Four-year-old Hirono had never seen a bookstore before. The only books that she had were the baby books and early readers' titles that her parents bad brought home early on. This was her first time seeing where all of books came from, and she was immediately enraptured.
There was shelf upon shelf of books, all tightly packed into their respective aisles. A few employees were assisting customers on the floor, while others were pushing carts of books in order to fill any gaps with new arrivals. It was all so busy, and in Hirono's eyes, incredibly cool and exciting. She was pretty sure that this was where all of the books in the world came from.
As one would likely expect, her attention was quickly drawn to the kids' section. Making her way to the back of the store while holding onto her mother's hand, The aisles of fiction and nonfiction parted ways to give her a clear view of the kids' books. This section of the store was bright and colorful, with a large yellow depiction of the sun on the wall looking over a cheerful-looking village. Best-selling titles for young readers were on their own little displays, and the books on these shelves looked a lot more colorful and fun than the aisles before them.
This section was the point of their trip, to pick up some new books for her. However, she felt like she had found the best part of the store all on her own.
While her parents started perusing the childrens' books, Hirono started looking at the books on the displays. One jumped out at her immediately, featuring a koi fish in a pond. The fish was big and friendly-looking, and the display was even painted with a watery scene to match the book. Hirono was drawn right in. She reached up and plucked one of the books from the display, bringing it to the small table where children and their parents could read their chosen books together.
Sitting by herself, Hirono laid the book on the table and began to read. It was a storybook, but it was still a slight level ahead of what she had been reading before. Her finger ran across the page, pointing to the words as she read them. She had to stop a few times when she tried to figure out new words, but for the most part, it felt pretty easy to her.
The story was about Kei the Koi Fish, a small fish living in a big pond who eventually grew into a big, big fish. Kei and his friends are all colorful and nice-looking, and the story was pretty funny. Hirono giggled to herself quite a few times while she was reading. With how effortlessly it had captured Hirono's attention, there was little doubt as to why the book was a best-seller.
She almost made it all the way through the book on her own, and she only had a couple of pages left when her parents started approaching. Her first assumption was that her parents were coming to read with her, and she looked up at them expectantly with a glimmer of enthusiasm in her eyes.
"Come on Hirono, we're getting your books." Her father said, beckoning for her to stand up.
Hirono gets out of her chair and holds up the book that she was just reading. "I want this one!" She said, offering the book to them.
Her father shook his head. "No, no. We already picked out some books."
Hirono was confused. She thought that she was supposed to pick out a book that she liked. The book was for her, right? "But I want this one." She repeated.
Her mother stepped forward, showing her a small stack of four books. "We picked these out for you, Hirono. We're getting these."
She looked at the books that her mom showed her. They were all educational books, about math and other things. They didn't look fun. She wanted to read a fun book. She wanted a book like Kei the Koi Fish. "I don't want those. I want this one."
"Don't make a scene." Her father said sternly before taking the book from her hands and placing it on the table. "We already made our choices. Now let's go." He took Hirono by the hand and led her away from the table.
Hirono looked back, just in time to see another kid grab her copy of Kei the Koi Fish and run towards his own parents. She couldn't hide the disappointment in her face as her parents went up to the register to pay. She didn't say a word, but even with the bag of new books in her hand, she wasn't happy.
Once she got home and started reading through her new books, she found out that they were exactly what they looked like. Young readers' introductions to various subjects. She would be starting kindergarten next year, and her parents had decided to start pushing her early. However, Hirono stopped paying attention to her new books before the day was over. She wanted to read to have fun, like she did with her old books. As a result, Hirono's parents quickly became annoyed with her lack of enthusiasm.
Shimizu Family Album
Hirono Multishot
Moderator: BRAU2 Director
Hirono was eight years old, sitting in class. A pencil was held between her thumb and index finger, waving it from side to side on the desk as her eyes were fixed on the teacher at the front of the room as he took a list of graded paper from his desk. Her foot started tapping in anticipation as he stood up and began to hand them out.
A few days ago, the class took their first big test for the year, and today they were getting their papers back. Hirono was nervous, but also excited. She had studied hard all week before the test, and even though it was really hard, she felt like she did good. Her parents said that they expected her to bring home a good grade, and she really wanted to make them proud.
Her tension rose as the teacher went down the rows, getting closer and closer to her. The flat side of her pencil was creating a rhythmic scraping sound at increasing tempo as it slid back and forth across her desk. When he came to her, he laid the test face-down on her desk, just like he had for all of the others. It took a few moments for Hirono to muster up the courage to flip it over and peek at her score. She needed a good score. She had to have it. She flipped over the test, unable to keep herself in suspense any longer.
She had passed! She had a few wrong answers, but she had passed the test! She had to hide her glee as not to cause a stir in the class, but she stashed the test away with confidence. She was looking forward to showing her parents the results of her hard work.
When the final bell rang, she was one of the first ones out the door. She ran a good way of the route home, feeling accomplished and enthusiastic. All of that studying was hard, but at least it seemed like it paid off. If the rest of the tests for the year were like that, then she wouldn't have any problems at all.
Once she made it home, the first thing that Hirono did was present her test to her parents. Beaming with pride, she handed it over and let them look at it. She waited to hear their reactions, letting her know that she did a good job and was a hard worker, just like they told her to be.
After flipping through both pages of the test, her father laid it on the table and looked at her. "Did your teacher have anything to say about it?"
"No, but he wrote that it was good at the top, see?" Hirono pointed to the top of the paper, where the word "good" had indeed been written in pen.
Her mother looked down at the test sternly. "Hirono, this was a 20-question test, and you missed four. That's not a good performance."
Hirono didn't understand. She got most of the questions right, and the teacher wrote that she did a good job. Didn't that mean that she passed?
"Eighty percent." Her mother continued. "Once you're trying to get into high school or college, eighty percent is not going to cut it, do you understand? You can't just barely put in enough effort to get by."
"I tried my best." Hirono tried to defend herself. "I studied every night, all week. I worked really hard."
"Your work is reflected in your results." Her father rebutted. "And the results say that you need to work harder."
Hirono wasn't sure what else she could say. The teacher said that her test was good, but her parents said it was bad. "But... I passed, right?"
"Passing isn't enough." Her mother cut her off immediately. "You need to excel. And I think that you need to take that test and study extra hard after dinner tonight so that this won't happen again."
Meekly, Hirono kept her mouth shut and picked her test back off the table. Now she was looking at the couple of problems on the first page that were marked wrong, rather than the teacher's small praise at the top of the paper. She didn't feel confident about her studying anymore. She had stayed up with her books from dinner until bedtime every night, and it still wasn't good enough. She started to second-guess herself more, figuring that she wasn't as smart as she thought.
A few days ago, the class took their first big test for the year, and today they were getting their papers back. Hirono was nervous, but also excited. She had studied hard all week before the test, and even though it was really hard, she felt like she did good. Her parents said that they expected her to bring home a good grade, and she really wanted to make them proud.
Her tension rose as the teacher went down the rows, getting closer and closer to her. The flat side of her pencil was creating a rhythmic scraping sound at increasing tempo as it slid back and forth across her desk. When he came to her, he laid the test face-down on her desk, just like he had for all of the others. It took a few moments for Hirono to muster up the courage to flip it over and peek at her score. She needed a good score. She had to have it. She flipped over the test, unable to keep herself in suspense any longer.
She had passed! She had a few wrong answers, but she had passed the test! She had to hide her glee as not to cause a stir in the class, but she stashed the test away with confidence. She was looking forward to showing her parents the results of her hard work.
When the final bell rang, she was one of the first ones out the door. She ran a good way of the route home, feeling accomplished and enthusiastic. All of that studying was hard, but at least it seemed like it paid off. If the rest of the tests for the year were like that, then she wouldn't have any problems at all.
Once she made it home, the first thing that Hirono did was present her test to her parents. Beaming with pride, she handed it over and let them look at it. She waited to hear their reactions, letting her know that she did a good job and was a hard worker, just like they told her to be.
After flipping through both pages of the test, her father laid it on the table and looked at her. "Did your teacher have anything to say about it?"
"No, but he wrote that it was good at the top, see?" Hirono pointed to the top of the paper, where the word "good" had indeed been written in pen.
Her mother looked down at the test sternly. "Hirono, this was a 20-question test, and you missed four. That's not a good performance."
Hirono didn't understand. She got most of the questions right, and the teacher wrote that she did a good job. Didn't that mean that she passed?
"Eighty percent." Her mother continued. "Once you're trying to get into high school or college, eighty percent is not going to cut it, do you understand? You can't just barely put in enough effort to get by."
"I tried my best." Hirono tried to defend herself. "I studied every night, all week. I worked really hard."
"Your work is reflected in your results." Her father rebutted. "And the results say that you need to work harder."
Hirono wasn't sure what else she could say. The teacher said that her test was good, but her parents said it was bad. "But... I passed, right?"
"Passing isn't enough." Her mother cut her off immediately. "You need to excel. And I think that you need to take that test and study extra hard after dinner tonight so that this won't happen again."
Meekly, Hirono kept her mouth shut and picked her test back off the table. Now she was looking at the couple of problems on the first page that were marked wrong, rather than the teacher's small praise at the top of the paper. She didn't feel confident about her studying anymore. She had stayed up with her books from dinner until bedtime every night, and it still wasn't good enough. She started to second-guess herself more, figuring that she wasn't as smart as she thought.
At eleven years old, gym was one of Hirono's favorite periods at school. She didn't have to listen to lectures or take notes, she just had to run around and play sports. It was easy, it was fun, and it was a great break from the rest of the day. It might as well have been a free period for how little it felt like school. Aside from the actual end of class, it was the part of the school day that she looked forward to the most.
Within gym class, the days she liked the most were the ones where they played basketball. While she was good at most sports, Hirono was really good at basketball, or at least better than most of the class. It just felt easy to her. She could run down the court faster than most, and had pretty great aim with her shots to boot. More than anything, it felt really good to know that there was something at school that she was really good at.
At the end of one of the gym periods where basketball was the game of choice, Hirono took the last shot of the period before coach blew the whistle for everyone to come back inside. It hit the backboard, swirled around the rim, and fell in. Perfect.
After the ball went through the rim, the coach caught it before it could hit the ground. "Pretty good hustle today." She said, holding the ball under her arm as she walked to Hirono. "Have you considered trying out for the basketball club?"
"Basketball club?" Hirono's walk back to the building was interrupted by those words. She knew that the school had some clubs, but she didn't know about the basketball club. She usually went straight home after the final bell, so she didn't really stick around to explore too much.
"Yeah, basketball club" The coach repeated to her. "They don't keep score in their games, but it's a good way to learn and get better at the game, especially if you're thinking about joining a team in middle or high school."
An idea flashed through Hirono's mind. She hadn't thought much about joining a team, but she didn't hate the idea. She knew that she was good at basketball, and a program that let her show that off and get even better sounded pretty perfect to her.
"How do I join?" She asked.
"Just pick up a permission slip from the office and get one of your parents to sign it. That's all you need." The coach spun the ball into her hand and turned to walk back to the equipment shed. "You can take care of that later, though. You should probably get back to class."
"Right!" Hirono replied before scurrying off. She had a plan now, and it was a good plan. She just had to talk to her parents, and then she'd be in the basketball club. And in a couple of years, maybe she could start playing for a school team too.
"No."
Hirono looked at her parents with surprise and confusion. She thought that they would be happy that she had found something, but they seemed more annoyed than anything. "Why not?" She asked, sincerely not sure why they didn't approve.
"You don't need any distractions." Her mother stated. "You are a student, and that means that you should focus on your grades and conduct above everything."
"But I'm really good at basketball!" Hirono argued. "Coach said that if I get really good, I can play on school teams in middle and high school."
Her mother shook her head. "If you join a team, that means that you'll spend all of your time practicing instead of studying, and your grades will fall again. I'd rather you be responsible than try to juggle more than you can handle"
She felt kind of insulted by that. She had worked really hard to get good grades, and she had been doing well all year so far. "But I'm doing really good, and I promise that I'll keep my grades up if I join the club!"
"The conversation is closed, Hirono." Her mother said sternly, pushing the permission slip across the table, making it clear that she had no intention of signing.
Hirono was disappointed, but she still had one hope left. She turned to her father, who was sitting on the sofa. "Dad, can you sign my permission slip? I promise I'll work really hard. If I get really good, maybe I could even be a pro someday!" She knew that her parents watched sports on TV sometimes, and she thought that the idea of her being one of those same sports stars could sway them.
Her dad glanced over at her with a displeased look in his eyes, and she already knew that this wasn't going to go well. "Only a very small percentage of athletes are good enough to play at a professional level, and an even smaller amount actually get the chance to do so." He replied in a tired, grumpy tone. "If you're already talking about being a pro, that just tells me that you don't have the right mindset."
"But Dad!" Hirono tries to protest, but her father puts up a hand to silence her before she can begin.
"No back-talk. Now go to your room until dinner." He commanded. "And don't try to use me to get around your mother."
Feeling defeated, Hirono headed to her room and shut the door. She didn't know how she could get around them not signing the permission slip. Her handwriting wasn't good enough to forge their signatures, and they weren't going to give her permission.
The next day at school, Hirono kept her head down as she passed by the office, hoping that they wouldn't ask about the permission slip. Once classes let out for the day, she glanced at the court on her way out of school and saw Coach showing the basketball club how to shoot free throws. She was tempted to head over, but didn't want to explain her permission slip situation. She looked at her feet and began the long walk home instead.
Within gym class, the days she liked the most were the ones where they played basketball. While she was good at most sports, Hirono was really good at basketball, or at least better than most of the class. It just felt easy to her. She could run down the court faster than most, and had pretty great aim with her shots to boot. More than anything, it felt really good to know that there was something at school that she was really good at.
At the end of one of the gym periods where basketball was the game of choice, Hirono took the last shot of the period before coach blew the whistle for everyone to come back inside. It hit the backboard, swirled around the rim, and fell in. Perfect.
After the ball went through the rim, the coach caught it before it could hit the ground. "Pretty good hustle today." She said, holding the ball under her arm as she walked to Hirono. "Have you considered trying out for the basketball club?"
"Basketball club?" Hirono's walk back to the building was interrupted by those words. She knew that the school had some clubs, but she didn't know about the basketball club. She usually went straight home after the final bell, so she didn't really stick around to explore too much.
"Yeah, basketball club" The coach repeated to her. "They don't keep score in their games, but it's a good way to learn and get better at the game, especially if you're thinking about joining a team in middle or high school."
An idea flashed through Hirono's mind. She hadn't thought much about joining a team, but she didn't hate the idea. She knew that she was good at basketball, and a program that let her show that off and get even better sounded pretty perfect to her.
"How do I join?" She asked.
"Just pick up a permission slip from the office and get one of your parents to sign it. That's all you need." The coach spun the ball into her hand and turned to walk back to the equipment shed. "You can take care of that later, though. You should probably get back to class."
"Right!" Hirono replied before scurrying off. She had a plan now, and it was a good plan. She just had to talk to her parents, and then she'd be in the basketball club. And in a couple of years, maybe she could start playing for a school team too.
"No."
Hirono looked at her parents with surprise and confusion. She thought that they would be happy that she had found something, but they seemed more annoyed than anything. "Why not?" She asked, sincerely not sure why they didn't approve.
"You don't need any distractions." Her mother stated. "You are a student, and that means that you should focus on your grades and conduct above everything."
"But I'm really good at basketball!" Hirono argued. "Coach said that if I get really good, I can play on school teams in middle and high school."
Her mother shook her head. "If you join a team, that means that you'll spend all of your time practicing instead of studying, and your grades will fall again. I'd rather you be responsible than try to juggle more than you can handle"
She felt kind of insulted by that. She had worked really hard to get good grades, and she had been doing well all year so far. "But I'm doing really good, and I promise that I'll keep my grades up if I join the club!"
"The conversation is closed, Hirono." Her mother said sternly, pushing the permission slip across the table, making it clear that she had no intention of signing.
Hirono was disappointed, but she still had one hope left. She turned to her father, who was sitting on the sofa. "Dad, can you sign my permission slip? I promise I'll work really hard. If I get really good, maybe I could even be a pro someday!" She knew that her parents watched sports on TV sometimes, and she thought that the idea of her being one of those same sports stars could sway them.
Her dad glanced over at her with a displeased look in his eyes, and she already knew that this wasn't going to go well. "Only a very small percentage of athletes are good enough to play at a professional level, and an even smaller amount actually get the chance to do so." He replied in a tired, grumpy tone. "If you're already talking about being a pro, that just tells me that you don't have the right mindset."
"But Dad!" Hirono tries to protest, but her father puts up a hand to silence her before she can begin.
"No back-talk. Now go to your room until dinner." He commanded. "And don't try to use me to get around your mother."
Feeling defeated, Hirono headed to her room and shut the door. She didn't know how she could get around them not signing the permission slip. Her handwriting wasn't good enough to forge their signatures, and they weren't going to give her permission.
The next day at school, Hirono kept her head down as she passed by the office, hoping that they wouldn't ask about the permission slip. Once classes let out for the day, she glanced at the court on her way out of school and saw Coach showing the basketball club how to shoot free throws. She was tempted to head over, but didn't want to explain her permission slip situation. She looked at her feet and began the long walk home instead.
Coming into middle school, Hirono wasn't too sure about what she wanted to do. Her grades were still hovering around the acceptable level, but that was bothering her less and less as time went on. Auditions for the basketball team came and went, but Hirono didn't go out for the squad. She didn't know the caliber that they expected, and she was tempted to give it a try. However, she doubted that she would be able to keep up with the girls who were good enough for the team.
She more or less maintained her old schedule of going to school, then going straight home. Today she took a little detour, though. She'd found some coins on the ground and took them to a capsule machine outside of a convenience store to try her luck. Now she twirled a new Egg Cat keychain around her finger as she headed home. She had homework to take care of after dinner, but that was really nothing new, so it didn't bother her too much.
She came home expecting to see her mom in the kitchen and her dad on the couch, just like most days. However, her dad wasn't there, and her mom was waiting for her by the door. Something was weird. Hirono looked from side to side, then to her mom. "Where's Dad?"
"He had to work late." Her mother said, her tone cold and disciplinarian while her eyes focused on her daughter like a sniper's scope. "But regardless, we need to talk."
Hirono could tell right away that this was going to suck. "What about?" She tried to keep an even tone, but she really just wanted to get this over with and go to her room.
"Don't get smart with me." Her mom warned. "I've been talking to one of my friends that works at the school, and she let me know about something that the two of us need to talk about."
Crap. Hirono's mind started to rush, trying to figure out what her mom was referring to. Her grades? Those were pretty much the same as always, so she didn't think that would seem so urgent. Extracurriculars? She didn't have any of those. Maybe that was it, but it would be a weird reversal after her reaction to Hirono wanting to go out for basketball the year before. "What's wrong?" She asked, honestly unsure of the topic.
"I've heard that you've been spending time with the Souma and Yahagi girls." Her mother said as though she had just unearthed something absolutely scandalous. Hirono, on the other hand, didn't think that was such a big deal.
"Yeah, they're my friends." She answered honestly. Judging by her mom's face, that was the wrong answer.
Hirono's mother looked at her as though she had just admitted to cheating on a test. "Hirono, do you understand what you're supposed to be doing in school? You're supposed to be building your future."
That statement left Hirono more confused than anything. "Isn't that what my grades are for?" She questioned back.
"Your grades are the most important part, but there are other vital elements that you must pay attention to." Her mother continued. "Like surrounding yourself with the right people."
Hirono couldn't hide her bafflement. "What do you mean?"
Her mother's stern eyes fixed themselves upon her again. "We're only a few months into the school year, and those girls already have records. At least one count of dress code violation and disrupting class for each of them." She recited those infractions as though she were revealing a convict's list of crimes.
Hirono wasn't bothered by these charges, but was more worried by her mom's demeanor. Did she really have something against these girls? "They just got in trouble a couple of times, it's no big deal."
"Yes, it is a big deal!" Her mom snapped, making Hirono flinch. "If you spend time with delinquents, then one day you'll find yourself in a jail cell, and your father and I won't be bailing you out."
That seemed like a pretty big leap. They were still in middle school. It's not like they were knocking off stores and robbing banks. They just got in trouble a couple of times, they weren't criminals. "Mom, it's fine. I mean, I've gotten in trouble this year too."
"WHAT?"
Her mother's shout was loud enough to hurt Hirono's ears, and she immediately realized that she had just messed up.
"How come you haven't told me that you've been acting like a delinquent?" Her mother said in an icy voice. "Why haven't I heard from the school about this?"
"I was just a couple minutes late to class a couple of times in the first couple of weeks." Hirono responded, nervous to see her mother's next reaction. "I wasn't even hanging out with Souma and Yahagi yet."
"Enough!" Her mother barked, making Hirono go silent straight away. "You are going to go straight to your room, and when your father gets home, we'll discuss your punishment."
"They grounded you for a week because you were a couple minutes late to class?" Yoshimi asked, looking surprised.
"Yeah." Hirono responded bitterly. She sat by the garden in the school courtyard with Mitsuko and Yoshimi, leaning against the small dividing wall by the stairs as she recounted the previous night's events to her friends. "Pretty sure part of it was for being friends with you guys, too."
"Fuck 'em." Mitsuko said bluntly. "Sounds like they both suck, so why should you care what they think?"
"They do, and I don't." Hirono agrees. Honestly, she didn't know why she should care. Her parents were always hard on her for her grades and every other part of her life, but why should the get to decide who she's allowed to be friends with? If they got to choose, they'd probably pick some boring-ass loser instead of someone she actually liked. "I'm sticking with you two. Screw everyone else."
The bell sounded, and the trio headed into Shiroiwa Middle School.
She more or less maintained her old schedule of going to school, then going straight home. Today she took a little detour, though. She'd found some coins on the ground and took them to a capsule machine outside of a convenience store to try her luck. Now she twirled a new Egg Cat keychain around her finger as she headed home. She had homework to take care of after dinner, but that was really nothing new, so it didn't bother her too much.
She came home expecting to see her mom in the kitchen and her dad on the couch, just like most days. However, her dad wasn't there, and her mom was waiting for her by the door. Something was weird. Hirono looked from side to side, then to her mom. "Where's Dad?"
"He had to work late." Her mother said, her tone cold and disciplinarian while her eyes focused on her daughter like a sniper's scope. "But regardless, we need to talk."
Hirono could tell right away that this was going to suck. "What about?" She tried to keep an even tone, but she really just wanted to get this over with and go to her room.
"Don't get smart with me." Her mom warned. "I've been talking to one of my friends that works at the school, and she let me know about something that the two of us need to talk about."
Crap. Hirono's mind started to rush, trying to figure out what her mom was referring to. Her grades? Those were pretty much the same as always, so she didn't think that would seem so urgent. Extracurriculars? She didn't have any of those. Maybe that was it, but it would be a weird reversal after her reaction to Hirono wanting to go out for basketball the year before. "What's wrong?" She asked, honestly unsure of the topic.
"I've heard that you've been spending time with the Souma and Yahagi girls." Her mother said as though she had just unearthed something absolutely scandalous. Hirono, on the other hand, didn't think that was such a big deal.
"Yeah, they're my friends." She answered honestly. Judging by her mom's face, that was the wrong answer.
Hirono's mother looked at her as though she had just admitted to cheating on a test. "Hirono, do you understand what you're supposed to be doing in school? You're supposed to be building your future."
That statement left Hirono more confused than anything. "Isn't that what my grades are for?" She questioned back.
"Your grades are the most important part, but there are other vital elements that you must pay attention to." Her mother continued. "Like surrounding yourself with the right people."
Hirono couldn't hide her bafflement. "What do you mean?"
Her mother's stern eyes fixed themselves upon her again. "We're only a few months into the school year, and those girls already have records. At least one count of dress code violation and disrupting class for each of them." She recited those infractions as though she were revealing a convict's list of crimes.
Hirono wasn't bothered by these charges, but was more worried by her mom's demeanor. Did she really have something against these girls? "They just got in trouble a couple of times, it's no big deal."
"Yes, it is a big deal!" Her mom snapped, making Hirono flinch. "If you spend time with delinquents, then one day you'll find yourself in a jail cell, and your father and I won't be bailing you out."
That seemed like a pretty big leap. They were still in middle school. It's not like they were knocking off stores and robbing banks. They just got in trouble a couple of times, they weren't criminals. "Mom, it's fine. I mean, I've gotten in trouble this year too."
"WHAT?"
Her mother's shout was loud enough to hurt Hirono's ears, and she immediately realized that she had just messed up.
"How come you haven't told me that you've been acting like a delinquent?" Her mother said in an icy voice. "Why haven't I heard from the school about this?"
"I was just a couple minutes late to class a couple of times in the first couple of weeks." Hirono responded, nervous to see her mother's next reaction. "I wasn't even hanging out with Souma and Yahagi yet."
"Enough!" Her mother barked, making Hirono go silent straight away. "You are going to go straight to your room, and when your father gets home, we'll discuss your punishment."
"They grounded you for a week because you were a couple minutes late to class?" Yoshimi asked, looking surprised.
"Yeah." Hirono responded bitterly. She sat by the garden in the school courtyard with Mitsuko and Yoshimi, leaning against the small dividing wall by the stairs as she recounted the previous night's events to her friends. "Pretty sure part of it was for being friends with you guys, too."
"Fuck 'em." Mitsuko said bluntly. "Sounds like they both suck, so why should you care what they think?"
"They do, and I don't." Hirono agrees. Honestly, she didn't know why she should care. Her parents were always hard on her for her grades and every other part of her life, but why should the get to decide who she's allowed to be friends with? If they got to choose, they'd probably pick some boring-ass loser instead of someone she actually liked. "I'm sticking with you two. Screw everyone else."
The bell sounded, and the trio headed into Shiroiwa Middle School.
Coming into her second year of high school, Hirono was starting to come into her own as a person. She was hanging out with Mitsuko and Yoshimi on most days, and the three of them had been earning reputations for themselves, and not of the virtuous variety. As for herself, Hirono had grown to become hot-tempered, aggressive, and cunning. She didn't have many friends outside of her trio, and she didn't seem interested in making any more.
Although Hirono's personality had evolved, she still looked much the same as she did during middle school, only taller and slightly more mature. In recent weeks, she had been aching for a change, and with minimal prompting from her friends, she spent a day at the mall to plan out a complete overhaul of her look.
After hours of visiting various stores and browsing bargains, she had put together a couple of new outfits with money that she had been saving up. She kept an eye on the mirror in her room as she modeled her new clothes for herself, seeing how she felt about the new Hirono.
The first big change was her hair. After a trip to the hairstylist, what was once a head of long, straight hair that fell onto her shoulders was now cut short, dyed, and spiked. She ran a hand through her new hair and grinned into the mirror. She thought that it gave her a hardcore, bad-ass look. She liked it.
She hadn't worn makeup before this point, and that was something that she was looking to change as well. She had picked up some eyeliner and lipstick from a discount store, and was applying it for the first time. She didn't pick up anything too flashy color-wise, but she felt like what she did have gave her a bit of extra style.
As for the clothes, Hirono had thrown on a few of her favorites that she had picked out to see how they looked on her. She wore a baggy olive green jacket over a cropped white top. She pairs that with a black skirt cut just above the knee, matched with a pair of leggings that she already had. It wasn't high fashion, but it was her fashion.
She turned around as she looked at herself in the mirror, checking out her new outfit from all angles. She held out her arms as she turned in a circle, and even pulled a few poses as she admired her new look. She was loving the way that her handpicked wardrobe was coming together. She felt hot, she felt cool, she felt good.
Hirono's one-person fashion show was interrupted when her bedroom door opened, Her father now stood in the doorway, his face quickly developing a look of displeasure. "What are you wearing?" He was already in a bad mood, a sure indicator that Hirono wasn't in for a fun time.
"I got some new clothes." She replied, fully telling the truth while not caring much about her father's take on the subject."
Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it, as her father demanded more answers. "Where did you get these clothes?"
Hirono wasn't sure whether or not he was trying to imply that she stole them, but she managed to hold her tongue and avoid telling him to get out of her room. For now, honesty remained as her weapon of choice. "I got them at the mall today." Her voice walked a line between annoyance and dismissiveness.
Her father seemed undeterred by her attitude, and it seemed to amplify his look of disgust more than anything. "You're dressed like you're going out to stand on a street corner." He said quite bluntly.
"What?" She was stunned, and the enthusiasm drained from her in response to such a harsh appraisal. "What do you mean?" Part of her thought that she must have misheard him. After all, that was a pretty fucked-up thing to say right out of the blue.
Unfortunately, her father chose to double down. "Just look at you. A skirt that short and a top showing your stomach makes it look like you're seeking the wrong kind of attention." He wasted no time in tearing down her outfit. "Besides, your jacket looks like you just picked it off the street, and your mom will have a fit when she sees what you've done to your hair. Now dress in something proper and come to dinner." With that, he shut the door and left Hirono to deal with the aftermath of his commentary
A solid part of Hirono couldn't believe what she had just heard. She had spent so long trying to find clothes that she really wanted to wear, clothes that she thought she'd look great in, and it took her dad all of a minute to say that she dressed like a hooker. She had tried to stop caring about her parents' opinions partway through middle school, but still... that hurt.
Hirono looked at her reflection in the mirror again, this time with much less excitement. She tucked part of her hair behind her ear as she stared at herself. She had been totally confident just a minute ago, but now she wasn't so sure.
She looked good... didn't she?
Although Hirono's personality had evolved, she still looked much the same as she did during middle school, only taller and slightly more mature. In recent weeks, she had been aching for a change, and with minimal prompting from her friends, she spent a day at the mall to plan out a complete overhaul of her look.
After hours of visiting various stores and browsing bargains, she had put together a couple of new outfits with money that she had been saving up. She kept an eye on the mirror in her room as she modeled her new clothes for herself, seeing how she felt about the new Hirono.
The first big change was her hair. After a trip to the hairstylist, what was once a head of long, straight hair that fell onto her shoulders was now cut short, dyed, and spiked. She ran a hand through her new hair and grinned into the mirror. She thought that it gave her a hardcore, bad-ass look. She liked it.
She hadn't worn makeup before this point, and that was something that she was looking to change as well. She had picked up some eyeliner and lipstick from a discount store, and was applying it for the first time. She didn't pick up anything too flashy color-wise, but she felt like what she did have gave her a bit of extra style.
As for the clothes, Hirono had thrown on a few of her favorites that she had picked out to see how they looked on her. She wore a baggy olive green jacket over a cropped white top. She pairs that with a black skirt cut just above the knee, matched with a pair of leggings that she already had. It wasn't high fashion, but it was her fashion.
She turned around as she looked at herself in the mirror, checking out her new outfit from all angles. She held out her arms as she turned in a circle, and even pulled a few poses as she admired her new look. She was loving the way that her handpicked wardrobe was coming together. She felt hot, she felt cool, she felt good.
Hirono's one-person fashion show was interrupted when her bedroom door opened, Her father now stood in the doorway, his face quickly developing a look of displeasure. "What are you wearing?" He was already in a bad mood, a sure indicator that Hirono wasn't in for a fun time.
"I got some new clothes." She replied, fully telling the truth while not caring much about her father's take on the subject."
Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of it, as her father demanded more answers. "Where did you get these clothes?"
Hirono wasn't sure whether or not he was trying to imply that she stole them, but she managed to hold her tongue and avoid telling him to get out of her room. For now, honesty remained as her weapon of choice. "I got them at the mall today." Her voice walked a line between annoyance and dismissiveness.
Her father seemed undeterred by her attitude, and it seemed to amplify his look of disgust more than anything. "You're dressed like you're going out to stand on a street corner." He said quite bluntly.
"What?" She was stunned, and the enthusiasm drained from her in response to such a harsh appraisal. "What do you mean?" Part of her thought that she must have misheard him. After all, that was a pretty fucked-up thing to say right out of the blue.
Unfortunately, her father chose to double down. "Just look at you. A skirt that short and a top showing your stomach makes it look like you're seeking the wrong kind of attention." He wasted no time in tearing down her outfit. "Besides, your jacket looks like you just picked it off the street, and your mom will have a fit when she sees what you've done to your hair. Now dress in something proper and come to dinner." With that, he shut the door and left Hirono to deal with the aftermath of his commentary
A solid part of Hirono couldn't believe what she had just heard. She had spent so long trying to find clothes that she really wanted to wear, clothes that she thought she'd look great in, and it took her dad all of a minute to say that she dressed like a hooker. She had tried to stop caring about her parents' opinions partway through middle school, but still... that hurt.
Hirono looked at her reflection in the mirror again, this time with much less excitement. She tucked part of her hair behind her ear as she stared at herself. She had been totally confident just a minute ago, but now she wasn't so sure.
She looked good... didn't she?
If there was a lowest moment in Hirono's life, then she wouldn't be surprised if this was it.
The night seemed to be going so well. She managed to get a decent-looking guy to offer up a stack of cash and pony up for a hotel room. But right after the money exchanged hands, he flashed a badge, and in a few seconds she was in handcuffs. Worse still, her parents had to come to the police station to bail her out. She was pretty sure that this was the last reason her dad would've wanted to come in to work when he was off duty. Honestly, she was shocked that they bailed her out in the first place and didn't just leave her to stew in the holding cell.
The ride home was tense and uncomfortable. No one said a word, her parents seemed laser-focused on the road in front of them, and Hirono looked at the floor of the car while wishing that she was almost anywhere else. Her feeling of doom only deepened as they pulled into the driveway, as she knew that she was now only a minute at most from receiving the lecture of a lifetime. Sure enough, it only took until all three of them were inside the house and the door shut behind them for her mother to kick off.
"What is wrong with you?" Her mother said demandingly, shooting Hirono a glare that could have pierced through solid lead. Hirono wanted to respond, but she couldn't bring herself to be surprised that her parents were mad about her being arrested. Even so, that didn't keep her frustration from simmering beneath the surface. For the time being, she stayed silent.
"Arrested." Her father added. "My own daughter got arrested, and I had to walk into my own precinct to bring her home. Do you know how humiliating this is?" He sounded increasingly angry as he went on. "Now the rest of the force is going to wonder how my daughter became a criminal!"
"I wasn't hurting anybody!" Hirono spoke up in her own defense. "I was just trying to make some money." She knew that there wasn't a shot in hell of them going easy on her, but she couldn't just stand there without saying anything for herself.
"It doesn't matter who you're hurting, you broke the law!" Her father responded without a moment to spare. "I should've known this was going to happen." He said, turning to his wife. "As soon as she started associating with those delinquents, and wearing those clothes..."
"Cut it out!" Hirono snapped at him. "This doesn't have anything to do with them, or my clothes, or anything like that."
Her father's eyes narrowed, and he spoke gruffly. "Don't you talk back to me. You don't have the right to raise your voice to us, especially not now."
"You-" Hirono was set to fire back with another response, but her father raised a hand. "Enough!" He spoke harshly. "You've caused enough trouble, and we're going to have to determine a proper punishment."
With a glance of disappointment, Hirono's mother focused on her now. "I don't understand how you turned out like this. We've done everything we can to raise you, and you clearly don't appreciate any of it."
"What are you talking about?" Hirono was taken aback by this new angle of attack, and she was pretty sure that she didn't like where this was going to go next.
"For eighteen years, we raised you." Her mother continued. "We gave you food, we gave you a house, we gave you everything. Yet this is how you repay us? You humiliate our family by acting like a tramp and getting arrested?"
"I'm not a tramp!" Hirono raised her voice again, unwilling to be talked to that way. "How the hell are you gonna act surprised when that's what you think about me?"
"Don't use that language with us!" Her mother hissed before returning to her lecture. "All that we ever wanted was for you to grow up into a fine young woman. Your whole life, we have done nothing but provide for you and support you, without asking for anything in return."
That was what set Hirono off. "You never supported me!"
"Don't lie to us about our own parenting!" Her father cut her off, but Hirono was not going to stay silent now. All of her built-up resentment was ready to explode.
"Every time I get excited about something, or want to try something new, you've never been behind me. You never liked my hobbies, my friends, or anything! No matter what, nothing was never good enough. I was never good enough! And you wanna act like you're perfect parents? You never even made me feel like I belonged here in the first place!"
"That. Is. Enough." Her mother stated sternly, clearly infuriated by Hirono's outburst. "It's not our fault if you've never appreciated what we've done for you. And it was also your choice to act like a lowlife despite all of the advantages that we offered you. If there's anyone that you should be angry at, it's yourself. Because for eighteen years we tried to raise you, and now it's clear that we wasted our time."
Those last few words hit Hirono like a dagger to the heart. In so many words, she had just insinuated that Hirono was nothing but a disappointment to them, a lost cause. "M-Mom..." Hirono's voice was smaller and shakier now, still shell-shocked at what she had just heard.
"The discussion is closed." Her father agreed with her mother. "You already made your choice, and you have to live with it."
Hirono was stunned silent, and she doubted that her parents would be open to hearing anything else from her anyway. She went to her room, closed the door behind her, and went straight to her window. By this point it was clear where she stood with her parents. She was a disappointment, a failure, a complete write-off. If they had no hope for her, then she didn't need to try to impress them either.
She climbed out of her window and walked off into the night. She didn't know where she was going or when she would be back. She just felt that anywhere had to be better than home.
The night seemed to be going so well. She managed to get a decent-looking guy to offer up a stack of cash and pony up for a hotel room. But right after the money exchanged hands, he flashed a badge, and in a few seconds she was in handcuffs. Worse still, her parents had to come to the police station to bail her out. She was pretty sure that this was the last reason her dad would've wanted to come in to work when he was off duty. Honestly, she was shocked that they bailed her out in the first place and didn't just leave her to stew in the holding cell.
The ride home was tense and uncomfortable. No one said a word, her parents seemed laser-focused on the road in front of them, and Hirono looked at the floor of the car while wishing that she was almost anywhere else. Her feeling of doom only deepened as they pulled into the driveway, as she knew that she was now only a minute at most from receiving the lecture of a lifetime. Sure enough, it only took until all three of them were inside the house and the door shut behind them for her mother to kick off.
"What is wrong with you?" Her mother said demandingly, shooting Hirono a glare that could have pierced through solid lead. Hirono wanted to respond, but she couldn't bring herself to be surprised that her parents were mad about her being arrested. Even so, that didn't keep her frustration from simmering beneath the surface. For the time being, she stayed silent.
"Arrested." Her father added. "My own daughter got arrested, and I had to walk into my own precinct to bring her home. Do you know how humiliating this is?" He sounded increasingly angry as he went on. "Now the rest of the force is going to wonder how my daughter became a criminal!"
"I wasn't hurting anybody!" Hirono spoke up in her own defense. "I was just trying to make some money." She knew that there wasn't a shot in hell of them going easy on her, but she couldn't just stand there without saying anything for herself.
"It doesn't matter who you're hurting, you broke the law!" Her father responded without a moment to spare. "I should've known this was going to happen." He said, turning to his wife. "As soon as she started associating with those delinquents, and wearing those clothes..."
"Cut it out!" Hirono snapped at him. "This doesn't have anything to do with them, or my clothes, or anything like that."
Her father's eyes narrowed, and he spoke gruffly. "Don't you talk back to me. You don't have the right to raise your voice to us, especially not now."
"You-" Hirono was set to fire back with another response, but her father raised a hand. "Enough!" He spoke harshly. "You've caused enough trouble, and we're going to have to determine a proper punishment."
With a glance of disappointment, Hirono's mother focused on her now. "I don't understand how you turned out like this. We've done everything we can to raise you, and you clearly don't appreciate any of it."
"What are you talking about?" Hirono was taken aback by this new angle of attack, and she was pretty sure that she didn't like where this was going to go next.
"For eighteen years, we raised you." Her mother continued. "We gave you food, we gave you a house, we gave you everything. Yet this is how you repay us? You humiliate our family by acting like a tramp and getting arrested?"
"I'm not a tramp!" Hirono raised her voice again, unwilling to be talked to that way. "How the hell are you gonna act surprised when that's what you think about me?"
"Don't use that language with us!" Her mother hissed before returning to her lecture. "All that we ever wanted was for you to grow up into a fine young woman. Your whole life, we have done nothing but provide for you and support you, without asking for anything in return."
That was what set Hirono off. "You never supported me!"
"Don't lie to us about our own parenting!" Her father cut her off, but Hirono was not going to stay silent now. All of her built-up resentment was ready to explode.
"Every time I get excited about something, or want to try something new, you've never been behind me. You never liked my hobbies, my friends, or anything! No matter what, nothing was never good enough. I was never good enough! And you wanna act like you're perfect parents? You never even made me feel like I belonged here in the first place!"
"That. Is. Enough." Her mother stated sternly, clearly infuriated by Hirono's outburst. "It's not our fault if you've never appreciated what we've done for you. And it was also your choice to act like a lowlife despite all of the advantages that we offered you. If there's anyone that you should be angry at, it's yourself. Because for eighteen years we tried to raise you, and now it's clear that we wasted our time."
Those last few words hit Hirono like a dagger to the heart. In so many words, she had just insinuated that Hirono was nothing but a disappointment to them, a lost cause. "M-Mom..." Hirono's voice was smaller and shakier now, still shell-shocked at what she had just heard.
"The discussion is closed." Her father agreed with her mother. "You already made your choice, and you have to live with it."
Hirono was stunned silent, and she doubted that her parents would be open to hearing anything else from her anyway. She went to her room, closed the door behind her, and went straight to her window. By this point it was clear where she stood with her parents. She was a disappointment, a failure, a complete write-off. If they had no hope for her, then she didn't need to try to impress them either.
She climbed out of her window and walked off into the night. She didn't know where she was going or when she would be back. She just felt that anywhere had to be better than home.