"Alright, good job everyone. Thank you for all your hard work. Same time next week." Jumin-san congratulated.
In case you don't know, that man there is my manager now. Han Jumin, he's been helping me for about a month now. Though he may look young, he can be very strict and a slave driver.
'Man, I've never thought I'd be dancing for three straight hours. I feel like my legs want to dislocate from my body and run away,'
"Thank you for your hard work too, Hinata-san." He reached out his hand and helped me stand.
"Thank you for your patience too, Jumin-san," I said. The reason why I and the other dancers have been practicing for three straight hours is that people aren't perfect. We make mistakes, even when it comes to dancing.
"Now, always remember to drink your protein shake for it is good for your body composition. Also, avoid too many sweets, it is not good for your throat." He lectured as he handed me my shake and my bag of clothes.
"Yes, sir!" I complied and drank the shake.
'Huhu, I'll miss you Mr. Chocolate and Mr. Ice Cream.'
"Now, take a shower and go home. Massage your thighs and legs so you won't get a cramp and also try to increase your stamina,"
"Yes, sir!" I saluted. "Thank you for your hard work too, Jumin-san."
"Alright, see you next week." He then left the studio and I went straight to the shower room.
'Wah, the shower feels so great! I just want to go home and lay in bed for the rest of the day!'
After I got out of the shower, I heard my phone rang and saw that it was Nee-chan calling.
"Lisa, am I know disturbing you or anything?"
"No, training just finished a while ago. Do you need anything?" I asked as I was packing my things and put on my back.
"Can you help me with the groceries? It is quite a lot and I can't bring it back home by myself. I'm afraid that the bags might ripe," Nee-chan asked.
"Alright, I'll be right there. Why did you go by yourself?"
"Ukyo-san is busy preparing for Subaru-san birthday,"
"It's Nii-chan's birthday today?!"
"Yeah,"
"I'll be right there!" I hung up on the phone and ran out of the studio.
'What should I buy him? I don't know what size is his foot and it would be a waste if I bought the wrong size... Oh, I know! A pair of high-performance basketball socks!'
I've read somewhere that they improve traction and comfort of your feet, provide additional arch support, and wick away sweat much better than average socks.
I went to a Nike store and bought the socks for Nii-chan. After that, I went to the groceries and found Nee-chan paying in the counter.
"Wow, you sure did buy a lot Nee-chan," I exclaimed and grabbed the plastic bags.
'Wah! This is so heavy!'
"Are you alright, Chii? Lii?" Juli asked while sitting on top of Nee-chan's head.
"I-I'm okay. I've been put in charge of Subaru's birthday cake, so I have to do my best!"Nee-chan replied. "But th-these are heavy!" then Nee-chan put down the bags
"How about you Lii?" Juli asked.
"I-I think I can manage. Jumin-san did say to increase my stamina and this is kind of an exercise for my training. H-however... I DON'T WANT TO SUFFER FROM THIS!" I whined and took a break.
"I feel like Subaru-san would have no problem carrying a load like this," Nee-chan muttered.
"Well, he is an athlete and he is very strong. Have you seen his muscles? It is so bulky!" I exclaimed while sitting on the streets.
"Lisa, it is not nice to sit on the streets!" Nee-chan scolded.
"But I'm tired!" I moaned. "I wish Suba Nii-chan is here!"
"Hmm?" Nee-chan then looked behind her.
"Is something the matter, Nee-chan?"
"I thought there was someone there just now," Nee-chan replied.
"Muh, don't say that! There's no ghost during the day!" I screamed.
"Maybe it's just nothing. Well, we should probably get going." then both Nee-chan and I walked home and help her with the cake.
"Nee-chan, can you take it from here? I don't think I could help you with baking the cake, I'm kind of tired from the training." I said as I help her to the living room.
"Yeah, I could take it from now. Go take a nap for a while,"
"Thank you, Nee-chan."
- - - - - TIME SKIP - - - - -
'Should I give Nii-chan his present now? I kind of want to spend time with him, but... I wonder if going to his room would be a burden? Well, we'll never know until we go for it!'
I grabbed his present and went straight to his door and knock.
"Yes?" he answered. "W-what're you doing here? Do you need anything?"
"Erm... Happy Birthday, Onii-chan!" I handed him the bag.
"U-Uh, thank you. You didn't have to you know" He grabbed it and opened the bag.
"I was kind of debating whether I would buy you a new pair of shoes, but I don't know the size of your foot. So, instead of shoes, I bought you a pair of socks to make your feet feel comfortable when you play basketball. I-I know it's nothing special, but I hope you like it."
"Not special? I don't think so... Thank you, it's just what I needed." Nii-chan smiled.
'Thank goodness,'
"I'll be sure to use them during practice and the game!"
"Okay, good luck!" I smiled.
"Yes." he put it back on the bag. "Well... If it's okay with you, would you like to come in? We could talk a little..."
"Is it alright?" I asked
"Yes, I'd like to thank you with some tea." He offered.
"Thank you!"
'Thank goodness that he's the one who invited me over! Wow, his room is so beautiful'
"Your drink... I'll place it here." Nii-chan said.
"Thank you! Hey, Nii-chan. Your room is full of basketball designs and posters too, it's so cool." I said while exploring his room.
"Yeah, I can't relax without it." He replied and sat on his bed. "It's something... I notice and just feel... something I always want to have with me,"
"On all of the basketball manga, it shows them holding the ball in one hand. Can you do that too, Nii-chan?" I asked as I showed him the 'Kuroko no Basuke' manga.
"Yeah, check it out." Nii-chan then grabbed the ball with one hand.
"Wah, amazing! Even though basketballs are so big, you can grasp it well!" I exclaimed and sat beside him.
"Well... it's basics of being a basketball player," He replied and passed the ball to me.
"I'm envious. Your hands are so big compared to mine. I couldn't even grasp it with one hand," I whined as I try to hold it, but it keeps falling off.
"Hm? Ah... they are. Like two of my fingers could wrap around them," Nii-chan then tried it and I could definitely seem the big difference of the size of our hands.
"Muh, I feel like a small child compared to you," I whined and grasp his hand. "Wah, I thought your palms would be rough but it isn't." I grabbed his hand and played with his fingers.
"Erm... So... how have you been recent? I noticed that you're not mostly at home. I thought that you're homeschooled," Nii-chan implied.
"Oh, yes I am studying online, but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't be doing something productive. I'll get bored here," I whined and let go of his hand.
"I guess you're right," He said and laid on his bed. "So what were you doing?"
"Workshop, my, uh... friend invited me to join her," I replied and drank my tea.
"What kind of workshop?"
"A writing workshop. Writing is my hobby and I thought that it could actually help me improve my writing. Though I don't write professionally, just some random stuff." I said.
"Really? One of our brothers' a writer, maybe he could one day help you with that." He said.
"Really?!" I exclaimed.
"Yeah, that is his profession. I'm sure he'd be happy to help you,"
"Thank you, Onii-chan!" I hugged him tightly. When I pulled away, I noticed that I was kind of on top of him.
'Shimata! What the heck am I doing?!'
"U-uh, s-sorry!" I stuttered and pulled away from him.
"N-no, it's alright." then an awkward silence invaded the room.
"We should probably get going now, it's almost dinner time," I said and stood.
"Y-yeah, let's go."
When we were walking down the stairs, Nii-chan was greeted by the brothers in the living room.
"Subarun, Happy Birthday!" Taru-kun greeted.
"Congratulations, Subaru." Ukyo Nii-chan said.
'It's such a shame that the brothers aren't complete for the celebration of Suba Nii-chan's 20th birthday.'
"Wow! Amazing! The cake is huge!" Taru-kun exclaimed when Nee-chan brought out the cake.
'Wah! This is torture. I can't eat the cake because of Jumin-san's orders!'
"It looks delicious!" Tsubaki Nii-chan complimented.
"This year's cake is hand made by your very own Miss Ema," Ukyo Nii-chan informed.
"That's incredible, Imouto-chan." Kana Nii-chan said.
"What?! Nee-chan made this giant cake?" Taru-kun asked Nee-chan.
"Yes, I did with the help of Lisa of course. She is truly the baker between the two of us."
"Wow, you're amazing Nee-chans! I can't wait to eat it!" Taru-kun chirped.
"Wataru, Onee-chans made this for Subaru. So you shouldn't be more excited about it than him. Do you understand?" Masa Nii-chan told Taru-kun.
"I see..." Taru-kun whimpered. "I'm sorry, Subarun."
"It's alright, Wataru." then he patted him on the head.
"Yet the one it's made for doesn't look overjoyed, does he?" Azusa Nii-chan depicted.
'Nii-chan sure it silent at the moment, did what happened earlier bothered him immensely?'
My thoughts were interrupted when I heard Tsubaki Nii-chan and Yusuke Nii-chan arguing about the cake.
'I'm so jealous... I want some cake too,'
"By the way... Can I ask you two something?" Iori Nii-chan said.
"Sure, what is it?"
"Why did you two bake the cake today?" He asked.
"Um, well. Actually, Ukyo-san was planning to make it. But, Ukyo-san was very busy with work, so I said the Lisa and I would make it." Nee-chan replied.
"Ah, I'm relieved."
"Huh?"
"No, I just thought it was a relief that you two didn't actually intend to make that cake especially for him. If it was my twentieth birthday... when that time comes, would you two make a cake just for me too?" Iori Nii-chan asked.
"Of course! It' would be a pleasure to bake a cake for a prince," I teased and made him blush.
"Well, for the main event. Let's have the birthday blow out his candles." Ukyo Nii-chan announced.
"D-do I seriously have to?" Suba Nii-chan asked.
"Yes, of course. Please, go on." Ukyo Nii-chan insisted
"It's fine, I don't think I need to! Why don't we just get on to the cutting of the cake already?" Suba Nii-chan complained.
"Hey, Subaru! Your Imouto-chans made that cake just for you, you know? Don't you think you're being kind of rude?" Tsubaki Nii-chan said.
"S-sorry..." Suba Nii-chan apologized to Nee-chan.
"U-uhm... Please don't worry about me," Nee-chan insisted.
"Listen, Subaru..." Azusa Nii-chan started.
"W-what?"
"Our 20th birthday has already passed, so we can't enjoy our 20th birthday celebrations with Ema and Lisa." Azusa Nii-chan said. "If you think of it that way, you should be really happy now right?"
"Exactly!" Tsubaki Nii-chan appealed. "If it were me, I'd want to celebrate with Imouto-chan's cake on my 20th birthday."
"Ah, me too, me too. " Kana Nii-chan chirped.
"I think, I would too?" Masa Nii-chan said.
"Wha? Masa-nii, you have that kind of wish too?" Tsubaki Nii-chan gasped.
"D-did I say something strange?" He uttered.
"Hmm... Masa-nii too?" Kana Nii-chan murmured.
"But c'mon! That's pretty much natural," Tsubaki Nii-chan declared.
'20th birthday sure is important for the males. It's like when we women reached the age of 18.'
"So if you understand. Will you blow out the candles now, Subaru?" Azusa Nii-chan asked.
"I understand," he answered.
"Alright, I'll light the candles then." Ukyo Nii-chan said.
"Waah, Amazing! There are candles around the entire cake!" Taru-kun cooed. Then the lights were turned off.
"I'll take the picture!" Nee-chan offered and took a picture the moment Suba Nii-chan blew the candles off.
"Whooo!"
"Happy Birthday!
"Congratulations!"
"Yay, Cake-cake! Hurry!" Taru-kun said while waiting for Nee-chan to cut the cake.
"Wataru, be a grown-up, and sit down!" Yusuke Nii-chan scolded.
"Erm... Lisa, Ema... Thanks... for everything" Suba Nii-chan muttered. "S-stop staring at me. J-just hurry up and give Wataru his cake!"
"It's delicious! Onee-chans' cake is number one in the world!" Taru-kun imparted.
"Yeah, it's the best!" Tsubaki Nii-chan exclaimed. "You sure, Yusuke? If you're not going to eat it, I really will."
"I'll eat it!" Yusuke Nii-chan shouted and ate the cake. "It's good!"
'I'm glad they're enjoying the cake,'
"Neko-chan, why aren't you eating the cake?" Tsubaki Nii-chan whispered beside me.
"Jumin-san told me to avoid eating sweets," I whispered back.
"That's alright Neko-chan. Here, have a strawberry instead. Say 'ah'!" then Nii-chan fed me the strawberry.
"H-hey! Tsuba-Nii! What the heck are you doing?" Yusuke Nii-chan shouted.
"Hmm? I'm feeding Imouto-chan. There's nothing wrong with it, right?" Tsubaki Nii-chan said.
'My, my, these two sure can't stand being with each other. Well, at least they don't hate each other!'
- - - - -
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