Summary
Yumiko Kashiwagi comes from a family of five. Besides herself, she has a brother, a sister and parents. No matter what happens, she can't get away from them.
One day, Yumiko is approached by her handsome classmate, Aoyama. He invites her to join him and some of the others at the Library. She eagerly agrees, until her father stops by to remind her that they will be going to the store today, so she has to come straight home after school. Aoyama apologies for bothering her and takes off, completely frustrating her.
During dinner, Yumiko confronts her family to ask why they are so close. To her it's really strange. They disagree however, stating that it is her who is strange. They laugh at her and her mood is further ruined. Yumiko wonders why nobody ever says anything about their family dynamic and realizes that at this rate, she won't be able to confess to Aoyama anytime soon. She gives him a call and tries to speak to him, but her dad stops her by hanging up the phone. He tells her to stop because trying to talk to others wont change anything- until she dies, she will be with them all.
Startled by this, Yumiko threatens to run away. Her father isn't phased, remarking on how strange she is being. She yells that she is serious, and that their closeness is abnormal. She wants to get away from them. This causes her father to realize she means it, and suddenly the rest of her family appears, brandishing knives. Her father begins to weep.
It's no good if she won't behave like a proper family member...
- - - -
Classmates panic in the Home Ec room as a girl with long, dark colored hair cries out in pain. Aoyama checks on Yumiko, as she covers her bloodied hand, having chopped off one of its fingers.
The finger lays on the ground, and it resembles the shorter-haired Yumiko. The real Yumiko looks at her hand to see the family members, one for each finger. The father finger reminds her of what he said:
Until she dies, she will be stuck with them.
Tropes:
- Fingore: The act of chopping it off isn't shown, but the aftermath was.
- Offing the Offspring: It wasn't planned until they realized how much Yumiko disagreed with the family dynamic. Her siblings helped.
- Tomato Surprise: The Yumiko in the story wasn't the real one, but the representation of her pinky finger.
- You Are Not Alone: A twisted variation, Mr. Kashiwagi reminds Yumiko that her family is always with her whether she likes it or not.
