His sister may be smarter than him, but she's still an idiot.
Honestly, who the hell forgets to pick up their own brother from school? Certainly not a genius.
...He is getting pretty impatient and that is not a good thing.
"Eh? Ieyasu-kun? You're still not home?" he blinked, looking up to see his new teacher, Higashikata Tomoko.
He nodded, unconsciously straightening up at his teacher's firm tone. "Uh, yes Tomoko-sensei," he mumbled, ears turning red at slight embarrassment. God, he is definitely going to chew her sister out later for bringing him into this mess.
"Oh, dear. It's already 5 o'clock, and someone still hasn't picked you up yet?" His sensei frowned in concern, as his ears turned redder.
Yes, his sister is definitely going to be in deep trouble later, both from him and Tomoko-sensei.
Tomoko-sensei sighed, before looking around- probably for his sister. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped," she muttered, running a hand through her hair as Ieyasu tilted his head in acknowledgement. "Would you like to come over and stay at my house for a while?" she asked him, as he blinked at the sudden invitation.
He was about to open his mouth to say something, but- "It's not really safe here at school anymore with the teachers having already left," his teacher added, as he blinked yet again. "I know that you're probably worried about your mom right now, but I'm just worried over your safety."
...He doesn't really have a mother, but okay. He could accept that reason. It was actually getting dark anyway, and his stomach was already growling for food.
Ieyasu wondered if Tomoko-sensei would be willing to invite him to dinner.
"...Okay, I can come with you," Ieyasu accepted her invitation as he stood up from the bench he was sitting on, giving her a small (if not a bit nervous) smile as she also gave a warm one in return. "Can please I use the phone at your to call my sister, sensei? I'm kinda worried about her already," he requested, as she made a small sound of surprise.
"Your sister is the one who's supposed to pick you up?" at his nod, she narrowed her eyes. "...Hm, seems like I'll have to talk to her later when she comes to get you at home," she remarked, as he snorted inwardly.
Oh, he could get used to this.
But instead of putting his sister into further trouble, he decided to defend her. "Ah, you don't need to tell her off, sensei," he pleaded gently, as he held her hand while they crossed an intersection. "She's just... trying her best to support the two of us," he added quietly as an afterthought. "Our official guardians didn't really care about us, anyway."
"Oh, I'm... sorry about my harsh judgement of your sister," his teacher apologized, but Ieyasu knows better. Tomoko-sensei is still probably going to scold Natsu-nee about 'irresponsibility' and 'carelessness'.
He winced internally. He's... probably not going to chew her out since his sensei's about to do it already.
...Yeah, that's a good idea.
"I'm home," Sensei intoned, walking inside and to the living room (probably) as he followed suit.
"Pardon the intrusion," he mumbled quietly, taking in his surroundings as he set his shoes on the shoe rack. He then followed after Tomoko-sensei who seemed to be having a conversation with someone. His eyes widened in recognition, seeing the same police officer who had visited the school yesterday. "Ah, g-good evening, Higashikata-san. I'm Merumi Ieyasu. It's n-nice to meet you!" he introduced himself, stuttering a bit as the officer laughed heartily.
"It's nice to meet you too, kid!" he smiled, as he smiled back albeit nervously. "Come and sit here. Say, why don't you have dinner with us, since it's already late?" he asked, as Ieyasu blinked in surprise, before grinning.
Wait, what? Seriously?
He eagerly sat on the couch beside the officer, swinging his feet as the old man laughed at his energy. "R-really? You don't mind?" Ieyasu asked with a nervous smile, just to make sure that he actually isn't dreaming.
Oh god, just for this once, he could actually be getting proper dinner? No more instant ramen cups and preheated leftover bread?
It's a dream come true for him!
"Ah, tou-san. Josuke isn't home yet?" Sensei had asked, while walking towards the kitchen to... do something. "Strange. It's a bit late, I thought he'd be home already," she remarked, coming back to the living room with a tray in hand.
Ah, speaking of home. "Um, sensei..." Ieyasu called out, twiddling his thumbs nervously. "...Can I use your phone now to call my sister?" he asked, frowning in concern. "She's probably already freaking out about me," he muttered, as sensei smiled and nodded.
"Oh, right. The phone's over there by the cabinet," she said as she set down the tray on the coffee table, before pointing at the phone. "You can use that to call your sister for her to pick you up. Does she know this area well?" at his nod, she smiled even brighter. "That's great! Maybe we could even invite her for dinner, if you both don't mind." she added, as he shook his head quickly.
"No, no- we don't mind at all!" he said, eager at the prospect of properly cooked food.
One ring. Two rings. Three rings.
A long beep.
He tried again, this time with a frown on his face
One ring. Two rings. Three rings.
She picked up.
"New phone, who's this?"
"It's me, dumbass. Where are you?" Ieyasu asked- or more like demanded, as he tapped his foot impatiently. "It's six already. Did you get kidnapped or something?"
A pause on the other end. There was some shuffling sounds. "Ah, no. I was just-" a crash, and someone (not his sister) yelling out a 'goddamnit!' "-busy doing some stuff."
Those... were some odd noises. He should probably ask what those sounds were, but decided against it in fear of getting some traumatizing information. "Okay then... Um. I'm not at school anymore- my teacher invited me into her house," he stated, as he heard her grunt in acknowledgement. "She said it was 'too dangerous' for me to be out so late."
"Well," his sister started, before getting cut off by loud shouting.
Ieyasu frowned. "A-are you okay there, Natsu-nee?" he asked, eyebrows furrowed in concern.
"...Yes. Just some angry customer yelling about the wrong toppings on his pizza. Not my problem, to be honest," Nastu-nee answered, as he snorted in surprise.
"Did-did you just seriously forget about your brother because of your job?" he asked incredulously, not sure whether to laugh or cry at his current situation. To be honest, though, he's tempted to do both.
There was an even longer pause, before he heard her sigh. "Sorry, kiddo. Truth is, I actually skipped afternoon classes because I had to cover someone's shift," he heard her sigh again, this time even more deeply. "Apparently, that someone couldn't stay alive," he heard her mutter, as his mind halted to a stop.
Did she seriously work overtime just to cover her recently dead (or at least, he thinks so) co-worker's shift? What the heck?
"Anyway, I'm really sorry Yasu-chan, but I just wanted that extra money so I could treat you a nice dinner tonight. I actually overheard you complaining about prepackaged food, and I guess I got a bit guilty."
...Oh.
He bit his lip, looking at his sensei who was talking to some pompadoured dude- her son, probably -who had recently arrived. "Actually, the thing is..." and so he told her the events a while ago.
"Oh."
Oh, indeed.
"...You know what? Sure, whatever," he heard her let out a slightly hysterical laugh, as he raised an eyebrow in concern. "I'm coming over there for the dinner, since who am I to refuse it?" she said, and he heaved out a sigh of relief at his sister's voice turning back to its lax state. "Plus, I could use the extra money I earned today so I can treat you to a nice dinner for another time."
He laughed quietly, apparently cheered up. "Okay- that's fair, I guess," he said, smiling from ear to ear. "...Thanks, Natsu."
"...No problem, kiddo."
"H-Higashikata?!" his sister exclaimed in surprise, pointing at the pompadoured man as he stared back in equal surprise. "Wha-" she turned to Ieyasu, glaring menacingly. "What is this bullshit?" she hissed, grabbing his shoulders roughly before turning back to pomp, her mood completely doing a 180°. "Ah, I didn't know you live here, Higashikata-san!" she laughed sheepishly, as Ieyasu gave her a blank stare.
Women are so confusing.
"Merumi-san...?" Tomoko-sensei's son trailed off uncertainly, not sure on what to say. "Um, wait-" he turned to Ieyasu, then back at Natsu-nee. "Are- are you two siblings?" the poor guy looked so confused that Ieyasu almost pitied him.
He nodded, as Natsu-nee spaced out for a bit before blinking back into consciousness. "Uh- what? I mean, yeah..." she agreed, narrowing her eyes subtly as he noticed her staring through Josuke intently.
...Weirdo.
"Ah, Higashikata-san. You can call me Natsu," his sister said, waving a hand lazily. "Calling me 'Merumi' just seems... confusing," she added while giving Ieyasu a side-eyed look.
Josuke-san gave a small, albeit shy smile. "O-oh, okay. You can also call me Josuke, if you want!" he said, as he led them to the living room. "Anyway, dinner's all ready, and- uh-" he glanced around the room, before going back to the kitchen. "Mom, Natsu-san is here!"
They both sat down the couch silently, staring at each other.
"...Which coworker was it?"
Natsu gave him a blank look, devoid of any emotions for him to read. "Ayumi-senpai. It was a shame too, since she was so pretty and had a lot of admirers," she suddenly frowned, a sullen look on her face. "...I feel a bit guilty for not caring enough, to be honest. But what can I do? Cry?" she shrugged, as she gave him an empty smile.
"You could at least try to empathize, idiot," he pointedly remarked, crossing his arms in a admonishing manner. "Seriously, it's like you're not even acting like someone who just lost a friend."
Natsu-nee stared at him. "We're... not actually that close?" she laughed sheepishly, as he raised an unamused eyebrow. "No seriously, the most interaction I had with her was silently handing her a box of pizza," she said, frowning thoughtfully. "...That's kinda sad, actually."
"You are pathetic."
"Like you're any better, 'problem child.'"
Dinner is slightly awkward.
"Natsu-san, was it?" Tomoko-sensei inquired, raising an eyebrow as Natsu-nee straightened up on her seat abruptly, obviously surprised at the mention of her name.
Poor dude. He'll probably end up guiding her back home due to her current (tired) state. Come to think of it, were those eye bags really that deep?
...Is- is his sister tiring herself just to cater his wants?
God, now he feels guilty about making his sister's life harder.
Natsu-nee blinked blearily, tilting her head to the side. "Yes-? Um... Tomoko-sensei, right?" she smiled tiredly, "Sorry for being a burden today, there was a... an emergency at work, and I couldn't immediately pick him up," she apologized, smiling sheepishly.
"You have a job?" Josuke asked in surprise, as she nodded. "I didn't know that."
Before the conversation could spiral downward into something... weird, Ieyasu immediately spoke. "So Natsu-nee, I didn't know you're friends with Josuke-san," he remarked truthfully, slightly playing with his vegetables, stopping when Nastu-nee gave him a stare of disapproval.
"...Yeah, I suppose you could put it like that," she said after pondering on it for a while. "I mean- sorry about this by the way, Tomoko-san, -I kind of did something uncomfortable to him, but we're okay now, I guess...?" she added rather awkwardly, before turning to the pompadoured teen beside her. "We're cool now, right?" she asked in whisper, as Josuke nodded with a blush.
This.
This is the downward spiral he was talking about.
Damn it, why did he even attempt to salvage the situation when it'll just devolve into something worse?
"That's... nice." Tomoko-sensei said, blinking. "Anyway, Natsu-san. About Ieyasu's well-being..." she trailed off, as Natsu nodded in recognition.
"Ah, yeah. I've been meaning to talk you about that in private," she said. "Could we maybe... do that later? After we finish dinner?"
Tomoko-sensei didn't say anything, but instead nodded seriously.
They were now settled down in the living room, just the three of them.
Ieyasu feels like he's in an interrogation scene.
Natsu cleared her throat, before letting out a slow, tired sigh. "So, Tomoko-sensei... what is it that you wanted to talk about?"
He turned to his teacher, who was sporting a thoughtful frown. "Well, there are two main things I wanted to talk about," Tomoko-sensei said, still frowning.
She then suddenly smiled pleasantly, which surprised Ieyasu and Natsu-nee both immensely. "First of all, your brother is very bright for someone his age," she complimented him, as his face turned red and Natsu-nee raised her eyebrow. "But I'm somewhat... concerned about his behavior sometimes."
Oh, so that's what she's worried about- wait, behavior? What?
Ieyasu looked at Tomoko-sensei in alarm.
Natsu-nee immediately gave him a piercing stare, as he gulped nervously. "Alright Yasu, you heard her," she drawled, leaning back from her seat. "What do you have to say for yourself?" she asked him, as he winced a her sharp tone.
Crap.
Why did Tomoko-sensei have to say that?! And he was doing a really great job at hiding it too!
Tomoko-sensei, as if sensing his sister's harshness, frowned. "Now, Natsu-san. I get that he gets in trouble sometimes, but-"
"No, she's right," he cut her off rather abruptly, as all attention went to him. "I- I actually have something to say, Tomoko-sensei."
His teacher blinked, surprised at the turn if events. Ieyasu couldn't really blame her; most children would probably be defending themselves at the accusation already. Then again, he isn't most children.
He sometimes wonders where they both their intelligence from.
The tapping of his sister's foot broke him out of his thoughts, as he sighed. "I- I'm sorry for troubling you so much, Tomoko-sensei," he apologized, bowing as his face turned red from shame. "I really didn't mean to be such a nuisance," he added, sincerity tinting his voice.
His sister sighed in disappointment. Oh, crap... that wasn't what she was talking about at all, was it? "Ieyasu... It's okay, you know?" she softly said, putting a hand on top of his head. He attempted to protest, but she firmly halted it with a stern look. "Tell her or I'll literally drag you out of school and move you into a new one."
...To be honest, he couldn't see the appeal in both choices. Oh well, he supposed he could say it. He just hopes that Tomoko-sensei wouldn't be too disappointed at him.
Speaking of Tomoko-sensei, she's looking pretty confused at the moment. He's tempted to laugh, but then it'd be inappropriate and Natsu-nee will hit him in the head for being an insensitive prick.
So he just kept a blank face. "I'm being bullied, sensei," he admitted with a surprisingly flat tone. "I know it's strange that I-" he pointed to himself, almost mockingly, "-am being bullied by a bunch of children who're more stupid than me, but hey," he shrugged, "Apparently bullying can also be done physically."
To say that Tomoko-sensei is shocked was an understatement. She was utterly bewildered that she just sat there staring at him as if he'd grown a second head.
Meanwhile, Natsu gave out a typical reaction. "Figures they won't believe you again," she muttered, as he sighed in resignation, already used to it.
After all, who'd believe that the so-called 'problem child' is being bullied? They'd probably think that he's just bullshitting them or something.
"Alright then," Natsu-nee clapped her hands loudly, snapping Tomoko-sensei out of her stupor. "Sensei, what is the second thing that you're going to talk about?" she asked, trying to divert the topic.
Such attempt was easily noticed by Tomoko-sensei. "Do you seriously think that I'm just going to let go of the fact that one of my students is being bullied?" she asked is a furious tone, surprising both the siblings.
They both eyed each other in disbelief. "What?" Natsu asked him, utterly confused. "Um, sorry to be rude, but-" she let out a harsh laugh, raising a doubtful eyebrow, "You believe us?"
Tomoko-sensei gave them both a stare.
"...What?" he finally asked, feeling mildly uncomfortable. "Why do you care, anyway?" he asked, inwardly cringing at the rude tone he used. "Didn't I cause enough trouble for the class?" he muttered bitterly.
Tomoko-sensei let out a sigh, patting his head as she bent down to stare at him at eye level. "Ieyasu-kun, it doesn't matter how much trouble you caused to the class. I still care for you," she gave him a sincere smile. "Because that's what a teacher does."
He sniffed, feeling tears well up in his eyes.
And then Natsu-nee just had to ruin the moment by opening her mouth. "Oh my god are you crying?" she snorted quietly enough for Tomoko-sensei not to hear.
"I'm not crying shut up," he stammered, frantically rubbing his eyes. "It's just a leak in the ceiling idiot."
Tomoko-sensei smiled at him, hugging him briefly as he froze in shock at the warmth, before gradually relaxing into the hug.
"...Thank you, Tomoko-sensei."
The second thing she wanted to talk about was actually their parents' whereabouts, to which they both blankly answered 'Dead and missing.'
The look on Tomoko-sensei's face was priceless.
And now after all that, the two siblings were walking home, the moonlight slightly illuminating the path they were walking on.
"I'll say," Natsu-nee smirked, hands in her pockets. "Your new homeroom teacher seems pretty nice," she remarked, "She's Josuke-san's mom though, so I guess it's only fair that she's as kind-hearted as him."
Ieyasu stared at her long enough to realize that she just complimented a guy. "Do you... have a crush on Josuke?" he asked in disgust, raising an eyebrow. "That's gross, Natsu."
She chuckled nervously, scratching the back of her head. "Oh, wow. Do I seriously sound like I have a crush on him?" she asked sheepishly, as he gave her a blank stare.
"I honestly can't tell if you are being purposefully obtuse or not," he muttered, slightly backing away from her. "Seriously, I don't even-"
Ieyasu froze, a chill racking up on his spine. That was-
Natsu-nee suddenly dragged him subtly but quickly, her footsteps brisk as she looked straight ahead. "Whatever happens, don't look back," she muttered, apparently also noticing the menacing presence a few meters behind them. "...They seem pretty insistent as well, so be extra cautious."
He took a deep breath, not bothering to answer as she wasn't really expecting one anyway. Instead, he continued his previous sentence with the same amount of vigor as earlier. "So, anyway, I don't really get you sometimes, Natsu," Ieyasu casually remarked, purposefully ignoring the person following them. "I mean, sometimes you're pretty smart, but other times you're just full out retarded."
"Hm, is that so," his sister hummed, walking even faster than before. "I don't actually consider myself smart, to be honest," she added, as he raised a doubtful eyebrow.
"...Alright then, whatever you say, Natsu," he muttered, snorting.
His sister- not passing up an opportunity to brag about something? Hah, the day that'd happen is the day hell will freeze over.
"Oh my fucking god- who the hell was that?" Natsu exclaimed, just right after they entered their small apartment. "Seriously, that guys was just... creepy as hell."
He grunted in agreement, before suddenly yawning. His sister smiled at him, ruffling his head. "You go and sleep now, okay? I'll accompany you to school tomorrow, just in case that creep is still lurking around," she said, as he nodded before quietly retreating to his room.
That person... what was that thing behind his back?
AN: Hello. School killed me but now I'm back. Sorry for the very very very late update mah boiz. Also new OC yaAYYY- uh, Ieyasu was based on a real person so apologies if he sometimes gets too real yeah- alsoOOO- next chap we gon get some kOICHI POV YEETUS uhhh also josuke hot yes
