The Disconsolate Maiden

Chapter Thirty-One

That night...

Homura sighed as she unlocked the door to her house, surprised to find the light on inside. And there, right before her, stood a very angry father.

"Where were you?" Homura's father spat, slapping his daughter across the cheek. It was quite a kind way for one to greet their daughter.

"F-Father..." Homura muttered, her cheek burning from where his hand had struck her. "I-I'm sorry...I was out...trying to get a job."

"A job you say?" Mr. Kanojo hissed, eyeing his daughter up and down, attempting to see if she was lying in any sort of way. "Well then, that's just perfect."

"W-What's wrong?" Homura asked nervously.

Mr. Kanojo raised his eyebrows then turned around, pulling several suitcases out from behind the kitchen counter.

"I'm leaving," he spat. "My business is moving, therefore, I am to follow. Since you'll be getting I job, you can keep the house. If you can't pay the bills, that's your problems, not mine."

"You're..." Homura stared desperately at her father. "you're really leaving me...?"

"I have no need to stay here," he said darkly, looking down on his daughter. "There's no point. Your life, education, and dreams mean utterly nothing to me. Why would I want to sit around and watch a failure grow up to be an even bigger, more insignificant failure. You disgust me."

Homura felt the stake drive right through the middle of her heart, finally shattering it into bits.

She struggled to hold back her tears, not wanting to believe the words her father had just said to her.

Beginning to tremble, Homura managed to bow.

"I'm s-sorry..." Homura apologized. "I know I was never who you wanted, and I r-respect your decisions...."

"It's good to know even you realize you don't have a life worth living," her father replied sharply. "I don't care what happens to you while I'm gone. I don't care if you die. I don't care if you get married, not that anyone would ever love a disgusting rat like you."

"Y-Yes..." Homura managed to reply, feeling her heartbeat slow down more and more.

"I'll be in the old capital," Mr. Kanojo spat, pulling his suitcases behind him. "But don't you dare try to come to me if you're in trouble. You're not my daughter anymore. I never loved you. There's nothing to love about you. You don't deserve an ounce of happiness in your life. Especially after what you did to my daughter."

Mr. Kanojo grabbed Homura by the wrist and jerked her out of the way, pushing her to the floor so he could get to the exit of the house.

Giving her a good kick, he left the old Kanojo home, slamming the door shut behind him, causing the house to shake.

From the other room, Homura heard what sounded like glass shattering, but she was too hurt to even get up to check.

Tears rolling down her cheeks, Homura desperately prayed that some guardian angel would show up to comfort her. Jyushimatsu, preferably. But there was no guardian angel. Ever since that fateful day, the day of Yuka's death, comfort had become an unfamiliar word to Homura. It was an emotion she wasn't allowed to feel, and her father made sure of that.

An hour later, Homura managed to stumble to her feet, her eyes hurting from losing a little bit of herself again.

As she walked past the piano, she found that the image on top of it had been shattered, completely destroyed.

Then, the realization poured over Homura again and again.

She had no family left.