The couple, Matsuyo and Matsuzo Matsuno, had always been an odd couple. They were high school sweethearts who had moved in together right after graduating. After they both had found themselves steady jobs, the children just began coming, and when their sixth son was born, they officially became the oddest family in the whole neighborhood.
Osomatsu, the first born, was already over 20 but still lived with his parents. He always said that he was simply helping his parents take care of the younger ones, but in truth, he was just lazing around. He had managed to land himself a small job at a local Pachinko place. He'd work only about three hours each day and the rest he spent loitering around the apartment, eating, reading manga or just sleeping. But don't get him wrong, he loved his little brothers very much. He just had an odd way of showing it.
Karamatsu was the second born and very different from the oldest. For one he was polite and overall well-behaved. He was finishing his studies while taking care of the younger brothers. To say the least, school was always on second place for him and music classes were the only ones he truly enjoyed. He absolutely adored his brothers, especially the two youngest. He'd even leave his homework undone if his precious brothers needed him.
Choromatsu was the next one in line. He, too, in school but in much lower grade than his big brother. He was a hard worker, reading and studying even in his free time. But from time to time, he found the time to fawn over an idol girl he had first seen in some TV show he followed. He begged his parents to buy him her merchandise or buy tickets to her concerts if he did well in school. Despite not understanding such things, the parents complied.
Ichimatsu was next. He had only started school. Being quiet and maybe also a bit shy, he didn't have as many friends as his brothers. Anything fluffy and cute, namely, cats, seemed to befriend him much easier and Ichimatsu them. He'd feed strays and also try to bring them home, hidden inside his hoodie. The parents caught him, of course, and told him to leave the cats outside.
Jyushimatsu, the second youngest, was just finishing kindergarten and would soon begin in preschool. If there was one word to describe him, it would be 'a sunshine'. He was always moving, always talking and absolutely loved playing baseball. He actually already played in a preschoolers' team, despite being younger than them. Even though they were complete opposites, Jyushimatsu was the most comfortable when being with the fourth brother. Ichimatsu, too, seemed to like his little brother's company. The two would often walk home together, hand in hand.
Todomatsu, also known as Totty, was the baby of the household. It had been somewhat of a miracle when Matsuyo had given birth to him. She had been thought too old to even get pregnant. He was going to go to kindergarten in a couple of years but for now, he stayed home with his parents, who were both retired. The five older brothers could swear that the baby knew he was special, seeing he soaked in the attention like a sponge. It almost looked like he manipulated people sometimes, honestly.
Osomatsu had just finished his evening shift and had met with Karamatsu along the way. They were going to fetch their little brothers and walk them back home. Choromatsu and Ichimatsu would always tell them how they could walk home on their own just fine, but their words clearly went to deaf ears.
"So, how was school? Boring as always?" Osomatsu asked his little brother as he swung his hands behind his head and whistled out a little tune.
"The teacher is crazy", Karamatsu mumbled, "He almost gave me detention when I was late for his class!"
"The morning class? You fed Totty this morning."
"Yeah. Tells me to never do it again or he'll have a word with my parents."
"Aa-a, I remember that teach. Always had something against me, too", Osomatsu remembered, "The one with the gray hair and round glasses? Mom must remember him too. They had a huge argument once. Mom won that one. He didn't dare say a word to me after that."
"Yeah, him", Karamatsu nodded, "Really? Go mom. She must've used the frying pan."
"Maybe. The most feared weapon in the whole household. Even dad flinches whenever mom fires anything on that", the oldest laughed, "Think about it when Choromatsu finally goes there. Just after the teacher thought he'd seen the last of us."
"He'll be excused and put into an asylum", Karamatsu agreed, "I'm more worried about Choromatsu. The teacher is sure to not go easy on him. The little guy takes stuff too hard, too."
"Then we need to make sure to cheer him up if that happens!" Osomatsu brought his fist up in the air.
Karamatsu nodded, "Of course!"
The two came to a halt in front of Choromatsu and Ichimatsu's school. Children were pouring from the open doors but the two familiar faces were nowhere to be seen.
"Hm. This is odd", Osomatsu mumbled, climbing on top of one of the jungle gyms on the yard, trying to get a better view.
Karamatsu agreed, "It's not like them to be late like this. I wonder if something has happened."
"Like Ichimatsu getting into a fight with someone? He did that last week, you know."
"He did?!"
"Yeah, apparently some thug sixth graders had cornered Choromatsu and were going to hurt him", Osomatsu explained, "Then Ichimatsu flew to the scene, punching and scratching them like it had been him who the thugs had hurt."
"Why would kids do something like that?" Karamatsu sighed. He just couldn't understand.
"Guess they don't like Nyaa-chan", Osomatsu said, referring to the idol girl their little brother was in love with, "Think stuff like that is for girls and so on."
"Stupid", Karamatsu face palmed, "Where there boys like that when we were Choromatsu's age? I can't remember."
"Guess there were. I just had the tendency to beat everyone up so I wouldn't have noticed."
Karamatsu nodded just as the two big brothers spotted two familiar faces in the sea of children.
"Ichimatsu and Choromatsu spotted!" Osomatsu cheered, still hanging from the jungle gym, "My brother radar still works!"
"Hi. How was work?" Choromatsu asked the oldest as the duo came to them, totally ignoring his monkey of a big brother.
Karamatsu took his little brothers' bags and swung them on his shoulder.
"Great", Osomatsu simply said, "Nothing interesting. How was your day? It's bound to be much more exciting."
"We went to the school library to pick out a book to read", Choromatsu explained, his cheeks red from excitement, "They have the series I read there!"
"The fantasy one?" Karamatsu asked. The third had not only fallen in love with an idol but also with a fantasy novel series. Not that Karamatsu could blame him. It had knights, heroes, adventure and everything a small boy like Choromatsu would like.
"Yeah! So I'm going to re-read the first one. We need to write an essay about it afterwards", Choromatsu nodded.
"Well that'll be easy!" Osomatsu laughed, holding his little brother's hand, "You've read it so many times you know it by heart!"
"N-No I don't!" Choromatsu tried to argue, but broke into a smile soon after. Maybe Osomatsu was right.
Ichimatsu pulled Osomatsu's coat sleeve to get his attention.
"Yes, little man?" Osomatsu stopped to listen, worried that something bad had happened.
"We drew flowers in art class today. The ones we planted last month", Ichimatsu mumbled, "I got mine home. I'm going to give it to mom."
"They've already grown that much?" Osomatsu asked. He had no idea flowers could grow so fast.
Karamatsu gave his little brother a pat on the head, "I'm sure mother will love that drawing. She'll stick it onto the fridge's door. Will you get to take the flowers home too?"
"No, stupid. They're plated in the school yard", Ichimatsu told him.
Karamatsu smiled. His little brother and he never seemed to get along. He had never managed to understand why.
Jyushimatsu was already waiting for them by the low wooden fence that surrounded the colorful building. It looked like he was going to climb over it as soon as he spotted his brothers.
"Hey! Hey! Guess what I did today!" Jyushimatsu bounced up and down as Karamatsu opened the gate. They still had to inform the caretakers that they were here to take Jyushimatsu home. His stuff was still inside, too, so they had to fetch that. Jyushimatsu always forgot to take his bag along.
"What did you do, Jyushi?" Ichimatsu asked as he took his little brother's hand.
"I caught a huge beetle! I would've shown it to you but the kindergarten lady told me to let it go."
"It's alright. We believe you", Karamatsu told him, only to get a death stare from the fourth.
"Anything else?" Ichimatsu continued.
"Some boy stole my cookies when we had snack time", Jyushimatsu said like it was something that happened all the time.
The reply was instant. The two oldest were cracking their knuckles, pure hate gleaming in their eyes. That boy, whoever he was, wouldn't be alive if they found him.
Even Ichimatsu looked ready to punch someone.
"Did you tell the caretakers?" Choromatsu asked. He was the only rational one here.
"Yeah. They told me to guard my snacks better and gave me a cookie."
"They told you to 'guard your snacks better'? I need to have a word with them. This can't go on like this", Karamatsu huffed as the five stepped into the building.
They were immediately greeted with laughter and screams of small children running around.
Jyushimatsu and Ichimatsu went to get the younger one's bag as the older went to look for the closest caretaker in sight.
Their poor victim was a young girl, who had clearly only started her work in the place. She was sitting by one of the tables, keeping company to some children.
"Excuse me?" Karamatsu tapped her shoulder, getting her attention, "We're the Matsunos and our little brother just told us something. Apparently he got his cookies stolen during snack time and you simply told him to defend his food a bit better."
"Y-Yes", the woman stuttered, "There's really nothing else we can do about it. The kids do it all the time and your little brother seems like an easy target."
"An easy target?! Come here you-", Osomatsu was about to shout at her when Choromatsu stopped him, telling him to control his temper.
"Well, you better make sure this doesn't happen again", Karamatsu simply said, before turning away and leaving. The rest soon followed.
Jyushimatsu and Ichimatsu were both dragged out by the two oldest still furious but not wanting to turn to violence when there were kids watching.
Karamatsu took Jyushimatsu's backpack too and swung it on his shoulder alongside the three other bags.
"What did you three do?" Ichimatsu asked them as they walked back home.
"Nothing", Choromatsu was quick to answer, "Absolutely nothing."
"We're back!" Osomatsu shouted as the five made it to their apartment. He kicked his shoes off and threw his jacket on some chair on the way to the kitchen, "What's for dinner?"
"Hello boys! We got some pears from the nice lady next door. They're on the table right there. Eat them while I make something", Matsuyo told them, pointing to the kitchen counter.
And there, sat a bowl full of juicy-looking pears just as she had said. She had even cut them for them.
"Give Totty some, too", she told Karamatsu as he took the youngest off her mother's back.
Todomatsu squealed as he saw his big brothers, clapping his hands.
"Hello little man! Did you miss us? Did you?" Karamatsu swung the baby around and tickled his nose.
"Isn't that the bunny onesie you bought the other day?" Osomatsu asked, face already full of pear.
Karamatsu checked the clothes the youngest was wearing, "Yeah, they are! Aren't you cute?"
"Bunny!" Jyushimatsu cheered next to the pair, "Hi Totty!"
Ichimatsu meekly gave their mother the picture he had made as the rest were occupied with watching the youngest enjoy the attention he was getting.
"Oh my! You're such an artist, Ichimatsu dear", Matsuyo told him with a pat on the head, "This is going straight on the fridge."
"Fridge! Fridge!" Jyushimatsu came to Ichimatsu's side, wanting to stick the magnets on.
Matsuyo let him and the piece of art was soon on the door, next to all the other ones. Luckily, the big family had an even bigger fridge. It could fit many pictures.
The six were now in the living room. The older helping the younger with their homework.
Jyushimatsu and Totty of course didn't have any, so the pair was watching the TV. There was a baseball game on, which Jyushimatsu hadn't wanted to miss at any cost.
Totty sat on his big brother's lap, watching the moving shapes on the screen, not really understanding what was going on. He did squeal each time Jyushimatsu seemed happy, so he at least cheered for the right team.
Karamatsu watched the pair from behind his stack of homework. The teachers hadn't gone easy on him this time and he was feeling the weight. Why did he need to know how to calculate a parable's area anyway? What would he need that for in the future?
Osomatsu was laughing at his brother's misery, remembering when he had been the one going over that kind of calculations. He had, of course, given up instantly, deciding he wouldn't need to know such things.
Choromatsu was already done with his, so he helped Ichimatsu do his. They were currently doing multiplication. Ichimatsu's class had just moved to the subject and he had no idea how to do them. Thankfully, Choromatsu was a great teacher and Ichimatsu seemed to manage a couple simple ones on his own in the end.
As the brothers were finished with work and now all seated in front of the TV to watch the rest of the match, their mother entered the room.
"Boys. There's going to be a fair in the park nearby", she told them, waving an advert she had clearly received in today's mail, "Do you want to go?"
"I wanna go!" all the younger ones, except Totty, screamed together.
"Alright, alright", Osomatsu laughed at his little brothers' enthusiasm, "Do you even know what a fair is? You've never been in one."
"There's animals and food!" Jyushimatsu lifted his hand up as if to answer a teacher, "I saw one on TV!"
"Correct!" Karamatsu clapped his hands together, Totty mimicking him, "This one says it has carnival rides in it, too. Apparently they wanted to mix the two together to create an even greater event for families with children especially."
"The main attraction is a huge Ferris wheel", Matsuyo pointed out, "There will be other rides, too, but that one sounds the most interesting."
"True. It's been quite some time since we've been in one", Osomatsu agreed, "Didn't we go to one when Ichimatsu was still a baby?"
"Yeah, yeah", Karamatsu nodded, "I remember that he was terrified. We had to buy him cotton candy afterwards."
"S-Shut it", Ichimatsu mumbled, hiding his face behind a cat plush toy.
"You went to a Ferris wheel?!" Jyushimatsu screamed, "Without me?!"
Matsuyo laughed at the comment, "You were technically with us. You were in my belly, you see."
Jyushimatsu seemed okay with this outcome and he went back to watching the game, Totty still on his lap. Matsuyo wasn't sure if the fifth knew what she had meant but didn't want to explain it either.
The youngest seemed quite happy with the idea of a fair too, as he clapped his hands together, trying to say 'fair'. It ended up sounding more like 'faa' than anything.
"We'll go tomorrow then, after school. It's Friday after all", Osomatsu concluded, going to fetch a can of beer from the fridge.
"Then I'll make you some snacks and pack your bags. You'll be able to leave as soon as you get home from school", the mother smiled, going to the kitchen to begin her preparations.
The family ate dinner together.
Even Matsuzo, the father joined them. He had been locked up in his workshop doing woodwork the whole day. He had whittled Jyushimatsu a new wooden bat last time. God knows what he was up to this time. Matsuyo had told him Totty needed a new chair, so that was probably his current task.
It was a leftovers day. Those kind of days were some of the brothers' favorites, since they could eat as many side dishes as they wanted, alongside the basic white rice and miso soup. The goal was to eat everything on the table. Nothing went to waste in the Matsuno household.
There was hotpot from Sunday no one had eaten before this since it had been hiding in the back of the fridge. Then there was an assortment of fish from throughout the week, vegetables and even a small portion of fried chicken. It was a feast.
Needless to say the six brothers were stuffed when they were finally done.
Karamatsu sat down with Totty, Choromatsu and Jyushimatsu to watch some cartoons and play a game of Jenga, while Osomatsu drank beer and talked about work with their father. Ichimatsu had actually volunteered to help their mother with the dishes. He did that from time to time, if he wanted to talk to her about something. It must've been the cookie theft he had to tell her about.
In two hours, it was time to put the four little ones to bed.
"Come on you four! Let's go wash those teeth", Karamatsu took Totty and Jyushimatsu and carried them. The third and fourth trailed behind them into the bathroom.
The brothers had color-coded toothbrushes and towels, so that they wouldn't mix together. It was also much easier for the younger ones to tell what was theirs and teach them not to touch others' stuff without permission.
Karamatsu squeezed toothpaste onto his little brothers' brushes while they washed their faces. He then washed Totty's teeth with extreme caution and helped Jyushimatsu, who was struggling to brush every tooth.
"Perfect, brothers!" Karamatsu gave them all the thumbs up, "Now all we need to do is to roll out the futon. Who wants to help?"
Jyushimatsu was the first one to volunteer, "Me, me me! I wanna help!"
Choromatsu also agreed to help since Ichimatsu showed no interest.
The five went to the bedroom. The three did the bed while Ichimatsu held Totty who tried to struggle off and to his big brothers' help.
"No. We need to stay still and watch", Ichimatsu told the baby, trying his best not to drop him, "We'd be in their way."
"Gaa, gaa!" Totty tried to argue.
"Aa, alright", Ichimatsu nodded, "Tell me more."
"Kaa-a!"
Ichimatsu wanted the three to be done as fast as possible. He really hoped that he hadn't been as difficult when he was little.
"And there we are!" Karamatsu cheered, "Just put the pillows in place, Jyushimatsu, and we're done."
Jyushimatsu saluted, going to fetch them from the cupboard.
Karamatsu then came to Ichimatsu's aid, who looked about ready to throw the youngest onto the floor and escape, "Totty! Were you calling for me? Come on, say 'Karamatsu'!"
"Kaa!" Totty cheered as he was transferred to the second son's lap.
"No, no, 'Karamatsu', my brother."
"Shithead is okay too", Ichimatsu mumbled as he went to help his little brother fluff the pillows.
"Ichimatsu! Do I need to wash your mouth with soap? We're not using that kind of language in this house!" Karamatsu told firmly, covering Totty's ears, "You didn't hear a thing, didn't you? Never use such foul language, my little baby. Understood?"
Totty simply laughed as Karamatsu stood up to go and change the baby's diaper before bed.
Osomatsu stumbled upstairs as Karamatsu exited the bathroom.
"Aa-a, I don't want to go to work tomorrow!" he cried out.
"Come on Osomatsu. Get some sleep", Karamatsu patted his back, "You must be tired."
"I could sleep for a week!"
"I'll read the bedtime story to the little ones then", Karamatsu told his big brother, "They wanted me to read the Rainbow Fish. I swear I know that one by heart already."
"Jyushimatsu loves that book. Besides, the scales on that fish look like those pants of yours. The sequin ones", Osomatsu laughed, entering the bathroom.
Karamatsu was left to wonder if the fish really looked like his favorite pants. Guess they did.
The following morning the six woke up like usual, ate breakfast and went to school and work. Totty, of course, stayed home with their parents. Although Karamatsu did try to hide him in his backpack and take him to school with him. Luckily, Matsuyo found out the last minute and managed to stop the abduction.
"Then, off we go!" Osomatsu waved his brothers as they parted ways, "I'll be there to walk home with you. Promise me you'll study, even though we are going to go to the fair later. Okay?"
"Okay!" Jyushimatsu waved, "Promise!"
"You're the one who's going to laze around, not us", Ichimatsu mumbled but promised he's focus on studying until the big brothers were there to pick him up.
"True", Choromatsu agreed.
The morning and early afternoon went by quickly and as soon as the school's bells rung, Karamatsu was out of the door like a bullet.
Osomatsu was already waiting for him by the gates. They both turned and ran to their two brothers' school. Uncharacteristic for them both, since neither had been that great in sports since childhood.
Choromatsu was waiting for them, like usual, by the gate. Ichimatsu was with him too.
"The teacher told me to tell the others about the fair on Monday", Choromatsu told the two as they made their way to the kindergarten, "Can I take some pictures to show them?"
"Of course you can. I think the camera has batteries and space left, too", Karamatsu said, "We can take a picture on top of the Ferris wheel then!"
"Yeah!" Choromatsu agreed as he was lifted up by the second son and spun around a bit.
"What did the teacher say about the fair, Ichimatsu?" Osomatsu asked the fourth, who had been quiet like usual the whole time.
Ichimatsu looked at the oldest before speaking up, "The teacher told me to pick an animal and draw it."
Osomatsu nodded. The teacher already understood not to give the boy anything that required Ichimatsu to speak, "That's great! You like drawing, don't you? You think there will be any tigers or lions you could draw?"
That got Ichimatsu's eyes to sparkle a bit, "Will there be tigers? I thought they lived in the zoo."
"I don't know. But they have lions in circus shows, don't they? Why not have a tiger in a fair then?"
If that was the case, Ichimatsu couldn't wait to see a tiger today. He'd definitely draw that one!
Jyushimatsu had managed to remember to take his bag with him this time, as he hung on the fence.
"Can we go right away?! Can we? Can we?" he was literally bouncing by the time the four got to him.
"We need to go home first. To drop off our school stuff and change to something more comfortable", Karamatsu was referring to their school suits. They wouldn't work.
Osomatsu looked towards the kindergarten building to see the same girl they had harassed the other day hide behind the curtains as soon as she saw them. Guess they had really spooked her. Well, as long as Jyushimatsu wasn't bullied they didn't mind getting the stares or being scared of.
Their mother was already waiting for them when they got home.
"Totty has been waiting for you the whole day", Matsuyo told them, handing the baby boy to Karamatsu's waiting arms.
"Don't worry, brother. We'll get going right away", Karamatsu tickled his little brother's belly, "Look at your outfit though! A baby pink onesie and the brown beanie I got you! You look so fresh, baby bro!"
"I swear to god you buy him more clothes than mom does", Osomatsu sighed, glad the youngest wasn't the victim of Karamatsu's fashion style, his style was fairly normal, "He could use our old ones."
"My baby boy isn't wearing anything like that", Karamatsu was baby talking again, "You don't like those clothes, don't you?"
Totty just squealed, pulling on his big brother's ears. Karamatsu took it.
"He's not your baby", Choromatsu whispered, Ichimatsu nodding beside him, "Stop acting like he is. It's creepy."
The brothers soon forgot their little argument and went to change their clothes. Their mother finished packing the snacks while they were at it.
"I want to wear my baseball shirt!" Jyushimatsu screamed as Karamatsu was trying to come up with an outfit with him.
"It's in the laundry!" Choromatsu told him from the other side of the room, checking his clothes. He was debating between two Nyaa-chan shirts. They were both beautiful, of course.
"Come on guys! It's not like we're going to a fashion show or anything! Toss something on yourselves and let's get going!" Osomatsu sighed loudly, practicing what he preached. It was hard to tell if the clothes he was wearing were even clean. For all they knew, the oldest could've picked them up from his massive pile of laundry, sniffed them once and put them on.
Finally, Karamatsu and Jyushimatsu managed to find something for the fifth. He had a denim overall with a print T-shirt. It had a dog on it. Ironically, Ichimatsu had a shirt with a cat.
The second had found himself an outfit too. His trusty sequin pants topped with a tank top and a denim jacket. Perfect.
"Painful", Ichimatsu tsk'ed when he saw his older brother, "You're going to scare the kids away, and Totty too."
"Boys! You'll be late if you don't leave soon!" the brothers' mother screamed from downstairs, Totty screaming with her.
The brothers raced downstairs, grabbed their bags and were out the door in record time. Motivation was a weird thing.
The fair was in full action when the brothers finally made it there.
"Who wants food?!" Osomatsu said as the wonderful scents of all the different foods served in the stalls hit his nose.
"We just got here", Choromatsu pointed out.
"Yeah?" Osomatsu was already browsing through the selection, "So, candy apples or cotton candy?"
"Choromatsu is right. How about we walk around a bit first?" Karamatsu suggested, adjusting the harness Totty was on. The second son seriously looked like a father. A father with a terrible fashion sense.
Jyushimatsu and Ichimatsu were holding hands, like they usually did, looking around for the animals. They had decided to see the tiger today, if there was one in this fair. Ichimatsu had sworn he'd pet it.
"Look Ichi! A cat balloon!" Jyushimatsu pointed to a stall near them.
Ichimatsu checked to see a purple cat-shaped balloon. His eyes lit up. It was perfect.
"We need to get that", Ichimatsu whispered in awe.
The brothers both had their wallets with them. Their mother had given them each some money to spend, too, so the brothers thought they were rich.
"I'll buy it for you!" Jyushimatsu nudged his brother, already running towards the colorful balloons.
"Bu-But! Didn't you want to buy cotton candy?" Ichimatsu tried to ask his little brother, who was already talking with the vendor, pointing to the right balloon.
"Yeah", Jyushimatsu admitted, handing Ichimatsu the balloon, "But I'll have the money for that, too, I'm sure."
Ichimatsu took the string, smiling up at his balloon. He wasn't that sure about his little brother's calculations. Wouldn't be the first time he didn't have enough money.
"Boys! Where were you?!" Osomatsu screamed when the two joined the group again. He had found himself a candy apple during the short time the two had been gone, "Didn't we say not to wander off?"
"We were holding hands though. Like you told us to", Ichimatsu pointed out lifting their joined hands to show him.
"Ichimatsu, where did you get that?" Choromatsu asked his little brother, pointing at the balloon.
"I bought Ichi a balloon! Isn't it cool?" Jyushimatsu jumped up and down, waving his hands, "We were going to go look for the tigers next!"
Choromatsu sighed, "I looked at the map and there are no tigers. Some shelters are doing an adoption event though. There will be cats for sure."
Both boys perked up. They may not be tigers but the closest thing to it. Tigers were just big cats, after all.
"There!" they both cheered.
"Mini tigers!" Jyushimatsu added.
"Alright then", Karamatsu knew there was no way he could say no to his little brothers, "Let's go check out the cats and dogs. Then we'll check out the farm animals. I want Totty to pose next to a bunny."
Three shelters from the area were showing their adoptable animals in the fair. These kind of events were a great opportunity to both adopt animals out and let people know about their work.
Ichimatsu had some money he wanted to donate to them. He'd tell them to only use it for the cats. Nothing for the dogs. He didn't like dogs. He was counting his money as the brothers walked to the place, trying to make sure he'd have money to buy his little brother cotton candy later.
The six crowded in front of a stall of one of the shelters. There were tiny kittens in a small pen, playing and sleeping together.
"Hello boys! Looking for a pet to take home today?" a young male employee greeted them. He had an adult cat riding on his shoulders.
Ichimatsu's eyes were sparkling. His cats never did that, even if he tried to get them to.
"I-I'm here to make a donation!" Ichimatsu told him, not looking him into the eyes but the cat.
"Yeah. We don't need any more members in our family, if you understand", Karamatsu explained with a smile, Totty babbling on his back.
"Ah, alright", the young man smiled, crouching down to meet Ichimatsu's eyes, "Do you want to give your money to a specific animal or?"
"The cats", Ichimatsu told him, pushing the few crumpled notes to the man's hands, "I want to give this to the cats. No one else."
"Alright", the man gave the money to the feline on his shoulders, who took the money into its mouth, "This is a lot of money! The cats will be super happy when they hear about this! Say, would you like to hold one of the kittens?"
Ichimatsu nodded his head furiously. Yes he wanted to!
He soon got a small calico kitten to hold. Ichimatsu wasn't quite sure how to hold the squirming cat. The strays he used to pet were all adults.
"Support his back end a bit, then put you other hand under his front paws", the man instructed him, "There! Just like that. Look, he likes you!"
The kitten had closed its eyes and fallen asleep on Ichimatsu's lap.
"It's so cute", Jyushimatsu clapped his hands, "Do you like him, Ichi?"
"Mm", Ichimatsu nodded. He really liked the soft little kitten. He wished he could've taken it home with him.
Then, there was loud huffing coming from behind the boys' backs. Ichimatsu froze, while Jyushimatsu turned to investigate what it was.
"A doggy!" Jyushimatsu laughed, "A huge doggy!"¨
It was a German Shepherd, wagging its tail and panting. Its handler had clearly tried to pull the huge dog away from the group but failed miserably.
"I'm so sorry! He just loves children", she told them, bowing her head in apology.
Jyushimatsu didn't seem to mind. He launched himself onto the dog's neck, laughing.
"Good doggy!" he pet the excited dog, who was clearly happy that the child wasn't afraid.
"Such a beautiful dog", Karamatsu complimented, shielding Ichimatsu from the licking attack, "He's up for adoption too?"
"Yes, his old owners couldn't take care of him anymore. He had too much energy for them", the handler explained, "It's sad but very common. We're sure that will get him a loving home."
"I hope so. He's sure to make a great pet", Karamatsu scratched the dog behind its ears.
"Thank you", she smiled, looking at Jyushimatsu who was playing with the huge dog, "Do you want to see him do some tricks? He has some really cool ones I bet he wants to show you."
"Really?! He knows tricks?" Jyushimatsu was excited, "Show me!"
"Zeus, sit", the handler told the dog, who did just as told, "Paw. Good boy!"
"Wow!" Jyushimatsu clapped his hands.
"Then the grand finale! Zeus, bang!"
The dog threw itself onto the ground dramatically, closing its eyes and letting its tongue hang out.
Jyushimatsu got to give the dog its treat which it accepted, carefully taking it from Jyushimatsu's hands.
The brothers left the pet section, walking to the farm animals next.
"So, a tiger is not a farm animal?" Ichimatsu asked Choromatsu, who was sure to know everything.
"No. Tigers are wild animals", the third brother explained.
"Then why are there tigers in zoos if they're wild animals?" Jyushimatsu tilted his head. He couldn't understand. There was no logic.
"Because some are greedy and want to earn money", Ichimatsu mumbled.
"Some people want to let people see the animal so that they can educate them about the endangered species and how to preserve them", Choromatsu added.
Jyushimatsu nodded his head, trying his best to understand.
"So the tigers in zoos are teacher tigers who work to help their friends?" he concluded.
Ichimatsu snickered.
"Yes, something like that", Choromatsu sighed.
"Look! Pigs!" Osomatsu pointed at a pen.
"True!" Karamatsu said, lifting Totty up so that he could see the animals too.
There were six piglets in the pen, all sleeping in one big pile.
"That one looks just like Osomatsu", Ichimatsu whispered to Jyushimatsu, pointing at the biggest one.
Karamatsu heard the two, and broke out in laughter.
"What? What are you laughing about?" Osomatsu asked them, "It's about me, isn't it?"
"That's Osomatsu pig!" Jyushimatsu pointed out for him, "Ichi said that it looks just like you."
Osomatsu checked out the pig, wrinkling his brow, "That looks like me?"
"Mm!" Jyushimatsu nodded.
"Then is that one Karamatsu pig?" Osomatsu pointed at another pig which had tags on its ears.
"Yeah!" his little brother agreed, "Then that one is Choromatsu pig!"
"Why did we all suddenly become pigs? Dad would use that nickname, you know", Choromatsu mumbled, looking for answers from the second born.
"Pigs are cute", Karamatsu simply shrugged, pointing to the runt of the litter, "Then that one is little Totty pig! You're both wearing the same color, too. Just the beanie is missing."
"I-Ii!" Todomatsu pointed at one of the pigs.
"And that's Ichimatsu pig? Yes, they look alike!" Karamatsu laughed.
"Not you too", Ichimatsu mumbled, watching the piglets, "You traitor."
"How about we sit down somewhere and have a little picnic?" Karamatsu suddenly suggested, noticing that the youngest had become cranky, "We can watch the piglets while we eat."
"No. It stinks here", Choromatsu whined, "And besides, there are no benches here."
"There was a picnic area near the playground. We passed it on the way", Osomatsu pointed out, eating yet another snack. This time, it was a corndog.
"Alright. Let's head there", Karamatsu agreed, "The little ones can play a while before we go to the Ferris wheel, too."
The brothers managed to finally find a picnic table big enough for the whole group. Who would've guessed the world wasn't built for six membered families?
Their mother had made them a whole boxful of sandwiches. All with a different type of filling, since the brothers' tastes were quite different.
Todomatsu got cereals and some of the pears from yesterday. He seemed to really like them. He squeezed them between his tiny hands and into a mush. He then tried to feed it to Karamatsu, who politely declined the offer.
After eating, Jyushimatsu dragged Ichimatsu with him to the swings. Choromatsu followed, wanting to make sure that the two would be okay.
Osomatsu stood up to go and give the two some push to their swing.
"I'll swing you to the moon!" he threatened them. Jyushimatsu was of course really excited about the idea. He had always wanted to go to the moon.
"Hold on tight! You'll fall", Choromatsu warned his younger brothers. From experience, he knew that Osomatsu's idea of a good time on the swings meant high speeds and heights.
"Be careful, brothers!" Karamatsu told them as he played with Totty, who wanted a little push on the swings too. He'd only get the baby swings though, since he wasn't big enough for the other ones.
The brothers then switched to the jungle gym.
Jyushimatsu wanted to show his brothers how long he could hang from the bars. He hung for a whole minute, before falling on his bottom.
Seeing tears threatening to fall, Ichimatsu clapped his hands, telling Jyushimatsu how strong he was. He also asked Karamatsu if he could go buy cotton candy with Jyushimatsu, to which the older brother gave the permission.
Ichimatsu bought his little brother the biggest one he could afford. As a thank you for the balloon.
Jyushimatsu of course shared the treat with everyone, even Totty, but Ichimatsu didn't mind. It was Jyushimatsu's choice what he did with it.
"It's so sweet! Here Ichi, take some", Jyushimatsu pointed the pinkish cloud of sugar towards his brother.
"Thanks", Ichimatsu mumbled, taking a piece.
Their hands were all sticky from the sugar by the time they were done, sticking to anything and everything. And of course, Todomatsu and Jyushimatsu had managed to get the messiest. They were both going to need a bath to get rid of it all.
"Okay, guess we need to get these clean before going to the Ferris wheel", Karamatsu said, trying to get Totty to stop trying to eat his fingers, "Bet the people don't want your sticky fingerprints on their rides."
Lucky for them, there was a small fountain in the park. The brothers washed their hands there. Karamatsu and Osomatsu wiped their little brothers' faces too.
"There, squeaky clean!" Osomatsu cheered as he finished wiping Jyushimatsu's mouth, "Now, the Ferris wheel!"
"Yay!" Jyushimatsu put his hands up in the air.
There was a small line to the ride. It had been longer in the early afternoon but now that the sun was already going down and the people were leaving, the line had shrunk considerably.
Both Jyushimatsu and Totty were too short for the ride, but they let them ride if the big brothers rode with them.
Ichimatsu was squeezing Jyushimatsu's hand. His frame shook as they neared the ride.
"Ichi, are you afraid?" Jyushimatsu asked his big brother, "Don't you want to ride?"
"O-Of course I want to!" Ichimatsu huffed, "I'm not afraid. I'm not a baby!"
"Alright", Jyushimatsu nodded, "But can you hold my hand when we ride? Just in case I get afraid. This is my first time after all."
"Sure", Ichimatsu told his little brother, "It's nothing to be afraid of."
Choromatsu listened to his brothers, smiling to himself. Jyushimatsu wasn't afraid. That was for sure. He just wanted to make Ichimatsu feel better.
Then came the brothers' turn. They had to ride in two separate carts. Totty, his manservant Karamatsu and Choromatsu went on one while Jyushimatsu and Ichimatsu got to ride with Osomatsu.
"Alright boys, just stay still during the ride", the man operating the ride instructed them, "And whatever you do, don't stand up while the ride is moving."
The brothers all nodded. Ichimatsu was shaking like a leaf.
"Okay, here we go!" a bell rung as the ride finally begun.
The brothers' carts rose higher and higher as did their spirits.
"Look Ichi! We can see the pigs from here!" Jyushimatsu pointed out to his big brother, nudging his shoulder to get his attention, "Bet we can see the cats too! Help me look for them!"
"O-Okay" Ichimatsu whispered, carefully looking over the cart's edge. He quickly backed away though, when he saw how high they were.
Osomatsu noticed his little brother's anxiety increasing as they rose higher. He felt bad for reminding him of his bad experience with the ride just the other day.
"Don't worry. Cats always land on their feet, you know", he tried his best to help, but it didn't seem to help the situation.
Tears were starting to fall from the eyes of the fourth.
Things were going much more smoothly in Karamatsu's cart.
"Do you think we can see our house from the top?" Choromatsu asked, looking somewhere in the distance, clearly trying to spot their house. He had already taking a photo of the scenery for his class and was now simply enjoying the ride.
"First of all, that's the wrong direction", Karamatsu smiled, "And second, there are too many tall buildings around here."
Choromatsu nodded, agreeing that it would be very difficult to spot their house.
Todomatsu didn't seem to mind the height. He was trying to get off of Karamatsu's lap to look at something he had spotted before. Maybe he liked the fair's bright lights that were coming up now that the sun went down. He did like sparkly things, after all.
"Should we take mom and dad with us the next time?" Karamatsu asked, "They'd love to see the Matsuno pigs."
Choromatsu laughed awkwardly, "I bet they would. Are you sure you want to live with such nickname for the rest of your life?"
"Guess I wouldn't", Karamatsu thought after a bit, "Totty shouldn't live with such a nickname either. Although piglets are cute too, our little bunny is the cutest."
Todomatsu squealed when he heard one of his many nicknames.
Choromatsu was sure his little brother would have an identity crisis in the future from growing up with so many nicknames.
The situation in the other cart was escalating quickly.
Ichimatsu was pretty much in the hysterics as Jyushimatsu tried his best to calm him down.
"We'll be down soon. Just wait for a couple of minutes more", Osomatsu told him, waving his hands in panic. He had never been good with comforting his little brothers. He could only make them laugh.
In the end, Osomatsu saw that their only choice was a comforting hug. He went in and embraced his two little brothers, holding them close to his chest.
"It's all alright", Osomatsu told them before starting to sing. His voice was surprisingly soft, despite his occasional smoking.
When the ride ended, Osomatsu and Jyushimatsu didn't explain anything to the rest. Osomatsu just carried the fourth on his back and out of the cart.
"Did something happen?" Karamatsu asked, although he had a hunch himself.
"Nothing at all", Osomatsu simply told him, "Ichimatsu is just tired. I told him I'd carry him home."
"Are we going already?" Jyushimatsu panicked, "I want to see more!"
"We need to get back home before it gets dark. Mom will be worried sick if we don't come back before then", Karamatsu explained, "She'd come looking for us."
Jyushimatsu seemed to understand and he took Osomatsu's hand to walk with him.
"Can we come again?" he asked Osomatsu, checking how Ichimatsu was doing.
The back of Osomatsu's hoodie was beginning to soak from tears and snot as the fourth tried to get himself together again. He tried to smile to his little brother to let him know he was alright, but only managed a small grimace.
"Sure, when we have the time again. There should be one here again during winter", Osomatsu told him, petting Ichimatsu's butt since that was the only place his hands reached.
When the brothers knocked on their house's door, it was already way past the little ones' bedtime.
Todomatsu was sleeping on his big brother's back, as was Ichimatsu. Choromatsu was asleep in Karamatsu's arms. The second son had carried two of his brothers home.
Jyushimatsu was holding Ichimatsu's balloon, walking beside Osomatsu.
"Welcome back!" Matsuyo welcomed them in as she opened the door wide for them, "Don't you seem tired."
"Yeah", Osomatsu yawned, "Had a long day."
"Did you have fun?" their mother asked them as she took Totty onto her lap, telling Karamatsu she could put him to bed today. Karamatsu thanked him at least a thousand times, promising he'd take care of it tomorrow.
"I pet a huge dog!" Jyushimatsu told her with a big smile, "Ichi got to hold some kitties! And I bought him a balloon!"
"That sounds nice", Matsuyo smiled, "Did Ichimatsu like the balloon?"
"Yes!"
"That's good to hear. Should we put it to the living room so it won't run away?"
Jyushimatsu nodded, running to the room. His mother followed, balancing Totty on her arms as she helped his son tie the balloon's string to a chair.
"There. Now Ichimatsu will find it when he wakes up", Matsuyo told Jyushimatsu, who was starting to nod off too.
"Come on Jyushimatsu, let's go to bed", Osomatsu told his brother from the doorway.
Jyushimatsu ran after his big brother, helping him carry Ichimatsu up the stairs.
Karamatsu had already put Choromatsu to bed by the time the three made it upstairs.
"Jyushimatsu, you want me to read you something?" Karamatsu asked, handing him his pajamas.
"No", Jyushimatsu told him, quickly dressing himself and then lying down, "You can read me two tomorrow."
Karamatsu cracked up. Their little brother was learning. Soon he'd be as sneaky as his big brothers.
"Alright then, but I need to do my homework too", Karamatsu finally managed to tell him.
"Shut it, you two!" Osomatsu screamed from somewhere under the blankets, "I'm trying to sleep!"
"You're the one shouting", Karamatsu yawned, pulling the covers on himself, "Good night."
"Good night", Osomatsu and Jyushimatsu said in unison.
Choromatsu and Ichimatsu were already sleeping, and the rest soon followed.