Chapter 5: It's been pleasant so far
About half a year has passed, and my relationship with Yuu-san—sorry, Nee-chan—has improved by miles after our little heart to heart. Oji-chan seems to have already caught on if his smug looks aimed at me for a month meant anything.
No longer were the days of awkward tiptoeing; instead, not a day goes by when my room is unoccupied by my sister and her little group of friends. They swing by my room so often, I've made a snack box specially fitted to their tastes.
I'm usually included in their study sessions once they figured out that I was on an academic level higher than most of their peers after having caught me reading my uncle's college books on a bored whim. Now, instead of just being the younger brother of the group, I'm the designated tutor.
A squeal of excitement interrupted my reading, forcing me to look up to see what the commotion was about. Aki, who was previously napping in my lap, woke up with a startled yowl and nearly tumbled off if it weren't for my fast reflexes. They relaxed into a soft purr after I started gently rubbing them.
Right now, the three girls were sitting together at my coffee table and snacking as usual. However, it seems as though I've missed something, seeing that Higuchi was practically laying on Nee-chan in excitement; her hands holding my sister's arms in a steel grip as she got into her face.
(A head of white hair returned to its place on my other leg from its startled reaction and went back to playing with the soft strands of yarn from a nearby plushy. Its long pale fingers went back to braiding the multitude of strands together as it listened with great amusement.)
"Eeeeeek! Oh my gosh, Yuu-chan! What did you do—what did you do? "
Higuchi's excitement for things large and small was something I usually saw in the children I used to treat. Most of them were middle-schoolers, but I also received a multitude of patients ranging from babies to college students.
"Hey, Dr.[ ], why don't you smile at any of the other adults like you do to me and the other kids?"
"...?"
"Well, you always have that grumpy look on your face when you talk to Mommy and Daddy and-and when you talk to the pretty blue fairies."
"..."
"But...don't you feel sad?"
"..."
"Hahahah! Okay, stop tickling me! I'm-I'm gonna get hiccups! I promise I'll take my medicine like a good girl and get better. So stop!"
(Absentmindedly, I rubbed the fingernail on my thumb with my index. )
Her enthusiasm in all things definitely made up a majority of the group's otherwise mature demeanor—at least to outsiders. Her two companions were just as childish as her, they just hid it better.
A bright blush engulfed my sister's face, quickly making its way down her neck as she stammered for an answer. The blush was an adorable look on her normally easy-going face—and quite unusual as well. Nee-chan doesn't simply blush for just any old reason. This unusual show of embarrassment meant one thing: this was serious.
My nosy brother instincts were flaring up like crazy, itching for me to pay attention. So like any creature of the earth, I kept an ear open as my eyes flickered through the words on the page.
After all, who was I to go against nature's ingrained gifts?
My sister was none the wiser since I usually kept to myself unless invited in on a conversation. Usually, I'd be put in charge as the mediator, so I'll wait until called upon.
"I..."
The rest of my words trailed off into a mutter as she averted her eyes from us.
"What?" Higuchi asked, a bit puzzled by her friend's unnatural shyness. "What did you do? Speak up, we can't hear you mumbling over here!"
"I FLIPPED HIM OVER MY SHOULDER OKAY!" She yelled, wanting to get this conversation done and over with.
...
I'm going to need some context for that.
Seeing my inquiring look, Katayama indulged me with the details.
"Some boy took the last bag of chips she wanted this morning. He taunted her and apparently, she judo flipped him like a pancake."
That would explain her foul mood when she came back home empty-handed from her trip to the corner store.
"Oh my god, shut up, Hinata-chan!" my sister screeched in embarrassment. "That makes it sound worse than it actually was. You're making me sound like a gorilla or something."
Katayama just rolled her eyes. "You're right, you usually have better comebacks. Seeing as you just physically assaulted him, you probably just couldn't think rationally since the boy was cute or something."
Yuu's sudden silence was telling. Very telling.
Realizing that her silence might as well have been an answer, she waved her arms in front of her citing excuses.
"Kana-chan, you know it's not like that! " Yuu whined, her hands hiding her flushed face desperately.
There was a devious gleam in Katayama's eyes that meant nothing good.
"Oh, is that so, " the oldest of the group drawled, devastatingly sarcastic as usual. "Then please, enlighten us. What is it like?"
Like sharks scenting blood, the two menaces cornered the poor girl as she fumbled for a way out of this. Seeing me in my usual sitting position in the corner of the room, she saw an opportunity.
"We shouldn't talk about this in front of Chi-Chi! It's not appropriate for someone his age!" she desperately protested, thinking that they would see the logic in not tainting my apparent innocence.
However, I was too interested to let this opportunity pass. There was information I still needed to collect for my research on this boy. If this is going to be a recurring thing, I need to be prepared. Who knows when we get a call from the police station stating that they were holding for assaulting a person, in a store that had video evidence no less.
I simply smiled at their assessing looks.
"Hmm? Oh no, don't mind me. I find this conversation very intriguing; it could help me with my own experience for when I come of age and come upon such a situation myself."
Nodding their heads, Katayama and Higuchi carried on.
"See, Chi-Chi'll be fine."
"Yeah, now get on with it. I need the details."
Shooting me a pointed glare—that I returned with my standard unshakably blank look—she tried to stall for more time. Fortunately for her, a knock on my door had them pause.
My uncle peaked his head in with his usual smile.
"Hey, kids, it's time for dinner. I made karaage, so you might want to wash up quick before I gobble it up," he informed teasingly.
There was not a grain of doubt that my uncle was eavesdropping. There weren't any incoming footsteps before he knocked on my door and peered in. His ensuing wink to me only proved my suspicions.
The girls were up in a flash and knocking each other down in their usual eccentric manner, worried that my uncle's famous karaage would be gone before they knew it. It was a fight for the fittest when it came to Oji-chan's cooking. I don't blame them either.
"THANK YOU FUSHIGURO-OJISAN/TOU-CHAN!" They cried out with tears of joy and pain; joy at the thought of the delicious meal; pain at the feeling of sharp elbows and knees shoving themselves over.
The only reason why there was no rush on my side of things is that the man always set a portion aside for me knowing that I would be fine with waiting for the girls to settle down, even if it meant there would only be a small portion left.
Oji-chan let out a chuckle before walking over and laying a hand on my head. "Sorry, there isn't any unagi today. I remembered to buy some oranges though; you like clementines right? I remember you were always munching on one when you were younger."
I merely hummed, not really disappointed. "It's fine, thank you for buying the oranges for me; clementines are my favorite. Anything you cook is good, so I'm not really missing out on much." And it really was. He could literally just mix salt, oil, and rice together, and it would be divine to eat.
There was a blush on his cheeks that Nee-chan definitely inherited as he sheepishly twiddled his thumb with pride. "Aw shucks, kid. It'll do you no good, inflating my ego and all that. I'll end up with a big head."
Closing my book, I subtly signaled Aki to climb up my shoulder before getting up from my bed and making my way to the bookshelf. Lined up were books I had taken from the attic when I had been feeling adventurous one day. Ranging from myths to poems and ikebana manuals; they help me pass the time when I feel bored. Placed among my books are a couple of textbooks that I read on occasion to stimulate my mind when I feel mentally dead from all the boring homework I get from school.
Sliding my book back to its correct place, I turned to my uncle with a gentle smile, something that doesn't come often to me when outside of work. "Whatever you say, Oji-chan. Just know that you'll always be my number one cook in my heart."
Aki tugged on my sleeve to get a move on; they were paranoid that all the karaage would be gone if we didn't hurry up.
(Another hand gently tugged on my sleeve as well, just as eager as Aki to eat.)
Suddenly, hands pulled me up in the air, forcing a surprised gasp from me at the sudden change of height. Droplets of hot tears dripped down onto my face from Oji-chan's flooding tear ducts due to his easily emotional heart.
"Aww, Chi-Chi. I love you too, my awkward little Clementine." he dramatically confessed, obnoxiously rubbing his cheeks against mine and no doubt reddening my skin.
My body froze once I registered what he said, mind halting to a stop.
Sensing that I was suspiciously quiet, he looked down with a bit of worry. "Chi-Chi, wha—Chi-chi!" he panicked, eyes widening for some reason.
Why does he sound so worried? What's wrong?
I was mildly confused until I felt an unusual sensation on my face. Reaching up, my finger touched my cheek and pulled back, glistening with a clear liquid.
Oh.
I'm crying.
Now why would I be crying?
That's when it hit me.
Clementine.
Wasn't that what Chikao's mother called him?
(Although at this point, with how close our memories are, she may as well have been my mother too. The line between Chikao and me blurred ages ago. There was no longer a straight and definite line that signaled where I started and where Chikao ended. It wasn't just me; Chikao was there as well. His traces are in my actions and thoughts.)
How long has it been since Chikao—no. How long has it been since I was called that?
Too long.
"Chikao, what's wrong?"
Remembering where I was, I jerked my head to look at my uncle's questioning eyes, worry obvious in his soft gaze.
"Sorry," I choked out, rubbing my eyes. "It's just that-that..."
Making a soft shushing sound, he carried me back to my bed so I could properly sit on his lap. A callused finger gently wiped my tears away before pulling me to his chest, placing a reassuring hand on the back of my head.
Minutes passed with us just staying still. The warmth of his chest was a balm to my soul, giving me strength as I lay against it.
"...They used to call me that."
There was no need to clarify who I was talking about.
He gave me an encouraging hum to continue, patient as I took my time to formulate sentences.
"When...when I had been a baby, she said that I would always gravitate toward the orange plushy my grandfather had gifted me when I was born. My grandfather had thought it was cute, so he'd always bring oranges to feed me. He'd bring in Clementines since they were easier to peel."
Aki, alarmed that I was crying, pressed their face into my neck and extended their arms so that it would wrap around the both of us.
"I remember her saying that when I had learned how to peel them by myself, I had been a menace. That I was obsessed with eating them. That my fingers would always smell like oranges. He thought it was hilarious." I couldn't help but snort at the memory. "He joked that they should've just named me Clementine. Unfortunately, once I heard him say that, it was the only name I responded to."
This time, Oji-chan chuckled. "I remember that day; he had to sleep on the couch for a week. Wouldn't stop whining about it to me whenever he had the chance too."
We both laughed at the image that came to our minds.
"Sorry," I apologized once my laughter calmed down. "I'm not usually this emotional. It's just that it's been a long time since I heard someone call me that. I guess...I just miss it."
My uncle gave me a stern look. "There's no need to apologize for missing something so dear to your heart," he said, emphasizing his words with a gentle prod to my chest before softening his gaze. "Memories are what makes you human after all; they're what shapes anyone into who they are now."
Cupping my cheeks, he squished them together. "Come on. Let Ji-chan see that adorable smile of yours he knows you can give."
"Mmmgnmb." I protested, words smooshed together just like how my cheeks are. Nevertheless, I creased my eyes and lifted the corner of my lips as much as I could.
Not being able to control himself, my uncle let go of my cheeks and held me up by my armpits, swinging me around the room like one of those hang-glider rides at an amusement park.
Safe to say, it was not safe.
Eventually, he slowed down to a stop and decided we should probably get going to dinner by now. A memory that I was extremely grateful that he remembered.
(As he carried me down the stairs, a pale hand affectionately brushed the top of my head before something warm and smooth landed on my cheek. Warm breath hit the side of my face as soundless words entered my ears.)