Shards of War: Eclipsian Secrets

Chapter 54

Matsu woke up late one morning, the sunlight streaming through his curtains. The warmth made him feel drowsy, and he considered going back to sleep, but then a familiar melody reached his ears. It was a song that always brought a smile to his face, a tune that Calie and Marie often hummed when they were in a good mood.

He heard laughter—his sisters' laughter—and blinked groggily, rubbing his eyes as he tried to wake up fully. Slowly, he sat up and reached for Azzy, who was curled up at the foot of his bed. Carrying her, he stumbled out of his room, yawning deeply.

"What are they up to this early?" he muttered to himself, his voice still thick with sleep as he made his way down the hallway.

As he got closer to the kitchen, the smell of something delicious cooking filled the air, making his stomach rumble. The sound of his sisters giggling grew louder, and as he rounded the corner, he finally saw what was going on.

There, standing at the stove, were Calie and Marie, laughing and chatting as they made breakfast. The sight of them, after so long, caught Matsu off guard. His jaw dropped slightly as the realization hit him—his fiancées were here, in his house, making breakfast.

Azzy, sensing the excitement, jumped out of his arms and dashed over to them, rubbing against their legs and purring loudly. Matsu barely registered the cat's departure as he dropped his arms to his sides, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"Calie! Marie!" he yelled, running over to them. In a swift motion, he scooped both of them up, one in each arm, lifting them off the ground in an exuberant embrace. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" he demanded, his voice filled with joy and surprise.

Calie and Marie both laughed, squirming in his grasp. "Put us down, Matsu!" Calie said, trying not to drop the spatula she was holding.

"Yeah, we're cooking here!" Marie added, her tone teasing but filled with affection.

Reluctantly, Matsu set them down, but not before kissing both of their foreheads in quick succession. "This is such a big surprise," he said, his eyes shining with happiness. "You two didn't even give me a heads up!"

Calie grinned up at him, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "We wanted to surprise you. Besides, you were sleeping so peacefully, we thought we'd let you rest a little longer."

Marie nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "And now you get to wake up to breakfast made by your favorite people."

Matsu chuckled, his heart swelling with love for the two of them. "You two are amazing, you know that?"

"Well, we try," Calie said with a wink, turning back to the stove to flip a pancake.

Marie, who was stirring a pot on the stove, glanced over her shoulder at Matsu. "Why don't you sit down? We've got everything under control here."

Matsu, still grinning like a kid on Christmas morning, nodded and moved to sit at the kitchen table. Azzy, having decided she'd given Calie and Marie enough attention, hopped onto his lap, and he absentmindedly stroked her fur.

"So, how did you two manage to sneak in without waking me?" Matsu asked, watching them work with practiced ease in the kitchen.

Calie giggled, her eyes dancing with amusement. "You were out cold. I mean, we could have probably hosted a concert in your room, and you wouldn't have stirred."

Marie smirked. "And besides, Yumiko helped us with the key. She was pretty excited about the whole thing."

Matsu chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. "I can't believe you all planned this without me knowing."