Chibita let out a lengthy yawn while spooning more ingredients to his oden concoction. Ichimatsu's abrupt laundry chore took him a good two hours to complete. Though the clothes were neatly folded and smelling like Chibita's ocean-breeze detergent, the stench still haunted his nostrils for an hour after finishing the job. Due to the need to shower away any stench lingering on his own body, Chibita had missed what he called the "lunch rush" at his favorite selling spot. Luckily, a high school sporting event was taking place at the city park, which brought in enough customers to make up for it; the fact that Chibita always pre-prepped his dishes prior to opening wasn't a bad thing either.

Now it was almost 3:30pm, and the lessening amount of passerby traffic gave Chibita the chance to recollect his thoughts. He was still spellbound at how quickly the highest moment of his life had spiraled into one of weakness and fear. The more he thought about his current interactions with Karamatsu and Ichimatsu, the harder it was for him to accept that were so closely related to another. Though they shared the same features, their minds were on total opposite spectrums; this outcome left Chibita inquisitive and uneasy. He became so engulfed with mentally comparing the two sextuplets that he had not noticed the youngest Matsuno, dressed in a pink-and-white striped tee and khaki shorts, take a seat at his oden chart.

"Afternoon, Chibita," Todomatsu greeted in a cheery voice.

Chibita returned to reality and gave a delayed reply. "Oh, uh…afternoon, Todomatsu." He went back to stirring in more seasoning.

Todomatsu leaned forward a bit and whispered, "So how's everything going?" He was purposely adding emphasis to his voice.

"Uh…everything's fine, thanks." Chibita raised his eyebrow as Todomatsu began to laugh like a child in the schoolyard.

"No need to lie to me, Chibita. I know everything that's been going on with you lately, especially with your love life...with Kara."

Chibita dropped the ladle he was using to stir onto the ground. Red emerged onto his cheeks as he noticed Totty dawned a smile that was a more innocent version of Ichimatsu's smirk. "Y-you…I have no clue what you're talking about, idjit." Chibita bent down to pick up the ladle while the youngest Matsu rolled his eyes.

"You can quit the act, Chibita. We've known another since we were kids. I know what every feature of yours looks like, no matter how much makeup you put on." He rested his chin on the back of his hands, amused by the nervous sweat forming on Chibita's forehead.

Now on the defensive, the oden salesman broke out in uncomfortable laughter. "HA HA! Oh, m-me in makeup? That's…I wouldn't even…HAHAHAHA!" Chibita thought he was doing quite well at denying his case, but Todomatsu's confused expression made him understand that he only made himself seem like a psycho. Chibita replaced his dramatic laughter with a defeated sigh. "How did you find out, idjit?"

Todomatsu gleamed with pride. "Oh, it wasn't hard in the slightest. To start, those marks on your cheeks are rarely found on other people around here. Since you wore more of a 'natural' look when you came over our house, I could make them out easily. They were the first big giveaway for me. Also, I know your height all too well. You're one of the few guys that's shorter than me; I'd never forget such a trait as fortunate for me as that, mind you. Finally, you've used that girly voice around me before."

"I-I have not!"

Totty shook his head in disagreement and stared at him through half-lidded eyes. "Yes, you have. Remember when we would prank call Iyami whenever we had sleepovers as kids? You'd use the exact same, girly voice to pretend to be a tax collector or a dentist trying to collect money. I remember it clearly because I was the one to help you perfect the pitch and everything." He winked at Chibita and teasingly added, "I'm just flattered you kept practicing my techniques all this time."

"Let me guess," Chibita snapped, "you're gonna ask for something in return for your silence, right? Damn it, you idjits are all alike! You can't help but manipulate me!" He bit his lip in frustration.

Todomatsu gave a genuine frown at Chibita's sudden hostility. "That's not my intent at all. In fact, I came to tell you that I hope you and my brother stay together for a long time."

"W-what?"

"Ever since you two started dating, Karamatsu's been acting like less of an attention whore around us. In fact, he just talks about you for a bit when we eat together and then he spends the rest of the day on the roof quietly writing love letters to you or going for walks around town just to enjoy the day. I can finally take a decent selfie for my blog without him trying to butt into the picture and nag about us needing to spend more 'quality brother time' together. It's like a dream come true."

Chibita relaxed. Though Todomatsu's support of their relationship was based on selfishness, he still was happy to avoid adding another threat to his secret. As an act of gratitude, Chibita made a chicken oden skewer and extended it to his visitor. Totty gave a cheerful smile as he accepted the present and began chewing into it.

"So, I'm assuming Kara doesn't have a clue who you really are, hm?"

"N-no," mumbled Chibita as he prepared more skewers for future sales that night.

"You should tell him, Chibita. It's only fair to him." Todomatsu finished his oden stick and threw it into the trash bag hanging off the cart.

"It's not that easy, damn it. I mean, what if he…" Chibita stopped himself, too scared to think or speak of Karamatsu rejecting him.

Todomatsu must have gotten the hint because he reached across the counter and caringly held Chibita's hand. In a serious but gentle voice, the young Matsu advised, "As a love expert and someone who knows a lot about my brother, I think sooner is better when it comes to telling him about this. Trust me; it'll be worse if he finds out on his own."

Chibita sighed, looking at his feet. "I guess that makes sense."

"Just think about it, Chibita. Oh, and thanks for the oden!" With a final smile and a wave, Todomatsu strolled off into the distance and left Chibita once again alone with his thoughts and his precious oden.