“I’m back.” My father said without much emotion, neatly placing his briefcase on the living room table and making his way towards the kitchen. 

“Welcome home.” Mom replied in a cheery voice, but I could hear the tremble in her voice. 

As my father sat down at the kitchen table, dishes began to be placed on the table. Silently, I helped set down the plates and utensils. 

“You’re back from the soccer camp.” My father remarked from behind his newspaper. There was not a word of welcoming back home nor was there a concern for my well being in the past week away from home. “Your coach called to tell me that you were offered a sports scholarship at Fumizuki Academy to join their soccer team.” 

Fumizuki Academy was the private high school that I attended in my last life. It was a prestigious school that cultivated athletic stars that eventually were scouted by big name teams in the college and professional world. Since my grades and athletics were top notch, it was no surprise to my father nor myself that I had been offered such a scholarship. However, I tried to recall how I had felt in my previous life. Had I been excited at that time? Had I been happy? I couldn’t recall. The only thing I do remember was that I felt relieved after leaving home since it was a boarding school. 

“Congratulations, Rei-chan! Your hard work has paid off!” Mom exclaimed, recovering just a bit of excitement in her eyes as she looked at me. But there was still a hint of something darker in her gaze. 

I stared at her, and suddenly recalled the look my mother usually gave me. What used to be a loving and caring gaze had turned to a gaze filled with fear and a bit of resentment. Fear because I looked so much like my father who only gave her cold gazes. As for resentment... It took me a long time to process my mother’s attitude towards me, but I had come to the conclusion that it was none other than jealousy. My mother was jealous that my father would give me positive attention. And eventually, towards the end of their relationship, she looked at me with desperation. The more outstanding I was, the more she held onto the hope that my father would not leave her because I was her child too. 

Both my parents were using me for selfish reasons. One to fulfill his ambitions, and the other to hold onto her crumbling marriage. 

I suddenly felt an uncontrollable hate for both of them. 

“I’ll go call Keisuke down for dinner.” My words were brief as I tore myself away from the tense atmosphere. I ran up the stairs and stopped outside my little brother’s room. With a short knock, I called out to him. 

There was no reply. 

“Kei-chan?” I repeated his name, turning the doorknob and entering his room. Mom had forbidden doors to be locked, so each bedroom door had been replaced. Though I know it was an intrusion of his privacy, there was a prickling worry that dominated my reason. I couldn’t ignore my little brother like my previous life. I wouldn’t let him live that kind of miserable life again. 

Sitting on the bed, the little eleven-year old kid was clumsily wrapping bandages around his right hand. He had headphones on and was listening to music, completely oblivious to my entrance. 

“Kei-chan.” I said a little louder and cleared my throat, which finally caught his attention. 

Kei-chan looked up at me with a bewildered expression, stuttering out his words. “N-Nee-san! What are you doing here!?” 

“Dinner’s ready, so I came to get you.” I explained. Flickering a glance at his hand, I added, “Did you hurt yourself punching that other kid? Let me help you wrap it up.”

Kei-chan’s dark eyes glared at me. “I can do it myself!” 

“You hurt your dominant hand, so it won’t be as good. I’ve had sports injuries before, so I can wrap it better for you.” I reasoned and sat down directly on his bed, grabbing the tan wrap and undoing it from his wrist. “If the pain hurts too much, tell me. I can get you some medicine. After dinner, we’ll ice it too.” 

“You…” Kei-chan looked a little confused at my show of concern. He looked so much like a wary little kitten that I couldn’t help breaking into a smile. My little brother was the cutest! He still had a little bit of baby fat on his cheeks with a rounded chin and big chestnut eyes that made him look like a little doll. His black hair was just like a messy bird’s nest on his head, and my fingers itched to rub his hair. “You used to get hurt too?”

I bit back a laugh at his question, not wanting to seem like I was mocking him or anything. So I kept a calm expression on my face as I replied, “Of course. I’m human too. It’s only natural that I get hurt sometimes.”

“...even though you act like a robot and are always perfect…” Kei-chan grumbled under his breath as he turned away from me, but he obediently sat still as I re-wrapped his hand and observed his injury simultaneously. It was only a little swollen, so the injury wasn’t all that bad. Probably a minor sprain. He was pretty scrawny after all, and he had punched someone square in the face in an inexperienced manner. Well, not that I had that much experience punching other people either… 

“All done,” I said as I tied the bandages in place. Unable to resist, I reached out and ruffled his messy hair before getting up. “Let’s go. Mom and dad are waiting for us.” 

“D-Dad’s home too?” Kei-chan said, a flicker of fear in his voice. 

I lowered my gaze, tempering back the anger underneath my skin. I knew that Kei-chan was terrified of our father. Although he never hit us, he always yelled or screamed at us whenever we failed to meet his expectations. That kind of aggressive verbal abuse would traumatize anyone. I had managed to live up to my father’s expectations, so my father rarely raised his voice at me anymore. But Kei-chan was different. Father constantly yelled and expressed his disappointment at the young child almost every day. In such a suffocating atmosphere, I felt a twinge of regret at remembering all this now; instead of staying to protect my innocent little brother, I had run away from all my troubles at home. But that was then, and this is now. I wasn’t going to make the same mistakes anymore. 

I gave Kei-chan a warm smile, distracting him with an affectionate head rub which earned me a glare. “Don’t worry, I won’t let him yell at you anymore.”

Kei-chan looked shocked at my words before eyeing me suspiciously. “Why do you care?” 

“Because you’re my little brother. It’s a big sister’s job to protect their little brothers, don’t you know?” I teased lightly as I made my way to the door. “C’mon, let’s go together.” 

The young boy grumbled a little bit, but he didn’t turn down my offer. Together, we made our way back to the kitchen. 

Neither mom nor dad paid us any heed as we sat down at the table and began to eat dinner. My mother barely lifted her head up, and father kept reading his newspaper at the table. Neither of them noticed Kei-chan’s injured hand, despite his clumsy attempts to eat with chopsticks in his left hand. I got up, grabbed a spoon and handed it over to him, returning to my seat in a nonchalant manner. The anger inside continued to boil, but I didn’t want to scare Kei-chan if I had a sudden outburst. 

“Thanks…” Kei-chan mumbled as he was finally able to scoop up food to eat. 

I nodded with a smile. So my rebellious little brother wasn’t so far gone after all, despite his temper and tendency towards violence earlier. I recalled then that Kei-chan’s personality didn’t become as twisted and rebellious until after I left home. The regret still stung sharp, and I dipped my head in an attempt to hide my failing expressions. The emotions were intense, but I had been an adult for years already. Managing my emotions and hiding my facial expressions was a skill that every adult learned eventually. 

When the food was finished, mom quietly got up to put away the dishes. However, my father’s low voice suddenly spoke up. 

“Sit. We need to have a talk.” Father spoke plainly as he calmly folded and set aside his newspaper. 

From my peripheral, I could see Kei-chan’s trembling appearance once my father set his eyes on us. 

I knew what was coming. This was the second time that I lived this moment. 

“Your mother and I are getting a divorce. I won’t live here anymore, but I will still send money to support you guys through school. Anything else after that depends on your ability.” 

'And your worth' were the unspoken words.

“Dear, please!” Mom choked on a sob, tears suddenly streaming down her face. Her expression was twisted in a desperate and anguished look. “Think about the children!” 

“I have made my decision.” Father coldly replied.

“Think about me! What about me?” Mom begged, reaching out in an attempt to hold onto my father. 

With a wave of his arm, the man effortlessly shook off her weak grip. “We’re over. The divorce papers are in my bag, and you’ll sign them tonight.” 

“It’s that woman, isn’t it?” Mother screeched, lunging forward and clinging to my father in desperation. “That bitch told you to leave me, didn’t she!? She’s just jealous of our family!” 

“Shut up!” Father flung the clinging woman off his body, staring down at her with disgust as he stood up and grabbed his suitcase. He tossed a thick manila envelope on the table. “Sign them now.” 

“Never!” Mom’s voice was shrill and high. 

It was as if time was replaying itself, and I sat frozen in the memories of the past. The scene played just like in my memories; father demanded a divorce, and mom constantly begged him in desperation. My heart beat quickly in my chest, and I felt terrified at the knowledge that my past hadn’t changed at all. Father was still going to divorce mom, and she was going to fall into a depression. He was still going to abandon us. 

A sudden hiccup caught my attention, bringing me back to reality as I realized that Kei-chan was still sitting at the table. He was staring wide-eyed at my parents who screamed at each other, a look of horror apparent on his face. 

I immediately sprang to my feet, wrapping my little brother in my arms and turning him away. A little kid shouldn’t have to see such a horrible scene. “Kei-chan, don’t look.” I leaned down and whispered in his ear, rubbing his back gently. He was big enough that I couldn’t hold him entirely in my arms, but he was still small enough that I could shield him entirely from the sight of our parents fighting in the kitchen. “Go to your room, okay?” Something wet began to dampen my shirt, and I realized that he was crying as he clung to my clothes.

In my last life, I had walked away from them after mom’s outburst, hiding away in my room as I always did during their fights. I was selfish, only caring about my own self and completely disregarding the fact that Kei-chan had remained downstairs and witnessed our parents screaming at each other. 

Somehow, I managed to move Kei-chan to the stairs and urged him up to his room. He looked at me with a face full of tears. “N-Nee-san, what now?” His words were but a whisper, drowned out by the loud voices of our arguing parents. 

“Go to your room, okay? I’ll take care of it.” I said with a smile, rubbing his hair affectionately. Seeing Kei-chan’s reliance on me gave me strength. I hadn't made the same mistake as last time. The fear of my past life seemed to lessen a little bit. Although the significant events of the past hadn't changed yet, I still had time to do something about it. 

I wasn’t going to help my parents resolve their marriage troubles; that was on them. But I was determined to change Kei-chan’s fate. My cute little brother would not end up as miserable as my past life. I was going to live a life that I wouldn't regret. The changes start now.

Kei-chan gave me a small nod of his head and ran up the stairs and into his room. 

I went back to the kitchen where my father continued to yell at my mother who refused to sign the divorce papers. 

“Mom, it’s over.” I said calmly, taking my seat back at the table and looking at both of them with a cool expression on my face. 

I knew they both heard me. Mom turned to look at me with a piercing glare. Father threw the pen down in front of my mother, returning to his seat. “Sign it or else I won’t even send money for you to live comfortably.” 

There was silence. Mom’s face was still full of tears, but she was no longer sobbing. Her lips were pursed together in a straight line. “Why now?” She asked. 

Father crossed his arms and gave a huff of breath. “She’s pregnant. With my child.” 

I already knew the circumstances of their divorce, having lived through this life once before. Mom and dad grew distant after dad moved up in his company; his workload and stress increased exponentially. My mother, who was a weak-willed and selfish woman, cried at the drop of a hat and was unable to help my father shoulder his burdens. The soft woman he had once loved now suddenly became the very same thing he hated. Thus, father became more strict on us. Probably as an outlet for the stress of his job. He had an inferiority complex that was most likely exacerbated from his overbearing superiors at work. When he became fully distant and estranged, father cheated on my mother with a coworker at his company. I never met the woman nor my half-sibling, even in my past life. Father left us without looking back, and I didn’t care to play fake nice to a family that didn’t want me. Only Kei-chan mattered after my mom died, but after his accident, I also lost focus and got injured, losing my chances of ever playing soccer professionally. Losing this ability made me lose value in my father's eyes, so he only sent me money until I became a legal adult. Then he dropped both me and Kei-chan, but I couldn’t let go of Kei-chan, so I directly entered the workforce to pay for Kei-chan’s hospital bills. 

This current moment was the starting point of everything.

And this was where I was going to prove myself, that I’m no longer the same person I was in my previous life. I don’t need to seek out my father’s approval any longer. 

“Sign it, mom. He’s not going to stay, and we don’t need him to.” I said resolutely. 

She looked at me, but this time, instead of anger, she looked lost and confused. Like a little girl who couldn’t understand what was happening. But then, as if a sudden realization came to her, mom stared down at the papers in front of her. With a trembling hand, she reached out to take the pen and began to slowly sign the divorce papers. 

“I will still send you money when you go to Fumizuki Academy, Reiko.” Father remarked in an indifferent tone, though he shot my mother a disgusted look. 

Obviously, he still hadn’t given up the idea of using me to raise his own status. The higher I climbed, the better his reputation; the more face and value he would perceive himself to have. 

“I’m not going to Fumizuki Academy. I’m staying here and attending Yazawa High School.” I stated calmly. 

“What?” Father shot me a glare. “You’re going to Fumizuki Academy.” 

“No, I’m staying here.” I repeated myself, matching his gaze with a heated glare of my own. “You can go and leave this family behind, but I’m not you. I won’t abandon my family, so stop projecting your stupid ideals onto me.” The simmering rage underneath my skin finally began to spill over, and my words came out harsh and heavy. “Just because you failed to live up to your own ambitions doesn’t mean I have to! I’m not you, I’m better than you.” 

Father’s face reddened with rage, and as the haze of anger clouded us both, I was unprepared for what happened next.