Kuu-Chan's Family Visit

The bright, summer sun was beating down on the Gardening Club’s garden. The garden was now full of different types of summer vegetables and bright-colored flowers. Tomohiro was tending to the tomato vines, Takuya and Mei were helping each other harvest the cucumbers, and Nako was watering the hydrangeas nearby.

“Kuu-Chan, when you’re done with that, could you bring this basket inside,” Mei came up from behind Tomohiro and laid down a basket near him that was already filled with vegetables.

“Mm. I’ll do that when I’m done.”

Tomohiro picked up the basket and carried it into the club room. He took off his gloves and sat down at the table to cool off from the summer heat. Even though it was hot and tiring, he didn’t mind it as he was having fun coming to his club and fulfilling his duties as a member. His phone suddenly buzzed in his pocket so he took it out. “It’s probably Yuki wondering where I am,” he thought, but when he saw the notification banner, he gasped. The text read, “Yo bro, me and mom will be at your place soon.” He let out a big sigh and went back outside, “Excuse me, I’m going to leave early if that’s okay with everyone,” he yelled out to the other three members.

“That’s fine! Everyone is almost done here too, so we’ll be leaving in a bit anyway,” Takuya yelled out.

“Later Kuu-Chan,” Mei yelled out and waved along with Nako.

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Noriyuki was in the living room, sitting on the carpet, working on some assignments for school when there was a knock at the door. “Who could be here right now,” he wondered to himself. He got up from the ground and went over to open the door. He was met face to face with a young woman with a teenage girl standing behind her.

“Hello, does Kuuge Tomohiro live here? I’m his mom and this was the address he gave me last time when he told me he was moving.”

“Kuu-Chan’s…mom?” Noriyuki suddenly realized who the woman was and gasped, “Kuu-Chan’s mom! Please come in!” He got out of the way of the entrance to allow both of the guests to come into the apartment. “Sorry for the mess, I didn’t know we’d be having guests over so I didn’t have a chance to clean up,” Noriyuki scratched his head out of embarrassment.

“Oh my,” Tomohiro’s mom was amazed at how clean the apartment was despite what Noriyuki said. “If this isn’t considered clean, then I wonder what it looks like when you do clean up.” Her words made Noriyuki blush. “You don’t have to apologize. If anything, I apologize for not warning Kuu-Chan beforehand. I had some free time today and wondered why not visit my beloved son,” she looked at Noriyuki with a bright smile.

“She seems so different from Kuu-Chan,” Noriyuki thought to himself.

“I’m Kuu-Chan’s mom, Kuuge Aria and this is his little sister, Reiko,” she gestured to the girl standing next to her.

“L-little sister?” Noriyuki stared at the girl who was wearing a school uniform and towering over her mother.

“I know, she may seem tall for her age, but she still acts like a child,” Aria chuckled.

“Mom, don’t embarrass me like that,” Reiko blushed and looked away with her arms crossed.

“That reminds me of Kuu-Chan,” Noriyuki thought and smiled as he thought of Tomohiro’s cuteness. “Ah, I’m sorry! I’m Aikou Noriyuki, Kuu-Chan’s roommate and boyfriend,” he bowed towards Aria.

“Eh? Boyfriend?” It took a while for Reiko and Aria to process what Noriyuki just told him. When they finally realized what he said, they gasped in unison, “EHHHH?”

“Big bro h-h-has a b-boyfriend before I do,” Reiko had a gloomy expression and felt disappointment within herself. “And he’s a hottie too!”

“U-uh…,” Noriyuki couldn’t think of anything to say to make her feel better.

“My Kuu-Chan has finally found someone,” Aria expressed happily. “Please, call me Aria, or even better, call me mom!”

“Mom?” Noriyuki didn’t know how to respond to that.

“Please don’t scare him like that,” Tomohiro entered the apartment building.

“Kuu-Chan!” Everyone yelled out in unison which startled Tomohiro.

“Big bro, you didn’t tell me you had a boyfriend! How could you? Show me how to get hot guys too,” Reiko whined.

“I can’t help it if hot guys find me irresistible,” Tomohiro replied back, causing Reiko to whine even more.

“Don’t get so full of yourself just because you got one before me!”

“They act just like siblings,” Noriyuki thought as he saw the scene in front of him.

“By the way, next time you want to visit, at least warn me a day before.”

“I didn’t plan this. Mom suddenly wanted to visit you.”

“I’m sorry Kuu-Chan. I got the day off today and didn’t have anything to do so I thought I’d come and check to see how you were doing. But from the looks of it, it seems you’re doing better than last time.”

“Last time? What happened last time?” Noriyuki wondered what Aria was talking about.

“Oh my, you should’ve seen where he was staying last time. This boy excels at studying and doing well in school but his life skills are nonexistent. Trash everywhere, food pantry filled with snacks, his whole lifestyle was just a mess,” Aria had a typical disappointed mom expression.

“Mom!!” Tomohiro’s face was red from embarrassment as Noriyuki was snickering at what was being told to him.

“I remember when I first moved in with him. He wasn’t all too messy but he didn’t have the healthiest lifestyle. He also used to throw clothes on the floor and leave the dishes in the sink,” Noriyuki and Aria looked like two moms gossiping about their son.

“Yuki!!!”

“Don’t worry, Kuu-Chan. You’ve changed now,” Noriyuki reassured him.

Tomohiro pouted at Noriyuki. “Oh yeah, did Dad not come,” his attention turned to his mom.

“Ah, he wasn’t able to come. He was busy again,” she nervously smiled.

“Is it because of that again?”

“Mm. But, he said he’ll come next time if we ever visit again.”

Tomohiro sighed in a disappointed way. Noriyuki noticed his expression and felt concerned about what they were talking about.

“Hey, isn’t Nonoka also here too?” Reiko changed the topic. “Let’s go see her!”

“Hmmmm, I guess we can,” Tomohiro checked the time on his phone. “She’s probably almost out of class by this time.”

“My, my, I haven’t seen Nonoka in a while,” Aria had a motherly smile on her face.

“Why don’t you all go see her? I have to prepare dinner in a bit, so by the time everyone gets back, we can all eat together,” Noriyuki suggested.

“If that’s the case, why don’t I stay and help you then,” Aria added.

Noriyuki gasped in shock, “I could never let a guest make dinner for me. I’ll be okay doing it myself,” Noriyuki waved his hands nervously as he said that.

“It’s fine. I’ll teach you a recipe that Kuu-Chan likes. Maybe later on, you’ll be able to make it for him yourself.”

“Something Kuu-Chan likes? I mean, if it’s something that could make him happy, then I wouldn’t mind learning it,” Noriyuki chuckled in embarrassment.

“You guys go ahead, I’ll stay here with Noriyuki. Tell Nonoka I said hi.”

“Mm, we’ll get going now then,” Tomohiro opened the front door and he and Reiko both exited.

As they closed the door, Nonoka was heard saying, “Big bro, your boyfriend is hot and can cook?”

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“Wow, so this is what university is like,” Reiko looked around in amazement. “I can’t wait for high school to be over and experience this. Freedom as an adult and so many hot college guys! I bet they’re all more mature than high school boys!”

Reiko and Tomohiro were walking on campus, heading towards the Arts Department building where Nonoka would be leaving soon. “It isn’t as easy as you think. There’s also harder classes that give tons of assignments. And trust me, most high school boys don’t change much when they enter college.” Tomohiro tried to bring her back to reality.

“Like you and your height,” Reiko snickered to herself.

“I heard that,” Tomohiro glared at her.

Reiko sighed, “Just let me dream a bit. Let me experience the shock when I actually enter college.” As they reached the Arts Department building, Nonoka just came out at the exact same time. Reiko gasped in excitement, “Nonoka!” Her yell and giant wave grabbed Nonoka’s attention and made the latter wide-eyed in surprise.

“Reiko?” Nonoka ran up to her and gave her a hug. She let go of Reiko and grabbed her by the shoulders. “I haven’t seen you in a while! When was the last time?”

“We saw each other last year during summer, remember?”

“Was it last year? It feels like a while now.” Nonoka took a good look at Reiko and her appearance. “You’ve changed so much this year. What happened?”

Reiko smirked, “I upgraded my fashion style. Aren’t you proud of me?”

“It’s not just that. You’ve gotten taller too!” Nonoka looked at Reiko and Tomohiro and noticed the significant height difference between them. “At this rate, you’re going to make Kuu-Chan here look like the little brother,” she ruffled Tomohiro’s hair causing him to glare at her while also blushing. “By the way, what are you doing here,” Nonoka finally wondered.

“Our mom wanted to come visit big bro here since we both had nothing to do today.” Reiko wrapped her arm around Nonoka’s shoulder and whispered to her as if they were both gossipping about something, “Also, you never told me big bro had a boyfriend. A hot one too.”

“He never told you? They recently started dating this year,” Nonoka whispered back.

“Really? It seems like they’ve been together for a while!”

“I know, right. Judging by how it’s going, we should expect a wedding in a few years.”

Both of them giggled with each other like high schoolers.

“I didn’t bring you here so you could gossip about me,” Tomohiro glared at them.

“Sorry, Kuu-Chan,” Nonoka chuckled nervously and scratched her head. “Oh, I didn’t notice, where’s your mom?”

“She’s with Noriyuki cooking dinner,” Tomohiro replied.

“I’m so jealous, I want a hot college boyfriend who can take care of me like that,” Reiko pouted.

“Nonoka and Kuu-Chan?” Osuke came up from behind Tomohiro.

“Here’s a college guy, if you want. Although, I don’t know if he’ll be able to take care of you well,” Nonoka smirked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I feel insulted,” Osuke retorted back.

“Reiko, this is Kondou Osuke, the most basic college guy you could ever meet,” Nonoka continued to tease him.

Osuke growled at her insult and once he made eye contact with Reiko, he felt his heart skip a beat. “N-Nonoka, w-who’s your friend here,” his expression changed into a lovestruck one. “Nice to meet you, I’m Kondou Osuke,” he took Reiko’s hand and shook it vigorously. “I’m a third-year Biochemistry major here.”

“H-hi,” Reiko looked creeped out by Osuke.

“I haven’t seen you around here. Nonoka, why haven’t you introduced your friend to all of us before?”

“It’s because she doesn’t go here.”

“Oh, I see! Which university do you go to?”

“She’s not enrolled in a university,” Nonoka was trying to keep her laugh in as she kept messing with Osuke.

“I see. A junior college, then?” Osuke was still staring at Reiko with a lovestruck expression.

“She’s a junior…in high school,” Nonoka chortled.

“That makes sense! You’re a junior in…,” Osuke realized what Nonoka said and all the love he had inside turned to nothingness. “A h-high schooler,” he said with a gloomy tone.

“And she’s my sister,” Tomohiro added.

“EH?” He turned to see Tomohiro looking at him with a blank face. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I won’t hit on your sister ever again!” Osuke continuously bowed to Tomohiro. “Hold on…,” he took a good look at the both of them and noticed something was off, “She’s the younger sister?”

Tomohiro knew he was referring to their height difference, “Older siblings can be shorter than their younger siblings too,” he added with an annoyed tone.

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“It’s lucky that you have all the ingredients on hand for this recipe,” Aria looked at the many vegetables that were laid out on the kitchen counter.

“Most of these were grown by Kuu-Chan,” Noriyuki explained.

“Really? Where is he growing these?”

“He joined a gardening club at the university. He’s really enjoying it a lot. He brings something home every time he goes.”

Aria smiled when she heard that, “It’s great to hear that he’s enjoying his time here. When he was younger, I used to grow a small garden out on the balcony of our apartment. He used to help me out all the time and got really happy whenever something would grow,” Aria had a sentimental expression as the memories came back to her.

“I’ve always wondered where his interest in gardening came from. He’s never told me about that before so it was a surprise to me when he told me he wanted to join that club.”

Aria chuckled, “He’s always been like that. He never really opens up to anyone. Sometimes, I wish I knew what he was thinking. He’s not very expressive so it’s hard to know if he’s doing okay or not. Growing up, he’s always kept to himself. Even when classmates would invite him out somewhere, he would always reject them. When I found out about Nonoka, I was extremely happy for him that he made a friend. Or rather, she kind of forced her way into his life,” she chuckled nervously. “Either way, I’m glad he’s accepted her. Maybe that’s why he didn’t want to tell me he was dating anyone yet. He’s afraid I’d get too happy and embarrass him.”

Noriyuki smiled at the thought of an embarrassed Tomohiro. He could feel that Aria truly loved Tomohiro and cared for him a lot; love and care that surpasses his. He hoped that one day, his love for Tomohiro could be on the same level as Aria.

“I’m sorry. I got carried away thinking about how much Tomohiro grew. We should probably get started so it’ll be ready by the time everyone gets back,” Aria smiled embarrassingly.

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As Aria and Noriyuki were prepping the ingredients for dinner, there was something that was bugging Noriyuki. He couldn’t get the image of Tomohiro being disappointed out of his head. He wondered to himself, “Does Kuu-Chan not have a good relationship with his dad?” He wanted to ask Aria but it felt like he was prying into a family situation.

Aria noticed his expression, “Is something bothering you?”

Noriyuki snapped back into reality and shook his head, “No, no, I’m okay!”

“Are you sure?”

“Well…I don’t know if it’s in my place to ask this but, does Kuu-Chan have a good relationship with his dad?”

“Of course he does! All of us get along pretty well,” Aria replied quickly with a smile.

“A-ah, I see,” Noriyuki felt embarrassed for asking that. “He just looked disappointed this afternoon when he realized his dad wasn’t here. I’m sorry for assuming his dad was a bad person.”

“It’s fine. He’s just out job hunting today.” Aria’s expression changed back to a sentimental one, “He doesn’t have the best luck with jobs so he’s constantly job hunting since he’s always getting laid off. That’s why I started gardening with Kuu-Chan. At first, it became a way for us to save money on groceries, but then it turned into something that me and him could bond over.” Her expression changed into a happy one again, “But don’t worry, you’ll get to meet him one day!”

Noriyuki smiled back at her, “Mm! Please bring him here next time you come visit!”

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“Ah, that was a good meal,” Reiko commented at the dinner table. Her, Tomohiro, Aria, and Noriyuki had just finished eating dinner together. “Big bro, make sure you don’t lose this guy.”

“Who knows, maybe I’ll find someone else just cause you said that to me,” Tomohiro replied with a straight face.

“Kuu-Chan???” Noriyuki became alarmed after hearing that.

“I’m kidding,” Tomohiro reassured Noriyuki. Tomohiro smiled, “There’s no reason for me to leave you.”

“My, my. It makes me happy to see Kuu-Chan acting like this,” Aria commented with a smile on her face.

Tomohiro noticed that even though she was smiling, her eyes looked sad. “Is something wrong,” he asked her.

Aria’s expression changed into surprise as she heard what he asked her. “Of course I am. I’m probably just a bit tired after all that traveling today.”

“You’re welcome to stay the night since it’s getting late out there,” Noriyuki offered with a smile.

“That’s kind of you, but we could head home ourselves just fine. We should probably leave soon before the last train leaves,” Aria turned around to look out the window which showed that the sky was quickly turning into a dark blue color.

“I could clean up if you have to go now.”

“I can’t possibly let you cook for us and also clean up after,” Aria had a shocked tone over how kind Noriyuki was being.

“He’s the total package!” Reiko had a regretful expression on her face.

“It’s okay! It'll be worse if you leave late and miss the train. I’m used to cleaning up after Kuu-Chan anyway,” Noriyuki teased, which bought him a glare from Tomohiro.

“Thank you for taking such good care of us today, Noriyuki.” Aria got up from her seat, “I’m happy that Kuu-Chan was able to find someone as good as you.” Her comment caused Noriyuki to blush. “Let’s go Reiko, we have to get going now.” She walked to the door of the apartment.

“Awww, do we have to,” Reiko whined.

“We don’t want your dad to be worried about us.”

Reiko groaned, “Fine.” She sighed disappointingly, got up from her seat, and followed her mom to the front door.

“Ah, Kuu-Chan, could you come outside for a bit. I have to tell you something,” Aria called out to Tomohiro.

“Mm, I’ll be back in a bit Yuki,” Tomohiro got up from his seat and met with his sister outside the door.

“Thank you, again. We hope to see you soon,” Aria smiled at Noriyuki.

“Mm. You’re welcome here anytime!” Noriyuki gave her a bright smile back.

Aria closed the door behind her and her expression changed into a sad one.

“Are you okay, Mom?” Tomohiro was worried that there might be something going on at home that is causing her stress. He knows that the work situation has always been stressful for the family, but maybe it’s taking too big of a toll on them now.

“Kuu-Chan, I’m glad that you’ve been able to find someone like Noriyuki. Someone who takes care of you well and truly loves you, but…,” Aria was hesitant to finish what she wanted to say. She took a deep breath and let out a sigh. “I’m afraid you can’t live with him anymore. I wanted to come and tell you this in person, but you may have to come back home.”

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Trivia: Tomohiro has a younger sister, Nonoka has a younger brother, Osuke has an older sister, and Noriyuki is an only child