Ema's good mood begins waning by the end of the week. She thinks she can pinpoint the moment when a single school friend isn't enough to keep away the creeping loneliness, because she begins seeing things. It begins with a flash of red the exact shade of Yusuke's hair.
That chilly Friday morning, Ema is in the middle of her commute to school. The train car is packed with working men and women in business attire and what appears to be a few tourists lugging big cameras. Ema is squeezed in between them like a sardine. She flicks a glance to her left, excitement sparking in her chest. Could it be? Is that Yusuke on the platform?
What greets her instead is a bright red poster, waving in the wind. The school day, and even the weekend, continues with similar false alarms. Any loud bursts of laughter remind her of the twins. Ema nearly follows a man she thinks is Kaname into a grocery store, chasing a familiar smile. On Saturday, she tucks herself into bed with Juli and makes a promise to herself.
.
.
.
The next day, Ema wakes up feeling more refreshed than she has in a long time. The sun is shining in a cloudless sky. She suits up and, dressed in a bright yellow jacket that matches her mood, goes for a morning walk. Ema finds herself retracing her steps when she looks up from the ground and the Sunshine Residence is staring back at her.
As she approaches, Ema notices a boy standing in front of he house.
She rushes forward in excitement. From afar, she almost mistakes the boy, who's now kneeling on the ground and pulling gloves onto his hands, for Subaru-kun. He has similarly unruly hair that curls and flips outward, though his is a lighter shade that almost looks like silver compared to Subaru's grey strands.
He's also a few years older, and, now that Ema is closer, she can see that he appears to be wearing the uniform of one of the local middle schools. The boy waves at her as he approaches with a kind smile on his face. He rises gracefully and Ema stifles her nerves at seeing his princely visage.
Oh no! What was his name?
She's seen him in quite a few photos around the house, but never had the opportunity to ask. He wasn't at breakfast the day she stayed over either. His hands are covered in deep, rich soil and the knees of his uniform are also spattered with it, but he doesn't seem to mind.
Will he think I'm stalking him? I don't want to make a bad impression on any of the brothers.
"Hello," She says cautiously. "Are these your flowers?"
The boy offers her a princely smile and nods his head.
"Yes, they are. I'm trying to learn to garden. Planting flowers seemed like a good place to start," Here, he gestures at the mountain of flower carts around him. "Unfortunately, I've never done this before. I can't tell how I'm doing at all."
Ema rushes to reassure him.
"What are you saying? It looks fantastic! Even if you're only a beginner, it looks like you're really passionate about growing these flowers and they look really good so far! Maybe...would a second set of hands help?"
Iori's cheeks dimple as he smiles at her in thanks.
"Thank you for your kind words, I would love your help. My name is Asahina Iori, it's a pleasure to meet you."
He bows in greeting. Ema straightens. Iori! That's his name. Better not forget it.
"And I'm Hinata Ema. I can't wait to make this garden beautiful!"
"Oh, you must be the Ema my brothers have been talking about."
Ema blushes, but nods in recognition as Iori hands her a small shovel and begins directing her toward his vision. They work in tandem. Irio directs her to digging, occasionally helping when Ema hits a stubborn patch of dirt or a rock end sup in her way. Meanwhile, he unpots the plants with all of the delicacy of a royal family member asking a princess to dance, taking care not to cut off any roots.
Iori's contemplative aura and their calm task leads the duo ito an almost medidative slience. As they take a break, sweaty and dirt-covered, Ema begins the conversation.
"I'm sorry for intruding on you all so often. I just..."
"Don't say that. You're welcome here, believe me. Even meeting you just now, I'm glad that you've come into my brothers' lives and look forward to getting to know you better."
Ema is floored. To have someone welcome her like this, with such open arms after she's been fearful of the Asahinas' reaction toward seeing her once more is all she's wanted for weeks now. Ema's previous fears and doubts are disappearing. Even though she's just met Iori, he is just as loveable as the rest of his family, and just as good at making her feel at ease and comfortable with herself.
She sniffs, taking care to not wipe her dirt-covered hands against her face. Ema's just finished keeping in her blubbery tears when the front door of the Sunshine Residence slams open.
"Hey Iori, come inside already. Ukyo just made dinner!"
Fuuto announces with his usual pompous attitude, sharp nose turned up dramatically into the sky. At the end of his speech, he finally glances in Iori's direction and does a double-take.
"Woah, Ema?" He grimaces, looking at her, "Ugh, you look like a street urchin. You too, Iori. Both of you better clean up before dinner or I'm exiling you to the backyard. Even just looking at you is making me lose my appetite."
He marches inside and Ema can just hear him start to shout to Ukyo, or whoever is inside, that Ema's here before the front door slam shut.
Iori and Ema make eye contact and take on another in. She giggles and Iori, in turn, lets loose his own bout of laughter. Fuuto was right, they're both covered in dirt and errant flower petals. Iori plucks a poppy petal from Ema's hair and she collapses into another fit of laughter. Now, she's teary-eyed but for another reason. A better one.
They gather their wits and Iori takes one final look at their handiwork, looking satisfied.
"Let's go clean up, before Ukyo comes out here with his pan," Iori says. He gets up and stretches before offering Ema a hand and ushering her inside.