Chapter 17 — Reina's Past: The Price of Devotion
Long before Reina Tachibana became the proud, cold-hearted girl of Aizora High — before her sharp tongue and unbreakable confidence — she was once just a little girl with big eyes, messy hair, and a heart that believed love was pure.
She used to laugh easily.
She used to run around the garden barefoot, chasing butterflies and waving at the few boys in her neighborhood, shouting, "Let's play!"
Back then, she didn't hate anyone.
She didn't even know what hate meant.
But everything changed because of the people she loved most.
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The Beginning — A Perfect Marriage
Reina's mother, Misaki Tachibana, was one of the most powerful women in the country. She owned several companies, sat on countless boards, and was respected everywhere she went. But despite all the power and wealth, she often said something strange —
"A woman's true happiness lies in taking care of her man."
It was a belief deeply rooted in this world's reversed morals — a society where men were rare, precious, and protected by law.
Under the Male Protection Act, women who married men had to swear lifelong devotion. They were forbidden from letting their husbands lift a finger.
All work, all responsibility, all burden — it belonged to the women.
Men, meanwhile, were treated like priceless treasures — pampered, protected, and praised for simply existing.
And Misaki Tachibana accepted those rules with a smile.
When she married Akihiro Tachibana, a man from a prestigious lineage, the world called it a perfect union — power and beauty, status and charm.
Misaki gave her everything to him. She built an entire mansion for his comfort, filled it with servants and luxuries, and made sure every day felt like paradise for her husband.
She cooked for him herself, despite having personal chefs. She picked his clothes every morning, brushed his hair, and even read to him at night when he was tired.
If he wanted something — she gave it.
If he frowned — she blamed herself.
If he ignored her — she thought it was her fault.
She was a perfect wife in a world that demanded perfection from women… and silence from men.
---
The Child Who Watched
When Reina was born, her mother cried with joy. She held the baby close, whispering softly, "You'll grow strong, my little one. You'll grow kind."
But her father, Akihiro, didn't even visit her that day.
He was sunbathing by the pool, sipping imported wine.
When Misaki gently approached and said, "Darling, our daughter is born," he merely adjusted his sunglasses and replied,
"A girl, huh? That's good. Maybe she'll grow up to serve her husband well someday."
That was all.
No smile.
No excitement.
Just those cold words.
Misaki smiled sadly and bowed. "Yes, darling. I'll raise her well."
Reina grew up watching this dynamic — her mother running from room to room, trying to keep everything perfect, while her father barely looked up from his lounging chair.
At first, Reina thought that's how love worked. She would toddle into the garden and wave to her father, saying, "Papa, play with me!"
He would sigh, annoyed.
"Not now, Reina. Papa's tired. Go play with your dolls."
Sometimes she'd sneak drawings into his study — childish sketches of their family, smiling. She'd leave them on his desk, hoping he'd see them.
He never did. The maids would clean them away before he noticed.
Still, Reina didn't hate him. Not yet.
She'd simply run back to her mother and say, "Mama, Papa's busy, right?"
And Misaki, always gentle, would stroke her daughter's hair and reply,
"Yes, darling. Papa works very hard to keep us safe. So we must make him happy."
Even though they both knew Akihiro did nothing.
---
The Cruel Reality
As Reina grew older — around six years old — she began to see the cracks in the dream.
Her father wasn't just distant. He was cruel.
He had multiple wives, as permitted by the government. It was normal in this world for one man to marry up to ten women. "To balance the population," the law said. But in truth, it turned men into monarchs and women into slaves.
Akihiro had seven wives in total.
Each one rich, powerful, and desperate for his affection.
He lived off their money.
Each wife paid for his lavish tastes — luxury cars, designer clothes, endless parties.
Reina once overheard him laughing with his friends:
"It's good to be a man. Women fall over themselves to please you. They think obedience is love. I just sit back and enjoy the show."
That laughter stuck in her mind like a wound.
At home, he treated her mother like a servant — barking orders, criticizing her food, ignoring her exhaustion.
Sometimes he wouldn't come home for days, and when he did, he'd bring gifts from his other wives — perfume, jewelry, clothes. He'd hand them to Misaki with a smirk.
"Here, these are from someone who actually knows how to keep a man happy."
Misaki would bow her head, take the gifts, and whisper,
"Thank you, dear."
Reina would watch silently, fists clenched so hard that her small nails left marks on her palms.
---
The Breaking Point
It all came crashing down one evening.
Reina was nine years old.
Her mother sat in the living room, holding a divorce notice in her trembling hands.
Tears streamed down her face, but she didn't cry out loud. She just sat there quietly, whispering his name.
Reina ran up to her, scared.
"Mama, what's wrong?"
Misaki smiled weakly. "Papa… he's leaving us, sweetheart. He says he's happier with another wife. Maybe… maybe I wasn't good enough."
Reina froze.
"Not good enough? You gave him everything!"
Misaki only shook her head. "I must have done something wrong. If I had loved him better—"
"Stop!" Reina screamed, startling her. "You didn't do anything wrong! He's a bad person! A selfish person!"
For the first time, her mother's kind face hardened.
"Reina! Don't speak that way about your father! He's still a man — and we must respect that!"
That night, Reina sat alone in her room, her heart pounding with anger and confusion.
The next morning, Akihiro came to collect his things. He didn't even look at his daughter.
When Reina tried to stop him — tiny hands grabbing his sleeve — he turned and slapped her across the face.
"Don't touch me," he said coldly. "You're just like your mother. Always in the way."
That was the moment everything changed.
That was the moment she stopped believing in love.
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The Fall of Misaki Tachibana
After Akihiro left, Misaki spiraled into a quiet breakdown.
The society that once admired her turned its back.
"She couldn't even keep a man happy," they whispered.
"What a failure of a woman."
"Maybe her husband left because she was too controlling."
The same world that forced her to serve him now mocked her for losing him.
Reina watched her mother suffer in silence — still defending the man who destroyed her.
Even when they lost most of their property in court, even when the companies began to crumble, Misaki never said a bad word about Akihiro.
She'd sit by the window, staring into the distance, whispering softly,
"Maybe… he'll come back someday."
Reina stopped trying to comfort her. She stopped asking questions.
She only watched — quietly, bitterly — as her mother grew thinner and weaker, until one winter morning when she didn't wake up at all.
Misaki Tachibana died clutching her wedding ring.
And Reina, at twelve years old, stood at her funeral with dry eyes.
She didn't cry. She couldn't.
Something inside her had frozen solid.
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The Birth of Hatred
That day, when everyone left, Reina stayed behind at her mother's grave.
Snow fell softly, landing on her dark hair.
She knelt in front of the tombstone and whispered,
"You gave everything… and got nothing. You were kind, and the world ate you alive. You believed in love, and it killed you."
Her hands trembled as she clenched her fists.
"I won't be like you. Never. I won't let any man hurt me. I won't let any boy make me weak."
From that day on, the little girl who once ran after butterflies disappeared.
In her place grew a cold, sharp woman — one who smiled rarely, trusted no one, and saw boys not as treasures, but as spoiled kings who needed their crowns broken.
By the time she entered high school, Reina Tachibana was feared for her intelligence and her tongue.
She never looked at a boy with admiration again.
To her, they were all the same — greedy, selfish, manipulative.
Every time someone called men "precious" or "rare," she felt sick.
Her mother's death had taught her what that "preciousness" really meant — it meant women suffering quietly, dying slowly under the illusion of love.
---
And Yet...
But life has strange ways of testing our beliefs.
Because years later, in the quiet halls of Aizora High, Reina met someone who didn't fit her story.
Someone who didn't order others around, didn't act superior, didn't play with feelings for fun.
A boy who said "thank you."
A boy who smiled when he helped others, not because it made him look good — but because he meant it.
A boy who, in every small act of kindness, quietly challenged everything Reina had come to believe about men.
That boy's name was Haruya Takahara.
She didn't realize it yet, but every word he spoke and every small gesture he made had already begun cracking the walls she'd built around her heart.
For now, she still hid behind her cold mask.
But somewhere deep inside, that five-year-old girl who used to love freely… had started to wake up again.
To be continued…
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Author Note 🕊️
Hey everyone, this is King_Fuzu here!
I know I didn't upload yesterday, and many of you were probably wondering what happened. I already mentioned before that I found a little bird trapped in manja (kite string) and had to take care of it. Well… today, I have some good news to share — my care and patience finally paid off!
After a full day of rest, food, and a little water, that small bird finally spread its wings and flew away today. Watching it take off into the sky honestly made me smile. All the effort, all the worry — it was completely worth it. I felt like I just watched a friend recover and return home to freedom. 🕊️
I want to thank all of you who waited patiently and understood why I couldn't upload. Sometimes, even small lives deserve our time and care. And today, seeing that bird fly away reminded me that kindness — no matter how small — always finds its way back to you.
Now that everything's settled, I'm back to writing again! Thank you for being here, for reading, and for supporting Reverse Chastity World. You all are amazing readers, and your love gives me the motivation to keep creating every day. ❤️
– King_Fuzu 🖋️
(The bird is free now, and so is my schedule — new chapters are on the way!)