Abel and Kain
2.
It wasn't often their extended family got together for dinner, even if there wasn't much of them. Neither Tomomi and Kain had any siblings, and family on Kain's father's side was still in America where they belonged…including said father. So it was only Tomomi, her parents, Kain's mother…and Grandpa Kogure who chattered everybody's ears off and yet still demanded respect.
Tomomi had lots of practice at filtering such chatter – at letting it flow through one ear and out the other.
Kain might have had such practice too…if he could keep quiet in the face of things he disliked or disagreed with. But he couldn't. His friends weren't chatterboxes about the superficial like Tomomi and who she could afford to give half an ear to. In fact, in her opinion they weren't friends at all. They were followers. People who'd listen to what he said without question.
He called her superficial. She did the same. He was one person who always managed to get under her skin, no matter how she tried not to let him.
As for Kain's skin…everyone got under it. Even his mother, who hadn't gone chasing after her waylaid husband because she still had a child to raise. Grandpa Kogure and all his virtual games and virtual worlds and virtual researches was pretty much a given.
But family was family, Tomomi's parents would say. Even if putting the family under one roof made for far a peaceful dinner.
Then again, it might be an improvement for Kain, who could usually only dine with his mother with a sour look on his face.
Because he wore that sour look everywhere and couldn't get on without it.