Chapter 55: Almost Adults

Ema practically pounces on me when we get back to the noodle shop.

"Mai-chan! Are you okay? Oh no! You're bleeding! We need a first aid kit. I'll go ask the owner for one. You sit down over there. Try not to touch the wound. We can't let it get infected."

She speaks so frantically it's hard to get a word in edgewise.

"Ema-chan," I say loudly.

She pauses. "Yes?"

Behind us, Natsume shuts the door and closes the umbrella shut.

"I just wanted to say thank you." I bow my head. "Having you and Natsume-san here with me makes it a little less terrifying."

I mean it. My head feels a little clearer now, and I've realized that I need to accept help when it's offered without hesitating. My own sense of competence doesn't factor into the solution. What matters is that we find Shin. I no longer care how much I need to rely on other people to do it.

Ema smiles. "It's no problem, Mai-chan. You would've done the same for me."

I smile. I'd like to think that is true.

Ema leaves to find that first aid kit. She passes the couple in the corner, who are conveniently pouring themselves tea. By the look of it those aren't their first round, either.

Do they want to know how this ends that badly?

Remembering the scrape on my leg, I head toward the nearest chair. It keeps stinging from the rain, causing me to wince.

"Oi." Natsume steadies me as I wobble. I wasn't going to fall, but the gesture is appreciated anyway. He goes on ahead to get the chair and turn it to face toward me. "Sit here," he says, gentleman-like.

"Thanks." I lower myself onto the chair and take another look at my thigh. The bleeding has stopped—it was never that deep—but the skin gushes an angry scarlet.

Ema hurries over with the first aid kid and sets to work treating me. I insist that I can do it myself—I can do that much, at least—but Ema won't have it.

"You can count on me, Mai-chan." She dabs gently at the wound with disinfectant, apologizing when my face scrunches at the pain. "By the way, Natsume-san says he'll take another look for Shin-kun outside. He's offered to call the police and the house as well."

"Eh? Why?" The police I understand, but why Ema's house?"My brothers may fight a lot, but they can be very helpful if you ask them," Ema says. Her tone implies that she's had such an experience before. This time I can emphasize with her. Shin was like that, too.

I wonder if he's still like that?

Once my wound is bandaged up and Ema returns the supplies to the owner we reconvene about the next step. Natsume rejoins us after having called his brothers.

"They'll see if anyone has heard anything." At my confused look he adds, "We have a few favours we can call in to help." Then he opens his umbrella and dips outside for another run around. He's a pretty fast runner, huh?

Also, does he realize he sounds like one of those rich tycoons from the movies?

I clear my throat. "I guess I should call my parents first. Let them know what's happened." I dread doing it, of course. Telling Kaasan that I made Shin run away again isn't going to go down well. But part of being a responsible adult is admitting when you messed up. If I want to be a better sister to Shin then that can be my next step.

Ema nods. "Good idea. Then we'll take you home."

"A-Are you sure?"

Despite resolving to accept other people's help, breaking out of old habits is never easy. Anyone trying to open up to others can attest to that.

"Of course!" Ema pumps her fists. "There's a chance that Shin-kun might remember your address from when you moved, and you probably want to change clothes before we go back out and search."

"I doubt Shin would remember where I live even if I told him." He never paid much attention to my old place, either. He only came up to visit the one time because our parents made him go. He complained the whole time and made fun of how dinky and damp it was. Little did he know he'd have the "damp" part spot on.

"Well, there's no harm in hoping." Ema pulls up a chair next to me. "And besides, I don't think Shin-kun could have gone far. He doesn't know Tokyo, right? He might have gone into a store near here to get out of the rain."

"That would be the smart thing to do," I agree. If my first thought wasn't to get as far away from me as possible. The thought makes my stomach churn. Does he really not think of me as an older sister? I don't usually make a big deal of my older sister status, but I never thought I'd have it said to my face that I was failing at it that badly.

Seeing my face fall, Ema tries to cheer me up. "I'm sure Shin-kun knows that you were just trying to help him. He might have wanted to be alone for a while."

I give her a look. Is she referring to her own experiences?

Ema's smile saddens. "I didn't want talk to anyone, either. Natsume-san just happened to be in the right place at the right time. He knew I'd have to stop running eventually, but he didn't push me to move forward just yet, either. He offered me a place where I could process things a little before I had to face the truth."

"He brought you to his place, right?" I recall the story. "He's a really nice older brother." He's the kind of sibling I thought I could be to Shin. I don't want to tell her that, though.

"Mn. Natsume-san understands me well. He knew how difficult it can be to talk to your family about things, but he also knew that regardless of what happens, they're still your family. You can't help but care about them."

The way she says it makes me wonder what kind of dark past Natsume has locked behind those violet eyes. For an above-average handsome man I wouldn't have thought he'd have any troubles. But I guess in a family that large it would be inevitable. He must have arguments with his brothers all the time. Tsubaki and Azusa must never leave him be.

"It sure is tough being an adult," I groan. I stretch my legs and arms, gritting my teeth at the leftover soreness from my fall.

"I know. It's a good thing we don't have to handle things by ourselves." Ema's eyes flit toward the windows. "I remember what life was like before, when I was responsible for just me and Juuli. As a kid it felt like playing grown-up. These days I want to stay at home with my family for as long as I can. I want to become an adult, but I also want to stay with my family. Sounds silly, huh?"

"Not really, no."

She might be saying this for my benefit, but the earnestness in her voice makes me think otherwise. On the outside Ema may look like she has everything taken care of, but who knows what emotions swirl within? With a pang, Shin's angry words circle back to me again. I'd thought he was fine, too. I'd thought this was something I could help him "take care of" as well. I should have known it would be more complicated than that.

I rub my face, tugging at the roots of my hair. "Gah... I can't wait 'til I'm older and wiser."

Ema giggles. "Fufu. We're not even twenty yet. We're almost adults, ne?"

"I wonder if that's true."

"Maybe we'll never be adults."

I launch a playful swat at her shoulder. She laughs and takes it. In that moment I know for sure that there's no one else I'd rather be here with right now. Having a friend who will be kind to you no matter the circumstances is a blessing you never know you needed. Ema is kind, non-judgemental, and helps me without asking for anything in return. I couldn't ask for a better friend.

"Really, thank you for being here, Ema-chan."

Ema startles, having not anticipated praise. "Iie iie. I didn't do that much. Natsume-san is the amazing one. He knows what to do in these situations."

"A true adult," I agree. "Speaking of which, is he actually running around in the rain right now?"

The two of us glance out the window. Though the rain has slowed to a gentle trickle, I can't imagine it being comfortable sprinting around in it. I doubt Natsume is clumsy enough to slip on the sidewalk and take a tumble like I did, but I can't help but feel concerned.

"He'll be okay," Ema says. "Did you know he was on the track team in high school?"

"Eh? No. Was he?" Now I see why he's such a fast runner. He must be keeping up with his training if he's as speedy as he was back then. However, what brings a smile to my face is trying to imagine Natsume as a teenager. With his bright orange hair I can't picture him cooped up in a classroom studying for exams. He must have been out and about with his brothers. Tsubaki and Azusa must've dragged him around all the time.

"Ano, what are you thinking about?" Ema asks teasingly. I must be grinning like a goof.

"Nothing important." I shake my head cheekily. "Nothing at all."

"It looks like you're feeling better now."

Ema and I startle. Natsume strides toward us. His clothes are no more soaked than before. He closes the umbrella and gives it a light shake at the door. With his free hand he brushes his orange bangs from his face.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't find Shin. We'll have to rely on the police," he says with a frown.

"I'm thankful that you're helping me at all," I say, waving my hand in dismissal. "I should've guessed that Shin got away. He's a pretty fast runner, too."

The half-compliment goes over Natsume's head. He explains how he circled around the immediate blocks, asked some people if they'd seen anyone pass through, and peeked in the major convenience stores along the way. No matter how thorough he was, it's easy for anyone to disappear in the city.

"Do you want to call the police, or would you like to go in person?" Natsume asks.

"Maybe in person. Though I should probably call my parents first." I should update them on everything that's happened. I'm tempted to omit some things, like my role in all this, but that wouldn't be responsible of me, and I'd feel worse than I already do.

"Why don't we take you home first," Natsume suggests. "There's still time to go to the station before dinner.""It'll be good to have a shower and some tea," Ema agrees. "That'll give you time to call your parents and let them know you're going to the police. I bet they've called the police in their area, too."

I imagine she's right. Kaasan wouldn't waste any time to find her son."Natsume-san is okay with that, too?" I'm pleasantly surprised that he'll keep helping me like this. He really is a nice person.

"Yeah. What's another drive through the city?" Natsume frowns and shakes the umbrella again. Droplets splatter the rug at the door.

"I will definitely thank you properly later," I promise.

Natsume waves his hand. "Don't worry about that. Let's get you back home first—" His eyes twitch and he suddenly looks away. His hand plasters to his mouth like he's holding back a cough.

"What's the matter?" I ask him, utterly confused.He mutters something from behind his hand, but I don't catch it. Natsume turns his back to me, and while I'm trying to figure out what's happened Ema cracks a nervous smile.

"Ano... Mai-chan..." She leans close to whisper to me. "I forgot to mention it to you earlier, but the rain... Well, your shirt is soaked through."

Immediately my arms fly to my chest.

Crap! The romper covers the important stuff, but you can totally see my bra straps! Why did I choose to wear white today?

I cover myself self-consciously, wondering how this day can get any worse.

It's then that the restaurant owner decides to insert himself into the conversation. Without looking directly at me—he's actively avoiding it for the aforementioned reason—he hands me the bill for Shin's and my noodles.

"I'm terribly sorry, but who will be paying for the meal?"

Yet another round of apologies ensues. Outside, the storm finally begins to clear.