFO💠: ★The parents★