Chapter 19: I Told You, a Bad Family Environment Will Naturally Breed Monsters

I Told You, a Bad Family Environment Will Naturally Breed Monsters

"...Tachibana-san, the one who the teacher contacted?"

"Yes, nice to meet you, Hanabi-san's mother. My name is Tachibana Yuri, and I'm a classmate of Hanabi Kagari-san's. I came here today to talk to Hanabi-san. I apologize for the suddenness."

"No, thank you for taking the time to come all the way here for my Kagari."

Yes, the woman who appears to be Hanabi-san's mother looks at me apologetically. There's something elegant about her clothes and demeanor.

Hanabi-san's house looked quite large from the outside, but the inside was also quite impressive. They seem to be a fairly wealthy family.

She greeted me at the front door and led me straight into the living room.

"Tachibana-san, how many sugars do you like in your tea?"

"Oh, you don't have to..."

"Hehe, don't be shy. It would be more of a problem if I didn't offer any tea to my guests."

"In that case, just one, please."

"One, hehe."

Hanabi's mother stood up with a faint smile and headed toward the kitchen. I get nervous being left alone in a new house like this.

Come to think of it, Hanabi-san, I mean, Kagari-san wasn't a very noticeable girl at school, but we were classmates, so I remember her face, and she looked just like her mother. It feels like she'll turn out like that if she ages carefully.

Her reddish hair color and slightly droopy eyes strongly suggest genetics. 

"Thank you for waiting."

A cup and saucer were placed in front of me, and the soft aroma of tea immediately tickled my nostrils. Extra sugar and milk were placed next to it, and a cookie was even placed in the center, with the caption, "I made this. Please try it if you like."

These were all white porcelain tableware that looked very luxurious, and the tea also gave off a distinctly expensive vibe. When I'm served something this expensive, I have to respond accordingly, so I don't really like it.

If they'd served potato chips and cola, I'd lick off any powder from my fingertips and, if my mouth got oily, wash it down with a gulp of soda, which I'd consider to be proper etiquette.

Um, what's the correct way to drink tea again? 

The tea was currently placed on a high table, higher than my waist, so I didn't lift the saucer, just grabbed the cup, without putting my fingers in the handle...

"--Hmm. It smells nice."

"Oh, really? I'm glad you like it."

She smiled even deeper than before, and if I wasn't imagining it, I could see a bit of me in her eyes as she spoke.

Scary, it's like she hadn't even noticed me until now. And she even went so far as to test me, which is definitely not how someone would treat someone who has come to see their reclusive daughter.

Fortunately, I seem to have passed this test, but I wonder what would have happened if I had made a mistake.

I took a sip of the tea, letting those thoughts and emotions wash over me.

...Delicious.

"This tea is delicious. Thank you, Okaa-sama."

"Hehehe, do you like it? I'll give you some."

Yay, I'm so happy♪

But I don't want to get carried away and be thrown out, so I'll keep it to a minimum. It's frustrating, though.

I decided to get straight to the point.

"So, Okaa-sama, about Kagari-san."

"Ah, that's right. Come to think of it, you came here because of Kagari."

As she put the cup back on the saucer, she replied with a look as if she'd "forgot." It was as if our tea party had taken over the main focus, and Kagari had slipped her mind completely.

"Well, Kagari. This may be a bit embarrassing for my family, but she stopped leaving her room around the end of December, around the start of winter break in high school."

"It's just as Kamitsure-sensei said. What about meals, baths, changing clothes, and toilet use?"

"I leave her meals in front of her room, and before I know it, she's finished eating and taking her dishes outside. I think she probably bathes, changes clothes, and uses the toilet while my husband and I are asleep. In the mornings, Kagari's clothes are often in the washing machine."

"I see... Okaa-sama seems very tired, so it would be best if we could do something about it as soon as possible."

As I said this, I stole a quick glance at her face. There were deep, dark bags around her eyes, and it was clear she was tired.

But,...

"Oh, these bags are different. Sorry if I misled you."

"Oh, uh... is that so? I'm sorry. I jumped to conclusions."

"No, no, I was glad you were worried about me."

My assumption was shattered by her own hand.

What? Isn't that dark bags caused by the anguish and stress of her daughter becoming a hikikomori? Well, it's possible that she was lying, but it didn't seem like that... 

"According to Kamitsure-sensei, as long as Kagari-san takes her final exams, there won't be any problems with her promotion this year, so I want her to aim for that first. At worst, we're considering having her take the exams in a separate room."

"Oh my, I'm so sorry for causing you so much trouble because of Kagari."

"No, it's not like she's causing me any trouble..."

What's up with this woman all this time?

Even though we're talking about her own daughter, she acts like it's someone else's problem, or to put it bluntly, she doesn't seem interested in her at all.

Perhaps this family may look wealthy and luxurious from the outside, but underneath, it's actually quite bleak.

If that's the case, I'll have to change a lot of my plans, or rather, all the plans I'd made in advance would fall apart.

Well, there's no way to predict other people's family situations, so there's no time to regret it. Let's move on; positive thinking is always the order of the day.

"Well, even if Kagari doesn't advance to the next grade, I'll have her quit high school and take care of her at home, so you don't need to worry too much, Tachibana-san."

I can't stand this woman.

I don't want to be involved with Sumire-chan when she's drinking either. My plans are basically based on human common sense, so as soon as even one person like this gets involved, things start to go haywire.

I hate the fact that she seems to be seriously saying she's not really interested in what happens to her daughter. How am I supposed to deal with someone like that?

She's supposed to take the lead by saying, "My daughter seems to be having a hard time, I'll do something about it!" But instead she says, "I'm not really interested in my daughter, so if worst comes to worst, you can leave her alone," and it's just so heartbreaking. I have no choice but to express my feelings using this old, dead phrase.

"More importantly, Tachibana-san has good manners, good posture, and is very cute. I'm sure your parents are very proud of you."

"No, no, I still have a long way to go."

"I wonder, compared to my daughter Kagari, Tachibana-san... Excuse me, but I think it might be a bit too formal to keep calling you by your family name, so I'd like to call you Yuri-chan. Is that okay?"

"Yes, I don't mind."

"Right, then I'll feel free to call you Yuri-chan. You can also call me by my first name, Kasumi-san, and not Hanabi-san, okay? Of course, I'm fine with Okaa-sama too."

... I won't say anything more.

"Yuri-chan's a good kid, isn't she? She was asked by the teacher to come and help a classmate who's a hikikomori."

"Haha, is that so..."

"Yes, yes, she's such a good kid! I wish I had a kid like Yuri-chan too... No, it's nothing."

Of course it's not nothing, it's terrible.

It's clear now, but this mother has no expectations of Kagari at all.

I don't know if she gave up on her because she became a hikikomori, or if it's always been like this, but it seems Kagari grew up in a rather unusual family environment. 

Well, I suppose she's probably always been like this.

She behaves so naturally that it's hard to believe she's only recently started acting like this. And if she's always been like this, it stands to reason that Kagari wouldn't be able to report the bullying to her parents.

Even if Kagari had told this person that she was being bullied at school, she'd probably just say, "Oh, really? That's tough, do your best!" and leave it at that.

How should I put it... Hmm.

Ah, that's right!

They're pets, pets. It seems like children are like pets to her. And the kind of pets whose performance she compares to other people's pets.

If I had to associate it with pets like dogs or cats, it's not so much the way elementary school boys treat their pet beetles.

If she has a strong rhinoceros beetle wrestle with her friend's beetle, she will love and cherish it, but if it's a weak one that can't win, she won't show any affection and will just treat it with indifference. However, she does feed it and do other things just in case so it won't die, as she knows it would be a nightmare.

And to Kasumi, Kagari was probably a beetle that couldn't win a fight with others for a long time. That's why she remained indifferent, taking care of it until the moment it died, but not actively loving it, and she has no intention of protecting it. It's just that doing it yourself is a nightmare, and I'm sure even if Kagari disappears or commits suicide, she'll forget about it after a while.

"I don't think Kagari will come outside much, so please don't hesitate to come to my house and see her. Of course, I want you to come and see me too."

Haha, I feel like I've taken on another troublesome request.

As I said before, natural monsters are often born into a distorted environment. If you're born into a distorted environment, it's only natural that you'll grow up to be distorted as well.

I was overthinking it, but her family is so complicated and strange.

Kagari-san, you were someone who couldn't come back long ago. Before I could completely corrupt you.

So, now, where should I start?

Author Note:

By the way, I originally intended for Kagari's mother to be a normal mother worried about her daughter who became a hikikomori. However, I thought it would be more interesting to make her a dangerous person, so I quickly changed the setting.

By the way, this isn't actually her first appearance, so if you're interested, please look for her. It's obvious, though.

A little behind-the-scenes story: I actually originally intended for Kagari's arc to end with her evolving from a simple hikikomori into the worst kind of hikikomori NEET.

However, I thought this would be more interesting, so I made Hanabi's mom a weirdo. However, the ending ended up having less impact, and I'm scratching my head.

What should I do about this...?