insouciant || ON HIATUS

ℂℍ𝔸ℙ𝕋𝔼ℝ 𝟚

For the rest of what would have been their 6th grade and their summer vacation, Claire taught them hiragana, which was apparently the main alphabet of Japanese, a little bit of katakana, and kanji.

Unless romanized, the written language wasn't at all like English, where there were only 26 letters. Most of the time, they spoke Japanese to sink more into the country they were living in.

Mamoru picked up the information at an astonishing rate. Claire discovered he was abnormally smart for his age and gave him more challenging tasks. Maiko was just as smart, if not smarter, but she constantly doubted herself and looked to Mamoru for confirmation, though she was usually right.

Their grandmother had left a long time ago, giving them a teary goodbye and a promised reunion for the future. Before she left, she knelt down in front of Mamoru and said to him, "Take care of your sister and take care of yourself." She said the last half of her sentence in English, emphasizing on it.

Mamoru had given her a wooden nod and a tight hug that betrayed his stoic face.

In the present, Mamoru and Maiko discovered Claire couldn't actually physically take care of them. She worked for a company called Yachi Create, often having to leave early in the morning and come home late at night. Financially, she was more than able to care for them though.

He reassured her he was more than capable of taking care of himself and his sister.

The boy often had trouble sleeping, though he didn't let Claire know. He was a light sleeper and a little bit of an insomniac, so he was often up late into the night and early in the morning.

One day, he woke up much earlier than Maiko and in time to catch Claire making breakfast for herself. "Oh, why're you up so early?"

She slid a cup of barley tea in front of him. He gave her a grateful nod and cupped his hands around the scalding cup. "I couldn't sleep."

All Claire did was nod, a little sympathetic. She said nothing, much to his relief. He disliked pity and wouldn't know what to say.

Instead, Mamoru glanced out the window, interested in the rising sun. The sun bathed the houses in an orange glow and he looked down to avoid blinding his eyes.

He caught a sight of a young woman, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, despite the morning chill. She had an arm band which had earbuds going to her ears.

What interested him was her face. From far away, it looked as though she was exhausted, dripping in sweat and breathing hard. He could see the clouds of her breathe in the air.

But on a closer look, she had a look of utter tranquility, like nothing could bother her. Something twinged in Mamoru's chest. It must have shown on his face because Claire peeked out the window and watched the woman run until she was out of view.

"Are you interested in running?" Claire watched his facial expression for any clues. It was difficult to ask something of Mamoru. It had to be a yes or no question, something that didn't require him to make choices, seeing as he was used to his parents making the choice for him.

"I...was watching her face," he clarified, looking back at Claire. He took a sip of his lukewarm tea. "I liked the look on her face."

Could I feel something like that? He asked himself in his head, wondering if he'd ever looked like that at one point in his life.

Claire was quiet for a moment before she pulled back the chair to sit down. She winced at the squeak and sat down quickly. "Mamoru, I think running could do you some good," she mused, trying not to make it into an order. She discovered if she gave him what sounded like an order, he would drop everything (unless it involved his twin) and do it with no questions. "Some people say running is cathartic and I know from personal experience, it's a good kind of high."