Shoko Komi's Ultimate Challenge

by Ulquiorra9000

Communication 3: oh, brother

Shoko Komi did her best to build up some momentum with her daily challenges, and after getting over the initial shock, she decided that this was actually kind of fun, and she was eager to keep going. She hadn't yet mentioned any of this to her mom, though, or even her dad. For now, this was her own private endeavor, not counting Hitohito and Nene.

Then, on Sunday, Shoko had nothing in particular to do, and it seemed her brother Shosuke didn't, either. He was just messing around on his laptop at the kitchen table, a snack on a plate next to him. Shoko, meanwhile, peeked at her brother from around the corner, nervously trying to make up her mind. She didn't mind spending time with family, but she had to challenge herself, and try something bold! Today was day four of the challenges, and after a day of ten good mornings, a day of petting three dogs, and a day of watching a horror movie in the dark on her own (which cost her some sleep), Shoko was ready for this. Okay, here goes.

Shoko quietly slipped into the kitchen and stood opposite Shosuke, motioning for his attention. After a few seconds, Shosuke looked up at her with an expression that said "what's up, big sis?"

Shoko cleared her throat and softly made her offer. "Um... Shosuke... if you're not busy... why don't we hang out in town today? Let's stretch our legs."

Shosuke tilted his head like a curious dog. "I'm not really the type to do that," his expression clearly stated.

"Well..." Shoko clasped her hands under her chin. "Just for one day? Please? I think it could be fun. We don't spend enough time together."

Shosuke quietly regarded his sister, and Shoko felt another thrill of anxiety. What if Shosuke said no, and made fun of her? After all, they really didn't have that much in common, and rarely spent time together. Maybe Shoko should cut her losses and leave now -

Shosuke nodded and closed his laptop. It seemed he was up for a few hours with his dear sister today! Hooray! Shoko ran off to put on her shoes, and after a minute, Shosuke got his own shoes on and let his sister lead the way. Let the challenge begin!

*o*o*o*o*

Shoko had no idea if her brother felt as nervous as she did, since his face was so hard to read when he wasn't "talking" with her, but Shoko hoped he was perfectly comfortable as the two of them wandered around downtown, about a ten-minute walk from home. It was a warm day, too, so Shoko eagerly pointed at a shaved ice shop, to which her brother gave a tiny shrug. Shoko bought them both frozen treats, and they are the sweet treats as they wandered further downtown to find some fun.

This was normal, right? Sometimes, on TV or in light novels, boys and girls around Shoko's age would hang out downtown with friends or with some cousins who were visiting, and on occasion. Some of those scenes involved siblings, but usually, that involved two or three sisters going out to buy clothes and stuff like that. Shoko gasped. She was here with her little brother! Wouldn't it be weird to drag him to a nano universe store or even a UNIQLO store? Shoko felt herself blush in embarrassment, and she fought the urge to slap her hands over her face. If only she also had a sister...!

No, that was wrong. Shoko should be grateful for the family she has! Today's challenge called for some quality brother-sister time on a carefree Sunday, and she would deliver, darn it! So, Shoko led Shosuke into the same mall where Tadano had bought her that lovely dress, and found a department store for both boys and girls. She was curious, anyway, since Shosuke usually wore black shirts and jeans. What if he found a new look today?

A sales rep, a lovely lady in her early 30s, approached the Komis. "Ah! Welcome," she said warmly. "I'd be happy to help you find something that suits your fashion needs." She went a little pink. "Young lady, I'm terribly sorry, but I'm not sure we have anything in stock good enough for you! A girl of your beauty might visit that boutique on the second floor instead." She smiled.

Shoko motioned frantically, as though to say "no, it's OK!" Honestly, she was just an ordinary girl who liked ordinary clothes. This place was perfectly fine for her!

"Very well. And you, young sir? Might I also suggest a boutique?" the sales rep told Shosuke cheerily. "Or perhaps some designer outfits?"

Shosuke merely shrugged again and glanced at the racks of boys' clothes to the right. He didn't offer a word.

"Oh! Well, um..." the sales rep clearly wasn't sure what to do, so Shoko came to the rescue as best she could, and gave the sales rep a timid but kind smile to reassure her. It worked instantly, and the blushing sales rep wished her a happy shopping experience and hurried off to help someone else.

Shosuke, meanwhile, was already checking out the racks and displays of boys' clothes with his arms folded, attracting a few approving looks from the girls who passed by on route to the cash registers. Shoko joined him, then spotted a bright yellow shirt with red patterns and grabbed it. She held it to Shosuke's chest, only for her brother to shake his head.

It was just a joke, anyway. Shoko thought it was funny to see such loud colors on her quiet brother, so she put it away and offered a dark green shirt with thin white stripes. Shosuke gave it a "meh, not quite" look, so Shoko kept trying more shirts, determined to impress her brother with her good taste in fashion. She was no expert, and she wasn't the type to max out a credit card on clothes and handbags, but this was a wonderfully rare opportunity to spend time with Shosuke. Why not make it fun?

So, Shoko kept at it until her exasperated brother agreed to a dark gray polo shirt with a black collar and a small white logo on the left breast. It wasn't much different than Shosuke's usual outfits, but it was a start! Shoko quietly hummed to herself and held onto the shirt, then led her brother to a new section, one with jackets and sweatpants. Shosuke seemed to have no preference, so Shoko happily offered a few jackets until Shosuke approved of a navy blue one with drawstrings for the hood and nice, big pockets.

Lastly, Shoko found a new scarf for her brother, one with yellow, blue, and red stripes, and somehow convinced Shosuke to agree to it. Three items should be enough for now! Shoko counted this as a success, and paid a few thousand yen for all the goods and even carried the shopping bag for Shosuke. She didn't mind at all.

"Do you come to this mall often?" Shoko asked her brother, leaning over to ask the question into his ear. She couldn't bring herself to talk over the noise of the crowds.

Shosuke shook his head, so Shoko decided to improvise and guess what her dear little brother might like next. She found a GameStop, and pointed inside. Boys like video games, right? Or at least, Nakanaka and Najimi sure did, and Shosuke didn't seem opposed to the idea. So, the Komis went right in, and the fellow behind the counter spoke up. "Welcome to GameStop," he said. "Looking for anything in particular? We've got the newest PS4 titles, Switch games, controllers, even a bit of Xbox stuff and plenty of merch."

Shoko took a timid step back and pointed at Shosuke, who merely stood there, hands in his pockets.

"Right. What can I get for you, bud?" the clerk asked. Shosuke ignored him.

Shoko considered getting out of here. If Shosuke wasn't interested, well, she couldn't force him to buy a new game or anything. But Shosuke wasn't doing anything at all, and the clerk was getting confused. Shoot, how could Shoko fix this? She couldn't let this challenge slip through her fingers.

Taking action, Shoko headed to the merch section and frantically checked out the T-shirts, hats, keychains, and figurines for something, anything, Shosuke might like. She had no idea which game to buy for him, if any, and she didn't have much pocket change left anyway. But... a-ha! Shoko smiled faintly when she found a few Swamp Bros. keychains, clearly recalling that wonderful afternoon where she had played as a beautiful princess while Najimi and Nakanaka's characters beat each other up. Shoko pranced to the cash register and eagerly held out the two keychain figurines that she picked out, and the clerk nodded.

"Okay. 800 yen for both of 'em, please," he said, and Shoko handed over a few 100-yen coins without a single regret. She handed one to Shosuke, who wordlessly accepted it, and she led her brother into the crowded mall once again.

Somehow, Shosuke became even quieter as the day went on, and Shoko feared he was getting bored. So, Shoko led him to a movie theater, and they watched the newest animated feature, Weathering With Your Name. Shoko's heart swelled with emotion as she watched the wonderful movie, stealing glances at her brother every so often. He had a totally neutral look on his face.

After the movie, Shoko browsed a few more shops with Shosuke across the mall until it was finally time to go, and they silently returned home around 4:00 in the afternoon. Shosuke accepted the shopping bag of clothes from his sister in the front hallway but otherwise ignored her, and turned to head up to his room. But this didn't feel right.

"Sh... Shosuke." Shoko reached out and timidly held onto her brother's shirt sleeve.

Shosuke jumped, clearly not expecting that, and turned around, clearly annoyed.

Shoko couldn't bear it! She had to say something, even if it hurt. "Shosuke... I had fun today, but... what about you? I can't tell." Her heart thudded in her chest, her palms sweating. She didn't like asking nosy questions like this, but she had made such an effort for Shosuke today, and the Olympian in her wanted this challenge complete, no matter what.

Shosuke finally spoke up. "Look, big sis... going to the mall isn't my thing. You know I'm not the type to hang out with pals like that."

"I know." Shoko hung her head, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. "But... um... I just wanted to spend some quality time with you. I'm trying new things, you see, and this was my idea for today. I'm sorry I wasted your time." She held a hand over her mouth. The challenge was totally ruined! She just wanted to crawl into bed and hide under the blankets all night.

Shosuke hesitated for a minute, then spoke up again. "It wasn't a waste of time. And thanks for the stuff. Plus, the movie was kind of good."

Shoko perked up, suddenly hopeful. Shosuke never complimented anything, but he was making an exception for today! Yay!

Shosuke shyly glanced away. "And... thanks for wanting to spent time with me. I guess it's not so bad to stretch my legs after all. It was a good day. I'll put this stuff away..." He motioned with the bags, then finally went upstairs and retreated to his room.

Shoko couldn't help herself; she jumped into the air and thrust both fists into the air, imagining perky dog ears on her head. Woo-hoo! Challenge complete: spend some quality time with Shosuke! Honestly, Shosuke probably wouldn't do anything like this for another year or two, but that was fine. Shoko proudly checked off this challenge in her mind, and idled around in her room for a couple of hours until it was finally dinnertime.

"You seem happy today, Shosuke," Shuko said fondly halfway through dinner. She beamed. "Is there something you wanna tell me? I bet there is!"

Shosuke glanced at his sister for a split second, shook his head, and resumed eating. Oh, typical Shosuke, being so mysterious all the time. Well, Shoko knew what he was really thinking, and she shared a quick look with her father, who instantly understood his daughter's feelings and gave a short nod of approval.

"Oh, my kids are so shy sometimes. It's a part of growing up, I suppose," Shuko commented, even though she was probably never shy in her entire life.

Later that evening, Shoko was still in a good mood, so while lying comfortably on her bed, she went ahead and texted her best friend. I completed another challenge today, she typed. I spent a quality day with my little brother. We went to the mall.

Hitohito didn't take long to respond. Hey, that's really awesome, his text read. It sounds like you're on a roll, Komi! You can do anything you set your mind to!

Shoko actually made a quiet giggle to herself and re-read Hitohito's wonderful text message before responding. She boldly asked, Tadano, do you get along well with your sister?

Kind of? We annoy each other sometimes, but I think that's normal.

Shoko couldn't help a modest smile as she kept texting. Your sister is a very sweet girl, Tadano. Perhaps you could tell her how much you appreciate her?

Shoko almost wanted to take that message back. What if she was being too nosy again, or being totally awkward? To her relief, Hitohito didn't seem to think so, because he said, Sure thing, though she might find it weird, LOL!

I'm sure Hitomi appreciates her big brother, too.

I suppose. I mean, I've helped her with homework a few times and I once carried her home after she sprained her ankle playing soccer in the park with friends. She was happy about that.

The two of you sound very close, Tadano.

Hitohito took a moment to respond. Well sure, Hitomi's my little sister, after all. She thinks she's too cool to hang out with me, and she's got a point, but I think you're right, Komi. Thanks.

Shoko felt her stomach flip over, and she held her phone close to her chest, unable to describe the wonderful feelings rushing through her. Amazing! She only needed a few days of confidence-building challenges to speak so frankly with her best friend, and appreciate her brother and friend more than ever. And they appreciated her, too.

Shoko texted good-night and comfortably rolled over on her bed. She really was the luckiest girl in the world.