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

Chapter 31: A Little Bit of Thanks

"Here you go." Natsume hands me a fruit drink and slides into the booth next to me. He leaves enough space between us as is polite. In contrast, Tsubaki and Azusa sit hip to hip across the table. 

Maybe it's a twin thing?

"This is fun," Tsubaki chimes, slurping loudly from his own cup. "We should do this more often."

"No thanks." My reply is blunt. I sip my drink, leaving no room for negotiations.

Azusa laughs. "He means going out together; Tsubaki, Natsume, and me. We haven't hung out together in a while, so we're glad you let us come along, Mai-san."

You invited yourself, I want to shout.

"It's been harder to hang out together since Natsume moved out," Tsubaki complains. "Though you've been coming home more often the last couple of years." His tone is suggestive. I can sense there's some kind of tension here, but it's none of my business.

Natsume sips his own drink in response. "Have I?" His tone implies that he's not paying it much attention. 

"Yeah. It makes one wonder if it's got something to do with our recent family additions," Azusa teases. 

Natsume's brows furrow. "Just because I've moved out doesn't mean it's not my home anymore. Neither Mom nor you guys have kicked me out."

"Still, Natsume's acting all grown up, getting his own place and everything," Tsubaki says. "Every time you come back it's like welcoming a son back for the holidays before he goes back to work."

"Oi, I'm your brother, not your son."

"Same feeling," Azusa argues. "We don't hear for you for a long time, and you only come back for holidays or special occasions, sometimes without giving notice. Why wouldn't it feel like that?" He smiles mischievously, and Natsume struggles to find a rebuttal.

Meanwhile, I shrink into the corner of the booth. Better that I not get involved in this conversation. You know what they say: Better to watch the mess than be a part of it yourself. Though as the brothers continue their debate I start to wish that I'd asked Natsume to drop me off at the station instead. This feels more like their outing than mine.

"Anyway," Natsume clears his throat, evidently at his limit for being teased. "I hope the tour was helpful today, Tsukiyo-san. Let me know if there's anything else I can do to help. I gave you a few different recommendations, right?"

"Arigatou. But I think I'll be able to handle the others on my own. I don't want to pull you or anyone away from your work." I shoot a meaningful glare at Tsubaki and Azusa, both of whom choose to tactfully ignore me.

And while I don't mention this aloud, bringing three Asahina brothers anywhere is sure to attract unnecessary attention. Already, I can feel the prying eyes of the other women in the cafe. It's so obvious that they're looking at us, or more specifically, the triplets. 

I can't entirely blame them. They're objectively good-looking men, but as the one stuck between them I wouldn't recommend it. Poor Ema has to deal with thirteen of them, but handling three is more than enough.

Natsume grimaces, having deduced my struggles. "I hope you'll find a good place," he goes on. "I hope my brothers aren't bothering you too much at home."

Well now I feel bad about complaining...

I shake my head. "Not at all. Ema is there, and it's been kind of everyone to help me out. Ukyo-san's even taught me a few new recipes."

"Kyo-nii, huh?" Natsume sounds surprised. Come to think of it, it's usually only Ukyo, Ema, and me in the kitchen making meals. 

"Can you cook, too, Natsume-san?" I ask. He hasn't visited Sunrise Residence since I've started crashing there. I wonder if Ukyo would let him in the kitchen, even if he bars his other brothers.