Those I Cherish (Part II)

‘’<<Friday. The most loved and, at the same time, the most despised day by students. Pros: Two days off school, no teachers, no boring lessons. Cons: Just two days off school to get that burden of homework you’ve been given on that day out of the way.

It’s like we don’t deserve something for keeping up with so many subjects. Most of the things we are forced to learn are crucial details to students who choose to involve themselves with an occupation concerning that specific subject. Need I learn about how the Roman empire reached its peak if I don’t become a historian, for instance? Is it MY fault that history doesn’t interest me? If knowledge is indeed power, then let me learn everything I need to learn for what I’m aiming to become, because I want to be the very best at it, and THEN know the basics to a few others.

It’s utterly ridiculous. Students are the only ones in the developed and developing world that are working and don’t get paid. We get our efforts recognized–other times we even don’t-with grades and parent-teacher conferences. So what? Is that even considered a ‘reward’? If you made a chart about the hardest jobs in the 21st century, we would be second, just behind parents.

Don’t we at least deserve some free time then? 5 days of school and 2 days off it seems pretty convenient at first, but you give us unnecessary things to study that we forget in a couple of days. And it’s not a couple of teachers doing that, it’s the majority of them! You catch my drift? Being given a ton of homework, caring only about 10% of it because the remaining 90% is either over your head already or you consider it useless for your future occupation AND ending up getting scolded because you can’t keep up with some subjects. How is it OUR fault that we can’t understand some things? It’s not like you haven’t been in our shoes, dear teachers!>> is what I was thinking after I woke up and couldn’t get off my bed.’’

‘’Is that all?’’

‘’Of course not!’’

‘’<<‘Onii-san, you’re going to be late for school!’

‘Yeah yeah, the Force needs 5 more minutes…’ I muttered using the little strength I had at the time.

’No more minutes! Your alarm has gone off 3 times by now!’

3 TIMES?!

I quickly ran to the kitchen to eat as much of my breakfast as possible. Enzu and Anzu were looking at me wide-eyed the whole time. Even I couldn’t imagine how I managed to leave in time for once.>>. And that’s how things went.’’

He couldn’t stop himself from laughing at my ‘morning adventures’.

‘’I-It’s not even funny! You’re basically laughing at me right now!’’

‘’Wait, was that NOT supposed to be the case right here?’’

Even my friends are fond of messing with me…

In case you were wondering, the guy I am talking to is Kiba Reiji. Fun fact: His last name is quite common in anime. Almost any male with that name is blond and has excellent sword-fighting skills. You know, Kiba Yuuto from Highschool DxD or Kiba Shion from Cardfight!! Vanguard G? THIS kind of Kiba.

‘’I was wondering, want to come to my place after school, Yuusuke?’’

‘’Sorry, I’m on class duty today.’’

‘’How about after that?’’

‘’After, huh? I don’t think I got anything to do.’’

‘’Fantastic!’’

I forgot to mention something important about him. He’s way too cheerful. Naruto or Luffy kind of ‘way too cheerful’.

‘’Should we invite someone else?’’

‘’How about Kazuto?’’

How can one forget Kasuto?! He’s a gaming guru!

‘’Great idea! I’ll get the VR ready when I get home then!’’

‘’Ohohoho, I’ll crush both of you! You have been warned!’’ I declare proudly.

‘’You’re not TheLegend27, hold your horses.’’

Should I be worried because I’ve been scolded at or because he’s using Victorian English?

*

The bell finally rings.

Oh, I didn’t mention we were at school? Silly me! ‘’Middle of nowhere’’ is what I meant to say. Yes, you read that right.

It’s really far from the city. Kinda like Class 3-E from Assassination Classroom, but we’re talking about the entire school here. And no Koro-Sensei or Karasuma-san or Bitch-sensei either.

I pray that this day be over without any unfortunate incidents.

And after school finally ends…

‘’What was with all the teachers today?!’’ I lie on my desk.

‘’Must have been pretty rough having the teachers make you read in every single period!’’ laughed Kazuto.

‘’Says the guy who hasn’t been spoken in class since, like, I don’t know, forever?!’’

Kazuto giggles at my remark: ‘’Can’t help it! Lady Luck must love me this year!’’

‘’Why does it have to be you?’’ I sigh hopelessly.‘’By the way, did Reiji tell you anything about tonight?’’

‘’You bet! You coming?’’

‘’Most probably.’’

‘’Good to know! 2 to be crushed by yours truly!’’

‘’We’ll see about that.’’ I reply using the last bits of my strength. ‘’Now I want to rest a bit before I start cleaning. Shoo shoo.’’

‘’I’m going to the clubroom then. Come by if you have the time.’’ he says as he leaves the classroom.

I’m all alone now…

No time to wait for the others! I have to start on my own! The cleaning duty is calling out to me!

*

After finishing cleaning the classroom, the ones in charge, me included, rested for a bit and got some refreshments to chill ourselves out.

The sun is about to set, I’d better head home. I’ll go to the clubroom on Monday.

Walking in the schoolyard alone with the sunset on the horizon is genuinely refreshing for some reason.

‘’Onii-san! Over here!’’ I hear a female voice saying.

Due to my fatigue, I’m not able to recognize it at first. As I turn to see where that voice came from, I see someone at the school gate waving at me. And that someone was-

‘’Didn’t expect to see me here, did you?’’

-my little sister, Anzu.

‘’No, I didn’t actu- AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!’’

A wild Enzu that has appeared behind Anzu is the one that surprised me the most -creeped me out actually, hence my screech.

‘’What do you think you are doing?!’’ Enzu yells in my ear.

‘’I was on class duty today. You want me to repeat that?’’ I answer provocatively.

‘’Ya makin’ a fool outta me?!’’

‘’Enzu, relax, your accent’s showing again…’’

Enzu has that ‘’thing’’ when she gets extremely angry… Her accent changes–another of Mum’s character traits. That’s probably the only thing about her that doesn’t bother me.

‘’Hmph!’’ she pouts, just like a tsundere in denial.

But it is unbelievable… How is she related to me again? Correction: WHY?!

‘’You made Anzu worry! How dare you make this cute little face lose its precious smile!’’

B-But she’s always smiling…

‘’I’d like to hear that from Anzu herself, if you don’t mind.’’ I face Anzu, patting her head: ‘’Anzu, sorry if I made you worry.’’

‘’You didn’t, I knew you were going to be late today, Onii-san.’’

Wait, don’t make me confused!

‘’Enzu was the one who suggested we come here!’’

Yeah, and I’m Batman.

‘’D-Don’t say things he’s going take the wrong way! I never said something like that!’’

Enzu is getting kind of red. Is she embarrassed because she doesn’t want to admit that or because she imagined what Anzu just said?

Either way, this is getting REAAAAAALLY interesting.

‘’Is that so? I don’t think my memory would deceive me.’’

REAAAAAAAAALLY interesting I tell ya!

But which one do I believe?!

‘’Me, do something that satisfies this scum’s desires? In what world is this even possible?’’

Achievement Unlocked for Enzu: Ruin Yuusuke’s Day, because you did just by coming here.

‘’Anyway, I’m meeting up with some friends later, so I’m coming home just to eat some dinner. I don’t want to be late.’’

‘’Finally, I can get some peace of mind at home!’’ rejoiced Enzu without any restraint.

It seems to me that you forgot who’s going to have more peace of mind here.

*

We got home without making a fuss somehow.

‘’We’re back.’’

Mum rushes out of the kitchen as soon as she hears us opening the door.

‘’Welcome back! Sorry for not being here this morning, your father and I were out of town. So how was your day, you three?’’

‘’Exhausting as always.’’ is my answer.

‘’Great as always!’’ rejoice the twins simultaneously.

‘’I see! All is normal then! You see, your father and I are going out of town for a while, better finish today’s housework before we come back!

I knew this wasn’t going to end well… When Mum asks about our day, something heavy must follow.

Oh well, can’t help it, what must be done will be done. Some chores are unavoidable no matter how you look at it.

‘’Yuusuke, take out the trash please. They’re at the door.’’

All I see is Enz- Oh. You have my commendations, Dad.

‘’I bet you just thought ‘Why is he talking about Enzu?’, didn’t you?’’ says Enzu in a strict manner.

That little brat-! How did she see right through that?!

‘’N-No, I didn’t.’’ I put on a powerless smile.

After returning from my little walk to the trash can, I go to the kitchen, and what happens is NOT part of my plan.

‘’Yuusuke, please watch over your sisters, okay?’’

‘’What?! But Mum! I’ve planned to go to Reiji’s tonight!’’

‘’No buts. Who’s going to watch over them if you don’t?’’ utters Dad while reading today’s newspaper.’’

‘’Anzu and Enzu never fight, so it’s okay! Why do I have to be here?!’’ I reply having lost most of my temper.

‘’What if a robber or a murderer breaks in then? Who’s going to protect them?’’ asked Mum calmly.

Even if these situations seem unlikely, I can’t get a single word out of my mouth for some reason.

‘’You can go if you want to. If you consider your friends more important than your sisters, that is.’’ adds Dad on top of Mum’s questions.

This is the finishing blow. Anything that I say that doesn’t comply with that will be used against me, no questions asked.

In the end, family matters deprive me of my enjoyment most of the time. Being the elder sibling equals a lot of responsibilities you don’t see coming.

‘’Fine, I’ll cancel my plans…’’ I sigh. ‘’What time are you coming back?’’

‘’Probably after bedtime since the provider is out of town, so no need to worry if we return after midnight.’’

Again?! How much work do they have to do anyway? Is it that hard having your own business?

As you might have guessed, these two are my parents. My father’s name is Kodo Yuki and my mother’s is Kodo Eru.

What can I say about them? They’re unbelievable-in a good way of course. They seem harsh at first, but that’s not the case. They scold us when we do something wrong to realize our mistakes and praise us when we do something right; we are the world to them, after all.

*

After that little ‘’dispute’’, I’m obliged to let Reiji know that I can’t go to his place.

‘’Ehhhh? That’s really unfortunate, Yuusuke!’’

‘’How lucky can you be having older siblings only… Can’t we trade or something?’’

‘’I wish we could!’’ he laughs. ‘’I’d love to have younger siblings, sounds like fun!’’

‘’I can confirm it’s anything but fun.’’

Having the devil beside you can’t be fun, right?

‘’Well, you must appreciate what you’ve been given in life.’’

‘’Don’t you dare get philosophical on me.’’ I sigh.

‘’I’m not. [I’m just saying something you should remember.]’’

What was with that last one? Don’t give me chills!

‘’Again, sorry for canceling at the eleventh hour.’’

‘’No no, don’t worry! There’s always next time! See you on Monday then.’’

‘’Yeah, see you.’’

The call has ended. With this, the rest of my day has been set in stone. Doing just housework.

*

Housework is finally over. The time’s already 12:10 AM.

‘’I’m beat!’’ I say at the top of my lungs as I fall on my bed.

Enzu bangs the wall separating our rooms: ‘’HEY, SHUT IT! I WANT TO SLEEP!’’

‘’So do I and Anzu, please stop screaming like no one’s around.’’ I yawn. ‘’G‘night.’’

Oddly enough, she doesn’t say anything in response. Maybe it’s her sleep reflexes kicking in –yes, she’s able to be noisy EVEN in her sleep.

Finally, some peace of mind. Just what I need to rest.