It was a day before summer break. The whole school cheered, even the teachers. Tomorrow, summer break started, and in three days, the day she would spend with her family and Gintoki's family would begin. Tsukuyo was excited, but also anxious as she waited for Gintoki outside their school's door. Gintoki's family had been very kind to her, but she was not sure about her whole family, especially her sister. She shook her head. No don't say that! They're not that kind of people! They'll never scoff at me, and they won't scoff at my sister!
"Hey, Tsukuyo" Gintoki called her, snapping her out of her reverie.
"Eh? Yes?"
"Sorry I can't go home with you today."
She smiled at her boyfriend. They started to walk together toward the gate. "It's okay. Something came up in the Kendo club?"
"No it's Kagura. She wants me to come to her tournament this afternoon." Yato Kagura was Gintoki's younger cousin, who was very close to him. Her mother, Kouka-san was Yoshida Shouyou's younger sister. Tsukuyo had met her before when she went with Gintoki to pick her up in Gintama elementary school. She even got to know her friends, Shimura Shinpachi and Tokugawa Soyo, whom were also very close to Gintoki. Tsukuyo remembered that Kagura was part of Wushu club in her school, and was actually good in it, just like Gintoki in Kendo club. She was competing in Wushu National tournament, representing Gintama elementary school at that time.
"She said 'I'm going to cut your balls and your dick if I don't see you on the bleachers. I need you to cheer me on during the fight with your loud shout and I need you to cheer me up with food when I lose'" Gintoki said, mimicking Kagura. He sighed. "Kids these days have such colorful language."
"Which she learns from you" Tsukuyo pointed out.
Gintoki ignored her comment and went on "And anyway, she is waiting for me to come to see her fight right now. Uncle Kankou and Aunty Kouka can't go, so they ask me to come instead. It's Kagura's own wish. I'm sure she even sent reinforcement to bring me there." He looked ahead toward the gate of the school. "See what I mean?"
Tsukuyo followed his gaze and sure enough, she saw two kids, a boy and a girl with black hair, wearing their school's elementary uniform, waving at them. It were Kagura's friends and classmates, Shinpachi and Soyo. "GIN-SAN!"
"Yo, Pachi, Soyo" he greeted as he and Tsukuyo arrived at the gate.
The two elementary kids turned to Tsukuyo as well and bowed. "Hello Tsukuyo-san."
"Hello" she said, nodding. Shinpachi and Soyo were quite polite for elementary students, unlike the cheerful, energetic Kagura, who usually jumped into her arms, screaming "Tsukki!"
"You come to get me?" Gintoki asked
"Yes. Kagura-chan sent us here to make sure you'll come" Shinpachi said, fixing his glasses a bit.
"Come on, Gin-san. Kagura-chan is waiting in the arena. She was so nervous. She won't feel better unless you're there with her" Soyo said while pulling on Gintoki's hand as Shinpachi took his other one.
"Wait, at least let me get my motorbike first!"
Tsukuyo giggled as she watched Gintoki, being dragged by the two elementary kids. He looked behind him and shouted at her "See you later!" Tsukuyo waved at him until he was gone with Shinpachi and Soyo.
She started to walk toward her house. Seita was coming to his friend's house after school so she didn't need to pick him up. She started to plan in her mind what she would bring for the vacation with Yoshida family. What did she need? Gintoki said there was a lake. Did that mean she had to bring a swimsuit? She started to panic, remembering that she had no swimsuit other than her school's swimsuit. As she passed the middle school, she heard someone calling her name.
"Tsukuyo-san!" She turned to the source of voice and saw Nobume, walking with two teenage boys by her side, a sandy-haired teen, and a long, vermillion-haired teen. One of them she recognized as Kagura's older brother, Kamui. The three younger kids stopped in front of her.
"It's nice to see you here Nobume-chan" Tsukuyo greeted with a smile.
Nobume nodded. "Nice to see you too."
"Who is she?" the sandy-haired teen asked.
"Hmm? She's my brother's girlfriend."
"Which brother?"
"Gin-nii."
"Oh, Gin-san has a girlfriend too huh?"
Nobume turned to Tsukuyo. "Tsukuyo-san, these are my classmates. This is Sougo" she said, pointing at the sandy-haired boy on her left. "And this you may already know, is Kagura-chan's brother, Kamui" she said, pointing at the vermillion-haired boy on her right, who was smiling the whole time.
Tsukuyo nodded at both of them. "It's nice to meet you." The two boys bowed back at her.
"Nice to see you too. But we have to go to watch my sister's tournament. You gonna come Nobume?" Kamui said.
Nobume shook her head. "No, I have something to do. Gin-nii already went in our place anyway. He'll be more than enough for her. Tell Kagura-chan I'm sorry."
"Yeah, yeah" Sougo said. The two teenage boys went away and Nobume turned to Tsukuyo.
"Tsukuyo-san, you have something to do after this?"
"Hmm? No, I think I'll just go home and rest. Seita went to his friend's house so I don't have to pick him up. I'm going to start on my homework tomorrow."
"Then want to go shopping with me?" Eh? Shopping?
"Um... uh... but I don't have money to buy anything..."
"You don't have to buy anything. I just want your company that's all" Nobume said. Tsukuyo thought about it. She had nothing important to do today. Instead of sitting leisurely at home, it might be better that she spent time with her boyfriend's sister. Who could also be your sister-in-law in the future. She blushed at her own thoughts.
"Alright then."
Nobume smiled. "Wait here then. I'll get my motorcycle."
"You have a motorbike too Nobume-chan?" Tsukuyo said, surprised.
"Yes. Each of us has motorbikes except Dad and Obo-nii. They both use cars. Dad only allows us to have cars once we go to college."
Nobume ran to the parking lot and Tsukuyo waited. A few minutes later, Nobume came on a motorcycle. The design was similar to Gintoki's, though Gintoki's was silver and blue, while Nobume's was red and white. "Get in" she said, while handing Tsukuyo a helmet. Tsukuyo put on the helmet and get on behind Nobume.
Nobume had brought them to a quite extravagant town square. She felt a bit self-conscious wearing her school uniform in this place, but Nobume didn't seem to be bothered. She walked with the younger girl toward a shop, selling women's clothes and accessories.
"I've always going shopping alone. None of my family ever want to accompany me whenever I go shopping. Well, they do when I force them to. But I want some female company."
"What about your school friends?"
"I do have some female friends, but we are not that close. The ones I'm closest to are Sougo and Kamui. We are part of the same gang."
That last remark made Tsukuyo freeze. Gang? What kind of gang? You mean group of friends right? You don't mean those kinds of gang that ride motorbikes around town and go to night clubs, right? Please tell me it's not Nobume-chan!
"Do you have swimsuits?"
"Huh?" Nobume's question snapped her out of her inner turmoil. She now realized that they had arrived in swimwear section.
"Do you have any swimsuit at home? We're going to the lake in the countryside, so we're going to swim."
Tsukuyo looked down embarrassed. "Um, I only have our school's swimsuit. I don't have that much money to go shopping for clothes. Most of my clothes are made by my sister."
Nobume hummed and continued to look around the myriad of swimsuits. Tsukuyo sighed. She must think of how pathetic I am.
"Which one do you think is good for me?" Nobume asked, turning to her with two swimsuits in her hands. Both are bikinis, one with tiger motif and the other with zebra motif. Tsukuyo put her hand on her chin and looked at both swimsuits, thinking it over.
"I think the one with zebra motif is better for you Nobume-chan. But there's still something missing..." she trailed off, looking around the swimwear section. Nobume looked down at the black and white bikini in her hand and frowned, obviously thinking the same.
Tsukuyo spotted black shorts with white vertical lines. She went to pick it from the rack and walked to Nobume. She took the zebra bikini top and combined the two. "I think this is better for you. Why don't you try it?"
Nobume nodded and brought the shorts and bikini top to the changing room. While she tried the swimsuits, Tsukuyo looked around the section. It's not like she would buy one. She had no money for it. But it was okay to look around, right?
A one piece swimsuit caught her attention. It was light blue, with laced-up front and high cut. Will I look good in that? She looked at her own body. A part of her wanted to show off to Gintoki. She flushed and bit her lip. Even if I do, I still can't buy it.
Nobume pulled open the curtain of the changing room to see Tsukuyo looking at the blue one piece. Ah...
"Tsukuyo-san, how do I look?" Nobume asked. Tsukuyo looked at Nobume, wearing the bikini top with zebra motif and the shorts with vertical black and white motif.
"It looks good on you Nobume-chan."
"I think so too. Thanks for picking it up for me. For someone who rarely goes shopping, you have a good fashion sense."
"Oh, well my sister is a tailor so..."
Nobume smiled and looked at the blue one piece swimsuit. "You like that one?"
"Eh? Um, well..."
"You should try it." Nobume went to pick the swimsuit and handed it to Tsukuyo. "Come on try it!" she said as she pushed the older girl to the changing room.
After a minute, Tsukuyo walked out wearing the swimsuit and Nobume let out a little cry. "It looks good on you."
Tsukuyo did think so as well as she saw her reflection in the mirror. Nevertheless, she still asked "You really think so?"
"Yeah. Your butts aren't that big. But your body is slim and makes your curves even more prominent. And you breasts are large." Tsukuyo blushed, embarrassed at having someone analyze her body.
They changed back to their school uniform and Nobume brought the bikini top, the shorts, and the one piece to the counter. Tsukuyo looked confused.
"You're going to buy that to?"
"I'm buying this for you."
"WHAT?! No you don't have to!"
"It's okay. It's my money. You don't have to pay."
"But I'll feel bad about it! Please don't..."
"But I want to" Nobume said, smiling as she handed her the one piece after she purchased it. "Gin-nii and I had a talk about this. He said you might not have a swimsuit, so I offered to go shopping with you today."
Tsukuyo still looked down, guilty, embarrassed, and worried. Nobume knew what she was thinking. "And don't feel bad or looked down on yourself. Just so you know, we're doing this not out of pity, or because we're trying to make fun of your poverty. We do this because we care." She smiled at her brother's girlfriend. "You are already like a family to us."
Tsukuyo smiled. Somehow she felt light-hearted along the way home. Gintoki's family was really filled with good people. Maybe this family vacation would not be so bad.
"Is everything ready?! Nothing left out?!"
"Yes, everything's packed."
"What about you Seita?"
"Everything's already in my backpack, Mom!"
"Nee-san, do you want to bring your crutches?"
"Of course! They're inside the cupboard."
That morning, the Hoshina family was in a hurry as that was the day they're going to join Yoshida family for summer vacation. Everyone was excited. Tsukuyo suddenly heard the sound of motor from the outside. She ran out of the door and found Gintoki sitting on his motorbike.
"Yo!" He held up a hand in greeting.
"You're alone? Where is your family?"
"Getting ready in the house. We're going to use the van and one motorcycle. They told me to go ahead and tell you about it."
The van. Of course. She remembered seeing a van among the vehicles in Gintoki's house garage. "Well come on in."
The couple went into Tsukuyo's house and was greeted by Hinowa. "Ah, welcome Gintoki-kun! Where is the rest of your family?"
"They're on their way here. I smell something from the oven."
Hinowa smiled knowingly. "Would you like some cookies then?" she said as she offered a tray with white-choco cookies she had made that morning.
"Hinowa-san, your cookies is the best sweet that I've ever tasted. I wouldn't miss it for the world."
Gintoki took one cookie and bit it. He savored the cookie in his mouth and smiled blissfully. "I'm in heaven" he said, a small tear fell from the corner of his eyes. Hinowa laughed and Tsukuyo giggled. She always found this part of her boyfriend cute. Who would've thought that this guy, who was the best fighter in their school, who used to pick a fight fith others once every few days, and was feared by the local gangs as the "White Demon" of Gintama High, actually had a liking, which borderline to obsession, for sweets?
"You're exaggerating Gintoki-kun."
"Gin-nii!" They turned to see Seita coming. The little boy ran to Gintoki and he caught him in his arm, lifting the boy onto the air.
"Hey there little hero! You're getting bigger and heavier each day!"
"Of course! I'm a growing boy!"
Seeing Gintoki played with Seita warmed Tsukuyo's heart. She knew, even when he was still a jerk, long before they dated each other, that Gintoki was good with children. Kagura, Shinpachi, Soyo and Seita liked him almost immediately. And eventhough he didn't want to admit it at first, he had weakness for kids. Now, he was more open with his affection than before.
He would make a good father in the future. That thought caused Tsukuyo to blush. Why was it that everything about him always made her heart beat so fast?
They heard the sound of motor from the outside followed by a honk. "That's them" Gintoki announced as he put Seita down. Seita pulled Gintoki outside by the hand while Tsukuyo pushed Hinowa's wheel chair and followed them. Outside, a big silver van was waiting for them. Four people went out and stood before them.
Tsukuyo smiled at the new arrivals. "Hello everyone."
The four people greeted her back with "Hi"/"Hello"/"Good morning".
"Are they your siblings Gin-nii?" Seita asked Gintoki.
Gintoki nodded. "Yeah. This is my older brother Oboro. And this is Kotarou. This is Shinsuke. And this is my sister Nobume" he said, while pointing at each siblings.
"And this kid?" Shinsuke said, looking down on Seita.
"This is Tsukuyo's nephew."
"Hello! My name is Seita!" he replied enthusiastically.
Kotarou kneeled in front of the 5-year-old. "Hi Seita-kun. Do you like camping?"
"I never did it. But I want to try!"
"Good, because that's what we're going to do!" Kotarou petted the boy's head and smiled at him.
The siblings' attention now turned to Hinowa. Tsukuyo felt a bit anxious. Even Hinowa fidgeted a little. "Um, everyone, this is my older sister, Hinowa."
"Ah! So you were the one who cooked the food for us back then. Thank you so much. It's good" Kotarou said with a friendly smile.
Shinsuke nodded, smiling a little. "It is really delicious."
Oboro smiled politely. "Thank you for giving us the food back then. We don't have to cook anymore thanks to you."
"Yup! Tsukuyo-san, your sister is very pretty" Nobume commented.
Hinowa smiled in relief. Thankfully, their reaction to her was positive. "Actually, I cooked some food for today too. That is, if you want to eat it. And as requested before, I also made some donuts."
Oboro nodded. "We would like that. Thank you very much." Nobume cheered.
Gintoki looked behind his siblings. "Hey, where's Da-"
Suddenly, the door of the van was opened again as a figure walked out. "What're you doing in there, Dad?"
"I am sorry. I was on the phone with Sasaki-san. I asked him to take care of the paperwork while I'm away. Did I miss the introduction?"
Seita walked in front of the man. "Hi! I'm Tsukuyo-nee's nephew. My name's Seita" the boy introduced himself enthusiastically.
Shouyou blinked in surprise. He then smiled warmly and put his hand on the boy's head. "My name is Shouyou. I am Gintoki's father. It's nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too!" the boy replied with a big smile, causing the adult to chuckle.
"Dad, you still have to meet Tsukuyo's sister" Gintoki said, as he ushered Shouyou to the front of the bunch.
"This is Gintoki's father, the dean" Tsukuyo whispered to Hinowa as she pushed her forward.
"Hinowa-san, this is my father."
"Shouyou-san, this is my sister."
The man and woman faced each other, but something unexpected happened when they laid eyes on each other. Hinowa's eyes widened and her jaw went slack. Her hands trembled and her body shuddered as she looked at the man in front of her. Shouyou on the other hand, seemed to be frozen in his spot. Body going rigid and face pale, his expression mirrored Hinowa's, with widened eyes and slacked jaw. Realization dawned on both of them as memories came flooding back into their heads. Everyone looked at them, curious, confused and worried, as the two adults kept staring at each other with shocked faces.
"Um... Dad?" Gintoki asked, unsure what's going on.
"Nee-san?" Tsukuyo called worriedly.
The two snapped out of their stare down. Shouyou suddenly bowed in front of her. "I am Gintoki's father, Shouyou. It is nice to meet you."
His action startled Hinowa. She fidgeted on her wheel chair for a second before bowing back. "I-it is nice to m-meet you too. I am Tsukuyo's s-sister, Hinowa."
For what feels like forever, no one said anything, not even Seita. It felt so awkward. Oboro cleared his throat loudly, catching everyone's attention. "We should go now."
Gintoki nodded at his brother. "Yes we should." Everyone started to help loading the Hoshina family's luggage into the van. But even as they started to work, they couldn't shake this uncomfortable feeling.
