The Thought Process of Shu Kurenai

When Your Parents Don't Appreciate You

I don't want to write about this. It hurts to think about it. I don't want to think about it. But I know I can't keep bottling it all up forever.

When I was ten years old, I wanted to give my parents a surprise dinner for their wedding anniversary. So after school, I went straight home and started cooking up a storm.

I think I spent five hours at the kitchen preparing everything. I made mashed potatoes, shepherd's pie, chocolate mousse, and fruit salad. And it was the first time I made my spaghetti carbonara, which is what I'm famous for making today. I was so excited to see my parents' reactions when they saw the dinner I had made for them.

By the time I was done, it was eight at night. I still had homework to do, but I was too excited for my parents to come home to think about it.

I waited for hours. I assumed they were working overtime and didn't get discouraged. But I was starting to get worried when it was 10:15 pm and there was still no sign of them. I kept running horrible scenarios in my head.

I was into crime shows at the time and I was worried that my parents may have gotten kidnapped by shady people, had been in a car accident, or have been trapped in a fire at their workplaces. Yeah, I was a child with an overactive imagination.

I became so paranoid that I ended up calling 911. Did I mention the police officer that I called was Rantaro's Dad? I know because Rantaro asked me why did I call 911 at half past ten at night the next day at school.

When I told that my parents were missing, Mr Kiyama said I probably shouldn't worry just yet as there was a lot of traffic that night because of a car accident and they might just be delayed.

Unfortunately, I started crying on the phone as soon as he mentioned car accident, and he was very kind to me. He told me he would try to locate my parents' location and let me know where they were and inform them that I was worried. And if they didn't return by midnight, I can call again and there would be a search for my parents.

If another police officer had heard all that, they would probably snap at me for wasting their time, but Mr Kiyama, having two young sons, understood why I would be scared. Being a police officer is a dangerous job, and I can't imagine the fear Rantaro and Ranjiro felt every day knowing they might not see their Dad again. Mr Kiyama is still alive, thank goodness, but the possibility of a parent dying can be hard on a young child.

Well, I waited again. I kept pacing around for far longer than necessary, fearing my parents might have died. Eventually, I got too tired to walk around and lay down on the couch. I actually already had Spryzen by that time, but I didn't talk to my Beyblade yet. I only started doing it because of Valt influencing me.

I was very tired and closed my eyes for a bit, meaning only to rest them for a few moments. But the next thing I knew, Hiroaki was shaking me awake.

Seeing my parents safe and sound brought me joy and I tried to hug them, but they pushed me away and yelled at me for wasting food and calling the cops. Mr Kiyama had called them to inform them I was scared because I was home alone.

I will never forget the horrible things they said. They told me I was making a fuss over nothing and I could have gotten them arrested. For child negligence, I think.

I cried a lot and Hiroaki slapped me, telling me to stop. It only made me cry harder. And guess what? It turned out they had dinner at a fancy restaurant, so I had made them an anniversary dinner for nothing.

My parents told me to clean up the mess I made before going to bed. I was exhausted as it was one in the morning but I did it without complaining.

I ended up giving the food I made to Valt's family and donating some of it to charities. I figured out the Aoi siblings and homeless people would appreciate the food more than my parents did.

Honestly, I must have been insane to waste my time on my parents when all they did was hurt me.