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

Chapter 26: Farewell, My Peace

I'm reading through my emails at the dining room table when I hear chattering from upstairs. 

Farewell, my peace.

Closing my laptop, I spy the twins coming down the stairs.

"You annunciate this part too much." Tsubaki points to a space on a booklet he's carrying. 

"Oh, I see what you mean," Azusa says. "If I go easier on this part instead do you think it'll better capture the character's emotion better?"

"I think so, but you should ask the director just in case."

In the week and a half that I've been here I've noticed that the twins are both very devoted to their craft. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but it's inspiring to see the adults hard at work. Right now I can only look forward to finding a job that better suits my skills and interests, and I can only hope that I'll enjoy it as much as Tsubaki and Azusa enjoy theirs. 

As I muse to myself about the approaching future a sharp force smacks down on my shoulder. I bend forward from the impact, startled speechless.

"Oh! It's Tsukiyo Mai-chan!" 

"Tsubaki-san..."

"Were you in the middle of homework?" Tsubaki pulls up a seat next to me and grins. His pale hair falls into his violet eyes. 

Now that I see him up close he really does resemble Natsume-san.

I must have stared a moment too long, for Tsubaki's grin reaches his eyes. "You must think I'm really handsome if you're staring at me this long."

Immediately, a scowl breaks out on my face. 

"I was just thinking you're nothing like your brother," I say flatly.

Tsubaki laughs. "We may be brothers, but we're all different, ne?"

"Which brother are you referring to?" Azusa sits on my opposite side. 

Ehh? Azusa-san too?

In the end they're both are harmless, but since there's two of them they're harder to shake off. 

I turn to Azusa. "All of you, but in this case Natsume-san."

"Natsume?" The twins cock their heads at the same time and same angle. 

"Why Natsume?" Tsubaki asks. "Aren't we triplets?"

"When did you meet Natsume?" Azusa adds. "I don't recall him coming over to visit lately."

"Natsume-san helped me with some housing ideas a few days ago," I say, answering both of their questions. I open my laptop, figuring it's best to "show" rather than "tell". I don't want Tsubaki teasing me about other things in the meantime. 

The twins lean in as I pull up the real estate website. I'd been looking into some of the places that Natsume suggested to me the other day. One of them was very promising, being a decent distance from the university and grocery stores, listed at an affordable price to boot. It's a little on the smaller side, but it'd only be me living there.

"It's so small!" is Tsubaki's first reaction. His eyes widen as he seizes control of the mouse and flips through the apartment photos. 

"Oi, Tsubaki-san—"

"It is pretty small, but Mai-san will be the only one living there." Azusa leans in to get a better look. I'm forced to lean back so it won't get overcrowded.

"I've already emailed the landlord," I say. "I'll be touring it in a couple of days. Hopefully, this'll be the one."

"Aww, already?" Tsubaki whines. "It's been so nice having another girl around. Like having a second imouto-chan!"