Chapter Text
BeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeep...
“Boys, it’s time to wake up!
Matsuzo’s voice hollered from downstairs.
Inside the darkened bedroom where the six brothers slept, the beeping alarm clock illuminated indicating it was 5 o’clock in the morning.
A muffled ‘Okay’ was heard from under the covers of a futon and a groggy Karamatsu pushed the warm blanket off of him. Taking a long inhale, he pulled his arms up into a stretch and rolled his shoulders.
Yawning, the oldest brother got up and turned the alarm off. Rubbing the sleepiness from his eyes, he walked over to the curtain and mercilessly opened it. The bright bluish-gray hue of the morning light caused a collective moan, mostly coming from Ichimatsu and Choromatsu who slept closer to the window.
“Alright brothers,” Karamatsu groaned, yawning again towards the end. “You heard Dad. Let’s get ready for the day.”
Slowly but surely, the rest of the room’s occupants started waking up, getting up from their comfortable positions and either making their way to the bathroom or putting their futons away.
Save for one.
“That means you too, Osomatsu.”
Before doing anything to start off the day, Matsuno Osomatsu, the quintuplet's youngest brother, was Karamatsu's number one priority.
“Osomatsu,” Karamatsu smiled. “I know you can hear me.”
The boy stirred slightly but still continued to sleep; his small, thin figure tangled up in his blanket. Karamatsu knelt down and gently pinched the boy’s cheek, granting him a few weak kicks in defiance. A heel managed to bop Karamatsu’s chin with some force.
“Cut it out Kara-Nii...” the boy mumbled sleepily.
"Ow..." Karamatsu winced, rubbing his jaw.
Ichimatsu and Choromatsu, who stayed in the room, watched the interaction with mirthful eyes.
“You had it coming Painfulmatsu,” Ichimatsu commented as he started to unbutton his pajama shirt.
"As always, you’re the last to get up Osomatsu." Choromatsu shook his head with a mix of disappointment and amusement. “You even slept before anyone else did the night before.”
The latter just continued to whine into his pillow. “I’ll get up soon... just gimme five more minutes…”
“Not a chance,” the eldest brother answered; removing the blanket and pulling the child up into a sitting position. “Come on little one, time to put away your futon.”
The bleary-eyed Osomatsu whimpered at the rude awakening, but nevertheless, joined Karamatsu in folding up their futon and placing them into the closet. Todomatsu and Jyushimatsu came back from the hallway and got their bedding folded up as well.
“Good morning Osomatsu-chan!” Jyushimatsu ruffled the grumpy Osomatsu’s hair, much to the younger’s annoyance.
Todomatsu giggled at the boy’s pouting face and turned to the other three brothers. “You can go ahead and use the bathroom now. Ichimatsu, don’t forget to wipe down the counter when you’re finished.”
“Yeah yeah.” Ichimatsu waved, already walking out the door.
With that, the early morning went on as normal in the Matsuno household.
Hectic. But normal.
The Matsuno quintuplets fell into their daily routine and took their varying times to freshen up and prepare for school. Choromatsu spent a good few minutes cleaning his glasses while scolding Ichimatsu for his disheveled hair, which never seemed to ever be neatly combed. Jyushimatsu was stuffing his baseball uniform and equipment haphazardly into his bag, and Todomatsu took an almost ridiculous amount of time to style his uniform until he reached his ideal image of ‘cute and approachable.’
As usual, there would be a fight that broke out over personal things being used or complaints about one’s morning habits (this mostly came from Choromatsu and Todomatsu). Jyushimatsu clumsily making a ruckus, often too much for a sleep-deprived and slow moving Ichimatsu. Karamatsu was the quickest in getting ready but usually because he needed help their youngest brother get ready as well.
Every morning, Karamatsu tried his best to get a somewhat whiny Osomatsu to brush his teeth and change out of his pajamas. This normally took a good 10 minutes as the boy would often make a fuss and would run away from him, cackling like a gremlin around the upstairs of the house. As irritating as it should be, being so early in the morning, it would always end in a good punishment of tickling and the little brother’s grumpiness to disappear for the rest of the day.
Although, much to Karamatsu's surprise, Osomatsu got ready without much complaint. The boy quickly freshened up and ran out of the bathroom door. When Karamatsu finished his business, he returned to the bedroom noticing the child nowhere in sight.
“Where’s Osomatsu?”
Choromatsu looked over with a raised eyebrow. “Hm? I thought he was still with you? Probably went to say good morning to Mom.”
Karamatsu was curious, but shrugged it off, deciding to finish up first. Putting on his school uniform, he hurried downstairs into the kitchen where he would meet up with their father and help prepare breakfast. He was pleasantly surprised to be greeted with Osomatsu, still in his pajamas, standing on a stool and pouring soup into bowls.
“Good morning Dad,” Karamatsu said, joining his father at the stove and helping him with the rolled eggs. “Osomatsu! So this is where you went. Shouldn’t you go get dressed already?”
“Don’t worry, I will.” The youngest brother shouted with a cheerful smile. “I wanted to help Papa make miso soup.”
“You still should have changed first Osomatsu so you don’t get your sleeves dirty.”
“But then Papa would be done cooking by then! I wanted to help this time!”
“I see, I see. Did you talk to Mom already?”
“Yup! And she knows I’m going to make the best miso soup ever on the first try!”
“Oh, does she now? And what’s your verdict dear Father?”
Osomatsu gave Matsuzo a cute, excited look, obviously expecting a compliment.
Without skipping a beat, the older smiled. “He’s doing great! A fast learner indeed.” Content with the praise, Osomatsu beamed. He got down from the stool and started bringing the bowls to the table.
Without the boy noticing, Matsuzo whispered carefully into his eldest son’s ear. “Earlier he tried to put wasabi into the dashi stock because he wanted to give it a kick.”
Karamatsu cringed at the fact. “Ah... Thank you for stopping him.” He turned back to Osomatsu when he returned. “How are you settling in elementary school Brother? Pretty different from Kindergarten huh?”
Osomatsu acted somewhat dramatically, placing his small fingers on his chin, tilting his head to the side, and loudly humming as if he wer in deep thought. “It’s different but….”
“But?”
“Hmmmm... I forgot!” He stuck his tongue our playfully, scratching the back of his head. He then turned to face his brother and father. “But it’s definitely way more fun than Kindergarten!”
“Ah, really? What’s your favorite subject so far?”
“I like PE!” Osomatsu said, bouncing on his heels. “Our class did a race last week and I was the fastest! Oh! I like singing during music too!”
“That’s good to hear. Any problems so far?”
“Mmm… not really.” Osomatsu considered before frowning. “We started writing Kanji but I still have trouble getting it.”
“Don’t worry,” Karamatsu reassured him. “I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it in no time.”
“Try hard, and you can do it Osomatsu!” Their father added. “And you too as well Karamatsu. Remember, this is your last year of Junior High. You all better take your studies seriously and prepare for those exams.”
“Haha,” Karamatsu looked away bashfully. “I’ve never been the studious type so it’s going to be somewhat of a challenge for me this year. You probably don’t have to worry too much about the others however, especially Choromatsu or Ichimatsu with their grades.”
“Don’t buy yourself small Kara-Nii,” Osomatsu quickly blurted out, seating himself at the table.
“My Osomatsu,” Matsuzo quirked his eyebrow. “Where did you learn to say that?”
“My teacher!” Osomatsu announced proudly; rubbing a finger under his nose. “She said that to a girl in my class. We were drawing flowers and she started to cry because she thought her flowers were bad. When my teacher said ‘Don’t buy yourself small’ and said her flowers were pretty, she stopped crying.”
“Ah I see,” Karamatsu nodded with intrigue. “But I believe what your teacher actually said was ‘Don’t sell yourself short.’”
The child started looking confused. “Isn’t it the same thing?”
Karamatsu laughed, petting the boy’s head tenderly. “It’s a little different, but I suppose it is the same thing.”
Osomatsu gave a small huff as he tried to straighten up his hair. “Okay well...don’t SELL yourself SHORT then! I know you can do it Kara-Nii!”
“Thank you, thank you.”
“Mmhm!”
After a few minutes, the rest of the brothers filed in with Todomatsu and Ichimatsu having been the last to come down. Matsuzo shook his head as the two started scarfing down their breakfast.
“You shouldn’t be taking so long upstairs. That’s why you’re always rushing every morning.”
“Todomatsu took a stupid amount of time posing in front of the mirror with his phone,” Ichimatsu replied in a bored, monotone voice; his cheeks stuffed with rice.
“Hey! It takes time to look this good. Unlike you, you zombie.”
“Yeah, we still have the same face so basically all you’re doing his pretty-ing up a zombie.”
“I’ll have you know that MY face is more rounded and I have bigger eyes,” Todomatsu pointed his chopsticks rudely at Ichimatsu. “Your cheeks are sunken and you’ve got dark circles and bags under your eyes. A little make-up wouldn’t hurt you know. Out of all of you, I’m the most perfect~”
Ichimatsu rolled his eyes and passed the younger his plate of rolled eggs. “Here, do you want some more food or are you too full of yourself?”
“Excuse you!?”
The rest of the family couldn’t help but chuckle as Todomatsu blushed embarrassingly at the remark.
“Weirdo!” Osomatsu giggled and Jyushimatsu smiled curiously at him.
“Osomatsu-chan?”
“A-ah, it’s nothing!”
“You can whisper to me if you want.”
“Well...” Osomatsu whispered. “Ichi-Nii is funny.”
“Eh? Funny?”
“Hehe absolutely! Isn’t he just as slow as Totty-Nii. How does Totty-Nii looking in the mirror make Ichi-Nii late for breakfast?” To which the older brother seemed to pause for a moment and then laughed.
“Yup, that is pretty funny!”
As the family began to slowly get up from the table and clean their dishes, Matsuzo started heading for the door.
“Well,” Matsuzo announced, tightening up his tie and grabbing his briefcase. “I’ll be heading off now.”
The quintuplets turned to their father confused. Choromatsu spoke up.
“Eh, wait a minute? You’re going to work so early?”
“I actually have to get to the office early today,” Matsuzo replied. “I’m meeting with a co-worker to help prepare for a meeting.”
“What about Osomatsu? You need one of us to walk with him then?” Choromatsu asked.
“Fufu nope!” Osomatsu shouted enthusiastically, grinning excitedly as he took a bite of his fish. “I’m gonna walk by myself from now on!”
Matsuzo nodded in agreement. “I won’t have you being late for classes, Choromatsu. Besides, it’s already been a few weeks since Osomatsu started elementary school. It’s about time he went to school on his own don’t you think? I mean he’s been to the nearby convenience store by himself before.”
“Are you sure?” Karamatsu spoke with concern. “Six is still pretty young."
"Osomatsu's turning 7 next month," Todomatsu stated offhandedly. "If anything, he's late to the party."
"Still," Karamatsu retorted. "His school is 25 minutes away compared to a 3 minute walk to the convenience store for ice cream.”
“That’s right!” Choromatsu pointed. “Shouldn’t he at least walk with Totoko-chan or something?”
Osomatsu made a face of disgust at the suggestion. “Totoko’s a second grader!” He fumed. “I don’t want her to walk with me!”
Ichimatsu chimed in questioningly. “Has he not been assigned a group?”
“Unfortunately, the closest children by us live 15 minutes in the opposite direction from the school,” Matsuzo answered. “It wouldn’t make much sense for Osomatsu to go pass the school just to get to the meet-up spot.”
“Okay,” Karamatsu nodded. “Wait, what about after school? Is Iyami going to pick him up still?”
It was commonly known that due to the family’s busy schedule, they often returned home late. 5 to 6 o’clock in the evening for Jyushimatsu and Todomatsu, who finish with baseball practice and student council respectively; and 8 in the evening with Ichimatsu and Choromatsu attending cram school, and Matsuzo from work.
Karamatsu didn’t have any activities or clubs to attend to so he usually walked home with Chibita straight after school. However, it took him a little over an hour to get home; catching the train and stopping by the grocery store to buy ingredients for dinner.
Iyami was kind enough to pick up Osomatsu when the boy used to go to daycare and kindergarten, and continued to do so during the first weeks of him starting elementary school; meeting him halfway and letting the boy stay at his house until Karamatsu came to retrieve him.
“Unfortunately, not today. Apparently something came up.” Matsuzo cleared his throat. “There will be some days where Iyami will be unable to watch him. I already asked Totoko-chan’s parents if he could stay over at their house on those days. At least until you come home.” He said that as he addressed Karamatsu.
“Yeah,” the boy casually added. “I’m going to Totoko’s house after school to do homework. She says she can help me with math. Then I’ll wait for Kara-Nii to pick me up. Right Papa?”
The older man nodded. “You’ll be able to do that right, Karamatsu?”
“O-of course,” he muttered. “It would have been nice to know beforehand though.”
“Ah, I’m sorry about that,” his father replied apologetically. “We were meant to start next week but Iyami had called in so the plan went earlier than expected.”
The quintuplets seemed to understand, but remained silent. Noticing the tense vibes coming from his older sons, their father gave a lighthearted laugh and smiled.
“It’ll be alright everyone,” the man addressed calmly to the brothers. “I’ve been walking the routes with Osomatsu before the term started. He knows what to do and where to go.”
“Mhm!” Osomatsu said, sipping up the rest of his soup. “I know how to cross the street, watch out for traffic, and where to go in case of an emergency!”
“Don’t worry too much,” Matsuzo said in an encouraging manner. “He’ll have his yellow hat on, so everyone will make sure to keep a good eye on him.”
He then eyed each of the quintuplets one by one. “I expect you all to leave as soon as you’re done cleaning up. No waiting for Osomatsu, understand?”
The five brothers gave their varied responses in agreement.
“Osomatsu, I packed some spare money in your bag if you and Totoko wanted to get some snacks afterschool,” Matsuzo said, opening the door. “Lock up when you leave and remember, straight there, and no detours.”
“Roger!” Osomatsu flashed him an eager thumbs up.
“All of you, don’t forget to say goodbye to your mother before you leave. Well then, I’m off!” And with that, Matsuzo walked out, closing the door behind him.
“Wow!” Todomatsu smiled, impressed. “Looks like our little brother is finally growing up~” He gave an emphasis on the patronizing tone of his statement by pinching the boy’s cheek.
“Knock it off Totty-Nii!” Osomatsu growled, swatting the hand away. “I’ll have you know I already know how to clean the classroom and serve lunch! I’m the best at those things so this is nothing!”
“He’s acting all brave now but I bet he’ll start crying like Jyushimatsu first did.” Ichimatsu said with a smirk.
“I cried like a big baby. There was tears running down my cheeks and snot coming out of my nose!”
Todomatsu stared at him with a deadpan face. “Jyushimatsu Nii-chan, that isn’t something you should be proud of admitting.”
While the youngest brothers continued to finish their food and tease Osomatsu, Choromatsu and Karamatsu were stuck only with the welling emotion of worry filling their stomach.
“Nope! Forget what Dad said! I can’t handle this! I can’t let him go alone!”
“I agree. Our precious baby brother is about to embark into the dark and unknown world. A world where cruel monsters and horrid temptations lie in wait. We need to ensure his survival at all costs!”
“Please tell me they aren’t serious.”
“Sadly, I think they are.”
It was no more than five minutes since the Matsuno quintuplets said goodbye to Osomatsu and left the house. Unfortunately, it had only taken those five minutes for Karamatsu and Choromatsu to crack under pressure; crouched behind a wall a few distances away and watching their home with vigilant eyes.
“Of course we are!” Choromatsu shouted back at Todomatsu, who was currently snapping a picture of his two brothers. “How are you not worried over this?”
“I’m more worried over the fact we’re going to be late for school if we keep standing here, and you two are being so embarrassing right now.” Todomatsu said this, noticing a few passerbys eyeing them strangely.
“Todomatsu,” Karamatsu spoke. “How does one such as yourself remain unperturbed while our tiny bird is leaving the nest for the first time? Do not tell me you are a demon pretending to be our younger brother? Where is your humanity?”
“If you don’t shut up, this ‘demon’ will make sure to upload every degrading photo of you and post it on every social media platform. Come on, it’s almost 7:00!”
“Painfulmatsu, stop being so overdramatic and let’s go.” Ichimatsu rolled his eyes. “You’re not helping by making Choromatsu Nii-san stressed. Quit worrying. It’s no big deal anyways. We did this too when we were his age.”
“And you are correct my sweet, dear brother.”
“Sweet?”
“However, may I remind you that we journeyed to school with the comfort of having all of us as companions. For Osomatsu... for poor, sweet, adorable Osomatsu...”
Knowing what’s coming, Jyushimatsu and Todomatsu covered their ears as Karamatsu yelled out in a rushed and anxious voice.
“Oh the horror! He'll be all alone by himself! How could our dear Father even think of letting our innocent brother go off on his own without anyone to accompany him? And walking back home without the guardianship of Iyami? That’s when horrid predators, soulless devils, come out and attack! He’ll be sucked into the abyss of darkness with the promise of candy and sweets. Then they’ll sweep our dear prince away from us!”
Choromatsu gasped with a fearful expression on his face. “Stop it Karamatsu Nii-san! I can’t bear the thought!”
The three younger brothers, well except Jyushimatsu, looked at the two dumbfounded.
“Wow... absolutely zero faith.”
“Does he think we live in America?”
“Well, Western news is pretty scary!”
“That and they watch too many of those crime dramas.”
“Karamatsu Nii-san, can you please refrain from saying embarrassing stuff like that. You sound like a chunibyo.”
“That's ok! I mean we are still in Junior High.”
“Jyushimatsu Nii-chan, that is not the point…”
“God… this is stupid,” Ichimatsu scoffed. “Did you forget he’ll probably be with Totoko-chan later on? She’s a smart girl. She’ll watch out for him.”
Todomatsu huffed in annoyance. “Karamatsu Nii-san, Choromatsu Nii-san,” he started. “While I get that you’re worried, stressing over it isn’t gonna help. Osomatsu’s pride is what’s important right now.”
“Eh, pride?” Jyushimatsu tilted his head, looking confused.
“That’s right!” Todomatsu said, pointing a finger at him. “We need to encourage Osomatsu to be confident in doing things on his own. Many kids are doing the same, just like Totoko-chan did last year, and us as well when we were kids. It is a rite of passage for children to do things like walking to school solo or running errands on their own. If he can’t do such simple things, no doubt other parents and teachers will scold Dad for not helping Osomatsu engage with the community properly. Not to mention, it’s not like he’s going to a private school an hour away. He doesn’t even need to take the train. Think of the social shame and humiliation Osomatsu would endure from his fellow peers if he continued on this way halfway through the year.”
“... I changed my mind,” Ichimatsu said with a snide smile. “Todomatsu is way more overdramatic. Maybe he’s not a demon… but just weird.”
“Shut it, you cat-obsessed skeleton!”
Jyushimatsu pointed. “Ah… Hey guys, they left!”
“WHAT?!” Ichimatsu and Todomatsu turned quickly to see the first and second son gone from their spot behind the wall and were now a couple blocks away pursuing Osomatsu, who had finally left the house.
Todomatsu threw his arms in the air. “Unbelievable!”
“Should we follow them?” Jyushimatsu asked, unaware of what to do.
With a groan, Ichimatsu pinched the bridge of his nose. “Ugh… No, we should just head to the station already. Let them do what they want. I’m not planning on running extra laps because some idiot older brothers make us late.”
“True, true.” Todomatsu followed behind Ichimatsu as they began walking. “You’re probably gonna cover for Choromatsu Nii-san aren’t you?”
“Ughh... what a hassle.”
“Shame for Karamatsu Nii-san though. He’s on his own as usual.”
“Too bad,” Ichimatsu said bluntly.
“How cold~... Hm?” Todomatsu looked behind at Jyushimatsu. “Oi, let’s go Jyushimatsu Nii-chan!”
Jyushimatsu stood there, eyeing their house. “We should check if Osomatsu-chan remembered to lock up since we’re here.”
This prompted the two to stop. They looked at each other for a moment.
Despite their eyes silently trying to convince themselves otherwise, Osomatsu… was still Osomatsu.
“Well, it wouldn’t hurt, right?”
“Right....”
“Morning!”
“Ara, Osomatsu-kun, good morning. Heading to school I see.”
“Uh-huh! Look! Papa’s not with me anymore. I’m a big kid now!”
“That’s good, congratulations! You get going now, alright?”
“Yes Ma’am! Bye bye!”
After saying goodbye to the nice auntie, he suddenly stopped and turned around curiously.
“Hmm?”
However, when the boy looked around, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Just shopkeepers, city workers, and other pedestrians passing by who were focused on heading to their own destinations.
“Huh…” He shrugged before going on his merry way; humming the theme song to one of his favorite cartoons.
Once his back was turned, Karamatsu and Choromatsu sighed in relief. They had been tailing the elementary schooler for a few blocks now; making sure they were hidden from the boy’s sight. They watched closely behind as Osomatsu carefully walked along the route; greeting the neighbors and avoiding any distractions.
However, when the boy suddenly turned around, they had panicked and quickly ducked behind a tree and a few bushes. They stood with their bodies awkwardly positioned; making sure they were covered as much as possible.
The neighborhood florist that Osomatsu had just greeted had witnessed the whole display. She giggled at the two middle schoolers, shaking her head. She waved to them goodbye as she headed back inside.
Choromatsu adjusted his glasses; a blush forming on his cheeks. “A-ahem! Nii-san,” he whispered. “What’s he doing? What do you see?”
Karamatsu looked back from behind the tree. “He’s at an intersection waiting to cross.”
“He’s not too close to the curb right?” Choromatsu asked a little frantically. “He’s watching the cars right? Making sure the light turns blue right? Right? Oh my god, if he decides to jaywalk...”
“No no, it looks like he’s okay. He’s still waiting.”
“How does he look? He doesn’t look lost?”
“Uhhh no, he seems fine. I think he's humming.” Karamatsu sighed. “Honestly… he looks like he has everything handled.”
The second oldest relaxed, giving an audible ‘phew!’. He then looked up at Karamatsu.
“Hey Nii-san,” he asked hesitantly. “Maybe the others were right. We’ve been following him for 15 minutes now. He seems to be doing everything Dad taught him. Do you… do you think we were overreacting?”
Karamatsu frowned. If he had to consider it, they most certainly were. Six years old was young, but it was also the age that children started learning about interdependence and group reliance. Meanwhile, their family needed to learn to trust Osomatsu's ability to be reliable and independent. Osomatsu was a bit of a slow kid, but was smart enough and determined to do right whenever he wanted to prove himself. However, that still didn’t mean their concerns and worries were invalid. Anything can happen after all.
Even in the family, even more so than their father, Karamatsu and Choromatsu were the most protective of their kid brother. So much so that they were hilariously dubbed the title “Father” and “Mother” respectively (much to Choromatsu’s dismay) by the others.
But if Choromatsu, the considered ‘Mom’, said they are overreacting, then perhaps that was the case.
Paranoid? Yes, but it came out of great love for their brother. Call it a complex all you want. Even the eldest had to admit his ‘Big Brother instincts’ were ridiculously high; spoiling and coddling Osomatsu since he was a baby. Could you blame them? He was their youngest brother; pure, innocent, and a ray of fiery sunshine. More importantly, he had promised himself he would protect Osomatsu at all costs.
Still…
“Yeah,” Karamatsu agreed, surrender hinted in his voice. “But it never stops you from worrying, right? I just don’t want anything to happen to him.”
Choromatsu nodded and sighed. “Same.”
Karamatsu could remember, however vaguely, when he and his brothers first walked to school alone. He was certain he must have been scared. However, he clearly remembered his mother smiling at him. She trusted him to know what to do, telling him he was responsible for watching out for himself and his brothers as she hurried them out the door.
His fear had morphed into newfound resolve; wanting to make her proud. That day, he led the way for his brothers; holding a crying Jyushimatsu’s hand and cheering him along the way.
He chuckled to himself. “I’m pretty sure our parents felt the same when we first walked to school. Even when we all were together as a group.”
“Yeah,” Choromatsu smiled. “Although, they probably were more worried that we would get distracted and cause trouble. You think they secretly followed us like we’re doing now?”
“I don’t doubt Dad did, knowing him. I’m pretty sure Mom gave him an earful afterwards.”
“I can imagine,” Choromatsu said, fixing his uniform. “Despite being equally worried, she probably stubbornly stayed put and waited for us to return home on our own.”
The first son smiled at the thought. He then picked up his school bag off the ground and dusted off any dirt. He turned to his younger brother with a look of defeat.
“I don’t want to, but I think we should head back.”
The latter gave a little whine in protest but ultimately sighed. “I guess so. I hate it, but to be honest, I really am more worried about being late for school.”
“Teacher’s pet.”
“Shut up.”
Karamatsu’s attention turned back to Osomatsu, but he was no longer in view.
“He must have gone ahead,” he commented.
“Figures,” Choromatsu replied. “We were too focused on talking about Osomatsu, that we forgot to actually focus on him. He probably made it to his school gate by now. I’ll admit it, he did good.”
Karamatsu smiled, looking over at the direction Osomatsu went. “Yeah, sorry we didn’t believe you, Osomatsu.”
“Well, come on then!” Choromatsu said hurriedly. “We better get going if we want to make it on time.” He then started running without waiting for the elder.
“W-wait up Choromatsu!”
They both ran to the train station and headed to school as quickly as possible. Fortunately, Choromatsu had made it to class with 10 seconds left to spare. Karamatsu, with his classroom being further away, was not so lucky, and had to stand outside in the hallway.
He ran three extra laps afterwards.