The Disappearance Of Mitsuka

At last, the day had come when I would finally be free.

I wouldn't have to lie anymore, pretend, or keep playing the role of the perfect daughter in front of everyone.

Standing before the mirror, I realized that my entire life I had been nothing more than a doll controlled by my parents.

I was never allowed to say how I truly felt.

I never had the chance to share my opinion or choose my own path.

Just once...

I wanted to do something I actually liked.

As I brushed my hair, my mother walked into my room and immediately frowned.

"Mitsuka, you're brushing your hair the wrong way."

"But I like it this way," I replied softly.

She stepped closer to the mirror and said,

"People who part their hair to the left..."

Before she could finish, I answered automatically,

"...become thieves or criminals in the future."

"Exactly."

As always, she took the comb from my hand and fixed my hair by force, her movements precise and cold, as if she were correcting an unforgivable mistake.

Within minutes, the hairstyle I had chosen was gone.

She kissed my cheek and left the room.

I waited until I heard the door close.

Then I collapsed onto the floor.

Silent tears rolled down my face as I gripped the hem of my graduation dress.

Even on this day...

I wasn't allowed to be myself.

"Mitsuka! Hurry up!" my mother shouted from the other side of the door. "We have to go!"

I took a deep breath and quickly wiped away my tears.

"Yes, Mom! I'm coming!"

I pulled myself up using the sink for support and looked into the mirror once again.

My reflection looked exhausted.

Empty.

Even so, I forced a smile.

"Just one more time..."

"Hang in there, Mitsuka."

"You'll be out of here soon."

I picked up my graduation cap and walked downstairs.

The moment my mother saw me, she sighed in annoyance.

"Mitsuka! You're wearing that wrong!"

"Do you want bad luck before receiving your valedictorian certificate?"

"No..." I answered immediately.

She straightened my clothes without any gentleness and held my face between her fingers.

"And wipe that miserable look off your face."

"Don't make us look like villains. This isn't a fairy tale."

My father simply nodded.

"Let's go. We're late."

On the way to school, I noticed one of my classmates riding his bicycle in his graduation gown.

Our car splashed through a muddy puddle, covering his clothes with dirt.

He tried to shout something, but the closed windows drowned out his voice.

Before I could apologize, my parents began commenting.

"How pathetic..."

"Who rides a bicycle to their own graduation?"

I looked back as the boy desperately tried to clean his clothes.

"We could give him a ride," I suggested.

They both laughed.

"Mitsuka, remember this," my father said. "Winners stay with winners. Losers stay with losers."

Across the road, the boy glanced at his watch and widened his eyes.

He was late.

Despite being covered in mud, he pedaled as fast as he could.

Just then, his phone rang.

'Dummy Senpai.'

"I can't answer right now, Siam Juan! I'm late for graduation!"

He swerved through traffic recklessly, horns blaring as drivers shouted at him.

He narrowly avoided being hit several times.

When he finally reached the school, he dropped his bicycle beside the wall, climbed over it, tossed his graduation cap over first, then jumped after it.

The moment he landed, he grabbed his cap and sprinted toward the field.

When he arrived, I was already on stage giving my speech.

"Why are you late?" one of his friends asked.

Still catching his breath, he replied,

"I got into trouble because of that girl over there."

"Mitsuka? The queen of perfection?"

He stared at me silently for a few seconds.

"She may be the student council president, the cheer captain, and the top student in our class..."

"But there's one thing she's not perfect at."

"What is it?"

His eyes never left me.

"Pretending to be happy."

"Today... I saw the real Mitsuka."

Meanwhile, I continued my speech.

"And I'd like to thank my parents for everything they've done for me..."

In the front row, my parents proudly mouthed my words, as though they had written every sentence themselves.

Then the announcer called,

"Yuno Susuki!"

As he walked onto the stage, he searched the crowd for his parents.

They weren't there.

Even so, he smiled.

"I want to thank my parents for all the love they've given me."

The words sounded rehearsed.

Empty.

Perhaps his parents weren't truly there for him either.

Moments later, the graduates tossed their caps into the air.

Finally.

I was leaving that school.

That suffocating place.

That fake life.

Far away from the classmates who hurt me.

Far away from my parents.

Far away from a place that smelled of pressure and pain.

"Mitsuka! Come take a picture with us!"

Everyone gathered around the camera.

"One... two... three!"

The flash marked the end of that chapter of my life.

Or at least...

That's what I wanted to believe.

On the other side of the field, my parents walked toward me with proud smiles.

"Congratulations, sweetheart!"

"We knew you'd get the highest grades!"

My father placed a hand on my shoulder.

"That speech was worthy of an exemplary student."

"Now you can finally become the future your mother and I planned for you."

Those words didn't surprise me.

They had always decided who I should be.

How I should act.

What I should wear.

What I should think.

Since I was little, I could only eat what they approved of, wear delicate clothes, and behave like the perfect daughter.

I was never allowed to wear what I wanted.

I was never allowed to make my own choices.

And worst of all...

I never had anyone I could trust.

I spent my entire life living in the shadow of my parents' broken dreams.