This is the first time I've published a story on here so please don't judge me too harshly yet. I've been watching this anime and idk, got this idea. Some characters may be OOC, especially Tsukushi. Hopefully y'all enjoy!

Chapter 1: Genius

Tsukasa Domyoji didn't know who the little girl sitting in the corner was, nor did he particularly care. All he knew was that his friends from school were there along with Shizuka and that was all that mattered. In all honesty, he forgot about the girl until his sister asked him if he was nice to Tsukushi.

"Who is that?" was the first thing out of his mouth until he remembered the girl in the corner. "Oh! Is that the girl that was by herself in the corner?"

"Baka!" Tsubaki smacked him on the underside of the head. "You saw a girl in a corner alone and didn't talk to her?!"

The unbothered five-year-old shrugged. "I think Shizuka tried to talk to her, she's been working on Rui you know."

She just rolled her eyes and muttered something about having to go next time to make sure that he behaved himself. Sure enough, the next time they all got together for a playdate, Tsubaki was there. The girl Tsukasa assumed was Tsukushi was also there, sitting again in the corner.

But instead of sitting there alone the whole time she had Tsubaki next to her. I wonder if oneechan is bothering her, Tsukasa thought briefly before turning his attention to his other friends.

On their ride home, Tsubaki proudly told her younger brother that she had gotten Tsukushi to talk to her.

"Why are you trying so hard?" Tsukasa asked.

"I talked to okaasan about her. She said that Tsukushi-chan is a genius. And I want to be able to say that I was friends with a genius."

"What do you mean she's a genius?"

"Baka, that means she's a lot smarter than you. You know, Tsukushi is only four but she can already read and write stuff that I can! Oh, I invited her over tomorrow so make sure you're nice to her."

Tsukasa's young pride was hurt by Tsubaki saying that the shy girl was smarter than he was and grumbled, "I bet she's super boring."

When Tsukushi came the next day, Tsubaki ran to her and hugged her. "Tsukushi-chan! I'm so glad you came today! Tsukasa, greet our guest."

"Hi," he said awkwardly. Tsukushi just looked at both of them and blinked her large brown eyes.

"I just know that the three of us are going to be best friends," Tsubaki exclaimed. "I mean, just look at our names! Tsubaki, Tsukasa, and Tsukushi! It's fate!"

This elicited a small giggle from Tsukushi.

"Are you really a genius?" Tsukasa asked bluntly. "And what even is a genius."

"That's what everyone says I am," Tsukushi said, somewhat startling Tsukasa, who had not expected her to say anything. "I don't know what a genius is."

"I think it's fake. You're not smarter than me."

"Tsukasa, you still get potato and tomato mixed up," Tsubaki said, bonking him on the top of the head.

Tsukasa growled and Tsukushi giggled again, "You're funny, Tsubaki-san."

"Call me Tsubaki-chan! And you can call this idiot Tsukasa-kun."

"I'm not an idiot!" Tsukasa yelled.

"Sure," Tsubaki rolled her eyes. "Okaasan said that you can play the piano, Tsukushi-chan, will you play for us?"

The rest of the day passed in a similar fashion. Tsubaki and Tsukasa teasing each other and Tsukushi giggling at them. When it finally came time for Tsukushi to leave, Tsukasa turned to his sister and admitted, "She's not boring at all!"

When he went to school the next day, his friends could not believe him.

"She just sits in the corner the whole time!" Sojiro said.

"Yeah! She doesn't even say anything," Akira agreed.

"Even Shizuka can't get her to say anything," Rui added quietly.

"You'll see the next time we play," Tsukasa told them. "I'll make sure Tsubaki comes."

Poor Tsukushi must have been terrified when she arrived at Rui's house (where this week's playdate had been designated). She came in and all the children turned and stared at her.

"Tsukushi-chan!" Tsukasa exclaimed. "I'm glad you're here! Tsubaki is here too!"

"Tsubaki-chan! Tsukasa-kun!" Tsukushi smiled.

"See!" Tsukasa said triumphantly, "I told you she talks."

"Of course she does," Tsubaki rolled her eyes.

Little by little the group got used to their newest member. Shizuka, upon learning that the younger girl also played the piano, pulled out a piano duet.

"I've been learning this with my teacher, maybe we could learn it together?" she said. Then she added, "Oh! I forgot you're only four, I can find something else we can learn."

Tsukushi, without a word, took the music from Shizuka and scanned it. "I can play this."

"Shizuka," Tsukasa said, "Tsukushi is a genius, whatever that means."

Shizuka looked skeptical until Tsukushi led her to the piano and played her part almost perfectly. Rui was also intrigued by her musical skills and asked her to play a duet with him. Rui on the violin, Tsukushi on the piano.

After a few weeks, Sojiro and Akira were finally convinced that the little girl could really talk and convinced her to play legos with them. While she was initially terrified by the two, Tsukushi soon found that they were very funny.

But even as she began to get closer to her fellow playmates, Tsukushi was always closest to the Domyoji siblings. Tsubaki soon thought of Tsukushi as a younger sister and Tsukasa became very protective of the little girl.

"When you come to Eitoku," he said, "I'll make sure that no one picks on you. And then when we both get older, I'll marry you and then no one will say anything bad about you because you'll be both a Makino and a Domyoji."

When Tsubaki told her mother what Tsukasa had said, Kaede got that scheming gleam in her eye and said, "That would be perfect."

The weekly playdates continued, and the seven children became very comfortable with each other. But one week, Tsukushi didn't come.

"She's probably sick," Tsukasa said.

When the next week came, Tsukushi was absent again. The children reasoned that they would see her soon, she would start kindergarten that week and they would be going to the same week. Tsubaki, who had been out with a cold the previous week, looked serious when she seated the younger children down. Being nearly five years older than some of them, she had taken a sort of motherly air around the other children.

"Tsukushi isn't going to be at school tomorrow," she said.

"What do you mean!" Tsukasa interrupted. "She's going to Eitoku just like us!"

"No, she's not," Tsubaki continued. "Okaasan said that her parents are sending her to a school in America that's made for children like her."

"What does that mean, 'children like her'?" Rui asked.

"She's a genius, so normal school like Eitoku would be too easy for her. That's why her parents sent her to this special school."

The usual joyful playdate was somber after Tsubaki's announcement. What did it mean that Tsukushi wouldn't be coming every week? And she wouldn't be going to Eitoku? They were supposed to go to school together.

While they were all upset, the most put out was Tsukasa. For the rest of the day, he could still be heard murmuring, "Special school or no special school, I'm still going to marry her."