Chapter 39: The Start of Moving Day

Midway through class I suddenly feel a chill run down my spine. My grandma would get the feeling, which she calls "buruburu". 

"It sneaks up on you when you least expect it, Macchan," she would say. 

"What'll sneak up on me?" I asked back.

Grandma shook her head, wisps of greying hairs falling into her face. 

"You'll be livin' out your every day just fine, and then it'll find you. Buruburu!"

I had squealed as she launched a surprise attack, tickling me from the sides. Laughing, I tried to wiggle free, but if Grandma was an expert in anything it was tickling. 

When we had both tired ourselves out, she explained to me that it's your body reacting to what's to come, usually when you're scared or anxious. As you'll be on edge, tense, waiting for something to happen, it's only a matter of time until something does. What kind of "something" will depend on your luck.

That is the kind of feeling I get while writing notes from the lecture. Of course, it could've been the AC blasting down from the ceiling, but given that today was moving day, I couldn't help but wonder if Grandma had been talking sense after all. 

After class I double checked everything: my details, the contact info, the address, Ema's availability, Yuusuke's availability, and Natsume's. 

In a spur of the moment decision Ema had asked her older brother Natsume, the orange-haired cat-person who is somehow the youngest of triplets, if he was free to help me move. I feel guilty that she was doing all of this for me, and partially guilty that other people were being brought into it as well. 

Getting the people whom I'd lived with the past few weeks involved is one thing. Wataru was more than happy to lend a hand piling the boxes outside my room this morning. He'd done so unprompted, saying that he wished he could help me move right after class, but he had club and wouldn't be home until later. 

"I'll come by after if I can. Onee-chan will be helping out late, right? I'll walk her home. It's dangerous for girls to go out at night on their own."

He'd said so while puffing out his chest in pride, his eyes practically shining.

Meanwhile, Shin won't even walk with me to the conbini down the road.

The train ride home is silent as I scroll through my phone. I check for any messages from Masaomi or Ukyo. The latter always messages his family's group chat if work takes an unexpected turn and makes him late. From what I gather it doesn't happen too, too often, but with Ema and the other brothers around I can't imagine the Asahina household skidding to a halt if one pseudo-parent isn't home in time for dinner.

Ema and Yusuke are still on board by the look of things.

Phew.

As for Asahina Natsume... I hover my finger over his icon in my chat list, unsure of whether or not I should message him again. 

We haven't exchanged any messages since my previous impromptu request to come over. To meet his cats, no less!

That night I debated deleting the chat, but by then it had already been read, so deleting it would make me seem even more pathetic. So would floundering to try and excuse myself. In the end I'd left the chat and never looked back. 

That is why I am grateful that Ema bridged the gap for me, but why Natsume of all people?

True, I am not interested in having Tsubaki and Azusa invite themselves over to my place under the guise of helping me move out. I can't get a read on their deal. Tsubaki seems to like messing with people, and Azusa maybe comes along for the ride (or to reel back Tsubaki's reins before he goes too far). But as for personal motives, I can't think of any reason why they'd want to come over. No good reasons, anyway. 

Is this how they treat all of Ema's friends???

Speaking of Ema, she told me that Natsume would meet us at the mansion after supper. All I need to do is get my boxes ready, and we can bring everything over in one trip. As for the celebratory beverages and snacks, I've set a bag aside full of conbini treats—nothing fancy, but enough umami and sweetness to relax after a grand move. 

I close my phone screen without texting Natsume and step off the train. As I walk down the street, I realize this is probably the last time I'll be taking this route to Ema's place. Though I may come to visit her in the future I don't think it'll be too soon. I want to properly move into my place and not give the impression that I'm going to stick around the Asahina house any longer. 

I try to take note of landmarks or other quirks as I go. Like the weeds that grow around the base of the street lamp, the balconies that hold potted flowers in pink and red, the cracks in the road where white painted lines mark the sidewalk. These have become somewhat familiar sights to me. I'm sure there's more where I'm moving to, but still. It's a little weird to think that this won't be my route after today.

"Tadaima," I say out of habit as I exit the elevator onto the fourth floor. The apartment is quiet. All the brothers are at work or school, leaving me time to start moving the boxes from outside my room toward the elevator. Thankfully, none of them are very heavy. The most troubling box is the one with my blanket and futon, another necessity I had to pick up from the store and shove into the room. The fabric smells of chemicals and cleaner; I haven't had a chance to use them yet, since Ema was letting me borrow bedding from the Asahinas. 

I move two of the six boxes to the living room when the elevator chimes. I stand, expecting Ema who said she'd be meeting me after class. She and I plan to make dinner tonight, some kind of katsu dish that we'll leave piping hot for Wataru so he can enjoy it after club. 

To my surprise, a tall man with orange hair steps into the living room. 

"Natsume-san?"

He doesn't call out "tadaima" as one usually does when coming home, though I guess it's different once you've moved away from home permanently. 

What will it be like when I visit my parents' house?

He looks up, blinking as he sees me. "Oh, Mai-san. I didn't expect you to be here."

"Hai. I haven't moved out yet," I joke. 

What are you supposed to say to someone coming home to visit a place where you've been crashing at? Replying with "okaerinasai" seems way too rude; it's not like I'm in any position to be welcoming him back home. 

Not noticing my hesitation, Natsume lets himself in and shuffles over to the boxes I've piled on the floor. I notice he's wearing a pair of indoor slippers. I didn't notice any extra pairs by the door, so he must have his own pair reserved for when he visits home. 

"I meant that I thought you would still be in class," Natsume says.

"Hai?" I tilt my head in confusion.

Then my brain catches up. 

"Oh! Right!" I clasp my hands together. "My class ends before dinner. Ema-chan says she'll be home soon. Yusuke-kun as well."

"Right. I forgot you all go to the same university," Natsume says. "How are you liking Meiji?"

I bob my head. "It's a good school: in the middle of the city, solid program, lots of friends..."

Why am I sounding like one of those prerecorded orientation videos?

Maybe I never possessed any conversation skills to begin with. I know for a fact Shin would agree, though if he said it aloud I'd make sure he'd regret it.

"Have you eaten yet?" I blurt the next thought that pops into my head. My feet angle toward the kitchen. 

Natsume stares at me. "Not yet. I have a couple of hours from now before I have to go back to the office."

"Oh." I'd been under the impression that Natsume was going to help out for longer. But I guess I don't need that long if we're only making one trip. The only thing is that Ema isn't back yet and we haven't made dinner. 

"What time do you need to be back?" I ask. 

Natsume checks his watch. "It's not a big deal," he says. "I just don't want to leave my colleagues on their own for too long."

"Do your work hours extend to overtime?"

Natsume gives a sad laugh. "No. Not really. A couple of us switched departments, and the transfer period takes time."

"Ah." I have a vague understanding of what he's talking about. Tousan had a few transfers over the course of his career. He grumbled one thing or another about it every time, so I never really paid attention to it. Now that I'm almost an adult I'll be experiencing these for myself. I could ask Natsume more about it, but is work not a boring subject to talk about? The guy is clearly tired if the bags under his eyes aren't giving him away. 

"I'll message Ema-chan and see when she'll be back," I say, reaching for my phone. "We were going to make supper together, but if we're in a hurry we can make a quick meal instead. Do you want to eat with us? It'll be just us and Yusuke-kun."

Stuffing his hands into his pant pockets, Natsume glances toward the kitchen. His eyes drift off to another space as he seems to reminisce. 

"I guess I might as well while I'm here," he says. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

I smile. "It's not my house, but I think Ema-chan will be happy to see you."

I'd meant it as an offhanded comment, but it seems to strike a cord within Natsume. His gaze sharpens, and suddenly he's alert. Where was the exhausted salary worker from seconds ago?

"Hm. In that case, I can help out with the cooking." Natsume rolls up his sleeves and steps liberally into the kitchen. I chase after him, unsure of what is happening. He takes one of the aprons—the cat one Ukyo often uses—and ties it around his back. I have to say, the green colour suits him, and the cats on the front remind me of the cat pictures he sent me not too long ago.

A faint heat surfaces in my cheeks. I press my hands against them, hoping to cool them off. The memory of my last text is going to resurface every time I see Natsume, and I can only hope that this doesn't become a regular thing. 

"Looks like Kyo-nii made some leftovers," Natsume notes, pulling out a stack of small plastic tubs. "He shouldn't mind if we used these. There should be enough for the others."

"H-Hai..." 

With how swiftly Natsume moves to begin preparing the meal, I have little choice but to go along with him. All the while I tell myself that there's no point in thinking about my embarrassing moments. There's also no point in standing around being flustered by everything. 

This is Natsume's house, his family kitchen. Of course he knows where everything is, so of course he's cooked here before. I follow his directions in preparing the rice and vegetables. We split the steps pretty evenly between us, and while the rice is cooking I find time to put the kettle on to make tea. It's almost like cooking with Ukyo.

"This needs more soy sauce... Oh, and that one needs more onions. There's more in the fridge..."

Though Natsume-san sounds more like a head chef at a fast-paced restaurant.

While I start chopping the onions, Natsume moves over to set the table in the dining room.

"It's getting late. Ema and Yusuke should be back by now." I pause to check my phone. 

"I'm sure they'll be back any second now," Natsume says from the dining room. "They probably ended up coming back together."

"Yeah. That's probably it."

In any case, Ema-chan, Yusuke-kun, please come back soon! I can't do this one-on-one conversation!