Nyanko da! (ft Natsume): A Brothers Conflict Fanfic

Chapter 13: Passenger Pleasantries

It's a little awkward at first.

Natsume sits up front in the driver's seat, of course, but there's some hesitation as to who's riding shotgun. 

Yusuke seems conflicted. Does he sit up front so Ema and I can share the backseat? Or does he sit in the back with Ema and have me (the guest) sit next to a total stranger? Either way, it's clear that he doesn't want Ema sitting next to Natsume.

Before Yusuke can have an aneurysm I offer to sit in the front. 

"Are you sure?" Ema asks. "I can sit up front if you'd rather."

Yusuke stiffens. "O-Or I could. You don't have to force yourself."

"Eh, I'll be fine. Natsume-san says he's got cats, so I wanna hear about them!" I say, winking at Yusuke.

He finally gets it and flashes me a secret smile of gratitude. 

Do your best, Yusuke! 

Seeing that I've made a decision, Ema sighs and sits in the back seat with Yusuke. I climb into the front seat next to Natsume, trying not to glance at the rearview mirror to watch my ship. After all, I've got to be discrete in helping them.

Natsume glances over his shoulder as he pulls out of the lot. I could be imagining it, but his gaze lingers a second longer on Ema. 

Or maybe he's just super conscious about traffic. 

Once we're safely on the road, the silence settles and suddenly I feel like shrinking in my seat. 

"So," I say, trying to break the tension. "Natsume-san has two cats? What are their names?"

Natsume grips the wheel as he makes a sharp turn. Wah, who made this city's corners so stiff?

"... Tsubaki and Azusa," he says.

"Oh, I meant your cats, not your brothers," I say, confused. Maybe he misheard me?

"Iie. Those are my cats' names," Natsume says. "I named them after my brothers. It's a long story."

I check my phone's lock screen. "We got time."

He swallows. In the mirror, Ema perks up in interest. She has yet to hear the story as well.

"It happened a few years back," Natsume begins. "It was raining, and I was at my place when Tsubaki suddenly called, asking if he could come over. He didn't say why, but he hung up before I could ask."

In the back Yusuke scoffs. Having met Tsubaki, I can totally imagine that.

"When he got here he was carrying this cardboard box," Natsume goes on, "So I thought it was old stuff from my room, but then he tells me that it's cats."

"Cats," I breath excitedly. It's like something from a cute slice of life show. 

"Un, there were two of them," Natsume says. "Tsubaki said that Ukyo wouldn't let him keep them at the condo, so he was giving them to me."

"How irresponsible," Yusuke comments. 

"But you ended up keeping them anyway," Ema chuckles. "That was sweet of you."

Ema... You're making Natsume blush up here.

I laugh lightly. "So you named them after your brothers, ne?"

"I'm not good at naming things," Natsume says bluntly. "That's all I could come up with."

"It's kind of like having your brothers with you," I joke.

Natsume looks horrified at the very idea. 

"I finally moved out to get away from those jerks," he mumbles to himself. 

"Oi, we're not all bad," Yusuke protests.

Come to think of it, Ema did say that not all the brothers lived at Sunrise Residence. 

"Does that mean you don't live at the mansion?" I ask. 

Natsume's grip on the wheel tightens. It's so slight that I almost miss it.

"I have my own place," he says slowly. 

In the back I sense Ema flinch. What's that about?

"Eh? No wonder Tsubaki-san gave you cats," I muse. "He must've thought you'd be lonely without him."

That makes Natsume cringe even more. "God help me if those two showed up at my place all the time. Two cats are more than enough."

I laugh. "I suppose. I mean, two cats is nothing. They can keep each other company during the day."

"Do you have cats, too?" Natsume asks. "You looked pretty bummed about the cat towels."

Oh. Did I really? I guess my poker face isn't as good as I thought.

"Ah, I don't, but my parents do," I say. "And there's a ton of stray cats where I used to live."

"Oh, where do you live now?"

"Uh... I used to live in X Neighbourhood, but that place flooded."

"Ah, right. Yusuke mentioned it." Natsume makes another turn at the lights. "Have you been to the place yet? Or are we the first brothers you've met so far?"

Ema and I exchange glances in the mirror.

"I've met... a few of you," I say, not wanting to go into the whole thing. "There are a lot of you."

"Have you met Tsubaki and Azusa yet?"

"They were at dinner," Ema says. "Ukyo-san, Iori-san, and Wataru-chan were also there."

"Ah, so that's most of us," Natsume says. "I guess there aren't that many more to go. Subaru's away for school, so you might not meet him anytime soon. And Hika-nii's back in Italy for the summer."

How in the world do they keep track of all the brothers? I can barely keep up with what my one does.

I want to comment on their supposed chaotic lives, but I don't want to sound rude. Since Natsume is confirmed living permanently away from home, there must be a reason for it, especially since he still lives in the area. I don't want to pry and make him uncomfortable with my questions.

"Wah, you guys must have a lot of fun during birthdays," I say, trying not to let my curiosity leak out.

"Oh, we don't usually do much for our birthdays," Natsume says. 

"Eh? Really?"

"Well, there are thirteen, no, fourteen of us now. It'd be hard to get together for all of them."

I lean back in my seat. "Sou desu ka?" 

He's got a point. Even if three of them are triplets, that would still be ten birthdays to celebrate per year. Everyone must be busy with their different schedules, high-profile jobs, and school. 

While it's a good thing to have your own independent lives, I couldn't imagine not celebrating my family's birthdays. I don't want to say I feel bad for the Asahinas or anything, but learning this about them makes me a little sad.

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Vocab:

Sou desu ka: "Is that so?" or "Really?"

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Needless Commentary

Fourteen people to celebrate... and that's not including the parents! But that would mean more cake...