"Kyo-nii?" Ayako called out as she waited in front of Ukyo's room, waiting for his brother to open the door for her. However, when there wasn't a response, she decided to knock thrice to let him know of her presence.
A few minutes later, the door opened revealing the said blonde male wearing his usual red, button-up shirt and black trousers – minus the gray vest and necktie. His hair was still slightly wet and a towel was around his neck, showing that he just got out of the bath. Ukyo's glasses were also nowhere to be found.
"Ah, sorry Aya. I was taking a bath," Ukyo seemed apologetic as he opened the door wider for her, signaling Ayako that he was inviting her inside his room.
"It's fine, Kyo-nii. I just wanted to talk to you about something." Ayako quipped as she entered his well-kept room.
A bookshelf was pushed against the wall just beside his study table and on the other side of the room was his bed. The room had a good ambiance and the girl felt comfortable immediately. It also has nice lighting and the theme was red and black which she knew is her older brother's favorite colors.
"So, what is it?" She heard Ukyo ask her, as she sat on the edge of his bed while he did so on the rolling chair that he pulled near where she was. The girl seemed to ponder over something for a few seconds before she turned to him with a smile.
"I was wondering where I would enroll. I was thinking that I could go try for Ikkun's high school?" Fiddling with her fingers, the blue-haired girl warily looked at Ukyo waiting for his response. She knew that she also had to talk about this matter with Masaomi too, but unfortunately, he was currently on duty at the hospital.
"Well, you could try for it if you want. I'm sure Masaomi-niisan would also leave it up to you to decide." He offered her a reassuring smile, before patting her gently on the head. Relieved, Ayako beamed up at the older male.
"Oh wait, hold that thought for a moment." Ukyo stared at her, surprised and confused at his younger sister's sudden outburst. He took notice of the mischievous grin creeping on her lips and he instantly knew that she was thinking of doing something.
"I'll go to Hinode High instead. Tee-hee~" Ayako flashed him an innocent smile, which seemed to blind him for a moment due to its brightness. Unconsciously, the lawyer sighed, giving up on convincing her otherwise especially when he knew what her sole motive was for deciding that.
"Goodness. It seems as if you're deciding your life choices on a whim. I'm worried for you, Aya." The girl only laughed as a response at her older brother's words towards her, which were laced with concern for her.
"Also, you'll accompany me to the school, right Kyo-nii? I have one more favor to ask." This time, Ukyo just smiled helplessly at the girl's enthusiasm.
"I guess, I've got no choice but to say yes huh?" As if on cue, Ayako nodded eagerly with a wide smile permanently plastered on her face.
It was currently a Saturday and the household seemed to be quiet for once. However, there were a few people who are rushing in and out of the 5th floor, as if they were in a hurry. Ayako just quietly sat on the couch watching them with an amused smile.
It was actually quite entertaining to see her brothers scramble after one another, although she did not know why they were in a hurry in the first place. It seemed as if the people with demanding works all have shifts today.
"Aya, I'll leave dinner to you and Ema-san okay?" Ayako just held a thumbs up in his direction to let him know she heard him loud and clear. It was quite a sight to see Ukyo slightly disheveled when he is one of the most composed and organized among them.
The girl finally decided after a few moments to stand up and headed up the loft to see off the bunch who are rushing off to their work. There were the twins, Fuuto, Louis, Masaomi and Ukyo. It was a wonder as to how all six of them are coincidentally needed in their respective workplaces.
"Kyo-nii, you got your briefcase with you?" Ukyo nodded in response, holding up the said thing which carries all the important documents he needed.
"Did you check your papers twice?" She asked again, to make sure that he didn't forget anything.
"Yes. Thank you for worrying Aya. I'm off then." The blonde lawyer patted her once, smiling fondly at the girl who had planted a light kiss on his cheek. Ayako waved at him as he waited by the elevator for the twins.
"Tsuba-nii, Azu-nii! You have your scripts with you? If you do, go ahead. You'll be late already! It's going to be past ten." The blue-haired girl called out to the twins who were still scampering about who-knows-where.
"We're off, Aya~" Tsubaki planted a wet kiss on her cheek, which she immediately wiped off in disgust. Azusa chuckled beside her as he kissed her on the forehead before bidding her goodbye.
"Call me if you'll get off work early so I can prepare more for dinner!"
"Will do!" Azusa called out as Tsubaki excitedly waved at her from the elevator. They entered with Ukyo who was waiting for them since the three of them were the first ones out of the mansion.
"Did they leave already?" Masaomi asked as he fixed the long sleeves of his green, dress shirt. His pure white laboratory coat hung on one of his arms. His usual gentle expression seemed as if he was in no hurry at all – except for the fact that some hair was sticking upwards, telling her otherwise.
Ayako chuckled softly as she stood on the tips of her toes, reaching out for Masaomi's head who was confused at first but composed himself afterwards after seeing that the girl had just fixed his hair.
"Thanks, Ayako-chan."
"Anytime, Masa-nii." She smiled reassuringly before adding, "You should go now before you're late for duty. I bet your co-workers are waiting for you."
Masaomi went out, shortly after bidding goodbye to Ayako. A few moments later, her attention was caught by the loud footsteps hurrying upstairs. Fuuto was taking large strides, heading towards the door while he typed away on his phone with Louis on tow. A slight smirk formed on her face, knowing fully well that he was now rushing to his work.
"Do your best, Fuu-chan~ Bring back some souvenirs or something, 'kay?" Ayako half-teased the younger male, which he returned with a scoff. Before he completely left the manor, he rushed back to where the blue-haired girl was, planting a soft kiss on her cheek.
"Bye neesan!" He called out from the elevator. She shook her head, amused at the rare occasion that Fuuto would act sweetly towards her. Ayako had somewhat gotten used to his rough behavior for the past few days already, so it seemed a bit alien to her for him to act that way.
"I'll be heading out too, Aya-chan." Louis hugged her, which she gladly returned, wrapping her slender arms around his lean form. She inhaled his familiar scent of vanilla. It was a nice scent. It calmed her down whenever she embraces one of her brothers.
"Take care, Louis-nii." The male hummed in response, kissing the top of her head before he waved goodbye to her, the elevator doors closing in front of him. A proud smile crept up her lips, feeling pleased that she was able to properly send off her brothers to their respective works.
"Kyo-nii! Have you seen my pair of boxers?" Ayako was startled at the sudden loud voice booming from the loft. The novel she was reading nearly slipped out of her hands due to the surprised it gave her. She waited for the person making ruckus to appear.
Yuusuke appeared from the loft, as if he was desperately searching for something. A frustrated sigh escaped Ayako's lips as she closed her book after making sure that she had put her bookmark in between the pages she was reading. She set it down on the coffee table and crossed her arms over her chest, staring intently on the red-haired male who seemed dumbfounded to see her there.
"Kyo-nii is at work, Yuu-chan. What do you need anyway?" Yuusuke descended down the stairs, a serious expression on his face. This made Ayako wonder as to what he actually needed with their older brother. The girl had completely forgotten what he was yelling about earlier.
"Have you seen my pair of boxers?" He solemnly asked when he finally reached where she was sitting on at the long couch. The blue-haired girl slapped a hand over her face after hearing what he wanted to say.
"Damn you, Yuusuke."
"Eh?" The male just stared at her, clueless at what she was trying to imply to him. Ayako stood up from her seat and slapped his head, making the teenage male cry out in pain.
"What the hell did you do that for, Aya?!"
"You're hopeless, Yuu-chan." She sighed once more before she motioned him to follow her. Ayako went upstairs and entered the elevator, with Yuusuke trailing behind her, obviously confused. She pressed the third floor button where their rooms are in.
"Where are we going?" The girl just glared at him and he immediately kept his mouth shut. He didn't want to make her slap his head again. Their attentions were caught by the sound of the elevator, signaling that they had arrived at their designated floor.
Ayako walked out and stood in front of Yuusuke's room. The red-haired teenager looked at her, dumbfounded. She stared at him, waiting patiently for him to open his door. When he still didn't move after a minute had passed, Ayako finally snapped.
"Are you freaking dense? Open your goddamn door, Yuusuke!" The girl nearly pulled her hair out of its roots before knocking her fist on his head once more. Yuusuke fumbled with his pockets, as he searched for the keys of his room.
"Sorry," he apologized as he finally found and got a hold of it. He immediately inserted it into the keyhole, making the locks open. He twisted the doorknob and opened it wider so that the two of them can come in. Ayako just clicked her tongue upon entering his messy room.
Clothes were strewn all over the bed and floor. Yuusuke's bookshelf was disorganized where some of his books were in a pile on the floor and some at his study table. His closet was open along with the drawers and it seemed as if a dog just rummaged it to find some leftovers.
Another exasperated sigh couldn't help but escape her lips as she stared at the garbage dump of a room of her brother. Yuusuke glanced at her, seeing her pitiful gaze trained on him. He immediately went on defensive.
"What?"
"Nothing. I just realized you're worse than Tsuba-nii."
"Hey–"
"Actually, are you sure you're human? How can you even sleep when your room is in this state?" Ayako shook her head as she stepped further inside his room. Her nose immediately scrunched up in disgust upon stepping on an open magazine. She picked it up and examined it, her expression slowly changing into one of horror.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Yuusuke flinched at the loud volume of his sister's voice and he immediately turned red-faced like a tomato upon seeing her pinching the edge of one of his precious collections.
"How can you read such trashy materials?!"
"HEY! Don't judge me! Any healthy, high school boy has one or two of that!"
Now, Ayako was beyond horrified. She didn't know if she'd be amazed or bewildered at the way Yuusuke was acting after she found out one of his… darkest secrets. But she chose the latter, especially when he was defending his hobby – desperately, she might add. She finally decided to let go of the vulgar thing, throwing it on his face and making him grunt in pain.
"Make sure nobody sees that. I wonder what would Masa-nii or Kyo-nii would do if they found out you're wasting your allowance on that." Yuusuke visibly shuddered at the thought of his older brothers cutting off his allowance if they found out about this.
Also, the fact that Ayako had seen it didn't make him feel any better. In fact, he felt slightly guilty – if not more – because it was as if he was disrespecting her as sister and as a female for looking at gravure magazines.
"Get your ass over here. We're cleaning up your room. This is more than what you could call a mess. This is a disaster!" Ayako exaggeratedly exclaimed as she started folding his clothes. He quickly went over to where she was, helping her out before she performs a dramatic skit in front of him.
"This is why you're having a hard time finding your underwear. Dammit." Yuusuke heard her mutter from beside him, giving him a pointed, sideways glance. Well, she did have a point and he was quite relieved that he wasn't tasked to clean up alone. But surely, she'd have him pay her back or something, which definitely worries him, because you do not want to be in Ayako's debt.
Author's Note:
Hey guys! TheWhimsicalNoirette is back. :)
I hope everyone is enjoying the interactions between Ayako and her brothers. Hopefully, I'm doing the characters some justice. I'm afraid they might be a bit or a lot out of character.
Well anyway, I'm nearly finished with editing so I might be able to post the update soon!
Thank you for your never-ending support and lover for this story! ( o u o )v
