ᴍᴇɴʜᴇʀᴀ // ᴍᴀᴛꜱᴜɴᴏ ᴄʜɪꜰᴜʏᴜ

ꜰɪꜰᴛᴇᴇɴ

WHITE FLUFFY CLOUDS FLOAT through the air. You watched as a cloud passing by looked like a sheep. Which you thought was cute because sheep are adorable little woolly creatures.

No offense, Mr. Froppé. You internally apologized to your bunny friend as you heard the front door open. You quickly got on your feet and see your aunt, coming in with a big sigh.

"Frowning will get you wrinkles." You commented, setting down Mr. Froppé aside to help her with the groceries. You then remembered something you wanted to ask her. After putting the bags of groceries on the table, you turned to your aunt. "Auntie, I've been hanging out with some friends lately."

She briefly glanced your way while taking off her blazer and hung it on the door. "Hm? Is that why you went out more often lately?" She paused, before realizing her words. "Wait, the friends you hang out with aren't some nasty people right? Delinquents or even... dealing in suspicious activity?"

You stopped. "Um... Well..."

"[Name]." Your aunt's voice lowered as she fully faced your way. "Answer me, [Name]. Are you, or are you not involved in criminal activity?" Inhaling in some air to calm yourself, you spoke. "I'll explain first."

"Please do." She did not miss a beat.

"It's a gang." You saw how her eyes squinted at you. She was fuming. "They get into fights, and maybe one died during it... But, they're nice people. They're not the gruff and mean types. Some of them." You muttered the last part to yourself.

"That doesn't answer my question." She began tapping her foot impatiently.

"Well, um... I don't think they do any bad stuff, other than fighting." You explained. Your aunt sighed, massaging her temple. "...I want to believe that you met people that are... nice, but I can't." She slowly walked towards you, getting on her knees and cupping your face. "You're so fragile, [Name]. You're a gentle person, and if you hang out with some gangsters, you're bound to become like them. And what if you got hurt? I'll be very worried."

You relaxed into her touch, now less tense and nervous. "Auntie, I can't promise that I won't get hurt... or that I won't become like them... but I promise that I'm not doing anything bad. So can you... let this go?"

Your aunt stared at you silently for a second, then she exhaled and stood up. "...I won't accept it until I meet them myself."

"What?"

"Arrange a meeting for us, [Name]." Your aunt ordered, walking towards the bathroom. "We'll dine somewhere to see if they're good enough. Then I'll consider."

After she entered the bathroom, you felt a bit relieved that she didn't outright refuse to let you see them. Being a lawyer and all, being logical is a must for her. You really loved that about her.

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"We're meeting them here, do I have that right?" Your aunt had her arms crossed and observing around for your friends. "Yes, I told them to meet you." You held Mr. Froppé in your arms while also looking around.

A few minutes passed and no signs of them. Your aunt finally sighed, her back straightened. "...Who did you say you invited again?"

"There's Mikey-san, Draken-san, Takemichi-san, Chifuyu-san and Mitsuya-san." You said. "They're the ones I hang out the most."

"...And not one of them showed up yet?"

Uh oh. You froze up. "Um... There has to be a reason, right?" You tried to explain, but it was clear to your aunt that they're not coming. It's already been 20 minutes. "I'm leaving." She began to walk away, but your hand tried to pull her back to no avail. "A-Ah, wait!" Your eyes frantically looked around, trying to find them.