#osomatsu month 2020

[pekodayz]

thinking abt my timeline of being exposed to osomatsu matsuno

oct 2015 (11 years old): wow idgaf. but i dont think im supposed to be watching this. he sounds funny is he congested.

march 2016 (11): i think gambling is a good idea. let me get on fgo, love nikki, cocoppa play, elsword, feh, crash fever, and honkai all at once! i become the most insufferable person ever

oct 2017 (12): um. wow okay osomatsu i think his ways were wrong :( (down 1.5k$) but...ur red..................i liek....red........... (sirens)

oct 2017-2019 r censored. something terrible happened to my mindset (7th grade hell ososan grip do not be like me)

march 2020-march 2023: i dont know osomatsu

march 2023 (18): um pinterest....what's that pic of ooo-o-o-o--oo-sosomatsu?????????? wtf is a kabedon set. hes making me feel sick i need a doctor

september 2023 (19): i have spent 1k+ on merch within 3 months and osomatsu is fuckign whore who i associate merely by a glance. nothing more (has heart palps if i think abt him sad. has read one too many analysiss on him)

[ninjabobanekokyrie]

Osomatsu Month 2020: Part 2-I'm already broken, so tell me why I'm still fucking hurting (Cont.)

He swallows before continuing, "And I guess I was so angry because...I thought you were moving out to get back at me. For annoying you and making you miserable all those times. Like you're leaving....so you don't have to deal with me anymore. I honestly don't blame you, I'd leave too, but...I never thought I was such a bothersome presence to my brothers. To the point where one runs out. And I never thought it would upset me so much." 

He can hear Choromatsu's heartbeat, and the younger brother's chest vibrates when he speaks, "Osomatsu-niisan, don't be silly. You don't make me miserable. Annoy me, sure, of course. It would be a little weird if you didn't here and there. It's what brothers do. But not miserable. You just piss me off sometimes, that's all. All of you do. Sometimes more frequently than usual. And there have been plenty of cases where we've pissed you off too. And when we do, do you stop loving us? Do you hate us with all you have?" 

Osomatsu reluctantly answers, "Well no..." 

"Right? I don't hate you, Osomatsu-niisan. You annoy the shit out of me sometimes and there are times where I feel like you could be a better and more supportive brother, I'll admit. I don't hate you or Karamastu-niisan or Totty or Ichi or Jyushi. I don't hate any of you. How could I? You guys are my brothers. No amount of anger is gonna make me just decide that's not the case anymore or worse make me hate you. That's just ridiculous thinking. And I would never want to shove my success in your face like that. Well--sometimes I do--but not like this. I would never do it to hurt you, Nii-San. So get those stupid thoughts out of your head already, alright?" 

Osomatsu sniffled and nodded, having calmed down tremendously by now though he still leaned tiredly into the younger brother's chest. 

Choromatsu's eyes landed on Osomatsu's still reddened cheek, noticing there was now a big bruise there and mumbled, "Let me see your face." 

"Eh?" 

But Choromatsu didn't make any room for questions. He merely pulled back slightly and cupped Osomatsu's cheek, ignoring the oldest's pained protests consisting of mixes of "Choro, I'm fine" and "Ouch, that hurts!" And "You're gripping too hard!". 

"Karamatsu-niisan got you good," Choromatsu murmured, rubbing his thumb back and forward on Osomatsu's cheek. "We're gonna have to ice it when we get back home, or it'll swell up even more." He paused before pushing on, "Why would you grab Jyushimatsu like that? You know he gets protective whenever he sees one of us threatened, regardless if it's by you or not." 

"I know...I had it coming. He's been like that since we were kids." Osomatsu huffed, too tired for another lecture. "I get it." 

"Mm...true. But he's never gotten that violent with you before. The most he's ever done is yell at you. Ah, and honestly...he didn't need to hit you. That was a little out of line. Shoving you would have been the more appropriate course of action, it still would have gotten you to let go of Jyushi and in a less violent way, too." 

Osomatsu shot him a surprised look, "Are you actually...defending me?" He asked, baffled. 

Choromatsu puffed out his cheeks, looking annoyed. "Geez, don't sound so surprised. I've come to your aid plenty of times in the past. ...But in a way, yes. You were being a major asshole, but he wasn't any less of a jerk by hitting you like that. You were both wrong tonight. Though...not just you guys were in the wrong. I was a little, too." 

"You? Why?" 

"I should have given you a heads up on the job. I guess I just...knew how you were gonna react. Or at least I thought I knew. I was obviously way off base, because I ended up hurting you. Pretty badly. And I never want to hurt any of my brothers like that. I was trying to avoid the bad, but I just ended up causing the worse. I wanted this to be a happy night, not a night full of anger and pain. You have a right to be upset, Osomatsu-niisan. I'm sorry I didn't tell you." 

He swallows before looking Oso dead in the eyes, "But I'm serious, this is just a job. It's not like I'm moving to another state or something. I'm still gonna be around you guys a lot, just not as much. And I'll write. And call. And when I do, you better pick up, Oso." 

Seeing Choromatsu's glare yet the promising look shining in his eyes that says 'I'm not going anywhere, get that through your dense skull you dumbass', Osomatsu is finally convinced and he lets out a trembling laugh, pressing his face to Choro's shoulder to hide the new fallen tears of relief. 

"I will, Fappymatsu." 

"Finally. I thought I'd never get through to you." Choromatsu sighs, tone mixture of his own relief and frustration as he leans back on the bench slightly, looking up at the stars. 

After a couple minutes, the green clad uttered, "Let's head home, Oso. It's getting cold out here." 

"But they all hate me now, Choro-Chan..." Osomatsu whined, shaking his head and burrowing himself deeper into the latter's side. 

"Man...when did you become such a baby, Osomatsu-niisan?" Choromatsu frowned. "They don't hate you. I promise. They were just scared. Now they're probably super worried, so we've gotta get back." 

Osomatsu looked up at him with teary eyes , and Choromatsu's heart ached for the millionth time tonight. "Even Karamachu?" 

"Especially Karamatsu. Come on, we've been through enough tonight. The last thing we need is to freeze our asses off." 

"Okay..." 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Have they come back yet?" Karamatsu asked anxiously, gazing down at his fist in guilt. 

"Not yet," Todomatsu hummed, looking up from his phone to glance at the clock. "It's eleven....I'm sure they're fine though." 

"I'm not so sure. Osomatsu usually comes back way before eleven. Well, at least when he's not at Chibita's. In situations like these he always comes back before nine." Karamatsu swallowed hard, his guilt doubling. "This is my fault. I shouldn't have hit him." 

Todomatsu shook his head, glaring at him. "No, Karamatsu-niisan. He had it coming. Don't blame yourself." 

"Even if he did, I still shouldn't have done it. I hurt him, Totty. And if I hadn't gotten so angry and done so he wouldn't have stormed off." Karamatsu sighed shakily. "It's my fault." 

"Do you think Nii-San's okay?" Jyushimatsu asked next, uncharacteristically frowning. 

"He's fine. You all are worrying too much. They'll be home soon." Ichimatsu pipes up from his corner of the room. 

"We've been saying that for the past two hours and they're still not back yet. I'm going out to look for them." Karamatsu decides, getting to his feet and approaching the door, slipping his shoes on. 

Just as he reached for the doorknob, it turned and the door opened and Karamatsu was met with two mirror versions of himself. One of which had tear stains plastered across his cheeks. 

Mind still processing Osomatsu's state, Karamatsu stood frozen in shock as Choromatsu gently pushed the eldest Matsu inside and shut and locked the door behind them. 

Jyushimatsu rushes past Karamatsu and throws his arms around Osomatsu's waist, squeezing tightly. "Nii-san's okay! I was worried!!!" 

Osomatsu gave a guilty smile, ruffling Jyushimatsu's hair lightly, "I'm fine, Jyushimatsu. Sorry for making you worry." 

Choromatsu called over to Todomatsu, "Oi Totty, do you think you can go get some ice? I need it for Oso's face." 

Hearing that made Karamatsu flinch, and he kept his eyes upon Osomatsu who rubbed the yellow Matsu's hair affectionately as Jyushi clung to him, hearing Totty reply "Kay" and leave the room. 

Osomatsu swallowed thickly, "Jyushimatsu"

"Eh?" Jyushimatsu looked up at him with big, concerned eyes. 

"Let me see your stomach." 

"Ah? Okay, Nii-San." Jyushimatsu uttered, stepping back and doing as he was told, pulling up his hoodie revealing a bandaged bruise, though it was wrapped up the bruise was big so he could still see some of it. 

Osomatsu gently rubbed it, tears filling his eyes. 

Fuck he was such an asshole...

"Karamatsu-niisan wrapped it up for me. It really doesn't hurt too much. I've had worse. In fact, this one time--eh? Osomatsu-niisan?" 

Jyushimatsu was cut off by Osomatsu straightening up and pulling the younger Matsu into a tight hug, squeezing lightly. 

"I'm sorry, Jyushimatsu." Osomatsu apologized bitterly. "I didn't mean--I shouldn't have done that to you." 

"D-Don't apologize, Nii-San. You told me to stop and I didn't listen, I deserved--" 

"No!" Osomatsu growled, causing Jyushimatsu to jump slightly and Oso's heart throbbed with remorse, and he softened his voice repeating, "No. Don't you dare fucking say that. You didn't, you hear me? You didn't. I was upset because I knew Fappymatsu would have to leave...but that doesn't mean it gives me a right to hurt my baby brother. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, Jyushimatsu." 

Small tears appeared in Jyushi's own eyes. "Nii-San..." he sniffled shakily. 

Osomatsu leaned back, grinning weakly with two tears running down his cheeks and finger rubbing under his nose, "Heh. Think you can forgive your shitty Onii-Chan?" 

Jyushimatsu didn't hesitate, letting out a small sob and diving into Osomatsu's chest somewhat roughly, "Don't cryyy, Nii-San! I forgive you, I forgive you! I love you, Nii-San!" 

Osomatsu snorted in amusement, smiling with relief and showered his younger brother with a couple of light kisses to his hairline and cheek, causing Jyushimatsu to burst into giggles. 

"Onii-Chan loves you too~" he said, pressing the last of his kisses to the yellow Matsu's hairline. He let go of the latter and allowed him to bound happily over to sit next to Ichimatsu, energetic grin back upon his face. 

"Got the ice, Choromatsu-niisan." Totty announced as he reentered the room. 

"Thanks, Totty." Choro uttered, taking the bag of cubes and walking over to Osomatsu, pushing him into a sitting position. 

"It's gonna hurt at first." he informed the older brother. 

Osomatsu shrugged, and Choromatsu pressed the bag of ice to the elder's cheek and he instantly hissed in pain. 

"Ow that hurts Choro-Chan...!" Osomatsu whined, sniffing. 

"I literally just told you it would!" Choromatsu glared in frustration. 

"But you didn't tell me that it would hurt this bad!" 

Choromatsu rolls his eyes irritably and continues to hold it there before he hands it to Osomatsu, "Just hold it there, alright?" 

Osomatsu chewed his lip and nodded, doing as he was told. 

"We're going to have a talk tomorrow, okay?" Choromatsu states, looking around at all of them. "All of us. A sextuplet meeting. Like the ones we used to have when we were kids when one of us had a problem." 

The others all except Osomatsu nod quietly. 

"Do we have to?" Osomatsu yawns, frowning at him. 

"It's nothing bad, Osomatsu." Choromatsu is quick to assure him. "We just want to help, that's all." 

"Sure sounds bad." 

"Oso...please. It's gonna be fine, I promise." 

Osomatsu snorts, looking away from the green Matsu with a bitter look on his face. 

Then Osomatsu yawns again sleepily, and Choromatsu moves to grab his shoulders, "Alright, off to bed, Osomatsu." He says and begins steering him towards the staircase and up each stair. 

Choromatsu gazes at the ground as Osomatsu changes into his pajamas and climbs into the futon. 

Once Osomatsu is settled, Choromatsu sits down next to the older Matsu. 

"The others will be up in a bit." He informs him. 

Osomatsu doesn't say anything, just merely pushes his head into the third born's lap mutely. 

Choromatsu pauses, startled, then slowly lowers his hand and begins running his hand through the latter's locks. 

They say nothing else as Osomatsu slowly drifts off to a dreamless sleep. 

[snowimatsu]

I finally bought the 2020 Osomatsu-san Okigae Paradise art book!! Here's the front & back side of the book. I highly recommend buying it. There's 304 pages of official art from 2015 to early 2020.

Anyways, I'll share a few images I particularly liked under the cut. Please support staff by buying the book if possible. And also, Please DO NOT repost on twitter. Just in case, lol!

The Joie du Vampire event from Web Kuji.

There are 2 red dots on each matsu. Osomatsu, wrist. Karamatsu, idk. Choromatsu, ear. Ichimatsu, hand. Jyushimatsu, cheek. Todomatsu, lower knee. The dots are probably bite marks.

edit: @pancake-shmamcake and @nerdxnerdsupremacy found Kara's bite marks on his neck/collarbone. Thanks so much for solving the mystery jshjsd

Osomatsu-san Gacha Can Badges by Animate

These were really cute ok.. i love them.

Eiga no Osomatsu-san ticket holder artwork by Animate

This merchandise was released alongside with other stuff at the movie theatre in commemoration of the 18matsu movie.

Marui Halloween Matsu by OIOI

Osomatsu is a clown. That's all I needed to scan this tbh. But there's other stuff goin on in this image too.

The high school ID photos are also here.

They only got better at taking photos later in life lmao.

As an endnote, I'm wishing a happy birthday month to these six losers since it's May 2021 at the time of this post.

That's all!

[grafai-ai]

People upset about Gen 9 coming out this year have really forgotten that the pandemic set things back a few months.

Like it's wholly possible that Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra were supposed to release at the same time, BDSP was supposed to come out back in Holiday 2020, and Legends was supposed to be Holiday 2021. Not ideal, but still spread out a bit more than it was.

Also its not like Legends Arceus will be a dead game once Scarlet and Violet come out. It will still more than likely get content updates and possible paid DLC. SWSH on the otherhand is dead in the water since Gen 9 is probably what you're expected to move all your meta gaming to.

So yeah, don't be worried about Legends. Legends isn't going anywhere because honestly it's one of the best selling games ever and the experiment was a success. It would be stupid of them not to add more content to it even after Scarlet and Violet come out since it's a one player experience, after all. As long as the Switch is a thing they can just keep adding things for years if they wanted to without being tied to the current generation.

Also, the Osomatsu duck is growing on me.

[moonlightwinterdxxix]

Fanfiction Masterlist

My Writing Blog: https://bitsofmybrothersdxxix.tumblr.com/ Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonlightWinterDXXIX 

Osomatsu-san

Osomatsu-san: The Duology Part 1: The Ventriloquist Vengeance (Status: Hiatus)  Part 2: The Demon Doppelganger (N/A)

Bits of my Brothers: Requests: (Status: Requests Closed) Ao3 Compilation, Choromatsu and Ichimatsu babysit, Karamatsu pretends to be Todomatsu in a Sutabaa job interview, The other sextuplets experience their own little Eitarou’s, A construction work stops the brothers from leaving the house…, Todomatsu pretends to be Karamatsu to rise in the caste system?!, Originals: Strawberry Teeth (Benimatsu),

Others: Fleeing from Flowers, Lullabies of the Eldest Brother (2020 B-Day Special), Suicidal Session, It’s So Much Fun! (Halloween 2020 Special), Writevember 2020, A Christmatsu Carol, In Charge of Those in Charge of You, Something I Can Do,  Your Effort Matters, The Matsuno March (2021 B-Day Special)

Other Franchises

Undertale/Deltarune: A Whisper from the Waters, Little Princes 

Bendy and the Ink Machine: Cries of the Deceived (discontinued), Synesthesia: A Siren and a Songwriter 

Friday Night Funkin’/Spooky Month Series Two in One (Fathers’ Day 2021 Special), Curiosity Killed the Cat, From Behind a Blue Lens

Gakuen Babysitters/School Babysitters A Mother and a Father, (NEW!)

BNHA/My Hero Academia: Behind-the-Scenes Heroes

[jyushimatsurepliez]

Osomatsu-san is gonna have 3rd season. Are you guys excited? I am screaming inside. HELLL YEAH!!!! I am soo fucking happy. It will be airing in october I guess. So I have to wait just 3 month. Yeyy😆😆😆😆.

{MY DUDES I AM LEGIT VOMITING HAPPY RN

2020 WAS PUNISHMENT AND WE’RE GETTING THE YAKINIKU NOW}

[4kominato]

BASIC INFO

NAME: 🌰 Kuri 栗

BIRTH YEAR: 1998

SEXUALITY: 💜aegosexual💜

OCCUPATION: pharm student (almost doctor of pharmacy!!) // dance teacher

HOBBIES: dancing, singing, playing instruments, drawing, tumbling

Fic Recs Blog: @kuri-fic-recs

Kpop Blog: @chinguwritings

Fandom // Fav Character

ANIME (fav*)

Boku no Hero // Shigaraki Tomura

Daiya no Ace* // Sawamura Eijun

Free! // Matsuoka Rin

Jujutsu Kaisen // Fushiguro Megumi

Kuroko no Basket // Imayoshi Shoichi

Mashle // Abyss Razor

Osomatsu-san // Matsuno Osomatsu

Shingeki no Kyojin //  Armin Arlert

Tokyo Revengers* // Hanemiya Kazutora

GAMES

Ensemble Stars // Sakasaki Natsume

Mystic Messenger // 707

Obey Me! // Belphegor

Tokyo Debunker // Kusanagi Haku

Twisted Wonderland // Jamil Viper

OTPs (one true pair): [I multiship though]

Daiya no Ace: Kuramochi x Sawamura

Ensemble Stars: Subaru x Shino(non)

Free!: Rin x Haru

Kuroko no Basket: Kasamatsu x Kise

Tokyo Revengers: Baji x Kazutora

BACKGROUND

WRITING: My first "official" experience in writing was in 2013-ish as a 1D writer on Wattpad. I discovered 'fanfic tumblr' in 2016 and got my first position as a writing admin under a decently popular NCT blog. I was there for about two years before going solo and exploring fandoms other than Kpop. Obey Me! entered the chat in early 2020, thus the creation of this blog under my original url, demonbelphie. After only a few short months however, I was introduced to Daiya no Ace, which soon took over my life and this blog… :-) so here we are lmao.

ART: I’ve loved drawing for as long as I can remember, but it was never a hobby I stuck to consistently because it was time-consuming. Through elementary school, I always enjoyed drawing cartoon OCs or anime characters (like Sailor Moon), and in middle school I took up tagging and calligraphy. I basically went on hiatus in high school, as I was exploring my potential in writing, but after getting an iPad and Apple Pencil during my undergrad, I quickly fell in love with digital art. I've never taken any art classes, but I'm learning as I go!

LIKES:

fine arts [music, dance, drawing]

animals

the color black 🖤

junk food

piercings/tattoos

DISLIKES:

school

bugs

exercise

uptight people 🙂

socializing

[aion-rsa]

How to Watch Anime Online: The Best Legal Anime Streaming Options

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

It’s been amazing to witness the growth of the anime industry in America. It used to be extremely difficult to find anime in the country and even then, it was a very select handful of programs that were only available with questionable dubs. Over the course of a few decades this niche genre of animation hasn’t just become a mainstream obsession, but it’s now actively sought by streaming services. Anime’s popularity in America has reached a point where there are now multiple streaming services that offer ways to consume this content. There’s no need to get unnecessarily overwhelmed with all of these options for where to get anime. Here’s a helpful breakdown of not just the anime-exclusive streamers, but also the services that you may already have that are full of satisfying anime content.

Anime-Exclusive Streaming Services

Funimation

Price: Free (with ads); $5.99 per month; $7.99 per month; $99.99 a year ($8.30 per month) Advantages: Huge library of titles, largest library of dubbed content

Funimation is an essential name in the anime industry and they’ve been able to grow from a plucky dubbing studio to one of the biggest providers of anime to the country. Funimation is a great place for beginners to check out what anime they’re interested in and it also offers a two-week trial to explore their content. 

Funimation’s large library features a good deal of crossover with Crunchyroll, but their library skews more towards dubbed content. Funimation’s ability to maintain a speedy simuldub schedule, even during a pandemic, is very impressive. The free tier option faces certain restrictions like being locked to a lower video resolution and needing to wait for new content, but there’s still a ton to enjoy, including exclusive titles. Funimation’s only growing bigger and they’re routinely behind some of the dubs for the most popular anime series.

Notable Series: Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia, Mob Psycho 100, Dragon Ball, The Promised Neverland

Crunchyroll

Price: Free; $7.99 per month; $9.99 per month; $14.99 per month Advantages: Massive library of titles, now producing original anime

Crunchyroll is a fundamental service when it comes to anime streaming services, especially since it offers a free tier to enjoy its content. There are nearly 1000 available titles to explore, which includes both older titles as well as a tight simulcast schedule with the latest series. This also applies to both subtitled and dubbed content. Crunchyroll’s prominence in the industry has even grown to the point that they’ve started to produce and co-produce original anime series like Tower of God and The God of High School, which have turned into massive hits. Crunchyroll’s interface isn’t the easiest to navigate and there are certain frustrating restrictions placed on the free tier, like the resolution at which content can be watched. 

Funimation recently acquired Crunchyroll, so it’s likely that a lot of changes will take place between these two services, whether that means a union in the coming years, or that they’ll both focus on slightly different demographics, albeit under the same parent company. It does indicate how the anime streaming industry has become increasingly consolidated and that the value of these services is finally getting recognized in a significant way.

Notable Series: Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Kaiba, My Hero Academia, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Digimon Adventure

VRV

Price: Free (with ads); $9.99 per month (no ads)  Advantages: Includes Crunchyroll and HIDIVE’s libraries

VRV hasn’t gained the same level of acclaim as Crunchyroll and Funimation, but it’s created a strong streaming package by building its library off of other streamers’ content. VRV is basically a combined version of Crunchyroll and HIDIVE, which isn’t exactly original, but it’s still a decent strategy to acquire content.

VRV may seem a little sketchier or more unstable than other anime streamers, but it offers a deal that’s hard to ignore. The HIDIVE anime streaming service is typically $4.99 per month or $47.88 a year on its own, so VRV is quite the steal in comparison. 

Notable Series: Higurashi: When They Cry, Is It Wrong To Try To Pick Up Girls In A Dungeon?, Made in Abyss, Ahiru no Sora, The Promised Neverland

Retrocrush, Viz Media, Tubi TV

Price: Free Advantages: Uniquely curated libraries and niche titles

In addition to these subscription services, Retrocrush, Viz Media, and Tubi TV are all free streamers that narrow in on more specific areas and have some excellent anime titles in their libraries that can’t be found anywhere else. These services lack some of the flair and support of the larger competitors, but they’re still a great place to binge on classic anime titles. Retrocrush is an especially useful streaming service that features not just some of the biggest titles from the ‘70s to the ‘90s, but also a handful of modern series with classic sensibilities. 

Retrocrush Notable Series: Flame of Recca, Cromartie High School, Samurai Pizza Cats, Pop Team Epic, Lupin The Third Part II

Tubi TV Notable Series: Mr. Osomatsu, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Kaiba, Lupin the Third Part I, Redline

Viz Media Notable Series: One-Punch Man, Death Note, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, Ranma ½

Popular Streaming Services With Anime Libraries

Netflix

Price: $8.99 per month; $13.99 per month; $17.99 per month Advantages: Original anime series, Neon Genesis Evangelion

Netflix has turned into an unexpected power player in terms of their anime content. More and more series are getting acquired by Netflix in a way where it’s clear that they see where the future is headed with the industry. The “original” series that Netflix has acquired like Devilman Crybaby, Great Pretender, and Japan Sinks: 2020 all exhibit fantastic taste. 

However, the older anime series that Netflix has are often incomplete and there are many great titles included that just have their first seasons available. This can be seriously frustrating in some cases, but for beginners it’s sometimes enough of a taste. Netflix is also the only place in America where Neon Genesis Evangelion can be streamed, which is honestly a detail that trumps everything else for some people.

Notable Series: Great Pretender, Kakegurui, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Devilman Crybaby, Gurren Lagann

Hulu

Price: $5.99 per month (with ads) or $59.99 per year; $11.99 per month (no ads) Advantages: More classical anime series and a lot of Funimation and Adult Swim’s content

Hulu is another streaming service that’s not designed around anime, but still has a decent library of titles to enjoy. Hulu currently benefits from a partnership that they signed with Funimation back in 2018 that allows them to stream much of their library. Hulu also has similarly benefitted from access to a lot of Adult Swim’s library, too. 

This, as well as the healthy amount of classical titles from older generations, gives Hulu audiences a lot to enjoy. However, as the anime streaming industry continues to fracture, pieces of Hulu’s library have disappeared. They still have many titles, but a lot of them are incomplete or are sporadic when it comes to whether subs or dubs are available.

Notable Series: Space Dandy, Gintama, Psycho-Pass, My Hero Academia, Kill La Kill 

Amazon Prime

Price: $119 per year (or $12.99 per month) Advantages: Impressive library of anime films

Amazon Prime used to be a much more prominent player in terms of places to stream anime content due to their Anime Strike service. In the coming years, their focus has shifted elsewhere and a lot of their anime has hit the chopping block. 

This means that there’s a lot more of a random selection on Amazon Prime, but there are still some exceptional titles available, including some fantastic anime movies. Amazon Prime’s sporadic anime line-up isn’t enough to warrant a subscription, but if you’re someone that’s already a member then it’s worth checking out the titles that they do have.

Notable Series: Dr. Stone, Fire Force, Mob Psycho 100, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, FLCL 

HBO Max

Price: $14.99 per month Advantages: Studio Ghibli library and a lot of Adult Swim’s content

HBO Max is one of the newer streaming services to come forward and even though anime is not their priority, they’ve still already made a strong impression in the area. HBO Max has become the exclusive streaming home for Studio Ghibli content in America and they’ve also singled out the filmographies of other anime visionaries like Masaaki Yuasa. 

This behavior and how new dubs have already premiered on HBO Max shows that the service understands that anime is an important area of focus. HBO Max continues to acquire a lot of Adult Swim’s content, which includes some of their more notable anime titles, too.

Notable Series: Mob Psycho 100, Berserk, The Promised Neverland, Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken!, and the Studio Ghibli library

Adult Swim

Price: Free with a Cable Subscription (with ads) Advantages: Exclusive dubbed series

Adult Swim isn’t on the same level of any of these other services, but the channel’s commitment to their Toonami programming block of anime has made them an important player through all of this. Toonami is still the place to see many of the dubs for the most recent anime hits and titles like Dragon Ball Super, My Hero Academia, and now Attack on Titan have all been vital programs for Adult Swim.

Adult Swim has even gone into the co-production of original anime series, which will bring even more exciting titles forward. However, much of Adult Swim’s streaming content has been poached by HBO Max and it’s unclear how much of their influence will determine their future.

Notable Series: Assassination Classroom, Attack on Titan, Cowboy Bebop, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Additionally, there are also YouTube Channels for studios and series with lots of free content, like Bandai America, Discotek Media, Gundam.Info, and Toei Animation.

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from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2Y1K4lp

[recentanimenews]

Japanese Fans Pick Their Favorite Fall 2020 TV Anime by Online Voting

    One month after the "anticipation ranking" in early October, Japan's largest mobile phone operator NTT Docomo reported the result of its regular online research survey to ask the users of its streaming service dAnime Store which fall 2020 TV anime they were still watching as their favorites.

  The survey was conducted for one week between October 23 and 30, and a total of 151,791 votes were cast for the 46 titles that were available via the service. How have the Japanese viewers' opinions changed or not after they actually started watching the fall 2020 series? Check out the result below.

      1 (anticipation renking: 5). "JUJUTSU KAISEN" - 9,381 votes

©Gege Akutami/Shueisha, JUJUTSU KAISEN Project

    2 (1). "The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc" - 9,142 

©2019 Tsutomu Sato/KADOKAWA/Magic High School Production Committee

    3 (9). "Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina" - 8,532

© Jyougi Shiraishi, SB Creative / Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina Production Committee

    4 (2). "Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? III" - 7,541

©Fujino Omori, SB Creative Corp./Danmachi3 Project

    5 (6). "The Day I Became a God" - 7,494

©VISUAL ARTS / Key / "The Day I Became A God" Project

    6 (8). "By the Grace of the Gods" - 7,494 

7 (15). "Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle" - 5,850

8 (12). "TONIKAWA: Over The Moon For You" - 5,687

9 (4). "Haikyu!! TO THE TOP" 2nd cour - 5,417

10 (23). "Talentless Nana" - 5,337

  11 (3). "Is The Order A Rabbit? BLOOM" - 4,355 

12 (14). "Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World" - 5,245

13 (16). "Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear" - 5,015

14 (19). "I'm Standing on a Million Lives" - 4,952

15 (7). "Higurashi: When They Cry - New" - 4,822 

16 (21). "Adachi to Shimamura" - 4,409

17 (18). "Moriarty the Patriot" - 4,181

18 (29). "Warlords of Sigrdrifa" - 3,956

19 (13). "Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon" - 3,830

20 (10). "Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai" - 3,010

  21 (17). "Love Live! Nijigasaki High School Idol Club" - 2,964

22 (20). "Mr. Osomatsu" Season 3 - 2,914

23 (22). "Strike Witches ROAD TO BERLIN" - 2,854 

24 (25). "Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle: Rhyme Anima" - 2,772

25 (34). "Dogeza de Tanondemita" - 2,634

26 (27). "Dropout Idol Fruit Tart" - 2,618

27 (43). "Iwakakeru -Sport Climbing Girls-" - 2,499　

28 (36). "Taisou Samurai" - 2,358

29 (44). "NOBLESEE" - 1,572

30 (46). "King's Raid: Successors Of The Will" - 1,530 

  31 (28). "IDOLiSH7 SECOND BEAT!" - 1,411

32 (31). "A3! SEASON AUTUMN & WINTER" - 1,241

33 (41). "Rail Romanesque" - 1,209

34 (37). "Maesetsu! Opening Act" - 1,058

35 (33). "Tsukiuta. The Animation 2" - 984

36 (52). "Magatsu Wahrheit -Zuerst-" - 964

37 (35). "Guraburu!" - 811

38 (49). "Otona nya Koi no Shikata ga Wakaranai!" - 702

39 (40). "EAGLE TALON ~Golden Spell~" - 661

40 (39). "Please Take My Brother Away!" Season 4 - 660 

  41 (54). "Soredake ga Neck" - 479

42 (-). "Gal & Dino" - 455

43 (55). "Eternity - Shinya no Nurekoi Channel" - 438

44 (57). "Saikyo Kamiz Mode!" - 66

45 (58). "Cap Kakumei Bottleman" - 60

46 (61). "Super Wings" - 25

    Male Top 5:

  1. "The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc" - 6,678

2. "Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina" - 6,498

3. "Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? III" - 6,037

4. "The Day I Became a God" - 5,794

5. "JUJUTSU KAISEN" - 5,032

    Female Top 5:

  1 "JUJUTSU KAISEN" - 4,223

2. "Haikyu!! TO THE TOP" 2nd cour - 3,045

3. "Moriarty the Patriot" - 2,461

4. "The Irregular at Magic High School: Visitor Arc" - 2,352

5. "Hypnosis Mic: Division Rap Battle: Rhyme Anima" - 2,032

    Source: NTT Docomo press release

    By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com

[sharada-n]

42 gives me weird 'our fav bro duo in big fam runs away' vibes and i do not know why (tua AND oso)

Welp, it’s the good year 2020 and I just wrote some Osomatsu-san angst. You do things to me, dear

(read on AO3)

---

Osomatsu was not surprised when the others found them. He had become careless.

Those first few months, they had been running from something real. Something they could still feel nipping at their heels, breathing warmly against the back of their necks. A constant threat that hounded them everywhere, a stray through that popped up every time their heartbeat slowed.

"What if they find us?" Kara had asked the third day, voice titled low - like he didn't really care either way. They were sitting in a train going so fast the landscape blurred into monotonous green colors out the window, hoping nobody would notice they hadn't bought a ticket.

"I don't know," Osomatsu answered truthfully. They were eating stale sandwiches they stole from a convenience store the day before, getting crumbs all over themselves. "Maybe they don't care."

Karamatsu shrugged but didn't try to disagree.

By nightfall that day, they were in a different prefecture altogether. Finding shelter was easy - so long as you weren't picky. And after sleeping on that too small futon for all their lives, neither of them had many complaints. They paid for food and things with cash, money they had saved up here and there over the years. Anything they couldn't afford, they would steal. Anything they could get away with grabbing unnoticed, they would steal. Anything they wanted, they would steal.

Cigarettes were the hardest to get. They were often locked away in cases or held behind counters under the watchful eye of the staff. Karamatsu would put all those drama classes to good use, serving as a distraction while Osomatsu nabbed things. Even if that meant breaking the glass casing with his bare hands. That first time Kara had to pull out the glass pieces stuck in Osomatsu's skin, wrap the bleeding with a kitchen towel they had taken when they left home.

"No more cigarettes," Kara had said, firm and concerned and Osomatsu had laughed because this is what they did it for. This is why it was worth it in the end.

"I'll try to cut back."

Neither of them had a cellphone, neither of them had a credit card. They didn't do anything that would require them to use their IDs, anything that would get them tracked. They never saw any posters or news broadcasts, proof people were looking for them.

Either their family never bothered to file a missing person report or their constant moving from city to city meant they simply outran the consequences of their actions. Osomatsu chose to believe in the former, but maybe because the other option was too painful to think about.

Maybe they just needed to believe nobody wanted to find them.

But clearly that hadn't been true, and they had gotten careless.

It was spring, turning into summer and in a few weeks, they would have been gone for four years. Four years of not seeing the others. And now they lingered at places they liked, and weren't as careful about remaining unseen. And now Kara played his guitar on the street sometimes for money and Osomatsu did the things he did best, which were much less savory and just as illegal.

And now they were careless.

Their brothers still looked the same. It hit Osomatsu with a sudden urgency, and uncomfortable nausea, even if he couldn't say why. It had been four years and while they had been running it felt normal for them not to age. For them to outpace time like they did everything else. But he had expected the others to be unrecognizable - warped by their absence.

They looked the same, just more worried and tired.

"Osomatsu-nii-san."

And hearing that name kind of broke him, almost making it too hard to remember why they had done it in the first place.

---

"We're going to die in this town."

It was not a question, not an ultimatum. It was a statement, an observation you make in the same way you might note the weather or the change of seasons.

"We're going to die in this town," Osomatsu repeated, and exhaled stray cigarette smoke into the air, watching it dissipate. "Sooner or later."

The city skyline was blurred. Maybe he couldn't tell how late it was - how early. But the clouds were obscuring the stars and their brothers were sleeping and that meant it probably was the perfect time for this.

The only time.

"Cynic." Karamatsu laughed it off the way he always did when they were alone, just the two of them against the world. The others would not understand, but they were the oldest, and that just meant something different to them.

"I'm sure of it," Osomatsu insisted, pressing the stub of the cigarette into the sole of his shoe, and throwing it off the roof onto the street below. "Unless we do something about it I guess."

"What do you wanna do?"

Osomatsu glanced at Karamatsu's face, at the slightly furrowed brow. He bit his lip. "We could leave?"

"Aniki, you're terrible," Karamatsu started and Osomatsu knew. He knew this was a bad idea but he could see how much they both wanted it.

But it was such a bad idea.

"But?"

Karamatsu sighed. "But we could."

"Then let's do it. Let's just leave."

The furrowed brow was back with a vengeance. "What about the others?"

"They'll be fine. Heck, they'll be better off without us even. Kara, come on, you know we need this."

They needed this more than words could express.

So after a few days of planning, making sure they had what they needed, they left. They brought the money, they brought some food and blankets and clothes. Karamatsu brought his guitar and Osomatsu brought his knife. They had everything they needed.

And they ran.

---

"After all this time, after all these years, here I thought that you were out there somewhere, hoping to come home," Choromatsu said. He was the first to find the words, but he didn't sound like himself. He didn't sound disappointed. He sounded beyond that, beyond anything Osomatsu had ever heard him sound like. "But here you are, running away, cowering from even the thought of it."

There wasn't anything much he could answer. Nothing that wouldn't sound like a lie at least. We really wanted to come back? We tried to get home? We aren't running?

 We missed you.

Lies, all of them.

"How did you find us?" he asked instead. They had been careless.

"Why the fuck do you care!" Ichimatsu spat, all sharp edges and barely contained anger. Osomatsu had never seen him so pissed before either.

(Maybe he was wrong. Maybe time did change them.)

"Nii-san..." Todomatsu hesitated, eyes wide, searching his face. He had dark circles attesting to sleepless nights and was so much paler than Osomatsu had ever seen him before. "Please come home, Please-"

Osomatsu thought it would spark at least some guilt, seeing his brothers like this. Some regret over what they had done.

The only thing he regretted was being careless.

"I can't," he said, took a step back for good measure, and at that moment realized there was no going back if he left again now. If he kept retreating there would be an invisible wall between them forever, something he could never come back from. He was breaking something permanent. "We can't."

"We never stopped searching, Osomatsu. Do you get that?" Ichimatsu said, "Do you even get how fucking scared we were? We thought you guys were dead."

"I'm sorry."

More lies.

Jyushimatsu opened his mouth and in that instance, Osomatsu turned on his heels and bolted.

He ignored them calling after him, panic-laced voices. He ignored the rattling of his lungs, the breathlessness. He ignored the stabs of sharp aches in his side, the taste of blood on his tongue, and his heartbeat painful. He ignored all of it until he hit a highway, and hid under an overpass, palms slick with sweat pressed against the rough-cut stone.

He waited for over an hour and wiped his tears away with the sleeves of his bloodstained hoodie.

---

He met up with Karamatsu later that night, in the motel room they shared. On the way back Osomatsu had been extra careful not to be followed. But he was pretty sure coincidences did not befall the unlucky twice.

They ate packets of ramen, hard and flavorless because the kettle didn't function like it should, while they watched mindless tv shows they would never watch at home.

"I miss mom's cooking," Karamatsu said, like he sometimes did, suddenly, unbidden. Osomatsu normally ignored him, so he didn't expect an answer. "Sometimes, I mean. Sometimes I miss it."

He laid down on the blanket, turned over onto his side, and Osomatsu watched him, silently.

Karamatsu closed his eyes. "Sometimes I miss them."

"I think we should skip town tomorrow. Go somewhere else."

Opening his eyes again, Karamatsu looked at him, slow blinks - like maybe he was half asleep. "Sure."

And wherever they went, Osomatsu knew they would be more careful.

[redwylde]

EVERY. MATSU. For the ask thing~

I Am Going To Beat You To Death

Osomatsu

>SEE PREVIOUS ASK

Karamatsu

Favourite Thing About Them

He's so genuinely kind and caring, a bad boy with all the attributes of punk but not a bland ass edgy caricature.

Also THE STAFF CONFIRMED THAT HE'S NOT FAKING ANYTHING, EVERYTHING HE IS NOW IS A PRODUCT OF HIS OWN SELF-LOVE AND I'VE NEVER BEEN HAPPIER.

Least Favourite Thing About Them

He doesn't go ape shitt enough. Why won't they let him KILL. (S2 stumped whatever I would've originally put here, I'm so happy)

Favourite Line

This absolute goldmine of a line here.

brOTP

YOU GUESSED IT, IT'S CHOUKEI

but also 💙 S 💚 U 💙 I 💚 R 💙 I 💚 K 💙 U 💚

OTP

I don't have one, but do you ever think about how Kara leaned in to kiss Iyami (Iyayo) and Iyami was just going to let it happen, I do.

nOTP

Ugly Flower ass bitch.

Random Headcanon

Every so often Kara likes to doodle when he feels like it. He has a sketchbook full of doodles and studies of his brothers, who he draws when they're all just lounging around the house. As such they're all in sitting or lying positions and he's able to capture their personalities in each doodle. There's a handful of pages that are just studies of Oso, reclining on the couch reading a comic, sleeping at the kotatsu or any number of things.

Unpopular Opinion

Kara exists outside of Ichi and all of his development/angst potential does not revolve around his relationship with Ichi.

Song I Associate Them With

Yours If You Want it by Rascal Flatts

Favourite Picture Of Them

Honestly, I love waaaaaaayyy too many pictures of Kara to even think about picking one but this shot from NeetPro is a high contender. I ALWAYS love seeing Kara wearing his Perfect Fashion and this picture does a great job of capturing his whole personality at once.

Cool man but with gentle eyes. He smiles, stands non-threateningly and just looks so serene. I cry.

Choromatsu

Favourite Thing About Them

He is actually a very kind and nurturing soul trapped in an anxious body and people need to appreciate this side of him more. He doesn't take Totty to the bathroom or offer his brothers his shoulder to cry on for any reason other than he genuinely wants to be of help. We all know he's strong enough to yeet them if he wanted to.

Least Favourite Thing About Them

BABY HATES HIMSELF SO MUCH, MY LOVEY PLEASE GIVE YOURSELF REST. I swear you're fine as you are.

Favourite Line

"Shit. I wasn't able to stop their Ferris Wheel Tyranny" - Tabimatsu Event

brOTP

SUIRIKU!! And 💚 W 💛 A 💚 K 💛 A 💚 B 💛 A 💚

OTP

CHORODAYO CHORODAYO CHORODAYO CHORODAYO CHORODAYO CHORODAYO THEY DESERVE SO MUCH BETTER THAN THEY GOT.

WHY ARE YOU ALL SLEEPING ON THE BEST WOMAN WHO ISN'T MATSUYO IN CHORO'S LIFE??

nOTP

ChoroNyaa.

Random Headcanon

Choro raises succulents and it makes him feel happy because he's able to put his energy into nurturing something and watching it grow. It makes him feel better about himself because he gets to see something beautiful thrive because of his love and care! It's a positive and therapeutic feeling and it always makes him feel better when he's sad or anxious.

Unpopular Opinion

It's almost 2020 and we still have to say that Choro is not more perverted or cursed than any of the other brothers. They have all had poorly aging jokes at least once in the show by now. It's a shock humour comedy and we KNOW that they fluctuate almost every episode. We rely entirely on translated subtitles that are never going to be 100% accurate.

Song I Associate Them With

Verge by Owl City and Aloe Blacc

Favourite Picture Of Them

This is basic I know but I swear this is not for a thirsty reason lmao

Choro is ALWAYS always drawn very moe and cute (partly due to Asano-san's influence as head illustrator) so his appearances in official art are (usually) very childlike in nature imo. So when the staff released this series of images it hit me like a truck because he looks really mature here?? It's a really good look for him, Mature Choro is not a thing we get a lot of (Kara occupies the Sexy box and Oso gets all the mature atmosphere just because he's the eldest) so this picture really sticks with me, I just love how grown up he looks.

Ichimatsu

Favourite Thing About Them

He's a very perceptive and very mindful boy. I can't explain why but I love how good he is at reading the room and people's emotions. A lot of the time it means he can speak up for others if they're too afraid to be honest or cant understand their feelings.

Least Favourite Thing About Them

Nothing that comes to mind! (S2 fixed this as well lmao)

Favourite Line

"ARE YOU A COMIC? YES, GOOD JOB!~"

brOTP

Parka!! Or 110!!

OTP

No OTP for Ichimacchan.

nOTP

YanaIchi. Sorry guys.

Random Headcanon

Ichi is on the aroace spectrum and is romance repulsed. His relationship goal in life is just to remain as close to his brothers as he is now. So long as he has his brothers and his 12 million cats, he's good.

Unpopular Opinion

Ichi is not just Edgy McFurry and I wish people would focus more on the rest of his personality, which is actually a very kind but insecure boy. Also the next time I see someone describe him as a tsundere I'm gonna start swinging.

Song I Associate Them With

Demon Kitty Rag bg Katzenjammer

Favourite Picture Of Them

(Is this technically my favourite picture of Choro HFJFHDJFJJF I LAUGHED AT THIS FOR MONTHS ON END WHEN THIS EPISODE AIRED)

Jyushimatsu

Favourite Thing About Them

A very smart and supportive boy!

Least Favourite Thing About Them

He vores people and gets away with it, when will he recieve the jail time he deserves.

Favourite Line

This. Just this, I scream every fucking time.

brOTP

KINNIKU!!! KINNIKKUUUUUUUUU!!!! 💙💛💙💛💙💛💙💛💙💛💙💛💙💛

OTP

Can you believe it's not JyushiHomu?

nOTP

Don't think I have one?

Random Headcanon

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned in canon but I love the idea that Jyushi really likes fish and marine life! Crabs, cephalopods and the nautilus are his favourites!

Unpopular Opinion

He IS actually smart and extremely conniving, he is not all volume, do not trust this man lmao

Song I Associate Them With

Brotherswing by Caravan Palace

Favourite Picture Of Them

I don't actually have a lot of pictures of Jyushi but I will never not love this picture of him carrying Choro-chan to safety.

Todomatsu

Favourite Thing About Them

He loves and will die for his family. He has a really loving heart.

Least Favourite Thing About Them

I know WHY he does it but sometimes he sets his brothers up to fail completely and I'm like WHY, NO ONE WAS EVEN FIGHTING WITH YOU LITTLE SHIT lmao

Favourite Line

"It's actually really fun being sextuplets"

brOTP

110 and, at times, Cyber!

OTP

Nothing.

nOTP

Y'all gonna hate me after these. AtsuTodo.

Random Headcanon

Totty is an extroverted introvert (I think that's the term) and that's why he prefers to do some things on his own, like exercising and going on trips, but doesn't mind socialising wih a select group of people i.e his brothers, his friends.

Unpopular Opinion

He's not at all cute.

Song I Associate Them With

I don't actually have one for him yet, sorry about that!

Favourite Picture Of Them

[jaymzeecat]

I don't care for Osomatsu san at all, but hey, look at it this way, 2020 is a Leap Year. That's 1 day longer than a normal Karamatsu Month.

Karamatsu wins this round...

[dadbodkaramatsu]

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone! Sorry for the quietness over here the past few months. I’ve been busy with other projects (mostly commissions and Osomatsu San zines) but I’m planning to get back to answering Asks here once I’m finished with January commissions. I hope you all have a great holiday! Thanks so much for following my blog!

See you all in 2020!

[moonlightwinterdxxix]

Here again with a story idea 😂 A day where all the brothers have plans for to go out but there's sudden expected construction work outside their house so they literally can't leave?!? (Let's assume the Matsu parents didn't think their NEETS really had anything to do outdoors that day so they didn't bother to informing them about it haha) Maybe either a hilarious series of escape events or forced family bonding time? 😂

Ah, @yisongye Here it is!! 😂😂 I hope you enjoy my interpretation of this very interesting 2020 experience 🤣🤣🤣

~~~

The bedroom door slid open and slammed against the wall, and he screamed out, “Hey, guys! Guess what!”

Karamatsu raised his chin from the hand mirror, smirking. “Yes, my dear older brother Osomatsu? What might you have upon you as to call for your excitement?”

“There’s this really big gamble that’s gonna happen in Pachinko today from a visitor!” Osomatsu informed, a pair of fists rocking in his exhilaration. “And here’s the big deal: she’s a chick! A very pretty one too! I have no idea what she would want as a penalty aside from money but I’m dead-set on challenging her!” Osomatsu flushed, sultry in a green fantasy. “Ooh man, oh boy, I’m not just gonna give her a run on her money! I’m gonna challenge her into having s** with me!” He laughed maniacally, a predator’s villainous cackle.

Todomatsu scoffed in amusement, rolling his eyes. “Well, try as hard as you want. You’ll never succeed—you’ll be a virgin NEET forever.” He angled his phone, checking himself in the selfie feature of his camera. “On the other hand, there’s a very nice girl that Atsushi informed me will come to the mixer. I’m planning on going out to buy myself a nice new jacket later so I can look nicer come Friday. There is a sale at the mall, after all, so I wouldn’t want to miss it.”

“Can that beat my luck though?” Choromatsu boasted, popping the collar of his green shirt. “I managed to get VIP passes to Nyaa-chan’s concert. So all of you might be hopeful, but I’m meeting my cat idol in a few hours. So weep in your misery, everyone. Your Choromatsu is going forth into another world.”

“Heh,” Karamatsu retorted, narrowing a perpetually theatrical gaze. “Might I remind you first, my brother. Fap none of the dazzling women that might catch your eye, no? Set a good example to all of your brothers, non?”

With his smile wilting, Choromatsu sputtered as his face went rosy. “Wh-Wh—You shut the hell up, Shittymatsu! I know stuff, you moron!”

“Heh! Good for you, brother! For my luck shines upon me like it came from heaven itself!” Karamatsu flashed them his teeth, touching an eyebrow with two fingers. “You see, my brother, my day too flows with the passionate love from Akatsuka-sensei himself! Today I have been welcomed passage into the core of Akatsuka Ward itself, and I am to meet with a lady of whom I blind date for us was set! Hm, I thank Chibita for his kind heart, how could I have known that he would know such a precious soul—BOEHH!”

Ichimatsu slammed the back of Karamatsu’s head with an unplugged iron, and Karamatsu tumbled down onto the floor. “I bet your sorry ass that you’ll be meeting up with a dishwasher, you piece of crap.”

Jyushimatsu hollered out, “As fun as meeting with girls sounds nice, me and Ichi-nii decided to go to Sealand instead! There’s this annual dolphin show that happens every so often, and after attending it once I decided to invite him to the next one! I spent my entire allowance on getting us front-row tickets, so he has a nice experience when watching the show! The dolphins are always trained so well, once I had a dream of wanting to be one too.”

Ichimatsu grinned slightly, amused. “Hm, and after that I’ll be taking Jyushimatsu to the cat shelter. I’ve made an appointment to adopt one of the cats there—Mom and Dad already let me. She’s a very young one, about two months old, found beside a river where she almost drowned. I felt bad for her and decided to keep her so she doesn’t drown herself again. Her name’s Kawa, and she’s a plain white one. I hope she likes it here at the household with me.”

“Awwww~” the collective chorus of his brothers cooed lovingly, and Ichimatsu flushed bright pink and turned away with his hands smashed to his ears.

“Shut up! Stop shedding attention to my shitty life!” Ichimatsu exclaimed miserably.

“Either way, it seems that all of us have plans for today,” Choromatsu laughed, over from his former humiliation as he shrugged his backpack on entirely. “Anyway I need to go now. The arena could get pretty crowded if I came in much later than twelve.”

Osomatsu darted his gaze to the clock to Choromatsu then back again. “But it’s eight-thirty.”

“The earlier the better.” Choromatsu lifted his shoulders, chuckling. “Perhaps I can eat lunch while waiting too. Can’t watch a concert with an empty stomach. We need energy for screaming at the top of our lungs.”

“As if you don’t do that everyday already,” Osomatsu murmured, but remained unheard.

To Choromatsu, “Yeah, I agree,” Todomatsu said, standing up from the couch and patting his pants. “I’d better get to the mall early before it gets too crowded. I mean, sales are still sales, aren’t they? I don’t wanna be stuck in a traffic of people before I see something pretty.” He directed himself towards the cabinet and rummaged through the pockets of one of his hoodies, grabbing his wallet and stashing it into his current pants. “Yep. Imma go for now. See you all later?”

“Yeah, sure!” Jyushimatsu exclaimed, waving. “Later! Have fun!”

“Kiss Reika for me, okay, Fappymatsu?” Osomatsu derided, the curves of his features smug.

Choromatsu scoffed in reply as Todomatsu tittered, and then the bedroom door shut as Choromatsu and Todomatsu exited.

A minute passed.

And then...

“EEEHHH???!!!”

The rest of the Matsuno household were already out the bedroom and down the stairs, sliding into sudden halts as they saw Choromatsu and Todomatsu frozen in front of their door. They were both with mouths so rounded that their jaws were on the floor, their eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. Their fingers were spread out from their hands at their sides, legs parted.

“Totty? What’s wrong?” But then all the other four were soon to realize it, and with matching, elongated yells all six were better classified with the term ‘identical’ as they all sported the same gawking, disbelieved expressions.

In front of their front door, the ground was a literal swimming pool of wet cement. Across that, there were careless-of-them construction workers with complete top-volume cranes and drillers, the workers saluting each other and bearing wide blueprints as long as a man was tall. This occupied the front porch all the way to their gate, nearly tore down completely, now granting the brothers a perfect view of Matsuyo and Matsuzo as they stared at their own sons, a pair of shopping bags dangling from their mother’s arms.

“Wh...” The first with a voice managing to come out his lips, Choromatsu averted his gaze to their parents. “Mom?! What in bloody hell is this?!”

“Ah, that!” Matsuyo laughed, unbothered in the slightest by the unexpected construction. “It’s just a bit of construction, my NEETs! I didn’t think I needed to tell you since you can handle yourselves, but never mind that! Don’t worry! It’ll only be about three days until you can go outside the house again.”

“Three days?!” Osomatsu exclaimed, face contorting in horror. “But that sexy-chick gambler will leave the city in three days!”

After shooting his brother a pointed look, Karamatsu yelled out the more proper response to their mother’s statement, “How are we supposed to leave the house?! And how are you two getting back in?!”

“Ah, don’t worry about us,” Matsuzo said, chuckling lightheartedly. “We booked a stay at the hotel about a week ago because we knew about this. Plus we bought a ton of groceries last week, so the fridge was practically an entire factory of sushi and takoyaki. I’m still surprised that there was only about a shelf left of it before we left the house three hours ago.”

“Th-That was our storage?!” Todomatsu sputtered. “Our food?!”

“Gee, I wonder where all of it went,” Ichimatsu sarcastically drawled, maliciously digging a dagger-sharp gaze against Jyushimatsu, who had gone from pale to red in a matter of seconds through the transition of realization to shame.

“No, we can’t survive this!” Osomatsu protested, gesturing wildly at the commotion lining each space of their front. “Mom! Dad! This is worse than suicide! No, we need to get out of this house! You can’t expect us to stay locked in here the entire three days, do you?! We’re your sons! You know that!”

“And we’re your parents,” Matsuyo retorted, her glare making Osomatsu and his brothers all shrink. “And you know well enough that we hate it when you have no consciences. This is punishment for illegally performing on the streets a month ago just to get money for a fish sale for Totoko’s sake! Grow up! Cod, you’re all a bunch of oversized children. You’re lucky we still gave you a storage of takoyaki.” Turning her nose up, she said, “Let’s go, Matsuzo-dear. We have that specialized screening on that one movie, right?”

“Of course, darling,” Matsuzo said devilishly, internally guffawing at his son’s anxieties. “Shall we?” He extended his arm.

“My pleasure.”

All six began yelling in unison as their parents began walking away, striding off with the pride of victory and the blessing of their lack of child tomfoolery. The brothers all tumbled down defeatedly on the floor, groaning in exasperation. It was Jyushimatsu who remained standing, mind calculative as his pupils dilated and his mouth was covered by a hand. Then...

“I think I can make that jump.”

“Ah, I see you wanna die early,” Todomatsu chortled groggily, unimpressed. “Ichimatsu-niisan, take notes. Your medal’s been snatched.”

“No!” Jyushimatsu contradicted. “I think I can make that jump! Then when I do, I’ll get all of you a ladder or something so you can get across.”

“Sure, I believe you,” Osomatsu said casually, pouting. “You’re the same guy who can turn into a living Jyushimatsu virus. If you can jump that gorge of death then go for it.”

“Idiots, it won’t work,” Choromatsu finalized, crossing his arms. “He won’t make it. Trust me.”

~~~

“Or not. Of course. I rest my case.”

Preparing himself, Jyushimatsu bent his legs.

“On three, Jyushimatsu,” Ichimatsu announced. “One...two...three!”

Jyushimatsu bolted, and with the speed of a fictional being he raced across the entire room until his feet were no longer on the ground, and he was hovering in the air, his shadow overlapping gray as his form paralleled the top of their doorframe. He was only by the first half of the entire cement pool when gravity played its part and tugged him downwards.

With his arms up, Jyushimatsu yelled out a stainless “BOEHBAA!!”, only stopping when a cross-crossed surface dug into his butt and he was pulled back into the house.

And dropped on the floor with a thud, tilting his head towards Todomatsu and the butterfly net he had in his hands. “Thanks, Totty.”

“I told you it won’t work,” Choromatsu grouched.

“Work or not, where was this butterfly net from?” Todomatsu questioned, scratching his head in confusion.

Jyushimatsu said, “I also got it from Dayon’s stomach.”

Todomatsu immediately panicked, dropping the net and struggling for the closest sink.

“Aha! I have a new plan!” Karamatsu extolled, spreading his arms wide. “My brothers, this plan of mine is guaranteed to entrance our grand exit! Be amazed, my brothers! We shall be able to access our hopes and dreams on finding the romance, enjoyment, and entertainment that our lives have waited for! My brothers, join me!” He began spinning around dramatically, a hand sailing to his back pocket for a rain of rose petals that he sprayed over the floor. “Grab a pen, and wonderful stationary. We are writing letters.”

Everyone stared at him dumbfounded, except for Ichimatsu, who bluntly said, “Kill me now.”

Minutes later, all six of them were gathered around the living room table, color-coded papers assigned to each brother. At the center of the table was a pack of markers, as well as some glitters none of them (but Karamatsu, apparently) knew they even had. At the head of the table, Karamatsu smirked at them, a finger-gun connected to his jawline as his sunglasses hid his dancing eyes. “Now, pick up a pen,” he instructed.

They all did, grabbing the marker colored with the hue of the sibling closest to them. Karamatsu picked last, raising his pink marker. “Step two, revisit your talents in mastery. Perfect, swooping calligraphy, as a dazzling prince such as us possesses.”

“Bro, I failed art class because of calligraphy,” Osomatsu deadpanned.

“Now,” Karamatsu pronounced as if no one had spoken, “Take the tip of your pen to the page. Then with the watery softness of a fountain, draw the letter ‘I’.”

Though hesitant, everyone followed.

“Good, my brothers. Next, add a space. Then, the letter ‘L’.”

They obeyed.

“Brothers, the letter ‘O’.”

They complied.

“The letter ‘V—”

“Karamatsu-niisan, what’s the message you’re making us write?” Choromatsu asked bluntly.

“Um...” Karamatsu made a heart with his hands, smiling boldly, “It will say, ‘I love you, dear cement! Please let us pass through your jinxes, allow us passage because you reciprocate my feelings to you!’ Oh, brother, the ground will harden almost immediately because of passion! I can see her heart beating from our kindness! Oh, brother, my brother, it shall make her weep tears of rock that would melt into a river of the soul! I see it, brother! It shall work, brother!” He was dancing in his reverie, nearly crying. “Oh, brother, my brother, sweet brother—BOEH!”

He collapsed on the ground, and Ichimatsu dropped his fist. “How about, ‘Brother, shut the eff up’.”

“Ugh, this sucks!” Todomatsu whined, tossing his paper away. “You’re all stupid and useless! Now I’m never gonna be able to look attractive enough for the new girl.” He buried his head in his arms on the table. “It’s hopeless for me. I need to be stuck with a bunch of ‘overgrown children’ until Atsushi sweeps her off her feet.”

“No.” Osomatsu stood up, all serious. Everyone looked at him. “There’s still hope. I think there’s one more thing we can do before we can say that we failed.”

Choromatsu lackadaisically suggested, “Request the construction workers for a way across?”

“Even better.” Osomatsu straightened his body, chin up, spine vertical. “Everyone. Off to the roof.”

Silence (...)...

“...eh?”

It was even louder on the roof than outside, because the entire view was there to present itself. The machines were huge, matted with soil and cement, some of the yellow on the bodies faded or whitened. Five of the six of them watched the entire thing with fearful anticipation, the giants in front of their house like dragons hovering over a field of lava. Whatever plan this Osomatsu-niisan of theirs had, it had better be worth it. Because so far, it looked like death was going to be the option here if it weren’t success.

“Boys,” Osomatsu announced, hands on his waist. “It’s time. Jyushimatsu, come here.”

Gulping, Jyushimatsu didn’t protest as he allowed himself to be led by his oldest brother, scarily close to the edge of the roof. Sweat ran down the sides of his face, his legs trembling in his discomfort. But he stayed there with his hands at his sides, staring straight and down towards the valley of Tartarus below.

“Karamatsu, come here,” Osomatsu instructed, and with the same worrisome posture Karamatsu stepped next to his eldest and fifth-born brother. “Karamatsu, go over Jyushimatsu’s shoulders.”

Karamatsu sputtered, and Choromatsu let out a “NO!” louder than the entire construction company combined.

But Choromatsu was ignored as Karamatsu timidly climbed onto Jyushimatsu’s back, and rested his thighs over Jyushimatsu’s shoulders. Both of them were perspired and horrified, already awaiting doom before a signal can even be clarified. Jyushimatsu clasped Karamatsu’s legs like it was giving him reassurance, but the threat of failure was still too strong for that.

“Ichimatsu, you next!” Osomatsu called out, and Ichimatsu greenly approached the building tower with his chin dipped and his eyes sullen. Internally, he was mouthing his last will and testament.

But he climbed nonetheless onto Karamatsu’s shoulders.

“Okay, my turn.” Osomatsu climbed onto Ichimatsu’s shoulders, and the weight began tugging down on Jyushimatsu as a wobble began to wrack their brother building. Hands grabbed legs, butts nestled tightly against napes, and lips went pressed as three of them stifled the screams that were growing in their throats.

“Choromatsu! You’re up!”

“This is dangerous, you idiot eldest!” Choromatsu reprimanded, arms wide for emphasis. “No more kidding—you’re literally trying to kill us!”

“Wouldn’t you die for Nyaa-chan?” Osomatsu inquired calmly.

Choromatsu was up over Osomatsu’s shoulders ten seconds later.

“Finally! Totty!”

On top of the tower, Todomatsu shook harshly as he grabbed the sides of Choromatsu’s head for dear life, legs intertwined over Choromatsu’s chest. Actually, most of them were like that. The only exception was the oldest brother, as determined as an eagle, staring straight through the obstacles separating him from making out with a beautiful gambling girl.

“Jyushimatsu, on three, run back, and then jump.”

“We’re gonna die,” Ichimatsu rasped with a plastic smile.

“Yup,” Karamatsu agreed in a tiny voice.

“On three, Jyushimatsu,” Osomatsu repeated, fiercer, and Jyushimatsu stepped back, all his brothers doing the same with the connections binding them in that formation. Jyushimatsu’s legs were shuddering. The pores on his skin were leaking.

“One...two...THREE!!!”

Eyes shut, Jyushimatsu made his run and jumped.

A few seconds later, at the other side of the gate, there were six bodies lying on the streets they’ve cracked, car horns roaring angrily in the traffic they caused.

~~~

Matsuyo tapped her feet. “I don’t think I need to scold you anymore. You know very well what you’ve done, right?” She crossed her arms, tilted her chin. “And because of that, there won’t be any more takoyaki. Not just because you absolutely don’t deserve it anymore, but because we can’t afford it.”

“Eh? Why not?” Osomatsu asked, then whimpered when he tried to move his head a little. With a full body cast matching those of his brothers’, there was no twitching a pinkie nor a strand of hair on the hospital beds.

“Not only because I have six sons confined with full body casts following surgery,” Matsuyo said madly, “but because of the damage! Not only did you break almost every bone in your body but you broke the road itself! There’s gonna be so much construction in front of our house now and guess what! We are the ones who need to pay for it!”

“Are we that fat?” Karamatsu sobbed.

“Think about what you did, you NEETs,” Matsuzo moaned, massaging his temples. “This didn’t just ruin our day with all these expenses. But your day too. Didn’t you all have anything better to do?” With that, Matsuzo and Matsuyo left the room, shutting the door behind them.

When they were completely gone, Jyushimatsu whimpered, “So...No dolphin show?”

“No cat...?” Ichimatsu followed up miserably.

“No clothes...?” Todomatsu wept.

“No Nyaa-chan...?!” Choromatsu cried.

“No date?!” Karamatsu tearfully yelled.

“No sexy-as-hell gambling babe?” Osomatsu whispered.

They all went quiet.

Then together, they all cried as one.

[ninjabobanekokyrie]

Osomatsu-San 2020 Part 1-Struggle

Chapter 2-I'm Falling apart, I'm barely breathing (With a broken heart that's still beating)

Osomatsu shot up drenched in sweat, heart pounding as his chest heaved while he fought for air. Warm tears streaked his cheeks and fell onto the futon. 

The first thing that came to mind were his brothers. He desperately looked around. 

They had to be still around, there was no way that they were fucking dead, no way that they killed themselves, they had to be alive, they just had to be--

His heart finally began slowing down once his eyes fell upon Karamatsu and Ichimatsu on his far left, and Todomatsu and Jyushimatsu on his far right, all fast asleep and not a bloody mess. 

Oso sighed heavily, wiping sweat from his brow and tears from his cheeks with his pajama sleeve. 

He swallowed hard and did a head count. 

One, two, three, four. Okay, good. 

Osomatsu almost went back to sleep before realization struck him and he backtracked. 

Wait, four??

He double checked and felt his panic rising at realizing that Choromatsu was missing. 

'Okay...okay, calm down.' he thought to himself as he quietly slipped out of bed and stood, carefully stepping over Kara and Ichi and landing safely on the other side. 'He's probably just downstairs getting a late night drink or something like that. He's fine.' 

If only his racing heart believed his head. 

Osomatsu walked down each stair quickly and quietly. He noticed a light on in the living room and felt his heart slow down. 

Sure enough, once he slid open the door the third born came into view. He was sitting on the couch, flipping through one of his books. When he heard the door slide open, he looked up and gave Osomatsu a surprised look. 

"Oh..." he said quietly as Osomatsu stepped in and slid the door shut behind him. "Osomatsu-niisan...sorry, did I wake you coming down here?" 

Osomatsu shook his head, walking over and sitting close to the latter. "I was coming back from the bathroom, and I just noticed you were gone, so..I thought I'd just check, y'know?"

Well, that wasn't a complete lie. 

"Oh." Choro said again, more sheepishly this time. "Sorry, Oso. I couldn't sleep so I decided to come down here to read some and...well you know the rest. You can go back to bed. I shouldn't be too much longer." he stated and returned his attention to his light novel. 

Osomatsu chewed his lip. He really wasn't ready to go back and have another one of those horrific nightmares. And he could really use the closeness of one of his brothers right now...bad...

"Actually...." Osomatsu said awkwardly, averting his gaze away as he nervously rubbed the back of his neck and Choromatsu spared a glance at him. "I, uhh....I really can't sleep now either, and....Onii-chan could really use some cuddles right about now..." 

Choromatsu sighed in frustration. He really wasn't a physical person. In fact he hated physical contact all together. He didn't allow his own brothers to touch him too much. They all knew that he didn't like physical contact, so they never pushed him. 

But Osomatsu, of course, always did the polar opposite. Osomatsu was the only person he allowed to touch or be affectionate with him besides his parents. And that was only because the shitty eldest pushed him for cuddles and hugs nonstop. He wouldn't stop bugging Choro unless the third born gave him what he wanted, and that was either a big hug or cuddles, then he would go to bug Totty or Kara or someone else. 

Choromatsu hated it, but deep down he did love Osomatsu, so he put up with it. Plus Oso wouldn't stop being such a pain in the ass and leave him to his books or job magazines until he did so. 

Ready to tell Osomatsu off, he paused. Getting a good look at his big brother, he noticed that Osomatsu didn't look so good. He saw that Oso's eyes were red, puffy and bloodshot and his cheeks were still slightly covered with....dry tear-tracks? 

Had he been crying? 

Choro's eyes softened at the eldest. "Osomatsu.." he muttered softly. "Did you...did you have a nightmare?" 

Osomatsu's nightmares were always bad. Not that when he and the others had nightmares they were pleasant, but considering how Osomatsu owned the role of oldest, his were especially bad. His nightmares were always gruesome. Whether it be that monster Tougou holding Choro and his brothers captive and torturing them and forcing Oso to watch helplessly, or just Oso being unable to save them from the grasps of death or unable to be there during their times of need, it never ended well regardless. 

And if Osomatsu had one so bad that it moved him to tears...

Something must've happened to Choro and the others and it must've been bad. 

Said eldest flinched at the mention, stiffening and didn't say anything. 

But no answer was all the confirmation that Choromatsu needed.

Putting the book on the table beside the couch, he mumbled, "I'll be right back, niisan."

He got up to leave, but frowned when he felt a hand tugging at his wrist.

"Wait, Choro..."

Said NEET turned, and his heart almost cracked at the sight of genuine worry shining in Osomatsu's eyes. He had never seen Osomatsu so shaken up over a nightmare besides Tougou ones.

Choromatsu frowned, squeezing his hand lightly. "I'll be back." he repeated firmly, but not unkindly.

Osomatsu waited for another second before letting him go. Choro glanced at him once more  before turning and leaving the room. 

Five minutes later, Choromatsu returned with a warm blanket in his arms. He sat back down and laid down a little, reluctantly opening his arms for the eldest but all signs of annoyance gone from his eyes and face and instead replaced with a mixture of empathy and sympathy.

He wasn't the best at comforting and not the most physical person, but for his brothers especially if it's Oso he'll always try. 

Osomatsu all but dove into his open arms, laying beside him and burying his face into his chest, situating himself. Choromatsu spread the blanket on top of both of them. 

"Wanna talk about it?" Choromatsu asked after a few minutes of silence. "It might help, but...if it's too hard for you, you don't have to in all honesty." 

Osomatsu sighed, "No, it's okay...if it'll help..." he trailed off and gulped, feeling the memories come back to him. "J-Just give me a second." 

Choromatsu hummed, "Take your time then. No rush." he said, and after some consideration he reached out and rubbed Oso's back with one hand. He could feel the eldest shaking next to him and did his best to help him calm down. 

Osomatsu sighed again, but this time it was a sigh of content. He was grateful that it was Choromatsu helping him through his darkest hours. Luckily, the comfort of Choro's calming heartbeat and the younger brother rubbing his back was just enough encouragement for him to speak up. 

"I thought everything was normal," he began, swallowing thickly. "At first, I mean. But when I woke up, you were all gone. I didn't know where any of you were. When I went downstairs, I saw Mom making breakfast and all, but...I still couldn't find any of you. Eventually I just asked Mom where you guys were, y'know? 'Cause I figured she'd seen at least one of you, but..." 

Fresh tears filled Osomatsu's eyes and he did his best to keep them at bay. 

"Sh-She started freaking out, and she started mentioning random stuff like doctors and everything...and then she told me that she hated to remind me, but....you guys killed yourselves. All of you did."

The hand rubbing his back paused in it's motions, and Osomatsu just knew that Choro was just as starstruck as he was. 

He exhaled shakily, "K-Karamatsu j-jumped off a building...Jyushi s-slit his wrists...Jyushi! Ichimatsu shot himself, T-Totty st-starved himself, and you..." 

Osomatsu blinked hard, only for some tears to escape and stream down his cheeks. "Y-You fucking...you hung yourself! On our bedroom ceiling, and when I got home I already knew it was too late, b-but....I g-got you d-down, a-and y-you just looked s-so lifeless and...shit..."

A sob ripped itself from Osomatsu's throat, and Choromatsu instantly went back to rubbing his back as he broke down.

"Osomatsu...Osomatsu-niisan, it's okay," he cooed as his oldest brother clung to him. Out of all of his nightmares that Choromatsu knew about, none of them were this dark. "None of that's going to happen, niisan, I promise. None of us are going to hurt or kill ourselves. It's all in your head, Oso. None of that will happen. I won't let it. Okay?" 

The most Osomatsu could do was nod weakly as he continued to sob while trying to get ahold of himself. 

A little while passed, and Osomatsu's sobs dissolved into small sniffles. 

"....Hey, Choro?" he asked after a moment's hesitance, snuggling closer to him. 

"Hm?" Choromatsu replied, hand having moved from his back to running his fingers through Osomatsu's slightly greasy locks. 

"You'd tell Onii-chan if you were depressed or something, right?" 

There was a slight pause in the caressing of his hair and hitch in Choro's breath, but Osomatsu was far too tired to notice. 

"Of course, Oso." Choromatsu answered, and before anything else could be said he added, "Get some rest. We'll sleep out here tonight." 

Osomatsu only replied by yawning sleepily, squeezing Choromatsu's torso slightly tighter and pressing his face to the third eldest's chest before his eyes drooped and finally shut, drifting off into a restless slumber. 

[moonlightwinterdxxix]

Lullabies of the Eldest Brother

An Osomatsu-san/kun 2020 birthday special, inspired by Takahiro Sakurai’s (Osomatsu’s VA) renditions of ‘Lalalu’ and ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’. You can find the covers on Youtube. 

--- --- ---

At a young age, Karamatsu Matsuno had learned the art of theatre, and it was common to overhear him singing around the house when he was alone. Might one of his brothers be playing with some toys, having a game of baseball, or snacking on something without Matsuyo’s knowledge, once Karamatsu enters his mood, everyone would have a chance to hear him from wherever room he was in. And due to his status as a theatre kid, it became automatic that the vocals drifting in the wind had a pleasant quality, a peaceful tonality, and a kind aura that served as some sort of gentle lullaby.

And that made the sextuplets happy to call him their brother.

But there was more in the intentions of his older brother Osomatsu.

Unlike Karamatsu who had his entire objectives set on presenting a captivating performance for the school play, Osomatsu had secretly tried testing his singing voice in the toilet, where his voice could perfectly bounce off the walls, and where he would have privacy, absent from the plausible laughter he was going to receive at his off-notes and fault-of-puberty voice cracks from his brothers. But Karamatsu’s influence had flooded inside him, and it came with being a child, to want to be more, to want having competition with his brothers to prove that he earned the position of eldest. And how was he supposed to do that, when he was the one who couldn’t sing?

He began his practices silently, almost whispering the words of the songs he had become familiar with when Karamatsu belted them out. And as he whispered the words to himself, he always had a reason to flush in humiliation, almost cry, for how stupid he was, to get so many notes wrong even if he was muttering. It was to the point that he was almost cursing himself for being an untalented brat, too focused on causing havoc for their parents and Iyami and Chibita.

But as the days and nights went on, Osomatsu slowly found himself improving, his notes reaching their proper octaves, his voice less quivery than when he began. He imagined the sound emitted once a finger presses on the keys of a piano, when guitar strings are strummed, and tried to let the beat of it take his singing to where it needed to go as he tapped his hand over his baby-blue pants.

In the quiet of the toilet, he would face the mirror, watch how his expression followed the words of the songs. Karamatsu, a master of acting at ten-years old, was familiar with all the expressions needed to form realistic dramatizations, things Osomatsu barely knew. But for a beginner, a self-taught one, all he did was picture that the face staring back at him was Karamatsu’s, and that wasn’t too difficult for him. He tried recreating Karamatsu for the actions he had when he was on stage, getting into the character before breaking out into the most believable dialogue one could imagine. But Osomatsu didn’t have that skill set.

He stuck with singing.

And kept getting better. More confidence seeped into him the more he let his voice echo in the four corners of the bathroom, growing louder and louder and stronger and stronger until he was certain that he wouldn’t let his parents down anymore with another C-. He found his singing prowess increasing with each stanza he sung, the chords audible in his voice, and the acapella satisfying enough that he had to shout out happily with a fist in the air when he finished singing. Jyushimatsu had shouted for him to quiet down from the opposite side of the house. Would he have said the same if he heard what Osomatsu had been doing prior?

Probably not, and Jyushimatsu definitely didn’t say anything when Osomatsu first showed what he had learned when they had music class again. One by one, the students were tasked to sing the national anthem by group. For this, the sextuplets were intentionally split apart, so it gave Osomatsu that golden opportunity to watch their faces when he first presented his practices. And it was worth it, as when his portion for their group’s rendition came, it took all his effort not to laugh, especially at Choromatsu, who had the face saying, We’re a team, we tell each other everything. Why didn’t you tell me that you can sing so well?

He didn’t. That day, Osomatsu had surprised himself as well. It was the first time that he had heard himself in this specific volume, dominating over the nervous energy he was releasing before they presented. When they were done, his group along with the group containing Karamatsu got the highest scores, stunning the remaining four of the sextuplets until they were repeatedly bugging Osomatsu during the entirety of their lunch break, including Jyushimatsu.

After that, Karamatsu had requested that Osomatsu help him while he practiced some of the songs required for the musical. Brightly, Osomatsu obliged, and the two of them would spend hours in the shared bedroom running through the lines of the second-born, Osomatsu reading through the dialogues and lyrics in the script for Karamatsu to bounce back from. At the end of one of their sessions, Karamatsu had wiped his sweaty forehead saying, “Wow, Osomatsu! When did you learn to sing like that? Maybe I can learn some tips from you too!”

Osomatsu shrugged, flustered. “Oh, it’s nothing really. But thanks for the compliment. I appreciate it.”

“You know what’s better, Osomatsu?” Karamatsu reached into the back of his pants, maliciously pulling out their father’s phone from his back pocket. “I snagged this from Dad while he was snoozing in the living room. And these too.” From his pocket, he had pulled out a pair of earphones, familiar as Matsuyo uses them while washing their dishes. “How about we listen to the original movie renditions of the songs and try singing along to them? That way, it’s like practicing with the instruments. Then we can search-up a karaoke or instrumental version. Whaddaya think?”

“Yeah! Let’s do it!”

They would lock the door, ignore if Choromatsu, Todomatsu, or the others tried bothering them, and hum and sing along for another hour or longer. Then when their vocal chords are completely tired out, that was when they would go out with their respective pairs—Karamatsu with Todomatsu and Osomatsu with Choromatsu—to play games on the streets and bug their friends. This was how it was for a long time.

Then Karamatsu and Jyushimatsu had a fight. Ten years-old, but the shouting created between the two were like adults, and the sextuplets began taking sides on the matter as the argument grew and ripped them apart. Osomatsu remembered being in such a tight space, being forced by Choromatsu to take Jyushimatsu’s side even when he felt that it was Karamatsu who was right. Osomatsu’s action opened up a field of betrayal between the two oldest Matsuno brothers, resulting in the end of private toilet practices after that. It was terrible. Osomatsu and his brothers all reported to school without looking at one another, going off with whoever they wanted except each other. Choromatsu had been cheerful, saying to his oldest brother, “What’s wrong? It’s fine, you did the right choice.”

If that was the case, then how come Karamatsu had been so emotional during his rehearsal that day, when Osomatsu chose to sneak a peek at what was going on inside the Akatsuka Elementary School’s theatre room? It was as if his brokenness was real, that he really did have a shattered heart, and that he was at one of his lowest points. He was. Osomatsu had been a part of it, and he blamed himself for his childish stupidity and insensitivity.

They did reconcile, all of them, but Osomatsu no longer had the heart to walk up to Karamatsu with a cheery “Let’s practice your lines together” smile. They became close again, but he never tried, never even attempted to. And it wasn’t because he was too used to the songs and had grown bored of them, but because he felt that there was a permanent tear through his relationship with Karamatsu, and to him, travelling close to that rip did nothing but open up sealed wounds. He didn’t want to risk that happening.

He didn’t try singing with Karamatsu again after that.

But he had been very happy when the day of the presentation came. Often enough, he and Choromatsu had to scold Ichimatsu and Todomatsu each time they stood up to play I-Spy on the stage, but it was a mirthful little thing that lit sparks up in Osomatsu’s heart. When Karamatsu finished the play with their schoolmates, the entire theatre was on its feet to applaud them, others tossing flowers onto the stage. It didn’t take long until they realized that Todomatsu was no longer next to them, as he had run off towards the stage enveloping Karamatsu in a huge hug when they were under the shades of the red curtains. The celebrations that night were memorable, and the sextuplets were at their best again after what seemed like ages.

Osomatsu still didn’t sing.

Until one night.

It was just after a few months had passed. And that night, it was a stormy night. The rain pummeled down on the roof of the Matsuno household like a billion furious drums, thunder rumbled in the distance like a demon that had broken out from centuries locked in chains. Lightning flashed the room from its blue and black hues into blinding whites, setting off the impression that the house was struck somewhere and a fire was to begin in any second. And the clattering of the wind against metal, it was disturbing. Terrifying. Like a hundred footsteps of ruthless burglars against the shingles of their roof, like ghostly duplicates of a specific lodger hiding before jumping out of the shadows to send a stab to their chests. It was that kind of night, haunting and loud, full of all the noises one could imagine in a nightmare.

And that night, Karamatsu was sick. It was good for them that the presentation was already concluded when this happened, for his hoarse throat stopped him from singing and speaking for a long time. His nose was runny, his face was pale, and he was coming down with a slight fever. Matsuyo and Matsuzo had as one decided to make him stay in bed that day, even when he wanted out to play alongside his brothers. Todomatsu suggested staying with him, but their parents couldn’t let him get Karamatsu’s sickness. They kept the other boys out of the room the entire time.

On the other hand, Osomatsu had been tired that day. He had a long round of baseball, having scored several home runs out of his successful bats. He was lucky, for sure, having the pride to mock and tease his brothers each time his team won a round. It was supposedly the older three against the younger three brothers, but since Karamatsu was absent, then the stakes for winning by the elder two weren’t supposed to be so high. But they won, multiple times, so Ichimatsu, Jyushimatsu, and Todomatsu weren’t so happy about that. But either way, Osomatsu got tired after the entire afternoon of intense physical activity, and was ready to end his day with a bang, prepared to collapse on his futon and have a long night of pleasant dreams filled with Totoko and himself.

But then there was a bang. Cruel thunder like the demon unleashed. Then it was lightning striking against something in the distance, somewhere in Akatsuka Ward, and the commotion of its screeching and the light bouncing in reply resulted in a horrified, shriek from Todomatsu. The youngest was against the wall in a cower when Osomatsu and the rest got up, partly startled but mostly concerned for the youngest of their family.

“Todomatsu!” Of course, it was Karamatsu to first have a vocal reaction as he got up from his futon and went straight to his trembling youngest brother. Sickness wasn’t going to stop him if one of his siblings weren’t in high spirits—it wasn’t part of his character. “It was just the lightning. Don’t be scared, we’re all okay.” He coughed a bit before he continued. “You’ll be fine. C’mon, lie down. Just close your eyes. Picture your happy place.”

Todomatsu shook his head, which had his hands plastered over either side of his ears. His lips shook, his body hunched, and he buried his head between his knees, drawn up to his chin. “I can’t…! It’s so loud and scary…! And the dark’s just horrifying...! Wh-What if the lightning reaches me? I don’t want to die!” His voice was quivering, thick with upcoming tears.

“You can’t die!” Ichimatsu supplied, more puzzled than concerned at this point. “It’s me and Choromatsu closest to the window, so if anyone’s dying first it’d be us, right?”

Everyone else turned towards Ichimatsu, unamused. At first Ichimatsu looked dubious as to why they were staring at him that way, but he quickly got the gist of it the moment Todomatsu began to cry. It accompanied the rain outside, added sound to what would’ve been a quiet room, and butchered the mood until it was everything but peasant. It wasn’t a good sign when Todomatsu was crying.

No matter the seconds separating their age gap, the youngest still had the tendency to scare himself the most, easily crying over spilled ice cream, or when he gets scolded by their parents. And to Todomatsu, that was something he felt embarrassed about. He was ashamed of that part of himself, his ‘inability to grow up’, in his own words. How much of a child he could still be behind the scenes, even when he was almost as much as a copy of his older brothers. Osomatsu had heard Todomatsu mention so once, when the youngest boy had involved himself in a little quarrel with Ichimatsu and was muttering alone in their room.

And his shame was visible tonight like in the other nights as he tried to turn away from them, his hands swiping aggressively at his eyes, but his wet hiccups proving otherwise. Ichimatsu was sent a glare by Jyushimatsu as Karamatsu sighed, trying his best with soothing words to calm their little brother down, having a hard time doing it without touching him. But as the sound of the rain strengthened and the ticks of the clock resumed, it was obvious that Karamatsu wasn’t going to be successful anytime soon, especially not when the thunder resumed its rumbling and the lightning continued its strikes.

Thunder crashed. Todomatsu flinched, ducking his head between his knees as his sobs tore out, a wailing sound that broke their hearts. But nobody had the strength to move, not when they weren’t sure what to do in that type of situation. None of the Matsunos were particularly good in offering comfort, and with Karamatsu himself trying his best, there was nothing the others could do.

“Oh, Todomatsu,” Karamatsu sighed, slumping down on his knees. He so desperately wanted to reach out his hands to run them through Todomatsu’s hair, but his illness told him to do otherwise. It was obvious how hard Karamatsu was trying to restrain himself. “I wish I could hug you. I want to sing you a lullaby if I could, but…” He broke into a coughing fit, and he turned his head away, coughing into a fist. He didn’t need to finish his sentence after that.

Choromatsu blew out a breath, taking his blanket off him. The light of the outside cast his shoulders and hair-tips in white light. “How about you come here? Maybe I can help you, rock you or something.” He sounded hesitant, but it was better he spoke up than no one else offering anything.

Todomatsu sniffed, taking the idea into consideration. He managed to get on his knees, moving forward on them and passing Karamatsu, when thunder and lightning made another massive collaboration. Todomatsu screamed yet again before burying his face into the chest closest to him: Osomatsu. Osomatsu immediately felt his body rattling where Todomatsu was pressed against it, felt the little one’s tears soaking his clothes as his terrified sobs filled the room. And as thunder moaned again, Todomatsu’s grip went tighter, more firm, but at the same time unstable. Fearful.

Osomatsu went still, completely caught off-guard by the sudden attention sent to him. He might be the oldest, but he was also almost the biggest troublemaker. If any one of them were to be able to offer the least effort in calming their little brother, it would be him. But the situation all came down to this, to Todomatsu’s initial reaction to grab onto the oldest, wishing for someone to hold on to in the midst of terror.

Awkwardly, Osomatsu wrapped his arms around Todomatsu’s body, one almost completely like his, from its structure, to the genes making it, to the blood flowing under its skin. It racked, throbbed under his stable arms, and it was as if they weren’t sextuplets anymore. To Osomatsu, it was like being an older brother to a baby, so horrified by everything that it couldn’t do anything but call for someone to grasp. Someone they respected, and someone that they know will save them from their agony. Osomatsu was that in this moment, youth clinging onto him so tightly, and his instincts kicked in, like they should.

He did what Karamatsu can’t do, running his fingers through Todomatsu’s hair, matted with sweat despite the cool temperature inside the room. Todomatsu tensed at the action, relaxing slightly in Osomatsu’s grip, his fingers losing their weight against his sleeves. His sobbing subsided until they were whimpers, and the heaviness pressed against Osomatsu’s chest decreased as Todomatsu pulled away ever-so-slightly, his wet cheek the only thing now against Osomatsu’s heartbeat.

No one else spoke, only watched the oldest and youngest in silence.

Thunder and lightning sounded.

Todomatsu’s fingers curled.

“Nope, that’s not necessary,” Osomatsu soothed, lightly resting the bridge of his nose to Todomatsu’s hairline. “Onii’s got you. Don’t be afraid. As long as we’re together, there’s nothing that can take us alive.” He adjusted his position so that both of them could be more comfortable, and like Choromatsu mentioned, began rocking. Back and forth. Slowly.

With a light chuckle, Osomatsu said, “Wow. This feels nice. I know we’re too old for this stuff, but don’t you like this? It makes me all warm and fuzzy, it’s like the bad things are going away.”

Todomatsu’s voice was breathy. “I think s-so. “B-But I still hear the rain, a-and it sounds so—”

“Shh…” Osomatsu adjusted Todomatsu’s head against his chest, where his heart thumped in a steady rhythm, a slow lullaby. Then not knowing what had come over him or how the inspiration reached his mind, Osomatsu hummed quietly, trying not to let the other hear the melody Karamatsu had been so busy perfecting over the last few months in preparation for his play. He still wasn’t compelled to sing, but the humming was working rather splendidly, calming the hitches of the sixth son, and the harshness that whitened his knuckles.

And Osomatsu felt the familiarity of the song overwhelm him, an old longing he had not so long ago, and a wave of nostalgia washing over him at the tune he was oh so familiar with. He didn’t even know he had developed such a connection to it until he was hearing it again, the melody diminishing as well the fight with Karamatsu that had halted his love for musicality in the first place. The melody came out, brushing against Todomatsu’s ears, and for Osomatsu, he felt so much older. He couldn’t say why, but maybe it was because this moment treated Todomatsu like he was so much younger.

When Osomatsu was at the chorus of the song, Todomatsu looked up, eyes watery but expectant. “Can you sing the song, Osomatsu?” he requested.

“Hm?” Osomatsu laughed lightheartedly. “I’m humming for you, aren’t I?”

Todomatsu shook his head. “No, Osomatsu. Sing. Like, actually sing the song with words instead of humming it.” More thunder, and Todomatsu gripped his shirt harder again.

But Osomatsu’s cheeks colored in surprise, completely appalled by the suggestion. “Eh? No-no-no, I can’t do that. I barely know the words of it, a-and it’s Karamatsu that’s—”

“You know the words—what are you talking about?” Karamatsu interrupted, a smile spreading over his pale face. Apparently he had heard it, as well as Osomatsu’s feeble attempt at a lie. “And I’m sick. I need a substitute, and who could do that better than everyone’s Onii-chan?”

Osomatsu shook his head. He didn’t want to, and it was getting harder to grasp that this was the situation that was happening. What was so wrong about wanting to get some sleep after a long day of baseball? “I can’t, I really can’t. C’mon, guys. We all know that.”

“Can I hear it too?” Jyushimatsu asked, coming closer to them with Ichimatsu and Choromatsu, the former fascinated and the latter intrigued. Soon everyone was surrounding Osomatsu and Todomatsu, leaning around in a circle in anticipation to hear the first-born sing a song to drown out the storm. “Please, Osomatsu?” Jyushimatsu begged.

“Yeah, just one night!” Ichimatsu added.

“Then we won’t bug you to do it again,” Choromatsu supplied.

“Just this once. Please, Osomatsu-niisan?” Todomatsu finished.

Osomatsu took a moment to decide. The guilt trapped inside him wasn’t a comfortable feeling, but he remained uncertain if letting it out was the best way to get rid of it. Let it out in a sense that what gave him guilt was brought forth for them to remember, for them to recall the rift that had ruined part of their relationship as brothers. For the longest time, it was what Osomatsu didn’t want to happen, but this moment here, with five pairs of eyes like his looking at him with the same levels of expectancy, it was difficult to say no. And with even Karamatsu there, a second-oldest waiting for the lullaby of his only older brother…

What to do?

Osomatsu flushed again, hoping the darkness hid it well. He leaned forward, almost cloaking his face behind Todomatsu’s hair, and Osomatsu was almost a breath away from Todomatsu’s ear. Then aware again that there were four more heads lingering, Osomatsu straightened up as best as he could again, lowering his gaze into Todomatsu’s hands, firm against his arms. Osomatsu signed. Both shame and shyness darted back and forth inside him like a stray ping-pong ball, but Osomatsu tried to ignore it as he let a whisper of the song pass through his partially-parted lips.

“La-la-lu, la-la-lu, oh, my little star-sweeper~”

Todomatsu’s lips slightly curled up, and he pressed his head gently over Osomatsu’s collarbone. Tear tracks remained plastered on his cheeks, but it was obvious that none were to be coming out again any soon. And as Todomatsu relaxed, so did the others. Ichimatsu crept closer, nestling his head on Osomatsu’s thigh and shutting his eyes as Jyushimatsu followed, resting his chin over Ichimatsu’s shoulder. Choromatsu went to the other side of them, lowering his head onto Todomatsu’s arm as softly as he could. And Osomatsu stiffened at the unexpected bundle of his brothers surrounding him that his singing stopped.

Karamatsu smirked at him. “Why are you stopping? They obviously want you to continue.”

Osomatsu looked down at them, at the peaceful boys so free from the terror of the storm, only because of the coziness that escaped from the protection of their oldest brother. Maybe he should, he decided, if he wanted them to remain in this state as the horror of the weather continued its rampage towards those who lacked the walls of solace that Osomatsu gave them. And this was perhaps, the way that his guilt could leave them alone, by getting over it and moving on, using it as a way to step further from the past.

That might be it. So as Osomatsu smiled back at Karamatsu, he used a free arm to reach out towards a blanket, pulling it over Ichimatsu and Jyushimatsu as the two waited again with soft smiles and closed eyes. Osomatsu opened his mouth again:

“La-la-lu, la-la-lu, oh my little star sweeper, I’ll sweep the stardust for you~ La-la-lu, la-la-lu, little soft fluffy sleeper, Here comes a pink cloud for you~”

As Osomatsu hummed, Karamatsu began moving, grabbing another blanket and draping it over Choromatsu and Todomatsu before pulling out another one for himself as he positioned his head by Choromatsu’s hips. He put his arms together, trying not to touch them, still cautious with his light fever. Then he closed his eyes too, as eager as the rest to hear Osomatsu sing them their lullaby and close out the terrors of the storm.

And to this, Osomatsu obliged, his lost confidence coming back, and he smiled softly as he rubbed the heads of his little brothers one by one, singing.

“La-la-lu, la-la-lu, little wandering angel, Fold up your wings, close your eyes~ La-la-lu, la-la-lu, and may love be your keeper, La-la-lu, la-la-lu, la-la-lu~”

Later, Matsuyo and Matsuzo had to help get all the boys back to their respective futons and assist Osomatsu after his entire body went numb. But to Osomatsu, it was all worth it.

--- --- ---

“Oi, Ichimatsu, this is all your fault!”

“HUH?!!”

“You’re the one who volunteered to babysit this stupid baby!”

“SO?! I didn’t know the cons in doing it would be so hard, Fappymatsu!”

“Well look at where we are now!”

Even if he wasn’t Ichimatsu, Osomatsu looked. And on a normal day of their NEET life, he would have laughed because of how common and uncommon it was at the same time. Common, in the sense that their room was a complete mess, and uncommon in the sense that it was baby food, diapers, powder, and more coating every inch of the area. Their couch was an indescribable mangle of mysterious yellows and browns that were certainly meant for a restroom. The bookshelf was dusty with baby powder, covering up almost all the books there that they were all lookalikes. And the floor…The floor wasn’t pleasant either.

Who knew how much of incompetent NEETs they were, to be so quick to ruin the day. Babysitting isn’t exactly a difficult thing if you knew what to do, but for the sextuplets, they were clearly oblivious. But it wasn’t exactly Ichimatsu to blame for the scenario either. He did bring in the suggestion to look after the child for a couple that he had befriended over Christmas, but it was the fault for everyone else for taking on the challenge. Osomatsu knew up the bat that it wasn’t going to end well, so he excluded himself from the discussion and went straight to the horse races while they decided on it.

He wasn’t surprised upon arriving home that late afternoon.

It wasn’t even an ugly baby. Its face had the features of both its parents, with its starting hair strands the color of its mother’s hair, and eyes the same brown color as its father. And its top was a nice, Celeste hue. But none of that seemed to be applicable in terms of cuteness, not as its presence itself drove the last five members of the Matsuno household crazy.

And as his brothers strangled each other, obviously players in the blame game, Osomatsu had chosen to isolate himself from them on the roof with a very immature and inappropriate manga. He found his nose bleeding multiple times as pictures showed a bit more than an average lady in a bikini, and Osomatsu wished to identify Totoko with a pair of magnifying glasses in order to take a peek at her if she had an open window at the ready. Too bad they weren’t equipped with such an expensive item.

It wasn’t until a few minutes later did he find the urge to return inside the room, finding the baby pulling out Karamatsu’s hair and the others trying to stop him from doing so, except Ichimatsu who had Todomatsu’s phone and was busy snapping pictures of it. Karamatsu looked exactly like a rope would at a tug of war, the only difference that he was a human and that the opposing team had only one player: Todomatsu at his feet. Choromatsu and Jyushimatsu were too concerned about removing the baby from the blue-clothed boy’s hair.

Osomatsu stood watch for more than a few seconds when he approached, having enough of hearing his brother’s agonized wailing. He had stepped in front of them when Todomatsu said, “We’ve got it, Osomatsu-niisan. You don’t need to help.” He exhaled, pulling harder, and Karamatsu began screaming again.

“OW-OW-OW-OW—TODOMATSU!!!”

“NIISAN!!!” Jyushimatsu cried, pulling harder.

“I think help’s all you need,” Osomatsu commented, pointing. Karamatsu’s scalp didn’t look like it was going to last long. For a baby, this one was pretty strong. How his little hands could remain attached for so long with three people trying to stop him was another miracle of living in Akatsuka Ward.

“We’re fine. Don’t do anything stupid,” Choromatsu had added, backing Todomatsu up. But as they heaved harder, Todomatsu’s grip on Karamatsu’s feet slipped, and Karamatsu’s sock sailed off to the other side of the room as everyone buckled down. The baby let go of Karamatsu’s head, and was now safe in Jyushimatsu’s hands as Karamatsu lurched forward, massaging his head. His hair was as messy as Ichimatsu’s.

And speaking of Ichimatsu, Ichimatsu said, “If only we could post this on the internet…” He snickered maniacally, like the villain that he was.

Osomatsu chuckled himself, sticking his hands in the pocket of his red hoodie as he browsed over the mess he called his brothers in front of him. “Look at you, so pathetic. What even made you think you can handle taking care of a baby?”

Choromatsu huffed. “We want to get paid, Osomatsu-niisan. And once we’re done with this, none of the payment will be split for you. You haven’t done anything since you got here.”

Slyly, Osomatsu shrugged. “Eh. I kinda thought I wasn’t pleasant company. I didn’t think it really mattered.”

“Yeah,” Todomatsu agreed, surprising Osomatsu. “Has he even touched a baby before? I’d think all the babies he’s ever touched just cried upon contact.”

“Hey! He hasn’t seemed to have smiled at all either,” Osomatsu said, looking at the baby. It was sucking up its thumb, eyes pinned on Karamatsu as he fixed his hair in front of a hand mirror. The baby wasn’t smiling in the slightest, merely fixated on whatever kind of madness it would’ve cursed them with might he managed to hold onto Karamatsu a little longer. “Now that you mention it, I don’t think I’ve seen him smile or laugh the whole time I was here too. What have you even done with him already?”

“We’ve fed him!” Jyushimatsu brightly answered, sitting up as he held the baby in his arms. He bounced the baby, but it didn’t emit the usual reaction one would have when Jyushimatsu held it. And that on its own was a very odd thing. “But that didn’t end so well. We gave him milk, but that didn’t go so well either. We tried changing his diapers, but—”

“Let me guess—it didn’t go too well too,” Osomatsu guessed, smirking in derision.

Karamatsu snapped his fingers before sending them towards Osomatsu’s direction as a finger-gun. “Bingo.”

“Then what would you tell his parents?” Osomatsu asked, putting his weight on his left leg as he tilted his head curiously. “And how would you explain the mess of our room? If they see this, then I don’t think you guys will earn anything too high from them. You’d still be as poor as me when it comes to the greens of our wallets.” He had lost quite the amount today at the tracks, but if his brothers messed-up this process, there was no doubt that the money they would get to what was left of his wouldn’t even be doubled. “Want some help? I could grab ya’ll something from the shop. Maybe more milk.”

Choromatsu turned red. “We don’t have money to buy milk,” he admitted sourly.

Osomatsu laughed, the only one with the ability to do so, when Jyushimatsu began having trouble as the baby began climbing up his arm. “Then I guess you should start by giving him something to play with,” Osomatsu said. “If he likes Karamatsu’s hair so much, you should give him a wig or something. You’ve got one, don’t you, Totty? You used it to dress up like a chick once, when we needed to audition in order for you to invite us to the mixer. Just give that to the baby so you can start cleaning up or whatever.”

“Are you serious? Ugh, I’m not giving away that wig,” Todomatsu grouched, cringing. “Do you have any idea how much that costed? Besides, as if I’d give away something as special like that for the sake of a dumb baby’s entertainment.” He shot the child a sharp glare, as piercing as an arsenal of knives.

Osomatsu scratched his head. “You don’t even use that thing anymore,” he said.

“I don’t care.”

“Then what about its diapers?” Osomatsu gestured to the baby, which wasn’t wearing any, and was a bit too exposed than needed. It was a miracle Jyushimatsu’s long sleeves were still clean, unlike Karamatsu’s, whose arms were literally messed with what Osomatsu didn’t want to mention. He cringed greatly just at the sight of it, and he pitied his brothers for their unfortunate luck. “Don’t you think you can get him still enough for one of you to slip those on him? There are freaking five of you, come on.”

“As if I’m touching his ass,” Todomatsu growled, crossing his arms. “And there’s no way anyone would persuade me to hold on to him for even a second. Just imagining holding the arm of a farting toddler while my brother changes his diapers… Shoot! That’s sickening, holy jeez!” He turned away, making a belting sound that was too close to what might’ve been actual vomiting.

Osomatsu rubbed his nose, getting peeved. “Then what about his food? Or his milk? Ichimatsu, surely his parents gave you something to feed him, right? And gave you instructions on how to sit him straight on a baby chair, or even the dining table! Didn’t you do the choo-choo train with him? I’m sure that usually works with kids.”

“Choo-choo train?” Ichimatsu looked down, thinking. “Ah, sorry. I think I got too distracted thinking about getting hit by one than using it as a method for feeding him. My bad.”

Exasperated, Osomatsu’s head dropped. “Cod, you’ve got to be joking—you guys! It’s a baby! Why are you all having such a hard time with him? There are five of you, one of him, and you’re all seven times his size! If you wanted, I might offer you a little assistance if you wanted—”

“It’s fine, Osomatsu,” Karamatsu said, standing up and putting down the mirror. He looked better, at least, though his hair was still pretty matted. “We’ve got this under control. If you want to do something else, then we would be glad if you did so. You do not have to bother yourself with the complications we have given ourselves. Please. If you want to resume reading your manga, or decide to visit Pachinko, then you may. We’d be glad to let you go and release you from any sort of struggle we have plagued ourselves with.”

Osomatsu snorted. “I love how you call the baby a ‘complication’ and a ‘struggle’.” He sighed, walking over to the couch to take a seat on it, but thought otherwise upon seeing something yellow staining it. And its scent wasn’t at all nice, the aroma a sickening thing that made Osomatsu want to throw up. He turned back to his brothers. “Are you sure you don’t want any help? Because, what if that’s what I wanted to do? What if I wanted to help you? Would you let me do that?”

“You really don’t have to, niisan,” Jyushimatsu said, but it was a mystery if he meant it. The baby was at his back now, with one of his legs hooked around Jyushimatsu’s armpit to keep him from falling. Jyushimatsu was having a hard time maintaining his balance, but tried his best before the baby could fall. He had an arm stretched out behind him, serving as some kind of catcher. But with the way the baby was interested in studying the back of Jyushimatsu’s shorts, it was going to be a while before that outstretched arm was to be useful.

“Look at him.” Osomatsu gestured to Jyushimatsu and the baby. “He’s troubling himself. At least let me get it off him and set it down on a chair.”

It was Choromatsu’s turn to snort, but it was sarcastic and humorless. “As if. I don’t think you’ll be much help in this, Osomatsu-niisan. You’d scream like a girl once it bites your fingers.”

“Yeah. And knowing you, you might just make it worse,” Todomatsu agreed, bobbing his head.

Osomatsu spread out his hands. “How would I make it worse? You literally have pee and poop on the couch! Do you think I’m that much of a black cat to ruin it more?! What, am I some sort of psychopath that would crash all your plans?!”

“You could be,” Ichimatsu replied.

He sighed. He should have expected this, like normal. “Well fine. Be that way.” Osomatsu faced away, going over to the manga he had set down on their windowsill. “I’ll be on the roof. Don’t call me if you need anything, since you’re all so good already.”

He went straight and climbed out of the window, going directly to the roof and settling himself there. He didn’t hear when Jyushimatsu attempted to call out for him, only hearing the wind as it struck against his face. He felt the sensation of upcoming rain, based on the temperature and the grayness of the sky. Such a shame that it diminished what might’ve been a beautiful dusk, but this wasn’t bad. And it was a good idea to read here in peace while that wasn’t the case yet.

He opened his manga, began browsing through the right-to-left frames on the page, ignoring the constant yelling coming from his room, and the occasional shatter of glass. He kept reading in the lovely, chill air of the weather, his mind filling with images of bedroom scenes with tongues sliding too aggressively. Osomatsu grinned, savoring the inappropriate scenes with each page he flipped to, until he was completely distracted from the randomness escalating from the bedroom. He lived his seconds here on the roof, doing what he wanted, not wanting to worry about his NEETy baby brothers and their brimming pride.

Minutes passed, then an hour. Osomatsu felt incredibly relaxed, and he came to think why he didn’t do this activity very often. It had to be a result of the weather, he thought, since a cool temperature acted well enough as some sort of variable to improve his entity. He liked how the wind seeped into his sleeves, ruffled his hair, and kissed the skin slightly peeking out from between his pants and his socks. He enjoyed not having to worry about his debts, the money he had lost, and the responsibilities he assigned to himself as their big brother. The time he spent on this roof with that peace was extraordinary, and it was difficult imagining a life without it.

But at some point, the beginning stages of a downpour began, and tiny drops of rain pelted against his head, rolling down his face until the realization of the starting drizzle hit him. He looked up from the novel, watching the silver skies above him with its thin streaks of the rain, coming down slowly over the rooftops of a few of Akatsuka Ward’s buildings. It was nice, Osomatsu thought, to see a place under the mists of the sprinkle, bathing in a gentle stroke before it turned into a full-on shower. And it was fun to get drenched, Osomatsu thoughtfully added.

He pulled on his hoodie and slipped the manga inside it until it was hidden from the rain. And just in time too, as the redness of his top went redder as it was splotched with small circles. Osomatsu felt the droplets ooze through the cloth, dampening his skin underneath, and it tickled him, causing a cute smile to spread over his face. He inclined his head up as he let more drops of the rain smack against his face, some catching in his hair, and onto his legs, spread out in front of him as he pressed his palms behind him. It was nice.

And for a while, this was how it was for him, the rain acting as his playmate, and him acting as its playmate. He chuckled on his own as he let the waters of the sky slip over him like a child bathing in the rain. And he could even say he was a child, one in the body of a man. But that was what a basic description for a NEET was, wasn’t it? Being an irresponsible loser that society treated as nothing? Yeah. And he carried the title with pride.

But it was a depressing thought to imagine that the last time he had sat on this roof, he carried anything but pride. It had been dusk as well, but that time the world was colored with red and orange instead of the grays surrounding him now. And in that lone moment, he didn’t have to be alone on the roof, for the house itself had been void of the tomfoolery of his brothers. He remembered the blankness that had been his life as he slowly watched them leave, a curse bestowed on the first-born. And in the bedroom window, all he saw was the moon against the blue, just as lonely as he was.

Nah, now wasn’t the time to think about that depressing junk. It was raining and he was in his freedom! Osomatsu let himself laugh, shuddering at the wet drops that prickled against his skin, stuck to his clothes.

The rain strengthened, and Osomatsu lifted his hood. He could feel his marginally-wet hair pasted on his forehead, but he ignored it as he continued watching over Akatsuka Ward’s streets. The mist was thickening. Thunder began sounding, discreetly in the distance. And people began rushing about, briefcases rising to their heads as they darted around in search for vehicles or shelters that would shield them from the rain. Yet here Osomatsu was, absorbing the playful splatter of it.

Then he saw it. At the street was a rushing woman, carrying in her arms a little boy, no more than five years old. Without an umbrella. The child was getting wet, the mother was drenched, but she kept looking around, desperately trying to find the best place for them before either of them got too wet, or even worse, sick. She proceeded under the shade of a closed, little parlor, where she bounced the child on her arms in an attempt to remind him that she was there, and they were safe.

Osomatsu watched them pensively.

The mother shushed the little boy, because that’s what it looked like she did. Then she leaned him closer to her lips, and she pecked his cheek. The boy laughed, chuckling at the sign of affection, and the mother laughed along with him before cradling him to her chest. She swayed softly, and if Osomatsu was sure of what he was seeing, she began singing to him. It wouldn’t have worked, not when the sound of rain crashing against the sidewalk deafened the sound of everything else. But it seemed to work as the boy slumped in her arms, his face at the crook of her neck, finding slumber through their previous difficulty.

Heh. If only his brothers could do the same.

“Stupid, Karamatsu-niisan, get him to stop!”

“I’m trying!”

Ah, speaking of his brothers, they still weren’t through. And Osomatsu wasn’t in his mood to assist them. But even if he wanted to keep out of their problems…The downpour was getting stronger, his clothes were getting darker, and his hair was getting heavier. With a sigh, Osomatsu brought himself up from the roof and crawled back towards the window, where the scent of poop drifted heavily in the air. He flinched, coughing in repugnance, and Osomatsu dropped off his manga at the one corner of the room that didn’t seem affected by powder of baby food. He raised an unamused brow seeing his brothers’ states.

Karamatsu’s clothes were definitely peed on, and his face was covered with baby food. Choromatsu’s was the same, except it was food that coated his clothes instead of Karamatsu’s calamity. Todomatsu had rubber gloves on both hands, a hygiene mask he might’ve borrowed from Ichimatsu, and his old Sutabaa apron on, which was covered with all things baby-related save for the toilet stuff. And Jyushimatsu was trying to get closer to the baby which lay on the couch, his clothes completely stained that it was hard to tell that he was wearing yellow.

And the baby...its crying and continuous kicking drew him back, he looking like he had no idea what to do. Its arms waved frantically and harshly, and it was like getting hit by them might result in an unexpected fracture. So as much as Jyushimatsu strived to help him, the baby’s deranged movements stopped him from doing so. At least the baby had diapers on now, that was a relief.

Unimpressed, Osomatsu lowered his hood, saying, “What’s the update?”

“It won’t stop crying,” Choromatsu reported, not bothering to look at Osomatsu as he said it. “And unsurprisingly, Karamatsu’s lullabies can’t help him in the slightest.”

“What do you mean ‘unsurprisingly’?” Karamatsu croaked, hurt.

Still uninterested, Osomatsu looked around. “Where’s Ichimatsu?”

“Calling its parents,” Todomatsu answered, voice muffled by the mask. “I dunno how much he’s telling them, but I hope he doesn’t make us look bad.” He shrugged. “Well, it was his idea. Maybe he wouldn’t. And he’s just as much as a liar as the rest of us, so we’ll be totally fine.” He angled his eyes at Osomatsu. “What’s with you? You’re all wet.”

Osomatsu grinned wolfishly. “The weather’s nice out. That’s what happens when you aren’t stuck babysitting for someone.” A minute or so passed like this, with the baby continuously crying, with Jyushimatsu trying (unsuccessfully) to calm him down, and all the others standing to watch. The sound of its wailing corrupted the air, interrupting the drops outside, and with that, Osomatsu’s sanity. His brothers were enough to ruin his day, but for that to be worsened by their inabilities just through everything off the rail. This needed to stop. Now.

At long last, Osomatsu gritted his teeth and walked towards the couch, towards Jyushimatsu and the baby. “Let me try. Move aside, Jyushimatsu.”

Todomatsu eyed him skeptically. “What are you doing? Trying to make him cry more?”

As Jyushimatsu stepped back, Osomatsu looked down at the baby, at the mess of limbs it was flailing as it wept and wept, high-pitched wailing tearing out of its tiny, little throat. But more than anything, Osomatsu studied its movements, and he found a solid way on how he could work his way around it. Plus the glittery blue handkerchief that it was lying on top off was certainly going to help Osomatsu pick it up easier.

To Todomatsu, he said, “No, trying to make him cry less,” then he swooped low and scooped the baby up by starting off with wide arms before his hands went to the center, meeting at the baby’s back behind the handkerchief. Osomatsu lifted the child from the sofa, but it still cried and wiggled, its movements supplying for the lack of weight it was in Osomatsu’s hold.

It flailed, tiny hands striking against Osomatsu’s jaw, kicks slamming against his shoulders—he hoped it had nothing to do with him being wet. Osomatsu stepped back flinching, but tried to maintain keeping the child in his arms the best way possible, finding the best way to hold him for both the comfort of the toddler and his own. He slid his hands underneath it, trying to use his arms in a way that they acted as a barrier, slightly knocking against the baby’s sides until it decided not to move as much anymore. He adjusted the handkerchief, overlapping its corners over the baby’s body, its celeste top. This helped trap the baby’s arms until it wasn’t flinging as much anymore.

Jyushimatsu breathed, “Niisan?”

Though the baby was no longer thrashing, it was still sobbing uncontrollably. Osomatsu bit his lip, imagining what the best move to make was. But recalling the mother he had seen earlier, he decided to begin swaying, humming lightly until the baby quieted down slightly, still sniffing and whimpering, but no longer filling the room with deafening howling.

Choromatsu sounded stunned. “How?”

“Shh…” Osomatsu didn’t know if that was meant for Choromatsu or the baby—probably both. Osomatsu stepped away from the couch, keeping his eyes on the whimpering child even when he was aware of his brothers trying to make eye contact with him. “Hello there,” Osomatsu soothed, lightly rubbing his thumb against the baby’s blanketed waits. “I dunno ‘bout the others, but Osomatsu’s got you. Are you hungry? Or do you want to play with someone’s hair?” He chuckled lightly before turning to his brothers. “What were you supposed to do?”

“Um…” Todomatsu brought out his phone and swiped on the screen after peeling off one of his gloves. “Oh, it’s his nap time. We were trying to make him sleep.”

Osomatsu dipped his chin. “I see.” I can’t believe you need to check your phone to remember what you were just doing. He brought his focus back on the small child, so petite and little that it was hard to imagine the fight he had put up against his brothers. “So you need to sleep now, don’t ya? Do you sleep in a cradle often? Or does mommy need to sway you in order for you to fall asleep?” When the baby didn’t change his motions, Osomatsu reached towards one of the strings of his hoodie and inserted it in between the fingers of the child. And he had to admit how surprised he was to see the size difference of his hand to this child’s. How very far it was.

The child slowed its crying, bringing its eyes to the string in its hand. It began tugging, at first startling Osomatsu, but he managed to harden himself enough as the baby continued pulling on the string with as much force as it could. It was making these confused, baby noises that they made when they discovered an interesting toy, unaware of how to use it, so they just kept touching it to figure it out. He had to admit that its innocence and lack of understanding was cute.

Osomatsu chuckled. “Like the string? It isn’t hair, but it’s soft and thin. W-Wait, don’t bite it. It’s dirty.” Osomatsu adjusted the string, pulling on it a bit from the baby’s mouth. It came out with tinges of saliva, but to his surprise, he didn’t recoil at the sight if it. “When you’re a big boy, I bet mommy and daddy would treat you to some spaghetti. They’re long and squiggly too, and you can eat them up. Won’t you like that?”

The baby looked up at him with its big, watery eyes. Osomatsu felt nostalgia coarse through him, but he shrugged it off as he walked them over to the window, at the rain sailing down from the sky. “Look at that, little guy. Know what that is? It’s called rain. Osomatsu loves the rain. It’s very cold and nice, perfect if you wanted to sleep.” He bobbed the baby. “At this time, some say that the moon could be up. But it’s hiding behind the clouds, see? And the stars are too. But I love the stars, you know why? They remind me of my brothers.”

Now he wanted to slap himself for his big mouth, for his unexpected slip, and for his lack of awareness. He was certain that he was being watched so closely now, his movements being studied, and it made him tense as he refused looking behind him.

“Bu…”  

Osomatsu looked down at the baby, its tiny voice forcing its way out. “Huh? Boo?” he asked, adding effort to pronounce the toddler’s attempt.

“Bu...ra...za…” it released.

Karamatsu gasped from behind.

Osomatsu let a moment of stunned silence pass before he spoke again. He tried keeping a soft timbre to his voice as he resumed, hiding his surprise. “Yeah. Buraza. Do you have any? I have five of them, and all of them have been trying so hard to take care of you. The same way that I, as the oldest one, takes care of them.” He returned his gaze to the window, at the pouring rain. “And I can’t imagine what it would be like if I couldn’t take care of them. When I was lonely once without them, all I could do was look out for stars. But I only saw the moon that night. It was lonely like me.”

He reached towards the glass of the window and pulled it towards them. When one side of the window shushed a part of the rain, Osomatsu said, “When I see the stars outside with the moon, it awakens mirth in me because they give the moon company. And for me, that’s what my brothers do to me when I feel alone. If it weren’t for them, I’m the one left casting the world with my purpose while they do theirs. But what’s the point of that if I wasn’t with them and they weren’t with me? We’re supposed to be together forever, aren’t we?” He chuckled, because if he didn’t he was surely going to get choked-up. “Do you feel lonely without your parents with you? Do you wish you were with them?”

The baby opened its mouth. “O...Ah?”

“Well, if they aren’t here with you now, they will be soon.” Osomatsu pulled the other glass towards them, and the sound of the rain lessened in volume. “Just like I’m back with my brothers, right? Everything works out in the end. If you’re lonely, you can always find your way back to someone you love when the time comes. So, I hope you can carry out this teaching I gave you when you get older. From the looks of it, you’re a smart and very tough baby. When you’re older, you’d be one to kick some ass if someone tries to mug you.”

Choromatsu startled. “O-O—!”

Todomatsu elbowed him, effectively shushing him.

Osomatsu ignored them, but he was aware of his younger brother’s intention. “Um, forget I said the A-word, ‘right? That’s inappropriate for someone like you. Stay with what I told you about time instead, okay? How patience is a virtue, and you’ll always end up with the people you love at the end of a dark tunnel.” He arranged the baby into a more comfortable position. “But first, before you can do that, I think mommy and daddy would like it if you took a nap. And for our sake, maybe we would too. Can you do that for me?”

The baby cocked its head. “...uwa?”

Osomatsu smirked, pulling it closer to his chest. “I heard Karamatsu-chan’s lullabies don’t work on you. Would you mind if I were the one who tried? Hm?” He placed the boy’s head to where his heart was and rubbed the salty trails on his flabby cheeks. “I don’t really sing, and usually, I suck when I do. But would you care if I tried? Here? With you?” When the baby made a small sound, Osomatsu took that as a yes. He looked back up at the storm clouds outside their window, searching for the moon and stars hiding somewhere behind the storm as he began swaying his arms.

“When you wish upon a star, Makes no difference who you are~ Anything your heart desires, Will come to you~”

He felt the baby slacken in his hold, a small yawn growing on its mouth as its little eyes fluttered shut. Osomatsu continued his swaying, grazing his thumb over its vulnerable little fingers. “You like that?” he whispered, the softest he’s ever whispered. But it felt natural, the tender longing of it captivating, and he sighed, resuming,

“If your heart is in your dream, No request is too extreme~ When you wish upon a star As dreamers do~”  

The sliding door of their shared bedroom opened, and Ichimatsu slipped in. “Oi,” he announced with regular volume, “I called his parents. They’ll be here in about an h—”

“SHH…!” the remaining four hissed; Osomatsu merely turned towards them partially, the corner of his mouth raised in a half-smirk.

“Quiet. The baby’s sleeping,” Osomatsu told their reddening fourth-born.

Ichimatsu’s lazy eyelids weren’t lazy anymore, and his eyes went as wide as his brothers’ were earlier; everyone was watching Osomatsu now. Jyushimatsu was smiling brightly, hugging Karamatsu’s body brightly, ignoring the pee stains as the second-oldest rubbed his eyes with the back of his wrist. Choromatsu remained as boggled as earlier as he stared at his eldest brother, his angular mouth hanging open. And Todomatsu was pleasantly filming the scene with his phone, having removed his gloves and tossed them off towards their ruined couch. When Osomatsu remained staring at the five of them, Todomatsu mouthed a Just continue to him alongside a swift hand gesture.

Osomatsu glanced back at the baby, cuddling lovingly by his chest. Todomatsu was right that it wouldn’t be wise to stop now, not at this perfect moment, and for their selfish sake—the chance that they actually managed to check something off from its parent's bucket list. So returning to the window, watching the raindrops pass by, Osomatsu continued lovingly.

“Fate is kind~ She brings to those who love, The sweet fulfillment of, Their secret longing~

Like a bolt out of the blue, Fate steps in and sees you through~ When you wish upon a star, Your dreams... come... true~”

Later when the baby’s parents returned, Osomatsu was the one who received the biggest payment, just to lose it all when he went to the Pachinko Parlor the following day. It was expected—what would change with the Matsuno family’s eldest son after all?