My Scumbag System - Chapter 110

Chapter 110: My Mom’s Terms and Conditions Are Unacceptable
“Nothing is solved!” She rose to meet me, her small frame vibrating with emotion. “Do you think I’m just concerned about propriety? About what the neighbors might say? This is about what this relationship is doing to you. To her. I’ve watched you both changing before my eyes.”

“People change, Mom. I’m not the same person I was a few months ago.”

“No,” she agreed, her voice suddenly quiet. “You’re not. Sometimes when I look at you, I don’t recognize you at all.”

“Maybe you never really knew me.”

Kimiko’s eyes filled with tears. “That’s not true. I raised you. I was there for every scraped knee, every nightmare. I know your favorite foods, your allergies, the way you used to be afraid of thunderstorms until you were ten.” She stepped closer, placing a hand on my cheek. “I know you, Satori. Which is why this terrifies me. Because the man standing before me now feels like a stranger wearing my son’s face.”

The curse throbbed between my temples, a red-hot needle behind my eyes. She was seeing too much, getting too close to the truth. I needed to end this, to find some way to salvage the situation before she pulled at threads that would unravel everything.

“I’m still me,” I lied, feeling the prickle of the curse as she registered the falsehood. “Just… growing up. Finding my own path.”

“A path that leads straight to ruining your sister’s life? Your own life?”

“She’s not my sister,” I growled, my patience fraying. “And it’s not ruin. It’s love.”

I hadn’t meant to say it, hadn’t even realized I was thinking it. But there it was.

Kimiko studied my face with those penetrating eyes. “Love,” she repeated slowly. “Is that what you tell yourself to justify what you’re doing? What you’re feeling?”

“It’s the truth.”

“Then answer me one question,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. “And remember, I can tell when you’re lying to me, Satori. I always could, even before you changed.” She paused, gathering herself. “Is Natalia the only one?”

My breath caught. “What do you mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean. That girl yesterday. Emi. Your other… interests. Is Natalia aware of them? Does she know she’s sharing you?”

I felt the blood drain from my face. Fuck. She’d managed to corner me with a single question. If I said yes, I admitted to playing them both. If I said no, I was either lying about Emi or lying about Natalia being the only one.

“It’s complicated,” I repeated, falling back on my earlier defense.

“No, it’s very simple. You’re using them both. Playing games with people’s hearts.” Kimiko shook her head, disappointment radiating from her in waves. “I taught you better than this.”

“You taught Satori better,” I nearly said, but caught myself. Instead, I tried another approach. “What are you going to do? Tell Luka?”

The question hung in the air between us. Kimiko’s hand fell from my cheek, her eyes never leaving mine.

“That’s what you’re most worried about, isn’t it? The consequences. Not the pain you’re causing, not the lives you’re toying with.”

“That’s not fair.”

“No? Then prove me wrong. End it with Natalia. Today. Tell her it was a mistake and can never happen again.” Her voice was steel wrapped in silk. “Show me you care more about her well-being than your own desires.”

The thought of giving up Natalia sent a surge of possessiveness through me. She was mine. My queen. My first pillar. I’d worked too hard, come too far to simply walk away.

“I can’t do that.”

“Can’t? Or won’t?”

“Both.” I met her gaze unflinchingly. “I won’t hurt her like that.”

“But you’ll hurt her in every other way? String her along while pursuing other girls? Expose her to scandal if anyone finds out? Risk her future at the academy?”

“That won’t happen.”

“You can’t control everything, Satori. No matter how much you think you can.”

The conversation was going in circles. I needed to find leverage, something to shift the balance of power back in my favor.

“What do you want from me, Mom? Seriously. What outcome are you looking for here?”

Kimiko sighed, suddenly looking older than her years. “I want my son back. The kind, thoughtful boy I raised. The one who wouldn’t manipulate people for his own gain.”

“That boy got nowhere in life,” I said before I could stop myself. “That boy was invisible. Worthless.”

Her face crumpled. “Is that what you thought? That I saw you as worthless?”

“Not you,” I backtracked. “The world. Everyone else.”

“And so you decided to become… this? Whatever this new version of you is?”

I spread my hands. “I decided to become someone who matters. Someone who won’t be stepped on or overlooked. Is that so wrong?”

“When it comes at the cost of your soul? Yes.” Kimiko turned away, facing the cityscape beyond the terrace. “I won’t tell Luka. Not yet.”

Relief washed through me, followed immediately by suspicion. “Why not?”

“Because it would destroy him. And because I’m still hoping there’s a way back from this for both of you.” She looked over her shoulder at me. “But hear me clearly, Satori. This ends now. Whatever is happening between you and Natalia stops today. And if it doesn’t…”

“You’ll tell him,” I finished.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to protect this family. Even from itself.” She turned back to face me fully. “I’m not naive. I know you think you can outsmart me, find some way around this. But remember, I survived on my own for years. I kept you fed and clothed when we had nothing.”

“I understand,” I said simply.

“Do you? Because I need you to hear me, Satori. This isn’t a game. These aren’t characters in one of your video games. These are real people with real hearts that break.” Her voice caught. “My heart is breaking watching you turn into someone I don’t recognize.”

The guilt I should have felt remained elusive. But I understood the threat. Kimiko had outmaneuvered me, placed me in a corner with limited options. I had two paths forward: defy her openly and risk everything, or appear to comply while finding a workaround.

“I’ll talk to Natalia,” I said, letting resignation color my voice. “Today.”

Kimiko nodded, but the suspicion in her eyes told me she wasn’t fully convinced.

“I hope you mean that. For all our sakes.” She reached out, squeezing my arm with gentle pressure. “I love you, Satori. That hasn’t changed. It never will. But love sometimes means making hard choices.”