Thank You
Natsuo stepped out of the apartment, still grumbling to himself as he made his way down the stairs to put some distance between himself and the building. Once he felt he was far enough away, but still close enough to see if Misaki left, he took his phone out of his pocket and dialed Rui's number.
After a few rings Rui answered with a concerned tone, "Natsuo? I wasn't expecting you to call on the phone, is everything okay?"
"Yeah..." Natsuo trailed off with a sigh before continuing, "Actually... there's a complication from the mixer..."
"What kind of complication? Explain," Rui immediately shifted gears and took on a cold tone.
Natsuo felt a chill run up his spine at her tone but managed to calmly respond, "So... one of the girls that Hazuki-san brought along kind of followed me home –"
"She what?!" Rui shouted, causing Natsuo to pull the phone away from his ear.
After a moment Natsuo continued, "Yeah... I thought I lost her, but apparently Hazuki-san mentioned we were neighbors so she waited outside the station until I showed up. But don't worry, I made it very clear that nothing is happening."
Rui was silent for a moment before she asked, "So what is the complication Natsuo?"
"Well... she asked if she could use the restroom before she went home. I figured that wouldn't be an issue... but then she refused to leave..." Natsuo answered in an exasperated tone.
"She refused to leave? I fail to see the problem: make her leave," Rui replied shortly.
"Yeah... that's what I was going to do. Then she said she didn't have anywhere to go, that I'd be kicking her out on the street..." Natsuo trailed off.
"Natsuo..." Rui growled in anger, "This sounds like she's just trying to trick you so she can take advantage of you."
Natsuo grunted an affirmation before replying, "That could be... but if she isn't lying I don't want her to sleep on the street. I have an idea though, I called Hina-nee and she's on her way over to help with this. I promise you everything will be okay, and I'll keep you up to date."
Rui was quiet for a moment before she grumbled, tone improving as she spoke, "Okay... If Hina-nee can help out that's good, I don't want you trying to deal with this girl alone. You message me as soon as you two figure out what to do about her. I love you."
Natsuo smiled hearing her tone change and replied, "I love you too, and I will. I promise."
"Good. I'm going to make some breakfast, talk to you soon," Rui stated, the smile evident in her voice as she ended the call from her end.
Natsuo sighed in relief that he'd managed to avoid the worst case scenario, and pocketed his phone. Turning his gaze upwards to the sky he thanked whatever higher power there was for that good fortune at least. He was snapped out of his thoughts by a voice calling, "Natsuo-kun? Why are you out here?"
Turning his head towards the street he saw Hina approaching quickly, once he registered it was her she answered, "Ah, Hina-nee, you got here quickly. I was just talking to Rui and needed some air."
"Oh, so what's going on Natsuo-kun? You sounded pretty worried when you called," Hina pressed as she made it up to him.
Natsuo shook his head and took a deep breath before beginning his explanation, "Okay, so a while ago I promised to introduce Fumiya to this girl I know – my neighbor Hazuki-san. Long story short I arranged a mixer and Fumiya had me attend to be his wing-man."
"Wait you went to a mixer?" Hina asked, eyes widening.
Natsuo waved his hand dismissively as he replied, "Just to back him up, and Rui knew about it. We cleared it with her beforehand," when Hina nodded in response he continued, "So the mixer was earlier tonight, it seemed to have worked; I played the miserable guy filling a seat to make Fumiya look better, he and Hazuki-san seemed to hit it off."
"So what's the weird situation you've gotten into?" Hina asked, not seeing where the problem was.
Natsuo groaned as he added, "Despite my best efforts one of the girls Hazuki-san brought took an interest in me. I ended up explaining to her that I have a girlfriend and I was just there to help Fumiya. I thought that was the end of it, but she followed me home. She tricked me into letting her in so she could use the restroom... and now she's refusing to leave, saying she doesn't actually have anywhere to go."
Hina stated in disbelief for a moment before asking, "So you're saying a girl followed you home, she's in your apartment right now and she's refusing to leave?"
"That's what it boils down to... If she really doesn't have anywhere to go I was hoping maybe you could stay here for the night with her and I'll stay with dad and Tsukiko-san. If she's just trying to trick me then maybe this will make her just leave..." Natsuo answered with a dejected sigh.
Hina nodded several times in silence before she abruptly turned and started marching towards the apartment as she said, "Alright then! Let's go talk to her!" Not having expected Hina to suddenly start make her way towards the apartment, Natsuo found himself scrambling to catch up with her.
A few moments later they entered the apartment, finding Misaki sitting at the kotatsu watching TV, her face resting in her hands and a bored expression on her face. She became more alert when she noticed the two enter the apartment and she said, "Ah Natsuo-kun you're back, and this must be your big sister."
"That's right, I'm Hina Tachibana. And your name?" Hina asked in a tone that Natsuo referred to as "teacher mode".
Misaki's eyebrow raised slightly before she answered in a friendly tone, "My name is Misaki Ogura, it's a pleasure to meet you. Is it alright if I call you Hina-san?"
Hina was actually caught off guard by the response, she shook herself out of this and said, "I suppose that's fine Ogura-san. Now what –"
"Please, just call me by my first name. I insist," Misaki interrupted with a warm smile.
Hina, once again caught off guard had to collect herself again as she frowned and continued, "Okay. Misaki-san, what exactly is going on? Natsuo-kun tells me that you're refusing to leave?"
Misaki's eyebrow raised again before she answered, "Well, like I told him: I don't actually have anywhere to go right now. And I'd much rather not sleep on the street."
"Why don't you have anywhere to go?" Hina asked simply.
Without missing a beat Misaki replied, "My housemate didn't pay their share of the rent and the landlord evicted us. She's storing our stuff in the building storage room but we can't stay there."
"Why don't you ask Hazuki-san if you can stay with her? She should be home later, and lives next door," Natsuo asked, keeping his frustration subdued.
Misaki frowned slightly while she answered, "Well Kasumi-chan and I don't really know each other super well. To her I'm the cool older girl that comes into her shop and gossips with her... I wouldn't want to impose on her like that."
"But you're willing to impose on me?! A guy you just met and who told you he has a girlfriend?!" Natsuo finally let his frustration explode as he retorted.
Hina nodded rapidly as she added, "Exactly! Why are you pushing yourself on Natsuo-kun like this?"
Misaki was quiet for a moment before she stood up and bowed towards both Natsuo and Hina as she answered, "I know how it must look... but it's actually because Natsuo-kun seems like a genuinely trustworthy and kind person. The fact that you told me about your girlfriend and how you had no interest in the mixer beyond helping your friend showed that. So I figured you'd be a safe person to stay with, that wouldn't take advantage of me in some way."
"Okay... but why didn't you start with that instead of following me home while making all kinds of suggestive comments?" Natsuo asked in a deadpan.
Misaki laughed as she stood up and answered, "Oh that? Honestly it was a little too much fun watching you squirm in discomfort like that – and I wanted to make sure you were going to stick to your convictions."
Hina let a small laugh out as she watched Natsuo lean back against the wall and slide into a sit before she said, "I'm sure Rui will be happy to hear that your will is as strong as ever!"
Misaki cocked her head slightly and half mumbled, "Rui?"
"That's my girlfriend's name," Natsuo answered before taking a breath and asking, "So... why not stay with your family?"
Misaki frowned deeply as she replied, "My family doesn't live around here, I'm from Kyoto originally. My family is all back there."
Natsuo sighed as Hina looked at her sadly as she asked, "How long would you need a place to stay Misaki-san?"
Misaki's visible eye widened slightly in surprise at Hina's question before answering, "I – I should only need somewhere to stay for a few days, maybe a week. If I don't find a more permanent solution by then I can make arrangements with my family."
Hina and Natsuo looked at each other for a moment before Hina cautiously asked, "Well...?"
"Are you okay with what I suggested outside?" Natsuo asked in return. When Hina nodded in response Natsuo turned to Misaki and said, "Here's the deal: you can stay until you either find a better solution or make arrangements with your family. Hina-nee will stay here with you at night, I'll be here during the day when I don't have work, and I'll have Hazuki-san and and my other neighbor Kuwaba check on you during the day if neither of us can be here. Understood?"
Misaki smiled gratefully as she replied, "I understand. Where are you going to stay though Natsuo-kun?"
With a sigh Natsuo moved to get a bag and and started packing it as he said, "I'll stay with the folks, I still have a bedroom there after all," he paused as he turned to Hina before saying, "I'll call dad while I'm on the way over and explain the situation when I get there."
"Got it, I have a change of clothes with me for tomorrow. I'll need to go get more before coming back after work tomorrow though," Hina said as she took a mental note of what she would need.
Natsuo finished packing his bag and then packed his laptop into its carrying bag and stated, "This should do for now. I'll let Kuwaba know the situation on my way out. Do you need anything before I go?"
Hina shook her head as she answered, "Nope, we should be okay for the night. We can figure out stuff as needed tomorrow."
"Letting me stay is already more than enough, I couldn't ask for more Natsuo-kun. Thank you so much," Misaki said with another bow in his direction.
"Alright then, I'm heading out. Hina-nee I'll be back before you have to leave for work tomorrow, I have the day off," Natsuo said as he started making his way towards the door.
"Got it. See you tomorrow!" Hina called in return as Natsuo left and shut the door behind him. Hina then turned towards Misaki and said, "Okay, I'm pretty sure he has a futon for guests stashed away somewhere, that's where you'll be sleeping."
Misaki nodded before replying, "Of course. Thanks for this Hina-san, Natsuo-kun is lucky to have such a dependable big sister."
"I do my best!" Hina cheered as she started looking for the futon. After a few moments she pulled it and the two started setting it up together and Hina said in an excited tone, "Let's make the best out of this Misaki-san, it'll be a like a slumber party!"
Misaki was taken aback by how excited she was, but found herself smiling as she replied, "Yeah, let's have some fun and get to know each other Hina-san."
9:33pm...
With what felt like the millionth heavy sigh of the day, Natsuo plopped onto the desk chair before getting the laptop set up. He'd finished explaining the situation his father and Tsukiko, they'd been far more amused than he had expected, which only added to his overall frustration with the whole thing. "I'm glad at least someone is getting some amusement from this mess..." he muttered as the laptop started booting up.
As he watched the laptop he heard his phone alert him to a new message, he smiled as he already knew who it was, the smile grew as he read the message and typed a reply.
Rui: Hey just checking to see if everything's okay, been almost two hours you know...
Natsuo: Sorry for the delay, I'm actually booting up the laptop so we can video chat before you head to work.
Rui: !
He couldn't contain the laugh that escaped him at Rui's response, and as soon as he was able he initiated the video call, Rui answering after only one ring. He felt his heart warm at her slightly flustered expression as he greeted her, "Hey there, sorry. That took longer than expected."
"That's okay, how did it turn out? What did you need Hina-nee's help with? Wait... are you back at the house?" Rui bombarded him in a semi-frantic tone.
Natsuo raised his hands slightly as he replied, "Whoa there, one thing at a time Rui."
Rui took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes before she asked, "Right... so what happened?"
"Once Hina-nee got there I explained the situation like I did for you, and then she and I went back into the apartment to talk to Misaki-san... to see if she was being honest about not having place to stay," Natsuo answered.
"How did you two confirm that?" Rui pressed, eyes squinting slightly.
"Well my idea was that if she really needed a place to stay – I'd let her stay but only if Hina-nee was willing to stay there with her. I figured if it was Hina-nee staying there with her, if she was just trying to trick me then that would make her give up. Hina-nee agreed, and when I told Misaki-san that would be arrangement it didn't change her story at all," Natsuo explained carefully, not missing that a death glare had started to form on Rui's face at the beginning.
Rui's expression softened slightly as she asked, "So Hina-nee is staying with her at your apartment... and that's why you're at the house?"
Natsuo nodded as he answered, "That's right. I'm going to stay here while they stay at the apartment. I'm going back tomorrow morning since Hina-nee has work, and I'm going to have Hazuki-san and Kuwaba keep an eye on her if both Hina-nee and myself can't be there."
"How long will she be staying?" Rui asked, still obviously displeased by the situation.
"She said that if she can't find a more permanent solution within the week then she'll make arrangements with her family in Kyoto – which is why she didn't just stay with them right away," Natsuo replied with a sigh as he deflated into the chair slightly.
"I see... I guess that makes sense..." Rui trailed off and both were silent for a few moments before Rui looked to the side and mumbled, "Is she pretty?"
Natsuo smiled at her as he answered, "Not as much as you are."
He was rewarded by Rui's face taking on a slight flush as she smiled back at him and muttered, "Thank you... I needed that. I know I don't need to worry, but I like knowing you think I'm prettier."
"You're welcome, and I'm sorry for the headache... this is what I get for being a good person and trying to help Fumiya," Natsuo said with a chuckle.
"It's not your fault... but remind me to punch Fumiya for this the next time I see him," Rui replied with a dark grin before they shared a laugh at Fumiya's future punishment.
As his laughter died down Natsuo said with a sigh, "Oh I will, trust me. Just once I'd like it that when I help someone that it doesn't turn into a complicated mess..."
Rui smiled sympathetically at him as she said, "I know... but I'm glad you're still so willing to help people, even with how often it goes... not according to plan. That's one of the things I love so much about you."
"Thanks Rui," Natsuo paused before continuing, "Though now I'm glad that I haven't had a chance to start moving your stuff over to the apartment – wouldn't want someone you don't know going through it after all."
Rui cringed at the thought of this random girl going through her belongings, once she recomposed herself she said, "That's a good point. And honestly... as weird as the situation is it's pretty straightforward, I doubt anything overly complicated will come from this."
Natsuo nodded as he replied, "That's right. Just a homeless girl staying in my apartment with Hina-nee for a few days... what's the worst that could happen?"
The couple shared another laugh together before Rui checked the time and frowned before saying, "I have to finish getting ready for work, I need to head out soon. You should get to bed, you look completely drained."
"I feel completely drained... I'm gonna wash up before bed, buy yeah I'll be going to bed very soon. You have a good day Rui, sorry again for worrying you. I love you," Natsuo said while suppressing a yawn.
A cheerful smile spread across her face as Rui replied, "I'll do my best, you make sure to get some rest. Keep me posted on the situation, I love you too!" With that Rui ended the call, knowing if she didn't they'd keep dragging it out until the last possible minute.
With a loud yawn Natsuo shut the laptop down and started making his way to the bathroom to wash up for the night while thinking, "I really hope things went well with Fumiya and Hazuki-san... otherwise today was all for nothing... I wonder if Hina-nee and Misaki-san are getting along..."
9:57pm...
After setting up the futon Hina and Misaki had returned to the kotatsu to watch some TV and exchange small talk; things such as where they went to school, jobs, etc. As the program they had been watching was coming to a close Hina stretched with a yawn and said, "I don't know about you... but I think sleep is in order soon. Don't want to stay up too late and still be asleep when Natsuo-kun gets here in the morning."
"That's probably a good idea, it has been a long day," Misaki replied with a nod, truthfully she wasn't that tired but there was nothing better to do. Before either acted on this, Hina's phone alerted her to a message, and Misaki watched as Hina read it, smiled and responded before she asked, "Everything okay?"
Hina nodded happily as she answered, "Yup. Rui was just thanking me for helping Natsuo-kun with this, he filled her in on the details a little bit ago. Now then – sleep beckons!"
As Hina got up and started making her way towards the bed Misaki spoke up, "There's one more thing I've had on my mind all night. Do you mind if I ask some odd questions Hina-san?"
Hina turned and faced her with a curious expression as she replied, "Of course, go right ahead Misaki-san."
Misaki was quiet for a brief moment before she asked, "Are you married Hina-san?"
Hina stared blankly before blinking rapidly and answering "I'm not..." she trailed off slightly before asking in return, "Why do you ask?"
"I wasn't sure, since you don't have a ring on. I was curious because you said your last name is Tachibana, and Natsuo-kun's is Fuji... I thought maybe you were married, that would explain the different last names," Misaki explained calmly.
"Oh! Well... that's... uh..." Hina fumbled with her words trying to form a response to this observation.
"There's also that you refer to him as "Natsuo-kun" even though he's your younger brother... but you call his girlfriend by her first name only, no honorific at all..." Misaki trailed off in thought as she watched Hina, who seemed like she was trying to will herself into being invisible. After a moment Misaki added, "So... what's really going on? Are you actually his sister?"
Hina stared back at Misaki, her face switching between various expressions before she let out a groan and sat back down. After a moment she replied, "Okay... you caught me: I'm not Natsuo-kun's actual sister."
Misaki rested her head on her hand as she pressed, "Alright then, so why pretend that you were?"
"We didn't mean to trick you or anything like that. The truth is I'm actually Rui's older sister; you see... our families have been very close for a long time so I do honestly think of Natsuo-kun as a younger brother, and he ended up calling me "Hina-nee" before long. And since he and Rui are so serious about each other... it's only a matter of time before we really are one big family!" Hina explained happily, avoiding the full truth with a believable story.
"I see... that does make sense then. I'm sorry if I'm asking too much, you said they're "serious about each other", are they engaged?" Misaki asked with genuine interest.
Hina shook her head with a smile, "It's okay Misaki-san, and no they're not engaged, not yet at least. Though I expect that will change pretty quickly once Rui gets back from her training."
"Natsuo-kun mentioned that to me earlier, she overseas for culinary training right? That's impressive," Misaki said thoughtfully.
"It really is, we're all so proud of her. She takes after our dad, he's a chef and restaurant owner – she actually got the opportunity for this training by working at his restaurant. She should be back by the end of the year, maybe sooner based on everything she's told us," Hina replied, the happiness and pride for her sister practically oozing off of her.
Misaki smiled as Hina continued to sing Rui's praises and thought to herself, "She really has an infectious type of cheer about her... I wonder if we could actually be friends... but I'll just end up dragging her and Natsuo-kun into my problems if I hang around too long..."
Misaki was snapped out of her thoughts by Hina asking, "Do you have any siblings?"
"Unfortunately not, I'm an only child. My parents decided I was more than enough trouble on my own for them," Misaki answered with laugh.
Hina shared this laugh before saying, "Well while you're staying here feel free to think of me as a sister too then!"
Misaki felt her eyes start to tear up in response to what Hina had said, she had not expected such a genuinely caring thing to be said to her of all people. She was able to hide this with her hair as she turned her head slightly and replied, "I might do just that Hina-san... Thank you."
11:37pm – Vacant Warehouse...
A man looked around cautiously making sure there was nobody around before opening the side door of the warehouse and entering, he was already late to the scheduled meet up but he had to make sure he wasn't seen. As he made his way through the narrow and cluttered hallway towards what would be an admin office he muttered to himself, "I hope Kai is in a good mood..."
After a moment he reached a closed door and knocked on it almost hesitantly. An agonizing moment of silence passed before a voice called from the other side, "Get in here." The man quickly did as he was told and shit the door securely behind him, waiting for him was a man who looked like the textbook definition of a thug sitting at the desk in the office. He had tattoos on every visible part of his body, including the half of his head that was shaved and multiple piercings in various places on his face. Seeing who had entered the room the man simply said, "You're late Hojo..."
"Sorry Kai, I went to check on Ogura's numbers, but I couldn't find the bitch," Hojo replied warily.
Kai cocked his head slightly as he asked, "You couldn't find her?"
Hojo nodded quickly as he explained, "Yeah, she wasn't at the apartment she's been staying at. I checked around the neighborhood but she wasn't anywhere around there. I circled back to the apartment and she still wasn't there. Then I came straight here."
"Hmm... It could be nothing, it's not the first time she's missed a check in... but I don't like it. I've noticed that the supply she says she's been moving doesn't match up with the money she hands over. Did you try calling her?" Kai asked after thinking out loud.
"I did, it just gave me the 'the number you have dialed is out of service' message," Hojo answered quickly.
Kai's eyes narrowed in anger as he said, "I really don't like that... No point trying to find her tonight; by now she's hunkered down somewhere for the night. Tomorrow I'll have everyone check with the other girls we have moving the goods to see if they've seen or heard from Ogura. You keep an eye on where she was staying in case she shows up there."
"You got it boss. Anything else tonight?" Hojo asked, relieved that Kai's ire had shifted to the missing Ogura.
Kai shook his head as he replied, "No, get out of here. You're going to have a long day tomorrow after all." After Hojo took his leave from the office Kai thought out loud, "I don't know what kind of game you're playing you bitch... but I'm going to find out and you're going to pay up, one way or the other."
A/N: This chapter ended up being the shortest one so far, I apologize for that but I couldn't think of anything else that I could add in without feeling off, or messing with the layout I have planned for the following chapters. Despite this one being a bit shorter I hope it was enjoyed nonetheless!
