Chapter 26: Farewell, My Peace

I'm reading through my emails at the dining room table when I hear chattering from upstairs. 

Farewell, my peace.

Closing my laptop, I spy the twins coming down the stairs.

"You annunciate this part too much." Tsubaki points to a space on a booklet he's carrying. 

"Oh, I see what you mean," Azusa says. "If I go easier on this part instead do you think it'll better capture the character's emotion better?"

"I think so, but you should ask the director just in case."

In the week and a half that I've been here I've noticed that the twins are both very devoted to their craft. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but it's inspiring to see the adults hard at work. Right now I can only look forward to finding a job that better suits my skills and interests, and I can only hope that I'll enjoy it as much as Tsubaki and Azusa enjoy theirs. 

As I muse to myself about the approaching future a sharp force smacks down on my shoulder. I bend forward from the impact, startled speechless.

"Oh! It's Tsukiyo Mai-chan!" 

"Tsubaki-san..."

"Were you in the middle of homework?" Tsubaki pulls up a seat next to me and grins. His pale hair falls into his violet eyes. 

Now that I see him up close he really does resemble Natsume-san.

I must have stared a moment too long, for Tsubaki's grin reaches his eyes. "You must think I'm really handsome if you're staring at me this long."

Immediately, a scowl breaks out on my face. 

"I was just thinking you're nothing like your brother," I say flatly.

Tsubaki laughs. "We may be brothers, but we're all different, ne?"

"Which brother are you referring to?" Azusa sits on my opposite side. 

Ehh? Azusa-san too?

In the end they're both are harmless, but since there's two of them they're harder to shake off. 

I turn to Azusa. "All of you, but in this case Natsume-san."

"Natsume?" The twins cock their heads at the same time and same angle. 

"Why Natsume?" Tsubaki asks. "Aren't we triplets?"

"When did you meet Natsume?" Azusa adds. "I don't recall him coming over to visit lately."

"Natsume-san helped me with some housing ideas a few days ago," I say, answering both of their questions. I open my laptop, figuring it's best to "show" rather than "tell". I don't want Tsubaki teasing me about other things in the meantime. 

The twins lean in as I pull up the real estate website. I'd been looking into some of the places that Natsume suggested to me the other day. One of them was very promising, being a decent distance from the university and grocery stores, listed at an affordable price to boot. It's a little on the smaller side, but it'd only be me living there.

"It's so small!" is Tsubaki's first reaction. His eyes widen as he seizes control of the mouse and flips through the apartment photos. 

"Oi, Tsubaki-san—"

"It is pretty small, but Mai-san will be the only one living there." Azusa leans in to get a better look. I'm forced to lean back so it won't get overcrowded.

"I've already emailed the landlord," I say. "I'll be touring it in a couple of days. Hopefully, this'll be the one."

"Aww, already?" Tsubaki whines. "It's been so nice having another girl around. Like having a second imouto-chan!"

The scowl on my face deepens, but it only makes Tsubaki's grin widen. 

"Ahaha! You're like the total opposite of Ema-chan, but you're both so easy to tease." Tsubaki reaches to poke my cheek. 

I slap his hand away. "I admire Azusa-san's endurance."

"Ehh? What does that mean?" 

Azusa clears his throat. "I'm not unskilled, but I still have a long way to go."

I chuckle. "You look kind of like Natsume-san when you do that." It's the way their eyes narrow when thinking about something important. 

"When did you meet Natsume, ne, Tsukiyo Mai-chan?" Tsubaki asks again. 

I open my mouth to answer, but then I recall how Ema didn't mention to Yusuke that we were meeting with Natsume. Since then I haven't had the chance to ask her if it's okay for the others to know about the lunch. 

It probably won't be the end of the world if her brothers found out, but Ema went through a lot of emotions that day. She might still be processing those feelings, and it's likely she doesn't want to get any more brothers involved. At least not until she's had more time to figure things out. 

"I ran into him the other day," I say. "It was only our second time meeting, so we didn't talk very much." All truths, so it shouldn't draw any suspicion. "Natsume-san said he viewed some of these buildings when he was first looking for a place himself." I gesture to the computer screen.

"Is that so?" Azusa ponders. "I guess he'd be the best out of us brothers to go to for housing advice."

"Mn. He said to let him know if anything comes of it, but I doubt we'll even see each other again after I move." Natsume doesn't live here, so it's not likely I'll see him when I come back here to visit Ema. This doesn't really bother me, but for some reason Tsubaki believes it a tragedy. 

"Wah! Natsume, how cruel of you!" Tsubaki shakes his head. "Giving advice to such a cute girl and not even telling her his number? What if she wants to see you again?"

"Oi, it's not like that—"

"He probably just forgot. I can give you his number if you like," Azusa offers. He pulls out his phone and flips through his contacts. 

"Iie, that's not it." I hold my hand up to stop them. "I'm fine talking to him whenever I see him again."

"No worries!" Tsubaki chimes in, at the same time Azusa says, "Here."

Both twins managed to pull up Natsume's contact info in the blink of an eye. The fact that they're so in sync has me impressed (and a little scared) of the power of twinship. 

They're not telepathic, are they?

"Thank you, but I'm really okay," I protest. 

"It's no trouble at all," Azusa says. "If Natsume gave you advice he must like you."

"Say what?" 

His phrasing...

"Yeah! Natsume's only nice to people he likes. Like us!" Tsubaki points a thumb toward himself. 

Isn't it normal to be nice to people you get along with? 

Azusa sees my confusion and explains. "Natsume's usually pretty blunt, so some people are put off. But he's actually very good at giving advice."

"Yeaha! Whenever one of us is in a slump you can always count on Natsume for some tough love." 

The way Tsubaki says it makes it sound like it happens often. And here I thought Natsume didn't visit home very much.

"Ne, didn't Ema-chan go with you on your last house tour?" Tsubaki puts a finger to his chin in thought. 

"Hai," I say. 

Azusa glances at Tsubaki. "Will she be going with you again this time?" 

"I haven't asked her yet, but she might be busy." I close my laptop again. "Besides, it's only a tour; I'll be fine on my own."

Tsubaki purses his lips. "A college student going to meet someone all by herself in a private location? Tsukiyo Mai-chan..."

I scoot my chair back, away from the table and the twins. "What are you trying to say, Tsubaki-san?" 

"Neeeeeevermind," Tsubaki sings. I narrow my eyes. He's not even trying not to be suspicious. "When is the house tour again?"

I tell him the date, and when he asks for the time I clamp up. He better not be planning anything. I want the tour to go well this time!

Ever the mediator, Azusa reels Tsubaki back in. "What Tsubaki is trying to say is that it'll be safer to let someone know where you're going and when, just in case something happens."

"I appreciate the concern, but I'm sure I'll be fine," I affirm. "You must have your own things to worry about. I've troubled you enough by staying this long."

"We're not troubled in the slightest," Azusa says. "Like Tsubaki says, it's been nice to have another person around. Ema doesn't bring a lot of people over, so it's been nice to meet one of her friends."

When he puts it like that...

I smile, but only at Azusa. "Sou desu ka? I'll have to invite her over when I move out, then."

"Ehh, invite us, too!" Tsubaki says. 

I scowl again.

Without prompting Azusa knocks Tsubaki on the side of the head. "Quit it, Tsubaki."

"Ite ite..." Tsubaki moans, clutching his head.

I'm starting to see the reason why Ema doesn't have people over.

Sighing, I excuse myself and retreat to my room. I need a break from today's Asahina chaos before dinner.