Chapter 31: A Little Bit of Thanks

"Here you go." Natsume hands me a fruit drink and slides into the booth next to me. He leaves enough space between us as is polite. In contrast, Tsubaki and Azusa sit hip to hip across the table. 

Maybe it's a twin thing?

"This is fun," Tsubaki chimes, slurping loudly from his own cup. "We should do this more often."

"No thanks." My reply is blunt. I sip my drink, leaving no room for negotiations.

Azusa laughs. "He means going out together; Tsubaki, Natsume, and me. We haven't hung out together in a while, so we're glad you let us come along, Mai-san."

You invited yourself, I want to shout.

"It's been harder to hang out together since Natsume moved out," Tsubaki complains. "Though you've been coming home more often the last couple of years." His tone is suggestive. I can sense there's some kind of tension here, but it's none of my business.

Natsume sips his own drink in response. "Have I?" His tone implies that he's not paying it much attention. 

"Yeah. It makes one wonder if it's got something to do with our recent family additions," Azusa teases. 

Natsume's brows furrow. "Just because I've moved out doesn't mean it's not my home anymore. Neither Mom nor you guys have kicked me out."

"Still, Natsume's acting all grown up, getting his own place and everything," Tsubaki says. "Every time you come back it's like welcoming a son back for the holidays before he goes back to work."

"Oi, I'm your brother, not your son."

"Same feeling," Azusa argues. "We don't hear for you for a long time, and you only come back for holidays or special occasions, sometimes without giving notice. Why wouldn't it feel like that?" He smiles mischievously, and Natsume struggles to find a rebuttal.

Meanwhile, I shrink into the corner of the booth. Better that I not get involved in this conversation. You know what they say: Better to watch the mess than be a part of it yourself. Though as the brothers continue their debate I start to wish that I'd asked Natsume to drop me off at the station instead. This feels more like their outing than mine.

"Anyway," Natsume clears his throat, evidently at his limit for being teased. "I hope the tour was helpful today, Tsukiyo-san. Let me know if there's anything else I can do to help. I gave you a few different recommendations, right?"

"Arigatou. But I think I'll be able to handle the others on my own. I don't want to pull you or anyone away from your work." I shoot a meaningful glare at Tsubaki and Azusa, both of whom choose to tactfully ignore me.

And while I don't mention this aloud, bringing three Asahina brothers anywhere is sure to attract unnecessary attention. Already, I can feel the prying eyes of the other women in the cafe. It's so obvious that they're looking at us, or more specifically, the triplets. 

I can't entirely blame them. They're objectively good-looking men, but as the one stuck between them I wouldn't recommend it. Poor Ema has to deal with thirteen of them, but handling three is more than enough.

Natsume grimaces, having deduced my struggles. "I hope you'll find a good place," he goes on. "I hope my brothers aren't bothering you too much at home."

Well now I feel bad about complaining...

I shake my head. "Not at all. Ema is there, and it's been kind of everyone to help me out. Ukyo-san's even taught me a few new recipes."

"Kyo-nii, huh?" Natsume sounds surprised. Come to think of it, it's usually only Ukyo, Ema, and me in the kitchen making meals. 

"Can you cook, too, Natsume-san?" I ask. He hasn't visited Sunrise Residence since I've started crashing there. I wonder if Ukyo would let him in the kitchen, even if he bars his other brothers.

"I can cook for myself," Natsume says. "As much as a guy living alone can, anyway."

"Natsume can cook pretty well," Tsubaki pipes up. "He's made a lot of yummy food when we ask him to."

"We should have him over again, soon. Maybe on a day when Kyo-nii is out," Azusa says. 

Natsume seems less than pleased about the idea, but he doesn't object. "You guys can't cook for yourselves?" 

I chuckle in spite of myself. Natsume really is the younger brother here.

"I don't know if I'll have as much time to cook as I used to, though," Natsume suddenly says. 

"What d'you mean?" Tsubaki asks, intrigued. He clutches his drink and leans across the table, as though expecting him to reveal some big secret. I instinctively edge further away. 

Natsume looks around, but the only other people in the cafe are girls and young women. Whatever he's about to say must not be something he wants others to overhear. But what kind of news could I be privy to that random strangers shouldn't even overhear?

"I'm in the middle of a transfer," Natsume says. 

"A transfer?" The twins' curiosity bursts forward. 

"To a different city?" Azusa asks at the same time Tsubaki shouts, "To a different prefecture?"

Natsume frowns. "To a different department."

The twins relax. 

"Oh. I thought you were gonna say you were moving away." Tsubaki leans back in his seat, clearly relieved. 

"It makes more sense for there to be a department change in spring," Azusa adds. "New year and all."

"I think I'd tell you guys if I was moving away to another city..."

"Is this transfer something you've been working toward?" I ask. I would congratulate him, but I'm not sure if this is a positive development or not. Tousan once said that a distant uncle of mine called to complain about a transfer of his a while back. Having just recently had a kid I can understand his reluctance to up and move away for work. But as far as I know Natsume doesn't have any such family; only a pair of cats. 

Natsume's frown deepens, but his expression alone doesn't tell me anything.

"It's not really a big deal," he says. "It means I'll be more busy, but I don't mind. It'll help me to stay more focused on work. Now that we've got more projects coming up I won't have as much free time to visit home."

"Ehh? In that case, was it okay for you to come with us today?" I suddenly feel very, very guilty about allowing him to come with us. I knew we should've just taken the train. Famous seiyuu or not, I'm sure the twins wouldn't have objected to it. 

At once Natsume softens. "Don't worry about it. I came with you guys because I wanted to. I couldn't say no if Ema was the one asking."

"I see..." So in other words, he'll answer to any of his sibling's requests if they ask him nicely... or rope him into it against his will. I struggle to imagine Natsume as a total pushover, but I've yet to see him actively resist his sibling's requests.

Maybe it's different when you're a younger sibling?

"In any case, can you let Ema know that I won't be free for a while?" Natsume asks the twins.

"Sure thing. I'll let her know," Tsubaki says. 

"You're going to forget, aren't you?" Natsume sighs. 

"No way! I'm a reliable older brother!"

"I'll let the others know too," Azusa says. "But I don't think it'll change any of our schedules."

Is it just me, or does it feel like he's saying that Natsume's absence won't be a big deal in the house? 

On the surface it sounds a little harsh, but considering that Natsume's been moved out for a while... It's not like he lives there or has chores to take care of at the mansion. 

"Good luck with your work," I say. 

"Thanks." He genuinely smiles, a nice contrast from the previously guarded expression he showed his brothers. "Good luck in house hunting, Tsukiyo-san. Let me know if you want any more recommendations."

"Sure thing. And you can call me 'Mai.' That's what Ema-san calls me," I say. "Tsukiyo-san is my dad, so it feels weird when people my age are calling me that."

His purple eyes soften as he replies, "If you say so, Mai-san."

It feels nice to be called by my name. 

Across the table, Tsubaki bemoans once more about not being granted the given-name privilege himself. 

—————

Natsume is kind enough to give us a ride back to the mansion. He has more work to do later so he doesn't stay. With a wave, he pulls out of the driveway, leaving Tsubaki and Azusa with me in the lobby.

I turn to face the twins. "Thanks for coming with me today. Even if you did invite yourselves."

"No problem!" Tsubaki grins widely.

"We were glad to help you." Azusa closes his eyes and smiles. 

The three of us head inside and into the elevator. Not much is said for the rest of the evening. The twins have rehearsals, so they head off to their rooms to fetch their scripts. 

Meanwhile, I go to the kitchen to help Ukyo with dinner. Ema returns later and helps us serve the meal. She asks after my day like usual, only to pale when I mention having been escorted on the tour.