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

Chapter 16: Cool Blue

Ema comes down a few minutes later. Juli sits on her shoulder wiping his little eyes with his paws. Makes me wonder, where does he sleep in her room? I'm all for sharing beds with pets, but I don't think I could rest easy with a squirrel... I'd constantly be worrying about squashing him flat.

"Ohayo gozaimasu," Ema yawns. "Did you sleep well?"

Ukyo and I nod. 

"School today," I moan. "I have to work on that essay again. Mah, I'm not looking forward to that."

"You write really well and really fast, so you'll be done in no time at all," Ema encourages. "If it helps, I'm still struggling with meeting the word count."

She's the opposite of me, who always writes too much. "I think I'll get Suwa-san to go over it. He's always really good at editing, and he doesn't charge you for it, either."

"That sounds like a good idea," Ema agrees. "Maybe I'll ask him to do mine as well." 

Ukyo chuckles. "Ah, school days."

Just as we begin setting the table Wataru comes bouncing down the stairs. He's got a lot of energy this early in the morning. Must be the perks of being a grade schooler.

"Morning, guys!" he announces. "Mai-chan, did you sleep well?"

"Hai. Thanks."

Wataru takes his designated seat next to Ema. Without asking, he grabs Juli and sits the squirrel on his lap. Juli doesn't look too pleased, but with Ema grinning like that how can he escape?

Next comes Iori, who merely picks at his food whilst glancing up now and again. There's no sign of the twins, so I'm assuming they've either slept in or left early. 

Yusuke doesn't come down at all, which means he's definitely sleeping in again. 

Then comes a person I haven't seen before. He's got light pink hair done up in a partial up do, leaving some locks falling into his right eye. His jacket is a soft cyan and white polka dot, which contrasts with his red-magenta trousers.

Overall, he gives off a calming vibe, like he takes everything one moment at a time. Compared to the energy of the Asahina brothers I've seen so far, it's refreshing to see.

"Oh, Louis, you're up early," says Ukyo. "I'll dish you up some food."

"Thanks, Ukyo-niisan," the new brother says. Even his speech seems very calming. His long lashes flicker as they spot me. "Oh, is that Chii-chan's friend?"

Chii? I glance at Juli. 

"He's in the Coalition to Protect Chii," the squirrel confirms. "He's the only brother I'd trust to look after her properly."

To the rest of the brothers it must sound like a bunch of chitter and chatter.

"Sou desu ka..." I trail off. It's a good thing there aren't many people who can understand Juli. He seems hell bent on projecting the unruliness of the brothers.

Louis takes a seat next to me, pulling up just close enough so we can talk, but still at a comfortable distance. 

"So you're Mai-chan? I'm so sorry to hear about your place. Are you settling in alright?"

"Hai." I nod. "Ema's been really kind to offer to have me stay over, and your brothers have been nice to me as well."

Louis smiles. "That's good to hear. It must be tough to have to be driven from your home like that. Even coming to a new place can be hard, especially since there are so many new people."

"Hai." I scoop a bit of rice into my mouth and chew. "So, you–you're part of the Coalition?"

Louis tilts his head, unfazed that I brought up something Juli said. He must've been able to understand Juli from the start.

"Juli and I care a lot for Chii-chan," he explains. "It helps that there's two of us, just in case one of us isn't around to help."

"I hope there isn't a lot of trouble," I say nervously.

He ponders this a moment, then shrugs. "It depends on what you'd call 'trouble.'" 

Juli scoffs at this. "Just wait, soon these perverts will be at it again. Mornings are always quiet because no one's had coffee yet. But once we hit lunch and dinner they'll be starving like the predators they are!"

"Now, now, Juli," Louis soothes. "Mai-chan's not used to the climate here yet. It sounds like everyone's treated you well so far, though, ne, Mai-chan?"

"U-Un." I look around the table. The others have fallen into their own conversations. It's rather peaceful, and I quite like it.

"Say," Louis puts down his soup bowl, "Did you, like, dye your hair at some point?"

I touch the end of my ponytail. "It was supposed to be dark blue, but the navy blue isn't too bad."

"Hmmm... kon-iro," Louis hums. He leans in to examine my hair colour. "It's not a bad colour, but you're right, a lighter colour would be prettier. Like massao. It'd match your eyes."

Massao, huh? Not the first shade of blue that'd come to mind.

"Louis is a great beautician," says Juli. "Though I worry when he styles Chii's hair to be too pretty, all the brothers start gaping at her."

"I'm flattered," Louis says, completely genuine. "Say, Mai-chan, it'd be nice to do your hair a some point. Would you be interested?"

"H-Hai," I stammer. I wasn't expecting that. "I don't know if it'd be anytime soon, though."

"No problem, I'm cool with any time." Louis smiles.

Errr... Timing isn't the issue I was thinking of, but I'm not gonna tell him that.

"Say, Chii-chan, do you have any plans for later?" Louis asks.

Ema, who's been talking to Wataru, looks up. "Mai-chan and I both have afternoon classes. Why? Is something happening?"

Louis shakes his head. "Just wondering. I thought it would be nice to, you know, go out for tea. The four of us. Including Juli."

The squirrel's ears twitch excitedly.

"I know of a place that doesn't mind pets," Louis says. 

I don't dislike the idea of hanging out together, but I do wonder why. I don't know anything about Louis, but if Juli and Ema are okay with it...

"Maybe later in the week?" I suggest. "After our essays are due. Ema and I should have time then."

Louis smiles. "Great. I'll send you both the location later." He scoops up the rest of his breakfast and sets his chopsticks neatly across the bowl. "Thanks for the food, Ukyo-niisan. Your breakfasts are always balanced delicately to our palates."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all," Ukyo says. You can hear the pride in his voice. Finally, one of his brothers is giving him recognition.

"Later, guys." Louis stands and takes his plates. "Chii-chan, Juli, Mai-chan. See you soon."

After he leaves I think about how mellow he is compared to his brothers. I'd place his calmness next to Iori and Azusa. 

I think I might look forward to that tea outing more than I thought.

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Vocab:

Kon-iro: "dark blue" or "navy blue" 

Massao: "deep blue" or "bright blue", but can also refer to a ghastly paleness, according to Jisho.org

Ohayo gozaimasu: "good morning", the formal way

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Needless Commentary

A lot of the fans really like Louis, and I'm inclined to agree! I've used the Western spelling of his name because that's what the dubs and subs use. It also kind of reflects his background, which I'll touch on in a later chapter.