It all happened in an instant—their mother simply collapsed without warning and was promptly rushed to the hospital. There was no time for anyone to even process what had just happened. The unit was shattered, having lost its foundation, and would never be mended again. The foundation could never be replaced. Perhaps it was all pointless. No matter what Yuuki did, he was just one person, after all.
I’m alright. I’m okay, he assured himself, trying to keep the now-surfacing dark emotions in check. It’s going to be just fine... just fine. I’ve made it this far, so there’s nothing to be afraid of. Those words of solace were no different from a mere misguided assumption as Yuuki had no real guarantee of what the future held.
Yuuki had managed not to snap at the time, but it may have all just gone so relatively well by mere coincidence, by sheer chance even. Whatever the case, he wasn’t sure he could remain composed right here and now. Though he felt close to breaking down, he couldn’t afford to cry. Not in front of Mina.
And so Yuuki exhaled slowly and steadily, expelling all of his painful feelings alongside the air before allowing himself to take another slow, deep breath.
“I’m sorry, Mina,” he whispered gently, crouching so he could get close to Mina’s ears.
“Why are you apologizing again, Yukkie?” Mina asked, earnestly trying to wipe away her tears with the sleeve of her jacket.
“Because I forced you to make friends. I won’t bring it up again.”
“You don’t have to be sorry... I mean, you got yourself a girlfriend like we agreed.”
“I never did. I was the one who lied first, Mina,” he said, casting a wary glance at Yui before returning his gaze to Mina. “Yui... isn’t my girlfriend.”
“Wha—?!” Mina let out a surprised yelp.
She stared at Yui in disbelief. She hadn’t doubted that they were a couple in the slightest. Yuuki felt bad about exposing the plan without checking with Yui first, but he figured that the lie wasn’t worth it anymore. Yuuki followed Mina’s suit and turned to Yui, giving her an apologetic shrug.
Yui, who had been silently watching them until now, gazed at each of them in succession before she spoke up, “Haha, what are you even saying, Yuuki? That’s not funny at all. Are you trying to get a rise outta me or something?” she chuckled with seemingly genuine amusement. Yui’s reaction astounded Yuuki to no end.
Yui bent down to pick Mina’s hat up off the floor. She gently dusted it off before putting it back on Mina’s head, giggling as she did.
“You know, you were all that your brother could think of,” Yui said. “Even when we were out on a date together! Then he ran around like he was possessed when he was searching for you earlier too. First time I've ever seen him sweat! So never talk like he doesn’t want you around, Mina... He wouldn’t have been so worried if that was true.”
Mina listened attentively to Yui’s words, sniffling all the while. After she had finished, she looked up at her brother, and her mouth curled into a frown.
“Why did you go that far for me? You could’ve just ignored me and enjoyed your time with Yui instead.”
“I already told you, but I’ll say it again: I’m happy when you’re all good and healthy. And if you aren’t, then I’d be sad no matter what I’m doing and no matter who I’m with,” Yuuki said, wrapping his arms around Mina. He stroked her back as tenderly as he could, feeling her warmth and the faint trembling of her body.
“So where have you been hiding all this time?” Yuuki asked.
“The bathroom at the park... and the supermarket.”
“Hah. I did miss those when I was looking, didn’t I?”
It wasn’t hard for Yuuki to imagine Mina locking herself in a bathroom somewhere. He felt miserable that he drove his sister into a corner like this, and the mere thought of Mina confining herself to a dark, musky space was heart-wrenching. It left him speechless.
The very next moment, a hand extended from the side and came to rest gently atop Mina’s head. It was Yui’s, and she promptly squatted down to Mina’s eye level.
“You know, Mina, I used to not have any friends back in the day. I was really shy and boring, a throw-away, two-star character. But I still managed to evolve into a five star SSR character with a top notch sense of humor. I never even realized it was happening!” Yui said. She paused for a second to consider her words, then continued, “What I’m trying to say is that there’s no need to panic, you know? Take it at your own pace!”
Somehow, Yuuki felt as though those words were meant not only for Mina, but for him as well. He felt himself relax after hearing them, as if a load had been lifted from his shoulders.
She’s completely right, he thought. There was no need for him to rush anything. He’d been able to overcome all the hardships he’d faced until now, and he decided he’d take the same approach to whatever life threw at him in the future, as well.
“I’ll always be your older brother, Mina. Nothing will change that. When you make friends, when you grow up, and when you start relying on yourself, I’ll still be your big brother. That’s why we shouldn’t celebrate Big Brother’s Day.”
“Yukkie...” Mina’s voice trailed off, and she pushed her face into her brother’s chest. Her shoulders shook as she grabbed his arms, and she began apologizing to him through sobs. Yui looked at Mina affectionately, then shot a glance at Yuuki.
“Let’s keep the secret a bit longer, okay?” Yui said quietly, dragging out the last word. She sneakily pressed a finger to her lips and shot him a wink. Yuuki didn’t reply and just continued comforting his sister. Yui smirked, then announced in an extremely cheerful tone, “C’mon, Yuuki! Turn that frown upside down, wouldja? Quit being so serious! I was never a fan of heavy atmospheres, y’know? Here, I’ve got just the thing for awkward silences...”
Yui quickly dug her notebook out of her bag. It took him a moment, but Yuuki recognized it as the same notebook she used to jot down her favorite jokes from improv shows. She flipped through it until she landed on something that caught her eye.
“Allow me to brighten up the mood with these funny zingers! Let’s see here... Aha! That’s a good one! Ahem, so our friend Kermit just entered highschool. He wasn’t very popular, though, and struggled with making friends. Why do you think that is?” she asked. The siblings stared at each other in confusion, but that didn’t faze Yui one bit, and she continued to read the punchlines by herself.
“Because his favourite music genre was Hoppera!”
“Because he was an am-fib-ian, a liar!”
“Because he caused a scene whenever the restaurants didn’t have diet croak!”
“Because he kept bragging about his brand-new lilyPod!”
“Weren’t those jokes toadally awesome?!” Yui asked excitedly. Unfortunately, it appeared her little puns weren’t enough to amuse the Narito siblings. Panic began to set in, and she couldn’t help but start to spout off nonsense, “I toad you kids to get off my lawn!”
A couple of teenagers entered the building right when Yui finished that last joke, though they only briefly glanced at her as they walked right past her.
“Pffftttt, ‘toad you kids,’ haha!” snickered one of the strangers.
“Y-You’re ruining the ribbeting scenery, miss!” Yui replied with a blush, but her pun was only met with a forced smile.
Regardless, Yui’s little standup routine eventually had the desired effect. Mina cracked a giggle as she rubbed her now puffy eyes. Her laughter was contagious, as Yuuki’s expression softened up as well, and his own laughter joined hers.