𝐅𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍: 𝐦𝐢𝐲𝐚 𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐮

(xxxiii) beautiful

tori sakusa grew up rich and privileged and lonelier than most.

it was curious. almost all the other rich families she saw were very close knit and overprotective but hers- the richest of them all- was anything but. it was broken and cold and distant.

she was fifteen minutes younger than her twin brother, handing her the label of 'younger sister' by a small margin. but when she was four, you were born and then she suddenly became the middle child by a mere technicality.

tori was raised to be polite and humble but also never forget who she was or where she came from. thankfully, she was blessed with conventional beauty complimented by above average intellect. something that attracted all kinds of admiration.

she was decent at school but her mother pressured her to be better from a young age. so she worked hard to match up. she didn't question it because it made mayumi sakusa happy when she achieved high marks. and she liked to please.

tori had a great relationship with kiyoomi. the two were inseparable through their childhood and even though her father clearly favoured her brother, she did not seem to mind.

her relationship with you was good too. both of you were often compared, but were academically equal so the comparison was usually in her favour. initially, mayumi loved you both very dearly. 

and then... slowly, you began to surpass her. you began to excel at everything you did. you had the incredible natural ability to grasp anything you put your mind to.

by the time you entered middle school, it felt like the sakusa family's matriarch had her sights set on who was to be her rightful successor- and it wasn't her, it was you.

as if that wasn't enough, kiyoomi moved away. she distanced herself from you and her mother but the comparisons got worse over the years. she cracked under the pressure and threw her business degree in the trash. your differences drove the two of you apart.

and then she just felt alone for a while.

of course, that was until she met shinsuke.

for the first time since she could remember, she was truly happy. the way he made her feel was unlike anything she'd ever felt.

but at times, it had felt like a dream. because she knew deep down that her family wouldn't approve of it eventually. it would rile up conversation. it wasn't proper and she had disappointed her mother enough.

she was heartbroken when it ended. it felt like you had unknowingly taken away one more thing that mattered to her and so the pre-existing distance between you both made resenting you easy.

she jumped at the opportunity to win back mayumi's favour and didn't even pretend to be nice to you if she happened to encounter you.

it felt good to be favoured for once. a feeling she had missed for a long time. her new relationship was with a really, really nice guy- one that her mom actually approved of.

life looked good on paper but the pressure increased too.

and she supposed she never thought about what it was like for you, on the flip side. she was so wrapped up in her own misery that she didn't think there was anything more important than it.

you used to be more of a sister to her than competition. but that changed with time and you became a stranger. the image she had of you in her head was an unlikeable, stuck up one.

and now, listening to shinsuke, she was slowly beginning to realise that she had made a big mistake.

"i never told you anything about this but...", her ex boyfriend paused, "i thought mayumi-san would"