Chapter 78: Chapter 79. Someday, somebody will!
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Chapter 79. Someday, somebody will!
Words counted-- 1600
Enjoy~
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The air was heavy in the Nagata household that night, as though the walls themselves bore the weight of a thousand grudges.
Dinner, which was supposed to be a time of family connection, had devolved into chaos once again. Arina, the youngest child, sat quietly at the table, hoping to avoid the storm brewing between her mother and grandmother.
Her grandmother, Toshi, suddenly slammed her hand on the table, causing the plates to rattle. "Why does this beef have such a sharp taste? It's so bitter, it makes my tongue numb!" she snapped, glaring at Shiori, her daughter-in-law.
Arina flinched, but she wasn't surprised. This was routine.
Kensuke, her father, who sat opposite Shiori, finally spoke without looking up. "Hey, my mother's seriously angry. Humor her and give her an answer."
Shiori barely glanced at him. Her voice was flat, uninterested. "I don't know."
Toshi's face twisted in indignation. "Humor me? What does that mean? Humor me? You spineless fool!" she spat, directing her fury at Kensuke. "You have no authority in this house! Your wife does whatever pleases her, and you sit there like a log!"
Shiori chuckled darkly at the insult, which only fueled Toshi's rage. In a fit of madness, Toshi snatched a fork and stabbed Shiori's hand.
The metallic smell of blood filled the room as Shiori cried out, "What the hell are you doing, you crazy psycho old bitch?!"
"You dare call me a bitch?!" Toshi roared, lifting the fork again.
Before she could strike, Asuka, the eldest daughter, slammed her palm against Toshi's cheek. The sharp sound echoed in the room. "Ugh, shut up, both of you! You're ruining dinner with your squealing."
"Asuka!" Toshi shouted, enraged.
But Asuka wasn't done. She shoved her chair back, kicked Shiori under the table, and stormed out. "You're all pathetic," she muttered as she left the room.
"Call the police!" Shiori yelled after her, clutching her bleeding hand.
Kensuke sighed and shook his head. "Police don't get involved in domestic disputes."
"You have no control over this house," Toshi hissed.
"And he's an insensitive bastard," Shiori snapped back.
Kensuke quietly pushed his chair back and left for his room without finishing his meal.
Toshi rose from her seat, glaring at Shiori. "As long as I live, I'll put you through hell."
"Then you'll just have to die," Shiori growled, hurling a plate at Toshi's shoulder. "I'll put you through hell too."
Toshi staggered but straightened herself. "Don't think there won't be consequences for this," she warned before leaving the room.
Arina sat frozen, staring at the mess. Blood dripped from Shiori's hand onto the floor. Gathering her courage, Arina whispered, "Mama… are you okay?"
Shiori's head snapped toward her. Without warning, she slapped Arina across the face. "Brat! You annoyed me. Pitying your mother like that!"
Arina's cheek stung as she crouched down, tears welling up in her eyes. Akira, her older brother, rushed to her side, his hands trembling.
"Are you okay, Arina?" he asked softly.
Arina nodded, unable to speak. Shiori scoffed and walked out, turning off the lights as she left. Akira and Arina sat in the dark, left to clean the table alone.
The Next Morning--
Toshi's room was empty. When the family noticed her absence, Shiori casually remarked, "She might come back."
Kensuke furrowed his brow. "I'll report it to the police, just in case."
"You shouldn't call the cops," Shiori advised. "Just go to the station. This isn't an emergency."
Kensuke sighed. "I don't have time for that."
Asuka chimed in, scrolling on her phone. "You can report her online. It's easier."
Kensuke waved her off. "It's too troublesome. I'll stop by the station on my way to work."
On the way to school, Arina's older brother, who was not much older than her, told her something about their mother calling Hell Girl to send their grandmother to hell.
A chill ran down Arina's spine. She whispered, "I feel sorry for Grandma… Hell must be scarier than Mother."
Some days later, their cousin Yoshinori arrived on a roaring motorbike. Arina peeked out from the window as he parked outside. She didn't like him.
Yoshinori burst into the entrance hall with his usual arrogance. "Yo! I'm staying here for a while. My parents are pissing me off."
Asuka, seeing him, just shrugged her shoulders. "Fine. Grandma's room is free."
Akira frowned. "Did you ask Mom and Dad?"
"They won't refuse me," Yoshinori said with a sly grin. "After all, their cute nephew is having a hard time at home."
Later that night, Arina sat quietly in the corner of the living room, pretending to read a book while eavesdropping on the conversation between her parents and Yoshinori.
"I don't mind you staying here," Kensuke said, his voice unusually calm. He tapped his fingernails rhythmically against his cup. "But how long do you plan to stay? Your father must be worried about you."
Yoshinori leaned back on the couch, stretching his legs out like he owned the place. His voice dripped with bitterness. "Worried? It's all an act. He doesn't care about me. Neither of them does."
Kensuke straightened in his chair, his tone firm but exhausted. "You should move out tomorrow. It's not about us not wanting you here. It's about my brother. Have you thought about how he feels?"
For a moment, there was silence, thick and suffocating. Then Yoshinori laughed, a cold, hollow sound that made Arina's skin crawl.
"Heartless," he muttered, shaking his head. His words grew louder, his tone sharper. "You're so heartless. All of you. My parents never cared about me, and now I've finally escaped them. Do you want to kick me out too? Is that what you want?"
Arina pressed her back against the wall, clutching her book tightly. The tension in his voice sent a shiver down her spine.
Kensuke sighed deeply. "I'm not trying to be heartless, Yoshinori. But this isn't just about you. Running away isn't the solution, and lashing out at others won't fix anything either."
Yoshinori punched Kensuke in the face. "You only care about your brother! Admit it!"
Shiori intervened. "It's not true, Yoshinori. We care deeply for you." Only to be kicked by Yoshinori. "You both hurt me deeply! So, I will stay here until my wound is healed."
As Yoshinori stood in the middle of the living room, his voice sharp and defiant, Asuka sighed dramatically from her seat. She leaned back, arms crossed, watching the chaos unfold like it was just another routine event.
"He's sensitive," she said with a lazy shrug. "You should have more sympathy for him."
Kensuke, still nursing his bruised cheek from Yoshinori's earlier punch, snapped, "Sensitivity is no excuse for violence. What he's doing is unacceptable!"
Yoshinori turned to him with a dark smirk. "You shouldn't act so high and mighty," he sneered. "This is all your fault."
Before anyone could react, Yoshinori lashed out, kicking Kensuke squarely in the leg.
Kensuke staggered back, barely catching himself on the edge of the couch. But Yoshinori wasn't done. He advanced, his kicks relentless, each one landing with sickening thuds.
"Apologize to me!" Yoshinori shouted, his voice trembling with rage. "You think you're better than me? Apologize!"
Shiori sat frozen, her face pale, her eyes darting between Kensuke and her nephew. She didn't even have the courage to stop them.
The once-busy household had grown eerily quiet. Kensuke and Shiori spent less and less time at home, avoiding the oppressive atmosphere that hung over the family. Yoshinori ruled the house with a cruel, unchecked authority, while Akira and Arina were left to fend for themselves.
Akira bore the brunt of it. Yoshinori seemed to take a twisted pleasure in tormenting him, mocking him relentlessly, shoving him into walls, and sometimes even locking him out of the house for hours.
One night, Arina heard Akira's muffled sobs from his room. She crept quietly to the door, pressing her ear against the wood. His voice was barely audible, trembling with pain and anger.
"Why does it have to be like this?" he muttered to himself. "No one cares about me. Not Father, not Mother, not even Asuka. They all just… ignore it. Ignore me. They don't care about Arina either. They just leave us to suffer."
There was a long pause, followed by a shaky breath. "I wish they'd all go to hell."
Arina's heart sank. She wanted to go in and comfort him, but what could she say? That she understood? That she felt the same way? Her hand hovered over the doorknob, but in the end, she couldn't do it.
Instead, Arina headed to her room.
That's when she heard the sound of footsteps behind her. She turned to see Yoshinori's figure in the hallway, looking at her.
"Hey, Arina," he whispered, his voice thick with malice.
Panic surged through her. She tried to bolt to her room and lock the door, but he caught her and tried to force himself on her.
Tears streamed down her face, but she broke free and ran toward her room, locking her door behind her.
As she sat against the door, trembling, staring at the ceiling, she wished for a different life.
She wanted to tell someone—anyone—but there was no one to that she could trust nor there was no one that she could ask to help her.
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Let gooooo ~ hell girl ~
Sory to disappoint but I only watch only 2~3 episode of hell girl.
It not my taste.
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