Burning The Midnight Oil
Chapter 35
Unorthodox Teaching
~Futaro~
Futaro faced several uncomfortable truths lately. They were uncomfortable because they proved that some of his core preconceptions were completely wrong. He blamed Nino for everything, and he was glad to do so. For the most part. She proved to him how worthwhile falling in love could be, and he realized how important love was in all its forms. Through her energy and her fire and her will to live her life like one giant scrapbook of memories, she proved that not everything in life can be mastered from a book.
This last bit was a thorn in his side because it means life is much harder than he believed. He couldn't pull all the books on a subject from the library stacks and master it over a weekend. His favored method worked well for paper tests, not so much in the real world. Sometimes you have to get his hands dirty.
And now her father wanted him as some sort of intern son-in-law, whatever that means, he still hadn't explained. But whatever it was it involved driving a car. Futaro could barely ride a bike, and he'd taken longer than he would freely admit to get his motorcycle license. Now he was expected to drive one ton of metal and polymer without turning it into a lethal weapon. Easy, right?
Only he had no car to practice with. Doctor Nakano was no help, he refused to answer his calls and seemed to expect him to figure it out on his own. Was this a test? Was the Doctor inspecting how well Futaro could solve a problem like this on his own? He felt like every moment of his life was under a microscope he couldn't see, but somehow he knew the Doctor had one eye on him. So Futaro had to get this right if he wanted any chance of earning her father's good graces, which he definitely did. So who to turn to in his time of need? He chose the one who always seemed to have an answer.
His father also did not own a car. He did not even have his license. What he did have was the entry code to the warehouse where he worked and a job title where no one would ask questions if he took some liberties. He also had access to the key locker. Not for any road legal vehicle, per se. As his father put it, this was going to be something more fun.
Futaro wondered what was supposed to be fun about jousting with forklifts.
"Come on boy, don't look at your hands, look at the road! Look at me! Now look where I'm going and dodge!"
Dodge? Dodge? When was dodging going to be on the test? He read the driver's guide three times cover to cover and the word dodge was not on the index of key terms!
Futaro thought fast as white water pouring through rapids, he turned the wheel hard to the right, then to the left when he almost hit a cardboard crate. His father zoomed past like a runaway train and said, "Yeah! That's my boy!"
"I'm gonna be your corpse if you don't quit it!"
Futaro drove around the next corner after coming to a complete stop, just like the driver's guide said. Only when he neared the next corner his father zoomed through like a battlefield messenger with vital intelligence for the colonel.
"You're supposed to stop!"
"Got places to be, kiddo!"
"You're gonna get us killed!"
"No, that's what you're learning to avoid, genius! Think of it as a pass-fail test! Only one where failure means a lifetime of crippling injury!"
It wasn't pass-fail! He just had to score seventy percent on the written test and eighty on the practical! Eighty!
Futaro felt like a deer in the woods on the run from a tiger. He cautiously rounded another corner. He was halfway down the lane when his father sped around the corner. He lolled from side to side like a top-heavy daredevil on a tightrope.
He droned, "Ooh, had one too many with the boys tonight."
He swerved side to side like a snake nearly slashing the walls on each side with the forks. Futaro screamed, his hand searched for the gear shift and putting the forklift in reverse when he found it.
"Don't worry, I drive better like this!" His father called reassuringly as a leopard calling a gazelle his good friend.
Futaro backed away dangerously fast to avoid his rampaging father and finally cleared the corner, taking a sharp left just before his father rushed through.
"Keep up the good work Futaro! You're doing great!"
"Did you actually get drunk when you came up with this idea!?" Futaro shrieked.
He spun his forklift around and sped away. If he couldn't keep his father from doing his darnedest to turn him into shish kabob, he would do whatever he could to keep away.
It was all going quite well until his father rolled up beside him.
"Hey there gorgeous, come here often?"
Futaro seethed, "What the hell is this supposed to teach me?"
"Lane integrity. Oops!" His father swerved and almost sideswiped Futaro. Futaro turned hard to avoid it. Too hard. He screamed as he lost control and drove straight into a box crate. His forklift skewered it like a knight defending his castle from siege.
His father parked his forklift and strode over, whistling, "Their old man wouldn't have gotten your insurance taken care of early, by chance? Because that's about two hundred-thousand yen worth of baby wipes you just skewered."
Futaro didn't respond as if his body fell back on dinosaur logic: if you don't move, they can't punish you.
"Lotta moms and dads gonna be very disappointed if those get delayed."
"I...it was an accident."
His father suddenly laughed and slapped his back, "Oh quit your worrying, this is nothing!"
"Uh, it is? It looks like two hundred-thousand yen of something."
"Eh, cost of doing business, happens all the time. A new guy isn't really part of the team until he's destroyed his first pallet."
"Did you forget I don't actually work here?"
"Good point. Let's just put these away and pretend this never happened."
"Won't they check the cameras?"
"Only if they find out in time. Come on, back it up. Back it up nice and slow."
After returning the forklifts to their charging stations, his father took Futaro to an open cargo bay. He waved at a few of the hands still on shift and sat down with a couple of unlabeled bottles. He offered one, saying, "Here, drink up."
Futaro took it cautiously, "This isn't hard like last time, is it?"
"You think I'm making that a habit?"
"Just checking." Futaro still sniffed it to be sure.
"Good work today, my boy. I think you'll pass that test with flying colors."
"We covered nothing on the test."
"So? You always ace your tests."
"We never even covered parallel parking."
"Parallel parking?"
"Between two cars on the side of the road."
"Oh. Well how hard can it be?"
"I don't know because I've never tried it."
"Well I'm sure it'll work out fine. That guide covers everything you need, right? We covered the basics. Left pedal means stop, right pedal means go, yada yada yada."
"And what do you call your attempted filicide?"
"Philharmonic what now?"
"You tried to kill me!"
"This was real-world experience, Futaro. You see how quickly those drivers move? Everyone acts like they got somewhere to be ten minutes ago, and it doesn't matter that they're driving personal tanks, they drive while playing on their phones or eating caviar or whatever else rich people with cars do. The point is it's dangerous and you can't trust other drivers to do what's right. You gotta expect everyone's out to kill you on the road."
"Dad, I drive a motorcycle at work."
"And I'm glad I gave you this lesson before you died on it."
"Why is it that whenever I ask for your help, you always have to make it complicated?"
"Futaro, look at what I'm working with. Be grateful I'm doing as good as job as I am!"
Futaro rolled his eyes. He glanced over his shoulder at the other warehouse workers. He asked, "Is it really okay for you to take those forklifts for a joyride?"
His father laughed, "Oh sure. No one cares enough to stop me."
"Guess being the floor boss comes with privilege."
"Huh? Oh, it's not that. Well, not just that."
Futaro eyed his father curiously and asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"
His father finished his drink and said, "Well I wanted to tell you this in private away from your sister, so I guess now's as good a time as any. I'm being let go."
Futaro dry-swallowed and asked, "What happened?"
"Nothing I did if that's what you're implying. It's not just me, everyone here expects their pink slip soon enough. This warehouse is getting the axe. The company is moving all product to a bigger one outside the city and sell this place to someone who wants to build an apartment complex. Land's far too valuable for storage. Well, product storage, I guess. People storage is profitable enough."
The blanket of debt was a net dragging one down to the bottom of the sea. It was a constant struggle keeping one's head above water to breathe, let alone escape. This news felt like a hand grabbing his foot and dragging him into the depths.
His father saw this and patted his back, "There, there. It'll be months yet before this place shuts the doors completely. I have time to find a new gig. And I can fall back on my factory job until then."
Futaro said, "It's not enough. We ran the numbers."
His father sighed, "No, no it's not." There was a long pause filled with meaning only they understood. His father asked, "Have you decided where to go? Tokyo or Keio?"
"What makes you think I'll go to either?"
"They're the best, it's one or the other. I know you have offers."
Futaro muttered, "Probably Tokyo."
"Any scholarships?"
"Probably. Nothing done yet, though."
"That's good," his father said. He knew why. A full ride means enough left for Raiha's education even if she doesn't merit assistance. He had to stay at the top and get his scholarship.
His father asked, "And Nino? Have you thought about you and her after graduation?"
Futaro blinked. He said, "Why would I...I mean, of course I have."
"Haven't heard where she wants to go after high school. Long distance relationships can be a killer for someone so young. Have you talked with her about it?
"No. But that's still far away."
His father said, "Yeah, it is. But it's the kind of thing you should be worrying about. Not money."
"I'm an adult now-"
"Yeah, but you weren't. Not when this started."
"It's my debt too. She was my mom-"
"And my wife. You carried part of the burden anyway. You needed to grow up too quickly, sometimes I worry you missed a few steps along the way and are only catching up now." His father paused, "I know you did it for your sister. You're a good brother. But I want you to let go of the debt now. I'll manage. Enjoy the time you have."
Futaro said, "You act like this is the first time you've told me this."
"It's the first time you might listen."
Futaro was upset that he was right.
His father stood and stretched, "I'll land on my feet. Always have. Something will turn up before I know it. Maybe I should get back into bartending. Or construction. Or driving school instructor."
"Not a chance in hell."
"Worth a shot!" His father grinned and said, "Let's head back and see what those two ladies have cooking for us."
~Nino~
Karma isn't a bitch. Karma is the quiet kid in the back of class everyone avoids. Karma is the class punching bag. The bullies gave him swirlies when they weren't giving him wedgies and all the girls put him at the bottom of the hotness poll after their geriatric homeroom teacher. Karma was the lonely kid slowly losing his mind until one day he finally snaps.
Raiha was Nino's karma come to collect her debts.
"You wanna just tilt the spice aisle into the shopping cart? Because that's basically what you're doing, just slower."
Nino bit back a colorful retort comparing Raiha's grocery shopping skills to a prepubescent boy's hygiene. Oh she wanted to let loose, it was a struggle. This girl was permanently hitting her panic button!
Nino took a deep breath and calmly explained, "The secret to cooking are the spices."
"I'm good with spices!"
"You're good with one type of spice: hot."
"Yeah, spices."
"...You're serious."
"What other spices can there be?"
Nino pointed to them in her cart, "Oregano, basil, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, nutmeg, rosemary, lemongrass, cinnamon, paprika-"
"I'm halfway sure you made some of those up."
"Then listen to your wiser half, Raiha. The point is there's more to seasoning than salt, pepper, and more peppers."
"But big bro loves peppers!"
"Raiha, I have a secret for you. Your brother would eat the burned grease off a pan if someone told him it was edible."
"Ah, so that's why he likes your cooking."
Nino visibly flinched. Raiha smiled innocently. The devil wore a child size six.
"Now Nino," she heard Itsuki's voice in her head, "That's no way to talk about your boyfriend's little sister. Now sit back and remember the wise words of little sisters Itsuki and Yotsuba! Open your heart to our little angel and she will surely welcome you!"
Wise words for a fourteen year old, maybe. Where was this angel they kept talking about? She'd love to meet her and get rid of this demonic doppelganger.
Tonight was supposed to be easy. Raiha asked to learn how to make that broth. Well Nino interpreted that as "I suck at cooking and only know how to make things burn! Help me!" She wanted to show Raiha the proper way to prepare a meal. Futaro insisted this would help Raiha open up to her and that Nino can finally win Raiha over to their side. That looked as likely as the world economy finally going green.
"What're we even making tonight that needs all this?" Raiha complained.
"This is to give you a proper set of seasonings. We won't need it all."
"Looks expensive."
"Well I'm paying for it, so it's not a big deal."
"I don't like being pitied by you," Raiha said.
Nino shouldered her discomfort and continued shopping. She wanted to make a nice, easy dinner. Nothing fancy. Just a few fried pork cutlets and some udon, pumpkin salad and miso soup. Four simple dishes. They could get through this. Right?
Aside from a few wry remarks from Raiha, they survived their adventure through the market aisles and collected everything on her shopping list. Nino couldn't say it was the greatest challenge she'd overcome in her life. Look at her boyfriend. But it was definitely close to the top. Something about the Uesugis turned the intensity of her life up past eleven and broke off the knob.
But either from stubbornness or lack of education, surrender was not in Nino's vocabulary. She would win this little brat's affection one way or the other. If Itsuki and Yotsuba could do it as naturally as sucking air, why couldn't she? They were quintuplets after all.
They carried their ingredients to the Uesugi home and Nino prepared the kitchen. She asked Raiha to help arrange the pots and pans they needed and to fetch the knife and cutting board. She felt like doing the chopping herself. The thought of being alone with this little girl holding a chef's knife as long as her forearm didn't terrify her, but she wanted to be in control. Maybe the thought did unsettle her. A little.
It should have gone smoothly. She'd watched Futaro teach them long enough that some of his technique must have rubbed off, as much as it embarrassed her to consider. She had her materials and her student, and all that without a month-long struggle to bring her to the lesson table. She was ahead of Futaro already. Now she just had to perform.
She explained to Raiha the basic elements of flavor, including her specialty, spicy, while also introducing her to spicy's four neighbors, sweet, bitter, sour and umami. Nino never took a formal cooking class, at least one that wasn't broadcast, but she had years of cooking experience that housewives across the country would envy. She taught her how basic spices blended and complimented the natural flavors of ingredients and how the key to great flavor lay in proper use of seasonings.
Raiha interrupted, "Why go through all that trouble? Just buy a pre-seasoned recipe. Job done."
"Do you wanna learn to cook or not?"
"You make it so much harder than it has to be."
This. Is. Cooking! Did she think she could just upend the cabinet into the boiler and call it a meal? Was that why everything was always so spicy here? Every meal was an art! Fine art! And Nino would show her just how artistically talented she was! She'd blow her away with her exhibition!
Next came the actual labor. Nino showed Raiha how to properly prep all ingredients before cooking. She chopped and mashed the vegetables and set the miso and udon broths to boil. Then she showed Raiha how to properly season each soup to perfection tasting one bit at a time.
When Nino tested the soup with a spoon, Raiha stuck out her tongue, "Ew, you're not gonna make us eat that now, are you?"
"What's wrong with it?"
"It has your germs in it!"
Nino blinked, "It's boiling! It all burns away!"
"Still gross. Inedible. Bleh."
Now she was just being a brat. Is this why all her food was always so extreme? She never tested it before serving.
Finishing the udon and miso, Nino showed Raiha how to mix the squash and ingredients into pumpkin salad. With the sides complete, only the cutlets remained. Nino took a bottle of cooking oil and filled the skillet.
"Looks wasteful," Raiha said.
"So reuse it."
Raiha paused, "You can do that?"
"Of course, you've never tried it?"
"We don't fry much food."
"Well today you'll learn." Nino smiled, it was the first conversation with the girl that hadn't ended with an insult, even if it did start with one.
Nino showed Raiha how to bread the cutlet using eggwash. When the oil burned soft black fumes, Nino gently placed the first cutlet into the oil. She showed Raiha how long to cook it and how to carefully flip it in the oil. With one cutlet complete, she handed the chopsticks to Raiha and had her try.
It all went wrong right away. Raiha carefully gripped the cutlet in her chopsticks and hovered over the oil. Like Nino, she lowered the tip into the oil and spread the rest, only she let go too quickly and the end fell harshly into the oil, splashing some into the air. Droplets of boiling oil landed on Raiha's arm.
Raiha screamed and dropped the chopsticks. Nino panicked and quickly brought the girl to the faucet and ran her arm under cold water. "Stay still, this will help," she told her. Raiha sniffed and shut her eyes as the water continued to flow over her wound. Nino wanted to curse. Just when things were starting to go, well, not well, but neutral, this had to happen! She should've been more careful.
She held Raiha's arm under the water for several more minutes before shutting it off. She dried her arm and examined the burns. She said, "It doesn't look bad, but we should wrap it. Do you have a first aid kit?"
Raiha roughly removed her arm and said, "I can do it myself."
Nino was stunned, watching as Raiha pulled out their first aid kit from under the sink, found the ointment with the bandaging tape, and struggled to wrap her one arm with the other. Nino said, "You won't get it right like that, let me-"
"No!" Raiha said fiercely. "I don't want your help."
Nino blinked, "What are you talking about? I'm sorry I wasn't helping you enough and that you got hurt, just let me see-"
Nino reached out to help, but Raiha said, "Get away! You'll just mess it up worse."
Something snapped in Nino, as things inside her were want to do. She said, "What is your problem with me? You asked for my help with cooking, I'm helping with cooking. You want to make less spicy food to help your brother, I'm showing you how!"
"He'd be fine if it weren't for you in the first place!"
"What the hell did I do? You're the one who fed him food straight from a volcano! What is your issue!?"
Nino sometimes underestimated the sharpness of her tongue, and when she was in fury it lashed like a whip breaking the speed of sound along with skin. Her words slapped Raiha like a speeding train, and although Nino didn't mean to, she saw wetness on the edge of Raiha'a eyes. This was still a little girl she was yelling at.
Raiha turned away and continued fixing her bandage. Nino felt hollow in her stomach, sensing how she messed up. Why was it so hard to make friends with a nine-year-old?
Nino said, "That was too harsh, I shouldn't have said that."
Suddenly Raiha glared like a gunwoman eyeing the bullseye. Nino was about to learn that Raiha was a little girl, but not a defenseless one.
Raiha swallowed hard and said, "We ate spicy food for years, we were fine until you came along."
"Until what?"
"Your dad said it was because of stress. Who do you think caused that?"
"Hold it right there, I did my best to lay off him-"
"You're dating him now, you call that laying off?"
"I tried-"
"And you sucked at it! I'm here every night when he comes home and guess what he complains about."
Nino froze, "He complains?"
"Of course he does! He's been complaining since the beginning!"
"W-well it's not like I'm the cause of all his stress! We all gave him a hard time back then, but you don't complain about Itsuki or Yotsuba!"
"Because they're nice! You were just mean, mean, mean! You drugged his water, you ripped up his prep stuff! You called him a bunch of bad names and made his job impossible!"
"Not anymore! I've been trying to help him! That's what girlfriends do!"
"Good ones," Raiha said, proving her tongue was as sharp as Nino's. "You don't wanna hear it? Fine. But my brother is a good guy trying to do his best, and you just keep making it harder for him. An outsider like you shouldn't have gotten involved."
Oh. Oh shit. Wasn't that painfully familiar.
Nino was too flustered to respond. Raiha huffed and continued working her bandage, acting as if Nino wasn't there. Nino finally understood where Raiha's disapproval stemmed from. It felt disorienting being on the receiving end of an overprotective sister. Was this her comeuppance for all her resistance to Futaro in their early days? Raiha, you truly are karma incarnate come to collect.
What could she do to bring Raiha to her side? What had Futaro done for her? Months of unending persistence, up to and including pursuit even after falling into a filthy pond. But he also lied, manipulated and cajoled her into getting what he wanted. Was that what it was going to take for someone as steadfast as Nino herself? Well if that's what it took, so be it. Futaro found a way and so would she. But she'd do this her own way. No tricks, just straightforward willpower and relentlessness.
"Give me your hand," Nino demanded.
Raiha pulled back, "I said no!"
Nino growled and took it. Raiha screamed, and Nino said, "Oh get over yourself! You're never going to tie it right with only one hand."
"I don't wanna!"
Nino grumbled, reminding herself that she was dealing with an actual child. The angel Itsuki and Yotsuba saw was a well-crafted illusion using big, seemingly innocent eyes. But Raiha's eyes were closed while she cried and Nino was immune.
"Come here and let's get this over with," Nino said. She held Raiha's arm out and told her, "Hold still, I'll be done in a minute."
"I don't want your help!"
Nino pulled Raiha's arm closer, "The sooner you quit complaining the sooner we get this done. Now stand still."
Nino locked eyes with the girl in a brief battle of wills. Raiha must have understood that she wasn't backing down. Raiha may be able to cajole and whine until her brother gave in to whatever her fancy was, but Nino dared her to challenge her own stubbornness and see who broke first.
Raiha said sullenly, "Fine then, do it."
Nino took the bandage and wrapped it tenderly with both hands. While she worked she said, "You don't like me. I get it. Were you hoping Futaro would date one of my sisters instead?"
Raiha was looking at the wall, pointedly avoiding anything to do with Nino. She nodded.
"I get it. But that's not what happened and we're stuck with each other. So you and I are going to learn to live with that. Because I'm not backing down."
Raiha's eyes hardened like accepting a challenge. Maybe that's what this was.
Nino tied off the bandage and stood, "Good, all finished." Raiha inspected her arm like it she was holding an unfriendly viper.
Nino brushed off her hands and glanced at the stove. She frowned. She was so worried about the girl she forgot about the first rule of cooking, leave nothing over fire unattended.
Nino picked up the blackening cutlet with chopsticks and sighed, "Yup, that's burnt."
Raiha said, "It's fine, I'll eat that one."
"No, I forgot to turn it off so I'm eating it."
"Oh. You're staying for dinner, too."
"If I buy the ingredients and work the kitchen, I'm staying." That and Mister Uesugi said she could. At least the adult was on her side.
Nino pointed to the two remaining cutlets waiting for the egg wash. She said, "We still have two to go. I'll take care of them if you don't think you can do it."
Raiha muttered, "I still want to learn."
"Then I'm going to be helping you this time. No repeats. Got it?"
Raiha nodded without looking happy. Nino took a second pair of chopsticks and helped the girl gently guide the cutlet into the boiling oil. She helped her flip the cutlet at the right time and showed her when the cutlet was fully cooked. It was hardly a pleasant lesson, Raiha seemed adamant about taking as much knowledge as she could with as little thanks as a housecat gives for its dinner. Nino truly felt like she glimpsed into Futaro's world.
Nino let Raiha handle the last cutlet herself with minimal help. Her chopsticks hovered around the cutlet as Raiha lowered it into the oil, but the girl's control improved and the oil remained boiling contentedly in the skillet.
They settled the cutlets over paper towels on a plate and sat across from each other at the table. Raiha said, "It's done, but it'll go cold by the time everyone gets back."
'So we double fry it to heat it back up, easy."
"They haven't texted me back yet, it's going to be a while. You're really going to wait until dinner?"
"I said so, didn't I?"
Raiha groaned, no doubt at the thought of spending all that time alone with her big brother's girlfriend. Nino mirrored her gloom.
Nino asked, "Are they always this late?"
"Usually."
"It seems wrong to leave you alone to do all the housework."
"Don't be rude towards dad and big bro. They're doing their best."
"They're just more traditional than I expected. Leaving a little girl home alone to do all their cooking." Futaro better not expect that from her. Mind you, she enjoyed cooking, but any man who told her where her place was in the kitchen would be told that his place was out her door. Old-fashioned men were a dying breed, one she was happy to see going the way of the dodo.
Raiha said, "It's not like that, don't go bad-mouthing my family."
"So what's with it then? You are the one stuck doing all the cooking. I know Fuu knows how to do housework, but it seems like you get stuck with all that too."
Raiha said, "Well, what else can I do? Dad's gotta work hard to keep up with our debts. Big bro's gotta work hard too to get into college and hold down his job. I gotta help too."
"Seems like he could quit some of the studying and help out more. He's already getting perfect scores again."
Raiha glared, "Yeah, well, he can't. That's just how our family works. Didn't your mom ever teach you it's rude to ask such personal questions about someone's family?"
"My mom is dead."
"So is mine."
"And did she do all the work before she died?"
Raiha frowned, "How should I know? I was only four when she died. Dad used to do everything around the house then."
Nino imagined Mister Uesugi juggling a toddler and a skillet trying to make pancakes. She imagined a lot of spilled batter. She said, "Well, Futaro should be doing more."
"Bro needs to study."
"Is that more important than taking some of the burden off of you?"
"Yeah, what's it to you?"
"It's irresponsible."
Raiha looked at her curiously, "I don't like you insulting my big brother."
"I'm not, I'm calling it like I see it."
"Then change your glasses 'cuz you're blind. You don't even know why he needs to study. I bet he never even told you."
"Told me what?"
Raiha muttered, "Makes sense, they never told me either. I found out on accident. Oh, they wouldn't want me to say, I shouldn't tell you."
Nino leaned in, "Raiha, if you don't tell me I'm going to hound your brother until he does."
Raiha weighed her options and relented, "Fine. I overheard bro talking with dad once a few years ago, it was after he started getting good grades. Bro was asking about college plans. Dad said with our current budget, if things went well, he planned to save enough for both of us. But costs were rising and now he could probably afford to send bro to college, but he wasn't sure about me too, and he worried no one will lend to us with all our debt. They talked about a whole lot I was too small to understand, but bro decided that he was gonna score so well that someone paid him to go to college, then dad could spend the rest of the money on me so I can go too."
Raiha raised her head high thinking about her family and their struggles, and said, "So don't talk bad about him for doing his best. He's doing it for us. And so I gotta do my part to keep us a proper family, too. And if all I can do for them is cook and clean, that's what I do. You snobby rich girls can't understand."
But she did. How could she not? Nino realized in an instant that Raiha wasn't simply her karma, she was her mirror. Nino saw a younger girl struggling to care for her troubled family after the death of their center, struggling to feed and to love them as they slowly drifted away into the wide, wide world. A girl who fought against change and anyone who invaded their delicate lives who might disrupt and hurt the people she held most dear.
Raiha was a little Nino. But Nino had her mother long enough to start on her own two feet. Raiha had to learn from the crawl. So of course she opposed Nino, the first great obstacle in her brother's job. But despite that she reached out for her help, swallowing her great but delicate pride, for her family.
There was kinship there that Nino discovered without looking, but Raiha was still too young to understand. Nino would show her. She would help this little girl find her place as she'd done so long ago.
She leaned closer to the girl and said, "Raiha, I have something to say to you."
She looked uncertain, "What is it?"
"I love your brother. I love him so much sometimes it hurts. He means more to me than I can describe, and I'm going to make him as happy as I can."
Raiha asked, "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I know you love him too and worry about him, so I'm going to convince you how much I care about him if it takes me ten years or longer. Just watch and see how much I love him." And then maybe, she left unsaid, but silently understood, I won't be an outsider anymore.
Raiha stared at Nino for a long time, so long that Nino hoped that she understood her meaning. She said, "I really don't get it. Why do you care about him anyways? You sounded so mean before."
Nino shrugged, "Love is weird that way. I don't think all good things in life need to make sense."
"I wish they would," Raiha said.
"That's something Futaro would say. You're definitely his sister."
Raiha rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She twitched when her phone buzzed. She checked it and said, "They're coming back soon."
"Good, we'll be ready."
Raiha's phone buzzed again. This time she darkened, saying, "Stupid big brother."
"What'd he say?"
"He just asked if I finished my studies, but I didn't. He's gonna give me an earful when he gets home if I haven't at least started." Raiha grabbed some papers on Futaro's desk in the corner and began to work. Nino glanced at the paper and recognized the handwriting.
"Is that...your brother's studies?"
"No, it's something he made for me."
"Wait, he makes you study?"
"Duh. I may not be as smart as him, but you think he isn't trying to fix that?"
"I thought he only did that if you paid him."
"He says he doesn't want a dumb sister."
"Huh. He told me he doesn't want a dumb girlfriend either."
Raiha put her head in his hands, "Oh wow, he actually said that to you?"
Nino sighed, "Unfortunately."
Raiha pouted and wondered where she went wrong with her brother. She said, "He's still as senseless as a broken thermometer. He's hopeless."
"He has no tact."
"Yet you're still dating him."
"It's my lot in life now. I'm doing my best to train him to become a human being."
"Dad and I have tried that for years. It won't work."
"I have my work cut out for me, I admit. What does he make you do? It can't be as bad as with us."
"You think he takes it easy on me? I bet it's the same stuff, just for a lower grade. Quizzes, references, flashcards, the works."
"He makes all that for you?"
"He tries. I don't let him give me flashcards anymore. He's persistent."
"Funny. He made us flashcards too, until Yotsuba kept losing them. Then he gave up."
"You actually made him give up?"
"Just on one battle, not the war."
"Maybe I should try that. But there aren't many places to lose things here. At least you get away from it when he's at home."
"Are you kidding? He's been giving us extra homework for non-tutoring days since Christmas."
Raiha blinked, "He what?"
"I know! Like, I get that he's a complete bibliophile-"
"That's what me and dad said!"
"Right! And he's just, like, expecting us to wanna marry a library as much as he does!"
"He's been trying to get dad and I to go with him for years."
"Does your dad even read?"
"He reads movie subtitles."
"That's class."
Nino didn't realize when they moved from begrudging each other breathing the same air to casual conversation about the eccentric man stuck in their lives until well after they crossed that line.
~Futaro~
He expected many things walking through the door. Broken furniture, scattered kitchen appliances, maybe a broken window or two. He didn't expect laughter. Not that it lasted long. The moment he walked through the door the two girls turned and their collective mood soured.
"Took you long enough, big bro," Raiha chided.
Futaro glared, "Yeah, well I was busy trying not to die."
Neither was interested in his story of nearly meeting his maker at the overly enthusiastic forks of his father. Nino said, "No excuses, either of you. Hurry up and," she paused, then leaned in and sniffed Futaro. She soured and said, "No, bath. Now. Both of you."
Raiha held her nose, "What Nino said."
His father scratched the back of his head and asked, "Are we that bad?"
Raiha said, "Yes, now go! Hurry while we heat up dinner!"
Futaro grabbed new clothes and joined his father in the bathroom. While he soaked in the tub, Futaro asked, "Dad, something weird is happening."
His father quit rinsing his hair and replied, "You think so?"
"You don't?"
"I don't think much on these things."
"You should try."
"Makes life easier not to."
"Great help you are."
"I aim to please, my boy."
They got dressed and headed to the table. Nino and Raiha grouped in front of the burners. Every so often Nino pointed at one of the pots while she demonstrated some advanced chemistry Futaro never bothered studying.
"Why do I feel ominous about this?"
His father sighed, "Didn't you want them getting along?"
"I did, just didn't think it would happen this quickly."
Nino and Raiha began plating their meals. They had a small argument over the cutlet. Futaro pointed and said, "That's what I expected."
The girls brought over the family dinner. Father cooed, "Wow, this looks incredible. Thank you both for your hard work."
Nino and Raiha nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Futaro.
Futaro frowned, "What happened?"
Nino scowled, "No, try again."
"Try what now?"
"Learn from your father!"
Futaro glanced at his dad who gestured to the girls. Futaro said, "Oh, right. Thank you for cooking today."
The two nodded and the group said their thanks and ate. Futaro noted that both Nino and Raiha had half a good cutlet and half a burnt one.
After finishing dinner, Futaro asked, "Raiha, did you finish the problems I left?"
Before Raiha could answer, Nino said, "Fuu, it's time you walked me home."
"Already?"
"We have class tomorrow, smart guy. Let's move it. I want to be home with time for my entire evening routine."
"If you're in such a rush, why not get a taxi?"
Nino said, "What? You don't want to walk me home?"
Raiha said, "Lazy big brother, for shame."
Even his father said, "Come on, son, it's after dark. You best see her home yourself. She came all this way for us today."
"I didn't say she should walk home alone, it was just a suggestion," Futaro defended himself while getting his coat. Nino happily followed him and put on her shoes.
His father said, "Have a safe trip. Nino, thanks for coming by, we had a great time. Come by anytime you get a hankering for a taste of the common life."
Nino bowed and said, "Thank you sir."
"Sir? Ah, that doesn't sound right for me. We'll work on it."
"Well, I'll be back next week if that's alright."
"Oh? You have plans?"
"Raiha asked me to show her more recipes."
Futaro turned, surprised, "When did this happen?"
Raiha said, "While you were washing off all the stinky. She's going to show me how to make fluffy pancakes."
"I hope you like them," Nino said with a smile.
His father hollered, "Oh boy, that sounds fantastic, thank you! Just tell us what you need and we'll get it ready."
"Oh, there's no need. Raiha and I will go shopping again like today. We'll take care of it."
"That's mighty kind of you. I'll need to think of some way to repay you."
"Don't worry, he can do it," she gestured to Futaro. Why did that give him a sinking feeling?
His father nodded, "Well, if you say so. See you next week. Futaro, keep her safe."
Raiha waved, "Bye Nino!"
"Bye Raiha! Bye Mister Uesugi!"
Futaro grumbled, "She didn't even say bye to me."
Nino said, "Maybe she's distracted by all the extra work you give her."
"She told you about that?" he asked as they entered the street.
"Among other things."
"What's with you making another cooking date with my sister?"
"Not just date, dates. We're going to cook together once a week."
Futaro paused, then said, "What exactly happened?"
"Why're you acting so surprised?"
"Don't say this is unwarranted."
"Hmph. Fine. We had a rocky start. But we found something to bond over."
"And what would that be."
"Oh nothing much, just our overbearing, overzealous, stringent, adamant, relentless tutor who refuses to have anyone in the lower half of the bell curve in his life."
Futaro said, "Oh. So that's why."
"Yup. Honestly, I thought you enjoyed torturing us by stuffing our brains with knowledge like a glutton at a hotdog eating contest. You know, as payback. But you do that to your own flesh and blood."
"And thanks to that she's still passing."
"I should be upset that you spend so much of your time focusing on another girl."
"She's my sister."
"No excuses, Fuu. You're lucky your sister is actually kind of fun. I still think Itsuki and Yotsuba are deranged calling her an angel, she's anything but. Yet I admit she's not so bad."
"Yeah, that's the part that confuses me. You two were inches away from a knife fight the last time I saw you."
Nino grinned, "That's just the way it works out. Turns out we have more in common than we thought. I can think of three things off the top of my head."
"And what would that be?" Futaro asked warily.
"Third, we're both very energetic. Second, we're both great cooks. And first," she leaned in and pulled him lower to whisper in his ear, "we both love her big brother." She kissed his cheek and skipped ahead.
Futaro touched his cheek, it felt so warm he considered checking for a burn. He followed until he caught up, "That's a weird thing to bring up."
"Why? Surprised I remember?"
"Surprised you remember that of all things and not half the stuff I teach you. Have you been holding back on me this whole time?"
"Hey! I remember what matters!"
Futaro grinned, "Oh, so that mattered to you? Even back then?"
"Not telling," she said in a singsong tone. Then she said, "There's something else I noticed we have in common."
"What is it?"
"We both want to make a good home for our family to keep everyone close, and we hate anything that threatens them."
Futaro blinked, "Wow, you did learn a lot about each other."
"It's my specialty, Fuu." Nino said, then continued, "She told me something else."
"I'm not sure I can take another shot at me."
"You can and you will. She shed some light on why you study so much."
"I already told you why."
'"But that's not the only reason, is it?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Nino winked and put a finger to her lips, "That's private."
"You went through all that just to tell me you have a secret?"
"I promised your little sister, I'd ruined everything I gained tonight if I did." She leaned in, taking his face in her warm hand, and said, "But it was a good thing, Fuu. You're a good big brother. She thinks so much of you."
The look she gave him was a blaze that melted hearts, and hers was all for him. Futaro felt his chest swell like a tsunami rushing for land to cover it with love. He took Nino's hand and said, not sure of the tone of his voice, "Then I'm glad. I was worried about you and my sister, I worried about us if you two couldn't get along."
Nino spun away and spread her arms wide in triumph, "Well worry not! I've conquered the impregnable fortress against our love that is Raiha, and now nothing can stand in our way! By the way, wanna help me move out tomorrow after school?"
The change in topic gave Futaro whiplash, "You're still not done?"
"I've been busy! Itsuki and Yotsuba already finished, but I still have loads of stuff to move out. I need some help here and papa doesn't wanna hire anyone. This is what boyfriends are for."
"Moving?"
"Plus top shelves and kisses."
Futaro sighed, "Alright, we don't have to work tomorrow thanks to my sick leave, so let's do it."
Nino grinned wickedly, "Good. Because in case you haven't figured it out, Itsuki and Yotsuba already moved out."
"I know. You said that."
"So…"
"So?"
"So, no one will be there." Nino spun around, calling over her shoulder, "Better than under the bleachers, right?"
Futaro was glad the clouds covered the moonlight. He didn't want Nino to see him redder than he already was. But that meant she was hidden as well. He wondered what she looked like, and what plans she made inside her beautiful head. Whatever they were, he was happy he was the only one she wanted involved.
He caught up to her and laced her fingers in his, "I think I'm free to lend a hand."
"Better watch those hands, mister. But any help within limits is appreciated."
Futaro winked back, saying, "Anything for you."
A/N
I've gone a bit wild with Raiha's character, taking some liberty with the "rule of funny" when I think it was called for. But one thing I took note of and wanted to expand on is her shared role with Nino as something of a family homemaker. From there it wasn't so far a leap to write Raiha as a reflection of Nino's own journey, and there (along with an annoying brother) the two can find common ground. Raiha may still be too young to understand, but Nino isn't. And I think that connection can make for a stronger long-term relationship once they are in-laws. Bonding through shared burdens.
And I really enjoy finding fun ways to use their dad. I try to make him steal whatever scene he's in, regardless of point of view. I think that if I wrote a story about their father and his own period of growth, how he became who he is, that would be worth reading as well. But I like having a character who's story isn't completely known, just one that we catch glimpses of through his teachings and his love.
And now on to the next chapter. Specifically, the erotic content. I have it drafted and it is very risqué. It won't go so far as some may think (or hope), but plenty far that many who want to avoid that type of content won't be pleased. I thought about posting a search term that people can use to avoid it, but I will only do that for anyone who PMs me. I think that sex is a core part of many relationships (not all, but many) and I think that excluding this part of their relationships would lessen the story. This is the direction the story is going. I hope everyone is okay with that, and if not then the story may not be for you from this point on. Sex won't be a regular thing, but it will be there. It is inevitable for many young couples.
And real talk: if anyone wants to unzip their pants for this part of the story, please leave that detail our of any comments you may leave. Thank you kindly.
And since smut is technically not allowed on the site, there is a chance this story could be taken down. If it ever disappears, know that it also exists on archive of our own, and if lost to this site, I will continue updating it there.
I'll update again as soon as possible. Best wishes everyone, and please leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter.
Chapter published: September 29th, 2022.