VI
My sisters
"Good evening Ueda-san," Ryou bowed as she greeted when Yuka opened the door for her and her sister. "It is nice to see you again, how are you doing?"
Yuka kneeled down as she gave her a firm hug. "Oh Ryou-chan, you are just too kind to ask such things, but I'm doing fine dear. How has it been for you and your sister? Are you excited to be here again with us? Besides you don't have to address me by my family name, Yuka is just fine."
She nodded. "Yes Ueda-san… eh oh my apologies… I mean Yuka-san." She was quick to apologize but to Yuka she didn't have to. Ryou was being overly polite as usual. But, in a way, she did have to make up for her sister's somewhat less than polite manners.
"So Kyou-chan, how is it going with you?"
"I'm fine. Say is onii-chan here as well?" A grin could already be seen on her face. "I really would like to greet him as well." Eyeing up Yuka, she was slightly leaning forward.
"He is inside the house, go and meet him." she smiled as Yuka was feeling a bit naughty herself and also quickly whispered towards Kyou where she could find Kouta.
"Is it really okay to tell onee-chan where she can find onii-chan? Wouldn't he be a little upset if onee-chan gives him her usual greeting?"
"He won't dear. Now, where is your father? Your mother arrived already but I don't see him yet." honestly, she had expected Dai to be alongside the twins when she had opened the door, why would he be there and what kind of excuse did he have for it?
"O-Onee-chan said that we should have gone first, oto-san would carry the rest of our stuff though I didn't feel right about leaving him by himself. Oto-san can be a bit clumsy at times…" She admitted and with the way she was averting her eyes it didn't take Yuka too long to figure out that Kyou had been the one to set them up.
"Well, what would you say if I go looking for him and help him? Besides, you shouldn't think about your father like that, he is a good and brave man." grabbing her hand Yuka guided her back to the main entrance as they were going to give poor Dai a little hand.
"When we are done helping your father, would you like to help me in the kitchen?"
"I… ahm… well I'm… ehm not so terribly good in the kitchen, onee-chan is much better at it than I am even when I keep trying. For her, it seems so simple and yet when I try, it goes wrong most of the time… mostly…" she was blushing as she mentioned that.
Yuka guessed that when she noticed it that Ryou might actually feel a little ashamed at her sister being better. "Don't worry about it, I will help you and when the others get back then we will all help you with it. Is that okay Ryou-chan?"
She began to smile as she heard that, Ryou enjoyed nothing more than being with people she liked and the more the merrier as far as she was concerned. "I-I'd like that…"
"Then let's go and give your father a hand so we can get started, alright? So are you looking forward to it tomorrow? Having this big barbeque with all of your sisters?"
"Y-Yes…" Closing the main entrance they headed towards the stairs. "I really do like it."
"ONII-CHAN!" Kouta's blood was up at hearing that yell coming from the front door, it didn't take him a moment to quickly get somewhere else unless he was going to experience what he was already dreading. The twins were now in the building. Any moment she would come racing around the corner and tackle him head on.
"I need to stay out of her sight for now, if she gets too distracted by the others than I might just make it." keeping his voice down, he started to carefully and slowly make his way across the hallway towards the stairs. His own room would be out of the question as that would be the first place she would come looking for him. No, his best chance at survival was one of the more remote rooms inside the Inn.
"WHERE ARE YOU ONII-CHAN?!" he heard her voice again. Dammit she was still out looking for him. Why weren't Yuka and the others keeping her distracted? Judging by the sound, he guessed that she was getting closer, perhaps even dangerously close now. He didn't have a choice as he wasn't going to make it to the stairs, much less the rooms.
"ONII-CHAN! YOU KNOW YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME! I JUST WANT TO SAY HEY TO YOU! THAT IS ALL ONII-CHAN!"
As if that was all she would do to him, he knew exactly what she was planning on as she did it every single time she came over to visit or stay over. Throwing caution to the wind and making a mad dash towards the stairs, he got to within a hair's breadth of safety when he was violently swept of his feet.
"FOUND YOU ONII-CHAN!" he could hear her cry and looked over while still in mid-flight she stood there smiling. "I FOUND YOU AT LAST!" He was so going to get it now and for some odd reason everything just seemed to go in slow motion for him, it felt odd and yet surprisingly and equally terrifyingly comfortable.
Before he even knew it, he was lying there outstretched on the floor with her sitting firmly on his back, all the while giggling and smiling. "Kyou-chan, what a pleasant surprise to see you."
"Onii-chan do you really mean that? Did you miss me? Don't tell me you have already forgotten about me?" she gave him a quick wink as she giggled. Oh, he was so having a bad feeling about this.
"Hehehehehe... Don't be silly. How could I ever forget about you?" laughing nervously he was feeling fortunate that with her sitting on his back that she couldn't see his face. Then again, he was hardly lying when he said that he could not forget her. "It's nice to see you again, now would you care to get off me?"
"No!" she snapped at him all of a sudden, her demeanor changing instantly. "Not unless onii-chan promises to give me a big hug. Somehow I get the idea that onii-chan doesn't like me anymore so if onii-chan promises to give me a big welcome hug then I will get off him."
Oh crap she is on to me, dammit where did she get that idea from? The alarm bells were ringing in his mind, he did like her just like her sister but he was always weary of her way of greeting him. "Kyou-chan, I'll be honest with you," he took a deep breath. "You're a dear and I like you as a-"
"KYOU! Get of him now!" he never got to finish his sentence as Mako appeared from around the corner and pulled Kyou by the ear. "Where are your manners?! Kouta-san might not even like those kind of greetings of yours! Now help him up and apologize to him!"
The kitchen was starting to get ever more crowded than usual now that Yuka, Mako, Nozomi and Ryou were all busy. They had thought that Kyou was going to join them but after the lecture she had gotten from Mako, she had preferred to keep to herself for the time being.
"I can't believe she actually did that," Mako sighed as she kept on cutting more of the vegetables. "I really had thought that after all this time she would know better than using her vectors against a person."
"Well as long as nobody got hurt, shouldn't that be more important? Besides, I doubt that Kyou-chan had meant to harm Kouta-kun," Nozomi remarked as she cleaned her apron. "I'm sure she just wanted to play with him."
"That is a very kind thought from you Nozomi-san, but sadly I can't agree with it. You see, vectors can do a lot of damage when they are used without consideration. A diclonius actually has to concentrate if she wants a vector to make physical contact with a person without doing damage. Grabbing his legs like that... who knows what could have happened if she had a slip of her thoughts."
"But she didn't, right? Doesn't that mean that she could keep her focus on it?"
By now, Yuka had stopped as well as she was anxious to hear an answer to that.
"Well, you might have a point there, but even so, that is not how Dai and I are raising her. She needs to understand that unless it is an emergency, she cannot use her vectors. Not against people and for her to just use them against Kouta-san is not acceptable to me."
"B-But Oka-san," Ryou cried as she heard her mother say that. "O-Onee-chan would never hurt anybody and certainly not onii-chan. She just wanted to play and have fun. P-Please oka-san, don't be angry at onee-chan…" the spoon that she had been holding until now fell from her hand. "I don't want to see onee-chan getting punished for something she didn't mean to…"
It didn't take long for both Yuka and Nozomi to hug her, to let her know that her mother didn't mean it like that.
"Mako-san, I understand how you feel but could you, for her sake, just reconsider on how to deal with Kyou-chan's behavior. Even if it's just to wait with it until after the weekend so that the trip won't be ruined for them. I think all of her sisters would all be disappointed, don't you think?"
"Alright then." Mako relented, seeing that she was on her own now. "I will discuss her punishment with Dai but we won't give it to her until after the weekend. I do have one condition though."
"A condition?" Yuka asked as she and Nozomi looked at her in surprise, not certain what Mako could mean with a condition being imposed on them.
"You will all have a little talk with Kyou-chan this weekend and explain to her why it was wrong and if she then to comes to apologize to Kouta-san then I will even consider not punishing her, is that alright with you?"
"O-Oko-san? Why would you ask that of me?" Ryou sobbed as she thought about it. To her, this wasn't an easy thing to discuss with her sister, they rarely discussed when it came to their vectors and Ryou herself much more preferred not using them at all despite having a considerable range with them. It did make the chances of her abusing others far smaller.
"Because your sister needs to start learning that there are responsibilities and consequences that she will have to carry in life, she is far too complacent in her life. Now, I no longer want to discuss this issue for the rest of the weekend so I will leave the rest up to you." having said that, Mako took off the apron and left the kitchen while Ryou kept on sobbing, thinking on what she had done wrong.
"It's okay," Yuka said as she hugged Ryou to comfort her. "Let's go back to making the food ready for tomorrow and then why don't you go and have some fun with your sisters."
"B-But I-I need to discuss this with o-onee-chan…?"
"Not for today, get yourself some rest first and then talk about with her tomorrow. Alright?"
"Wow Mei-san, your parents has a really nice house!" Nana gasped in awe as she saw the house where Mei lived. It wasn't any bigger than the inn but it certainly was far more modern looking. "It looks so different than all the other houses, it must be so cool inside right Mayu?" Nana kept on looking at all of the details she discovered. "Can we go in please?"
"Oh that's right. Neither of you have ever been inside have you? Would you like to come inside quickly and see for yourselves?"
She didn't know what to say. Actually, if she thought about it then, Mayu had never even seen the inside of their house before. It felt odd as Mei had been to the inn countless times before and yet she had never set foot inside just even once. "Would that be even alright with your parents? Don't you need their permission first?"
"Don't worry," Mei waved her hand. "They will be fine with it or if they aren't at home then it won't matter anyway." Grabbing their hands, she pulled them towards the front door where she ringed the door. "Come on you two, there is nothing for you to be scared about. Besides, it would feel wrong for me if I have seen your place, Mayu-chan, but you have never seen mine."
It remained quiet at the front door. It seemed that nobody was even home for the time being which quickly prompted Mei to pick her own keys to open the door for them.
"Mom! Dad! I'm home and I brought some friends along!" she announced but there was no reply. "Well I guess there is nobody here to complain about giving you two a tour. Come on, let's go!" she yelled as she grabbed Nana's hand with Mayu trying to catch up with them.
"First thing I want to show you is my room, you are going to like it," Mei cried with excitement as she pulled them up the stairs. "I really want to show it to you two."
Mayu and Nana just stood there gaping at Mei's own room. It was about as big as their room but this one belonged entirely to Mei and not only that she has some really expensive stuff standing it. Mayu couldn't imagine how wealthy her parents had to be if they could afford for all of this.
"Mei-san, I didn't know this. Your room is just amazing," she remarked as her eyes rested on some of the items standing there; brand new examples of a TV, blu-ray player and even the latest game console which—if she wasn't mistaken—had just been released.
"Yeah, it is amazing..." Mei remarked as her gaze was averted to the floor. "I wish I didn't have any of those though, my parents are now trying to buy me with gifts."
She pointed toward the desk where the TV was resting on. "I got it along with the blu-ray player from my dad while mom got me the game console and even a brand new wardrobe."
Neither Mayu nor Nana dared to say a word at this point, neither of them knew what exactly they could say to show Mei that they understood her sorrow.
"I'd would rather have my parents get back together instead of this stupid divorce and them trying to buy me with gifts and other junk!"
They could both see that she was doing her best to keep her tears in check, but neither dared to approach her. "Mei-san…?" Mayu gasped as she could see her shiver and tremble on the spot. "Do you?"
"It's okay, I am used to it but that doesn't mean I have to like it right? Isn't it normal for parents to be there for their children and not try to turn to for their own gains?"
Nana was the first to take a step forward. "Mei-san, it's okay. Mayu and I are here for you. You're our friend so we don't want to see you sad. Do… you… want us to stay with you until somebody comes home…? I would hate for you to remain sad and alone."
"Nana-chan… y-y-you… uwuaaah" with a loud cry she flung herself towards Nana, wrapping her arms around her as she cried until there were no tears left. Her eyes all swollen as she convulsed. No words were spoken anymore as Mayu and Nana hugged her, staying with her and refusing to leave her alone until somebody would come.
"It's okay Mei-san, we will keep you company." Mayu picked up her phone, she didn't know how long it might take, and if she was honest with herself, she couldn't really care about it now. A friend of hers needed her more right now, she would just leave a quick message for Yuka and Kouta to let them know that she and Nana were going to be home a bit later and that they didn't need to worry.
"So she gave you one of her usual greetings didn't she?" Dai asked as he reached out for the glass in front of him. "What did she do to you this time? A tackle? A punch? Or did she try something new this time?"
"Something new alright…" Kouta sighed as he kept staring in front of him. Yeah, this was definitely a new approach from her and one he had not expected. "She used her vectors this time. She swooped me up as I was making my way towards the stairs."
Dai stopped instantly with what he was doing. "She did? Well I will have some firm words with her once we get home. Using her vectors against a person won't be tolerated unless it is an emergency."
He could well understand the sentiment behind Dai's sudden remark. Vectors were very dangerous and using them to handle a person should only be done with the utmost care as the slightest lapse in concentration could affect how much damage it could inflict.
"Dammit," Dai let out a short curse. "I had hoped that after the last time she would have learned her lesson, dammit Kyou. Why now? After having behaved for the last two months, she needs to be more careful with them. This isn't good you know?"
"I understand that, but she didn't have any ill intent. To her, the vectors are as normal as our normal hands. She will use them as she sees fit even if it means well you know."
"And that is exactly why she can't. She needs to be more aware on how dangerous they are. You know that just as well as I do. No, in fact, you should know better than any of us what vectors can do."
They both grew silent at that, yeah that was right. Kouta had seen first-hand what vectors could do at an early age though he wished he never had to.
"Ah, I am going to discuss it with her tomorrow, not going to let it ruin what is left of this night and besides I still need to put down some of their stuff so if you will kindly excuse me." With that Dai got on his feet and left the room.
Mako halted at the stairs. Things were already getting pretty hectic even with the girls being here for not even an hour. She had to agree that Ryou had made a point, but she could not and would not ignore what Kyou had done.
Everything hinged on keeping their identity hidden and that meant, most of all, no usage of vectors even when most people couldn't see them. Of course, she fully understood that Kyou wasn't going to use her vectors in anger and certainly not against a person she knew, but that didn't take away that it had been irresponsible of her.
"Well I hope that you will listen to your sister, I hope you really understand why your father and I are angry with you," she told herself. They weren't really angry at her but rather disappointed. With some luck, she would understand them and they could forget about the matter.
"Well, I should go upstairs and do another quick check on Saori." After that, she would go and discuss things with Yuka on how she was doing. With all the commotion made by Kyou, she hadn't even gotten to it.
"Then again... perhaps tomorrow might be better once everybody has had a night to sleep?" That was something for her to consider and perhaps not a bad one either. It would give her some extra time to have one or two more checkups on Saori.
Nevertheless, she also wanted to spend a good amount of time with Saeko. She was anxious to hear how she was doing in school, but with hindsight she already knew enough, thanks to the talk with her counselor. Even so, she still wanted to hear it from her.
Perhaps even that was something she had better do tomorrow as it was already getting pretty late and a good night's rest would likely do more to calm her. Yeah, that didn't even sound half as bad. A good night's rest for everybody and then, with a fresh start, get some things cleared. Smiling about the idea, she went to the room that had been reserved for her and Dai. The twins got their own room as Mayu still had to get up early tomorrow.
The night went by fast as almost everybody stuck to their own devices. A rather unsettling mood, but one, that was by the cracking of the day, gone as Mayu woke up. It was still fairly early in the morning, but she had—even on the Saturday—a short day at school to attend. It would be over by around the afternoon.
Looking at the clock, she still had some time but this day she was going to get up early and pick up Mei from her house. She wanted to make sure that she was fine after that little outburst of hers. Seeing that Nana was also starting to wake up, she whispered towards her that she could stay down if she wanted to. Unlike her, Nana could stay at home. "Nana-san, it is alright. You don't have to get up. Stay inside your futon a little longer."
"No," Nana casually declined as she got up. "To be honest Mayu, I am a little worried about Mei-san. She seemed so sad yesterday even when her mother showed up. Are you going to check on her? To make sure that she is fine?"
She raised a good point and one that felt odd given that Mei, even with her mother being there, still didn't seem to be doing any better. In contrast, her mother's presence only seemed to make things worse as Mei refused to be comforted by her and avoided a hug.
Was it really starting to get this bad between her parents, Mayu wondered if Mei's mother wanted to comfort her because she was in pain or rather to win her over with kindness. That felt just horrible to her, having your own parents only helping you in an effort to win you over towards their side. "Yes, I am going to pick her and ask her. I hope that her parents gave her permission to come over for the weekend. I think she can really use being out of the house for a day or two."
"Mayu, can I ask you something? What exactly is a divorce and why is it so bad for Mei-san? I don't understand what is going on between her parents."
She didn't know how to explain it to her. Mayu had never been through a divorce herself. Although she had a rough idea of what a divorce meant, she was unaware of the finer details and it was likely that these were causing her friend some much grief. How was she going to explain such a complicated matter as a divorce to Nana? Maybe it would be better for her not to explain it at all and let somebody else with more experience in life do it instead?
"Nana-san, I think that is better to let somebody else explain it to you. Perhaps you should try Hirano-san. Either of them have more experience in life than me."
"Mayu, you're a genius." Nana had to do her utmost best to keep her voice down but how could she when Mayu had such a brilliant idea. "I'll go ask them when they have had breakfast."
"You'll have to wait a little longer then, I think they are still asleep."
Nana cursed a little as she really wanted that answer. She had never really been one for showing patience anyway. That said, it was likely better that she got her answer quickly, otherwise who knew what she would be up to in order to keep her curiosity in check.
"You get to stay here at least, I need to go to school. What do you think if after I came back, we could go out with the twins and Mei-san? Might be good to do something different with all of us, what would you say about going shopping?"
"Mayu." Nana with her eyes as wide as they could get looked at her, a smile clearly evident on her face as she started to glow. "Did I already say before that you are brilliant?"
It made her blush and it wasn't even like she had something really smart or special. "Nana-san, please stop. That is so embarrassing you know."
"But Mayu..." Nana mumbled, feeling somewhat shy as she twiddled her thumbs. "You are really smart; I mean you always have the highest grades in class right? Doesn't that really make you a genius?"
Mayu had to blush even harder at hearing that. Sure, she got good grades; often the highest in the class but by no means close to that of the top students of the school. She didn't want to think of herself as being a genius as she felt that she didn't work very hard for it.
"Anyway Nana-san, just get some rest and when I come back we will have some fun. Have a good day," Mayu whispered as she quietly got out of her futon and left the room, leaving Nana alone. Being cautious in the hallway, she wondered if some of the others would already be awake.
Still sitting there in her underwear, Arakawa hadn't bothered to go to bed last night. No, she was much too busy with doing more tests on the blood samples of the diclonius. "Come on, just show me what you have to offer, what secrets are you hiding?"
Much like Mako, she had really become interested in the blood samples belonging to the one called Saeko. Although, in the old records, she was labeled as nr. 28. She had made copies of any and all material that had been disclosed to her. She wasn't sure when, but in time, all of this would pay off. This new line of research she was performing might even be considered groundbreaking as she was busy in mapping the genetic coding of the diclonius.
"How did you even manage to do this?" More than once, her excitement had been raised as she discovered new changes and even cells that should normally not have existed. Still, that made it all the more gut-wrenching for her as she was painfully aware that she would likely never ever get a chance to publish this. It would be the vaccine story all over again.
"Such a pity, all of this and I can't use it at all to get famous. Not that that is such a bad thing, I much more prefer having more peace and quiet in my life. I'm done working for megalomaniacs." Yeah, that had been some time for her. Having to work for the chief and his insane goals of wiping out mankind, only to replace them with a pure diclonius breed.
To think she had even been so stupid to have actually helped that maniac. At least she got herself out of it unscathed though she could not say that for the others.
"Oh well, I can still satisfy my own curiosity and perhaps in time I can get lucky with all of this material. Just need to make sure that I keep it all safe." she giggled as she returned to look back through the microscope, one of the latest models she was especially delighted with it. "So wonderful aren't you, to think you can change your own DNA like this. And what… is… this…?" she stopped as she noticed something that caught her attention to the fullest. It couldn't be and yet she was staring at it. Quickly rubbing her eyes to make sure she wasn't imagining it she looked again and yet there it was.
"I am so going to need some coffee and fast." looking over, she cursed herself for not having made a new pot of it. Now she was going to waste precious time on that and just when she needed to be absolutely certain that she was awake and not seeing things.
"Dammit... dammit... Oh just dammit! Just when I am so close to it," she cursed and with a considerable amount of reluctance, she got up and left her spot. "Guess I will just need to do it myself. Oh well... if it is real then it should still be there when I get back…" she moaned as finally the fatigue she had been combating for the past day or so was finally starting to get the better of her. "… Perhaps… some… rest… not bad… idea…"
She dropped on her couch flat out and dozed in instantly. "… Just one… really… short… nap… that is… all... zzz…" she snored as her eyes closed.
"Morning Mayu-chan," Yuka greeted as she set down her breakfast. "I already prepared it for you, sorry that the rest isn't up yet."
"It's okay, I know that I am the only one that has to go but I'm fine with that. Yuka-san, would it be alright if when I get home to take the others out for a few hours? We would like to go shopping or perhaps go to visit a karaoke bar."
"Oh, so you want some girl time right? Well, as long as you come back in time and don't get into trouble we are fine with it. Just be back as I am going to need your help in making the onigiri and the dangos. Also, you can let your friend know that it is alright for her to stay."
"Thank you." Mayu bowed as she quickly finished her breakfast. She had to let Mei know about this. This weekend was already starting to look so much better now. What was now really going to determine if she could come on over was the approval of her parents.
"Here is your bento as well. I made sure there is plenty for the two of you should you need and if anything just give us a call, alright?"
"I will, thank you." she would tell Mei the good news and then go along with her to pick up some of the stuff she would need for the sleepover. She felt excited just even thinking about it. Finished with her breakfast and her bag next to her, she quickly put on her shoes and got ready to leave. She would make a quick stop to see how Wanta was doing before going to head over towards Mei to tell her the good news. School was going to be short, but already she was starting to get impatient about it being over.
She was really starting to look forward to this weekend that she could spend with her family and some friends. It seemed that little more could stand in the way of this becoming one of those weekends she would cherish.
By the time Kouta woke up, it seemed that everybody else was already at the table, having breakfast. Damn, he must have been more exhausted than he had initially thought. Well, there wasn't much he could else besides going to join them.
"Morning Kouta-san, we're glad you can join us." Dai already greeted him as he entered the room and sure enough everybody that didn't have to leave this morning was sitting comfortably at the table sharing breakfast. "Kyou-chan has already reserved a place for you."
Looking over, he could already see her there, sitting in her pajamas as she signaled for him to come sit next to her.
"Onii-chan, come here," she waved over again. "I made sure that nobody got to take your spot." Smiling it seemed that she had no other intents as the gesture felt genuine to him.
"Thank you Kyou-chan but if it okay with you I normally sit next to Yuka," he pointed towards the empty spot next to her at the table. "But it is sweet of you to have kept a spot for me, I really appreciate that." He was feeling a bit torn as it seemed she had really meant it and yet he still could not get over how she had grabbed him yesterday.
"Kouta, it is alright, Kyou-chan did her best with making breakfast so she deserves it." Yuka filled him in, apparently she had gotten up rather early which wasn't all that normal for her and had then offered to help in the kitchen.
"Onii-chan," she mentioned as she held up a bowl for him. "I made this just for you, I hope you like it and won't be mad at me anymore onii-chan… sorry for yesterday..."
Ah, that explained a lot alright, so this was her way at making up for her little stunt yesterday. Helping with the breakfast and keeping a spot free for him followed by a rather quick apology from her. He would have preferred it if she had worded it better but he fully understood the sentiment behind it, and with that, gladly accepted her offer.
"Well Kyou-chan, seems like I will take you up on your offer. Wow, you really did your best with this, didn't you?" he remarked as he looked at the bowl, this wasn't their usual rice and now it became clear to him that she had really went to work on it. "Did you make this all by yourself?" He was certainly and pleasantly surprised by it, people could say what they wanted about her lack of manners and that direct approach of hers, but when it came to cooking Kyou was just a natural talent.
Looking next to her, he noticed that her sister wasn't taking so well to the compliments of her sister. Despite her best efforts, Ryou just wasn't so good at it, but that luckily did not deter her from keeping on trying.
"So after we have cleaned up, what do you girls say about letting those strong men set up the barbeque for us?" Yuka eyed him closely. Nope. She wasn't planning on letting him slip past his assigned job for today. "In the meantime you can all watch some TV or play in the garden, but play nice and don't break anything like last time," she added to that.
"Yes!" all them cheered in unison before leaving the table. Likely, the first thing they were going to do was get themselves dressed.
Mako excused herself as well as she needed to get the food for the baby though when he got spotted watching her leave he earned a snappy remark from Dai.
"Just a few short years, Kouta-san, and then you will be stuck with one yourself. Better get yourself prepared for it as there is no escape."
Nearly choking on his tea he looked at him. "Dai-san, I-I-I didn't mean it like that I just-"
"Then how did you mean it Kouta dear?" Yuka asked as she leaned closer. "How did you mean it then or don't you want children of your own later on?"
Oh crap, not this during the early morning. "Y-Yuka, what are you saying. We're still students. I can't just be thinking about raising kids myself and besides we have already the girls to take care of."
"Phew." He thought, that had to put her at ease a little. No children of his own and raising them was simply not on his mind for the time being and it would not be for years to come.
"Oi, Nana, move over! I need to brush my teeth!" And so it began all over, the inevitable struggle that ensued when no less than four girls were all in the bathroom at the same time getting themselves freshed up for the day. "You're in my way!"
"Perhaps if you did not skip turns I wouldn't have to be in your way!" They butted their heads against each other in order to take up all of the space in front of the mirror. Neither Kyou nor Nana seemingly willing to concede at this point as they threw in all of their physical strength.
Ryou and Saeko were left standing there a bit further back, unsure and somewhat scared by seeing the display of power. "Ryou-chan, do you think?" Saeko asked her.
"Onee-chan needs to be more careful, I-I think she is being a bit too competitive with Nana-onee-san. You think we should try and get them apart before they hurt themselves?"
"B-But how Ryou-chan?" Saeko had no idea on how to get these two apart other than using her vectors, but really, she did not want to use vectors against her own sisters.
"I need this space! I want to brush my teeth! Now get out of my way!"
"You get out of my way! I was here first! Besides you're skipping the turn, getting ahead of the others! You need to learn your place Kyou-san!"
This was starting to get really ugly now.
"S-Saeko-onee-chan what do we do? Should we call any of the others?" Ryou was looking with open eyes as this sisterly struggle continued to rage on. "What if they hurt themselves?"
Barely had she finished her sentence when with a loud scream and a loud splash both Kyou and Nana lost their stance and footing as they both fell.
"Onee-chan!" Ryou cried out as she saw them lying there but as quickly as she was dreading for the worst, it just as quickly faded as the two of them started to laugh out loud.
"Oi Nana, you're just really clumsy aren't you?" Kyou giggled as she lay there on her back, her pajamas wet from the spilled water she had gotten over her, spots of toothpaste covering her face.
"Not as big as you are Kyou-san, you're the one who tripped over the soap and fell first." she giggled in response, Nana was just as drenched as she was. Who cared about that anyway as it was just some water. Besides, she wanted to go and take a bath anyway.
"My my my, it sure is getting lively in there don't you agree?" Mako made the comment as she removed the cap from the bottle, Yuka who was by now with her in the garden stopped to listen as well. "I think they are having one of those sisterly moments again, don't you agree?"
"I just hope they don't damage anything," Yuka sighed as she still held a tray with some tea and cups on it. Outside, the weather was really nice and she and Mako had decided to sit outside even when it was still morning.
"We should trust them, I think they learned their lesson after the first time." She turned her attention back to the baby that was sitting her lap as she brought the bottle closer. "Come on Sei-kun, time for your breakfast. You be a good boy now." She held up the spoon.
He just laughed and giggled as he clapped his little hands, Yuka found the sight just adorable and ever since she had seen Mako and Sei she had begun to feel a desire for a child of her own.
"He's really starting to grow, isn't he? Can he already walk on his feet?"
"Not yet," Mako answered while Sei grabbed the bottle. "He can already sit up straight with some help but standing and walking is going to take a while, besides he is just six months old. Give him another three to six months and then he will likely be walking."
"I guess you're right, I haven't really looked all that much into a baby's development."
There was another squeal as he took a nibble from the food on the spoon. Yuka watched as most of it did drop on the towel that Mako placed on her lap.
"He is quite messy isn't he?" Yuka remarked as more and more was dropped on the spoon.
"That comes with having a baby, you will learn that for yourself when you have a child."
"That will take a long time, I wouldn't mind having a baby, but I also have school to worry about and the girls to take care of."
"Yuka-san, as one woman to another, here is some advice. Don't let what society expects of you to get in the way of your own personal happiness. Life is already so short and precious, don't let it be wasted because of what others expect of you."
"I know that. But still, I don't think I am ready to raise a child, you make it seem so easy and normal. I'm already struggling at keeping things orderly within the house with the girls."
Mako stopped her then and there. "And you are doing wonderfully. You're a young woman and you are managing to keep up a household of no less than six people. I'd say you are more than able of taking care of a baby when the time comes."
There was another giggle as Sei took another spoonful of food and Mako decided to change the subject. "I want to discuss something else with you, it has to do with Saori-chan."
Hearing the tone of her voice, Yuka grew somewhat concerned which wasn't helped as Mako went quickly back inside to hand over the baby to Dai before she would resume.
"Is it that bad?" Yuka asked upon her return as she poured herself another cup of tea. Some bad news was something she expected but surely it couldn't be a bad as she was starting to sense a rather discomforting feeling in her stomach. "Don't tell me she is going to die?"
"No, she won't for the time being, but I am growing concerned over her continued health. That rapid aging of her body is doing more harm than we had thought at first."
Even though she had just poured herself a fresh cup Yuka all of a sudden no longer felt a desire to drink. It wasn't the worst news, but it wasn't all that much better from the sound of it. "So what will happen to her then? Is there anything that we can do to help her?"
"In time, I do not know, it is difficult to make any kind of educated guess what will happen with her body. I do think that we need to get that device off from her head but it won't be an easy operation and we don't have many options. That said, I might know somebody who can help us, but I should warn you that is a long ride to get there."
"And who might this be? Can we trust this person not to give away the identity of the girls or contact the government?"
"His name is Hashiratani Kogoro, he is a professor of biochemistry at a university in Matsumoto. I don't know about that entirely, but he is somebody who will keep his word. I should mention that he is somewhat of an odd person from what I last heard of him, but he is honest."
Yuka was still feeling a lot hesitation. So far, what Mako was telling her about this person wasn't taking away the doubt she was having. "I don't feel comfortable about involving him."
"I can understand that but we need people who have the knowledge. None of the research material with regards to this device survived the destruction of the DRI so we don't have a clue how they did it and despite our best efforts this last year, we have little options left."
"But still, to bring in an outsider and somebody we have no idea about. I mean, I can understand that you know him from some time ago but still, that doesn't make me feel any better. I don't know what else we do anymore…"
"Yuka-san, please believe me when I say that I would not mention him if I had a better option. But right now, he is the best I can up with in the given time. Would you feel better if I were to call him and inform him of the situation before I even mention the girls?"
"I think that would be best but can we please discuss this first with the others?"
Mako nodded, it was only normal that the others be informed of this first. If somebody wanted to object, they could say it as there was a lot at stake here.
Saeko had been sitting inside the room ever since she had finished getting herself dressed. Right now, she was thinking about taking care of Saori rather than going out playing with her other sisters. It wasn't like she didn't wanted to play, far from it to be honest. But she couldn't just turn her back on Saori and leave her on her own. She was glad that Mako had been able to examine her. That would mean that she would likely be able to offer some advice for the medication to help get the fever down.
"Don't worry Saori-chan, your big sister is here to help you. I won't leave you here alone. See? I even brought you something to drink and some breakfast in case you get hungry."
It felt odd calling herself a big sister since, by no means, was Saori smaller than her. Her body was older but not her psychological and emotional state. In many ways, she still acted like a child rather than the adult she appeared to be because her physical appearance.
There was no response coming from her though, apart from the occasional moment where it seemed she might finally wake up and open her eyes. The fever was lower than what it had been yesterday. Despite that, she didn't seem to fare any better. Still her breathing had become lighter and she wasn't as restless as before. Indeed good signs that she was recovering, but that didn't take away the fear that was resting inside of Saeko.
"I really wish you would be better, the weather outside is really nice and I would like it if you were there with us for the yakiniku. I know you would like it with the rest of our sisters, they are all here."
Taking away the cold compress from her head, her eyes gazed at that thing they had implanted on her head. Part of her just wanted to rip it off but she was afraid of what might happen to her. If taking away the device would kill or leave her in a disabled state for the rest of her life... Would she actually be able to live with the guilt of being responsible for that? Saeko didn't want her to suffer any further but that did not have to come at the expense of Saori's already short life. Didn't she deserve a long and happy life just like the others here?
"I won't leave you, I have left already too many of our sisters to their fate. I just wish I could have saved all of them when I had the chance, would you have liked that as well?"
"Oh, there you are onee-san," she could hear coming from behind. As she slightly turned her head, she could see Ryou standing there in the doorway.
"Ah Ryou-chan, it's you. Did you come to see me?"
"Yes I did, but I also came to see how our little sister is doing. How is it with her? I heard from oka-san that she was really ill last night. Is she feeling any better?" Kneeling down next to her, Ryou was showing the same feeling of being worried about her.
"Well I, ehm, I… I don't know really, she seems to be better than yesterday when it started but I-I just don't know. Your mother knows it better than I do…"
Ryou sighed. "It isn't that good is it? I think that oka-san is outside talking to Ueda-san about her and what to do, I think she might not be doing so well if they are talking like that."
"B-But Ryou-chan, that is just terrible! They shouldn't keep something like that hidden from us, she is our sister. Don't we deserve to know how she is doing?
"I'm sorry Saeko-onee-san, I don't know. But shouldn't we rather trust oka-san? I mean, she is your aunt as well so she does want what is best for us."
She was right. Until now, Mako had always acted in the best interest of the girls. Perhaps it would be better to place her trust with that and allow Mako to do what she was good at. After all, she wasn't a physician who specialized in children for nothing. If she had enough time then she will most likely find the solution.
"So... if I may ask, where are Kyou-chan and Nana-chan? I haven't seen them after we left the bathroom." She wanted to ask more but loud laughter came from a few rooms further down. With that, Saeko had her answer. Not exactly a clear answer, but an answer nonetheless.
"They are looking for clothes; onee-chan heard from Nana-onee-san that we would likely go out once Mayu-san came back from school so they want to look for items."
Saeko couldn't help but giggle at that. She would really like to go out with her sisters, but then that would mean leaving Saori all on her own. Feeling hesitant about doing that, she considered staying at home. She couldn't just leave her alone, not like this.
"If you prefer you don't have to come with us but we would like it if you were there as well." Ryou informed her as she got up and left the room, going towards what was without a doubt her sister and Nana.
With the signal going off, Mayu knew that the last class for the day was about to begin. She was already looking forward to the rather short club meeting afterwards as she would have a chance to see if Mei was there. Much to her own surprise, Mei hadn't been at her house at all and when she had rang the bell, nobody came to open it.
It felt odd to her that nobody was at home and so far, she didn't have that much luck with finding out if Mei was present on school. Could she have had an accident herself or did something happen in the family that caused them not to be at home?
"Mei-san please be alright, I would feel sorry if you got hurt." Just one more class and then she could find out for herself at the club if Mei was present. Otherwise, she could ask if Aki had seen her.
She wondered how everybody else would be doing back at the Inn. No doubt they were all already awake by now and getting themselves ready, either for the barbeque or for their little afternoon trip. Already looking forward to it, she reminded herself to make certain they brought some cash with them as well in case they came across a nice place to sit down. Maybe they would even get some ice cream or perhaps even crepes.
"I know that Kyou-san and Ryou-san really like crepes and Nana-san doesn't mind them either though she prefers ice-cream." She would see what it would be when they got there. There would be plenty of choices for them. As with this kind of weather, people were bound to visit the city and then there were all of the tourists.
"I hope the others will like going out. It would be good for them, to be out of the house for a while. Maybe we can even grab a quick movie as the yakiniku isn't until later. Although, Yuka-san did ask if we could be back in time to help with all of the last preparations."
Standing up as the teacher greeted them she was surprised to see Aizawa coming inside the classroom as well just as she sat down. Why was he here anyway? As he handed some documents to the teacher and got into a conversation, her curiosity was aroused. Did they know each other or was there something else? Maybe she was just imagining it and the teacher was just thanking him for the papers Aizawa had carried for him.
"That is likely it. Aizawa-san likely just helped sensei with something. Shame that I don't have a chance to talk to him, I… I would like to ask him but can I really do that?"
No, she couldn't act like Mei had suggested to her. She wasn't that kind of person and yet, hadn't she before, on occasion, shown that she could be bold? After all, hadn't she taken it upon herself to befriend Bando when most people would be scared off by his attitude? He wasn't the horrible person that some may have thought him to be and in the end, her perseverance paid off as she found, in him, a friend for life and moral support.
"If I can do it once then I can do it again. I just need to find the courage and the right moment to speak to him, but first, I want to make sure that Mei-san is alright."
It was a shame that she would likely miss out on a chance to speak to Aizawa today but Mayu considered it to be selfish if she did not first make sure that her friend was alright. If she was patient and determined, then she would get another chance. She felt certain about that.
"If the letter was really from him then he will understand it when I explain it to him. If it isn't... well, it is not like I would hurt his feelings." Watching him leave the classroom, she started to wonder if perhaps she could ask her teacher what they had been discussing with each other but she decided that it was likely to rude to ask such a thing.
Picking her books and opening to the correct page, she pushed those thoughts aside as first she would focus on class and after that she would go to find Mei and tell her the good news that she could stay over for the weekend. "Just wait for me Mei-san and be safe…"
Author's note: the next chapter, enjoy.