Chapter 42: Let Them Eat Candy!

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"So, Yusuke, how's school going?" Natsume turns to his brother. 

Yusuke shrugs. "It's going okay. I studied for midterms this week. I'm not super confident I'll do well, but I'm gonna pass. I've got to."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," I say. "You've been going to the library after classes to squeeze in extra study time, and you asked me to help you with your writing the other day. Give yourself some credit, Yusuke-kun. You're a good student."

Yusuke's expression relaxes a little. "Thanks, Mai-san."

"How about you, Mai-san?" Natsume asks me. "I bet it's been a busy few weeks with the move. And I can't imagine my brothers were always on their best behaviour."

I chuckle. "It was really stressful at first, but everyone was so nice to me, and you guys even helped me move in on top of that. I don't know what I would've done if Ema-chan hadn't invited me over to stay."

I think back to when my previous apartment flooded. The despair I felt staring at my building being sectioned off, the frustration at the unhelpfulness of my landlord, the fear that I wouldn't have anywhere else to go but a sketchy capsule hotel... 

Yet Ema reached out and helped me, and I met Masaomi and the other Asahina brothers, who let me stay at their place free of charge until I could get back on my feet. I probably won't see any of them aside from Yusuke now that I've moved out. 

It'll be weird not waking up and having breakfast with everyone in the morning...

I force a smile, trying not to think about the transition I'll face while adapting to my new home.

"I'll admit I'm going to miss cooking sessions with Ukyo-san and Ema-chan," I say regretfully. 

Yusuke laughs. "You guys talked a lot about food. I don't think I've seen Kyo-nii that chatty in a long time."

"Mn." Natsume muses. He takes a swig of his coffee and thinks back. "Kyo-nii does like to cook. I'm surprised he let someone else help out. He doesn't even let me in the kitchen to help anymore."

"Eh? Why? Does he think you're bad at cooking or something?" I ask. Having cooked with Natsume all but once, I can safely say that he can make edible meals. Could Natsume have developed acquired tastes from living alone?

Natsume's frown deepens, and for a second I'm afraid I might've triggered some bad memory. To my relief, he replies that Ukyo simply wasn't fond of his food.

"He said it was too salty, but Tsubaki and Wataru were fine with it." He crosses his arms. "Cooking is mostly Kyo-nii's job, so he probably doesn't want me stealing it from him."

I laugh. "With this many brothers, I bet he appreciates the help."

"Maybe." Natsume doesn't sound too convinced, but he doesn't dwell on the subject much longer.

The conversation then moves to talking about the brothers, who are the only common topic between us. I've met most of the Asahinas, twelve out of the supposed thirteen of them. I'm curious about the final brother I've yet to meet, the one called Hikaru. Yusuke mentioned that he doesn't live at Sunrise Residence, so my chances of meeting him have dropped to zero. I'm not bothered by this, really, though this means that my Brothers Bingo will be incomplete until the end of time.

As we start touching on the subject of Subaru's training, a topic that Natsume and Ema eagerly discuss, we're interrupted by a knock on the door. This startles us all; we weren't expecting anyone. 

"Coming!" I stand and walk toward the door. "Could it be the building manager?"

"You think he forgot something?" Yusuke suggests. 

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