Project: Karma

85 | Time Stamp

<Namari>
Naki has always been the one to complain about how we practically lost our childhood. But he's blind to the matter that we are growing up just fine. By now Naki is 17, in his 2nd year of high school and I'm 10, 2 years before graduating elementary school.

First of all, it's been two years since I've seen Ichirō. I had gone over to their place with Papa to get paperwork once and he wasn't there. His mother said that he had gone back to school as she didn't know when he'll be back. Truly, I was very upset by the sudden news. I remember back then that I stayed quite the entire ride home crying.

Then there's Haruki, who was studying abroad. I haven't seen him in a long time either but we still communicate with him through video chat.
Nothing is really the same as it was before. People just kept moving on.

And all I want now is to hurry and get into junior high but grown detached from school itself. The new kids, new groups that are far to reach without connections if I hadn't made them prior. I often just stick to the rule of thumb, to just keep looking forward. Get my study in and learn.

Momma and Papa, along with everyone else is still working on the project, making great progress since they had started. It's been going well enough that they are ahead of schedule and can spend more time with us at home. But the fear of time did slip up.

Whenever they were able to come home, Naki would be locked up in his room, studying. And when he's not in his room, he's probably at his part time job at the bookstore, and if he's not there, he's caught up with clubs and sports after school.
But lately on nights when Daichi came over, those two would be talking about a girl that likes Naki. He's never told me about it, but I wonder if Naki is dating someone or if he likes someone.

But subjects doesn't matter. I get quite lonesome at home, with no one to talk to when Naki is busy. Nozomi is caught up at home often and I can't burden her to come over every single day.
Momma and Papa would give me words of encouragement and spoil me rotten, I'm grateful, but it feels quite empty.

Today was one of the days that Momma and Papa weren't going to come back home for two days. To my luck, Zuzu dropped off Nozomi and Daichi at our place to sleep over. Sadly Haruki has already gone off to college, in the deep cities.

One by one, we're all leaving the nest and before I know it. I'll be next.
••••
"You look so grim. What? Is Naki ignoring you again?" Daichi smirked jokingly.

"H-he's busy! He would never ignore me." I shouted back and pushed him away from me.

Nozomi watched us both and she sighed at Daichi's childish character.

"At least big brother Naki is studying to do well in school. You're just slacking off. Are you planning to become a bum?" Nozomi harshly retaliated.

"Some nerve you have little one!" Daichi squatted down to her height. "I'll let you win this time." He patted her head and headed upstairs to annoy Naki.

Nozomi walked over to me and coiled her arms around me. She has grown as well, I think a foot taller than I am. She hugged me and swayed a little, making me sway.

"Haruki is gone. I don't care about Daichi. All I have is you." Nozomi said softly.

"You're going to leave me too." I said and honestly I didn't like the thought of making this more depressing than it needed to be. Why am I so pessimistic at time like this when she was trying to comfort me?

"I miss everyone." I confessed from the bottoms of my bruised heart, from the beating it took all these years of loneliness. I should be grateful that I have a roof over my head, food, air, a family, and yet I want more.

"I miss everyone too." Nozomi agreed and we both sat their quietly. We took in the silence of the house, everyone and everything conceived within this house, that vanished as time went on.

<Nakaru>
"Can't you go annoy your sister?" I asked Daichi who rolled on my bed, tucking himself in.

"Nah, I rather watch you pretend to be a good student to wow your parents. So far, I'm amused." Daichi teased.

I closed the textbook with a red book marker. I turned the chair over to face him. He stared at me excitedly for some odd reason and I couldn't help but to give in.

"You better show what you're made out of before the end of Senior year. You'll regret it." I brought up.

Daichi smiled to my comment and shook his head.

"I'd rather be living." He replied. "All you think about now is studying, securing a future, everything that is ahead of us. You're not thinking about the life now."

I stood up almost angered by how he blamed me for not living. What does he know? He's nothing like his older brother. Always getting into trouble with students and even the teachers. What are you even accomplishing?

"Don't assume that I'm not living now. At the moment I'm making memories, I'm making things happen on my own accord, I'm living." I countered.

Daichi shook his head in discontent.
"I'm not assuming, I know it. If you're living now, then why have you ignored your little sister all this time? When was the last time you went to the park with her? Watched movies and baked? It wasn't the same before was it? Don't say that you got busy." Daichi pointed his finger at me, "only you can blame yourself for pushing your family away. I bet you don't even know about her having a tough time in school."

What? I stepped closer to Daichi and now I stood beside him while he was still in my bed.

"What are you saying?" I questioned. "Is she getting bullied at school?"

"Tch. See what I mean?" Daichi shook his head again in disappointment. "I don't think it's bullying but I heard Mari and Nozomi's conversation weeks before, that she was having a tough time fitting in." He explained carefully.

I don't know what shocked me more, the fact that she was having this kind of trouble at school, of the matter that I didn't know about it.

"Hurts doesn't it?" Daichi raised his brow. "Maybe this will give you a wake up call." He climbed off the bed, "look I'm not here to make you feel like trashy scum,l but I just want you to be open again. For me and your family? In return, I'll actually make a effort in school?"

Daichi patted my back and smiled.
"Come on, when was the last time we played SuperSmash Bros together?"

I blinked at him speechless.
"First you come knocking down my wall, next you want to play video games?" I asked.

Daichi nodded his head. "Exactly, worked didn't it?"

"I can't believe you..." I said somewhat infuriated.

Daichi laughed hysterically, holding his stomach.

"Come on, don't be stupid and blow this off. The sisters are waiting downstairs to be comforted. Get your ass moving." Daichi stuck out his tongue. "Or you'll eventually regret it."