The Disappearance of Osomatsu-san

Chapter 54: Echo

He didn't know why, but he was never fond of the sound of a voice echoing. Whether it be Jyushi screaming at the top of his lungs while facing a deep well for his own amusement, or Hana's loud screaming echoing in the hallways of Flag Corporation as she ranted about how deforestation was harming the environment (as if Ichi didn't already know that), Suuji Ichi had never been fond of it. It was loud enough to destroy his eardrums, and losing his sense of hearing would be a hindrance for the company.

Ichi needed to take a breather and had left his office as soon as the call ended, dismissing his worried employees who were asking him if they should repair the door or if he wanted another plate of his greasy finger food. Osomatsu was still at his office, sitting on one of the sofas while clutching onto his phone as tight as he could, eyes blank and void of all emotion. Todo and Kara were on his sides, patting him on the shoulder and getting him to say something. But Osomatsu couldn't speak. He had just heard the pain one of his brothers were going through and it had been one of the worst sounds he had heard in his entire life.

Ichi had went to Jyushi's room after leaving his office and his three supposed brothers, knowing his actual little brother's somewhat childish bedroom would calm his nerves down by a bit. Like Osomatsu, hearing the pained sound of coughing from someone that sounded so much like his little brother had been imprinted on his mind. No matter how many times he tried to shake the thought away, and no matter how many times he tried to convince himself that Jyushimatsu wasn't Jyushi, he just..

"..I hope that you can protect and take care of my nii-san too.. please?"

He swore he heard Jyushimatsu's voice echoing in the elevator, and it had been like that ever since the fifth Matsuno suddenly passed out from the other side of the phone's screen. He clenched his fists, shaking his head and closing his eyes. He had a lot to take in yesterday and today, with Osomatsu being his brother from another dimension, to meeting his alternate self and the alternate self of his own little brother.

And of course, his head was throbbing, both from the loud voices from Osomatsu's phone, and from overthinking, something he usually did. Jyushimatsu's voice and Jyushi's voices were similar, so it was natural that both were ridiculously loud. So much for doing work today, he bitterly thought as he stepped outside of the elevator and entered his brother's bedroom.

Toys were neatly fixed at one side with papers of scribbles and a box of crayons on another corner, probably fixed by Fuyu and Yuki. The sheets had also been changed with a yellow fabric with cream colored paw prints, and the bright colored pillows were neatly aligned on one side of the bed. Normally, the blankets would be on the floor with broken pieces of crayon and papers with crayon scribbles everywhere, but since Jyushi was absent from the scene, everything was perfectly fixed. Even the stuffed animals were on one side of the bedroom, their cute beady eyes staring deep into Ichi's soul.

..I can never understand why Jyushi found those cotton-filled fabric bags so cute. Look at them. Satan spawns.

He honestly preferred sewn button eyes for stuffed animals, even though he wasn't as fond of plushies as Jyushi was. He was glad he made Kiiro-kun have buttons eyes instead of beady ones. Those honestly disturbed him to no end, even as a child.

He looked around the childish bedroom. The ceiling had been decorated with glow-in-the-dark stars, just in case Jyushi would still be terrified of the dark, even though he had a night light on as he slept. As Jyushi had the highest floor in the building, it was natural that he got to see Akatsuka City in it's entirety every single day. Ichi was somewhat amused by the fact how innocent Jyushi's bedroom looked compared to Ichi's, which had been combined with his office downstairs. While Ichi had a katana stained with the blood of his own mother and a bottle that used to contain the liquid he used to kill his own father decorating his office, Jyushi's bedroom was more innocent and less.. serious.