A short ficlet/headcanon exploring Yuu's past (cw: self-harm)
It's not beta-read or anything, so there may be a ton of mistakes :<
Yuu sat between her parents, unable to process the conversation around her any further. She had spent the last 6 months studying hard to get into Seawood College of Arts and Science, one of the most prestigious college in their city, She even managed to get a decent grade in Economics, her worst subject. It was the highest score she'd ever gotten, in her three years of studying it. Seawood was one of the few that had a paleontology department. Though she was not allowed to study the subject, she was looking forward to at least talking to the professors who taught there. Her parents even said they'd give her more freedom provided she gets in. Perhaps even internet access, something her classmates have had for years. She had finally scraped enough marks to reach the cutoff for admission into Seawood and-
"We've already enrolled our daughter into Carter College. It is close to our home, we can pick her up and drop her to college. We also have connections there, so she can even skip classes and study at home. After all, a classroom atmosphere filled with noisy students and incompetent teachers would be disruptive to studies."
"Oh I thought she wanted to go to Seawood? With her marks she could get in, right?", her cousin asked cheerfully.
"That's true. Getting into Seawood was good motivation for her, she was able to push herself farther than we ever could. Self-motivation and determination really is something huh? We didn't want to disrupt her willpower, so we didn't say anything earlier."
Her parents laughed. Yuu wanted to throw up. Her father continued, regarding her cousin with a slightly cold look-
"But that college is far, and she might fall into bad company. We only have our daughter's welfare in our mind. Carter would do. While not a top college, we have influence there."
"Of course, makes sense uncle."
Yuu could feel her composure crumbling and excused herself, going into the restroom- her only truly private space in the apartment (since she was not allowed to close the door to her room). Tears flowed freely as she brought her fist harshly onto the wall, with just enough force to hurt but not openly bruise her hand. With gritted teeth she tried to calm herself down. Her heart hurt, she wanted to cry out loud, But she couldn't risk it. Throwing a tantrum in front of a guest? Her parents would be livid. She was 16, not a child anymore.
And anyway, this wasn't the first time her parents had betrayed her trust. In fact, she should have been suspicious of them ever since they told her she would be allowed go to the paleontology department if she does get in. Allowing her to associate with the subject after having scolded her throughout the years for still harbouring dreams about it was definitely a red flag. One that she missed, or perhaps chose to not see.
And yet- And yet she continued to believe their sweet words and gifts. After all they had only her best interests in mind, right? Guilt filled her, taking place of the hurt. Quickly washing her face and taking a few deep breaths, she walked out, ready to be the model daughter once more.
