The entire trip was the pinnacle of deafening, utter hell. Iyami's constant gag reactions mixed with Chibita's impatient yelling and outbursts caused Osomatsu to wonder if asking them for help was a good idea in the first place. None of this would have happened if he just chose the option of running everywhere, even if it killed him. Taking the train would have been faster, but running everywhere would be a nightmare. Good god, nothing was easy wasn't it? But Osomatsu was thankful that Chibita hadn't tried to attack him with a giant oden stick after Osomatsu explained the situation.
After Osomatsu explained everything he currently knew to both of his acquanitances, Iyami drove in silence while Chibita had told them something interesting with a sigh accompanying his words. Their Osomatsu had been a bit pissy a week before Osomatsu, the real one, woke up in his place and started sulking. Osomatsu's guess was that their little drunken piece of garbage, their version of Osomatsu, probably stumbled off somewhere as he left Chibita's oden stand drunk and probably an emotional mess. "He's a troublemaker, that idjit." Chibita murmured. "He started rambling about how lonely he was, how imperfect everything is. The hell? That idjit acted more of a brat than he already was, damn it."
"..Me isn't sure about this idea anymore." Iyami spoke up, eyeing the eldest Matsuno beside him with doubt. Osomatsu was initially worried that they wouldn't believe him and drop him off the city after thinking he played a cruel prank on them, but now, he was worried of them believing him, but not trusting him. He wasn't their Osomatsu. "This Osomatsu beside me.. it's not the Osomatsu me met years ago. Should we even be helping him, Chibita? What if he's from a dimension in which Osomatsu is some sort of murderer? What if this is actually our Osomatsu, but high on drugs?"
This was what Osomatsu was scared about. Being doubted and no one siding with him. He had spared no detail, because if he wanted their full cooperation with little to no questions asked, he had to be honest with them. He explained that he woke up on a futon meant for only one person to sleep on. He explained that the silver alarm clock his brother had bought was clean, no signs of satanic cats scratching it or blinding glitter decorating it. He explained that he received a package a week later that contained items of his little brothers, the phone in particular that could text through dimensions. Hell, he even showed Chibita his chat with Choromatsu, in which the smaller male asked why the hell did he nickname Choromatsu names like "Fappymatsu" or "Chorofappyski".
To his surprise, Chibita shrugged Iyami's suspicion off. "Idjit. Our Osomatsu isn't serious as hell, not like this guy. And drugs? Please. Guy can't swallow tablets for god's sake, and he can't even smoke. Beer's the only thing he can do right, damn it. Our Osomatsu was a lonely, spoiled brat. He'd get violent when drunk or messed with." He mumbled. "Even if this isn't our Osomatsu, he's still an Osomatsu, isn't he? I would have called the dimension-thing bullshit if he didn't back it up with legit proof, damn it. The messages on the phone are creepy. Couldn't have sent it to himself."
"Why would I even want to do that? I'm lonely without my brothers, but I'm not that lonely." Osomatsu chuckled weakly. They had been awkwardly doing this for an hour now. He wasn't used to dealing with his problems all alone. He usually had Choromatsu assuring him it would be fine. Karamatsu telling him he believed in him. Todomatsu offering pep-talk. Ichimatsu giving a pat on the shoulder. Jyushimatsu wrapping his long sleeves around his neck. Literally all his brothers were there in his darkest times. Especially after "that" incident. "Do you guys.. still wanna help me?" He decided to ask.
Chibita sighed. "Honestly? I dunno. Idjit, you're in a bigger problem than I thought you would be. Never expected you wouldn't be our Osomatsu either." At least Chibita was honest. "But leaving you out there in a world so familiar but at the same time isn't.. the hell? The guilt'll chew me out for weeks if I let that happen, damn it. I don't know about Iyami, but I'm stickin' with ya 'til you find your way back home. Besides. If you're gonna gather your brothers and the other you, we can bring back our Osomatsu home and have him cover for ya. I'm worried where that idjit might have ended up. He was drunk when he left, and his ma said he collapsed instantly as soon as he got home."
Ah. Chibita was going to help. That was a relief. Osomatsu didn't know why he was feeling so anxious. He wasn't like this earlier, wasn't he? What was wrong with him today? "I see. Thanks. I'm not used to facing my problems alone. Haha. Usually, I drag my brothers with me. Man, I must be as big as a brat as your Osomatsu."
"No."
Chibita and Osomatsu turned to Iyami, who seemed to look serious and less confident for once in his life. Osomatsu hitched his breath. Iyami wasn't going to help him, he thought. "Osomatsu, our Osomatsu.. me always thought there was something wrong with that runt." He admitted. "Underneath his alcohol-loving, lazy, spoiled, and literally gambled brain was a problem child. Sure he was lazy, he was a troublemaker, but he often had trouble with befriending people. Chibita was one of the kids he picked on, but even they turned out to be good friends."
Osomatsu could see Chibita sweat. "A-ah. Yeah. That idjit. He was a prankster alright, his parents sometimes spoiled him or disciplined him, so you'd expect him to be normal growing up. But he isn't. He's anything but normal. He's a mess, that idjit. I don't know what happened to him before I met him, but he was a messed up kid. He was sometimes seen playing with cats. He absolutely loved them. And then those cats would disappear from the neighborhood as soon as he gave them treats. He was also fond of baseball. He was so fond of it he accidentally sent a bully to the hospital while he claimed to have been practicing his swings."
Alright, what the fuck? "The fu-"
"I dunno, idjit. Our Osomatsu's pretty creepy at times. But half the time, he's just like you; a gambling NEET with no girlfriend, is still a virgin, probably will be fat once he turns thirty, and will probably be a salary man for the rest of his days." Chibita interjected. "But he's lonely. I don't know how he managed to not have any friends at all. I only met him after Iyami meddled with him. That's how I got to know Totoko and Hatabou too. But compared to him, you're kinda normal. Dragging your brothers with you into troublesome schemes sounds exactly what Osomatsu would do if he had little brothers on his own."
"But he doesn't. I guess that's why he's so lonely- Sheh? Osomatsu, you're blue."
Osomatsu didn't realize he was holding his breath up until Iyami pointed it out. He sputtered out a few coughs and gripped onto his chest, hacking loudly. He pounded against his chest hastily as Iyami drove to a more secluded part of the road and screeched to a halt, Chibita nearly bouncing off his seat and into the front window due to the impact and sudden stop. Instead of flying straight into the window, Chibita instead slammed straight to the back of Iyami's seat with a muffled shriek, while Iyami nearly choked on his own seat belt and his overbite nearly crashing against the steering wheel.
"Sheeeeeeh!"
"The hell?! Iyami, you idjit! You stopped!" Somewhere and somehow, Chibita grabbed and raised his favorite ladle above his head and smacked Iyami with it angrily, causing the other to slam against his window but not cause any harm to his overbite. "Are you tryin' to kill us?! We're only minutes away from the city, damn it!" He yelled in irritation, before turning to Osomatsu, who was still clutching onto his chest and panting. "And you! Osomatsu! Are you okay?! The hell did you hold your breath for, damn it?!"
Osomatsu continued to cough wildly until he felt Iyami pat his back to let it out. Chibita had somehow crawled from the middle to the front, his short stature enabling him to fit in the gap and sit on the dashboard with his head ducked down a bit, moving Osomatsu's other winter clothing. Chibita rummaged through his traveling backpack before spotting the canteen Matsuyo packed for Osomatsu and opening it as Iyami continued to pat Osomatsu's back. Almost like what Choromatsu or Karamatsu would do to their brothers if they were having a coughing fit. Those two were clearly the mom and the dad in their group of brothers. "I'm fine." He wheezed out.
A certain someone didn't seem convinced by the badly delivered line. "I fucking know you're not!" Chibita snapped, shoving the canteen to Osomatsu's chest, some of the water nearly dripping onto his coat. "Drink some water, damn it! Only a few miles away and you decide it's definitely the best time to try and kill yourself by holding your breath, damn it!"
"How is it that you're a troublemaker even when you just try to breathe air?! Even when you're not doing anything to us, you're still causing trouble! Me has to admit you kinda worried me for a second with your deathly blue face!" Iyami added in with an annoyed expression, though his voice seemed to be laced with concern. "Sheeeeeh! If you're going to keep doing this during your little hunt, who knows how me and Chibita will survive! You'll die from lack of oxygen unless me points it out!"
After Osomatsu drank half of the water from his canteen and coughed from how chilly it was, he eyed Iyami with surprise mixed with relief. "You're.. gonna help me?"
"What else does it sound like?! Of course he's gonna help! Hell, he has no choice, now that we're close to our destination! Driving back to the town'll be a pain!" Chibita smacked Osomatsu on the head, but didn't do it as harsh to the point he'd drop the canteen. "Damn it! Is this how you act in your own dimension?! I'm staring to think you aren't an Osomatsu at all, idjit." He shook his head, hopping off the dashboard and squirming back to the middle section of the car, flopping on the seat and crossing his arms. "No matter. First stop's that fancy café Sutabaa, right? Iyami. Start the car now. I don't wanna get tired on the first day of the hunt, damn it."
"Eh? I thought we were gonna stop by a hotel first-"
"How about this." Osomatsu interrupted, his mind already functioning properly. "You drop Chibita and I by the café. I'll hand you some money for the room and you go to the hotel and drop our stuff. Then you go drive back to Sutabaa to pick me and Chibita up, as well as figure out our next plan. I might also need a cup of coffee. I haven't had any proper sleep in awhile." Osomatsu suggested. "That way, we can just go to the hotel as soon as we get tired. It'll be easier."
"Solid plan, Osomatsu. You actually seem to be smarter than our Osomatsu. Or is it because you have brothers in where you came from? That'd make sense on why you seem responsible." Iyami murmured under his breath, starting the car again. "Also, if you hold you plan to hold your breath until you die, me will probably just force you to go to the backseat where Chibita can keep an eye out on you. Why did you even hold your breath anyway?"
Osomatsu didn't answer. Before Iyami could bug him about it, Chibita kicked the back of Iyami's seat, signalling for him to just drive. Osomatsu mentally chuckled at Iyami's statement. Responsible? Him? Please. It was Choromatsu who was responsible. Osomatsu was just a very worried big brother who didn't want Karamatsu or Choromatsu to worry so much about him. They had Ichimatsu, the sextuplets' vessel of darkness, to worry about. He was dangerous when pissed. They also had to worry about Todomatsu, the supposed baby brother who was the only one with a job and the other one with actual common sense and maturity. They especially had to worry about Jyushimatsu, the sunshine of the brothers, who was currently sick and probably depressed.
Osomatsu wanted to get back as soon as possible. He had to take the burden of being the older brother back. For the sake of his little brothers. Taking out his phone and Chibita worriedly watching him as he mumbled words to type, his thoughts drifted to his brothers. "We're close. I told them everything now. They'll still help, thankfully. How are things there, Fappymatsu?"
As always, the message arrived in less than a minute.
"That's great to hear, Osomatsu-niisan. You'll need all the help you can get. As I said, go to Sutabaa first. If Todomatsu or Karamatsu work there, it's best to try having small talk first. If they're anything like our brothers, the Todomatsu would be easily scared about what's going on and the Karamatsu would believe anything as long as you start sobbing your eyes out. Besides, you share the same face as them. They're bound to believe you."
...
The city was a scary place, Jyushimatsu had once said to Ichimatsu as they shared a parfait. Though Osomatsu expected it to look the same, there were more buildings than usual. He also noticed it seemed to be a bit more advanced than the city in his dimension. For one, there were more vending machines, appliances shops, and cellphone stores. Second, the place seemed to have much more lights, meaning more electricity for some reason. It was almost different from the city in Osomatsu's dimension, which seemed to be normal.
Wrapping the scarf Karamatsu knitted around his neck and putting on both the beanie and the mittens, he stepped out of the car and shivered as he felt the winter breeze against his cheek. He slammed the door shut with Chibita following suit and Iyami giving a nod to both of them, driving away. "Jyushimatsu only likes winter for the snow." Osomatsu commented as he watched the snow fall, Chibita looking at him. He had told them of his little brothers too, as well as how they acted and what they liked. "He throws a major temper tantrum when exposed to the cold for too long." He started walking. Sutabaa was just around the corner, and as he walked, memories of him and four of his brothers in bizarre outfits came to mind, when they didn't know Todomatsu worked at that little café.
Chibita looked at Osomatsu's sadly smiling face. "He's the fifth one, if I remember correctly?" Chibita could tell Osomatsu had a natural big brother instinct, despite his story earlier. Osomatsu said that months ago, he had a fight with both his brothers Choromatsu and Karamatsu, with Todomatsu pretending he didn't know him and Ichimatsu somehow turning into a cat and running away. It confused Chibita, but this Osomatsu, though not his childhood friend and rival, was still Osomatsu, who was human and whose feelings mattered. He missed his brothers terribly, it was obvious.
"Yeah. Like everyone else, he looks like me, 'cept he always has this giant smile. He also likes floppy-long sleeves for some reason. I'm sure out of all of us, he's the kindest. Heh. That was always his weakness. Our Iyami would trick him a lot since he was so easy to manipulate. That's why when we split into pairs, he was often with the quiet guy, Ichimatsu. Y'know, someone that can keep 'im calm. Todomatsu was always with Karamatsu because he thought he was cool. Don't know about that now, though. As for me, Choromatsu was my battle bro. He's a stick in the mud, but he's still my partner in crime. Hell, he's probably the leader of this little operation. 'Operation; Get our stupid eldest brother back from the other dimension' is what he'd call it."
"Sounds fun." Chibita added in. "Even though you claim you're a bad older bro, it seems they all care about ya."
Osomatsu nodded, seeing his breath. Ah, it was so chilly! Winter was fun, but like any other season, there was a downside to it. "Yeah. But I wish Karamatsu or Choromatsu wouldn't stress over such things. Those three too. Karamatsu feels like he should act mature towards the four of them, Choromatsu feels like he should be a good role model to the younger trio, Ichimatsu feels like it's his job as the oldest of the younger trio to watch over both Jyushimatsu and Todomatsu, Jyushimatsu feels like he's a failure of a big brother to Todomatsu since the youngest is much more mentally mature than him and Jyushimatsu himself acts like a little kid, and Todomatsu doesn't like being the youngest if it means Karamatsu or Jyushimatsu always keep a constant eye on him. Those bastards. Worrying over absolutely nothing." He weakly chuckled. "I'm the eldest. It's my responsibility to take care of all of them. They've got nothing to worry about."
Chibita listened as Osomatsu rambled on. His Osomatsu always wanted siblings. And here he was, an Osomatsu that did have siblings, but got separated from them. Chibita wondered how it felt, to have the most important thing in your life ripped away from you one day because you took them for granted. While he wasn't sure about this whole "I came from another dimension" thing, he was sure this wasn't his Osomatsu that went fully insane. This was a different Osomatsu, and a seemingly warm feeling coming from the other individual was enough proof he was different. He really is different, Chibita thought.
Once they reached Sutabaa, Osomatsu stopped dead in his tracks, dread overcoming him. There it was. That feeling a week ago, when he woke up and realized the absence of his brothers. It was there again, and he didn't know why. Sutabaa looked the same, Todomatsu was probably there, Osomatsu loved his brothers, so why was he panicking? Osomatsu's breath hitched again but before he could start hyperventilating, he felt something nudge against his side. Chibita.
Oh yeah. Chibita was short and couldn't reach his shoulders, Osomatsu reminded himself. "The hell are you waiting for, idjit? You wanna see your brother right? Then go ahead, damn it! Even if he's not the brother of our Osomatsu, he's your brother and you're responsible for him!"
Osomatsu wanted to argue that the Todomatsu in this dimension wasn't exactly his brother, but oh well. Exhaling sharply and carefully stepping inside, he made sure to act as casual as possible just in case the youngest sextuplet did work here. He reminded himself to not rush into him casually if Todomatsu worked here, because in this dimension, he wasn't Todomatsu's brother. Scanning around, he caught no sight of someone possessing the same face or someone with the same haircut with idiot hair popping out. Though it was disappointing, at least he didn't have to worry about random tears spurting out at the sight of his little brother.
Instead, two familiar looking girls were at the counter, smiling brightly with a golden light of confidence enveloping them. "Welcome, dear customers!" They both greeted Osomatsu and Chibita in unison. Osomatsu internally struggled to remember their names as Chibita greeted them with a wave and lead him to a table near the window.
Aida and Sachiko, was it? No no. If he stated their names in his first visit in Sutabaa, the girls would be suspicious. He had to act casual. He had to act like a boy from the near town who just arrived at the city and was definitely from this world and not another dimension. "Chibita." He whispered to the smaller individual as they both sat down. "I'm gonna have to text Choromatsu. Could you order something, please? Just to make sure we're not being suspicious." He handed Chibita his coin purse.
Chibita took it, but he knew Osomatsu wasn't going to treat him to anything. Chibita bought his own wallet, and Osomatsu rarely payed for things all on his own. "Fine. I'm disgusted they don't have oden in these fancy little cafés, damn it. Whaddaya want? I'm getting a parfait."
"Brewed coffee, please."
His friend nodded and approached the counter as Osomatsu sighed, liking the warmth the café provided. He wondered if his Todomatsu was enjoying the warmth of the café as well. He took out the other contents of his coat pocket, such as his notepad, the red colored pen, and the phone that could text through dimensions. He purposely left the syringe in his pocket, because he couldn't risk any other patrons seeing it with him. He might get arrested for carrying such a thing around. "Choromatsu." He muttered to himself, thankful that there wasn't anyone whose tables were next to his. Osomatsu's bad habit needed to be fixed soon. "We're at Sutabaa now. Two of Todomatsu's co-workers are here, but I don't see any Todomatsu. Or Karamatsu."
Ten seconds. Then the message appeared.
"Did research on that already. Professor Dekapan says that he has found everyone that has connections to Todomatsu and Karamatsu. While we can't specifically say where those two are, we do know they're in the city. Aida and Sachiko both have connections to Todomatsu, so even if he doesn't work there, they have some sort of connection to him. Friends, old classmates, whatever. They also seem to have connections to Karamatsu. Ask them something about those two, like where they live or something. Claim that you're an old friend and you're looking for them. That'll work."
"Thanks."
"No problem, Osomatsu-niisan. I hope you find them soon. We all miss you and having you here actually calms us down. Also, Professor Dekapan's doing research on Ichimatsu, Jyushimatsu, and the other Choromatsu. We're gonna save the other Osomatsu for last. We'll tell you once we find anything about them. Send me a text later."
"Alright." As Osomatsu stuffed the phone back in his pocket along with the notepad and pen, he noticed Chibita walking back to the table, wallet and coin purse on hand. Angrily, he pushed the coin purse to Osomatsu and sat down with a huff, legs crossed. Glancing at the counter, Osomatsu spotted both Aida and Sachiko offering awkward, yet apologetic smiles at their direction, before they turned back to the cash register and went back to serving other customers. "Chibita?" He cocked his head to the side, lightly poking the single cowlick on Chibita's bald head. "What happened there?"
The oden shopkeeper looked at him as if he was offended. "Those girls, damn it!" He yelled in frustration, Osomatsu awkwardly trying to calm him down. "I've been trying to get their attention! Then I realize that the counter was too high up for me to reach and I've been getting ignored for a solid fifteen seconds! Argh! You order! I'm not going near another counter too high ever again!"
Osomatsu couldn't prevent a snort from escaping. He couldn't prevent Chibita from somehow summoning a ladle from thin air and smacking him with it either.