"Hey, Ema-chan, are you sure your family is alright with me living with you guys?" Nakamura Yumi was a 15 year old girl with waist-length black hair, a fringe that kept falling into her face, and dull brown eyes, which were currently covered up by purple contacts. She was Hinata Ema's best friend for the past.. 10 years maybe? And they were so close, almost like sisters. "I mean, you didn't have to offer, we could've always video chatted..." Yumi smiled sadly. Previously, she was to move all the way to America, with her aunt, against her will, if she wasn't able to find a stable living situation with a guardian over 18. Why you ask? Her mother had made the decision to move to the US, in order to find a new job, and her father had already passed years back. Yumi didn't want to leave of course, she didn't want to start over, and certainly not in a foreign country. But Ema was being so kind, and had offered Yumi a place with her and her new step brothers.
"No, Yu-chan, I wanted you to move in with us!" Ema placed a hand on Yumi's shoulder, giving her a stern look. "I couldn't just let my best friend move all the way to the other side of the world, could I?"
"I guess..." Yumi shrugged, still feeling a bit guilty, and feeling like she was imposing on Ema's family. "Wait, you never did tell me much about your new family," she said as they neared the train station. "What are they like?"
"I... Don't know..." Ema admitted, scratching the back of her head lightly. "I haven't actually... Met them yet..."
"Eh?! And they let me move in with you?!" Yumi couldn't believe it, Ema hadn't even met her step siblings and she had already asked for her to move in? "Now I'll feel even worse..."
"Yu-chan!" Ema swatted Yumi's shoulder, the two getting out their train tickets in order to board. "Don't worry! I spoke with Papa, who asked Miwa-san, and she said it was totally fine!"
"Idiot..." Yumi sighed, frowning slightly as the two sat in one of the seats closer to the exit. But then she sighed again and smiled, looking slightly tired.
"Yu-chan, have you been sleeping well lately?" Ema asked. Yumi did have a history of sicknesses, and insomnia, just like her mother.
"Yes! Of course! No need to worry!" Yumi waved it off, putting on a brave face as the train started to move out of the station. "You're always a worrywart, just like Juli," she petted the squirrel's fur, laughing slightly as Juli made a noise of annoyance. "Oh, he never really liked me, did he?"
"He's just embarrassed Yu," Ema said. "Right Juli?" The squirrel only hissed again.
"Ahhh, Ema, we're here!" Yumi looked more excited than Ema did as the rounded the final corner.
"Oh! The movers are already here.. Come on Yu!" Ema grabbed Yumi's hand, making sure Juli was safe on her shoulder before the two started running towards the entrance of their new home. "Excuse me! Um..."
"Ah, hello!" The man who spoke was quite tall, around 30 years of age, with a little boy by his side. "I already had your luggage carried up to your rooms. My name is Masaomi, the oldest, and this is Wataru, the youngest."
"Nice to meet you! I didn't know I'd have two older sisters!" Wataru giggled.
"Actually I'm not..." Yumi silenced herself, playing along and smiling back. "Yes, hello!"
"Please take care of us from now on!" Ema bowed, tugging on Yumi and signaling for her to bow as well.
"We'll be relying on you two as well," Masaomi replied.
After the little introduction, Masaomi showed both Yumi and Ema to their rooms, where boxes of their things were waiting to be unpacked. "Ema-chan, I'll be unpacking for the rest of the day, could you tell everyone that?" Yumi asked, leaning in the middle of Ema's doorframe.
"Are you sure Yu-chan?" Ema asked, cocking her head to the side. "I thought you wanted to meet them..."
"Well.. Actually..." Yumi blushed, fiddling with her fingers. "I'm sort of.. Scared..."
"Scared? Why?" Ema raised an eyebrow.
"I just am okay!" Yumi coughed out, looking quite flustered. "I'll see you later!" Then with that, she ran off in the direction of her room, which on the other side of the floor.
"Ahhhh, I'm so stupid!" Yumi murmured to herself, finally reaching her room after running down a flight of stairs, and plopping down on her bed. "I'm only scared because... Because-!" She bit her lip and rolled onto her side. "The oldest brother is so handsome, it's scary! The others must be like that too!" She yelled into her pillow to muffle her voice. After a couple minutes in that position, she got up, throwing her white cardigan off and opening up a nearby box. "Might as well..." She sighed.
"Ugh..." After unpacking everything, and missing the opportunity to meet the rest of the household, Yumi had fallen asleep at her new desk. It had grown very warm in her room, since she had been moving boxes, putting things up in the shelves, rearranging furniture... So now she was only in her bra and shorts, with a small electric fan cooling her off in the corner. "AH?!" A buzz, presumably her doorbell, woke her up. "I'm coming!" She yawned, half awake, as she got up from her desk chair to answer the door, totally forgetting the state she was in.
"You're Yumi-chan, right? Ema's friend?" The person at the door was none other than Masaomi, with a couple of others behind him. "We'll Yumi-chan, meet-" he cut himself off, coughing a bit. "Yumi-chan, you aren't.. D-dressed appropriately..."
"Huh?" Yumi looked down, realizing what he meant, and her face turned a bright shade of red. "S-sorry!" She shut the door quickly, pulling her shirt back on, and opening the door again. "I'm so sorry... Bad first impression..." She bowed, very, very embarrassed.
"It's alright!" A blond man, who was dressed as a monk, came to the front. "I didn't mind," he winked, causing Yumi to uncomfortably step back a bit.
"Kaname..." Another blond, this time with glasses, spoke up. "Please forgive him, he tends to be flirty. I am Ukyo, I work as a lawyer, Kaname over there is a monk. Nice to meet you, Yumi-chan." He smiled, which reassured Yumi, just a little bit.
"You have nice hair, Yumi-chan. I am Louis," a pale man waved from the back. "I'd like to arrange your hair some time, if that's alright."
"Y-yes! Sure!" Yumi bowed again, a bit overwhelmed.
"You missed dinner, would you like for me to send someone up with it?" Masaomi asked once introductions were over. "You can meet the rest of the family as well, if that's what you'd like."
"If I'm not too much of a bother," Yumi murmured, "I-I'd like that."
"Alright then," Masaomi turned to leave, a small smile on his face.
"W-wait! Masaomi-san?" Yumi called out, impulsively grabbed onto his sleeve, like she always did with Ema. "S-sorry um.." She let go, fumbling with her words. "T-thank you for letting me stay here, with Ema," she bowed once more. (It was becoming a habit now.) "How can I repay you?"
"There's no need, Yumi-chan," Masaomi laughed and ruffled her hair. "And, call me Brother if you would like to, after all, since you're living here now, you're practically like family!"
"Thank you... Brother!" A warm feeling was spreading throughout Yumi's chest, one she hasn't felt in quite awhile. And once Masaomi left, she flopped down on her bed again, biting her lip as she smiled and rolled around, squealing a bit. Was this what it was like to have siblings? Hm, it felt... Nice.
A couple minutes later, there was doorbell. "Coming!" Yumi called, wrapped in blankets. She waddled over to the door, opening it up to be met with her classmate, Yuusuke, and another Asahina brother.
"Eh?! Yumi-chan?!" Yuusuke looked quite shocked. "You're Ema's friend?"
"Where have you been the past year, of course I'm her friend!" Yumi joked, glad to see a somewhat familiar face. "Asahina Yuusuke.. Can't believe I didn't notice that before. Oh! Sorry, um, what's your name..?" She asked the other one.
"Subaru," he said, handing her a tray of food. "Here, it's your dinner." He didn't look at her directly as she took the tray and placed it on her desk.
"Thanks, Subaru-kun, Yuusuke-kun," Yumi said automatically, after throwing her blankets off. "Ah! Sorry!" She apologized again. "I didn't ask of it was okay to call you guys that..."
"It's... Fine...?" Yuusuke rubbed the back of his head, his words coming out more as a question rather than a statement. "Well, whatever. Night, Yumi!" He waved, walking past Subaru and heading toward his room.
"Uh, do you need something, Subaru-kun?" Yumi asked, noticing that the older boy was still there.
"What? No no I'm fine.." Subaru waved a hand. "Uh- Goodnight, I guess.." He said awkwardly.
"Yeah, goodnight!" Yumi replied, just as awkward, watching as the door closed with a 'click!' 'What was that?' Yumi thought, her face heating up once more.
"Haaaa, that was nice..." Yumi cooed, once again wrapped in blankets as she sat at her desk, finishing the last of her soup. "I wonder who cooked this... Whoever did, I must thank them tomorrow..." Then she looked over to her clock. It was already 10! "Ah, that late already? I must go take a shower now..." She picked up her tray, leaving her blankets hanging on the back of her chair, and got into her slippers, opening the door and closing it behind her as she made her way to the first floor, where she assumed the kitchen would be.
"This complex is huge.." Yumi pouted, whining slightly as she got into the elevator, pressing the first floor button with her elbow. Se started humming, just to keep herself entertained, when the elevator door opened on the 3rd floor.
"Eh? Oh, hello there," a man with white hair and another who looked like his twin, but with black hair like Yumi's, got into the elevator with her. "You must be Yumi?"
"Ah! Yes!" She replied, bowing, (again!) trying not to drop the tray.
"I am Asuza," said the one with the black hair. "This is my twin, Tsubaki."
"So you're going to live with us too?" Tsubaki grinned, putting an arm around Yumi's shoulder, looking down at her because of the height difference.
"I guess so..." Yumi nodded, smiling awkwardly and attempted to remove Tsubaki's arm, but it was quite hard without seeming rude.
"It was nice meeting you Yumi!" The twins said after the long, and awkward elevator ride.
"If you need someone to sleep with you, I'm free," Tsubaki winked, earning a bonk on the head from Asuza once they separated.
"Y-yeah..." Yumi laughed nervously, rushing to the kitchen. "Ahh, all these brothers are so... So..." She trailed off, putting the dishes in the sink and sighing, exiting and making her way up again. "They all making me flustered," she murmured, putting her hands to her red cheeks as she made her way back to her room, this time using the stairs.
"I wonder if Ema-chan is still up..." Yumi said aloud, quickly getting all her toiletries before making her way to the bathroom on her floor. "Ah! Ema-chan!" She smiled and waved to the girl, calling her over.
"You're taking a bath too?" Ema asked. "Do you want to go first?"
"No it's okay! You can go first," Yumi reassured her, running ahead to make sure that no one was using the bathroom. "Is anyone-" right as she opened the door, her eyes found themselves staring at a half-naked Subaru. "Ah- Ah- Ah-!" She squeaked, stepping back and blushing furiously.
"Eh? What's-" Subaru raised an eyebrow and stepped out of the bathroom slightly. "Oh. I'm- sorry!" He apologized, stepping back in.
"I-it's fine! Sorry for disturbing you, Subaru-kun!" Yumi squeaked again, running back over to Ema.
"Yumi-chan? What's..?"
"Nothing!"
"Okay..." And so, the two waited behind a wall, when Ema picked up the sounds of Asuza and Tsubaki having a... Conversation.
Yumi gasped as Ema gestured for her to listen.
"I can't hold it in anymore... I love you!" They heard Tsubaki say, and their eyes grew wide.
"Hey, what's up..?" Subaru came around the corner, towel-drying his hair.
"Um..." Ema was at a loss for words. Then the twins came up the stairs.
"Ah! I'm sorry we were... Um..." Yumi fumbled with her toiletries in her hands. "We support you two!" She bowed quickly. "W-we're family r-right?"
"Eh? What are you talking about?" Tsubaki asked.
"We... We overheard your conversation.." Ema admitted. "Sorry..."
"Oh," Tsubaki smirked. "That conversation. Don't worry, it's a mutual love," he wrapped his arms around Asuza, much to the surprise of Subaru, Ema, and Yumi, and kissed his twin on the lips.
Ema immediately took off, saying something about sleep. At this, Tsubaki started to laugh! "Ha, the looks on your faces! We were just practicing a script!"
"A... Script...?" Yumi looked very confused.
"Yes, those two are voice actors," Subaru sighed. "Sorry, we brothers must seem.. Strange."
"Oh no! Not at all!" Ema piped up, coming back.
"It must be hard, coping with all 13 of us..."
"Not at all, in fact, Ema wanted some brothers," Yumi smiled slightly.
"Well, Um, g-goodnight!" Ema bowed once more, rushing off without showering.
"What about you Yumi-chan?" Tsubaki grinned. "Are you going to take a shower? Would you like for me to join yo-" Asuza hit the back of his head, and Tsubaki let out a whine. "Asuza! I was just kidding!"
"You're making her uncomfortable," Asuza sighed. And so, the twins bid Subaru and Yumi goodnight, heading off to their own rooms.
"Um..." Neither Subaru or Yumi moved, the two were only awkwardly staring at the floor. "G-goodnight!" They said at the same time. But as Subaru started walking towards his room, and Yumi to the bathroom, the blocked each other's way.
"You go to the left and I'll go to the right?" Yumi suggested, laughing a bit,
"Ye-yeah," Subaru coughed out, the two finally getting past each other. "Night... Yumi-chan.."
"Goodnight, Subaru-kun!" Yumi waved, the two separating. 'Haaa, how awkward...' Yumi shook her head, entering the bathroom and shutting the glass door behind her.