Chapter 43: I Guess This is Goodbye

Regardless of my suffering there's only myself to blame. I'm the one who asked everyone for help, so it's on me that everyone decided to come over to my new place. Therefore, it's up to me to be a good host until the Asahina brothers and Ema end up leaving.

Naturally, if it had just been Natsume, Yusuke, and Wataru I would be okay letting them stay as long as they want, but now that the twins are here there's an overwhelming pressure to entertain them. I don't want to be part of whatever attacks they're clearly launching onto Natsume and Yusuke. Having been on the receiving end of a brotherly attack before, I know that I'd rather put my attention to anything else.

Unfortunately, the other option is to watch Wataru stare with bright eyes at his older sister, who is either none the wiser or very good at pretending she doesn't notice. 

On top of that, it really is getting late, and I want to get my room sorted out before going to bed. Otherwise I might have to curl up on the floor. 

But kicking them out now wouldn't be polite... Well, if I'm never going to see them again then it doesn't matter, right?

As I ponder my options Natsume suddenly stands, drawing everyone's attention. 

"I have to go back to the office," he says abruptly. He between the twins, causing them to lean away from him to let him through.

"Aww, going already? We just got here," Tsubaki whines.

"It's sad that we don't get to see you as often," Azusa comments. He pushes his glasses up his nose and starts consoling Tsubaki. "If it's that time of the night already then we should head back as well. We only came to say hello and take Ema and the others back, anyway."

Ema turns to me, unsure of whether she should opt to stay longer. She must notice my exhaustion, for she quickly agrees.

"Right. We should let Mai-chan settle in. Midterms are soon, so she has a lot on her plate already. Come on, Wataru-chan. Let's go home with Tsubaki-san and Azusa-san. You have homework to do too, right?"

A shadow falls over Wataru's eyes as he remembers. "Yeah. I'm coming..."

The Asahinas quickly make for the door. Natsume lets his younger siblings go first, since Wataru is in middle school and should get some much needed rest. It's kind of sweet that he's prioritizing his younger siblings with even the smallest of gestures. 

"Thank you all for helping me out." I express my gratitude again at the genkan with a low bow. The twins have exited first and are waiting in the hallway. 

"Bye bye, Tsukiyo Mai-chan!" Tsubaki waves and calls loudly. 

"Thank you for having us," Azusa says. 

Didn't I just tell Tsubaki-san to keep it down???

I promptly address Tsubaki and Azusa's farewell with a silently brief nod. No need to engage in any more conversation with them this late in the evening.

Ema understands my apparent coldness and smiles. "It was fun to help out. Please call me again at any time if you need help, Mai-chan. I'll see in you in school, ne?"

"Yeah," Yusuke echoes with a grin. "See you in school."

"Mn." I nod. "See you guys in school. Bye, Wataru-kun. Good luck in your studies."

Wataru pats my arm in encouragement. "You too, Mai-chan! Come over again if you want to game again. Next time I'll beat you and Onee-chan for sure."

There's no need for me to squash his enthusiasm, either. I have no plans for defeat next time, but I smile and tell him that I look forward to our next zombie battle. I'll have to practice in my free time to avoid my skills dulling over time.

I go outside to the hallway to see everyone off. They wait for the elevator to arrive and then step in. Moments later, they're gone, and I'm the only one left. 

Well, almost.

Behind me, Natsume slips on his shoes. Since he came from work he's still dressed in his work attire, and given that he's going back to the office now it makes sense that he hasn't changed clothes in between. I'm surprised he let them all go first when he's the one who needs to get back to work. Natsume does give the impression that he'll come running to help whenever his brothers call, so perhaps this is just him being considerate to all his siblings, not just his younger ones.

"You're really going back to work, huh? And here I thought adults ended work before midnight." I stay out in the hallway to let Natsume finish putting on his shoes. I'm beginning to reconsider my aspirations to work in an office.

The orange haired Asahina grimly nods. "We're still in the middle of the handover process, and there's an event coming up this summer. The department needs all hands on deck, and we've got a lot riding on it."

"Well, good luck to you, then." I give him a thumbs up. "I can't thank you enough for taking time out of your busy schedule to help me."

"It's no problem at all," he says. He leaves the genkan and yawns as he comes into the hallway. "Thank you for the coffee."

"Hope it helped. You look pretty tired."

Natsume self-consciously runs a hand through his hair. "It comes with the job. Can't say it's any less busy than being in school."

"I can only imagine." 

It'll be me as well one day, but not today.

"I can't believe they had time to show up," Natsume remarks. He glances toward the elevator, though the others are long gone.

"You mean Tsubaki-san and Azusa-san? They did say they had work, but I forgot that they had my address. I never thought they'd show up, either."

"Next time don't be afraid to kick them out early," Natsume says. His brows knit. No doubt past memories of his brothers are flashing through his head. It must be tough having older brothers like that. 

I chuckle. "I'll keep that in mind for next time." But realistically, I don't think there'll be a "next time."

I close my door, keeping the key in my pocket, and walk Natsume to the elevator. He hits the button and the two of us wait for it to come back up. 

The awkward silence returns, and the conversation stalls. Without the obligation of having to talk for appearances, I'm content to let things rest between us. 

"So..." Natsume trails off. He faces the elevator and shoves his hands in his pockets. "Are you and Yusuke friends as well?"

"We met in university," I say. "I guess we're friends."

"Is that so...?" Natsume muses. 

"Ema was really nice in having me to stay for so long. She and Yusuke-kun have been very accommodating. I feel bad having imposed on them all this time."

If Ema ever finds herself in a predicament, I'll be sure to offer my help to her. My new place may pale in comparison to Sunrise Residence, but I'd be happy to have her over if she needs it. She's been a great housemate, so there wouldn't be any problems. 

"How has Ema been lately?" Natsume asks. When I stare at him in confusion, he elaborates. "Since we last talked she seems to be less anxious about the future, but..."

I offer him a smile. "It's really sweet that you care about your little sister so much."

Meanwhile, Shin would never.

"Ema-chan's doing well. She's been putting her all into studying and spending time with her family. I know she's still nervous about the future, but after talking to you, I think she's less afraid to move forward. As time goes on I'm sure she'll be more okay with the idea of people moving out, or moving out, herself."

Ema may have lived on her own before moving to Sunrise Residence, but it'll be a wholly different experience moving out from a family home. I mean, going from a place with thirteen brothers to living alone is not the same as the reverse of that. 

"I see." Natsume tilts his head up. I don't know if I've convinced him that Ema is okay. It might simply be in his nature to always worry about his sister. Despite Natsume living away from home, he's a lot closer to Ema than some of his other brothers. At least, from what I've seen. 

"I'm sure Ema-chan will confide in you again if she wants to," I say. "She won't have to worry about the future so much until she graduates, anyway."

Natsume's lips twitch into a smile. "You're right. She'll be okay. She's always okay in the end."

There's a weight in his words. Whatever happened in the past, I really hope Ema will be okay as Natsume says she will be. I'm only her friend, so there will be things I won't be able to help her with. Now that I've moved out of her place we'll go back to seeing each other in school. There will be less chances to talk, which makes me feel a little lonely about the whole thing.

Come on, Mai. It was always temporary. Having your own place is for the best. Theirs and yours.

"Anyway..." I cough. "Good luck with your work, Natsume-san. l guess this is goodbye."

"Arigatou," he grunts. "Sayonara." In front of us, the elevator has almost reached our floor. 

I should probably leave him to it. He doesn't need me to follow him downstairs, so I turn to go back to my apartment. It's not too late to read over some more material, so if I get my bed all set up early I'll start on that. 

I turn to go, having said my last goodbyes, when Natsume faces me. 

"Tsukiyo-san."

"Hai?" I ask nervously.

What more does he have to talk about? I feel like we're already stretching the number of topics we have available for conversation.

Uncertainty flashes across Natsume's face. His lips draw into another frown, and his eyes are sharp with seriousness. Instinctively, I edge back. 

"You wanted to meet my cats, right?" he asks. 

I suck in a breath. 

I thought he forgot about that! Since he didn't mention it before, I thought we were good. Why bring it up all of a sudden? It's not like I actually want to invite myself over!

Stifling the urge to bury my face in my hands, I reply, "That was an accident."

"An accident?" Natsume is confused. He doesn't seem annoyed about it, which is a relief. 

"I didn't mean it literally," I say quickly, trying to save myself. "I just meant that I really liked seeing cats, so I was happy you sent me pictures of yours. I get to go to cat cafés, but the cats there don't really belong with one particular person. I also thought it was kind of funny that your cats are named after your brothers. And that there was a story for that."

I'm talking nonsense here, but Natsume listens seriously. This man is very considerate of everyone, not just his siblings. 

"Sou desu ne..." Natsume puts a couple fingers to his chin in thought. "That makes sense."

I breath a sigh of relief. I've dodged the bullet I aimed at myself. Good job, Mai! Now we can drop this whole thing and go on with our lives.

"It's getting late, so I think I'll go back inside. Have a safe trip back, Natsume-san." I wave once and back away, glad that this predicament is finally over. I didn't think Natsume would actually ask me about it in person, and thankfully it was over quickly without him getting mad at me or feeling too weirded out. 

There's no need to tell Ema about this, at least, I think to myself. 

But the moment I let my guard down Natsume poses another question.

"Did you want to meet my cats, then?" 

In my shock I trip and slam hard into the wall.