Chapter 41: Appreciation

It isn't long before we pull into the parking lot across from my new place. 

"It's not that far," Natsume notes. Of course, he refers to the trip by car. I have yet to time the distance via train. 

"Thanks for driving us," I say with a bow. "I really appreciate your help."

"You're welcome," Natsume says with a smile. He lets us out of the car and we begin carrying up the boxes. 

The landlord's representative awaits in the lobby. They greet us as we enter the building, eyeing the crowd I've brought with surprise. It seems like they want to say something, but choose the silent business smile instead. Then they hand me the key and remind me which floor and room I am staying in.

"Please contact me if you need anything," they say. As the building manager, they will deal with any requests or complaints that I have and pass any concerning ones to the landlord themselves. 

We are allowed to go up on our own, which honestly makes me feel more comfortable. I would much rather see myself to my own place, especially if I've got this many guests on the first day. While there won't be any time to clean up before they come in, I know they're not the kind of people to mind.

My place is a couple of doors down from the elevator, just a few steps away from the garbage chute. 

This'll come in handy.

When we arrive at the door and the others stop behind me. Taking a deep breath, I turn the key in the lock. 

The door swings open into the genkan. The place looks exactly like it did last time: a narrow kitchen facing the toilet and shower room, and down the hall a large space that divides into the living space and the bedroom. Thankfully, this places comes with a bed frame, as there are plenty of students who live in the building. At the very end is a sizeable window, which will let in some much needed light during the day.

First things first: I let myself in, mumbling "tadaima" as I remove my shoes. We'll have to make do with bare feet and socks for now. My slippers are packed in one of the boxes, buried deep down somewhere near the bottom—a bit of a mistake on my part. 

Most of the room is clean, courtesy of the landlord when the previous tenant moved out, so there isn't a lot I'll need to do later this week. 

"It's a nice place," Ema comments, stepping into the kitchen behind me. The boys follow in after her, removing their shoes and squishing in. I quickly move into the main room so we can spread out.

"Yep." I place my hands on my hips and walk into the main room. The place only really comes with a bed frame, so I'll need to think of how to get a table. I don't need much to live, since I'm only in school and don't even have a TV or monitor. Maybe a second hand store will have one. Or maybe I should just tough it out with the cardboard boxes. I glance over at Natsume and Yusuke, who set their boxes down in the living room. 

Wataru spins around in the middle of the room under the ceiling light. 

"Uwa! It's so small!" he exclaims. 

"Be polite, Wataru," Natsume scolds. "Most apartments in the city are this size, you know."

"Especially for students," Ema adds with a smile. "I used to live in an apartment this small too, you know."

Wataru's eyes widen. "Wait, really?" 

Ema once told me that before moving in with the Asahinas she lived alone in her dad's place. Most of her time was spent with Juli, but even with the two of them they didn't take up much space in the apartment. Besides, one typically spends a lot of time outside the home, be they students or working adults. 

"Before I moved to Sunrise Residence I lived with Juli and Papa," Ema explains. She tells her youngest brother about how she looked after the place while her dad was away for work. That explains why she's crazy good at cooking and cleaning. 

"Were you lonely when Rintarou-san was away?" Wataru asks, concerned. 

"Rintarou...san?" I turn to Ema. 

Ema nods. "That's Papa's name. And yes, Wataru-chan, I was a little lonely, but I had Juli to keep me company. Papa always came back, so in the end it wasn't so bad. Besides, spending time living by myself helped me learn valuable life skills."

"You mean like doing adult jobs?"

"Hai. It's because I knew how to look after myself that I'm able to help out at our home so much. I can do a lot of chores, so I was surprised when I learned that our brothers share the work." She smiles in reminiscence. "I was used to doing everything on my own, so it's nice that I can share the work with others now."

At this, Wataru nods eagerly. "Right? We brothers take care of each other. We'll take care of you, Onee-chan."

"Arigatou." Ema tilts her head with a grin. 

Having observed the exchange, Natsume stands and checks his watch. If Natsume has to leave now then I should thank him again before he goes. 

I gesture to the plastic bag Wataru carries on his arm. He hands it to me promptly, and I take out a canned coffee from the store. Holding it out to Natsume, I say, "Thank you very much for driving us. Here, this is for you."

Natsume stares at me, having not expected it. His expression doesn't change from his perpetual frown, but his eyes widen ever so slightly. 

"Ah. Thank you. It was no problem." He smiles and accepts the bottle. "I don't have to leave just yet, so if you need help with anything else there's still time."

"Oh, no. I couldn't trouble you any further." I hold up my hands to politely decline. He's very kind for asking, but there isn't anything else for him to help me with. I plan to do my unpacking in the coming days. All I need for tonight are my toiletries and bedding. 

"I'll make my bed after you guys leave," I say. "Before then, if you guys want, I brought snacks and drinks as thanks for helping me." I show them the bag. Wataru's eyes sparkle and he looks up at his older siblings, practically pleading that they stay a while longer. It's not overly late yet, so Ema graciously accepts. 

"I'll take you up on that, Mai-chan. Thank you."

We sit down around the living room with the bag placed in the centre. From it, I produce the snacks and drinks, dishing them out to whoever wants them. We open a large bag of dried snack mix and pass it around the circle.

Wataru leads the conversation, talking about how school is going. He's ready for midterms and is pretty confident that he'll pass with flying colours. Masaomi praised his mock tests, which only fuels him further. 

"I'm going to do my best!" Wataru vows. 

"You do that," Natsume encourages. "Getting good grades is just the start. Putting your all into school will help you out in the future."

"Right, just like you, Nakkun." Wataru sips his bottle of red juice and reaches for the bag of fruit gummies. 

Natsume hesitates, then replies, "Yeah."

I know Natsume doesn't talk a lot, but something about his response gives me pause. I'm not sure why, but the mood seems to have shifted. Yusuke drinks his pop, averting his gaze, while Ema stares down at her bag of sweets. I'm definitely missing something here, but it isn't my place to intervene.

I open another bag of snacks and try changing the subject. "Ano... Ema-chan?" She glances up, relieved that I've moving the conversation along. "Could you please tell Masaomi-san and Ukyo-san thank you from me again? They've been great hosts and helped me out a lot when I stayed over. I don't know if I'll ever be able to thank them enough."

My words bring the smile back to Ema's face. "Of course. I think they're just happy to help. They always treat guests well. All my brothers really liked having you over, Mai-chan."

I'm about to take her word for it when I remember a certain outlier. 

I clear my throat. "Hai."

Better not bring Fuuto up now. I haven't seen him since that day, so I'd rather put him out of my mind once again. No point in him taking up free rent in my head when all the other Asahinas I've met were much, much, nicer. 

I turn to Yusuke and offer him a bow. "Thank you, Yusuke-kun. Thank you for touring the place with me. I'm glad I didn't have to go all on my own."

"No prob." Yusuke raises his bottle to me. He's also recovered from whatever just happened. "It was fun looking at places. It's good practice for me when I move out."

"Eh? Yukkun is moving out?" Wataru stares at him in confusion. "Are you moving out like Mai-chan? Or wait, are you moving here, too?"

"Eeehh?"

"What? No way!"

"I don't think that's what Yusuke-kun meant, Wataru-chan."

Ema, Yusuke, and I immediately reject the idea. As far as I know Yusuke has no plans to move out of Sunrise Residence. Why would he leave a large place like that when he's got his family, his own space, and no rent?

Yusuke shakes his head. "I'm not moving out. Not yet, anyway."

"But you will eventually?" Ema asks. There's less worry in her voice than there was when we talked about moving before. Still, there's a hint of an edge to her tone; just because she's alright now doesn't mean she won't be interested in hearing his future plans. On one hand I'm proud of her growth. On the other, my hopes are stirred that she might be taking a particular interest in Yusuke. 

I turn to him expectantly. 

He doesn't notice it at all.

Scratching the back of his neck, Yusuke raises his head. "Well, I'm gonna move out eventually. I don't know where I'll find a job after school, and it'll be nice to have my own place. Iori-nii already lives away from home most of the time, and Hika-nii and Natsu-nii already have their own places. It's the next logical step in life, you know?"

"Ohh." Wataru nods in understanding. "Are you going to move out after school, too, Onee-chan?" He gives his focus to Ema, who freezes on the spot. 

"Eeto... I don't know about that yet," she says evasively. "I want to focus on finishing school first."

"Ah. That makes sense." Wataru crosses his arms and nods. "Makkun says we can live at home for as long as we want, so long as we keep helping out around the house. I'd like it if you lived at home for a long time, Onee-chan." 

I nearly choke on my tea, but choose not to address the obvious. Ema, oblivious (or evasive) as ever, takes Wataru in stride and indulges him. Or rather, herself. 

"Arigatou, Wataru-chan. I think I'd like to live at home for a while longer, too."

 Across the room, I notice that Natsume is frowning again.