Control (Aphorism Fanfic) COMPLETED

Chapter 21

"You're in a bad mood," Sanjuurou remarked during lunchtime.

Misaki looked up from her curry rice.

"You're having your favourite, and you haven't even smiled once."

She looked back at him moodily. "... I'm having dinner with my parents later. They asked me home."

He looked at her with a bit of sympathy. "I'm sure it can't be that bad."

She sighed. "They never ask me home without a good reason."

And she was right.

During dinner (Mikio was absent, much to her displeasure. Her Mother said he was working hard before eyeing her disdainfully), before they even finished the appetizer, her Mother jumped straight into business.

"It occurred to me you changed your jobs recently," she said.

Misaki was alarmed, but she told herself to calm down. 'Of course she knows. The firm was shut down.'

"Yes," she replied. "They were shut down. Do you wish to see me in jail?"

"Now, now, Misaki-chan," her Father said good-naturedly.

Her Mother scoffed. "Yamamoto-san was a respectable man. If the firm really had any corrupted practices, it must be the miserable employees."

"Oh," she said. "So the boss of the company does not know or have any control over the corrupted employees at all, and that he is totally innocent. Of course."

"Don't take that tone with me, young lady," her Mother snapped back.

The maids came forward, serving the main course.

Misaki took a deep breath. 'Don't give them the satisfaction of seeing you angry.'

Her Mother sighed. "You have become willful. It must be because of working together with that Hinata boy."

Her knife dropped to the table with a clatter.

Her blood ran cold. 'Mikio... he wouldn't...'

"How do you know?!"

"Manners," her Mother said, calmly cutting her steak. "I hired a private investigator, especially after Yamamoto-san regretfully told me he had no choice but to dismiss you from his company."

"If you already know I left my job, why bother asking?"

Her Mother continued eating.

A sudden thought occurred to her. "If your investigator told you that I'm now working with Sanjuurou's team... Do you know about the attacks?"

"Ah," her Mother said, nabbing her mouth with her napkin. "The attacks."

"You know about the attacks targeting me, and that isn't your concern?!"

"Don't raise your voice at me, Misaki. Such attacks are the norm, and besides, they're targeting the Kanade family, not you."

"We can send you some guards if you like," her Father suggested.

"No thanks," she said hotly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Sanjuurou and his team are competent enough to protect me."

Her Mother turned up her nose. "Must you involve yourself with that boy? His late sister was so distasteful, it's hard to imagine how much different he could be."

Her grip over her cutlery tightened. "Sanjuurou is himself, not just Hourai's brother."

Her Mother sighed. "His sister was utterly disrespectful towards me. You should resign, and I will recommend you to another firm – "