Fuutarou 9
It's Miku's turn.
Fuutarou is nervous. When Miku was upset during the Kyoto trip, it made him feel like there was a dagger in his chest. The thought of having a potentially upsetting conversation with her now scares him.
That's why he brought backup.
"Alright, she responded to my text. We are good," Yotsuba says. She is meeting Fuutarou outside the Nakanos' apartment building. Fuutarou follows her absentmindedly, thinking about what to say to Miku.
"Hold my hand, you dork."
Fuutarou looks down and notices that she has been trying to grab his hand on their way up to the apartment. "Oh, my bad."
Yotsuba slaps Fuutarou hard on the back. "Quit being nervous. It's just Miku. She's not as fragile as you think she is."
"Are you sure it's okay for you to be there? I'm worried that it could be awkward, since I chose you over her."
"You're overthinking it," Yotsuba says. "Besides, Miku and I have been best friends since we were in the womb. It's pretty presumptuous of you to think your sexy eyes and your height and your tsundere charm is enough to come between us."
"Miku is your best friend? I guess I didn't really notice."
Yotsuba giggles. "I'm surprised you know me so well, because you really don't understand my sisters very much. Especially Miku and Nino. Let me explain, I guess. We are all close, of course, but I guess you could say that there are cliques within our sisterhood. It mostly started around elementary school when Ichika became more of a bully. Me and Miku were usually the ones getting bullied, and Nino was the one usually defending us."
"Ichika was a bully?"
"Calm down. It's not like she was super mean or anything. It was just kids being immature. She never did anything really bad, just like stealing our toys and stuff."
"I'm going to see Ichika in a different light now," Fuutarou says.
"You shouldn't. She had a bully phase, and she is still a bit of a selfish bully sometimes, but mostly she is a good big sister who looks out for us."
"Well, I guess that's true. She has been really supportive lately. She's the one that suggested that I bring you with me to speak with Miku and Nino."
Yotsuba uses her card to open the door to the Nakano apartment.
"Nino isn't home, so I'm going to be greedy and get some more Fuutarou hand action." Yotsuba grabs his hand again, intertwining their fingers as they enter the apartment.
"Hand action?"
"I like your hands, okay…Don't make it weird."
"You're always weird, so it's nothing new," Fuutarou says with a chuckle.
Yotsuba opens the fridge and sets out three drinks.
"Miku's favorite is matcha soda. I got one for her, just in case she's feeling sad. Let that be a lesson for you, Mr. Grumpy. Giving a girl a tasty treat is always helpful when she's sad. Please remember that in the future."
"You want me to buy you treats?" Fuutarou rolls his eyes.
Yotsuba slaps his back again. "You figured it out. You're practically a ladies' man now."
"Is it just me, or have you been teasing me more lately?"
Yotsuba smiles and sticks out her tongue. "It's because I don't have to hold back anymore."
The two head upstairs to Miku's room and Yotsuba knocks on the door.
"Hey Miku, can I come in? I brought a weird guy I found downstairs."
"You make it sound like you brought a stray mutt home or something." Miku's voice comes from the other side of the door as she approaches to open it, and she sounds like she's in good spirits.
"Hya!" Yotsuba shoves the matcha soda into Miku's face right when the door opens.
"Hya!" Miku snatches it out of her hand and spins around like a ninja before sitting into her computer chair and cracking it open.
"Oh yeah?" Yotsuba says. "Watch this." Yotsuba tries to spin on her toe like a ballerina before falling onto a beanbag chair on the floor.
"Are you two on drugs or something?" Fuutarou says.
Both sisters start laughing.
"It's been a while since we've been able to goof off," Miku says.
"Well, you've been playing those boring political games on your computer," Yotsuba says. "We should break out the fighting games like we used it."
Yotsuba looks at Fuutarou and gestures toward the large television in Miku's room. "This is where we spent a lot of time gaming in middle school. I was always better than Miku at fighting games, but she beat me at everything else."
"Yeah, and you only beat me in fighting games because you just spam buttons and you don't pay attention to any ability combos or counters," Miku says.
"That's a legitimate strategy! Right, Fuutarou?"
Fuutarou shrugs. "I don't really know anything about fighting games, but I'm not surprised that Yotsuba wins in the dumbest way."
Miku giggles.
"Oh yeah?" Yotsuba points toward the beanbag next to her and grabs two controllers. "Let's see if you can beat me then, Mr. Genius."
"Um, no. Not happening. I will take this beanbag, though." Fuutarou plops down into the beanbag."
"Guess which-"
"This one." Fuutarou cuts off Yotsuba. "This one was yours, I'm sure. It's flatter, so it's probably missing more stuffing. How many times did you bust a hole in it?"
"She usually did it by jumping into it too hard," Miku says. "And because her butt is so big."
"Um, actually, we have the same butt," Yotsuba says.
"That may be true," Miku says, "but I never used my butt as a weapon to smash my beanbag like you used to do."
"Sure, but I was a kid then," Yotsuba says. "I'm a mature, well-behaved lady now."
Fuutarou and Miku exchange a look, and start laughing. Yotsuba pretends to pout but can't resist joining in the laughter herself.
"Oh yeah, Miku," Yotsuba says, "I have something hilarious to tell you. This big dummy didn't know that me and you are best friends. I just told him on the way up and he was surprised."
Miku almost spits out her matcha soda. "Pfft. Wow, Fuutarou, I knew you were dense, but did you really not notice? Let me guess, you had no idea that Nino and Itsuki are best friends too."
"They are?" Fuutarou says. "Well I guess I see them going out to eat together a lot."
"For a genius, you're pretty dumb sometimes," Yotsuba says.
"It was mostly middle school when we really became best friends," Miku says, "because we weren't as good at making new friends as the others. That was around the age when we wanted friends outside of us sisters, but Yotsuba and I weren't very good at it."
"Yotsuba struggled with making friends?" Fuutarou asks.
"Yeah, she was pretty insecure and nervous."
"I was going through a lot then," Yotsuba says.
"Wait," Fuutarou says, "we met in Tokyo when we were in middle school. You didn't seem like you had trouble making friends then."
Yotsuba rolls her eyes. "You must have a bad memory. Remember how I kept following you around all day? And how I said that I needed you? Of course I had trouble talking to strangers. I didn't have Miku around, so I followed you around instead."
"I had no idea. You were so cheerful and…well annoying."
Miku laughs. "She gets annoying when she likes you. She's better at talking to strangers now, but back then she was almost as bad as me. But then when she gets comfortable with you, she becomes…well…"
"A handful," Fuutarou says.
Yotsuba grins. "I guess I'm lucky that my two favorite people are willing to put up with this handful."
Miku holds up her can. "Keep bribing me with matcha soda, and maybe I'll be willing to put up with you a little longer."
Fuutarou clears his throat. "Um, so…Miku. I hoped to talk to you about something today.
"Sorry Fuutarou," Miku says. "I can't assassinate Nino for you. You don't have enough money to afford my skills." Yotsuba giggles.
"That's not…" Fuutarou is caught off guard. "By the way, what's the deal with you two? Lately, Yotsuba has been teasing me a lot more, and Miku has been cracking jokes that I'm not used to hearing from her."
Yotsuba snorts. "Why is that surprising? Miku has always been the funny one."
"Wait, what?" Fuutaroru is confused. "You're basically a clown with a green ribbon. Why are you not the funny one? Why Miku?"
Yotsuba shakes her head. "It's true what I said earlier. You really don't understand my sisters very well. Miku has always had the best jokes. You only think I'm funny because you find stupidity funny."
"That's not true," Fuutarou says.
"I guess my dry wit is too intellectual for you, Fuutarou." Miku laughs.
"I didn't think today would end up with me being bullied by the two of you," Fuutarou says.
"Well, what were you expecting?" Miku asks.
"I wanted to talk about…well…" Fuutarou pauses awkwardly. He looks toward Yotsuba for support.
Yotsuba's brand of encouragement is to kick Fuutarou's foot. "Quit being nervous, dork. It's just Miku."
"Fine, you're right. I just…Well I hate the idea of you being sad because I chose to confess to your sister instead of you." Fuutarou looks away, afraid to make eye contact with Miku.
"I don't know what exactly you're expecting from me," Miku says. "It's not like I feel entitled to date you. It's not like I'm super depressed. If anything, it's the opposite. I have had a lot more confidence lately, mostly since our Kyoto trip."
"I thought the Kyoto trip sucked for you," Fuutarou says.
"Parts of it did, of course. But by the end, I was happy. And don't go thinking that it's your fault. It's because of my sisters. Their love and support is more important than your pity."
"Oooh, savage," Yotsuba says. "I love merciless Miku."
Miku responds with a smug grin.
"So…well…" Fuutarou looks around nervously. "I want things to go back to the way they used to be. No more drama."
"Nope, not happening," Miku says. "No going back. I feel more confident, especially after telling off those idiots that were fighting at the festival. And Yotsuba feels more confident too. I can tell. So don't expect things to go back to the way they were. We aren't going back to our old problems, right Yotsuba?"
"Yes!" Yotsuba smiles.
"Okay, I guess…" Fuutarou scrambles to gather his thoughts. "What I really mean is that I want things to be okay between me and you."
"We are friends, right? And partners, at least until graduation," Miku says.
"Right, friends. What I mean is…Well, you know…I chose to confess to Yotsuba, not you. I'm sure that wasn't easy for you. I have no hard feelings toward you at all, I just don't have feelings for you like I do for Yotsuba."
"Regarding what happened with your decision at the festival," Miku says, "I have one thing to say. Something I've been thinking of saying ever since that night."
Fuutarou gulps.
Miku continues. "If you hurt Yotsuba, I will erase you from existence. I will appear from the shadows and you will never see me coming. No one will remember that you were ever born."
Fuutarou looks confused, and Yotsuba giggles.
"You don't have anything to say about not being chosen?" Fuutarou asks.
"That's a stupid question," Miku says. "You love her. You have for a while. If you chose me, it would be out of pity. That's not something I wanted. To be honest, I'm relieved that you didn't let Ichika bully you into dating her."
Yotsuba laughs. "I was actually worried about that too. Ever since Kyoto six years ago when she pretended to be me to play cards with you, I have been paranoid about her stealing you."
"Same," Miku says. "I just knew that you would end up going to Ichika's room because you're too spineless to go to the girl you actually like to be around. Apparently my opinion of you was a little too low."
"Gee thanks. I guess I'm not totally spineless." Fuutarou rolls his eyes.
"Let me get one more thing off my chest," Miku says. "Since the culture festival, you two have been walking on eggshells around us. Please don't do that for me. It just makes me lonely. Please come to my room like this and hang out with me more often. Both of you."
Miku tears up slightly, and so does Yotsuba. Yotsuba stands up from the beanbag and pounces on Miku, who is leaning back in her computer chair. Yotsuba hugs her tightly.
"I'm so sorry," Yotsuba says. "I was just being insecure and overthinking things again."
"It's okay," Miku says. "I know you better than anyone, so I know how you are. Just try not to do that anymore, okay? Frankly, it bothers me more to not see you two being lovey dovey. Things have been a roller coaster since Fuutarou barged into our lives, and I want to see a happy ending."
"Miku…" Fuutarou says. "I guess I underestimated you."
"Yeah you did, asshole." Miku says.
Yotsuba pulls free from the hug and starts laughing. "I told you she was the funny one."
"And all of her jokes are at my expense?" Fuutarou says.
Miku turns toward Yotsuba. "He's just like Itsuki. Humor is foreign to him."
"Well, he always laughs when I'm being really stupid," Yotsuba says. "I'll have to do it more often to bring out his humor."
"I didn't think it was possible for you to be more stupid," Fuutarou says.
Miku chuckles. "Well, maybe he does have just a tiny bit of humor."
Yotsuba lifts up the beanbag that she was sitting on and throws it hard at Fuutarou.
"Oh, by the way," Yotsuba says. "This nerd wants to have a slumber party to study for finals."
"Okay," Miku says.
Fuutarou scrambles to get the beanbag off him before staring at the sisters.
"You already asked her, just like that?" Fuutarou says.
"I told you that you were overthinking it, silly," Yotsuba says.