It was the time of 1940. Wars were going on in every country. Japan's situation was also not that normal. There was a threat that Japan would soon be part of the war.
What—it's not my concern. I already wanted to die. I was enough of my life.
My parents never wanted a child. I was their mistake. It's not that they didn't have money to raise a child—it's just that they didn't want one. I wish they had done abortion before I was born, because now they take all their anger and frustration on me.
They use me as a slave of their house. As long as I remember, I only heard the sound of my own cries. My dad always came home drunk and beat me without any reason. He was so good to his wife, but not with me. I always kept suffering in my entire life. I always slept in the storeroom of the house. I don't remember when the last time it got cleaned—but that's the only place where I can cry alone, pray to God to have me death as soon as possible.
The wind outside howled that night, cold and harsh like the ache inside me. I was sleeping in my place—it was midnight—when suddenly, I heard his voice. My dad called me out, "Amane, come downstairs right now."
My body froze. My heartbeat quickened. I always got scared when my dad called me out, because I knew something worse was about to happen. I quickly went downstairs, my feet trembling on the old wooden floor. I opened the door slightly and sat in a traditional Japanese way. My voice was small, careful. "Yes, my Lord, what can I do for you?"
I know what you all are thinking—yes, I say my parents 'Lord.' That's how I got trained since the start of my life. I have no right to call them my parents.
"Amane," my dad ordered coldly, "tomorrow, Akira Hajeme—the general of the Japanese army—is invited to my house. So better start preparing things for his warm welcome."
My heart skipped a beat. "General Akira! Am I going to see the most ideal man in Japan tomorrow?" I whispered to myself, almost in disbelief. I was kinda excited because everyone in Japan had lots of great stories about him—stories of how he dominated around the country at just the age of twenty-two. Girls here had a huge crush on him. I never saw him, just listened a lot about him.
But instead of being excited, I had a huge stress that I had to work the whole night.