TURNING RED 2 : White Code

Chapter 1 - The Kōjō family

The number 1 rule in my family ? Honor your parents. They're the supreme beings who gave you life, who sweated and sacrified so much to put a roof over your head, food on your plate, an epic amount of food, The least you can do in return is every single thing they ask. 'Course some peopme are like "Be careful, honoring your parents sounds great but if you take it too far, well, you might forget to honor yourself."

This is exactly what I want to talk about.

I'm Kōjō Shīrudo and since I turned 16 I have been very busy my schedule is almost planned in advance, 24/7, apart from the uniform of the private high school I go to, I am free in what I wear at home, and I can say that that I only want when I am alone, and I must behave well in society because it is important for the image of the family. Let's talk about them, my father and my mother are how to say... quite strict, as they come from a great lineage, they know what they want, where they want and when they want. They have a well-constructed idea of ​​life and the way the world should turn out. With them, everything must be in its place...and of course I am no exception to this rule...I must fit into a mold of perfection and high standard... it's actually a bit complicated, we are often in conflict because I have a more current vision of the world which does not correspond to their archaic standards and they don't like me letting them know. I think the biggest argument to date was when I got my ear pierced... they really, really didn't like it, they told me that with that and my "rebellious" character ( according to them), I would end up delinquent if I continued, thus ruining all the future forecasts that they had carefully prepared bla bla bla... because yes my professional future is already planned: in my family we are lawyers from father to son and it is unthinkable to deviate from tradition, ah and besides since we are talking about tradition, guess what, according to the latest news it would even be question of a suitor for my future married life! And yes it was like that for my parents, arranged marriage, you understand "rich families don't mix with just anyone" ... no but you realize, is it being delinquent that to be against injustice and prejudice? But in the end I let them have the last word so they are happy to feel like they are right and they no longer bother me. you will have understood that I don't have much freedom, I can't go out much after classes, I can only be around friends who have been approved, that is to say not much and even then it's not the most fun in the world, like in my high school we all come from well-off or famous families, they are a little stuck and yet having always lived in this environment I also have the impression of being different. I come across as a bit of an outcast but I don't care if it can bring a little light into this snobbish world? I need things to move... in reality I wonder where this comes from and why I am like this? Perhaps I have a more developed open-mindedness than the others? I never found the answer. Speaking about activity, going to college is good but I still managed to convince my parents to be part of the high school basketball team, it allows me to let off some steam and they have to think that it will help channel my so-called "rebellious impulses". And otherwise the rest of the time when I have free time I'm at home either in my room, playing my video games, reading my fantasy novels, doing a little sport with the little I have, but that's really when I have time for myself because it happens often (once or twice a week) that as soon as I return from classes I have to prepare myself to show myself at the receptions organized by my parents as the worthy heir of the Kōjō family which last all evening... ah the worldly life... boring... with the Japanese sense of honor to boot... such and mine.

This autumn morning, I had a restless night, the day before I argued again with my parents but louder than usual, a vase even ended up broken. The reason for this argument: My orientation, even if it all started with my haircut because at the table, my father told me that I had to go to the hairdresser to get it cut because "you will never be taken seriously professionally if I don't have short hair." I like my mid-length hair but in short I take the opportunity to broach the subject of my future and I just imply to him "that it would be possible that in the event that I don't feel 'embrace the career of a lawyer it would possibly be good to find a plausible alternative" ... I'm not telling you the proportions and the outcry that it caused, I would have done better to keep quiet, the reproach is based on the sacrifices and the contacts that were involved so that I could enter this environment and that it was too late to start all over again, that it would make him lose face, that it's not at all in the family tradition... Anyway you see what, except that this time by never saying anything, enough is enough and I get angry this time by telling them that it's up to me to decide my future and no one else and that I wouldn't do something that I don't want to do because it doesn't suit me, and my thing is martial arts...yes I am fascinated by fighting techniques, I need to move, basketball is not enough for me, certainly I am not very tall and not very strong but I want to know how to defend myself... I don't have a very high level either because I try to learn in my own corner because they would never have let me do it if I had asked them and obviously I have confirmation on the spot, this This path does not please my father at all, who describes it as a pointless waste of time and who in any case has neither the physique nor the talent for it and who would not let me waste all his efforts for a brief passing whim. Everyone starts screaming from our side and he takes out his nerves on the poor vase and I cut the discussion short by going up to my room. I walk around in circles angry for a while, my books fly across the room and I end up telling my reflection in the mirror that I won't let myself do this again before going to bed. So the night goes by and I have a nightmare, I don't remember the details but I remember that it's about a lawyer who does Kung fu, a Japanese temple, lots of weird things that don't make sense and a big white animal with black stripes, a feline that suddenly attacks me and is about to devour me.