Nyanko da! (ft Natsume): A Brothers Conflict Fanfic

Chapter 21: Hard to Say

"A-Actually, Mai-chan," Ema begins timidly. She squeezes her drink so hard I fear it might spill.

"Hai, Ema-chan?"

She swallows nervously and screws her eyes shut. Then shakes her head. Then opens and closes her mouth.

"Ema-chan, what's wrong?"

It must be pretty bad if she can't come outright and say it.

"Did someone die?"

At once Ema waves her hands in denial.

"Iie, iie, nothing like that!" She lowers her gaze. "It's... I mean, I have a question."

"A question for me?"

She nods.

Okay, we're getting there.

"You can ask me anything," I say. "Ah, but don't ask me to go easy on you in our next Zombie Hazard session. I'm gonna win fair and square!"

Ema can't help herself. Giggles burst out of her as she recalls our last game. She's unexpectedly good at gaming and I can't seem to win against her, though I do put up a good fight.

I smile, glad that she's looking a little less tense. I wait for her to recover, after which she gives a small smile, though her gaze remains downcast.

"It's about living away from home," she says at last. "I... Why did you choose to live away from home?"

That was not something I expected.

From what I know about Ema, she's lived with her brothers, the Asahinas, at Sunrise Residence for at least a year. I remember Juli mentioning that they used to live elsewhere, but I have no idea if he meant him and Ema or Ema and her father, nor for how long.

"Living away from home..." I ponder to myself. "Do you mean for high school or university?"

"Ano . . . Yes."

A bit vague, but I can work with that.

"Well, I think I mentioned that I wanted to attend a high school in Tokyo, so I had to move away from home for that. Same for university. There aren't exactly any big schools I wanted to go to back home."

"Oh, that's right. You're not from Tokyo..." Ema ponders. "Was it a hard choice to make?"

"It wasn't easy," I admit. "Being away from family is tough, but in the end I wanted to follow this path, so I did it."

Thinking back, I also wanted a change of scenery. I hear that by the time you graduate from high school most students are ready to go. They're ready to leave home and find their own place in the world. For me it happened three years earlier than usual.

Ema looks a little frazzled, like she's conflicted about what to say. I've been positive about it so far, so maybe she's looking for a more balanced opinion.

"It's still not the easiest thing," I add, staring down at my drink. "Being away from my family is hard, even if we call a lot and they come to visit me when they can. There's also the cost of it. I'm working now, so it's okay, but it can be stressful during exams."

"I see..." Ema lowers her head as well. She's deep in thought, and I'm not sure what else I can say. She doesn't ask me any more questions, either.

Since my answer doesn't seem to satisfy Ema, though, so I ask, "Are you thinking about moving out, Ema-chan?"

"No!" she replies, a bit too forcefully. Ema realizes it herself a second later and lowers her head, caving into herself. "I just... I don't know."

I think back on what else she's told me about her family. Not all of her brothers live at home. Could she be concerned about them?