Page 59 of Curses & Kitsune

I grip the knob and open the door, only to freeze in the doorway.

My bedroom has been stripped bare. There isn’t a single trace of the boy I once was, like he never existed at all. There’s a hollow feeling in my stomach. They must have sold all my furniture after I left to go live on campus in Tokyo. They couldn’t even stand having the ghost of me in this house. The walls close in on me, and I hastily slam the door.

Curiosity, and a bit of dread, compels me toward Katsuki’s room. I open the door and find Katsuki’s room fully furnished. It’s been updated from his teenaged bedroom, obviously, with furniture and decorations more fit for an adult. He still has all the trophies he won throughout high school on shelves. He was an excellent baseball player and helped his team win several matches.

I close the door, leaning my forehead against the smooth wood. I knew it. My parents haven’t changed at all. I’m still the son they never wanted, who did nothing but disappoint them. No. Of course they sold my furniture. I’d made it clear by then I was never coming back home. Why would they keep a room for me?

“Jinta? Tea is ready!”

I swallow hard and steel my resolve before it can crumble. I need to hear them out. If they want a second chance, then they can have one. I just… I can’t be alone.

In the living room, my mother sets a tray of tea and some sweets on the coffee table. My father sits in the armchair beside her, staring straight ahead. I take a seat on the sofa opposite them. “Thank you.” I take my cup of green tea and one of the sweets, a steamed bun with red bean paste inside.

Mom smiles, teeth bright. “It’s good to see you again.”

“It’s been a while.” A few weeks, really. The last time I saw them was for Katsuki’s birthday and that went… badly.

“Have you written any stories?” Mom asks.

I clear my throat and glance at my dad. He scowls as he swallows his tea, like it’s too bitter for him.

“A few. I was working on an undercover project, but it fell through.”

“Oh. Sorry to hear that.”

I laugh, voice cracking. “It’s fine. Everything worked out…” I still got to be with Raiden despite what I’d done. My chest tightens painfully.

Mom looks like she’s going to ask more questions, but Dad sets down his tea with a hard clink against his plate. “There’s something we need to discuss with you.”

Nerves flutter in my stomach. “Of course.”

Dad glares through his spectacles at me. “Katsuki has been fired.”

Silence rings in my ears as I try to understand. Katsuki… fired? He was their heir, and last I’d heard, he’d just been promoted to manager of the Tokyo branch of their hospitality franchise. “What?”

Mom hangs her head, eyes watery. “Katsuki cheated on his fiancée. She caught him in bed with a man and sold the evidence to some gossip rag who blasted it all over the internet.”

Once a cheater, always a cheater, but I keep that to myself. He really hasn’t changed. I’d say I feel bad, but he stole my ex from me and tried to flirt with Raiden. So screw him. I’m glad his fiancée got even.

Dad’s nostrils flare, betraying his anger. “To save face, we fired him.”

I blow out a breath. Katsuki is in hot water with my parents for the first time in his life. For once, I look like the golden child. “Wow. Where’s Katsuki now?”

“Vacationing in the Bahamas,” Mom says. “He has lost himself. Some time away will be good for him.”

I bite my tongue because Katsuki was always like this. He hasn’t lost his way. He was just always an asshole. “Sorry you both had to deal with that. It sounds stressful. Have you found someone to replace him?”

Dad says, “You will.”

I don’t know what to say as a pit opens in my stomach. I knew it. I knew this was too good to be true. Damn it, Tamano was right, and I should have listened. Disappointment wells within me, threatening to choke me, but anger swiftly replaces it.

“Dad, I’ve told you and Mom several times; I have a job. One I’m good at. One I love.” How can they just refuse to accept me, time and time again, and how do I keep letting myself be disappointed by them? I’m so stupid.

Mom clears her throat. “Dear, it’s time to come home. We’ve missed you.” She smiles, but it wobbles. “Come now, we had fun, didn’t we? Remember when you and I worked the restaurant together? I taught you to cook. Wasn’t that fun?”

I fight back a sigh. “It was for a while, but—”

Dad snaps, “But what? Enough excuses. We’ve sacrificed so much to raise you, invested thousands into your education, and we were ready to hand you a multi-million-dollar business on a silver platter! Do you realize how lucky you are? But you’d rather throw it all away to play with cameras and write stories!”

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