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Chapter Three: Imprisoned XII (Act XII - The Caged Bird)
"Miss Triangle, please rest here tonight. The head of the family will arrange your accommodations tomorrow."
After leaving Toyokawa Sadaharu's (father's) study, Mikami Hatsuka was taken to rest in a guest room by the butler Fujita.
However, the elderly man, who spoke so gently, also had two bodyguards in black suits outside the room to prevent her from escaping.
Sanjiao Chuhua didn't even ask where the other party wanted to take her, nor did she care, because no matter where she was taken, it would be no different from the seemingly luxurious hotel room she was in now.
It's just... a cage in a different form.
She walked silently into the guest room, then closed the door behind her, not wanting to hear anything more about the Toyokawa family.
She sat silently on the bed. It was already late outside the window, with a crescent moon hanging in the sky. Outside was a lush green field, seemingly within reach, but for the girl at that moment, only the scene in the room felt real.
This is the place that best suits her.
Suddenly, she found a brand new guitar in the guest room, and she didn't know who had put it there.
Perhaps before she arrived in Tokyo, she might have fantasized that this was specially prepared for her by that man (her father), but now, she would not have such a wish.
Even so, for the girl who is now imprisoned, the guitar is the only thing she can hold in her own hands, and the only instrument that can express her inner feelings.
She held her guitar and gently strummed the strings. She had a song she had prepared for a long time, a song she wanted to sing to those two people, but now, she probably wouldn't have the chance anymore.
Therefore, she could only choose to sing alone, at least to relieve her current distress.
“Yu-kun…SAKI-chan…” Her voice was so plaintive, it was hard to breathe.
She gently closed her eyes; the melody was already etched in her heart, for this song was the cry from her soul.
*The depiction of the distorted sky makes me want to let my imagination run wild.
May you, having lost your wings, fall to my side.
She sang softly, reminiscing about her life up to the point where she was known as "Mitsubo Miku".
"Dad is always like this, he always likes my sister more, it's so annoying."
"No, Chuhua, we are all Daddy's daughters."
That was her original thought, but at such a young age, the girl already knew the impurity of the world.
When do you plan to tell that child (Hatsune) that her biological father is actually in Tokyo?
The voice that was initially thought to be that of his father came through.
"I hope she never finds out about that."
Upon hearing this news, she had only one thought in her mind.
See, Chuhua, as expected, you are Dad's favorite. You are... the child of love, the crystallization of your parents' love.
My father always favors me, simply because... I am not his biological daughter.
I inadvertently touched something sacred and noble.
I only ask that you become my legend tonight.
*Look, you have nowhere to escape.
*Tightly binding you as you gradually weaken
"Mom, the villa on the mountain seems to belong to the Toyokawa family of three. Is she...? Can I go visit her?"
"Hatsune, you... you absolutely cannot go play with that child, understand? This is an order."
It was the first time the girl had ever seen such a stern mother. She was frightened and could only nod subconsciously.
In the days that followed, she could only watch helplessly as her younger sister would come home and tell her how interesting the other child she played with was.
She just listened there; she couldn't tell her sister that she actually wanted to play with her too.
However, she did not have that freedom.
Until... until her younger sister developed a fever, she kept muttering about her last "date" with the girl with the surname Toyokawa.
So the girl made a bold decision: she would go to the appointment in place of her sister.
"The stars here are so beautiful, Chuhua, they're just like... your singing voice."
"No...no, Saki-chan is exaggerating."
She had never been so moved. Was this friendship? Perhaps not, after all, the girl beside her was her blood relative.
However, she couldn't tell the other person about this, not even... her own identity.
"You must go to Tokyo someday, after all, your singing voice is so beautiful, I want more people to hear your singing voice."
However, the little girl's words were deeply engraved in her heart, making her curious about that place for the first time.
In Tokyo, there is Shoko, and even... the man who should be her biological father is there.
When she thought about it, she felt a little sorry for her adoptive father, after all, he had been so good to her.
For the first time in her life, this young girl had aspirations (hope).
You know I want...I want...I want... (You know perfectly well that I want to...)
I want you so much... I want... (How much I long for you...)
"It's all your fault. If it weren't for you, Dad wouldn't have gone out to sea so often, and then..."
Hearing her sister's choked and angry voice, the girl felt her whole body go cold. Her throat should have been choked with sobs, but she seemed speechless.
Misfortune—this was the first time she had heard this word. Her existence was, for this family, misfortune.
In the end, the girl made a decision.
She was going to a city called Tokyo, hoping to find her place there.
She even felt a hint of longing and curiosity.
How does that man, whom she has never met, view her, this daughter whom she has never seen before?
"Um, Mr. Toyokawa, can I stay in Tokyo? I want to become an idol."
“Master, is this really a good idea? If the people from the branch family find out that you have other bloodlines, it will become an excuse for them to attack you.”
What is your suggestion?
"Sending this young lady back is the safest option."
Hearing this conversation from outside the door, the girl felt a chill run through her body. At that moment, she envied her younger sister because, compared to her, she... was not the child of love.
“SAKI-chan…”
At this moment, the girl with the bright smile now seemed to look up to her with a hint of awe and distance.
After all, she was the noble and legitimate eldest daughter of the Toyokawa family, while he...
She remembered the nickname for a child born to a mistress that she had seen on television.
Bastard.
If only none of this had ever happened, but why...?
*You know you know you know (You know perfectly well that you know perfectly well)
You know I want you to know how much I need you, so you know how much I crave you.
"Qinggao... Uncle?"
"Don't worry, Hatsune. Your father-in-law was wrong in this matter. Since you are her bloodline, she shouldn't have abandoned you. I will go back and talk to your father-in-law about this. Wait for my news."
Seeing the gentle man in front of her say such things, the girl was touched, but soon after, she learned that Uncle Qing had been expelled from the family.
It was because of her that the girl subconsciously thought this way.
It was because of her, because he spoke up for her, that Uncle Qing was kicked out of the family by that man (his father).
Then...then she found out that Xiangzi had no choice but to leave the Toyokawa family with her father.
It was her fault, it was her naivety, she shouldn't have... sought help from anyone.
At this moment, the girl finally understood that she was not only not the child of love, but even... an ominous person.
Those who get close to her will suffer misfortune.
Because of her, her adoptive father perished at sea.
Because of her, Chu Hua lost her father.
Because of her, her mother had to leave her hometown.
Because of her, her mother was unable to properly remarry. If it weren't for her, Chuhua, her parents, and her husband would have been a very happy family of three.
Because of her, Uncle Qinggao was expelled from the family and became depressed.
Because of her, Saki-chan also encountered misfortune.
She is... an ominous person; no one who encounters her will have a good outcome.
"Xi means the time after the sun sets and the stars are about to come out."
"And tonight, a shooting star will streak across the starless sky!"
When the girl saw the boy pointing his finger to the sky, when she saw the stars in Tokyo, her heart swayed. That smile, like starlight, illuminated her dark life.
This is the light of hope.
I only ask that you accept me, in my wretched state.
The walls of the soul are crumbling.
*A cruel dream lies hidden within.
I say you're mine, you're mine.
*Look, it's clearly right in front of you.
*Even though it cannot be achieved.
I want, I want, I want you so much.
The girl never imagined that someone in this world could touch her like Saki-chan did.
The girl, who had entered puberty, finally understood that this thing called "love" was something she had never experienced before.
Love brings light and hope.
I truly hope that these days can continue forever, filled with love.
"Yes, I want to rescue Xiangzi. I like Xiangzi the most."
Hearing the boy's resolute words, that familiar bitterness spread through my heart once again.
The person you like the most, and you like the person you like the most.
Indeed, they are noble, and noble people are drawn to each other.
Different from myself.
The flames of hope and love slowly...slowly...faded out.
"I'll take care of keeping Mr. Toyokawa occupied. Please, find happiness with Saki-chan."
The girl could no longer tell if she herself had said those words.
She knew the consequences of her actions.
Perhaps, in that man's anger, he could no longer step out of the cage and would forever remain a caged bird.
But she felt that this was not bad either.
Otherwise, as an unlucky person, I will sooner or later spread misfortune to those two people.
Only inside a cage can you see two people who are truly happy.
Ah, that's enough, that's... enough.
Hope is no longer needed.
Hope is a sweet poison; each taste only brings more pain.
Not all birds yearn for the freedom of the open sky.
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