I Am Big Brother (I Am Big Brother 1) ✅

Chapter Six

Koji led them to a park that was a five minute walk from Masato's apartment. There was a sign that said the park was closed after dark, but Koji casually walked past the sign. Satoru suspected that this wasn't the first time Koji went to the park alone.

A wave of nostalgia washed over Satoru as Ryoma and him followed Koji towards a large gazebo, which was on the far corner of the playground. It was white (looking almost like marble) and it had a black roof. As they entered the gazebo he idly ran his hand along one of the columns. It looked brand new.

Though the park looks largely the same as...before, he thought.

"Do they know where to do?" Ryoma asked, taking a seat on one of the wraparound benches. Koji plopped down beside him, and he jumped slightly.

"Yeah," Satoru said, checking his phone. "I texted all three of them the address for this park."

Hikaru, Akira, and Kazunari showed up one by one at different intervals; Kazunari first, then Hikaru, and then Akira. All three of them looked surprised to see Satoru, Ryoma, and Koji together in the gazebo. "So what's this all about?" Hikaru asked, grinning smugly. "All three of you are in trouble, you know? Sensei wasn't happy that you all ditched school during the cleaning hour."

"It was to help Sa-kun," Koji said.

"Sa-kun...Masato?" Akira asked. He sat on the opposite side of the gazebo. "Sensei talked with you about him, didn't she Koji?"

"Yes," Koji said, though he looked pleased to hear Akira use his first name. "Sa-kun wasn't answering my calls, Yo-kun and Ru—"

"Enough," Ryoma interjected. Both Hikaru and Akira choked on laughter. "We came to check on Masato, and that's why Satoru called the rest of you here."

"Why didn't you include us in your trip?" Kazunari asked. His tone was stoic but there was a note of irritation. "You didn't send me a text about what you're doing."

"Hey, I didn't get a text either," Hikaru complained, folding his arms over his chest as he sat next to Akira. "I wanted to skip cleaning, too!"

"We needed to see Masato right away," Satoru said harshly, and he quickly relayed the events of the evening to the other three boys. Ryoma and Koji chimed in a couple of times with their thoughts, but Satoru did almost all of the talking. Hikaru, Akira, and Kazunari stared in stunned silence at Satoru as he finished, but he didn't know if they were shocked by what he told them or if they were in general surprised to hear him monopolize the conversation.

An uncomfortable silence followed Satoru's explanation. Gazes adverted and the boys shifted with discomfort. It was Hikaru who broke the silence. "Wait. So Masato isn't that baby's father?"

"Oh come on Hikaru!" Ryoma burst out laughing. "Of course Masato isn't Eiji's father! Teen parents get expelled from the Suzuhara schools, remember?!"

"That's a fair point," Kazunari said quietly.

That was MY point, Satoru thought, but he refrained from saying this out loud.

"But he's still raising a baby alone," Akira said. He looked at Koji. "How long has this been going on?"

"Ah..." Koji looked towards the ceiling of the gazebo as he thought about it. The fact that he had to think about it bothered Satoru. And his answer wasn't encouraging. "Since...this past November."

"Six months?!" Ryoma exclaimed, standing up. "Masato's been raising a baby by himself for six months?!"

Koji nodded silently, his expression grim. "W-What kind of friend are you?!" Ryoma demanded. "Your best friend is on the verge of being expelled and having his life destroyed because his mom dumped a baby on him, and you're just okay with this?!"