Sunlight shines through the window, waking Ayame up. She rubs her eyes, grumbling, feeling dissatisfied with being woken up early by the sun. With a toss, she lazily opens up her eyes, which immediately dilate upon the sight of Iori, snuggling up against her. His head was nuzzled into her neck, lips slightly parted with air silently escaping, landing on her pale skin. Ayame shivers at the cool sensation; goosebumps crawling up her back. Her cheeks quickly warm up, turning visibly red.
I...should definitely, pull him off.
Weakly, she tries to escape, but his tight grip around her prevents it. She grumbles, then attempting again, but to no avail. It was if he were baby stubbornly clinging onto his mother. She wonders if she should call out to him, but then decides against it. He looked so peaceful; his facial muscles unstrained and relaxed. It was rare to see him sleeping, and this time might be the only time in her life to witness it.
Plus...his embrace was, comforting.
As she waits for him to loosen his grip, Ayame notices a silver object under his white button-up shirt, dangling from his neck. She stares at the cross necklace, memories from the other day popping up.
"I said don't touch...!"
Ayame's expression turns stern. There was something mysterious about Iori. He was like a glass figurine; pretty to look at, but fragile. He was princely and gentle, but sometimes he just seemed...off. Especially around Kaname. She wanted to know. She wanted to know what caused him to react like that, what the story behind him was. If he would to ever bare himself to her, she would gladly accept him, perhaps even help him.
After all, she was no better.
After a few more minutes of brooding, her motherly instincts take over, and she reaches out to him, hugging him closer into her shoulder. She gently caresses his hair, then running her hands through his silky locks. A few more minutes pass, and Iori finally wakes up, awoken by her persistent touch. He opens his sleepy eyes, which immediately widen upon the position they were in.
"..." Iori says nothing, obviously shocked. Snapping out of it, he hastily backs off, nearly falling off the bed. At his reaction, Ayame couldn't help but let out a laugh. It was strange to see the usually so composed Iori to look so shocked. Smiling warmly, she lends him a hand.
"Good morning, sleepy head. Did you have a good night's sleep?" she says, ruffling his hair. He stares at her for a few more seconds, before his parted lips form into an apologetic smile.
"...Good morning, Ayame nee-san. I'm sorry, did I cuddle against you while we were sleeping?" he says, no longer looking shocked.
Ayame smiles at him, "Yes. Is it a habit of yours?"
Iori looks down in deep thought. After a few seconds he replies, "...No. I usually don't move at all."
"Oh, really? A wonder." she smiles warmly, staring into his hazel eyes, "Any nightmares?"
Iori meets her eyes, staring into them deeply before replying. "No. Thanks to you."
She chuckles softly at his response.
"I'm glad to have helped." Ayame smiles. She takes a peek at his forehead, then reaching out to it. Compared to when she first discovered him, it was much better.
"...Good. " she says, then removing her hand. "It seems like your fever is mostly gone, but just to be on the safe side, you should take a day off from school."
Iori looks up to his ceiling, seemingly thinking. A few seconds pass and he changes his watch to Ayame. "...Will you be at home?"
Though slightly taken aback by his question, she replies quickly. "I don't have any lectures today so I'm not going to uni but, I'm planning on studying. Though other than that, I'm not doing anything else, so I'm at home all day."
Iori smiles tenderly at her answer, "Okay then. I'll stay at home then."
Ayame blushes faintly at his suggestive reply, but wards it off quickly, changing the subject.
"Well, I guess it's time for me to leave now. See you at breakfast." Ayame says. She swings her legs to the side of the bed, planning to leap off. However, just as she stands up, Iori interrupts her.
"Ayame nee-san?" he says. Ayame looks back, "Hm? What?"
"That bandage...did you get hurt?" Iori says, looking down to her kneecap. Ayame looks down to her knee, then back to Iori with a reassuring smile.
"I had a little trip yesterday. It's nothing serious, just a little grazed." she says, patting her knee
"Oh, I see," Iori says, then pausing, "...Speaking of yesterday, you came home really late. Where were you?"
"Ahh...I was out with a friend, and ended up meeting up with Subaru-kun and his friend." Ayame explains.
Iori stares at her, "With...Subaru nii-san?"
"Yep, they got really drunk,' Ayame says with a smile, then pointing down to her bandaged knee, "This wound was kind of Subaru-kun's fault. He fainted and I ended up with carrying him. When we were walking, he tripped me over. Accidental, of course."
"I see..." Iori says. He looks at her with sorry eyes, "I'm sorry for Subaru nii-san. Did it hurt?"
He casually places his hand on her knee, staring at the injury sympathetically. Ayame blushes faintly before replying, "Ahaha...Not really, I'm used to pain so I was alright."
"...Eh?" Iori says, now looking into her eyes. Realizing that she had caused him suspicion, Ayame hastily makes up an excuse -not wanting him to know why.
"Oh- I was in the soccer club in middle school. A lot of accidents happened, so I gradually got used to pain, though I was the goalie." she says with a composed smile. Technically, she wasn't lying, as she often did get hurt during club activities.
Iori smiles at her answer, "I see. It's a little unexpected that you play soccer. Do you still play?"
Ayame hesitates before she replies, her hand involuntarily reaching down to her wrist. She looks away from him, her facial expression turning distant.
"...Sometimes."
Iori tilts his head at her vague answer. Sensing his curious stare, Ayame hastily gets up from the bed. "Well, I think I'd better go. Make sure to rest plenty today, alright? Call me when you need me, I'll come running."
She smiles gently, no trace of bitterness left, then walking out the room.
"Ah..." Iori gasps quietly, watching her exit the room. His face turns melancholic.
...I wonder why she looked so sad.
Now in a change of clothes, Ayame exits the elevator, walking to the kitchen. As she had expected, Ukyo was already there, and beside him, Ema.
"Good morning," She greets, walking down the stairs. "You're early today, Ema."
Ema smiles flinches slightly at the sight of her sister. Ayame furrows her brow at her reaction. Ema looks away from her sister before replying.
"O-Oh, I thought that since you two are always the first ones to start cooking, I should at least try to be there before one of you at least once."
Ukyo chuckles softly, "I was quite surprised to see her waiting here so early. It's a strange thing to see someone here before me in the morning, that's for sure."
Ayame and Ema chuckle together. Ayame, now down the stairs, rolls up her sleeves.
"So, what are we making for today?" she asks with a smile on her face. Ukyo smiles politely, "Ah, we were actually just deciding-"
"-Pancakes, for today." Ema quickly answers, cutting Ukyo off. Ukyo stares at her quizzically before receiving an apologetic smile from Ema. Ema turns her attention back to Ayame, "Too bad, Aya-nee. You're going to have to sit this out again."
Ayame blinks a few times before replying, "...Sure," she says, turning on her heel. "I guess I'll do the laundry then."
"Eh?" Ema gasps, blinking her eyes. Ayame looks back to Ema with a confused expression.
"...Ema? What is it?" Ayame sighs, feeling suspicious of her younger sister. Ema, knowing that no arguments would work, sighs.
"...No, it's nothing. See you at breakfast then, Aya-nee." Ema sighs, sulkily grabbing out a pan. Ayame raises a brow at her behavior before reluctantly walking off.
"Okay then...See you at breakfast." Ayame says, exiting the room.
After Ayame leaves, Ema sighs heavily, "Haa..."
Ukyo looks down at his step-sister, curiosity blatantly showing on his face. "...May I ask what that was all about, Ema-san?"
Ema sighs yet again before replying, "...Do you remember the day we argued?"
Ukyo raises a brow, trying to brainstorm on what she meant. Soon, he remembers, smiling.
"Ahh, yes. On the first day. We were all quite surprised that things got so dramatic so quickly. Between you two, no less." Ukyo chuckles at the distant memory, which was no less than two weeks ago.
Ema faintly blushes, mumbling, "We're very sorry about that, we don't usually argue..."
"Ahaha...There's no need to apologize," Ukyo chuckles faintly, then stopping upon seeing her brooding expression, "...Go on,"
Ema nods, hesitantly continuing, "...On that day, we argued that she shelters me too much, among other things,"
"Hm." Ukyo nods, listening in carefully. After all, he had never truly found out what happened between the two, and tried to ask Ayame once, but was brushed off. Seeing this time as his only bet, he carefully takes in her rant.
"I don't know what everybody else thinks, but I think Aya-nee's too, attached, or, protective of me, ever since we were children." she explains, sifting the pancake mix. Ukyo nods.
"Compared to when we were children, it's better but- sometimes, I think she needs to back off a little." she says. Ukyo tilts his head, but lets her continue anyway.
"...It may seem from what I'm saying that I dislike Aya-nee -which is completely wrong, she's the closest person I've got, even more so than Papa, but that is precisely why I'm worried." she sighs, taking a short break from her rant.
"And what do you mean by that?" Ukyo says, turning on the stove. A few seconds pass before she replies, "...I want her to relax more. She studies like crazy, everyday. Assignments that, college this. She's too focused on staying busy -I've never even met her friends before, if she even has any!"
Ema raises her voice, unintentionally taking out her frustration on the mix -sifting it uncontrollably. Ukyo blinks his in surprise at her sudden outburst. She continues to rant, "And you know what I've noticed? I know little to nothing about Aya-nee! She always keeps me in the dark, never telling me anything about her private life! She thinks I'm this pure little girl who knows nothing about the world! Well, I do! I've pirated before! I've downloaded movies illegally before! Yet she- yet she still...!"
Seeing that she was going off topic, Ukyo tries to stop her, but to no avail.
"E-Ema-san, please calm down-"
"Nothing's changed from before! It's all because of that woman-" Ema yells, pulling her hair.
Ukyo stares at her quizzically, one brow raised.
...Because of that woman?
Feeling curious, he speaks up, "Excuse me, Ema-san, but what do you mean by 'that woman'?"
Ema gasps, and freezes in her spot.
Oh no. I've said too much.
"Ah...um," she mumbles, "I-I'm sorry, Ukyo-san...I've been spouting nonsense. I just need to calm down for a couple of seconds..."
Though his curiosity was still strong, Ukyo lets her off, sensing her strong discomfort. Sighing, he pats her on the back.
"I understand, Ema-san. Lets take a breather, shall we?" he smiles kindly, rubbing her on the back. Ema smiles thankfully, and after a few seconds, she speaks up.
"...I'm sorry, Ukyo-san. to burst out on you like that," she sniffs, "It's my bad habit, getting easily worked up when I'm feeling stressed or worried..."
Ukyo smiles warmly, "It's fine, Ema-san. You're just worried about Ayame-san, correct?"
She nods her head, "...I just thought that she should take a break. I'm worried she'll just break down someday. I've never seen her cry, not even once, in all this time I've known her."
"I see," Ukyo nods, with his arms crossed, "But to be so worried about her, you must love her very much."
Ema smiles softly, feeling happy with his words, "...Yes."
Ukyo smiles, seeing that she was now the usual sweet and calm little sister that he knew. Clasping his hands together, he sets to work, "Now, how about we start frying the pancakes?"
Ema nods, and the two work their magic. As they cook, Ukyo remembers a certain sentence.
"...Oh, yes. Ema-san?"
Ema looks up to the taller man, tilting her head, "Yes, what is it, Ukyo-san?"
His aura turns foreboding, "...For your information, people who disrespect copyright laws either have to pay up to two million yen or face two years in jail...So please, refrain from such illicit activities from now on, understood? It would be rather...troubling, to have a family member to have to go to court."
Ema shivers at his tone, and hastily replies, "O-Of course!"
He smiles at her, tilting his head upwards.
"Good."
"Achoo!" Ayame sneezes loudly, nearly dropping the sheets.
"Am I sick? That's rare..." She mutters to herself, then looking up to the bright blue sky. "Maybe I'm being talked about...just kidding."
She continues to hang the laundry. After a few good minutes, she finally finishes hanging, then massaging her shoulders with a groan.
"Gosh...how does he do this everyday, I wonder?" Ayame sighs to herself, thinking of the motherly lawyer. Seeing that her business was done, she goes to the exit, but then stops upon hearing a soft sneeze.
"A-achoo...!"
Ayame her head whips back with widened eyes. Was someone there? She frowns. She never noticed anybody while she was hanging the laundry. Had she perhaps misheard?
"...Is somebody there?" she calls out, but receives no answer. Rationalizing that she probably was just hearing things, she turns on her heel, but stops upon hearing the voice yet again.
"...Huh? Where, am I?" A soft, gentle voice utters, sounding mildly confused. Ayame whips her head back, immediately recognizing the voice's owner. She approaches closer, going through the fluttering sheets of laundry.
Upon seeing the voice's identity, she sighs, holding the flying bed sheets behind her.
"Louis-san! Why in the world are you sleeping here?" she scolds, her brows crossed.
"Ah...Ayame-chan," Louis says, smiling softly. He reaches out to caress her long hair that was fluttering in the strong breeze, "Your hair, is as beautiful as always..."
She sighs at his nonexistent answer. For Louis, everything was about hair.
"More importantly, why were you sleeping on the roof bench? Don't tell me you've been here all night..." she says as she looks down to the soft-speaking man. He smiles serenely,
"Yep." he nods. Ayame sighs at his answer.
"May I ask, why in the world?" she says, crouching down to his eye-level. He retains his soft smile, "The sky...was so, beautiful, last night...So I went up to the, rooftop, to star-gaze."
"And you ended up falling sleeping?" she says, staring into his mauve-coloured eyes. He nods slowly. Ayame places her hand to her forehead, sighing.
"There's a limit to being carefree, you know..."
Louis chuckles softly, then unzipping his blue polka-dot jacket. Ayame's eyes widen at the sight.
"Juli-san, too." he smiles softly. It was Juli, peacefully sleeping inside his shirt. His belly was bared, and his arms and legs were sprawled out.
Ayame tries to muster out a comment, but fails, the only thing she was able to do was gawk.
Juli, sleeping so peacefully on a young male? It was inconceivable.
Seeming disrupted by Ayame strong stare, Juli wakes up with a cute yawn. He slowly opens his eyes, rubbing them with his little paws.
"Hrm?" he mutters, lazily blinking.
"Good morning, Juli-san..." Louis smiles gently at the squirrel, scratching his apple head. Juli, realizing where they were, immediately starts scolding Louis.
"Louis! How come we ended up sleeping on the roof? I warned you to not fall asleep!" he scolds, unknown to Ayame.
"Sorry, Juli-san...I couldn't help it..." Louis chuckles softly. Juli sighs, turning away with crossed arms.
Ayame looks upon the sight curiously. Was he talking to Juli?
She smiles, amused. He truly was a man of the clouds.
"Hmph!" Juli scowls, then blinking upon noticing Ayame's presence, "Oh, Ayame? So you were here too."
"Chi, chu? Cha chi chi." Juli squeaks. Ayame reaches out to scratch his head.
"Hey there, buddy." she smiles gently. At her gentle touch, Juli nuzzles against her hand, looking quite adorable. She giggles, feeling ticklish at the touch of his fluffy fur.
After few seconds, she returns her hand to herself. Seeing that cuddle time was over, Juli travels up to Louis' ear to whisper -or rather, squeak, "...By the way, Ayame doesn't understand my words, so no mentioning of me being able to talk if you don't want to weird her out, roger that?"
At this news, Louis's smile disappears, turning into a saddened frown. "Poor Juli-san..."
Noticing Ayame's confused expression, Juli lightly taps Louis' shoulder, telling him to zip it. Louis reluctantly nods, changing the subject.
"Nee...Ayame-chan?" he says, raising his body up. Juli clings on Louis' clothing, scurrying up his shoulder.
"Yes?" Ayame says with a polite smile, tilting her head. He reaches out to her hair again, grabbing a single lock.
"Can I, do your hair?" he says with hopeful eyes that were like a child's. Ayame sighs, but agrees anyway.
"Sure, but you promise me to never sleep up here ever again, okay? You'll catch a cold." she says, getting up. He smiles at her request, "Okay."
He swings his leg over the bench, making space for Ayame. She tucks her skirt as she sits down.
Humming, he begins to plait her hair. The two envelope into a relaxing silence. Ayame stares up at the blue sky, smiling to herself as she relaxes into her seat. It was relaxing being with Louis. The way he just seemed up in the clouds was at times amusing yet soothing. It was as if he had no troubles in life, just living along with hair.
Ayame smiles with a hint of sadness.
It would be nice...if one day, I would be able to live life just as carefree as him.
Just as Louis continues to braid her hair, he looks up to her.
"Ayame-chan?"
"Hm?" she says, closing her eyes.
"What, do you think...of the Asahina family?" he asks, staring at her curiously. She turns to look at him, "What made you ask that?"
He smiles gently, "...I, was just wondering."
Ayame looks up to the sky, wondering on what she thought of them. In general, they were quite nice, though there were a few misfits.
"Hm...I think Masaomi-san and Ukyo-san are very kind and thoughtful. If they ever got married, I think their wives would be very happy." she says, her finger to her chin. Louis nods, listening in.
"Next...Kaname, I think of him as unlikable." she says. Louis tilts his head, "Why?"
"For one thing...he doesn't respect my space. He puts his hands all over me whenever he has the chance, which frankly, is quite disrespectful. It's almost as if he thinks I'm a toy to mess around with."
"It's true that, Kaname nii-san touches girls a lot, but," he pauses, his lips forming into a small smile, "He's, one of the kindest people I've met. He's just easy to misunderstand."
Juli spits at the ground at his statement, "Hah, as if! A perverted monk is always a perverted monk!"
"Chi, cha chi! Ki chi chu chi!"
Ayame stares unapprovingly at Juli's distasteful act, then replying to Louis' statement.
"Hopefully I will be able to see that side of him one day, then."
Louis smiles gently at her response, "You will...It's hard to hide kindness."
"You have a point. I still don't like him though." she says, crossing her arms stubbornly. Juli cheers at her answer.
"A pity...Kaname nii-san, would be sad to hear that." Louis says, then looking up to the sky, "Then...what about, Tsubaki nii-san and Azusa nii-san?"
"They're nice. Though Tsubaki can be a little annoying at times." she replies with a small smile.
Louis nods at her answer. Suddenly, the image of a certain man pops up. She smiles warmly, happy to have remembered him.
"There's also Natsume-san. He's also very kind."
Louis tilts his head at the mention of Natsume. "Natsume nii-san? You've, met him?"
"Yep, yesterday. It was purely coincidental." Ayame says, smiling brightly. Louis stares at her for a few seconds before a smile eventually creeps up.
"Good for you."
She chuckles softly before continuing. "And next is..." she pauses, a cheeky smile forming, "Louis-san."
Louis smiles warmly, his eyes lowered. "Yes?"
"A very gentle, soft-spoken man. Initial impressions were 'A weird person' but recently, that has changed. He is now thought of as a gentle and relaxing person whose presence is very soothing. And for the record, you can do my hair anytime you want." she winks at him with a small smile. He returns her smile.
"I'm glad. I also, think of Ayame-chan as a very gentle person. Thank you." he says, staring into her almond eyes. Ayame giggles softly.
Louis looks up to the sky, "Next is...Subaru-kun."
Ayame smiles at the mention of the basketball player. "Subaru-kun, huh? He's very serious, I've got to say. If only he weren't so shy, I think that he'd be very popular with the ladies."
Louis chuckles softly at her comment, "Subaru-kun, is already quite popular among girls."
Ayame looks up at the sky, "I had a feeling that was the case, though I think that he would be even more popular if he weren't so intimidating."
"I think so too." Louis says, nodding in agreement.
Thinking of the next chronological brother, Ayame's heart beats slightly faster.
"Next...is Iori-kun, huh..." she says, looking down with a faint blush. Juli clicks his tongue, irritated by her reaction.
"Hmph!" he turns away from Ayame, crossing his arms.
"What do you...think of Iori-kun?" Louis asks with a small smile.
"A wonderful little brother. He's kind and modest, and I think I've grown quite close to him." she looks up, staring off into the distance. "But..."
But? Juli cocks his head to the side, as does Louis.
"...Sometimes I feel as if he's unapproachable. As if he's not there."
For the first time Ayame had known him, Louis' face turns serious. He stops plaiting her hair. "...Uh-huh."
A few seconds pass before she speaks up, "...Hey, Louis-san?"
Louis looks up, "What is it, Ayame-chan?"
"...What happened to Iori-kun? Why is he on bad-terms with Kaname-san? And what is that cross necklace to him?"
Louis stays silent, not answering her questions. A good minute passes before Ayame starts to get restless, "Louis-san-"
"-You will...know eventually." he says, interrupting her. "...You, will definitely find out. But now, you can't know."
"...Why is that?" she whispers, looking down.
"Because...everybody, has secrets that they, want to keep secret." he replies cryptically. Ayame watches Louis as he stares off into the distance, then back to the ground.
Without thinking, her hand travels down to her shoulder, and grips it tightly.
Because everybody has secrets that they want to keep secret.
A few seconds pass before she releases of her shoulder. She looks up to the sky.
"...I understand."
Louis nods, then continuing to plait her hair. They both stay silent for a while, before Louis eventually speaks up, "...What about Yusuke-kun?"
Ayame burrows her brows in confusion, "What?'
"Yusuke-kun...What do you think about him?"
Realizing that he still wanted to continue the conversation, her lips creep into a small smile.
"Yusuke-kun, huh..." she pauses to think, placing her hand to her chin, "Transparent."
Louis nods at her answer, agreeing. "It's true that, Yusuke-kun's feelings, easily show. But, he's cute."
"I agree whole-heartedly." Ayame chuckles, thinking of the time he seemed so depressed when Ema made Subaru a cake.
"Then, what about Fuuto-kun?" Louis says.
Ayame quickly finds an answer, and doesn't hesitate in her reply, "A spoiled little brat."
Louis blinks at her answer, "Do you think so?"
"Yes, no doubt about it. He's a pompous little drama queen." she says, huffing her chest up. Louis smiles tenderly, "Fuuto-kun's...a little cheeky, but he's a nice boy. He's just a little shy."
Ayame raises a brow at his statement, "I find that hard to believe, Louis-san."
"For once, it seems that we've agreed, Ayame." Juli adds in, nodding to himself.
Louis laughs softly. It was a shame Ayame couldn't understand him, it would've been funny to see them interact.
"And last but definitely not least," Ayame starts off, then continued by Louis, "-Wataru-kun."
Ayame chuckles pleasantly, thinking to herself about the youngest. Finding a suitable answer, she tells him her thoughts.
"Wataru is, cute." she grins. Louis smiles back, "I think so too. His hair is, so fluffy..."
Ayame laughs at his comment, "So in the end, it's all about the hair?"
"Yes..." Louis replies, nodding, earning another chuckle from his younger sister. He finishes off her hair, seeming to have completed the french braid. Ayame looks at the braid, twirling it with her finger with a happy smile.
"Yet again, you have done magnificently." she says with a pleased smile. He smiles serenely, thanking her. However, just as he thanks her, his stomach start to growl.
"Ah..." he says, looking down to his belly, then patting it. Ayame laughs, then getting up, "Let's go. Breakfast should be done by now."
He smiles graciously as she offers him a hand. The two exit from the roof, and walk down the stairs.
After a few minutes, Louis and Ayame arrive at the dining area, and to their surprise, find majority of the brothers seated, including Fuuto. Ayame quickly briefs over the brothers, and notices that Subaru was nowhere to be around.
...He's probably hungover, She smiles at the thought.
"Geez, what took you so long? You made me starve." Fuuto says with an irritated scowl, hanging his arm lazily behind his chair.
"I don't think that's the right attitude towards someone who does your laundry." Ayame replies, seating herself down between Wataru and Iori, away from Fuuto.
"Good morning, nee-san." Iori politely greets with a pleasant smile. Ayame smiles back, "Good morning, Iori-kun."
Fuuto watches the two's interaction with a blank expression that eventually makes its way into a cheeky grin.
"Hm...So that's how it is, huh?" says Fuuto, a hand on his cheek. Ayame lowers her gaze on him, "What do you mean by that?"
To her irritation, she only receives an impish chuckle.
"Nothing, my adorable onee-san," he smiles cheekily. Ayame stares at him cautiously, before she turns her attention to Ukyo, who coughed loudly, eliciting everybody's attention to him.
"Everyone, I have an important announcement to make." he says, crossing his legs, "As we all already know, Mother and Rintarou-san's wedding will be due in two months."
Ukyo laces his fingers together, facing his siblings. "Mother has told me that in one way or another, she wants all of you to contribute."
At the announcement, Ukyo receives mixed reactions, with some being ecstatic, while others apathetic.
"Eh?" Fuuto gasps, then clicking his tongue, "What a pain in the ass...I might have work that day. What is she going to do if there's an audition for a role in a popular movie series that day, huh?"
"I doubt you'll be picked, so don't worry." Tsubaki replies with a hint of hostility, his lips formed into a fake smile. Fuuto bitterly glares at Tsubaki, who was opposite to him.
"Huh~? I wonder what you just said, a mere voice actor, to me, a national Idol? Seriously, you need to be put in your place-"
"Fuuto, Tsubaki. Be quiet." Ukyo interrupts, rubbing his temple with a sigh. Fuuto and Tsubaki both click their tongues, turning away from each other.
"Hmph!"
Not paying heed to his older brothers' bickering, Wataru excitedly pipes up, jumping on his chair.
"Kyo-tan, Kyo-tan! What's my job?" he squeals, his eyes beaming with anticipation. Not having any of it, Ukyo quickly scolds the youngest, "Wataru! Sit down at once. We are at the dining table, not at the playground."
Sensing his older brother's bad mood, Wataru quietly obeys, although puffing up his cheeks. Noticing his sulk, Ayame smiles at him warmly, and ruffles his hair comfortingly. Wataru quickly complies to her comforting action, nuzzling against her belly.
"Now, going back to topic, Mother has assigned us all jobs to do for the wedding. I have the list here." Ukyo says, then grabbing a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket. He smoothes it out before continuing.
"...First off, Masaomi nii-san and I are to provide a speech as the eldest brothers of the family. It notes, 'preferably about how much we love her."
"Mother..." Masaomi sighs with crossed arms, then staring at Ukyo with a smile, "Well, we can't really refuse, can we?"
Ukyo nods in agreement with a sigh, "Indeed."
"Next is..." He looks down to the paper, "Louis, you are to do her hair. It also says that if you are confident enough, you may also do her make-up."
Louis looks down to his lap, a soft smile forming. "To be able to do Mother's hair for the wedding...I'm happy."
Seeing Louis' joyed expression, Juli smiles, jumping over from Ema's shoulder to Louis'.
"Good for you, Louis!" Juli squeaks in his ear, earning a soft smile from Louis.
"Thank you, Juli-san..." Louis says, gently poking Juli on his nose.
Ayame watches the friendly interaction between the two, a relieved smile creeping up her lips.
He's making progress...I guess he won't need to be desexed after all.
"I take that as a yes. Now, continuing," Ukyo pauses upon reading the next one, his brow twitching. With a deep sigh, he continues, "...Tsubaki, Azusa and Fuuto will sing as a trio for the wedding."
Fuuto's eyes dialate upon hearing the news, then cursing under his breath. Tsubaki chokes on his pancake, coughing uncontrollably. Azusa pats him firmly on the back.
"Yuck. Why do I have to sing with low-grade voice actors that can't even sing? Seriously, what is that hag even thinking..."
No longer choking, Tsubaki quickly protests, pointing at Fuuto.
"And why do I have to sing with a little spoiled brat who thinks he's hot stuff? Could you please explain to me, Kyo-nii?" Tsubaki says with a hint of spite, glaring at the irritated Ukyo, who was just about to defend himself, but to his relief, is backed up by Azusa.
"Tsubaki, Fuuto. Calm down, it's for mother's sake. Let's put aside your dislike for each other for a few songs." Azusa coolly says, crossing his arms.
Tsubaki immediately pouts at his twin's words, clinging onto his arm. "But Azusa~!"
"No buts. The least we can to do for mother for raising us is sing a few quick songs at her wedding. If we can't even do that, we're failures as sons." Azusa says, looking into Tsubaki's identical eyes. At his gaze, Tsubaki slowly loosens his grip, returning his hands to himself with a sigh.
"Well, if Azusa says so..." Tsubaki pouts, crossing his arms. Azusa smiles gently at his twin, "Thank you, Tsubaki."
"Though she's failed as a mother," Fuuto says, looking at his nails. Masaomi, who was seated just next to Fuuto, frowns at his low opinion of their mother.
"Fuuto..." Masaomi says, staring at him with disappointed eyes.
"Well, it's not like I'm lying, she's basically nonexistent in our lives. I don't see why we should work so hard for her." Fuuto bluntly says, crossing his arms.
The mood turns heavy at his blunt comment, as all the brothers knew that it was true. They knew that it couldn't be helped due to her work, but their childhoods still felt lacking, even with the dozen siblings they had. It became especially true after their father died.
A few seconds of awkward silence continue before it's eventually dissolved by the youngest.
"Nee, nee Kyo-tan~? What's my job?" Wataru whines, no longer able to control his curiosity. The brothers all sigh in relief, excluding Fuuto, who turned away with an irritated scowl.
"...Hmph." Fuuto huffs.
Thankful that he dissolved the awkward atmosphere, Ukyo smiles softly at the boy, letting him know what his job was.
"You're the pageboy, Wataru." Ukyo says, looking at the boy graciously. Wataru tilts his head, "Page...boy?"
Seeing that Wataru didn't know what it was, Masaomi kindly explains, "It's an important job where you carry the rings down the aisle and give it to the best man, who is a very important friend to Rintarou-san."
"Hm..." Wataru hums, looking down to the ground, then suddenly looking up with an excited gasp, "Ah! Is it the thing that Daiki nii-chan did at Auntie Masako's wedding?"
Masaomi nods with a smile, "The thing that Daiki-kun done at Masako-san's wedding."
...Daiki? Masako?
Noticing Ayame's curious expression, Iori whispers in her ear, "...Masako-san is mother's second cousin, and Daiki is her step-son that's older than Wataru by one year."
Though slightly surprised with his sudden proximity, she smiles thankfully, "Thanks."
He smiles gently before backing off. The two tune in on the conversation.
"Ah, but didn't Daiki nii-chan have a girl with him too? What do you call that? A pagegirl?" Wataru wonders, his finger to his chin. Masaomi chuckles softly at Wataru's innocent guess, then answering him.
"Close. It's a flower girl, not a pagegirl." Masaomi says.
"Flower girl? What does she do?" Wataru wonders, tilting his head.
"It's where a girl around seven years old to ten years old has the duty of scattering petals down the aisle. So basically, the female counterpart of you." Ukyo answers, tilting his glasses up. Wataru looks at Ukyo with intrigued eyes, a wide smile creeping up.
"Nee, Kyo-tan? Who's the flower girl? Is she pretty? Is she nice?" Wataru asks with an excited gleam in his eyes. Ukyo looks down to the paper to check, "...It seems that she's a relative on Rintarou-san's side, so I don't know whether she's pretty or nice."
Wataru pouts at the lack of information.
Ayame's brows furrow. The only relative that fit the criteria was her cousin, but it was highly unlikely that she would accept such a social role. She was just too shy.
Ayame looks at Ema, who seemed just as confused. Ema, noticing her sister's confusion, nods.
"Um...Excuse me but, Ukyo-san, is that girl perhaps called Misaki?" Ema says, joining in the conversation
"Hm? Ah, yes." Ukyo replies, looking at the sheet of paper.
"Misa-chan is, huh? What a surprise..." Ayame sighs, sinking into her chair.
"Truly." Ema nods in agreement, then looking up to the ceiling, "Ah, but if she's coming, doesn't that mean that Grandma's definitely coming? After all, it's not as if she can just leave her at a wedding full of strangers, even if we're there."
"Most likely." Ayame agrees.
The brothers tilt their head at their strange reaction, with Wataru quickly questioning Ayame, tugging at her top.
"Ayame onee-chan? What is Misaki-chan like?...Why, did you and Ema onee-chan react like that?" Wataru says, his voice turning shaky by his wild imagination. "I-Is Misaki-chan...a bully?"
Seeing his eyes welling up with frightened tears, Ayame quickly goes to reassure him.
"No, not at all! Misa-chan's a very nice girl, she would never bully anybody. She's just very shy, so we were surprised that she was going to be the flower girl."
"R-Really?" Wataru whimpers, tears no longer threatening to fall out.
"That's right, Wataru-chan." Ema smiles reassuringly, before shortly losing her smile. "...Hey, Wataru-chan?"
Wataru tilts his head, "What is it, Onee-chan?"
"Could you promise me something?" Ema says, looking into Wataru's innocent eyes deeply. "When you meet her...please don't be mean."
Wataru tilts his head at her statement, but upon feeling the serious gazes of his two older sister's, he doesn't question anything, and silently agrees.
"...Okay." he nods, looking down to the ground. Ema smiles gratefully, her eyes full of relief and warmth.
"Thank you, Wataru-chan."
Ayame also smiles, patting the boy on the head. "Good boy."
Sensing the other brothers' stares on the trio, Ayame returns to the topic of conversation.
"Sorry that we carried on, Ukyo-san. You can continue now." Ayame says, smiling at the lawyer. Ukyo flinches, as he was busy analyzing the girls' demeanor, but quickly snaps out of it.
"Ah, thank you, Ayame-san. Now," he coughs, looking down at the sheet once again. "Kaname."
Kaname raises his hand up with a knowing smile, "Yes?"
"You are to pray for their happiness. Other than that, you are free to do what you please."
"Roger, Kyo-nii. I'll be sure to pray plenty." Kaname says with a grin, lowering his hand, now crossing his arms together.
Dissatisfied with Kaname's lack of responsibilities, Fuuto pipes up.
"Hey, why does that perverted monk get away with just praying? And here I am, having to sing for more than ten minutes with fakes that can't even sing."
"Because other than getting women to sleep with him, praying is his only specialty. Next," Ukyo states, briefing over list.
"Which he probably isn't very good at either." Ayame remarks, taking a sip of her water. Ukyo smirks at her curt response.
"Indeed, that is true."
"Ouch, Kyo-nii, Ayame-chan...Your harsh words have hurt me gravely." Kaname sighs deeply, placing his hand to his heart.
Ukyo and Ayame ignore the flirtatious monk, with Ukyo looking down at the paper. His eyes widen, then fill with pity.
"...Yusuke." he says, looking at Yusuke.
Yusuke tenses up, anticipating his duty.
"Y-yeah?"
"I'm sorry to say this but, your name is nonexistent. It seems as if mother has forgotten you."
"W-what?" Yusuke stutters, his eyes widened with shock and disappointment.
Amused by their mother looking over Yusuke, Fuuto lets out a snort, a smug grin creeping up.
"Ha! Of course she'd forget. Not that I would blame her though, you are practically the most boring and talentless out of all of us." Fuuto comments, anticipating his easily fired up brother's reaction. And of course, a reaction he gets.
Yusuke immediately shoots up from his seat, glaring at Fuuto.
"What did you just say, you shitty little brat?!" he yells loudly, gritting his teeth together. Having sensitive ears, Ayame winces, hurriedly covering up them.
"Exactly what you thought I said. A talentless, worthless, average John Doe who's only special feature is his stupid little plaits that look horrendous, even if you seem to think otherwise. What, you deaf now? Well, at least it'll make you more unique-"
"-Fuuto, you little bastard, who did you just call worthless?!" Yusuke yells, even more loudly than before. Ayame flinches yet again, even with her ears covered. Iori looks over her, observing her silently. Iori places his hand on the small of her back, rubbing his smooth hand slowly up and down. Her face flushes mild red at his sudden touch, looking up to meet his hazel gaze. He smiles reassuringly, then turning his watch on the two bickering siblings that were still carrying on.
"You, obviously. You really are turning deaf, aren't you?" Fuuto snorts, cocking up his nose.
"Why you little-"
"-Yusuke, Fuuto." Iori interrupts with a chilling voice, "Be quiet. You're troubling her."
At their older brother's sudden interference, the duo snap their heads at the two.
Seeing Ayame's covered ears, Yusuke looks down guiltily, awkwardly apologizing, "...M-my bad."
She smiles gently, uncovering her ears, "Not at all."
"Even though you never interfere with our fights...what's suddenly gotten in to you, I wonder?" Fuuto says with a sarcastic undertone, glaring at Iori, whose expression remains blank.
"I merely helped out my sister who was distressed," Iori replies calmly, "I don't see anything peculiar with that."
"...Hm~? 'Sister', huh?" Fuuto hums, staring at Iori, "Well, if that's what you want to call it, so be it."
Iori stays silent, watching his younger brother turn around to face Ukyo.
"So? As you were saying?" Fuuto says, placing his hand to his cheek.
Ukyo glares at Fuuto's smug attitude before continuing, "...Yusuke, you can pair up with Subaru. His job is helping set out the wedding. Can you handle that?"
Yusuke grumbles, turning his head away from Ukyo, "...Okay."
"Good for you, Yusuke-kun." Ema smiles at him warmly, earning a light blush from Yusuke.
"Y-yeah..." he mutters, looking down to avoid her stare. As she watches the interaction between the two teens, Ayame grins before fixing her attention back to Ukyo.
"Understood. Now Iori," Ukyo says. Iori looks up at his mention.
"Your job is to pick out her bouquet." he announces.
Iori nods. Ayame smiles at the boy before ruffling his hair affectionately, earning surprised stares from some of the siblings.
"I had a feeling you would get that role." Ayame says, smiling warmly at the boy. He smiles back, staring at her with obvious affection. Juli hisses aggressively at the two from Louis' shoulder, who just smiles gently at the two.
Noticing the awkward stares she was receiving, she returns her hand to herself.
"Flirts..." Fuuto whispers, clicking his tongue. Though hearing his comment clearly, Ayame ignores it, not wanting to make a scene.
She returns her stare to Ukyo, and as she turns her head around, she locks eyes with Ema. She flashes a smile, though to her surprise receives a flinch. Ema looks down with a faint blush evident on her cheeks.
Ayame frowns at her sister's peculiar reaction before returning her attention on Ukyo.
"Lastly, Ema-san and Ayame-san," Ukyo says with a smile. Ema and Ayame excitedly stare at the lawyer, "Yes?"
"Mother has assigned you two to pick out the wedding songs, including Tsubaki, Azusa and Fuuto's trio songs."
"Eh, really?" Ema says, looking at Ukyo. Ukyo nods his head.
Ayame places her hand to her chin, thinking of possible choices. Fuuto sighs heavily at the news, "Seriously? This is stupid..."
He turns to look into Ayame's eyes.
"Don't pick anything weird or lame, okay? If you do, I'm going to have to punish you two."
"E-eh?" Ema gasps, surprised with his words.
"Sure, sure..." Ayame sighs, waving her hand.
"I personally would be fine with whatever my cute little sister's pick. Don't you agree, Azusa~?" Tsubaki hums with a blissful smile, tightly clinging onto Azusa's arm.
"Yeah," Azusa says, then smiling at the two girls, "I'll leave it to you two, then."
Ema smiles brightly, "Yes!"
"We'll pick good songs, so please rest assured." Ayame says. Azusa nods with a small smile.
"Well, with that over and done with, shall we continue our meal?" Ukyo sighs, putting away the slip in his pocket. The siblings all nod, and begin chomping away at their food.
"Well, we're going off to school." Ema says while bowing. Yusuke walks ahead of her, exiting the dining area. Ayame peeks her head out of the kitchen, washing the plates together with Ukyo.
"Have a good day at school." Ayame says, smiling warmly.
Ema stares at her sister for a while, making Ayame suspicious.
"Ema? Are you okay? You've been staring at me a lot since this morning." Ayame says, frowning at her dazed younger sister.
Ema flinches, looking down to the ground, her eyes darting around.
"Ah...well, uh..."
Ayame waits patiently for her younger sister to continue.
Gathering up all her courage, Ema takes a deep breath, whipping her head up with flushed cheeks. Ayame tilts her head at her Ema's strange demeanor.
"Wh-What were you-"
Just as Ema was about to speak up, Iori enters the scene with a graceful smile.
"Nee-san, should I help out with that?" Iori says, then taking notice of Ema. He smiles his princely smile, "Ah, Ema-chan. Good morning."
Ema flinches slightly before hastily greeting back, "G-g-good morning, Iori-san!"
Iori and Ayame both stare at Ema curiously before focusing on each other.
"Good morning Iori-kun." Ayame smiles warmly, then walking over to him. She reaches out her hand to touch his forehead. She frowns at the increased temperature. "Your fever's gone higher. You should go back to bed, me and Ukyo-san can handle the dishes just fine."
"But..." Iori says, seeming to be disappointed. Ayame weakly flicks his forehead, wearing an expression of disapproval.
"Iori-kun, you have to rest if you want to get better." she says sternly, then smiling playfully, "Think of it as getting better for the sake of your wonderful big sister."
Holding his forehead, he stares at her playful demeanor, before a tender smile makes its way up his lips.
"If it's for your sake, then I'll happily oblige." he says, his words smoothly coming out without hesitation. Ayame blushes faintly at his words, before warding it off quickly.
"A-ah, I see," Ayame says, then turning her head to over were Ema was, "So, Ema, what were you...huh?"
Ayame blinks, seeing her sister nowhere in sight. "Huh? She's gone..."
"She left quite a while ago." Ukyo perks up from the kitchen, washing the dishes.
"What? Around when?" Ayame says, looking genuinely confused. Ukyo stares at her blankly before replying with a sigh.
"Around the time you touched his forehead."
"Really? What a shame, she seemed like she really wanted to talk..." Ayame huffs, looking at the exit of the dining area.
Iori smiles apologetically, "Sorry, all because I interrupted her..."
Ayame turns to look at him, then smiling reassuringly.
"It's not your fault. More importantly, you should go back to bed now, you got that?" she huffs, placing one hand to her hip.
Iori stares at her before his lips form into a small smile, "...Okay."
Watching the two's interaction from the kitchen, Ukyo sighs, grumbling, "Seriously, I may have to agree with Fuuto on this one..."
Too focused on Iori, Ayame fails to catch his comment, then returning to the kitchen with a subconscious smile.
"O-oi...Why are you so puffed out?" Yusuke mutters, looking down at Ema, who was panting and bent over.
"N-nothing...Let's go..." she sighs heavily, looking down at the ground.
"O-okay..." he mumbles, though in reality slightly worried.
As the two walk in silence, Ema finds herself thinking deeply, questions popping up by the second, especially one certain thing that had been bothering her since the early morning.
Aya-nee...what was she doing in Iori-san's bedroom?
At the thought, her imagination goes wild, and she soon finds herself blushing bright red.
To control her thoughts, she hits herself on the head with her bag.
"Ugh...what am I thinking?" she whimpers, burying her face in her bag. Yusuke looks back at her quizzically, his brows crossed together.
"Oi, are you really okay? Are you sick like Iori-nii?" he says, staring at his crush.
At the mention of Iori, she turns bright red yet again, her imagination running amock. She hits herself yet again, though this time significantly more harder. She crouches down to the ground, squeaking in pain.
"Ow...!"
"H-Hinata!" Yusuke panics, then rushing down to her side. "Are you okay? You've been acting really weird this morning-"
Her emotions acting up again, Ema bites her lip, yelling out, "-If anybody's been acting weird, it's Aya-nee and Iori-san! I need answers, dammit!"
At her sudden outburst, Yusuke falls down to the ground, staring at the usually peaceful and quiet girl that he fell in love with shoot up from the ground with a crazed look in her eyes.
Grabbing her bag, Ema walks off with a huff, calling out to Yusuke, "Yusuke-kun! Hurry up!"
He stares at her in shock, his lips slightly parted.
"Yusuke-kun!?" she yells out.
"O-oh, yeah...Sorry, Hinata!"
For some reason, he finds himself apologizing, scrambling off his feet to run after Ema.