Childhood Part VIII – Family – Start
Tsumugi gazed around her room.
It's dark-blue walls all decorated with posters of the anime and manga that she loved so dearly. The shelves on the walls, occupied by her action figures, statues, novels and manga upon manga, some of which are on a pile by the floor, waiting for her to find a place to put them on.
All of it was stuff that she loved very deeply, all of those posters, statues, figurines, all of it reminded her of the deep, almost obsessive love she had for those stories, those characters, those worlds.
They reminded her of what she loved.
' Why do you even care about this thrash anyways?'
The blue-haired girl blinked. The image of a redhead girl appearing vividly on her mind.
' You know, someone rich like you shouldn't be into this type of gross stuff.' The redhead says while holding Tsumugi's manga up in the air. 'It's not classy, ya know?" She then smashes the magazine on the ground, soon stepping on it. 'Someone of your status should be more proper, less into this weird, geeky stuff.' The girl brings a hand over her mouth and laughs. 'Or do you want to end like those, losers we see on TV? Those people that can't barely talk with other humans? Huh, do you want that, otaku-chan?' The redhead laughs, soon being followed by her friends. "Anyways, see you tomorrow otaku-chan!" The girl turns around. "And don't forget to bring my money, okay?" She smirks, before walking off, her lackeys right behind her.
Tsumugi looks around her room once again, still thinking about what the other girl said.
A knock on her door takes the girl's mind back to reality. "Tsumugi-sama?" The voice of Kubo, their family's butler, calls. "I just wanted to let you know that Kanon-sama has returned from overseas!"
Tsumugi's eyes shine behind her glasses as she jumps out of her bed. "Really Kubo-San?" She asks, getting close to the door.
"Indeed, Kanon-sama is waiting for you at the living room." The man replies, making starts jump in place excitedly.
"Thanks Kubo-San! Tell her I'm to wait just a little more!" The girl exclaims as she runs to the mirror in her room and starts fixing her hair.
"As you wish, Tsumugi-sama." With that, the man walks back downstairs.
After fixing her hair just enough to look presentable, the girl excitedly opens her room's door and runs downstairs.
Once downstairs, the girl sees a tall blue-haired woman excitedly talking with the butler. "Mama!" She yells with a big smile on her face.
"Tsumugi!" The woman turns around and runs towards her, the two embracing each other as the woman laughs. "Tsumugi, how are you doing?" Shirogane Kanon separates herself from her daughter and asks looking at the girl with a smile on her lips.
Shaking her head excitedly, the blue-haired girl says. "I'm doing great Mama! Even better now that you're here!" She then grabs the woman's hand and dashes towards the kitchen. "We have so much to catch up on!"
The woman smiles sadly. "Yes, sweetie. We have."
Makoto waves as Chiaki enters her father's car and goes away.
"I'll see you tomorrow Makoto-kun!" She yells as her father starts driving away.
"Until tomorrow!" The boy yells back with a smile on his face, after their car disappears in the sunset, he turns around and enters his home.
Inside, he takes off his shoes and walks in, the boy was about to fo straight to the stairs before stopping and looking towards the couch where his sister is sitting.
While Komaru watching TV at this time of the day wasn't strange by any means, it was her absolute vacant expression that made him worry.
"Komaru?" The boy calls, getting closer.
No response.
"Komaru?" He shakes his hand in front of her face.
Still no response.
Coughing a bit, the boy takes a deep breath. "KOMARU!" He yells and she finally looks towards him.
"Huh?" The brunette girl says before shaking her head. "Oh, it's you Onii-chan." She looks again towards the TV.
Makoto lifts a eyebrow. "Yes, it is me, who else could it be?" He then jumps on the couch by her side. "So, what's up?"
Komaru look at him and blinks. "What do you mean by that?"
The brunette boy sighs. "Well, it's not everyday that you of all people decides to watch the news." As he says that, the girl looks towards the TV and lets out a 'oh'. "So, what's wrong?"
The younger Naegi blinks, before sighing and turning to her brother. "Remember that girl you bumped into earlier today?"
His cheeks get red as he remembers how close their faces are as they fell into the floor. "Y-Yeah, I do." He coughs. "What about her?"
Komaru notice the blush, but decides to not comment on it, at least not for now. "Well…" She looks towards the television. "I think there might be some girls picking on her."
The older Naegi shakes his head. "You think?"
She nods. "Yeah. Me and my friends saw some girls tossing her manga around on the courtyard." Komaru closes her eyes. "Then, they threw it on the ground and stepped on it." Opening her eyes again, she says angrily. "And they laughed before getting out of there." She kicks her legs. "When we asked her about it, Shirogane-san said that they are her friends and that was just a joke."
"That does seem pretty cruel for a joke." Makoto comments. "Did any of you talked to the teachers about it?"
The girl nods negatively. "No." She looks back to the TV. "Hina-chan said that we should try to find out what was happening first."
"Makes sense." The brunette boy looks to the TV as the news enter their ad break.
"How so?" Komaru shoots back, not taking her eyes of the televison.
"They might start treating her even worse if someone tell the teachers." Makoto explains, making his sister close her fists. "That might be why she said they are her friends."
She hated the fact that he was right and even though she barely knew the blue-haired girl, she hated even more those girls for picking on her.
"It's so unfair." Komaru sighs, looking towards the ceiling of their house. "She seems so nice, yet they keep pick on her."
The older Naegi sighs too. "Well, that's just how things are." Silence falls as the two siblings watch a Maizono Sayaka ad about some soda, normally Komaru would sing whatever jingle those commercials had, but this time she just watched it with a troubled expression.
"I don't really know what do to." Komaru whispers, her expression saddening. "What should I do, Onii-chan?"
"Well, you should try to befriend her." Makoto suddenly says, making Komaru turn her head towards him.
"And how will that help?" She asks, unsure.
"To start, it will make her more happy." He smiles softly. "And with friends by her side, she might even tell the teachers herself."
"Are you sure about that?" Komaru watches as he nods negatively.
"Not really, but it is what I would do if it was me." Makoto closes his eyes. "Of course, you decide what you want to do."
The younger Naegi turns to face the TV again, before a smile creeps onto her face. "Okay! I decided!" She turns back towards her older brother and points to the ceiling. "I'm going to call her eat with us tomorrow!"
Makoto smiles before shuffling her hair. "Using food to befriend her? That sounds just like you." He laughs as she pouts.
"It's not my fault that Okaa-san food is amazing!" The girl retorts and Makoto laughs again.
"Yeah, you're right on that one." He gets out of the couch. "If you need help with anything, you know where to find me!" He winks and she laughs at his little joke.
"Okay, I might bring her here tomorrow, so I'll keep that in mind." The girl smiles and her brother turns around and walks towards the stairs. ' Shirogane Tsumugi-san.' Komaru smile grows as she looks back towards the TV. ' I'm gonna be your friend!' The brunette girl pumps her fist into the air.
Tsumugi couldn't contain the smile on her face.
It was quite rare for the tall girl to see her mother back home, but whatever it happened, it was some of her most treasured moments.
Right now, she's telling her mother about all the new the costumes she's made. "Oh, that sounds amazing Tsumugi." Kanon smiles as the girl nods frantically.
"Yeah and if you want, I can show them to you at the atelier tomorrow after school!" The blue-haired girl exclaims excitedly.
The smile on the older woman's face slowly fades. "Oh, uh, about that-" Tsumugi looks to her mother. "-I'll have to go do some filming tomorrow." The mother almost instantly regrets it as she sees her daughter's smile disappear. "I'm sorry, Tsumugi, but I swear-"
The young girl interrupts her mother as she lifts her arms and waves them. "No, no, I understand." She smiles sadly while adjusting her glasses. "Your next movie is going to be filmed here in Japan isn't it?" The adult woman nods. "I see, so that's why you stopped by..."
"Tsumugi…"
"It's okay Mama. I get it, you're busy filming." She turns to her mother, holding back tears. "I'm happy that you at least stopped by."
Seeing her daughter like that always made the woman's heart wrench, yet, there's nothing that she could really do. "A-Anyways-" She smiles, changing the subject. "How's school? Did you made any friends?"
Tsumugi's eyes widen. "Oh, uh…" She remembers the readhead and her lackeys. "Y-Yeah! I did." Smiling forcefully, Tsumugi looks away from her mother. "S-Some girls from my class." She drinks a bit of juice.
Kanon raises a eyebrow. "Really?" Her daughter only stutters when she's nervous.
Tsumugi quickly nods, before changing the subject once again. "A-Are you going to pass the night here?" The adult woman nods. "Great! there's this new anime I was going to watch tonight." She smiles expectantly. "Want to watch it with me?"
The older woman smiles. "Yes, Tsumugi, I would love too." She really didn't get what her daughter saw on those shows, but whatever, if her daughter was happy, so was she.
"Oh, a costume party?" Higashi asks as father and daughter get off their family car.
Chiaki nods. "Yes, Komaru-chan asked if I wanted to go." The mauve-haired man locks his car's doors and then the two walk towards the elevator. "But I wanted to ask for your permission first… I think."
The man laugh as the elevator starts going up. "Of course you can go Chiaki." He smiles while shuffling her hair a little. "We need to buy you a costume then."
The mauve-haired girl smiles. "Makoto-kun gave us the idea of going with combining costume." She looks to the door as it opens. "So we're going to the mall next week… I think."
They both stop at their apartment's door. "I see, that is a great idea." Higashi picks up his keys, but before he can open it, the door is slammed open. "But if need any mon-" He is interrupted by a shriek coming from their inside their apartment.
"DEAR!" Minako yells while trembling in place.
"Minako!" Higashi exclaims worried as he grabs onto his wife's shoulder. "What happened?"
"I-I-I-" The woman tries to speak, but nothing comes out of her mouth.
"Okaa-san!" Chiaki worriedly grabs onto her mother.
"Wait here, I'm going to call an ambulance!" Higashi says desperately, but Minako grabs her husband hand and points inside the house.
"O-On the table!" She exclaims, pulling both her husband and daughter inside.
"What are you talking about?" The mauve-haired man asks as his wife guides them towards the kitchen. "What's on the table?"
When the three get in, they all see a envelope over the table.
"A envelope?" Chiaki asks, not understanding anything.
"R-Read it!" The black-haired woman hurries her husband as he grabs the sealed envelope and examines it.
"Well, it doesn't seem that stran-" He starts saying, but stops as his eyes fall onto the seal on the envelope. "W-Wait-" The man blinks before examining it again. "Isn't that-" Higashi gulps, before a shakely turning to face his wife. "-from Hope's Peak Academy?"
Chiaki's eyes widen as she hears it. "Hope's…" Her parents slowly turn their heads to her. "…Peak?" She asks, unsure.
Tsumugi sleeps soundly with her head on her mother's lap.
On the TV, a bunch of explosions happen in quick succession as a group of magical girl fly out of the dust and start striking the monster they're fighting down.
Kanon smirks as she looks down at her sleeping daughter. "I'm so sorry for not being around, Tsumugi." The blue-haired woman whispers as she careses her daughter's face.
"Kanon-sama." Kubo says while opening tje door to Tsumugi's room. "The car is ready."
The older woman nods, before carefully standing up. "You can go ahead, Kubo-san." She says and the man bows, getting out of the room.
Carefully picking Tsumugi up, Kanon carries the girl to her bed and lays her down, covering her with the sheets right after.
"Good night, dear." She bends down and kisses Tsumugi's head, before getting to the TV and turning it off. "I'll be back soon." Turning the lights off, the woman smiles sadly while watching her daughter sleeping. "I promise." Kanon closes the door.
Childhood Part VIII – Family – End
Remember when I said that this arc is goint to be a little bigger than the previous ones?
Well, it is because I have a lot of stuff to set off, and this chapter serves just that function, so it might be a little boring, but bear with me for now.
Anyways, last chapter I put a little reference to Persona 3, with the characters of Bunkichi and Mitsuko, bear in mind that when I wrote that, the trailer for P3: Reloaded hadn't been leaked yet.
So excuse me for a second while I freak the fuck out.
AHHHHHH! LET'S FUCKING GO BABY! IT'S ORPHEUS TIME! FUCK YOU P5 TACTICA! I ONLY CARE FOR MY P3 REMAKE!
Ahem, ahem. Sorry, for that, I just wanted to let that out.
Anyways, hope you all enjoyed!
See you all around!