In Gentle Tones of Warmest White | Oumami

Chapter 3

The two clambered down the stairs, giggling quietly amongst themselves. Rantaro let out a soft chuckle of his own, stepping into his room and setting Kokichi down on his bed. (There were no guests bedrooms in this house, but Rantaro's bed was big enough to share and he didn't mind all that much.)

For a minute, he stood there, allowing himself another good look at Kokichi. The stillness was no longer disturbing now that Kokichi was actually asleep. He looked to be at peace with whatever might've been bothering him, and before he knew it Rantaro found himself leaning forward slightly, brushing back a few strands of Kokichi's hair to get a better look at his face.

Pulling his hand back, Rantaro let out a sigh as he pulled the paper from out of his pocket. He hummed faintly to himself, moving across the room as he read the tidbits of information Mikan had left him. One of the things that caught his attention was the sensitivity to light, and the first thing Rantaro did was draw the maroon curtains in his room. The bright afternoon light filtering in darkened a few shades as the room gained a reddish hue. (Rantaro actually really liked it- he made a mental note to draw his curtains more as opposed to not doing anything with them and leaving them as they always lay- open.)

The only other thing he was able to do before he heard his name get called from downstairs was take Kokichi's shoes off. (Surprisingly enough, his feet weren't as tiny as he thought they'd be, considering how small his hands were.) Setting the list on the nightstand, he closed the door behind him as he made his way downstairs and towards the kitchen. "Hey," He greeted, setting down Kokichi's shoes at the front before he stepped foot into the kitchen.

Airi and Eri ran up to Rantaro, an excited look in their gaze. "What did you do with sleeping beauty, Ranty-nii?" Airi asked.

"Did you two kiss, Taro-nii?" Eri giggled.

Rantaro shook his head. "No, we didn't kiss."

"What are they talking about?" A new voice murmured. Rantaro looked up to see a girl with curly black hair and green eyes, looking down at a note that Itsuki, who was sitting next to her at the kitchen table, had passed her. Her eyebrows raised. "You brought a guy home?" She asked.

"Where'd you come from, Hikari?" Rantaro asked, performing his handshake with Airi and Eri.

Hikari rolled her eyes at the mention of her name. "Just spawned in from the pits of hell. Wanna tell us about that guy you brought home or something?"

"My word!" Another, more assertive voice exclaimed from the kitchen. "You brought a guest and you didn't even bring him down here so we could meet him?" With her hands on her hips, the head of the house gave Rantaro a playfully disappointed look. "I'd like to believe we were at least a little bearable."

Hikari groaned as Airi and Eri had left Rantaro alone, opting to bother her next. "We're really not."

Itsuki let out a small chuckle, and Rantaro just sighed. "There's a reason why he can't exactly join us, Fuyumisa." He smiled. "I'll explain everything to you guys, don't worry."

"And you'll do it while helping me prepare dinner, young man!" Fuyumisa exclaimed, her silver eyes shining. "Today's your turn!" She was always like a second mother to them.

Rantaro made his way over to the sink, a smile on his face. "Yes, ma'am," He laughed, giving her a mock-salute before he washed his hands. This was sure to be fun.

:) (Why are there no line breaks on Wattpad I hate it here-)

True to his prediction, it did make for a pretty fun time. Sure, he couldn't get through a single sentence without getting teased about being in a relationship, but Rantaro enjoyed the familial banter with all of his heart. Even Hikari, who would normally have her earbuds in as she worked on her math homework, was actually paying attention for once.