Unlovable

Chapter Thirty-Five

Her feet pounded on the ground as Kagami ran down the street. She felt so light, like she could run ten miles and not feel tired. It was exhilarating to have someone know her secrets. She had kept them bottled up for so long, burying them deep within her minds so that her parents would never find out the truth. But part of her had always wanted someone she could confide in, and now she finally had that. At the beginning of the school year Kagami never would have imagined that she would form such a deep friendship with someone, but now here she was, with a friend Kagami knew would never betray her. Just thinking about it made her lips curl up into the slightest of smiles. She wasn't willing to let anymore than that show on her face in case she wasn't quite able to get rid of it by the time she got home. Hiroto would sense her happiness and would do everything within his power to discover its source and annihilate it.

Speaking of home, Kagami could see her house looming ahead in the distance. The sight of it always gave her a sense of foreboding. There was just something . . . ominous about the pristine condition of both the house and the lawn. It gave the impression that one wrong step would lead to serious consequences, which was something Kagami knew to be true. As she ran by the stiff iron gates she decreased her pace, slowing to a walk in order to calm her heart rate down a bit before she reached the front doors.

She was breathing normally by the time she pushed open the heavy doors and saw Hiroto waiting for her in the entrance, just as he always did. Normally his presence would have bothered her, but not even he could dampen her good mood. Besides, he was still occupied with being offended by her presence, something Kagami found she actually enjoyed. Getting him riled up was fun, especially since it made Hiroto look even more like he swallowed a lemon than usual.

"Good morning Hiroto." Kagami greeted, keeping her voice completely impassive. "I hope you haven't been waiting for me for too long."

Hiroto sniffed, looking annoyed. "You were fifteen minutes later than you usually are Miss Kagami."

"I apologize." Kagami said, not feeling sorry at all. "I simply wished to push myself a little more than usual today. I hope that didn't inconvenience you."

"Of course not." Hiroto replied, his face becoming even more sour. "As the Tsukino family's butler I am used to adjusting my schedule to fitting the whims of the young and spoiled."

Kagami knew he meant that as an insult, probably hoping to rile her up so he could get her into trouble with her father, but Kagami wasn't going to fall for it. She gave Hiroto an apologetic bow and had the pleasure of  watching his expression become even more sullen. "I apologize that you had to adjust your schedule because of me Hiroto. I know that you're far too busy to be wasting your morning on me."

Proper etiquette required Hiroto to give her a reassuring answer, and Kagami could tell that he practically had to force it out of his mouth. "Do not worry Miss Kagami." He spit out. "Taking care of you is one of my primary responsibilities and is not considered a waste of my time."

"That is very kind of you to say." Kagami responded, relishing in the fact that she had been able to torment the older man so much. "Now if you'll excuse me, I should go get ready for school."

"Of course." Hiroto bowed as Kagami walked past him.

Kagami managed to fight off her grin until she was within the relative safety of her room. Hiroto probably wanted to kill her by now, and she was perfectly fine with that. After finally getting the courage to talk back to him, Kagami was much less afraid of him. He had always been a shadow looming over her, ready to take away her happiness at any moment, and Kagami had been terrified of him. But now she realized that he was just a bitter old man who had forgotten what it meant to be happy. He didn't have the same power over her as he used to. Kagami no longer felt like a disobedient little child in his presence and she loved it! It was amazing how much she had changed in just a few months, and Kagami knew that a lot of that was thanks to Hotaru.