Chapter 27: Boxed

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I opened the door. Dark. I slid my shoes off and entered the living room. It only had one bulb lit, the one above the sofa, where Komachi was reviewing some papers. I traded greetings, grabbed a water bottle in the fridge, then chugged half of it in one go. Dry throat, what could I say?

"Where'd you run off to?" She casually asked. Didn't even take her eyes off the papers.

"Just went for a drink." Instead of being all laid-back on the sofa with a magazine, she was there marking checks and numbers. Glasses on, hairband and all.

"Hmm," After she mumbled, I felt her glancing at me. "Alone?"

I muttered: "No…". She nodded.

But her eyes were still on me. Silent, staring, anticipating.

While sinking on top of the sofa, I sighed. "Ishikkiiii..." Guttural, dragging her name on. Another nod.

"Mhmm, how was it?" She put her pen onto her lip.

"I'm not drunk."

"Uh-huh…" She went back to her papers. "By the way-wait," She paused, stared, and did a drawn-out sniff in my direction.

"You reek."

"Of course I reek, I had a drink." Did I come off too strongly?

"No, that's not what I'm smelling."

"Then what-" I looked away. Knowing a side-eye was coming, I gave up on trying.

"Ok, you wanna know? Alright. I also lit a cig."

Disgruntled looking, she grumbled. She sighed. "Haaah...Onii-chan..." She had that bitter glint.

I opened my palms. "I won't do it here, don't worry." Like dropping a gun.

"Yeah...mom's not gonna like that. You're lucky they're asleep right now, y'know."

"I'm telling you." I did it again. Then she just looked at me. Willing to listen, but ready to ignore.

"Look, there's nothing wrong with it. A couple here and there, that's it. I'm keepin' myself in check."

She looked away. "Alright." Did she roll her eyes? I couldn't tell if she did or didn't. "Not like I can stop you." Alright, halt.

"Let's call it off for now, alright? Can we leave it at that?"

"Ok."

"Thank you."

"Now then, what were you trying to say?"

"Oh, uh, I wanted to ask if you'll be there."

"To...?"

"The wedding." I turned around and cocked my head.

"What?" In the spur of it, my lips parted a little. Wedding? Whose? Her's? Shit. Where should I start?

She scoffed at me. "I got an invitation, silly." And then it was almost dropping my check down the Brooklyn Bridge all over again. I was afloat as my pace of breath went back to normal. Then I thought back to it. "What invitation?"

"They're having two weddings."

"Good for them, really." She hummed.

"Where?" I grimaced cause I just couldn't with this.

"Plus ones are allowed, they said." She kept adding detail by detail but for Christ's sake, bring me into the loop.

"Who?" I groaned strong enough that I got that look from her. Like she didn't get it. So I must've been some douche to her. That's why she looked to the side and back to me. "Who else? Hina-san and Tobe-san."

"Huh," I raised my brow. "Really?"

"Nnn." She nodded. It seemed she let it go. Made me glad.

Now then, back to this. "When?"

"Six weeks from now, I guess" She hummed in a sly tune. "I forgot to tell, teehee~" See?

Wedding who? Because of course, it was something that would've been an afterthought even if I'd known beforehand. That's what I felt.

"Well, you coming?" She broke the silence and my train of thought.

"Me?" Yeah, me?

"Yeah, well…" She reached for an envelope on the table and "here." handed it to me. Looked legit. Then I read it. Was legit.

"You should come." She had that self-agreeing look. "I mean, why not, Onii-chan?"

And so, the touches of sarcasm brewed a bit in me.

"But, then again…" She down-casted, contemplating it seemed, followed by a sigh. Ah, I didn't wanna do it anymore. Routine stated we were supposed to crack up in cahoots by now. But we weren't.

I made my way to the door. That on-second thought wry, with the lip-pursing and all. I couldn't stop myself from cracking a smile.

I sighed. "They better have good booze." I couldn't stop myself from cracking a smile while climbing up the stairs

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I didn't turn my lights on. Didn't need to. And I owed it to the moon's fluorescence. So, I sat on my bed and let out one helluva grunt. I sniffed hard at my jacket. Fuck me.

Great, added that to the pile too.

I wouldn't lie if I said some of them were racking me up more than others. Like with Isshiki, I could've asked her for more, but I felt that was too much already. You weren't supposed to grill her, you asshole. Even if it wasn't, that's what it felt like.

But, hold on. Let's say I went through with it. What if she called them right now and spilled everything? Nothing's stopping her. And who the fuck was I to nose in anyway?

I gripped my thigh.

If I made the move, maybe it would've ended in me walking back in here, bricks for feet, sinking in my bed, and taking it all back in my head. But I didn't do that.

I just gripped my thigh harder.

Maybe it was time I get it out of my system for now. And I knew just the right thing. So I dragged myself to my desk and opened the drawer to my right. There they were. I clawed one out at random. Then I turned my lamp on.

It was that rectangular box. The size of my hand. Wrapped in sky blue and tied up with a neat red ribbon with a piece of paper slipped into it. Now's the time.

Happy birthday, Hikki! I wish you a happy year ahead of you and I hope you like what's inside. Also, I wish we'd hang out more!

I peeled off the wrapping meticulously. A cardboard box, I pulled the top off and saw a picture frame. In it was a photo of just me and her. Actually, wait, this was that sneak attack selfie. I recalled-no, re-felt her clinging onto me. Meanwhile, I looked like the late-night drunk guy out of every bar. I snickered and set the frame on my right. Taking a deep breath right after.

Then, I pulled another one out. The other small box. The lime green one with lemons patterned all over. No ribbons, just taped. It also had a note.

Senpai, Happy birthday~ here's your cute Kouhai's special gift for you~ it took me a while…it'd be nice if you liked it.

I felt calmer right about now. Like my nerves eased up and I could stop now, but then again, why shouldn't I carry on? I opened it and saw a brown leather wallet. There was a paper-something in it. I plucked it out. It was a small photo of her.

Now, I don't think I was grinning, but with how I was feeling at the time, I believed I was. So, what now? Throw it out? What, and piss her off? Nah. I slid it on the frame and it stayed there. Meanwhile, the wallet? Well, why not.

The next one I took out was honey-colored with ornamental patterns. As soon as I read my own name, I groaned. "Oh, Christ."

Hikigaya-san. I know I shouldn't be trying, and maybe it won't work out in the end, but I at least want to do this. Please accept.

I pursed my lips and placed my fingers in my face in a thinking kind of pose. Still, I unwrapped it, and voila:

It was a coffee mug. Plain white and normal. But, then I turned it around and it had something written on it.

Most reliable brother ever.

Was there a mix-up? Was this supposed to be Komachi's? Was this custom printed? I scratched my head. It's not that I didn't want it. It's that I didn't want to have it. It'd be a constant reminder that I was a true asshole. He gave this before I even had that talk with him. So, what was I supposed to do, throw it out?

Face it. He would do this. I sighed, committed to taking it.

Then, I took out another one. It was…that small, gray branded euro tote. Wasn't familiar with the brand.

Like the others, this one also had a note.

Happy birthday.

That's it. I put my hand in and felt something smooth. What I pulled out was a thing, a long box wrapped in a nice shade of gray with ornamental linings. I unwrapped it, slowly, feeling a lot of weight on my fingers.

After doing so, I saw that the thing was a black case. I popped it open and saw a pair of glasses. That was it. I held them in my hands. Practical looking, with a sleek feel to them. Yeah, kinda…a bit fancy schmancy.

After putting them on, I blinked a few times. It was nice. I reached pulled out a book from the shelf on my left and when I tried reading, the letters were clear as day.

I closed my eyes and breathed through my nose. If she thought she needed to give this, then I didn't want it. I chose to buy those glasses for you, Yukinoshita.

But…if…if she got this because she chose to…I slapped my face. I didn't feel it. Oh, what the hell, let's choose she did.

I put it back in its case. I wasn't gonna use them outside. But here? Where it's safe and sound? I didn't have to fret a thing.

Last but not least, this one. It was literally just a book. Fairly thing. Had a dark green sheen for a cover. It was never wrapped, but, I didn't bother reading it. I guess now's the time.

Happy birthday, Onii-chan. I love you.

I stared at it while having a hundred things on my mind. I felt my chest clamp up. I opened it to page one, and it read:

Onii-chan's little sister

I went to page two. All photos of her in uniform, standing outside of Soubu. In the classrooms. With some other girls. All that. There was something written below the photos.

My first semester had just begun. Everyone was nice to me and I met a girl named Akari-chan. While she had a weird side, she was very friendly. We hung out a lot ever since.

I flipped to page six. More photos of her. This time, in some shrines, doing poses with the others. And her in front of Kamakura Daibutsu.

Hehe, I wished I could've brought Kamakura-san here! So many things to do, so little time.

Then, I went to pages thirty-two to thirty-five. Lots of photos of her in her uniform with a flower on her chest. There was one of her, up-stage, receiving a certificate-something. Full of laughs, of cry-hugs, and fooling arounds. I got the memo.

Afterward, I went to the last page.

Onii-chan. I wished you were there with us. But I'm happy you're here now.

It changed a little, but that was definitely her writing.

I tried to breathe slower and longer, but that still didn't fix the stinging in my eyes or my lip jitters. I barely held back the whimpers and grunts.

By the end, I wiped my left eye with a single finger.

I left it on my desk and patted it before falling on my bed. Come rain or shine, my sister, I would love you always. After a minute or so I got back up and headed downstairs.

Should I get her one of those? In case she goes. Alright. Hey, why not? In case we go.

Sweet and affable in my tone. "Komachi, wanna go to that festival?" It echoed through the stairs.

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Through back and forth glancing, I thought about which. Normal forest green shirt? Or I❤Chiba shirt?

But–"Onii-chan. Can you come down?" What great timing. I grabbed the box from my desk and went down. She was pulling something out from a bag.

"What is it?" I hid the box behind the sofa.

She turned around, "Ta-da!" and flashed a Haori at me.

"Oh. Where'd you get that?"

"I bought it." She beamed, "Here," and handed it over to me. "Try it out, try it out.". I raised an open palm. "Ok, wait." I placed the haori on the sofa. Instead of being a showman, I thought of giving it normally. Put the feelings in instead. Ah, I puffed out a chuckle, then took the box out.

"Ta-da." I sweetly whispered and handed it to her.

"Hmm, what's this?" Of course, she was in riveted spirits. Well, I mean, who wouldn't for a medium-sized black box with golden ornate flowering at the sides?

She lifted the lid and saw the myriad of colors.

I was guessing she knew. Because within a second, she gasped. Meanwhile, I was pretty damn close to patting myself on the back right then and there.

"Woooow," She raised it high, and so the thing revealed itself in full. "It's beautiful.". Oh my god, that was precious. The way her eyes sparkled. Was this what dads feel?

"Can I try it on?" Damn, she couldn't wait.

"Well, it's yours." She scurried to her room as soon as she heard that. As for me, I went to my room, haori in hand.

I put it on and moved my arms around. Didn't feel tight. "Not bad." Fit like a glove, actually. "Not bad at all."

When I came back down, she was there. Flapping her arms, admiring the sleeves, and humming. But when it got to tying up the Obi, she was irked. And so, I walked up to her and took it from her hand. She looked clueless for a few seconds, but all the same, turned around.

I wasn't a pro at it, but at least I knew…a bit. "It fits well, right?"

"Mhmm."

I was doing precise work, not to make it too loose or too tight. Meanwhile, she seemed to be holding back the urge to go heel-toe rocking.

Everybody's got their Joie de vivre, man. I was thinking this was mine.

"How'd you get the size right?" She tilted her head round to face me.

"I should ask the same to you." I patted my chest.

But just when we locked eyes, we revealed the 'I knew it' look within them. The jig was up, I suppose. So, we looked at each other again and within five seconds synced.

"Kawasaki."

"Saki-san."

We shared smiles. Giggles even. And I thought of treating Kawasaki to a drink. Maybe five.

Alright, I was just about done-"Onii-chan,"

"Hmm?"

"Did you like it there?" I raised a brow. If I played too dumb, I'd only piss her off. Something, something else. Try being vague. Maybe that'd work.

"Do you mean there? Or going there?"

She sighed. "That's not gonna work on me, Onii-chan."

"Hmm." I looked down. Maybe it wasn't a good one, in hindsight. "Food was nice. Great, actually."

"Is that it?" She stared me down like she wouldn't stop if I didn't fess up. So, I did.

"I may give that place a visit next time." I felt smart. But, now look at her. She was staring blankly. No comment, no extra look. Nothing at all.

Therefore, in honest 'my fault' fashion, I tried egging myself into getting open-hearted. Took a bit.

But, "I'll give them a visit." Yeah, it'd be a great way to spend time. No more idling around. If someone could, I could. No need for work to do it for me.

She nodded once. The satisfied kind. I supposed that's that."

Now, time to tie this up. "Annnd-" Done.

"There you go." Nothing like putting elbow grease for her.

I had my hands on my waist. "What do you think?"

She twirled around. "Perfect."

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It was like the station was chucked into an oven. Komachi fanned herself with her hand. In the meantime, the jack shack chronicles were flooding back into me. Simmering piss, shit, and jizz. I couldn't forget the smell.

I also recalled the time I waited in line for the Yankees tickets. I really shouldn't have, but those fucks pressed for it. It was like that. Heading for the monorail was just like that.

She frowned. "Ahhh…we're gonna be late." She frowned, then, had that convinced look as she tip-toed closer. "Should we get a taxi?"

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I could already spot the port tower in all its tall and glassy glory, while a sort of champagne tinge gleamed below it.

We made it, alright. This was our stop, and we got out to revel in it-not yet. We were short of everyone else. So we waited by the tree line. Really great view of the place. Yukatas of every flower and color. Everywhere. Made me think this place was a moving garden.

Anyway, we waited. Until– "Made it! Made it!" A hand popped out from the oncoming drove, waving and racing toward us.

He was sweating a little under his pastel blue shirt while crouching and catching his breath. "Huuu, haaah," He checked his watch before sighing. "I'm not late, am I?"

Komachi shook her head.

"Ok, hi." He was good to go, no more crouching. Instead, straight and smiling. "Hello." She smiled.

"You look nice." Hmm, I guess that's the way to go, considering he got her giggling and teasy-teasy in her tone. "Oh, you~"

"You haven't seen the girls," I met eyes with him. "Now, have you?" Gotta say, it felt nice blue-balling him a little. Not literal, but still-oof, Komachi just elbowed me.

He looked around. "Not in this crowd." Then, shook his head. "I'm sorry, but-"

"We can wait." Her tone signified that this was final. And her glance at me, and her saying "right?", made me glance away. But I still nodded.

"Good evening." He smiled.

I nodded. "You too."

Komachi pulled her phone out to maybe do some texting. Now to do as said, like a good boy. Both of us.

It got boring.

So, I scooted closer to him. "Hey," He put down the handkerchief he was patting himself with. "Yes?"

"What's Keika up to?" I muttered.

He let out a wheezy "Hehhh," and looked at me. "Homework."

"Yeah…I remember that."

I went back to whatever I was staring at. Look at those stalls. You're never lost when you're where you want to be.

"Hey, how about you go get her something on the way home later on. Takoyaki or something. Get her that."

"I very much intend to." He hummed.

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. Then the ground. The crowd. Komachi. And back to him in rapid succession.

"Also, how's Kawasaki." I whispered.

He smirked, "Which one?" Oh…yeah. I gave him a dull stare before massaging my temple. "You know what I'm talking about."

He shrugged. And I sighed, then mumbled, "Your older sister, what's she up to these days."

"Well," He seemed to be going over things. "Hmm, I mean, she's probably out by now."

Got it. "Suffice it to say, it's same old, same old, right?"

"She's always doing something, I guess." His gruff transitioned into a sigh. "I mean," He palmed his cheek. "I…get it, but, like," When he was beginning to hunch, I slapped his back.

Caught off guard, he jolted and stared at me.

"I guess that's what she's going through." I just had an image pop up of Kawasaki on a balcony smoking one out.

He still looked stumped. Even then. "Listen, I don't want you looking like that in front of my sister, alright?"

"Like what?"

"A bum."

"But I don't–" I slapped again.

"I don't give a–" My head went blank for a second. It was like a sort of reset, kinda felt like a knee-jerk. So after that, with my head in hand, I sighed. "Forget everything I just said. When…"

I reminded myself that I didn't know jackshit enough to say this and that. But– "I don't think you should think too much about it. She's doing things her way, and the most I'd say you do is, just turn up when it seems necessary. I mean, people like that, that's all they need…well, that's what I'd do." Maybe because a part of me thought if I was her, I'd want this said.

"Whatchu two talking about?" Komachi peered at us, head tilting and all. Yeah, me trying to slide past admitting definitely made her still go askance on me.

So I asked her in monotone. "Er-what's taking them so long?"

I think she rolled her eyes before tapping her phone. "I don't know, no knew messages."

"They know we're here, right here, right?"

"Uh…" She gave a lost-for-words once-over at her phone, before meeting my glance with an Uh-oh wry. After which she got to her phone, typing quick and fervent.

Huh.

Without looking back at him, I muttered. "Anyway…" You were just like me when I was young–was what I would've said, if not for me thinking that maybe I sounded a bit myopic…? Deaf to my own words…? Ignorant, really.

"What?" He was waiting.

"Forget about it."

I checked my watch. But then–finally, I heard her voice.

"Sorry!" Isshiki cut through the already dwindled crowd, Yuigahama right behind her. Their brisk trotting and geta clacking ended at a meter from me.

No matter how breathy she was, she chalked up her entrance with a simper. "We're...late."

"It's no problem." I nodded to that.

"Kome-chan…how'd you three get here early?"

As soon as Komachi answered: "Cab.", Isshiki looked at Yuigahama. "Told you, we should've gone for that." She didn't even reply.

She straightened herself, her red and white yukata smoothened. "Glad you came, Hikki."

I shrugged. "Haven't had Takoyaki in years, so–"

"Senpai," Isshiki turned around and back, swaying and swinging her arms, her sleeves fluttered. "What do you think?" She did a cute pose, topped with an anticipating wink.

Easy-going, I flashed a thumbs-up at her. The choice of dark teal was nice. The golden lines with white flower patterns too. Charming.

I felt a tug on my sleeve. "U-uh-Hikki, what about me?" Yuigahama also swayed side to side, albeit a little clumsily. Tense, even.

"Hmm." Also gave her a thumbs-up.

Now then, that's it? Two of them. Just them? Wh-where was she?

"Ara," Soft, soothing, something about it felt bespoke. After a deep breath, I turned around. Her hair was tied in a neat bun fashion. Secondly, she was an inch taller than normal. Definitely the geta. White lines on a deep Navy blue, contrasted by a silky scarlet obi, her Yukata was more refined than anything. Ah, she wore lipstick. Albeit a bit subtle. Among other things.

Ah, we locked eyes. They looked to be expecting something.

"Well, what a surprise. Didn't think you could make it." I guess I fired my shot.

"Ufufu. I didn't think you would." And, I guess she fired hers.

I let out a sneer. And she did too. In her own modest way. Through the faint smiles at the corners of our lips, we'd had our fill.

"Can we go now?" Komachi pouted.

"We may." Yukinoshita smirked.