All The Same

I don't mind
I don't care
As long as you're here
If you take me for everything and do it all over again
It's all the same

- Sick Puppies, All the Same

She was adamant until the very end, shedding no tears for Kyoyama Eisuke - her father. He was the epitome of a good parent until he got very sick and could not provide for his family anymore. Being the eldest of three children, she had no choice but to carry her father's burden. There was no one else - not her sister who's barely two months old, or her younger brother who hasn't even finished middle school.

She hated being the responsible one, that sometimes she wished they abandoned her as a child. Her mother was of no help either. Kyoyama Miharu treated her like a slave, blamed her for the tiniest things, that by the time she turned eighteen, she had gotten used to her mother's foul words, to the point she learned how to tune them out.

Kyoyama Anna often wondered why she seemed to hate her so much.

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Anna was not going to agree to this - she was firm on her resolve. But the incident last night - she couldn't shake off the feeling that if it wasn't for the old man's help, they would've been killed. Maybe, she'd welcome death for herself, but her siblings have their lives ahead of them; she was going to give them a shot for a better future.

So, she met with him - the old man's son, Asakura Yoh. His smile was unlike any other and she can tell it was genuine. It would have been a breeze to fall in love with him, if it weren't for the fact that his father arranged the marriage, and that her father agreed to it. Or wait.

Her father did NOT agree to it. Had he done so in the past, they wouldn't have jumped from place to place just to get away from his creditors, the loan sharks. Asakura Mikihisa was right; she'd rather hate Eisuke for giving her away in exchange for a debt-free life, than to live in fear.

Perhaps, there's an even better explanation; she does not seem to care anymore, as long as her family's safe.

"Thanks for meeting me." She started.

" I initially didn't agree with this setup but... after seeing you..." He paused. "I changed my mind."

Anna raised her brow at his statement.

"Ahh-no, I didn't mean it in a bad way or anything!"

"Doesn't matter. I have to get back."

"But you just got here." Anna scowled at him and he flinched at the sight of her glare. "Ahh, right. I'll pick you up tomorrow?"

"Fine by me."

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Ishimaru Taiki was a junior student at her college when they first met. He was the average happy-go-lucky guy who had no dreams, and was considered a delinquent in the campus. It was highly unlikely that Anna would fall for someone like him, if not perhaps for his looks. He's actually decent when he shaves and fixes his hair, and wears proper clothes. Plus, he's not really a troublemaker like the other guys in his class.

One good trait of Anna is that, she does not base her preference of men merely on appearance and charm. Taiki is a man of few words, and even though he was regarded as a delinquent student, in reality, he's sensible and smart. She found out that he was failing on purpose to show defiance against his dad, for forcing him to take an engineering course, when all he wanted was to paint. If he wanted to, he could ace his exams and graduate with flying colours. But then, why would he give his dad that satisfaction?