IF (Greed) Entry 1: I'm Weird
I've always known that I'm weird. For many reasons. One of them being that I was an orphan for a large part of my life. Not knowing who my biological mother and father are certainly is... hard, to say the least. For many, many reasons. My eyes are a strange shade of red, something that certainly sticks out. Before Father made me take an allergy test, I had no idea that pollen was the reason why my nose always got stuffy in spring. Another thing about my orphan status that's strange is... the disconnect I can't help but feel to my family.
"You're coming with me." were the first words that I heard from my adopted father. From Maruo Nakano. A man I respect and honestly love. Sure, he can be a bit rude and stand-offish. But that's just Father. He still takes care of me and makes sure that I'm alright. I'm a little sad to be away from Sora and Shiro, but Shiro's going to turn eighteen soon and he'll probably take Sora with him. Knowing that dumbass, I'm sure he'll find one way or another to get back into my life.
"Kuro, are you doing well?" My father asked me as he closed the front door. As usual, my father looked incredibly tired. Bags falling under his eyes and his shoulders were slumped. However, a slight smile was hidden both behind his eyes and on his face. "Finished your homework?"
"Yes, of course." Standing up from the floor, I closed the small gaming system he had given me for my birthday before walking over to him. "Did you meet with Ms. Rena again?"
Seemingly embarrassed, my father covered his face for a microsecond before dropping his hand again. His smile and optimism, gone. "Well, of course I did. But I would rather my own son not point it out." Muttering to himself, Father walked deeper into the large apartment he was renting.
When he first picked me up, I was suspicious of Father. Why would a single man who seemed eternally angry adopt a useless child like me? Because he was wearing a suit, I thought he might have been a Yakuza, like the ass hats that were running the orphanage. Little did I know, Father was a doctor. A wealthy one at that. But, even with that knowledge... I still do not have any idea why he adopted me.
Staring at his back as he took off his suit and tie, I wondered what he thought about me. It's only been a year and some change since he's saved me. So I don't know if he- "Ah, that's right. I heard you got an eighty on your latest Japanese test. While I'd prefer if you'd done better... it's certainly amazing for your old education. Keep up the good work." Turing back to me, a strange glint was in my fathers eye. One I recognized from when he first picked me up.
"..I'll do better next time. I promise."
"Good. Now, let's eat. I bought some sushi." Running to the table, I couldn't help but be a bit optimistic. Father... what a funny word.
A few months later
The sound of the door opening interrupted my gaming session once again. However, looking at the time, I couldn't help but be a bit worried. Especially after yesterday's news. My father looked... dead. His eyes completely lifeless and his arms barely even hanging onto his suit coat and suitcase. Running up to him, I grabbed the items before they fell onto the floor. "F-Father, are you-"
"The funeral is in two days. We'll be getting you a suit tomorrow. Understood?" His voice was completely monotone. Gone was his usual stern but understanding tone. He walked past me and dropped onto the couch. "...what could I have done differently?" he said in barely a whisper. But, it was certainly a tone I recognized. Shiro would always end up speaking like that whenever one of the kids... don't think about it.
"..." My mouth sprang open, before I covered it. I'm just a kid. He won't... listen to me. Yesterday, Ms. Rena, father's patient and romantic partner, passed away. She seemed to be getting better but... in the past week, she took a turn for the worse. Father said she even had five daughters. I hope their extended family looks after them. Deep inside however, I was panicking. From what father said, Rena was quite poor and didn't have much of a support system coming from her family. So... it's completely possible that- "Ugh!" falling to my knees, I had to bite back the desire to throw up my lunch. T-They could be sent to a-
"...kuro? Kuro!" The sound of my father standing up caused me to look up. He rushed over to my side and placed a hand on my back. "What are your symptoms? Are you-"
"I-I'm fine, Father. Just... What about her daughters?"
"...what?"
"If what you s-said about her family is correct, then what if no one takes them? What if they end up in a... in a-"
"...I have a plan. Do not worry." Looking into his eyes, my fathers black, dead eyes lit up once more. Not as brightly or definitely as before, but a light was there. "We need to get you a really good suit."
"O-Okay?"
Two Days Later
"...mph." As silent as possible, I was trying to untighten the shirt that was practically choking me. Why did father have to tell them to make it so tight? As if he read my mind, or he wanted me to stop playing with my shirt, Father squeezed my hand gently. Taking his hint, I dropped my hand and looked in front of me. We were standing in front of a small apartment building, where the memorial for Ms. Rena is behind held at this very moment.
He and I were wearing matching black suits, but to me he looked just like normal. Well... except for the sleepless eyes. I was getting really, really worried about him... he only slept five hours the past few days and- "Kuro, we'll be going in now. Make sure to make a good first impression."
"Y-Yes, Father." Nodding his head, he led me by hand into the building. After walking up the stairs, we entered the small apartment. Inside, it seemed most of the visitors were standing around the entrance. Most of them, giving respects or shedding tears. However... the adults whispering to each other and snickering didn't go unnoticed. Neither by me or father. Unconsciously, he squeezed my hand tighter. Almost so hard that I yelped. But I kept it in. I had to. For him. Because if there was anyone here truly hurting, it was father and those poor girls.
Even from outside the apartment, their cries were easy to hear. Five identical cries. For their mother, for some fairness, for... someone no longer here. I... I'm weird. I didn't really understand why it hurt them so much. I understood it on a logical scale. But... that's not enough. I know that's not enough. I never knew my mother, so I don't know how it feels to lose one. Even if I were to lose Father, I've only known him for a little over a year. It would hurt, but not like this. What does it mean to lose a mother? The one who birthed you, and took care of you. The one who loved you.
It hurts. My chest flared at the thought. Not of losing a mother, but the thought of how utterly devastated those girls must be. "Fat-"
Not being able to take the sound of their tears anymore, my father stormed into the living room of the apartment, where five identical girls, wearing identical white dresses, were sitting in a circle. All five of them, crying in each others arms. I'm sorry. "Pardon the Intrusion." Quickly adjusting himself, Maruo Nakano introduced himself to the sisters. "Although we've met a few times, I believe this will be the first time I've spoken to you all like this. Well, except for Young Yotsuba of course." The tall man glanced at the table where a shrine for Ms. Rena sat before looking back at the sisters. "I will be taking responsibility for you."
The five of them looked completely surprised at this. Briefly, they forgot about their grief as they balked at the absurd proposition the man they barely know just gave them. "U-Um... Mr. Nakano, w-we don't want to be a burden to you." The girl with a ribbon, the only one who was wearing any type of accessory, stood up and whipped her tears.
"It'd be no burden at all. Now then, Kuro." Turning back to me, my father motioned with his head for me to join him.
My body felt rigid and my palms were sweaty as I walked into the living room. I could feel the five pairs of eyes on me as I walked to my fathers side. Okay, good first impression. Don't mess this up. Don't mess this-! Of course, like a fucking idiot, I fell onto the ground face first. Like an absolute buffoon! "...owie!" The entire room fell into silence as I picked myself off the ground and rubbed my nose. "U-Um... c-can we forget what just happened?"
"...pft! PFthahahaha! One of the identical girls suddenly began laughing. She even fell to her hands and knees as she laughed at my miserable existence. I'm such an idiot. "HAHAhha- oh my god!"
"Ugh... m-my name is Ku-Kuro Nakano. If you all come with us, I promise to be the best big brother in the whole world to you! I swear!"
"You're lame! I want a better brother!" Ugh.
And so... Two Months Pass
"Ku-Nii! Is there any ice cream left?" Yelled out Itsuki Nakano as she ran into the apartment. It's been a few months since the quintuplets have become a part of my family. It's been strange, having five girls suddenly become my sisters, but also strangely rewarding.
"Yeah, one second." I was already in the kitchen and grabbed a popsicle and handed it to the young girl. I must say, I didn't expect for Itsuki to latch onto me so quickly. Almost as soon as the girls moved into our apartment, Itsuki began calling me that. Kuu-Nii. I... don't know how to feel about it, but having her call me that with such a wide smile made it hard to argue with.
"Hehe, thanks!" As she ripped open the packaging, I couldn't help but stare at the star pins in her hair. Just as recently as the last few weeks, the quintuplets all started wearing new accessories to differentiate from one another. Yotsuba had been wearing a ribbon since the day I met her, Nino started wearing butterfly-like ribbons, Miku's always wearing headphones that Father bought her. "Say, Ku-Nii, are you excited about school?"
"Hm? No, not really. I mean, school's boring..."
"Huuuh?! Ku-Nii, are you lazy?" uhhhh, yea. But I knew she'd be mad at that answer so I just patted her head before walking into the living room. We'd just moved into a new apartment in a really big building and I was still getting used to the new format of the place. Sitting on the large couch, I looked up to look at the row of rooms jut above my head. That's where currently the rest of my sisters were hanging out. In their own individual rooms and away from myself and each other.
"...Itsuki, what do you think I have to do?" The only one who seemed to accept both myself and Father has been Itsuki so far. Given that father's been busy as of late, he's barely been home, meaning he hasn't had a lot of time to bond with his new daughters. But, to be fair, they don't seem to want to bond either. I mean, they've been avoiding me for months now! "Am I really that unprotectable?"
"Well... you can be scary when you fake a smile." Ugh, I forgot about that! My new little sister giggled at my apparent depressed reaction. "Don't worry, Ku-Nii. They'll get along with you eventually. I know it!"
Two Days Later
"You should honestly end your life." It was definitely going to take a long time to get Nino to be nice to me. At this very moment, my new little sister was glaring at me for having the gall to not give her candy. Just half an hour before dinner was going to be ready. "If it was Itsuki, you would have given it to her. Hmph, that's probably the reason why she calls you Ku-nii. Disgusting pervert."
"..." I really don't know how to handle this kind of situation. While at the orphanage, if anyone trash talked me, I'd usually ignore it. I'd only turn violent if they turned their attention to W. But now, I can't exactly ignore it, right? I'm going to live with Nino as my sister for the rest of my life. We have to get along eventually. "I'm sorry, Nino. But I can't give you candy right now. Please just wait until is done cooking."
"Grrr, I'm hungry now! Give me my kit-kat!" Practically launching at me, my new little sister tried her best to get the candy bar out of my hands. Unfortunately for her, I was quicker. Every swipe she made, I was already out of the way. After a few futile attempts, she finally stomped her feet and glared at me. "I hate you, you shitty excuse for a brother!"
With that, she ran away, leaving me alone in the dining room. Not the best way to fix that situation. I'm such an idiot.
Later
After dinner, I'd sit down on the couch to try and play a little bit of games. Pulling out the handheld console that Father had gotten me a year ago, I turned it on and searched for what I would play. However, just as I thought about an RPG to play, the sensation of someone taking a seat next to me brought me out of my focus. "..." Silently sitting next to me and staring at the device was Miku. Her long hair making it almost impossible to see the headphones that rested around her neck. "What are you going to play?"
"U-Um... I was thinking about finishing this rpg I picked up the other day... it's probably going to be a boring watch." My warning didn't have any effect on the girl. Or did it? It's kind of hard to tell with that permanently emotionless look she had on. "Okay... whatever. Just don't distract me."
"Mhm." Silently she sat beside me, her eyes barely ever leaving the small screen that I had in my hands. It was actually really awkward and I felt like I had to be extra careful around her. Her body was only a few inches away from me, so I didn't want to bump into her or anything. It took a shocking long amount of time to finally beat the final boss. "Congrats."
"T-Thanks. On my god, whoever thought it was a good idea to have him heal himself halfway though needs to be fired." My salty comment seemed to amuse my quiet sister. She flashed me a smile before jumping off of the couch. "Oh, uh. Did you like it?"
"...I haven't really played many RPGs before. If you have any recommendations., please let me know. Thank you Onii." Giving me a formal bow, the headphone wearing girl then left for her room once more.
"Huh... well that was a start, I suppose." Is that what they call bonding over shared interests?
The Next day
When I came back home from my therapist appointment, I was surprised to see the living room a complete mess. "What in the..." At first I thought that perhaps father had another episode of anger, but it wasn't the same. The times on the floor were nothing like last time. Instead of the work docs that made father lose his temper, on the ground were clothes, food wrappers and energy drinks. "...who did this?"
My answer came when a head suddenly popped out of the mess in the middle of the room. "Ugh, what time is it..." The- Is she naked?! For some reason, a naked quintuplet popped out from the mess.
"W-Wha?! Put on some clothes!"
"Huuuuuh? Oh, good morning Ku-chan!" Turning to me, the long haired girl gave me a happy go lucky smile before waving to me. Immediately, I turned my head away from her and began to walk up to my room.
"PUT ON SOME CLOTHES!" I made sure to wait a hefty amount of time before coming back out into the living room. When I did, the sister was thankfully wearing clothes but was lounging around on the couch. "Are you even going to try and clean up? How did this happen?"
"Huh? Oh, I just decided to hang out here today and this happened. Sorry bout that!" Does this girl just make a mess naturally? Like an AOE skill? Judging by her way of speaking, and the lack of an accessory, it was easy to tell that this was Ichika.
"But why sleep naked?"
"Oh that? Just a habit I've had since forever. Sorry!" Ugh, that's going to be an annoying thing to get used to. I'm sure this is just the first of many times I'm going to end up having to run into this situation. So, knowing that this will happen once again eventually, I rolled up my sleeves and began my work. First, I started to pick up the trash. "Huh, you don't have to-"
"I don't want to make Mr. Ebata works too hard. He always comes after working a hard day for father and then makes us dinner. To expect him to clean our mess would be quite rude."
The eldest of the sisters simply watched me clean up her mess for a long while. It wasn't until I moved on to her clothes that she stood up and began to help. "L-Let me help you with that. It'd be weird to have you touch my underwear..."
"Yeah, I'd be thankful if you handled that." Cleaning up the living room took a solid two hours of our time. And by then, Mr. Ebata walked into the door. The old man looking especially tired today. "Good Evening, Ebata."
"Ah, Young Kuro. Good evening." The polite old butler gave me and my younger sister a bow. "So, what would you all like for dinner today?"
Before Ichika could answer, I spoke up. "Itsuki said she was craving some Yakisoba."
"Oh come on Ku-Nii-Chan! You keep giving her special treatment! Don't tell me it's because she gives you the most affection. Perv~" I don't think a twelve year old should be joking like that.
"It's not because of that... I just want to dote on my little sister."
"I'm also your little sister!"
"Barely."
"What?!"
After dinner, I was going to get ready to play another game on the couch again. However, when I got to my spot, it was already taken. Sitting on my edge of the couch was a sister wearing a green ribbon around her head. Yotsuba seemed to be studying, something really strange for a young kid to do during summer vacation. Especially since she and her sisters were going to start middle school in a few months. "What're you studying?"
"Math." ugh. I've only been doing a proper education for only a few years now, but wow do I hate math. It just seems so useless to me. Why do we have to learn how to do calculations in our heads when we'll have calculators on hand forever? Even Father, the most hard working man I know, doesn't do calculations in his head. Why bother when a computer is faster? "Are you just going to stand there or..."
"Ah. Sorry." Taking a seat a bit away from her, I pulled out my gaming system from my pocket. Her slight glare and huff of anger wasn't lost on me. Yes, when it comes to the quintuplets, so far both her and Nino were the hardest ones to get along with so far. Nino, I get. She's a busybody who doesn't like the new 'Brother.' that just showed up in her life. But for Yotsuba, I don't really know why she doesn't like me. Did I make a bad impression? So, in order to not make her hate me anymore, I muted my system and just went on gaming.
"Hmm, you missed a chest."
"Oh, thanks. Woah!" Unbeknownst to me, Miku suddenly appeared behind me, leaning against the couch to watch my screen. "Don't scare me like that, Miku!"
"Sorry, you were so focused on your game." Jumping over the couch, she effortlessly found a seat next to me. "Hm, that girl has the same kind of ribbons as Nino."
"Don't say that. She's the main love interest... ugh, she will call me a perv if she sees me play this."
"Yes, she would." Having her agree with a small giggle just increased my sense of dread even more. Ugh. As Miku and I had fun with the game, I could feel the malice waft off of Yotsuba like what I was doing was equivalent to a crime. Wordlessly she got up, grabbed her study materials, and walked up to her room. "Hm, that was weird."
"...I feel like she doesn't really like me. Do you know why?"
A strange look appeared on Miku's normally emotionless face for a split second before disappearing as fast as it showed up. "She's... having trouble. In her own way."
Ah. Of course. It wasn't just Itsuki who was taking the loss of their mother super hard. Is studying her way of distracting herself? Or was it something else? "... sorry."
"Don't worry. It's hard being a big brother, huh?" I wouldn't know. I should have asked Shiro before I left... I wonder how he's doing.
"Alright. I'll try to get closer to her... eventually. Thanks Miku."
"No problem, Onii. Now then... let me try playing for a bit?"
"Here you go."
And so, some time Passes
"...huh?" When I opened my eyes, I was laying down on the couch. It took a few seconds before my memories flew back to me. Oh yeah. I let Miku play for a bit before I fell asleep. Sitting up, I stretched out my muscles and felt satisfied as my bones cracked. Ah, that was a nice sound! I should probably head to bed. Father would be mad if he found me sleeping on the couch again. Standing up, I looked around for my handheld, only to notice it was neatly placed in the corner, already connected to its charger. "At least she was nice enough to put it to charge."
Walking up to my room, the entire large apartment was silent. Well... mostly. As I went to the stairs, I could hear a faint noise coming from the top. As I got closer, it became more and more obvious what it was. It was a sound that I was unfortunately used to hearing these past few months. And it was coming from the first door of the row.
Mumbled cries were easy to be heard from the other side of the door, and the perpetrator was whispering something as well. "...other. Why... what did I do(..)"
Knocking on the door, I instantly heard a sudden jump from the other side of the door. "Itsuki? Are you alright?" No response. Taking in a deep breath, I knocked again. "Do you want me to..."
"...please." Nodding my head, I was happy to do as my sister asked. Rushing to my room, I quickly changed into my pajamas. I quietly ran back to Itsuki's room, gave a curtsey knock before walking in. The young girl was laying on her bed, hugging a pillow close to her chest and stared at the doorway, waiting for me. "Ku-Nii... I'm sorry, I-"
"Are you alright?" Coming closer to her, i knelt beside her and whipped a tear from her face. Looking closer, she and I weren't even a full month apart in age. Yet, she still looked so... innocent. Her bright blue eyes were covered in tears and the sides of her eyes were stained red from her tears and rubbing them away. "Don't worry. I'm right here."
"...but mother... she-"
"I won't go anywhere. Promise." Nodding her head, my little sister moved back a bit to give me space. Climbing into the spacious bed, I rested my head on the soft pillow before she snuggled up to me. "It's okay Itsuki. It's okay."
"... mom..." This... was unfortunately a very normal event. Since her mother passed, it's been rare for Itsuki to have a good night's sleep. Even after months. Everytime she would rest her head on the pillow, intrusive thoughts would find their way into her head. Thoughts of her mother. Thought's she's refused to tell anyone. Both myself and her sisters. On the rare occasions when she does fall asleep alone, there's still the possibility of nightmares and... I don't want her dealing with that type of stuff. So, I take it upon myself to help her sleep sometimes. Something she was apparently too embarrassed to ask her sisters for. "Sorry..."
"It's okay. Let's just sleep, okay?" Closing my eyes slightly, but just enough to still be able to see a bit, I hoped that my presence helped Itsuki just a little bit. Usually the company is enough to help lul her to sleep, but sometimes we're not that lucky. Thankfully, it seemed to work tonight. My adorable sister's eyes soon began to close as she became more drowsy. After a few seconds, they were completely closed and her breath soon slowed.
"Thank you...ku...nii..." with her gratitude said, she seemed to finally fall asleep.
"Good night, Itsuki." And soon, I followed her into the world of dreams.