An Aha Moment
Choromatsu dreams of the past while Karamatsu and Jyushimatsu go to return the wallet to Iyami
He swung the net above his head and brought it downwards.
"Got one!"
Choromatsu proclaimed triumphantly.
It was such a nice day today.
He and the rest of the children spent the last few hours participating in a load of fun activities. It was just past lunchtime and they were given an hour of free time to do whatever they wanted. Choromatsu decided to take this opportunity to go beetle hunting with Totoko tagging along.
"Totoko-san look at this! I got a big one!"
The girl sat a few feet away from him, plunking flowers and making them into a flower crown. She turned to him with a look of disgust.
"Gross! No thank you."
He shrugged, plucking the captured Rhinoceros Beetle and placing it into a plastic container.
"So," Totoko asked curiously. "That man is still staying with you guys right? Nii-chan and I keep hearing so much about him from Chibita-kun for the past two months now."
"Yup!" Choromatsu looked at her with a wide smile on his face. "Tougou-san is great! He's honest, helpful, and super super nice! He even took us out to the movies and bought me a bunch of snacks before I left."
"Ehhh you boys are soooo lucky!" His friend and crush pouted. "No wonder Chibita-kun wants him to stay at his house."
"Well he can't!" Choromatsu crossed his arms defiantly. "He's just jealous he doesn't have such a great person to buy him everything he wants."
"Ooh ooh! Do you think he would buy me some cute dresses if I asked him?"
"Hehe," he blushed shamefully. "I mean if it's for a pretty girl like you Totoko-san, I bet he'll definitely say 'Yes'. I'll even make sure of that."
"Awww thank you! You're so sweet!" The older girl smiled. She then got up, patted the dirt off her dress, and started walking away. "Anyways, I'm going to find some more flowers for my crown. I'll be right back."
"Okay! Be careful!" Choromatsu answered, watching her skip away.
The young boy wiped the sweat off his brow, grateful that the shade of the leaves protected him from the brunt of the summer haze.
He then went back to staring at the insect with innocent curiosity as it moved around it's containment. He was currently thinking of ways to sneak the beetle into his bag and take it back home to show to his brothers.
He giggled mischievously. He and Osomatsu, his partner in crime, had recently competed to search and find the biggest beetle before the summer ended. The elder was currently in first place. However, with the one he had just caught, he was definitely going to be the victor now.
The two brothers were always participating in friendly (and not so friendly) competitions. Especially now with the kind and seemingly rich lodger living with them. The older man had even encouraged and participated in their little rivalry, giving them tasks like 'The fastest to the park and back' or 'The first one to get him the largest bag' won. He would then present the winner with prizes and treats.
However, it really bugged him this time when Tougou had bought Osomatsu a remote control car just because he was currently in the lead. Choromatsu argued that they should only receive a prize once a winner was declared. Out of all the sextuplets, Tougou seemed to favor his older brother more. It wasn't fair.
When it had been time for Choromatsu to go away for the week, Osomatsu had assumed his victory was secured. However, Choromatsu wasn't planning on losing this time. He couldn't wait to get back home and show the beetle off to everyone. Then, surely, he would win and get all of Tougou's attention.
He gave a big yawn and stretched his arms out tiredly; breathing in the fresh air. He looked around him to see that he was all alone. It was so peaceful out here in the wilderness with the birds chirping and the screams of the cicadas echoing through the trees.
He had to admit he was pretty lucky to be the only one attending summer camp.
As much as he liked his family and Tougou as company, it was times like these- being here away from the city and spending time with other people without having to worry about correcting them about his name- that he appreciated the freedom and space he wouldn't have gotten if he was at home.
Here, he wasn't a part of a whole. Part of duo. It was just him.
And he would relish in that fact for as long as he was here.
Plus, he got to enjoy and spend all the alone time he had with Totoko. Osomatsu could have Tougou-san for all he cared.
"Choromatsu-kun! Come quick! Hurry!"
Choromatsu turned around hearing Totoko frantically yelling out to him. He put down the net and container, and quickly followed the direction of the frightened voice.
Running along the path, the boy made his way to a clearing where he saw Totoko crouched down in front of the base of a tree.
"Totoko-san, what's the matter?" Choromatsu hurried over to her. "Sensei told us not to wander off so far rememb-"
He stopped mid-way, looking down at what was most likely the reason his friend had called to him.
It was a dead baby bird.
The poor thing laid there on the grass in a bent position, it's small beak left open.
Totoko had her hands to her eyes, crying. She turned around and looked up at him tearfully.
"W-what should we do? The baby bird fell! We need to help it!"
Choromatsu flustered, unsure of what to do. In all honesty, he wanted to hightail it and run away. However, he just couldn't stand there seeing Totoko cry.
"I-I'm sorry Totoko-san" he spoke awkwardly. "B-but I think it's dead."
"Oh no!" Totoko cried harder.
He looked down at the bird and then looked up. He could see the nest where it had come from; settled on top of a thick branch a few feet above them. He could hear the small chirpings of the other baby birds quite clearly. He also could see the large flapping wings of their mother perched with them. While it was hard to tell, the mother seemed to be feeding her babies.
Choromatsu continued gazing up, confused. Worried questions began popping up in his head.
Does the mother not know she's one child short? Did the other siblings know? The poor baby must have been so scared and in pain when it fell off the tree.
Did the mother even try saving it at all? Why is she just simply feeding the others while one of them was on the ground dead? How could the siblings just cry out hungrily for food?
"It's okay Totoko-san," he whispered, looking back down and patting the girl's back in comfort.
How could they just move on like that? Did they just forget all about him? Did they simply just not care?
"Come on, let's make a pretty grave for it, okay?"
Choromatsu encouraged Totoko up on her feet and was only met with a weak nod. He then knelt down and carefully scooped up the cold, fragile creature into his palms.
He frowned sorrowfully. He could never understand the minds of animals. The baby bird… just left here all alone and so close to home. It's just too cruel.
He really wanted to see his brothers right now.
Before they could find a spot to bury it, he heard his name being called out.
"Matsuno-kun! Matsuno-kun! Where are you?"
It was one of their instructors. Was free time already over? Perhaps the instructor could figure out what was the best thing to do in this situation.
Choromatsu answered back. "Sensei! We're over here! Come and look at this!"
When they saw their instructor enter the clearing they were in, they were suddenly shocked and confused at her appearance. She had a panicked look on her face; slightly out of breath from how much she had been running.
"What are you two doing here?" She shouted which made him and Totoko flinch back. Were they in trouble?
He extended his palms out to her to explain.
"But Sensei, Totoko-san found a-"
"Nevermind that," she interrupted. She walked up to them. Now, after a closer look, Choromatsu could see there was clear sadness in her eyes. Sadness directed at him.
"Matsuno-kun. Yowai-san, can you… Well, maybe it's best that both of you should hear this."
She gently, but firmly placed her hands on his shoulders and began speaking to him in such a serious, quiet voice. It sent chills down his spine.
"Matsuno-kun. I-... You're parents called…"
Choromatsu tensed up.
He didn't like this. He didn't like the way she spoke to him. How her voice wavered and hesitated. Something didn't feel right. He held his breath, silently begging for her not to continue.
"I'm so sorry Matsuno-kun."
Stop.
"Something…"
Shut up.
"Something happened to your brother."
Don't say anymore.
"Osomatsu…"
The tiny corpse fell from his hands.
"He's missing."
No.
No, you're wrong.
Osomatsu was not JUST missing.
He was taken. He was taken by Tougou. He was threatened, hurt, then abducted by Tougou.
That man.
A liar... A robber... A criminal...
A murderer.
Tougou.
Why? How could he? How dare he?
He wouldn't accept this. He just couldn't.
Osomatsu.
I promise...I promise I will-!
Choromatsu gasped out for air.
His eyes snapped open and he frantically looked around.
He was by himself, laying on his back on the ground of his and Karamatsu's shared bedroom; his PC located next to him.
An purplish hue of evening was peaking through the windows and Choromatsu could faintly hear the sound of cars from outside.
Processing what probably had happened, he slowly dropped his outstretched hand which he had noticed was up in the air.
Annoyed, he sat up, cursing to himself.
"Damn it, it's so late and I still had laundry to do."
He picked up his cellphone and looked at the time. Jyushimatsu was going to be home in a couple of hours and he didn't even have anything prepared for dinner tonight.
"Ugh… screw it."
He quickly texted to Jyushimatsu and Karamatsu that it would be just leftovers for dinner or to either find something else to eat themselves. He got a response fairly quickly from Jyushimatsu.
Jyushimatsu: That's okay!
Jyushimatsu: I actually met up Nii-san so we'll probably grab something to eat on the way back
Jyushimatsu: Do you want us to pick you up something?
'Huh?,' Choromatsu thought, almost baffled. 'Jyushimatsu and Karamatsu?'
He knew the two got along decently, but Choromatsu never thought they would actively hang out with each other. Karamatsu was often too busy with work and Jyushimatsu preferred spending time with his friends after classes.
"Tch."
Actually…
For the past couple of days, Karamatsu and Jyushimatsu have been definitely acting very odd lately.
It all started after they came back home after confronting the brat, Todomatsu. They kept anxiously staring at each other like they were afraid to say something. Even Ichimatsu, on the night before he left back to his apartment, was being so cage-y throughout dinner. He could maybe understand Jyushimatsu and Ichimatsu since they were dealing with exams but that didn't explain what was going on with the eldest son.
He still couldn't believe Karamatsu simply did nothing after finding Todomatsu, mainly after witnessing Karamatsu's initial, and almost frightening, reaction the night of the incident. And then he suddenly called in sick, which his older brother rarely did, when he clearly looked perfectly fine.
He knew his younger brothers hid things from him but Karamatsu? Ever since high school, he had always trusted Karamatsu to never keep secrets from the second eldest. However, even when Choromatsu tried encouraging and pushing his brother to spill the beans the other night, he kept denying anything was wrong, telling him to 'drop it'.
That was so unlike him.
This thing going on between his brothers could not simply be just about Todomatsu, right? Something else was going on. Something fishy, and Choromatsu was immensely bothered about it especially when the rest of his brothers were purposely trying to keep him out of it.
What in the world happened? He really didn't want to be out of the loop if it was something important. Surely, he wasn't overreacting. But god, he was going to have a headache if he kept stressing over it.
"Just forget it for now," the teen said to himself. "Let them enjoy themselves while they eat and go about their secret late night chats (Oh yeah, he knew about those too!). I'll figure out what's going on sooner or later."
Right, he almost forgot.
He tapped a quick reply on his phone and pressed 'SEND'.
No, it's fine. Thx tho.
[Jyushimatsu is typing…]
Jyushimatsu: Alright. Just let us know if you change your mind.
Without responding back, Choromatsu lazily threw his phone to the side and rubbed his eyes with a groan.
In any case, while being ticked off about his brothers, he was also really not in the mood to eat for that matter.
He couldn't help but bring himself back a few minutes ago when he woke from his nap.
It had happened again.
The recurring dream left a bitter taste in his mouth. He was positive he wasn't going to stomach anything he ate now.
Choromatsu hated it. Why couldn't he dream of idols or anime or something silly like that? Why did it have to be a dream about the past? Especially that event. Always that event. Always about that day.
Always about… about… about...
He blinked a few times. Huh? Why was the room getting all blurry? Seriously, he couldn't see anything. The room was starting to close in. It almost seemed suffocating. It was getting dark all around him.
A voice? He heard a voice. It's him . He's calling out to him. He's crying. He needs you.
Why aren't you going to him?
But… but he's so far away.
'N-no… shit-!'
Choromatsu quickly shook his head forcefully; rapidly hitting the sides of his noggin with his fists a few times before clutching them there tightly.
He got up from the floor and made his way to his desk. He pulled his shaking hands off his face, prying open his drawing and pulling out a bottle of pills. His breathing quickened as he desperately struggled to open the lid.
Dropping two pills onto his hand, he popped them into his mouth and swallowed them dry; they uncomfortably, quite painfully, went down his throat.
With a frustrated shout, he threw the bottle back and slammed the drawer closed with a loud rattle. He dropped down to the ground in a sitting position and tried to calm down.
Choromatsu spent a few minutes just slowing down his breathing.
1, 2, 3, In… 1, 2, 3, Out… 1, 2, 3, In … 1, 2, 3, Out… 1, 2, 3-... What was he doing again?
...
Oh, right.
The second son clicked his tongue irritatingly.
Well, he certainly knew he wasn't going to do anything substantial for the rest of the day. He might as well pass the time by doing his regular routine of catching up and watching some movies on his PC before his brothers got home. Perhaps it would help him get his mind off some things.
He sluggishly pulled the laptop towards him and typed away.
For the last hour, he scrolled and browsed around for a bit; downloading anything that seemed at all interesting. However, he kept getting bored halfway through watching them.
He was just not up for it today.
That is… until he noticed something rather interesting.
He clicked on it and pressed 'PLAY.'
"... What?"
It was almost eight at night when Karamatsu was ready to clock out for the day.
The work shift had been quite pleasant. The day wasn't so busy and Karamatsu did not have to deal with too many difficult customers. In fact, he was practically all smiles the entire time. His co-workers even pointed out how energetic he had been and teased how he must have gotten himself a girlfriend, to which Karamatsu shrugged them off with a laugh.
In truth, Karamatsu didn't deny he was in a much better mood all due to the events that transpired earlier that day.
You could imagine how excited he was to finally have confirmation that the stranger was indeed his missing older brother, Osomatsu. Plus, the individual himself seemed to possess an unknown calming aura when Karamatsu had spoken to him that the feeling had stuck to him. It had felt new and refreshing, but also so very familiar and warm. Although he wouldn't tell his co-workers any of that.
Still, he had to be realistic here.
He thought to himself that it was possible that the cheeriness and smiles was only a way to try and distract himself from the still lingering anxiety surrounding the entire situation. It was also because he was still preparing himself for what was to come at the end of the day. He needed to have a relatively stable mindset for when he talked with his brothers.
Which apparently, was sooner rather than later.
As he was cleaning up, he was surprised to see Jyushimatsu standing outside the cafe with a nervous wave. They greeted each other and the latter asked if they could walk home together. Of course, he gladly accepted the offer. However, the older brother could easily tell there was a very obvious question the younger wanted to say. It was all over his face.
Since he was in charge of closing the cafe, he first invited Jyushimatsu inside to sit down and talk to him in private. Needless to say, it went as expected.
He sat there as he held Jyushimatsu in a comforting embrace.
"I-... I can't… I can't believe it," Jyushimatsu sobbed with a hand to his mouth. He looked at him with tearstained eyes. "Nii-san… Is it? Is it really him?"
He nodded.
The younger brother's tall frame shook. He was closing his eyes and taking deep breaths in, trying his hardest to compose himself.
"I… I thought…" He said as quietly as a whisper.
"I know," Karamatsu answered, gripping Jyushimatsu's shoulder tighter. He understood, having felt the same. He could feel his voice break a little, but he continued to remain strong. "Me too."
Jyushimatsu continued to let his tears fall without saying anything further. He kept a small, somewhat sad, smile on his face.
After the initial shock and tears, they spent the next few minutes discussing what went on at Dekapan's place. As Karamatsu had promised, he told Jyushimatsu to call Ichimatsu and tell him the news as well. Ichimatsu had been silent during the entire phone call with only an audible sigh when they revealed the results of the DNA test.
"Ah, I see. That's good to hear... Anyways, my exams will be over soon." Was all the third brother said before muttering a small 'Thanks' and hanging up.
Karamatsu was worried and wanted to quickly call him back, but Jyushimatsu had reassured him that Ichimatsu was someone who needed time to think things through by themselves.
"H-he's trying his best to focus on school at the moment like you told us," Jyushimatsu reasoned. "He mentioned his exams will be over soon so, you know... he'll probably be coming home once he finishes. So don't worry too much alright Nii-san? If anything, I'll text him later to check on him."
Karamatsu could only listen and agree since the latter knew Ichimatsu the best. "Yeah, please do."
Jyushimatsu nodded eagerly before the sound of his stomach began to rumble.
"A-ah! Umm sorry… hehe," Jyushimatsu stuttered embarrassingly. "I haven't really eaten anything today… Been nervous."
Karamatsu's expression softened. "Let's get something to eat. It'll be my treat."
It was already getting late so the two decided to have dinner at Chibita's family's oden stand. It was close to home, but Karamatsu also knew that a certain someone often came to eat there on days he worked at the cafe.
Obviously, he couldn't forget about it.
"Right," Jyushimatsu whispered sadly. "Todomatsu… why did you have to do something like this?"
He seemed to ask that question to himself rather than anyone else. Karamatsu sighed and focused on finishing his meal; his leg fidgeting nervously.
Luckily, Iyami had arrived shortly after. They greeted him and asked if they could speak to him before the elder sat down to eat. Chibita also took the opportunity to go on his lunch and join them.
They were all now a few yards away from the food stand, the two brothers bowing their heads apologetically at Iyami who seemed to look not in the mood. Chibita sat on the bench close by, watching the exchange uncomfortably.
Karamatsu bowed his head.
"Once again," he spoke. "Iyami-san, I am deeply sorry for the actions and trouble my younger brother has caused you."
Karamatsu raised his head and pulled out the stolen wallet, extending it out to the older man.
"All your cards are still in there. The cash however…"
"Hmph!" Iyami kept giving an irritated face to the other. But regardless, he begrudgingly nodded and accepted the wallet back; stuffing it into the inside pocket of his blazer.
"I would have hoped to get an actual apology from my attacker but I suppose Matsuno-oni was too much of a coward to do so zansu."
"Ah, we're really sorry about this Oji-san," Jyushimatsu said. "We still feel bad about this. Would you like us to pay you back for any damages done to you? An IOU?"
"That's right," Karamatsu added. "Is your bruise healing up alright? I can pay for any medical supplies you need-"
Iyami gestured his hand in refusal.
"Matsuno-ani, Otouto-san, I don't want to hear any of that from you two," the elder said sternly. "Chibita spoke with me and we both agree that Todomatsu should be the one to pay for his actions. Not any of you. Besides Matsuno, you already paid back for the money stolen and then some."
While correct, that didn't sit well with Karamatsu. "But I'm-!"
"Sheeh!" Iyami cutted Karamatsu off before he could argue. "I'll forgive this one time since it's not easy having that unruly, little devil to constantly deal with. I've always felt bad for you and your family."
"Oi Iyami," Chibita warned, ready to criticize the older's choice of words.
Iyami made a slight noise of protest and crossed his arms. He probably understood that he might have gone too far with his comment but otherwise remained steadfast.
Karamatu also had to stop himself from talking back and bit his tongue. Despite Iyami having every right to do so, he really didn't like having the man openly insult his brother in front of him. Still, he really couldn't blame him.
"Hey Nii-san," Jyushimatsu quickly interjected. "Why don't we respect Oji-san wishes? Right?"
He looked at Iyami who stared at him as if challenging him to say anything else. Karamatsu sighed and nodded.
"Thank you Oji-san," Jyushimatsu answered with a slight bow. "We understand."
"We'll still make sure the next time he sees you he will apologize properly," Karamatsu had to include.
Iyami gave an exasperated sigh. "Me really wishes to get an explanation for all this," he said tiredly. "But an apology from him is honestly all that could be asked for at this point."
They all stayed there awkwardly in the cold for a few minutes.
Iyami, getting tired and annoyed of the tense atmosphere, got up and started walking over to sit at the oden stand; muttering complaints under his breath all the way there.
Once the old man was away, the remaining three finally relaxed, breathing out a long sigh that they didn't know they were holding in until now.
Karamatsu turned to Chibita with a worried grin.
"That went better than I thought," he said, scratching the back of his neck. "Thank you Chibita for talking with him. I would have assumed he would have yelled at me like usual and started asking me to pay him half of my year's salary hehe...
"No no, it's fine," Chibita shook his head and turned to the direction of where Iyami was with a look of consideration.
"To be honest," the shorter man continued. "Iyami told me himself he wanted to stay angry at Todomatsu especially knowing that it's always someone else apologizing on his behalf. But I think he's mostly just disappointed."
Jyushimatsu gave a reluctant nod. "That… that makes sense."
Chibita sighed.
"We all know he and Todomatsu get along the least but Iyami was genuinely shocked that the idjit went so far as to attack him. He's known you all for years, even longer than I have, and he understands what your family's been going through."
Karamatsu and Jyushimatsu stared at the ground silently.
"Look," their friend said in a serious tone. "Iyami's really worried about Todomatsu's behavior. This isn't even a teenage phase anymore. If this gets any worse… Well, I said to you before, we're all out of high school and we have our own responsibilities. We're going into adulthood. And if an adult doesn't follow the rules of society, they're punished. Todomatsu can do whatever he wants but he should know the consequences that come with them. None of you want to see your brother go even further down than he already has, but I can't ask you to do that for him. He needs to find a way to do that for himself."
Karamatsu formed his lips into a tight line, listening intently to Chibita's words. He was perfectly aware of what his friend was implying.
All he could do was nod.
"I'll let him know."
Chibita nodded back, but then gave them a perplexed frown.
"Another thing I wanted to bring up… What's going on with you two?"
The first and fourth son looked at him confused.
"Umm… what do you mean Chibita-kun?"
"Well first off, this is the first time I've seen you since our graduation ceremony." Chibita said, pointing at Jyushimatsu. He then looked over at Karamatsu. "And second, no offense, but from what I hear, I assumed you two never hung out together."
Jyushimatsu gave a curious glance over at his brother. To which the latter quickly tried to turn his face away. Jyushimatsu turned back and waved a hand defensively.
"Ah...haha! Well, I decided to accompany Nii-san since I also wanted to apologize as an older brother of Todomatsu."
"Mhm." Chibita didn't seem too convinced.
"Your eyes were also red and puffy when you arrived," he then pointed out. The latter flinch a bit at the remark. "Is everything alright? Exams aren't stressing you too much, right? I know Todomatsu is currently causing a mess of things at home, but I hope it isn't affecting your studies… Or is it something else?"
If it was any other person, Karamatsu would have been bothered with how rude and intrusive these comments and questions were. He would have even told them to mind their own business. However, this was Chibita who was talking to them. He had been with them since childhood and was never afraid to earnestly voice his opinions with the quintuplets. He was also one of the closest people Karamatsu could trust.
He understood where the younger man was coming from and Karamatsu couldn't help but blame himself due to constantly venting and complaining to the other every time they met; especially during the occasional times when he wanted to do some underage drinking.
Still, again, it was best not to tell him the real reason for his and Jyushimatsu's rare outing. At least, not yet.
"Don't worry too much about it Chibita," Karamatsu spoke out. "It's just been a bit crazy for the last few days."
Still, knowing Chibita wasn't the type to take no for an answer, it was best to be honest with his friend.
"We can't really give the full details, but Jyushimatsu and I are currently trying to make sense of some things right now. We'll let you know soon enough when we're ready. So we're really sorry for making you worry so much about us."
Chibita had his arms crossed with his eyes closed as if silently thinking to himself. He then gave a long annoyed groan and pressed a hand to his face. "Sheesh, I hate you idjits... Fine! If you say so Karamatsu even if that WAS such a half-assed answer."
Karamatsu and Jyushiatsu could only awkwardly laugh with appreciation.
"Thanks Chibita."
"T-thank you Chibita-kun."
"Yeah, yeah," the other said, waving them off. He got up from the bench and started walking away from them. "Now get out of here already. I got to get back to work."
The two waved goodbye to Chibita and began to head home. They walked next to each other without saying anything. Along the way, it had begun to softly snow and Karamatsu watched as tiny snowflakes fluttered towards the ground. He shivered involuntarily from the cold air and nuzzled closer into his scarf.
"Brrr, another snowy night tonight I guess."
"H-hey Nii-san?"
"Hm?"
"What… What should we do now?"
Karamatsu, understanding what he meant, looked up into the sky in thought. He carefully watched the thin puffs of clouds that escaped his mouth as he breathed.
"...you don't have to do or think about everything all at once…"
"...if you don't feel like it."
"I'm sorry, what was that Nii-san?"
Karamatsu turned to Jyushimatsu.
"Ah! Nothing nothing." He shook his head. "But, I mean, to answer your question… I don't think we actually have to do anything right now."
"Huh?" The younger tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Well… Maybe it's best we deal with one thing at a time," he continued. "Osomatsu still needs time to recover so while he does that, we can hold things off for now. Dekapan said it'll take a few more days so that'll give us enough time to process and figure things out."
"Mm…" The taller man nodded slightly. "Was Oso-… Osomatsu-san okay with this decision?"
Karamatsu chuckled at this, scratching his chin. "Actually, to be honest, he's the one who suggested this. He said that we should take the time to decide properly on this matter… He also said we shouldn't keep the test results to just certain people."
Jyushimatsu frowned slightly. "Oh."
"We still need to decide on how we should approach the others… like Chibita, Todomatsu, our parents,… Choromatsu."
"Yeah… Sorry, I'll… I'll leave that to you and Nii-chan then. If that's okay..."
"What? O-oh yeah, that's fine! But again!" Karamatsu stated, trying to lighten up the mood again. "We don't have to worry about that until later. I mean it. Like what Ichimatsu is doing, you need to finish up your exams first, alright?"
Jyushimatsu made a half smile. "Right. I will."
Despite the smile, the older brother couldn't help but wonder what the other was thinking. Sure, he could tell someone not to worry all he wanted, but would that actually stop them from doing so?
He could sense the feeling of inadequacy and helplessness start to grow every minute they walked in silence.
"Hey Nii-san," Jyushimatsu's voice quickly averted his attention off his thoughts. "So when you meant recovering, how is Osomatsu-san doing exactly by the way?"
"Oh, umm, well he seemed fine when I spoke to him. Pretty lively actually. But according to Dekapan, he still feels quite a bit of pain." He answered. "It's still difficult for him to walk and whatnot."
"I see," Jyushimatsu said, putting a hand to his chin. "Hmm… Depending on the damages he received from those guys, especially if it was to his back, he may be required to do some physical therapy. What do you think, Nii-san?"
Karamatsu didn't know what to say. "Umm...I'm not sure?"
"Really? Well I guess I can call Dekapan for more details just to check."
"Haha, I keep forgetting that you're studying medicine Jyushimatsu. I'm still surprised you decided to go in that area after highschool instead of continuing baseball."
"Heh," Jyushimatsu grinned, rubbing his hands together for warmth. "Well, I mean, I still have the baseball club, but we haven't been doing much besides going to the batting cages."
"Well anyway," the elder shrugged. "It's nice that you're worried about him. Ah-! Speaking of… Osomatsu-san was also worried about you."
"Eh? Why?"
"He was worried that you might have injured yourself when you caught him on the stairs yesterday," Karamatsu replied. "He also wanted me to ask you how you were feeling and to tell you he said 'thank you'."
Jyushimatsu looked at him with a somewhat shocked expression. He noticed his brother's cheek growing slightly pinker. "He said that?"
"Mhm.
The latter looked away flustered. "Ah, well, please tell him that I'm alright and it was no problem! I mean it would have been bad if they had injured themselves further y-you know!"
Karamatsu couldn't help but laugh. "Hahaha, don't worry Brother! I'll call Dekapan to send the message."
The brothers finally made it to the front of the Matsuno household. Jyushimatsu didn't move.
"Hey Nii-san."
"Yeah?"
"You know," he bit his lip, nervous to continue saying anything. "This is really terrifying."
The older brother just sighed. "I know. I'm scared too-"
"Yes, but-!"
Karamatsu gave a questioning look when he saw a gentle smile form on his brother's face.
"I... I want to visit him. I want to see him now knowing that… it's actually him."
"I feel the same." Karamatsu couldn't help but smile as well. "Let's give it a few more days to wait for Ichimatsu to come back and we'll go over to Dekapan's place together."
"That sounds good."
"We're home."
As the two entered the front door and took off their shoes, the house seemed strangely quiet. The lights were off and the inside felt cold.
"Did Choromatsu Nii-san not turn on the heater?" Jyushimatsu asked, turning on the hallway light. "Hang on, I'll go grab it."
Jyushimatsu took off upstairs while Karamatsu stayed in the genkan taking off his scarf and coat.
"Choromatsu, we're back," he announced. "Sorry we're home so late."
For a second, he thought that the second brother was probably upstairs in their room when he didn't get an answer. He was about to walk up to the second floor until he heard Choromatsu's voice nearby.
"Karamatsu, can you come here for a moment?"
"Oh, coming!"
As Karamatsu walked towards the living room, he felt that there was something off in the way his brother sounded. Something he couldn't quite put, but it left him feeling a increasing amount of worry as he opened the sliding door.
Choromatsu was seated on the floor by the small, circular table. He had his chin placed on his hands while he looked down at nothing in particular.
"Uh… what's the matter? Why are you sitting here in the dark?"
Before he could turn the light switch on, he heard his brother speak again.
"Hey Karamatsu," Choromatsu said, his voice was slow and monotone; lacking any emotion. "Out of all of our brothers, I've always known I could expect honesty from you."
There was a thick air of tension that begun to form around Karamatsu.
"O-of course Choromatsu," he answered. "I'm your older brother. You know you can trust me to be truthful with you."
"Really now?"
Choromatsu slowly stood up. While still pretty dark, the light from the hallway had shown the younger's face clearly enough for Karamatsu to see.
"Alright, well then if that's the case…"
He looked directly at Karamatsu with a petrifying, malignant glare.
"Explain to me who the person staying at Dekapan's house is?"
