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The sound of baskets clanking and cash registers opening was all Sousuke could focus on. He strolled through the aisles of the store that the evening sun shone on through the glass doors at the front, with a green tote bag filled with what he needed on his right shoulder.
Sousuke didn't mind shopping all that much, but that changed when you asked him to go grocery shopping. It was always one of the more boring chores he was given, having to get ingredients for his household because his mother would always get the wrong vegetables or the most expensive ones.
Either way, Sousuke still went. His mother has started to take on even more shifts at the hospital ever since he started highschool last year, so every Saturday she would leave whatever amount of money could cover food for a teenage boy and a single mother for the week. He passed through the deli, where he would get sausage rolls every Friday after school and past the fridges that had those strawberry shaped yogurt packages he hasn't seen since he was ten.
The house didn't need much this time around, there was still a lot of leftovers from last week. He had already gotten the basics, bread, milk, eggs and such. Sousuke made his way over to the cookery aisle to get condensed milk, sugar and vanilla extract for the flan he made once a week and was also probably the only thing he could properly cook from scratch.
It hadn’t taken long before Sousuke got everything he needed, his mother would be away for the entire week on a business trip so there was a lot less to get. The house was pretty lonely without his mother in it, Sousuke was never the type to throw a house party and ‘invite the whole school!’ whenever his mother went away. His lack of friends didn't help the silence, so it wasn't like he ever brought anyone over anyway.
Sousuke brought his bag up to the checkout, it was still sunset outside despite it being nearly eight o’clock, so there was only one register open due to them closing soon. There weren't many people at all, just a few elders in front of him in line and some teenagers who were hanging out around the ice-cream freezers that Sousuke avoided like his life depended on it.
He waited while the young lady at the register started small talk with all the elders, and the elderly man in front of him checked his watch. Sousuke wondered if he was checking if he was late for something or how long he had left to live judging by all the wrinkles on his face. Time seemed to go slowly, the world quiet but also peaceful. Looking outside the big glass doors he could see some little kids chasing a dog around, and a young couple resting their heads on each other while sitting on a bench.
Sousuke had always felt very dissociated with this world. If things were to change one day, maybe if he wasn't here, would the world around him be the same? Would the lady at the register still be putting on her fake customer service smile, would the teenagers behind him have one less person to look at and judge once they walk by or would the man in front of him still be worrying about time? Probably.
He never seemed to make a difference wherever he was, always in the background of photos, classes, groups and clubs. He thought he was someone on one side of a mirror, people watching but never one of the people being watched.
Sousuke slowly moved forward in the line when one person finished, and as the elderly man began to put an amount of groceries to feed a house of five on the conveyor belt Mitsuba felt a little tug at the back of his cardigan.
He slowly turned his head behind him to see a little girl looking up at him with wide eyes, still holding onto his cardigan lightly.
“Hello!” The girl greeted, giving Sousuke a cheeky smile that was ten times bigger than your usual polite passing smile. “I like your hair!”
The strange little girl had long blonde spikey hair that was tied up into two twin tail tuffs and giant eyes that were half-blue half-green. She was smiling at Sousuke and staring at his hair with stars in her eyes like how a child her age would probably look at one of those giant rainbow lollipops.
“Oh, thank you..?” Sousuke replied, it really annoyed him whenever he complimented someone else (which was rare) and they said thank you as if it was a question but the little girl had caught him off guard with the sudden compliment… and someone her age probably wouldn't mind.
The girl slowly brought her hand away from his cardigan, but now she just stared at him owl eyed with her mouth agape. Sousuke akwardly turned his head back around to see the man who was now paying for his shopping, gosh you know you’re fucked when you even feel akward when a seven year old is staring at you.
The elderly man packed up his shopping and began to walk away from the register so Sousuke made his way forward and gave the shopkeeper a weak smile. The girl behind him didn't even move, just kept staring at him. Does she not have parents..?
The lady began to scan all of Sousuke’s belongings, and eventually the strange blonde moved to put her belongings on the belt behind him… which consisted of 3 bell peppers and a single kinder joy. She seemed to be holding a small teddy in her hands, it was a small pink thing that looked similar to a rabbit but with the completely wrong anatomy… probably one of those trendy labubus that are considered the new fidget spinners or something. Her eyes never left Sousuke.
Soon enough, the lady had finished and Sousuke scanned his card over the card reader to pay, and he double checked all of his belongings in his bag to make sure he had everything the house would need for the week. Behind him, Sousuke could hear the little girl struggling somehow.
He turned around back to the register, and she was jumping up and down trying to pass her few coins to the lady over the register that was too tall for her.
Sousuke sighed, and approached the little girl again to try and help her. He held his hand out without a word so the girl would pass him the few coins to give to the shopkeeper, and she looked at him for a moment as if considering whether or not he was going to take off with her max two hundred yen. She probably came to the conclusion that Sousuke was too cute to be a robber and silently handed him the money.
The machine thingy said that the total was two hundred and seventy yen, so Sousuks just added an extra hundred yen coin for the girl and gave the money to the shopkeeper. She seemed to notice this, based on the little gasp she let out when he took the coin out of his pocket.
“Thank you, sir..” she managed to say while staring down at her feet, and Sousuke just gave a small smile and began to walk away. The idea of getting into his bed and binge watching a few movies after baking some flan felt like an amazing dream now, probably his favourite thing about the weekends because there was no one there to tell him to stop slacking off.
Sousuke made his way to the doors of the supermarket with everything he needed in his bag and prepared to go home, but he could hear the little girl shuffling up behind him to catch up after she finally lifted her eyes from the ground.
“Hello! Hellooo—!” She tried getting Sousuke’s attention again, not realising that her yelling for hello didn't really sound like yelling at all. She shuffled her feet and looked at the ground again while mumbling something under her breath Sousuke couldn’t quite catch.
“What was that?” Sousuke asked after a moment, there was no reason not to give the poor girl a chance to talk… she had said she liked his hair afterall. And the little girl was pretty cute, she wore a pretty pink dress with shorts and frilly sleeves. Although he still thought the strange anatomy of the doll in her hands that now, noticeably didn't even have legs was pretty creepy, it was just a fluffy pink blob with rabbit ears.
“Do you know where the mhmhm is…?” Her voice got lower as she tugged the little teddy in closer to her chest.
“Oh, are you lost?” Sousuke caught on and asked, and she gave him a sad nod as if she was about to burst out into tears. “But, did you not get what you needed…?” Unless I just got scammed out of seventy yen by a five year old.
“I was supposed to get it at one of those stall places that Nii-chan usually goes to, they're cheaper. The family one, with the big tent out front and the man with the hat on.” She explained, and Sousuke was pretty sure he knew what place she was talking about. He passed it on his way home but usually went here instead because they had more stock besides vegetables.
Sousuke checked his watch and sighed, he didn't really plan on babysitting any kids on his way home and he wasn't a fan of them either (and they weren’t usually a fan of him.) But if she's lost, it's not like he can just leave her here.
“C’mon, I'll show you how to get there…”
“My name’s Tiara! I'm seven.” Tiara announced once they finally left the store, and grabbed Sousuke’s hand immediately. Thank god he wasn't a kidnapper. “Ya know, one time I went to this place and I was attacked by a giant supernatural made of bell peppers.”
“Woww is that so?” Sousuke pretended to be surprised by Tiara’s fake story, but it wasn't as if he could really blame her. He loved making up stuff like that when he was younger so that the other kids would think he was cool.
“Yeah!! It had this biggg kitchen knife, and it swung it at me. But then I used my lightning to kill it and save the shopkeeper who it kidnapped.”
Well that’s definitely not concerning.
Why the hell would she add being swung at with a ‘big kitchen knife’…? Can’t she just be less creative and say hit with a spider web like spiderman or something…?
Tiara and her ‘new friend’ walked through the streets while keeping an eye out for whatever the place was that Tiara was looking for. It was surprisingly busy on this part of the town for a Saturday evening, families and couples walked around, even some other younger kids ran by.
Two boys noticeably slowed down and stared at Tiara when they walked by. One of them had dark hair and a cap on his head while the other had a lighter hair colour with the front of it tied back. They were swinging sticks that they had in their hands a moment ago but it seemed like the boy with the cap on was hiding behind the lighter haired boy who was staring at Tiara wide eyed.
“Hmp!” Tiara let out once they had finally walked past.
“Do you know them…?” Sousuke asked, slightly confused on the weird tension between the little kids.
“They’re bullies,”
“They looked scared of you…” Mitsuba was worried for a moment at the possibility that the little kid whose hand he was holding was the bully after seeing how scared the dark haired boy looked.
“Nuh-uh. One time, they told me to get off their territory, but it was just a pathway! They even called me ugly. But I grabbed those sticks off them and they never messed with me again.” Tiara finished her heroic story proudly, and Sousuke let out another dramatic gasp upon hearing that they had called her ugly. How ironic. If only he had been able to do the same thing at her age.
“Oh! Oh! And then, the light haired boy confessed to me the next day and said he liked me, and that he just wanted Tiara’s attention.” Sousuke put his other hand over his mouth to give off a shocked expression because how on earth was this seven year old’s life more eventful nowadays than his ever was?
“And you turned him down, right?” Sousuke asked in a way like how teenage girls would gossip with eachother.
“Yup! Nii-chan said I deserve someone who’ll treat me right.” Tiara announced, and it wasn't exactly the type of thing you would hear from a seven year old, usually a fifteen year old girl going through her first breakup.
“At least you know your self worth.”
The two continued walking through the town while Tiara told Sousuke to keep an eye out for any of her Nii-chans on the way, but soon she came to a quick stop.
Tiara’s eyes were glued to a small corner shop, particularly the big sign that said ‘Ice cream!’ And a big arrow pointing to a small freezer. She put down her bag of groceries and rooted her hand through her pockets seemingly for any spare change, but brought it back out empty handed.
Tiara pouted as she glared over at the freezer, probably regetting her choice of buying a kinder joy earlier.
Sousuke glanced at his bag, which he still had multiple loose coins of change in from earlier. But he probably shouldn't get anything for the girl, she needs to learn how to control her spending habits and choose what it is she should spend her money on wisely.
Tiara got a unicorn scoop and Mitsuba got a strawberry Magnum.
The two made their way to the edge of the street, Sousuke had already finished his ice-cream but Tiara still held her cone with blue and purple hands from the ice-cream melting onto her. In the distance the stall that Sousuke had assumed was the one she had been looking for her stood, now closed for the evening as the sun was nearly fully set, and Sousuke began to worry.
It was still pretty busy, probably people on their way home from work. But where on earth was this girl’s parents? Wouldn't they, maybe, be having a heart attack because they haven’t seen their child in the last hour? It wasn't that unusual for a seven year old to be running their own errands, but they ought to be worried at some point.
“Hey, Tiara-chan? What do your mummy and daddy look like?” Sousuke stopped walking and asked, then got down on his hunkers to face her.
“Mummy’s dead. And Daddy’s never home.” Tiara replied as if she was talking about something as simple as the weather and the air had been knocked out of Sousuke entirely.
WHOS KID IS THIS??
Oh great, now he’s gonna have to go to the police station to file a lost child report or whatever. He did nottt want to spend his Saturday night this way but this little kid just had to compliment his hair, hadn’t she? (Not that he can blame her, who wouldn’t?)
What if someone thinks he straight up kidnapped her? They didn't look alike; there was no way he could convince someone they were from the same sperm. Someone will get a police officer and tell them I kidnapped the girl and bribed her with ice-cream then take me to jail before I can get a lawyer or something! I'm too cute for jail!
Sousuke was beginning to contemplate his life choices before Tiara poked her head to the side to look into the crowd. Her mouth formed into an ‘o’ and she finally brought her finger up to point in the direction of the groups of people.
“There! There! Nii-chan!” Tiara took off into the crowd of people and disappeared within seconds, and Sousuke felt slightly relieved at the fact that she might've found someone she knows but not the fact that a seven year old just jumped into a giant group of possibly sketchy adults.
Sousuke followed where she went, thankfully her legs were short so she was actually only a metre or two in front of him and Sousuke kept his eyes glued to the back of her head so that he wouldn't lose her. Tiara ran to someone up ahead, and one quick look at the boy Mitsuba’s age told him everything he needed to know.
He looked panicked, was searching the crowd with a worried look on his face but what was really noticeable was the uncanny resemblance between the two. This was probably the mentioned ‘Nii-chan’ Tiara had mentioned multiple times, because of the boy’s spikey hair that resembled Tiara’s and big blue eyes that were practically the same minus the green.
“Nii-chan! Nii-chan! Here I am!” Tiara greeted and darted for her brother’s legs before he had even noticed her. The look on his face when he turned his head down to see her completely melted of all panic and his shoulders dropped as if his life had been on the line. (Well technically his sisters might've been)
“Tiara, you scared the daylights out of me, where were you? You've been to this store a hundred times…” despite being in a crowd, the brother crouched down to speak to his sister as she moved back and let go of his leg. Sousuke decided that now was his time to leave, Tiara seemed safe with whoever blondie over here was and he might be short one hundred and seventy yen but at least he saved a little kid from getting kidnapped, what a hero.
“That sir over there helped me!” Sousuke heard Tiara shout from behind his back and he paused mid step as he heard more shuffling running over to him. All because I needed damn groceries.
“Sir, come over here, come over here~” Tiara said while latching onto his hand and dragging him over to where her brother was and Sousuke’s first thought when the girl pulled her was why is this kid so strong? The crowd around them began to pass, and there were only a few people left on the street by the time Tiara had hauled Sousuke over to her brother who was staring at them with a confused look on his face.
“Cool hair boy showed me how to get here, Oh-! And he bought me ice-cream.” Tiara announced and raised her ice-cream covered hands as a visual demonstration. The boy who was putting on his best awkward smile, looked up at Sousuke and- he had to admit, he was pretty taken aback. The strange brother was a bit of a looker, to say the least. His hair was messy in a way that looked intentional and he wore a black leather jacket that just suited him. Only thing pulling him down was some hideous earring he wore, that Mitsuba couldn't even read the writing on from where he was standing.
“Oh, cool hair sir, what’s your name?” Tiara innocently asked after a moment of silence, reminding Sousuke he had never actually told the little girl his name.
“Oh- Mitsuba, Sousuke.” He answered and awkwardly reached his hand to the boy his age for a handshake, which after a moment, he returned with a smile on his face.
“I’m sorry for any trouble, Mitsuba-kun. I’m Minamoto Kou, and my sister… Tiara. Introduce yourself, Tiara.” The boy, Kou, smiled softly and motioned Tiara forward.
“Minamoto Tiara, eldest daughter of the Minamoto clan!” She announced as if she hadn’t already said it earlier, but Mitsuba decided not to correct her.
“Thank you for taking care of my sister, do you know what might’ve happend… perchance?” Kou asked and scratched his cheek nervously.
“She was just shopping in the supermarket across town when she came up to me and said she got lost is all…” Sousuke replied and done a similar action in playing with a strand of his hair that had gone loose.
“Yeah! I told Mitsuba-kun I liked his hair, and then I couldn't reach the shopkeeper, and then he spent seventy yen, and then he bought me ice-cream!” Tiara explained the events running through the last hour with just enough details for it to not make sense.
“Well thank you again, do you want me to repay you for anything you might’ve spent?” Kou asked and gave him a sweet smile which was bright enough to be blinding.
“No… that's fine. I’ll be on my way now.” Sousuke said and prepared to turn away, before Tiara grabbed his cardigan again.
“Wait Mitsuba-kun… Kou-nii, you always say to repay people when they do something for you. Can Mitsuba-kun have dinner with us?! He can have my bell peppers.” Tiara suggested, and the two seemed to pause at the suggestion.
“Oh uhmm…” Kou hesitated, but looked up at Sousuke for any signs of acceptance. Sousuke really was not in the mood for such an awkward atmosphere, and by the looks of it Lame earring wasn't either. But he couldn't downright ignore his sister cause if what she said was true then he’d just be contradicting himself.
“I’m afraid I have plans tonight, Tiara-chan. But thank you for the offer.” Sousuke decided to be polite, it wasn’t often that a child liked him so he didn't want to ruin that now.
Tiara let out a disappointed ‘aww’ and let her hands lay low, the little toy she held dangling down to her feet.
“Why don't we walk you home, then? It’s the least we could do…” Kou ended up offering, despite tense stiffness radiating off of him. “Do you live far from here?”
And that led Sousuke to walking home with two random strangers that came from God-knows-where. The three of them walked to the edge of the town and into some estates, with Tiara riding on top of Kou’s shoulders while swinging her hands in the air as if she was on a roller coaster.
Sousuke… didn't know exactly how to feel about the situation. Of course, he would rather be in bed binge watching whatever crappy netflix films he could find with a bucket of ben and jerrys but it was arguably better than getting dragged into a dinner with the strange family beside him.
“So, are you from around here, Mitsuba-kun?” Kou asked.
“Yeah.” Was all Sousuke replied with. Saturdays were his days when he could get away from people his age, he wasn't in the mood for this.
“Oh, do you go to school around here, then? I don't think I’ve ever seen you before.” Kou asked, seemingly trying to make small talk or at least break the stiffness stuck between them a little bit. “I’m a second year, in Kamome.”
“Same.” Sousuke answered, and Kou gave him an owl eyed look. It wasn't as if he was lying, he went to Kamome his whole middle school and highschool life even if he had never been in any clubs besides the photography one, never partook in the school festival or never volunteered for extra-work. He might've not been in school at all during the end of his last year of middle school either because he was in the hospital, but it wasn't as if he didn't attend. (The fact that he skipped two days a week even now he was going to keep to himself.)
“Oh, then why haven’t we met already?” Kou asked, trying to brush off his mistake and Sousuke replied internally that they have.
Minamoto Kou, it had taken Sousuke a moment to put a face to the name but he finally remembered it. Kou had been a classmate of his in his first year of junior high, another ‘failed friendship’ but that was all Mitsuba ever spoke to him about. The ‘Minamoto’ name though, was one you wouldn't be able to forget last year even if you tried. Kou’s brother, he was pretty sure, was the famous student council president that graduated last year. You couldn't go an hour in the school before then without someone talking about how hot he was.
“Dunno” Sousuke settled on saying, but he was pretty sure Kou was surprised he had never met him before because of how ‘different’ he looked compared to other students with his dyed pink hair and unique hairstyle. He doubted Kou was the type to point that out though.
“Nii-chan, nii-chan can I pet that doggy?” Tiara jumped into the conversation and pointed to a dog in the distance that was wagging its tail with a frisbee in its mouth. Kou gave her a silent nod and smile, and crouched down to let her get off. The second Tiara’s feet touched the floor, she dashed over to the friendly looking dog that approached her and calmly leaned into her touch when she pet it.
“Jesus, your sister is work.” Was the first thing that left Sousuke’s mouth after Tiara was out of earshot.
Kou laughed at his comment and they began to walk forward again to catch up with her. “If you think she’s difficult now, whatever you do, never take that teddy off of her…”
“I wouldn’t even want to touch that creepy thing.” Sousuke imagined it growing a hundred teeth the moment he got close to its sparkling eyes and it jumping up on him. “Although it’s nothing in comparison to that ugly thing you're wearing.”
“Hey! What’s wrong with my earring?”
“The fact that I didn't even have to point out that it was your earring I was talking about should say enough.”
Surprisingly, Sousuke’s insults got a laugh out of Kou and he brought his hand up to cover his mouth as he giggled, and the fact that Kou didn’t go storming off calling him a jerk (which he admittedly was) was relieving.
“I like you, Mitsuba-kun. You’re honest.” Kou finally said through a fit of laughter, and if the reason Mitsuba brought his face to look toward the opposite direction was because his face was red Kou didn’t have to know.
“Well of course you do, who wouldn’t?” Mitsuba settled on saying after a few moments passed and Kou’s giggles died down.
“No but really, why haven’t I seen you before? I’m not in any clubs but I always stay behind after school, I thought I would've seen you at some point.”
“Trying to find out if I’m in any clubs, are we? I didn't think you’d be so desperate to see me again after only meeting once.” Kou’s reaction to that was a smile and a quick elbow to the side. “Dont you dare touch delicate me!”
Kou rolled his eyes and they stopped once they finally reached a tired looking Tiara, who was now rubbing her eyes and yawning.
“Do you want to get on my back, Tiara?”
“I want Mitsuba-kun to carry me…”
This caught both of them by surprise and Kou gave Sousuke a questioning glance as if to ask if he was okay with that, but it seemed like Tiara had already made up her mind. Sousuke grabbed her because if any more seconds passed she looked like she was going to fall asleep standing up, then placed her on his back and she held on tight.
They walked in comfortable silence for a while, and Sousuke had to admit it was nice. It was a Saturday, there was no way he was going to put up his nice guy facade on the weekend so he didn't really care originally if Kou was going to be ticked off by him or understanding of his crude personality. (Especially if he wore that stupid earring, how could his opinion even matter if he chooses to wear that in public?) But him not putting up a fight about it was relieving to say the least.
“That president guy… who everyone drooled over last year. He’s your brother, right?” Sousuke asked after a few moments of silence. He already knew the answer of course, Minamoto Teru would be in the yearbooks for generations for being the hottest guy alive as if he had vanquished a demon. But he asked anyway.
“Oh, yup! That’s Teru-nii… and yeah that’s definitely one way to describe him.” Kou answered, and a sleepy Tiara began to spur around on Mitsuba’s back at the mention of her big brother.
“Teru-nii! Where's Teru-nii…” Her excitement didn't last long and she drooped her head down again, too tired to stay awake.
“He went away for a… long business trip last year and Tiara misses him a lot. Video calls only do so much.” Kou added to explain his sister's sudden (but not long lasting) energy.
“All the girls loved Teru-nii… But Kou-nii can’t get a girlfriend because he isn't as loved by them as Teru-nii was…”
“Wowww is that so?” Sousuke asked and giggled into his hand as Kou slowly got red and pouted at Tiara like a child.
“What did I tell you about saying stuff like that about people, Tiara?” Kou tried to take the attention off of him and scolded Tiara, but she suddenly was snoring superrr loudly and had turned her head on to face the opposite direction while lying it on Sousuke’s.
“I’m asleep now, I can't hear you Nii-chan!” Tiara let out between exaggerated snores.
“I bet it’s only you she says stuff like that about, anyway.” Sousuke added, giving Kou a smug grin which let out a ‘Hey!’ from him.
“Kou-nii can’t get a girlfriend because he isn't as pretty as Teru-nii, But i want Kou-nii to get a girlfriend like you Mitsuba-kun…”
This created a moment of silence between the three, Sousuke wasn't sure but he thought that maybe from the quick moment they walked under a streetlamp light that he might've even seen Kou blushing (too.)
Sousuke began to get a little more familiar with where they were walking, as it was closer to his house and the sun had gone down completely leaving them to walk in the darkness. It was a quiet night (ignoring Tiara snoring) and the few street lamps over their heads illuminated the path along with the few cars that drove by every once and a while.
They approached the entrance of Sousuke’s apartment building without saying a word, and Tiara seemed to be knocked out on his back by now.
“I’ll take her off your back.” Kou moved forward and carefully picked up Tiara as to not wake her, and propped her up to sit on his lower arm where she leaned against his shoulder.
“Literally.”
Sousuke knew that once he walked upstairs and went into his complex he’d be met with quiet, and maybe the popcorn he had prepped out a few hours ago that he never got to but he had to admit this wasn't so bad. It had been a while since he spoke to someone his age so casually, but there was no way in hell he’d ever say that out loud.
“This you?” Kou asked, to break the silence.
“Yup, bye bye, lame-ass-earring~” (he said this was nice, not that he was going to be nice.)
“Oh, see ya around, Mitsuba-kun.” Kou said it almost like a whisper, and he gave Sousuke one final glance before turning away.
The next day when Sousuke was in the locker room, his eyes kept trailing to someone he had only started to notice again ever since that event.
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