Reluctant Hero | Amaki Ren

Chapter 29 | Same Old Me

"You useless brat!"

Slap!

Her face snapped to the side after her mother's cold hand harshly collided with her cheek, forcing her to stumble back and regain her footing before she falls.

"Second place? Seriously? That's only 100,000 yen! How do you expect me to live off with that money?!" Her hair was fisted with both angry hands, dragging her through the small dark hallway that leads to that room. Upon realizing where they were going, Sakura began to thrash around. She struggled to escape from her mother's grip, but none of her attempts worked against her. "Ungrateful bitch. Be glad that I even feed you dinner."

She takes out the key resting on her collarbone. It was formed to be a necklace, one that Sakura absolutely hates.

"Let me go! I'm sorry!"

"You haven't learned your lesson." Her mother glared back down at her, unlocking the door with one hand. "How many times do I have to lock you in here for you to do better, child?!"

The moment the door was pushed open, she was tossed inside the pitch-black room. Sakura skidded down the floor, choking on her own tears as she struggled to push herself up.

"A week." Her mother said. "That's how long you're staying here this time."

Bang!

Sakura tried to stop her from locking the door, but her body could only weakly push against the piece of wood. "Let me out! Please!" She cried. "I'll be better! I'll win the 500,000 yen next time!"

Ribbit!

Ribbit!

"No," Sakura turned back to the dark room, frantically darting her eyes around to see if they were nearby. Alas, she was met with nothing but darkness, and her heart raced in panic.

Ribbit!

Ribbit!

They're growing closer, and there are many of them. They could be surrounding her already.

"Ah!"

She jumped when she felt the sticky weight on her bare feet, shivering at the feeling of their mucky body. Sakura's body shook violently as she slid down the door, burying her tear-stricken face in her shivering hands as she gave up on trying to get away.

Ribbit!

Ribbit!

They're all over her body now, and she cannot do anything about it. There is nowhere for her to run to. There is no place for her to be safe in this small room of nothingness.

"Please," she croaked, "l-leave me alone...!"

"AH!"

She jolted up from her bed, one of her pillows falling from the edge at her sudden action. Sakura was surprised to see herself in a different room, the morning rays shining through the window beside her bed.

"Are you alright?"

Her head jerked to her right, opposite the window. "What..."

The raven was still on his sleepwear, having risen from his own slumber just a minute ago. He wore a worried expression over his face, a hesitant hand coming up to check on her. "Sakura? You're crying."

"Huh?"

One of her hands came up to touch her cheeks, confirming for herself that she indeed was crying before waking up. "It was a memory." She sighed in relief. "It can't happen anymore. I'm alright."