Chapter Ten: Promises
~Yotsuba~
Yotsuba's heart throbbed in her chest. She couldn't help herself. It had been too long since she and Futaro were in the same place. She threw her arms around him and embraced him tightly. For those precious seconds, she was okay. He pushed her soaked bangs out of her face and leaned in for a kiss. It thrilled her to feel him be so direct. She could sense his hands on her waist and his lips on hers, sharing the same breath.
"Hi," she exhaled.
"Hi," Futaro replied, slightly out of breath.
"I'm so happy you're okay," she choked back tears. Peaking over Futaro's shoulder, she spotted Itsuki by the living room, looking somewhat frazzled and surprised. "Itsuki! What are you doing here?"
"She came by to check on Raiha," Futaro said hastily. "The better question is, how did you get here? The storm hasn't let out, and I thought all train services were out."
"They are," Yotsuba said. "But dad helped me out."She reached out and held his hands. "I didn't want you to be alone right now. Miku told me about your phone."
"Did you panic and start spamming my phone?"
"What did you expect me to do? The storm suddenly turned bad, and all the typhoon alarms started going off. It was scary! As far as I knew, you, Miku, and Nino were trapped. Everything got canceled."
Her dad walked up the creaky stairs, clutching a large umbrella. She could sense that he was trying to seem masculine and cold. It bothered her slightly that he always tried to intimidate her boyfriend, even though she knew that her dad was not that kind of person.
"Uesugi-kun," he said flatly. "My daughter was beside herself with worry. Please do try and communicate more clearly next time. Let's not cause any unnecessary stress."
Yotsuba gulped, remembering her panicked pleas to her dad for help to get out of Osaka. She did not want to have to admit to her panicky tantrum the night before.
"Itsuki-kun, what are you doing here?" Maruo said with a stiff lip. He stared down Itsuki with a mixture of surprise and suspicion.
"I—I was just checking in on Raiha-chan. Uesugi-san—Uesugi-kun's dad— had asked me to double-check if she and Uesugi-kun were eating," Itsuki shrunk about three sizes at their father's gaze. "I—I also brought them some snacks. I thought that would make them feel better."
Their dad glared at Itsuki for what seemed like an eternity. He slowly turned back to Yotsuba. "Well, clearly, Uesugi-kun is fine. Itsuki-kun, Yotsuba-kun, we should probably let the Uesugi's finish their evening in peace," He turned on his heel and started down the stairs.
"Actually, dad, I'm staying the night with Futaro."
"What!" Itsuki and Futaro said in unison. Itsuki covered her mouth in shock, and Futaro had turned pale.
Her dad's expression turned venomous. His eyes shifted between Yotsuba and Futaro. "Is that right, Yotsuba-kun? You feel ready to take that step?" He said slowly.
"I—I just think that after coming all this way, we have a lot to catch up on," she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "I have to ask about his dad. About how Raiha-chan is doing. Also, I have to make sure that there's someone with a working phone so he can call his dad in case there's an emergency," the thumping in her chest was deafening. "Also, you can't stop me. I'm an adult," She added weakly.
Maruo walked back to the doorframe. He gently rested his hand on Yotsuba's shoulders and spoke to Futaro. "Come to the hospital tomorrow," Futaro nodded as the last remaining color drained from his face. "And you," He squeezed Yotsuba's shoulder. "I trust you know what you're doing," he whispered.
Next, he turned to Itsuki, who was still standing near the entrance. "What about you, Itsuki-kun?" Are you also staying?"
Itsuki shook her hands in a panicked motion. "No! No way! No way! I'm going back to the apartment with you, dad!" She rushed. Her face somehow turned an even deeper shade of scarlet. "I—umm, okay. Goodnight Uesugi-kun, Yotsuba. I'll see you in the morning," she shuffled quickly to her father's side, staring at the floor. Yotsuba stood by Futaro's side. She wrapped one hand behind his back to offer support. Together, they watched Ebata, Itsuki and her father drive off down the rainy road toward their apartment.
"Oof," Yotsuba sighed with relief. "I didn't think that would work."
"Are you crazy!" Futaro said, shaking her slightly by the shoulders. "I could have been killed!"
"Could have, yes," Yotsuba wagged her finger in Futaros face. "But you weren't. I was pretty sure that dad likes you, so I called his bluff."
"You called his bluff!" Futaro scoffed incredulously. "That man does not like me. He looked at me as if he was assessing if he could get away with murder just now."
"Oh, dad is just funny like that. Do you have something to eat? I'm starving!" Yotsuba walked past Futaro, leaving him at the door.
Futaro welcomed her inside, gave her a towel to dry herself off, and handed her some of their convenience store leftovers. Yotsuba explained how once she got the text from Miku, she called her dad and arranged a private pickup service from Osaka to Nagoya. She explained how as the storm had worsened, she was forced to stop at a small station outside of Nagoya, where she got caught stranded. She laughed when Futaro mentioned how it had been the same for Miku, Nino, and him.
"Wow, you two got kinda lucky," Raiha said while sitting between Yotsuba's legs. Yotsuba had offered to comb her hair when she stepped out of the shower.
"We should all be getting ready for bed," Futaro ordered. "We have an early start tomorrow."
"Aww! But Yotsuba-san is not done combing my hair, though!" Raiha whined.
Yotsuba made a look at Futaro. "You know I love her beautiful long black hair, Futaro. Don't deprive me of this! You cut your hair before I got a chance to play with it!" She stuck her tongue out.
Futaro scowled but otherwise did not protest. "Okay, I'll just set up the futons while you two finish. Raiha, they're in the same spot, right?" He crossed the living room, pulled on the sliding door of their storage closet, and took out three worn, off-white futons. He laid them flat in the center of their living room. "I'll take dads since it's the worst," Futaro said. "Yotsuba, you take mine," he said while trying his best to fluff up the old floppy futons.
"Nuh-uh! Big Brother!" Raiha chirped. "You can't arrange them like that this time," she said, pointing to the futons.
"What's wrong with them?"
"You have to be a gentleman tonight," she said. "My futon has to go between Yotsuba-sans and yours."
"What? Why? Who cares!"
"you're not married yet!"
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! I've slept beside Yotsuba and her sisters before!"
"Creep!" Raiha shouted.
"What do you mean 'creep'? You're just a kid!" Futaro barked back.
"I read all about boys like you! You're a womanizer! An enemy of womankind!"
"What kind of stuff are you reading nowadays!"
"Okay! okay," Yotsuba stroked Raiha's hair gently. "Let's figure out what works for everyone. I think that having Raiha-chan sleep between us will be cute," she hugged Raiha from behind. "It'll be like we're a cute family, right, Futaro?"
"I— mmm, I guess," Futaro blushed. After brushing Raiha's hair and cleaning the table, they all got ready for bed. Yotsuba lay at one side of Raiha, and Futaro settled on her other flank. They turned off the lights and opened the balcony door to breathe fresh air. The sounds of summer bugs filled the living space, and soft silvery moonlight leaked into the living room through the balcony window. Yotsuba's heart raced. It's now or never.
She couldn't let this opportunity pass them by. She admired how Futaro played by the rules. It was one of the things she loved about him. But it's also what made him the enemy of romance. Maybe in that sense, He was an enemy of womankind. She stifled a laugh. Yotsuba remembered her friend Inoue-san admitting that she walked around in her underwear in front of her boyfriend. It embarrassed and emboldened Yotsuba. Maybe she wasn't ready for all that just yet, but as she lay on the dusty futon, she knew she was ready for more.
Yotsuba waited until she could hear Raiha snoring softly by her side before tossing off her sheets. "Psst, Futaro. Are you awake?" He did not answer. "No way you're such a fast sleeper," she pouted. Crawling around Raiha, she positioned her body next to Futaro, squeezing herself under his covers.
"What are you doing!?" Futaro hissed, inching away from her.
"Oh, so you were awake all this time?!" Yotsuba scoffed. "You were seriously going to ignore me?"
"We are supposed to be sleeping!"
Yotsuba pouted even more. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hug or strangle him.
"Besides, I had a long day," Futaro continued. Yotsuba was close enough to see the bags under his eyes in the faint moonlight. A slight pang of guilt bit Yotsuba's chest. She was so consumed by the idea of sleeping next to Futaro that she didn't realize that Futaro might need sleep. She buried her head into his chest.
"Hey, what are you—"
"I'm sorry," she said. "I was so happy to see you that I forgot this isn't some kind of vacation for you."
She heard Futaro exhale deeply. His chest rose and fell slowly like the gentle waves of the ocean. "It's okay. Today was just a lot. And tomorrow, we have to help clean mom's shop before we sell it to your dad. You know, now that I think of it, your dad said it was flooded. I have no idea what the condition of the cafe is like and— Ah, I'm doing again, aren't I?"
"It's okay. Just breathe," Yotsuba raised her head away from his chest and stroked his cheek with her thumb. "I think I like it when you talk a lot."
"Why?"
"Because usually, you try to act quiet and cool," Yotsuba whispered. "I think it's much cuter when you're not so cool," she pulled him closer by his pajamas, wasting no time smothering Futaro in kisses. "You have no idea how much I missed you," she said, kissing the tender area right above his collarbone. She could sense Futaro's face radiating heat.
Futaro hummed as he put his arm around her. Yotsuba jumped slightly at his touch as he felt her strong muscles down her back. She could feel the electricity igniting between them. She should probably stop him… but not just yet.
After spending some time making out, they lay entwined in each other's arms, staring up at the dusty ceiling.
"I feel like we're in high school again," Yotsuba giggled. "Remember that time when we went to see the stars on your bike last autumn?"
"Hush," Futaro warned. "You might wake up Raiha, and she's going to spill everything. You don't want Itsuki finding out about that."
"Aha! Let her find out! We haven't even done anything R-rated yet," Yotsuba laughed.
"It's nice to see you in a good mood," Futaro said, running his fingers through her hair. "I could stay up all night doing this. I have so much to catch you up on. The Kota kids, school, the drunk landlord. And tomorrow, we might not have any time to ourselves."
"It's going to be quite the party. I have something I want to tell you too, but it can wait. There's also dad,"
"You're worried about that too?" Futaro looked at her in surprise.
"Maybe? But I guess all we can do is wait," she nuzzled her nose on Futaro's cheek. "I want this moment to be just ours," Yotsuba suddenly inhaled sharply. Futaro had found a small gap in her pajamas where he rubbed her stomach with his fingers.
"Shit, sorry. too much?" Futaro pulled back his hand.
Yotsuba shook her head. "It's okay. You just surprised me. This is the first night we're sleeping together. Did you finally realize?"
Futaro nodded. She could see his jaw clench in anticipation. She unbuttoned the lower third of her pajamas, "I think it's okay to be a little selfish," she said breathlessly. "But, no higher… or lower, okay?" She said before kissing him and guiding his hand to her waist.
In the morning, Yotsuba lifted her head from her pillow, wiping the drool from her lips. The gentle sounds of chirping birds roused her from her sleep. At some point in the night, Futaro turned to his side and lifted his leg on top of hers. Giggling slightly, she rubbed the sleepy from her eyes and stretched.
Raiha raised her head, greeting her drowsily. She blinked a few times, her eyes adjusting to the slowly creeping sunlight. "Yotsuba-san… how did you end up on that side?"
"I—Umm, I roll in my sleep," Yotsuba lied. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"
Raiha touched her arms and legs for a few moments before looking back at Yotsuba with a smile. "I think I'm okay." Raiha's eyes twinkled. "Itsuki told me about that. How you somehow always end up punching Miku-san on the cheek when you sleep together. Poor Miku-san always wakes up with a bruise."
"Thank goodness! I was so nervous when I realized I woke up on this side," Yotsuba quickly pushed Futaro's leg off her and rose to her feet. "Come, let's make some breakfast!" She dragged Raiha up from her futon and into the kitchen. After breakfast, Futaro, Yotsuba, and Raiha quickly changed into loose-fitting clothes and exited the apartment. Futaro guided them down the block, closer to downtown. Yotsuba was shocked by how much damage the storm had done. Some of the older wooden structures around town had collapsed along with light poles and electrical cables, which splayed dangerously on the puddle-laden neighborhood roadways. The storm had even tipped over even some smaller cars.
"Was the typhoon bad in your area, too, Yotsuba-san?" Raiha asked Futaro, guided her around a large puddle.
"I'm a bit more inland, so it wasn't so bad. But landslides are still kind of scary," Yotsuba said. "Also, Raiha-chan, you can call me Yotsuba. You don't need to be so formal."
Raiha nodded. "okay, yay! Itsuki will be happy you said that!" Together they cut through the neighborhood park, ignoring the sticky feeling in the air and their quickly dampening clothes. The closer they got to downtown, the more water pooled on the side of the streets. Eventually, the trio found themselves having to jump around large puddles just to stay on the sidewalk.
"We're lucky the storm didn't do as much damage as it did," Futaro said with a grim look. "I'm scared to think of what my apartment looks like."
Yotsuba touched his shoulder. "Don't worry about it so much. I'm sure it's fine."
"Yeah, don't be such a mopy loser, Big Brother!" Raiha teased.
"Why are you like this?" Futaro pinched the bridge of his nose. "Are you finally starting your rebellious phase?"
"Cut it out, you two," Yotsuba said, playfully frowning and moving ahead of the squabbling siblings. Together they turned a corner into a cramped road that could only fit one car through the street. It looked more like an alleyway than anything else.
"Here we are," Futaro said, descending a stout flight of stairs. Yotsuba noticed the bottommost step was filled with water.
"How does anyone find the cafe?" Yotsuba asked.
"Yotsuba, this is the back entrance," Futaro gently corrected her and unlocked the door. Inside they came to a small kitchen with kitchenware covered in foggy plastic tarps. It was just large enough for three or four people.
"It smells like dust in here," Raiha coughed.
Futaro waddled through the pool of water in the kitchen. "Yeah, we haven't been in here in ages. We mostly use it for storage these days. Dammit, what a mess."
"We should have brought rain boots," Yotsuba commented.
"It's fine. It's not that much water," Futaro said, grabbing a few yellow plastic buckets from the counter. "Here," he passed one to her sister. They started scooping dirty water into their buckets and tossing it through the rear entrance of the kitchen. Yotsuba watched them for a few moments, slightly surprised at how calm they seemed.
"Is everything okay?" Futaro paused when he realized she wasn't moving.
Yotsuba shook her head. "I guess I'm just not used to seeing this side of you."
Suddenly they heard the front door of the cafe chime. "Eww! This place is a mess!" Nino's distinct voice echoed to the back.
"Futaro? Are you here already?" They could hear Miku call out as well.
"Looks like the party guests are here," Futaro said, poking his head from the front opening of the kitchen. "Good morning. You're late!" Futaro scolded.
"Good morning Uesugi-kun," Yotsuba heard Itsuki shout. "Yeah, sorry. We borrowed a pump from Shimoda-san to help with the flooding."
"Thanks, we're going to need that," Futaro said. "Hey, Yotsuba, can you go around the building and run it through the kitchen? It's the worst over there."
"Yotsuba! She's here?!" Nino cried out.
Yotsuba awkwardly poked her head from the serving hatch. "Hi! Long time no see, Nino... You too, Miku!" she put on her cheeriest voice to hide the knot in her stomach. She quietly enjoyed Nino's expression, which resembled the mouth of a gaping fish. Miku stiffly shifted her gaze between Nino and her, like she was waiting for one of them to draw their pistol. The tension was immediately deflated by Raiha bursting through the kitchen double doors to the dining area to greet Itsuki with a giant hug.
Yotsuba followed Raiha and greeted her sisters with a cautious hug.
"When did you get here," Nino asked somewhat pointedly.
"Yotsuba-san came last—" Itsuki quickly covered Raiha's mouth and pulled her through the entrance. "Come, Raiha-chan. Let's go get some bags," she said, exiting the door.
Nice save, Itsuki. Yotsuba thought. "I got here just this morning. We met at the station," Yotsuba lied for the second time this morning. She and Futaro exchanged looks, praying silently that he'd go along with her little lie. She was terrified of Nino's reaction if she found out that she had spent the night with Futaro.
"Oh? I thought that all the train services were suspended," Nino probed, taking out her phone, presumably to google the train times.
Oh no! The trains! Yotsuba panicked. She cursed herself for telling such a flimsy lie.
"Black card!" Futaro shouted unexpectedly.
"What?" Miku tilted her head.
"She used your dad's Black Card just like Nino did when we needed to take that last-minute emergency train." Futaro cleared his throat. "Isn't that right?" He urged Yotsuba, once again locking eyes.
"Oh— yeah," Yotsuba caught on. "I don't have the card, but I was able to memorize the numbers," she mouthed 'thank you,' to Futaro behind Miku's back.
"Wow, Daddy is going to be upset when he realizes how much we spent on train tickets," Nino said anxiously.
Just then, Itsuki and Raiha reentered through the front door. "Big Brother!" Raiha called out, shaking her phone in his direction. "Dad called! He's asking if you started cleaning yet!" She pinched her phone between her shoulder and her cheek. "Yeah, dad I told him. But he's irresponsible and just playing with Yotsuba and the rest of Itsuki's sisters."
"Hey!" Futaro called out after Raiha. "Let me talk to him!" He exited the room, leaving Yotsuba with her sisters.
"Well, I guess we are burning daylight," Miku pulled Nino away to rake small debris floating on the water.
Yotsuba was relieved that Nino seemed to have been satisfied with Futaro's lie. Miku would likely piece the truth together, but she didn't think Miku would be too upset with her. She returned to work, running the large tube through the back of the building and turning on the small yellow pump, which roared to life. Slowly the brackish water siphoned out of the kitchen floor. Meanwhile, Yotsuba grabbed a mop and drained the rest of the saline water out with Itsuki's help. After a few hours, they exchanged the mops for absorbable rags—the kind Yotsuba used at elementary school to clean classrooms—to absorb the remaining water. Nino and Miku dusted the appliances and the walls of the dining area and carefully discarding the spider webs that formed near the ceiling in the corners. Yotsuba piled high soggy boxes of paperwork on a red children's pull wagon and dumped them by the corner of the street. Together they sorted through documents, keeping old photographs, tax documents, school forms, and other old receipts.
The sun slowly crept across the sky, and morning became midday.
"Hey everyone, I brought lunch!" Itsuki called out to the rest after leaving for a short while to a convenience store nearby. "Let's take a break,"
Yotsuba peeled the front of her shirt from her sweaty skin, grateful for the break. She noticed Raiha trying to carry a box that nearly towered over her. As Raiha began to lose balance, Yotsuba dashed to her, grabbed the box, and placed it on the counter.
"Thanks, Big Sis Yotsuba," Raiha grinned in that childishly infectious way that she loved. Out of the corner of her eye, Yotsuba caught Nino watching them through the kitchen window. A thought suddenly came to her. Maybe I should extend an olive branch.
"Hey Raiha-chan," Yotsuba said, kneeling to her level. "So here's the deal, I want you to think of all of us as your sisters. Itsuki, Miku, Nino, Ichika too. We all care for your brother soooooo much, and we all know how much he loves you. So it's like we're family. You don't have to be so formal okay? Can you do that for me?" Yotsuba smiled.
"I can call you sisters?" Raiha said with a twinkle in her eye. "I've never had a big family before. This will be so much fun! Thank you, Yotsuba!" She threw her arms around her in a tight, sweaty hug. Yotsuba glanced up at Itsuki and Miku, who smiled back at her. Nino simply stared back at Yotsuba and Raiha and turned away, but this time Yotsuba could tell her gaze was softer this time around. Maybe this time, I made some progress.
Just then, Futaro entered the dining area, wheezing like a dying man. "What're you doing?"
"Big Brother, I just got five new sisters!" Raiha cheered. "You're not the favorite anymore!"
"Wha—?" He raised his eyebrow. Yotsuba stood up and rested her hand on his shoulder in an 'I'll explain later' gesture. "Come, let's eat."
Itsuki distributed a pair of rice balls, sandwiches, and cold bottles of barley tea and energy drinks.
"Ugh, I feel like I've only been eating convenience store food the entire weekend," Futaro said, stuffing his face with a whole rice ball. "Not bad, though, I guess."
"Big Brother, don't speak with your mouth full in front of ladies," Raiha scolded.
"You're right that it's kind of bad, though," Miku took a sip from her tea. "Nino has been practicing these delicious meat pie this month. Maybe we can send you home with one. I made some fresh pastry bread just this morning," Miku offered.
Nino appeared startled to have been suddenly volunteered by Miku. She nodded somewhat awkwardly. "Y-yeah, Fuu-kun. I can make you one tonight. I don't think you can leave until Monday evening anyways, right? The trains are not in service yet. I checked."
"That would be great, Nino. Thank you!" Futaro smiled, perhaps thinking of the delicious food that Nino would undoubtedly make for him. Yotsuba and Miku made eye contact. She had quickly caught on that Miku was trying to rebuild Nino's connection to Futaro. It's amazing how close she and Nino are these days.
"By the way, what's in the box, Raiha-chan," Itsuki said, taking a large bite from a spicy curry meat bun.
"Oh, this? These are just some pictures dad asked me to get. Baby pictures and stuff, I guess," She patted the box. "But there's more than I thought, and it got heavy—"
Raiha was interrupted by all four of the girls rushing her. "There's baby photos of Futaro in here!" Yotsuba said with a sparkle in her eyes. They tore the box open, each taking out deep burgundy leather-bound photo albums and flipping them open on the newly cleaned counter.
"Ooo! Look! Here's a picture of baby Raiha standing in her playpen! Look at her onesie! So cute! Is that a bear?" Itsuki giggled.
"Look at how mad Futaro looks in this one," Miku laughed, passing a photo to Nino.
"Uesugi-san is such a good photographer. A lot of these were shot really well, and they're preserved so perfectly!" Itsuki flipped through the album, occasionally peeling back the protective plastic to get a better look.
"Woah! Isanari-san looks so hot holding Raiha here. Like a manly single dad. Maybe I'll keep this one," Nino commented.
"Nino, he is a single dad," Itsuki corrected.
"Oh yeah! Hmm, you might have a new rival Itsuki," Nino joked, pretending to pocket the photo.
"What is that supposed to mean!" Itsuki snorted.
"—Please don't take any of the photos," reaching over the Itsuki and swiping the photo away from Nino.
Something caught Yotsuba's eye. "No way!" She said with a slight gasp. She pulled out a beautifully preserved picture of a young Futaro smiling ear to ear, throwing his body across his mother's lap. He looked way younger in the photo than when they first met in Kyoto, but she could still spot his mean eyes and short straight hair immediately. His head was about two sizes too big for the rest of his body, and he seemed short for his age. His mother turned her head to face the camera. Her hair was long and elegant, and her features were soft and regal. She looked like a queen and seemed to glow in the photo. She looked so happy with her children. In her hands, she was cradling a tiny baby.
"Futaro! It's you!" She squeaked. "You and baby Raiha-chan look so cute!"
The rest of the girls cooed around Yotsuba. "Oh my goodness! Raiha-chan, have you seen the photo? You were so tiny!" Itsuki asked, gesturing for Raiha to get closer.
"I… I'm okay. I need to use the restroom," Raiha's expression turned dark. She quickly disappeared to the back of the cafe. Confused, Yotsuba met Futaro's gaze, who silently pursed his lips. Yotsuba took another look at the photo, only now realizing that his mother was bedridden and connected to several machines. This was taken at the hospital. The smiles in the photograph took on an entirely different meaning. Raiha-chan is about six years younger than Futaro. She's eleven now…
Futaro pushed through Nino and Itsuki, taking the picture in his hands.
"Hey! We were looking at that!" Nino complained.
"I don't know if it's a good idea if we snoop through dad's stuff like this," he said stiffly.
Nino began to protest, but Raiha returned a minute later, waggling her phone. "Big Brother! Dad called again. He's asking if you're going to visit at any point today."
Yotsuba leaped at the opportunity to change the subject. "We need to visit the hospital anyways, right? I'd like to see how your dad is doing anyways," she was quietly grateful for Raiha's timing.
"Well, I guess you have a point, but, you know… your dad," Futaro murmured. "Also, I feel bad about leaving everyone else with all this work."
"It's okay, Uesugi-san!" Itsuki smiled. "You and Yotsuba should go. Besides, look at all this!" She gestured towards all the boxes on boxes pushed against the walls of the cafe. "There's no way we'll clean up everything by today. It won't make much of a difference if you two leave early," Itsuki winked at Yotsuba.
"Alright then, Let's go!" Yotsuba said. "Raiha-chan, you are in charge of all the cleaning. Don't let Nino steal any photos of your dad!"
Raiha playfully saluted back. "Yes, Big Sis Yotsuba!"
Futaro and Yotsuba exited the cafe, ignoring Nino's complaints and Miku and Itsuki's laughs.
They walked to the edge of the street, where Futaro swiftly flagged down a taxi.
"The Futaro I know would never waste money on a taxi! City life has changed you! You're no longer a country bum," Yotsuba teased.
Futaro shrugged his shoulders, "I guess a bit of the city has rubbed off on me after all. Or maybe that's just Ichikas bad spending habits," He opened the door to let her in. he told the driver to take them towards the central hospital. "And I'm not country bum!" He scoffed. "Though my student, Kotaro-kun, might disagree." They watched the taxi pull out onto the main road, avoiding the occasional bits of debris still left on the road.
"So hey, Futaro? How old were you when your mom died?" She asked, breaking the silence. She could just make out his reflection in the window of the taxi. His expression was blank, and she wondered if she should have brought it up at all. "I thought I mentioned it before. I was six. Almost seven, actually."
"That was spring, right? It must have been hard with so many things happening at once."
"It was. I missed my elementary school graduation that year. No birthday party either. Not that I cared about that at the time. Why do you ask?"
"Oh," Yotsuba held her breath. "It's just that I realized that Raiha-chan looked pretty young in that photo you took," her voice trailed off.
"Yeah, she was. She was about three months old or something like that."
"I see," She said, feeling she'd been punched in the gut. Among all the photos that Isanari-san had taken of Raiha and Futaro, Yotsuba couldn't think of one picture of Raiha and her mom outside of a hospital room.
The taxi stopped at a red light for an unbearably long time. She took Futaro's hand. "Do you want to tell me about the Kota twins instead?" she offered.
He watched her somewhat trepidatiously. "Yeah, I think I'd like that."
He started somewhat awkwardly but quickly became engrossed in talking about his work. She could tell he found a lot of pride in teaching them. Yotsuba admired Futaro's animated face as he told her about the twins he tutored with Takebayashi. She listened intently, ignoring the slight pang of jealousy that rose deep within her whenever she was mentioned. She marveled at how quickly Futaro had become invested in ensuring his students passed their classes. She teased him about his militant studying style.
"Please try not to overwork them," Yotsuba said as the taxi pulled up to the hospital's drop-off site.
"I don't overwork them!" He exhaled loudly. "I know that they're capable of a lot more than the five—"
Yotsuba glared at Futaro. "Five what?"
"I… forgot what I was going to say," Futaro pulled on his hair. Together they entered the hospital and navigated the plain, antiseptic-scented hallways to Futaro's father's room. They peeked into the room slowly.
"Hi, dad," Futaro said, a bit unsure of himself. "How are you doing?"
"Hi, Son!" his dad said, more energetically than Yotsuba was expecting. "Come on in! They just brought me this awful fruit cup thing. Do you want it?"
"Umm—I'm good," Futaro said. "I brought Yotsuba over to say hi," he stepped aside.
She poked over Futaro's shoulders. "Good afternoon, Uesugi-san…" her voice trailed at the end. Why am I so nervous?
"Oh, none of that!" Futaro's dad's voice boomed. "We've been through this before. I am not old enough to be —san, anything. Isanari, please."
Yotsuba gulped. He had introduced her as his girlfriend before, but Yotsuba felt just as awkward as the first time. All she could think was how usually meeting the parents is the last step before a guy proposes.
Maybe Futaro wasn't joking around that time back in high school—
"Yotsuba?" Futaro raised his eyebrow. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, yes. Sorry!" She said, feeling quite hot under her collar. She turned to Futaro's dad. "Nice to see you're okay, Isanari…san."
Isanari smiled warmly. "I suppose that's as good as we're going get this time. I had the same problem with all your sisters, you know."
"Dad," Futaro said, covering his face. "Can we not make this into a thing? You've met before."
"True," He laughed. "How's the cleaning going? I'm sorry I can't help," Isanari said, changing the subject.
"There's a lot to do. We're not going to finish this weekend. We did figure out how to pump all the water out. But most of the documents and photos are ruined," Yotsuba said.
"Oh, you were never going to finish today. Repairs will take ages!" Isanari took a sip of water. "And photos can be reprinted. What kind of freelance photographer would I be if I didn't keep the raws stored safely? By the way, Son, a specialist, came by earlier this morning. They ran some tests. Long story short, I'm not going to be able to walk for a while without some kind of help. So I'm going to need you to drop out," Isanari said plainly.
She could feel Futaro's body go stiff. "Dad, what?"
"I'm joking, Son. But yeah, my leg is broken in three places, torn tendons and two torn ligaments. And honestly, the specialist said I'm lucky that some palettes broke my fall. It could have been much worse, according to them."
"Seriously, dad. Can you stop playing around?"
"I'm not, Son. It's going to be a while before I'm okay to work again," Isanari grimaced. He picked up the forgotten fruit cup and offered it to Yotsuba, who took it wordlessly. "It's a total tear."
Yotsuba felt her stomach drop. "A total tear? So the MCL, PCL, and ACL were completely torn? You'll need PT and medication. And even that doesn't guarantee full movement and— no offense— but at your age Isanari-san, it's going to take some time."
Futaro craned his neck up to Yotsuba. "MC… AC… PT? Did you take an anatomy class you didn't tell me about?"
Yotsuba shook her head. "No, I know it from sports. A full tear is a runner's worst nightmare— any athlete, truthfully," she glanced pitifully at Futaro's dad. "I imagine even a few months' recovery would be tough in his position."
"Hey, don't go burying me just yet," Isanari grimaced. "But Yotsuba-chan's got the right idea. My recovery will take some time, and in that time, I won't be able to work. Raiha is too young to work too—"
"I'll do it you know? I'll drop out," Futaro interrupted. "I'll defer my next semester and work more hours."
"No, you absolutely will not!" Isanari barked, making Yotsuba wince. "Son, I will never forgive you if you put this ahead of your future."
"But dad, can't you see that you need help—"
"I am your father. I will provide. Your mother would never forgive me if I didn't do everything in my power to take care of you children."
"But mom's cafe— It was her dream," Futaro said with a hint of pain in his voice. Yotsuba rubbed his shoulders in support.
"I know. But trust me, I will do everything I can to keep her memory alive. I am not as thoughtless as to disrespect her wishes. Please give me more credit than that, Son. I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't convinced that there was some way for all of us to get what we want. Your mother once told me that I can be a very shrewd man," he said with a seriousness that truly reminded Yotsuba that he was Futaro's father. "Besides, I think working with Maruo wouldn't be such a bad idea. Our families are pretty intertwined as it is," he winked at Yotsuba.
"Please don't say stuff like that so openly. And the whole "manly" thing doesn't suit you either," Futaro sighed. "At least let me help with Raiha's school uniform."
Isanari and Futaro locked eyes for what seemed like ages. Yotsuba felt tense as if they were going to burst into shouts at any moment. She could now see plain as day where Futaro gets his hardheadedness. For all the tension in the room, Yotsuba sensed another strange feeling bubbling inside her. She liked it when Futaro was pushy.
"Fine," Isanari finally said. "You can help your baby sister. I'm sure that it'll be a nice surprise for her. But you have to promise me you won't overextend yourself. School comes first."
Futaro and Yotsuba spent the rest of the afternoon catching up with Isanari on everything they had been doing while they were away. Yotsuba appreciated the way that Isanari smiled and nodded at every word Yotsuba said. He made her feel like she was the only person in the room. It was similar to how Futaro made her feel. She was noticed and acknowledged.
"By the way, dad, we found this at the cafe. I thought you might want it," Futaro pulled out the photo from earlier.
"Oh!" Isanari said, suddenly recognizing it. "I thought I had collected all your mom's photos in my room. I must have missed this one," he stared at the picture fondly. "She looks so beautiful here, doesn't she?"
"She does, Isanari-san," Yotsuba smiled. "Raiha-chan looks just like her."
Isanari gently thumbed the photo in his hand. "She's going to cause so much trouble when she's older," he chuckled. "Yotsuba-chan, you're going to have to guide her. You and your sisters are in charge of teaching your new baby sister right from wrong."
Yotsuba's eyebrows raised. "You know about that?"
"Mmhm, she told me," Isanari nodded. "She's quite excited to have so many new sisters." Isanari admired the photo for a few seconds before handing it back. "Here you are, Son, you keep it," he said while passing the photo back to stunned-looking Futaro.
"You don't want it, dad?"
"No. I don't," he pushed it away gently to Futaro's chest. "I have plenty of photos of my beautiful wife."
"But the memories, dad…."
"I have you and Raiha," Isanari clarified. "I don't need more photos. And the cafe is finally in the hands of people that can possibly bring new life to it— to build on your mother's memory," Isanari coughed. Yotsuba's rubbed the corners of her eyes, hiding the fresh tears.
"Dad, aren't you being a little too casual about this?" Futaro asked, trying to mask his hurt. He took a seat on the gurney. "Mom's cafe is ruined. The floor is waterlogged, and the appliances are all short-circuited. The booths and tables will have to be replaced too, not to mention all our soiled stuff is still in there. Is this even fair to Yotsuba's dad?" Futaro trailed off. Isanari watched him with a sad, gentle smile.
"Son, Maruo offered us a good deal. It would be foolish not to take the money. As a matter of fact, he offered me a bit more this morning. At first, I refused, but then he threatened to raise my medical bill, so I wasn't in the position to take the moral high ground."
"He offered you more?" Futaro said in suprise.
Isanari nodded. "Yup! So be grateful for the money that fell on our laps!" Isanari chucked. "You have to learn to let things go, Son."
"Let things go. Keep the memories. But move on. You're getting old enough to realize life is just getting started. So Let. Things. Go," Isanari was interrupted by the five pm town chime. Somehow, Yotsuba was relieved to hear such a familiar tune. He glanced at the clock above the door. "Oh my! I didn't realize how late it was!" Don't you have a meeting with Chief of Medicine-san?"
Yotsuba's jaw dropped. "You know about that?"
"Fathers know everything," Isanari winked. Yotsuba flushed red and covered her face. She wanted to melt into a puddle, slip through the drainage pipe, and out into the open seas.
"Yotsuba-chan can stay here. Go now! Shoo shoo!" He urged.
Futaro and Yotsuba exchanged panicked looks. Please Save Me! Painted plainly on his face. What am I supposed to do about this? Yotsuba's eyes widened. Miku taught her all about this from her history books. It was an old military tactic: divide and conquer. She turned back to Isanari, who wore an unmistakably devilish grin—could he have been waiting for this moment all day?
She tried to rub his shoulders. "Good luck," she whispered in his ear. He wordlessly exited the room.
"So, Yotsuba-chan, tell me about your running?" Isanari said, hardly containing his laughter.
"What? I thought you were going to ask about—"
"About you staying the night with Futaro? Maruo called me last night to tell me," Isanari broke into fits of laughter. "He—he wanted to ask if I had approved!" He held his sides. "Oh ouch, that hurts."
"Dad called you!?" Yotsuba felt lightheaded. "Is he mad?"
Isanari waved his hand in front of his face, still laughing. "Your dad is... well, he's a dad. A dad of five beautiful, wild young women. What do you expect?"
Yotsuba felt her skin boiling.
"Ah, don't stress too much," he added. "I think he understands that you're growing up. I told him my son is a respectful young man. And he's too clueless to pick up on those cues right away, and my apartment doesn't give you guys any real privacy, so I was pretty convinced that your intentions were pure."
Yotsuba gulped. Maybe not so pure. She thought to herself. "Thank you, Isanari-san. I was just trying to be there for him and Raiha-chan," Isanari sat up on the bed. Yotsuba went to his side and fluffed up his pillow to help him sit up more. "Well, my running times have been steadily improving."
"Tell me more," Isanari smiled.
"My coach and team captain say I'm making great strides for a first year. I was invited to participate in this really important race…."
An hour later, Yotsuba and Futaro left the hospital. The sun crept below the horizon, bathing the street in a fiery orange glow. "Your dad seems in high spirits," she said to Futaro as they exited the hospital. His pale face betrayed the aloofness of his words. He looked like he had just run a marathon.
"He's always like that. I swear he is the biggest faker," she rolled her eyes.
"I don't know about that. It just seemed serious. Is it true that he has access to highly potent poisons?" Futaro asked with genuine concern.
"I'm not sure. Maybe Nino would know more," Yotsuba tapped her chin. She reached out and tried to grab Futaro's hand. He pulled away as if her touch burned him.
"Not—not so close to the hospital," Futaro murmured.
Yotsuba grinned and threw her arms around Futaro. "Hey, dad! Futaro and I are touching!" She shouted. "Come and stop us!"
"Cut that out!" He gently shoved her with his shoulder.
"Thank you for seeing my dad," Yotsuba giggled. "I think it was very brave of you. It made for a very unusual date. But it was still a nice date."
"This was a date? We just visited my bedridden dad."
"Ah, and you were also mortally threatened by dad. Don't forget that one. "Will you tell me what he told you?"
"Never in a million years. That conversation dies with me."
Yotsuba snorted. "He likes you. I can tell. Though, maybe you're right. This wasn't a date."
"Woah, wait a minute!" Futaro protested.
"Too late!" Yotsuba huffed. "Take a page from your dad's book. Be manly!" Yotsuba teased. She found his frustration slightly amusing.
"Seriously," Futaro exhaled loudly. Suddenly he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her down an alley.
"Hey! What are you doing!" She protested.
"Stop complaining! Come!" He commanded, leading them through a small opening past some bushes the storm had knocked over. Yotsuba realized that the wild grass had suddenly become more manicured. They came to a large field that opened to a soccer pitch. At the far end, some swings seemed immaculately maintained.
"Futaro, are we?"
"My old junior high school," he finally answered. "I realized we were nearby, and I guessed they never fixed the broken fence in the back. I'm glad I was right. Would a pair of swings help make this feel like more of a date?"
Yotsuba bumped her shoulder against Futaro, "hmm, mayyyybe… Race you!" She took off in a sprint. It took Futaro a whole second longer to realize what had happened. He tried hard to keep up, but he's no runner. Yotsuba slowed to about a third of her usual pace, handily beating Futaro to the swings. "I win yet again!" She cheered as she spun on her heel to face her boyfriend, who already looked like he was about to keel over.
"You… You cheated," Futaro panted. "It would have been more fair if we did a countdown."
"I never pegged you for a sore loser, Futaro. Come on! Liven up!" She smacked his back.
She grazed her hand along the polished metal chains of the swings. "These are surprisingly very nice. They must be pretty sturdy to survive last night's storm."
"I'm even more surprised that the sand isn't entirely flooded here," he panted. "So, does it feel like a date yet?"
"Maybe. I guess troublemaker Futaro saved your butt," Yotsuba said with a playful grin. She admired the small and humble-looking campus. The off-white walls and windows were frosted with a thick layer of lime, and it seemed like the kind of school that didn't get much funding. "You said this was your old junior high school?"
Futaro nodded. "It's a bad school, but they had a nice library. And our Sports Days were always fun."
"I'd like to think you were happy here," Yotsuba kicked up some of the moist sand. "Why don't we sit on the swings? I'm totally drained now that I think about it."
They each took one of the swings and rocked back and forth slowly and wordlessly. Yotsuba took in the peaceful quietness. Somehow the barrier of trees surrounding the school muted the sounds of the city just enough to let her think.
She remembered how in junior high school was when her running truly blossomed. It was the first time she felt distinguished among her sisters. Her running was special to her. Yotsuba Nakano… 'the athlete'. Back then, she was so happy to hear those words. She'd run harder, push faster, and jump higher just to hear how Yotsuba was better at something that made her stand apart from her sisters.
"I want to drop out from Osaka U," she blurted out, suddenly breaking the silence. She glanced at Futaro, who stared straight ahead toward his school.
"Did you hear me?" Yotsuba asked.
"I did."
"And what do you think? Aren't you going to say something?"
"I think it's fine," he replied, somewhat anticlimactically. "Is that what you want?"
Don't just ask me like that!" Yotsuba frowned. "I… I don't know. I was invited to the Olympic pre-qualifiers for my age group. It could be career-defining. Maybe we even reach the international stage."
Futaro hung on her every word. Listening without making a single noise. She found it strangely harder to talk to him about difficult things like this than her sisters. Her sisters were rude. They'd interrupt. They'd cheer, celebrate and argue-the way that sisters do. Futaro wasn't like that. At least, with her, he wasn't like that. He just listened. And his silence made her squirm on the inside.
"It sounds like it's a pretty big deal," he started. "I'm sorry. I can't be impartial in this decision, Yotsuba," Futaro cleared his throat. "On the one hand, I want you to follow your dreams. But If you were to drop out, we would have new opportunities." He tugged on the ends of his hair again.
"Opportunities? Like what?"
"Are you really going to make me say it? You know, taking that next step and all that," Futaro groaned.
Yotsuba blinked. "You're asking me to move in with you?" Her brain flooded with images of her and Futaro living in a tiny cute Tokyo apartment, cooking dinner, and working two jobs to make rent. She could imagine them sharing the same bed at night and enjoying the same morning walks. "What would I do in Tokyo?" She asked.
Futaro sighed. "Exactly. We have to be rational here. If this race is as important as you say it is, it would be a crime to turn your back on your responsibilities. You must have people counting on you. Your coach? Maenaka-san? I know that your friend Inoue-san would be pretty upset if you dropped out."
"When you put it that way, now I just feel more guilty," Yotsuba kicked up some more sand. They swung softly in silence. The gentle breeze whipped Yotsuba's hair slightly, tickling her neck.
"Do you see that fence at the far end?" Futaro pointed.
Yotsuba squinted her eyes, a little glad she didn't have Nino or Itsuki's eyesight. "Yes. What about—"
"Let's race. If I win, you drop out and move in with me in Tokyo."
Yotsuba swallowed. "And If I win?"
"I guess if you win, you get to decide if I drop out. That seems fair," Futaro smirked.
"You're out of your mind," Yotsuba smirked dryly. "As if you'd drop out because of a silly race."
"I'm a man of my word. Just like my old man," Futaro said, fiery with determination. He held out his hand. "Are you going to chicken out?"
Yotsuba hesitated. Just how serious was he about this? Yotsuba took his hand and shook it. "You honestly couldn't think of a less awkward way to ask me to move—hey!" Right as she was getting ready to tease Futaro again, he took off faster than she'd ever seen him go before. Yotsuba's competitive spirit took over. She sprinted after him, quickly making up the distance Futaro had gained by getting the jump on her. His form was poor, and she could already tell that his top speed was peaking, but she was stunned that he was honestly trying to win!
She pushed a little harder. Steadily controlling her breathing, she knew she couldn't reach top speed in the soft grass beneath her feet—but that wasn't necessary— Futaro was already slowing down. She could hear his sharp, labored breathing. Her lead grew greater by the second. She turned around when she reached the fence and watched Futaro wheeze closer. His running had become even more uncoordinated. Suddenly, his feet slipped out from under him, and he fell on the muddy grass, right on his rear. Yotsuba jogged to him, taking his arm and pulling him up in one fluid motion.
"Ah! Are you trying to pull it out of its socket!" Futaro complained, dusting off his pants.
"Sorry, sorry. Are you okay?"
"I guess. You really couldn't let me have one, could you?" he grunted, trying to wipe off a grass stain on his pants.
"That's what you get for cheating."
"You cheated first," he frowned. He looked like that impish kid from his old photos. Deep down, he was still the same boy she had met all those years ago.
"Be honest. You knew you were never going to win that one," Yotsuba scratched her cheek.
"Maybe so. But I bet myself that if you truly wanted to drop out, you'd let me win."
"You tricked me!? This was all a whole reversal psychology trick?"
"It's reverse psychology," Futaro straightened his back, looking pleasantly smug.
Yotsuba took Futaro's hand and pulled him to her, kissing him on the cheek. "Right, so now your punishment! I get to decide if you drop out?"
A look of fear flashed on Futaro's face. "Yes, I suppose."
"Don't worry. I won't make you drop out," Yotsuba beamed from ear to ear. "But in exchange, you must miss two days of school to watch my heats for the pre-qualifiers."
"I have to miss two days?"
"Yup! And I want no complaints from you!" She held his hands, quietly thankful to the people in her life who clearly understood her better than she understood herself.
Yotsuba returned home well after the sun had come down. She was relieved to discover that the old password to the apartment still worked. She worried that her sisters had changed the combination while she was away. Swinging the door open, Yotsuba quietly announced that she was home. She quickly crossed the living room and exited the sliding door at the rear of the apartment to the balcony, exhaling with relief.
"Woah! It's so muggy out here! When did you get home?" Itsuki stepped through their balcony door a moment later, resting her arms on the railing just a little away from Yotsuba.
"Sorry, I thought no one was home," Yotsuba sighed. "I just came out for some fresh air," she stared up at the slightly clouded night sky.
"No, It's just usually me at this time. Miku and Nino had some school stuff to do," Itsuki shrugged. "So, did you have a good time with Uesugi-kun?"
Yotsuba nodded. "Yeah, I had a good time. Thank you for bailing us out of cleaning."
"I just thought it would be nice since you two haven't seen each other in a while. So," Itsuki said in a way that Yotsuba could sense an awkward question coming. "I heard from Miku that you were thinking of dropping out?" she seemed stiff, and her tone was strangely tense. It almost looked like she was shivering, despite the balmy summer air.
Yotsuba exhaled loudly. "Oh, about that. I thought you were going to ask about… never mind," she shook her head. "I was going to. But Futaro talked me out of it."
"Did he give you one of his trademark scoldings?"
"No, actually," Yotsuba replied. "He was strangely understanding. He also knows I don't like half-assing things."
"Half-assing?" Itsuki raised her eyebrow. "Since when have you started cussing?"
"I've done a lot of growing up in college, Itsuki!" Yotsuba pouted. "He raced me. He bet that if he won, I'd drop out and move in with him in Tokyo. He didn't win."
"That's dumb," Itsuki laughed. "And very like Uesugi-kun."
"Very true. But it helped me make up my mind. I'm going to compete in the Olympic pre-qualifiers this fall."
"They have qualifiers? Wait, they have pre-qualifiers," Itsuki said, mouth agape. "Come to think of it, none of us have ever been invited to 'prequalify' for anything that didn't have something to do with dad's credit. Congratulations, Yotsuba!"
"Thaaaaanks. It's in October. I'll text the group chat with the date if you're interested in watching," Yotsuba reached over the railing, popping her back. "Ahh, so good!" She moaned.
"Stop that! That's dangerous!" Itsuki warned.
"Woah! So that's your teacher voice!" Yotsuba teased. "So scary!"
"I mean it, stop," Itsuki huffed. "But actually, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."
Yotsuba hung her arms limply over the railing. "Yeah? What is it?"
Itsuki smacked her sister's shoulder, "can you please take this seriously? It's important!"
"Okay, okay, sorry," Yotsuba straightened out. "What did you want to talk about?" Her smile dropped the second she looked back at Itsuki, whose expression was deadly serious.
Itsuki exhaled deeply. "Uesugi-kun knows about Hawaii."
Yotsuba's heart sank to the floor. All the lightness she felt from her date with Futaro was gone- replaced with squeezing knots in her stomach. "What do you mean?" She asked. "How could he know?"
Itsuki looked out to the stars. "Uesugi-kun is much more intuitive than we give him credit for."
"Itsuki…" she asked slowly. "Did you tell him I asked you to pretend to be Rena?"
"No," Itsuki shook her head. "He doesn't know that you asked me to do it. He doesn't know that. He didn't say it outright, but I think he figured out that I was her. Hawaii was one time too many."
Itsuki exhaled once again. "But that's not the biggest thing. I've been lying to you."
Yotsuba noticed her sister's eyes glisten. She took Itsuki by the hand. "Woah, Itsuki wha—" Suddenly, her sister buried her head into Yotsuba's shoulder, wrapping her arms tightly around her.
"I kissed Uesugi-kun," Itsuki hiccuped.
Yotsuba was stunned. Frozen. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She could have imagined dozens of scenarios that could have made Itsuki this upset. But never once would she have guessed that she would have kissed Futaro. She finally swallowed and put her hand on her sister's shoulders. "How… How did it happen?"
"I got carried away," Itsuki tied to control her hiccuping. "Back in Hawaii. I was trying to get him to answer questions about Rena- for you, you know? But one thing led to another. I tried to ignore the feelings in my heart, but before I knew it, I kissed him."
"Back in Hawa—Why did you keep it secret so long? Wait, so you wanted to kiss him?" Yotsuba struggled to form all the questions buzzing in her head into words.
"To be honest, I thought he would have told you long ago. Maybe he wasn't sure who it was until now," Itsuki said. "I had no intention of doing it. But, I guess I have feelings towards Uesugi-kun that only bubble up when I'm around him. Yotsuba… I don't know what I was thinking. I don't even know why I kept it secret, but It's not Uesugi-kun's fault," Itsuki gripped Yotsuba's arms as if she was going to fly away. "He didn't kiss me back!" She quickly added.
Yotsuba felt stunned. There was a disconnect between her ears and her brain. She heard the words, but they were difficult to thought of the night before their trip to Hawaii, remembering how Yotsuba begged her sister to trick her boyfriend one last time to assuage her insecurities."I need to make sure, Itsuki. Could you do this for me? I can't live like this, knowing that I have… this imaginary girl casting a shadow all over my relationship. I need to know if he still thinks of her. If he still thinks of Rena. And before you start, I know I should just let it go, but I can't. I just can't, Itsuki! Now, the memory filled Yotsuba with bile. "Wait, that still doesn't explain how Futaro figured out you were Rena," Yotsuba realized.
"So last night—" Itsuki said, barely louder than a whisper.
"You kissed him again?" Yotsuba braced herself.
"No! I swear I was trying to fix his hair! But I guess last night I felt myself losing myself around him," she continued.
"What on earth does that mean!"
"I mean… you know… that weird moment when two people are super close that you see in Ichika's movies before someone dies? It was that kind of moment," Itsuki tripped over her words.
"So you thought about kissing him again?"
"No! Well—yes. Maybe."
"Oh my God, Itsuki!" She gently pulled her sister's hands off her. "I can't even look at you right now. Is that why you've been working extra hard to give us some alone time? Is this some weird guilt thing? Don't think I didn't notice."
Before Yotsuba could fully escape, Itsuki threw her arms around her again, linking her hands together and locking them tightly. "No, Yotsuba, listen to me. He loves you. I can tell that Rena is a long-gone memory to him. He doesn't think about Nino, Miku, or even me—The way he looks at you is not the way he looks at us. But please, trust me as your sister. I've always been on your side. Whenever you needed Rena, I was there. Whenever you needed support, I was there," Itsuki's bloodshot eyes filled with tears again. "Please, please don't hate me. This was all on me. It was a stupid mistake that won't happen again." The muggy night air was stiff and stale. It hung like a cloud surrounding them, suffocating them.
"Do you have feelings for him?" Yotsuba whispered.
Itsuki's lip quivered. "I think so. But I don't care about that. I'll support you two, no matter what. I am your sister," Itsuki took Yotsuba's hands which hung limply at her sides. "Not as Rena, but as Itsuki. That's why I felt like I needed to tell you. I said the same thing to Uesugi-kun. I promised I'd do whatever I could to support you both."
"You also promise not to suck his face off?" Yotsuba said with a touch of venom.
"Yotsuba, please!" Itsuki shook Yotsuba's arms.
Yotsuba wanted to yell. She wanted to yell at Ichika last year for pretending to be Miku and almost ruining their trip to Kyoto. She wanted to yell at Miku and Nino for throwing themselves at Futaro for months while she watched from the background. She wanted to yell at Itsuki too, for breaking her trust. It all made her stomach twist into knots.
"Do you ever feel like you made the wrong choice that night?" She remembered asking Futaro once in a moment of vulnerability. "You had the pick of the litter."
"I meant it when I said I loved all five of you. But I knew in my heart that my love for them was not the same love I have for you. They'll accept it in time—even Nino's anger will eventually pass. Give them time." Thinking back on it now, he was probably trying to convince himself just as much as he was trying to reassure her.
"Geez, what a mess," Yotsuba said quietly. Her tears blurred her vision. "I don't even know what to think, Itsuki," she paused. " I still want to trust you. I'm just confused. Why did you do it? Why did it happen?"
Itsuki tugged at the ends of her hair the same way a child would when caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "It's not easy, you know. Watching you, Nino, Miku, and Ichika all become such amazing people? High school feels like so long ago, and yet, I feel like I haven't changed one bit. I feel like I'm stuck. Miku and Nino are the star chefs of the house. Ichika's new movie is coming out soon. It's already the most anticipated movie of next year, and don't even get me started on you, miss up-and-coming global athlete. What was it you said just now? Olympic Pre-Qualifiers?"
Itsuki's voice gradually filled with disdain. "I'm the fifth child in a line of extraordinary sisters, and I feel forgotten. And you know? I don't even mind that all that much. I'm following my dream—my ideal. I want to be a teacher. I want to be like mom. I want to change the lives of students the same way that Uesugi-kun and our mom have. I like my job at the cram school with Shimoda-san. But, Uesugi-kun always noticed me. He's my only real friend. Sure, we always fought, but he noticed me from our first day of school. Even at our angriest, he gave me a place to stay and was mindful of my strengths and weaknesses."
Yotsuba caught a small glint of joy in her eyes. "During Hawaii, I thought that this was my last chance. I thought it would be nice if he noticed me one last time before he left. It was hard to admit, but the reality was that I was going to miss him. And so…" her voice trailed off.
"And so you kissed him," Yotsuba stroked her sister's back softly. The same way Miku had just a few days ago. "It must have been hard holding this in all this time," she said tenderly. Itsuki was her ally from the very beginning. She understood what Futaro meant to her, but Yotsuba had never considered what he might mean to Itsuki. A new feeling bubbled within her. I'm such an awful sister.
"I'm sorry Itsuki," she murmured. "I'm sorry I didn't realize your feelings. And I'm sorry that I put you in a position like that over and over again. I was so fixated on this ghost of Rena that I didn't even think about what you might be feeling," she stroked Itsuki's hair. "I'm mad at you, you know?" Itsuki nodded her head, not looking up. "But I don't know if I'll stay mad for long. And a kiss—well, it's just a kiss. You didn't do it again, and… Maybe I should feel lucky that Futaro means so much to all of us."
Itsuki wiped her tears dry on the hem of her pajamas. "You know, it's not normal to forgive and console your rival in love," she laughed. "Even Nino would tell you your crazy."
Yotsuba pursed her lips. "Nino," her voice trailed. "I suppose I've decided to let it go. You know," she said with a devilish grin. "Miku once told me about how these old Japanese warlords would—"
"We are not starting a harem!" Itsuki frowned. "That's indecent."
Yotsuba broke into a laugh. "Just kidding. Futaro is one thing I will be selfish about," Yotsuba smiled. "I hope the rest of you understand eventually."
Itsuki exhaled loudly. "Eventually," the two watched the stars above quietly for a few seconds. The warm wind picked up, offering a little relief. "Umm, I'm going to go inside. I'm a bit hungry. Want a sandwich?" Itsuki offered.
Yotsuba nodded. "I'd love one," she watched her sister enter the living room, shutting the balcony door behind her.
"Eventually, huh?" Yotsuba sighed. I wonder what it'll take to get you to see it too, Nino.
Authors Note: Yikes! Lots of things happened this chapter! In my mind I always imagined Yotsuba would be a bit more emotionally mature than the rest of her sisters, since she's spent a lot of time with her own thoughts, I figured she'd be more readily equipped to see where Itsuki was coming from than Futaro or maybe another quint would. We finally have an answer to who was the suspected Hawaii Kisser. I wonder what the consequences of her actions will be going forward? Yotsuba seemed pretty understanding.
Anyways, yes, I'm a liar. I can't keep to a deadline, unfortunately. But I will keep going! I am still confident I can publish one chapter a month, just with an asterisk now. Postgrad is pretty tough!
As always, I am grateful for the people who have left reviews and commentary on my fic. You are a constant source of inspiration and drive, and I feel like I have been writing my fic for you all as much as I am for myself. Thank you Bobalon, Segft, Bazzo, Chloetuco, The Mist33 and SuperKamehameha.
On Reddit I want to thank JOA20, thejman6, Ubberr, CaptainBalster, and JGrimshaw 123, as well as all the lovely readers on the public quintuplet discord.
Some people have asked me what I listen to while I write, so I'll add that to my notes. This chapter was Yukino's Theme from Persona 2. Give it a listen when you can.