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heyhellohihowareyou · 2 years ago

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Big Brother Maehara

Part 1 of Deck The Halls of December

AO3 Link

”Morning, my favorite people!” I made my grand entrance through the Isogais’ door.

“HIRO-NII! HIRO-NII!” Naturally, Yume and Yuki came out and each gave me a huge hug as I ruffled their heads. This basically has become a routine for us every time I walk through the door everyday.

“Ah, nice to see you Hiroto-Kun.” Ayame came from the kitchen with Yuuma following close behind.

“Nice to see you guys!” I greeted them as usual but I could tell something was up, “Um, Is everything alright?”

Yuuma sighed, “Everything is fine, Hiro. I just need to head to work, that’s all.”

This time, Ayame sighed, “Yuuma, I already told you, I have to go to work as well.”

“Who’s going to watch the twins then!? We don’t have the time nor the money to get a babysitter and I can’t just call in sick now!”

“I can’t either! I can only have so many sick days before I lose my job!”

“If that happens then I’ll just ask for extra shifts or get another job!”

“You can’t do that! You shouldn’t even be working in the first place!”

God, I really hate seeing them argue. Especially over stuff like this. It just makes me feel so powerless like I can’t do anything to help.

Ayame turned to me, “Is Haruko free today Hiroto-Kun?”

“No, unfortunately.”

“And I’m guessing Himeko and your mother are out of the question too, huh?”

I nodded.

Ayame sighed, “Looks like we’re out of options then.”

I looked down at Yume and Yuki who were still hugging me.

Wait, I could help.

I CAN help.

“I can help!”

Ayame and Yuuma looked towards me, then to each other, and then back at me again.

“You guys need someone to watch these two right?” I ruffled Yume and Yuki’s heads again, “Well, here I am! I’ll do it free of charge!”

The two of them contemplated for a while. Do they really have to think about this?

Yuuma scratched his head, “Well, I don’t see why not. Hiro does get along with the two of them a lot. Plus, he knows everything there is about him.”

“EXACTLY! How ‘bout it!?”

Ayame thought for a little while longer. She looked at the three of us and we made the executive decision to pull out our secret weapon,

THE PUPPY EYES!

“OH, alright!”

Works every time!

“Just PLEASE be safe and call me or Yuuma if anything comes up, okay?”

I gave her a soldier salute and she left to get ready. Yuuma stayed behind and looked at me in a concerned manner.

“What?”

“You sure you got this? They can be a LOT to handle. Especially, by yourself.”

Yume puffed out her cheeks, “HEY! We are NOT a lot to handle!”

Yuuma looked down at her skeptically.

“Mostly…”

I chuckled, “Don’t worry! You can count on me!” I gave him a reassuring smile and a wink.

“Alright then…”

Geez, is he that unsure that I can do this. It isn’t rocket science or anything.

After a while, the two of them finished getting ready and they still seemed hesitant on letting me babysit.

I want them to know that they can count on me. That they can rely on me. But they can’t do that if they don’t trust me first!

Ayame turned to me once more, “Please, be safe.”

“I will!” I saluted to her.

Yuuma went over to Yuki and Yume and placed kisses on top of their heads, “You be good, okay?”

The two of them nodded, “We will!”

“Ahem,” I coughed, “Aren’t you forgetting somebody?”

Yuuma rolled his eyes and came over to me. He cupped my face and placed a kiss on my forehead, “You be good too, okay?”

I nodded and smiled at him genuinely. Yuuma let go of my face and sighed before walking out the door with his mother.

How hard could this be?

I turned to Yume and Yuki, “So, what shall we do first?”

“CHRISTMAS MOVIE MARATHON! CHRISTMAS MOVIE MARATHON!” Yume jumped up and down with Mr. Usagi in her arms. Mr. Usagi is Yume’s old bunny. She carries that bunny around everywhere. He’s become old and raggedy over the years but she loves him nonetheless. Let’s just say, him means a LOT to her.

“December literally just started.” I chuckled, “You’re that excited about Christmas aren’t you Yume?”

“You know it!”

I turned to Yuki, “Well, you ready to get your Christmas on?”

He nodded.

Pfft this’ll be a piece of cake.

Yume turned on the tv and turned to a Christmas special. It’s one of her favorite specials and we tend to watch it almost everyday in December every year. I know the whole thing like the back of my hand at this point.

She sat down on the couch with Mr. Usagi on her lap and excitedly kicking her legs as the movie started.

Throughout the whole thing, Yume was quoting the scenes that were happening word for word and I couldn’t help myself but join in.

“The Christmas magic is fading!”

“What are we going to do!?”

“Whatever it takes!”

“FOR CHRISTMAS!!!”

The plot’s sort of basic. The Christmas magic is fading and it’s up to some kids from a poor family to fix it. The main character was the eldest brother who does everything in his power to make his family happy. He probably reminded the twins of Yuuma and I certainly can’t blame them.

“I’d do anything for this family! You hear!?”

I can definitely hear the resemblance.

The movie continued on and I could tell that Yuki was getting bored, “Something up Yuki?”

“Nothing.” He said almost monotonously. Again, he was clearly bored out of his mind.

“Do you wanna do something else.”

He shrugged. Hmm, something fun for Yuki? Ah, I know!

“How about we go to the mall after the movie?”

“Hm?”

Yume perked up, “REALLY!? I WANNA GO, I WANNA GO!”

I chuckled, “Don’t you wanna finish the movie first?”

“Pfft- I watched this movie about a gazillion times! I already know what happens! Now, MALL TIME!”

She rushed to the cubbies and put her shoes on. Welp, the mall it is!

I told the two of them to put on their coats since it was cold outside.

Once they did, Yuki tugged at my sleeve, “You sure you won’t get in trouble for this?”

I nodded, “I’m supposed to be watching you guys right? Well, it was never said that I had to watch you guys in the house, right?”

“Yeah, you’re right…”

“So, yeah! No problem!”

“But-”

Yume jumped behind him, “Who cares!? MALL TIME!”

“O-okay then…”

I coughed, “Yume, don’t forget…” I handed her Mr. Usagi, who she left on the couch.

“OH RIGHT! Hehe, sorry Mr. Usagi!” She took him from me and hugged him tightly

And so the three of us left out for our mall adventure. The mall has opened a new play area for kids Yuki and Yume’s age. They also have a STEM section there for kids to make anything they want. I know both of them will love it, especially Yuki. Who knows, maybe he’ll make a new friend

The mall was a far walk so we took a bus instead. Yume kept finding herself annoying the strangers riding with us and I kept having to pull her away. Thankfully, I was able to distract her and Yuki by putting on a video with my phone. What’s with kids and unboxing videos?

After some time, we made it to our stop. Before we got off the bus, Yume held Mr. Usagi and waved bye to the bus driver as we got off.

“Yume, you really need to stop talking to strangers.”

“How else am I supposed to make friends?”

I pondered for a while, “Just…just talk to people around your age.”

“What about Yuuma?”

“He’s an exception.”

“What about mom?”

“She’s also an exception.”

“What about you?”

“Okay, so just talk to people your age or people you already know, alright?”

“Alrighty!”

I chuckled and shook my head, “Now, MALL TIME!”

“YAY, MALL TIME!” The two cheered excitedly and we walked towards the mall.

We eventually made it inside of the mall and Yume jumped up and down excitedly. The mall was decorated with Christmas apparel all around. Wow, December just started and they’re already prepared for the holidays.

“Okay, now where is that play area…”

“Hiro-Nii, wait wait!” Yume tugged at my sleeve.

“What’s wrong, Yume?”

“Look, look!”

I looked towards where Yume was pointing and saw a line of kids in front of a man dressed as Santa Claus.

“IT’S SANTA! Can we go over there? Please, please!?”

“Sure! I don’t see why not? But we’ll have to wait in line first so please be patient Yume.”

“Hey! I’m always patient!”

I looked down at her skeptically.

“Mostly.”

“Let’s just get in line.”

“YAY!”

I looked down towards Yuki, “You want to wait in line for Santa Claus, Yuki?”

He fiddled with his hands for a few seconds, “Um, sure.”

“You’re sure you’re sure? You don’t sound very, uh, sure.”

He nodded, albeit more confidently.

“Alrighty, then!”

We walked over and got ourselves in line with the other parents and kids waiting.

Yume “patiently” leaned back and forth on her feet with Mr. Usagi in hands while Yuki went back to watching a video on my phone.

I watched as kid after kid sat on Santa’s lap. Some kids just sat there wholesomely and others were screaming and crying. I really feel bad for these mall Santas sometimes. Hopefully they’re getting paid well enough.

Soon enough, it was our turn and Yume tugged at my sleeve again, “Hiro-Nii? Is it okay to talk to Santa? He’s not a stranger, right?”

“Yes, Yume. Santa’s not a stranger. Everyone knows him and he knows everyone. He’s safe to talk to.”

“Yay!” Yume ran up to Santa and excitedly sat on his lap, “Hey hey, Santa!”

“HO HO HO!” The Santa chuckled, “Well, aren’t you an excitable one? Now, care to tell dear old Santa what you want for Christmas um…”

“Yume! Yume Isogai!”

“Alright Yume, tell Santa what you would like.”

“Right, right! Hmm…” Yume scratched her head while thinking, “OOH! I GOT IT! I want to be a princess! OH and with a HUGE castle that can fit me and my family inside, please!”

Ah, That’s just like Yume, wishing for something so wholesomely exaggerated.

“HO HO HO!” The Santa chuckled again, “What a wonderful wish young Yume! I’ll see what I can do about it!” The Santa gave her a wink and patted her on the head.

“Really!? Thanks Santa! You’re the best!” Yume hopped off of his lap and came back towards us, “Your turn, Yuki!”

Yuki looked up from my phone and made eye contact with Santa.

Santa smiled brightly at him and Yuki immediately started to cry.

I bent down to comfort Yuki, “Don’t cry, Yuki! Santa’s friendly! No need to be scared.”

He didn’t stop crying and clinged to me tightly.

“Can’t you hurry up!? There’s other people in line, y’know!?” A lady behind started to yell and repeatedly tapped her foot with her kid in hand.

“Hehe, sorry.” I said while trying to hide my annoyance with her. I attempted to scoop Yuki up but struggled slightly. They’re really getting bigger, huh? “Sorry, Santa. He’s just kind of shy.”

“HO HO HO! Shy seems to be a bit of an understatement, doesn’t it?”

“Hehe, yeah.”

“AHEM!” The lady behind me started to get really impatient and on my last nerves.

“Okay okay! I get it! Geez!”

I carried Yuki out of line with Yume following behind us. After struggling to keep him up for some time, I put him down, “You alright, Yuki?”

He wiped his eyes and nodded.

“Oh, Yuki…” I ruffled his hair and took a look ahead, “Hey, look! The play area’s over there! Let’s go, okay?”

“O-Okay.”

“YAY!” Yume jumped with Mr. Usagi in hand and ran ahead of us.

“Wait for us, Yume!” I took hold of Yuki’s hand and ran after Yume.

We made it to the kid area and it was less packed then I expected. I saw two women sitting down in chairs. One was looking at what I’m guessing was her kid and the other one was scrolling on her phone.

I saw a small jungle gym for kids to play in with a ball pit underneath it. I also saw a small section for arts and crafts and a dollhouse almost my size. The things wasn’t as nearly impressive as I heard but I guess you can chalk that up to it being new and all.

Yume immediately jumped into the ball pit with Mr. Usagi in tow. Meanwhile, Yuki went to the crafting section and got himself to work.

I sat down in one of the chairs and watch the two of them do their stuff.

The lady who was previously watching her child turned to me and smiled, “They’re so cute! Are they yours?”

I looked at her confused.

“Those kids you just brought in.” she clarified, “Are they yours?”

“Oh! Um, no! I’m just babysitting for someone I love.” I rapidly shook my head. She does realize I’m too young to have kids, right?

“Oh well that’s sweet! You see my kid over there?” She gestured over to a boy sitting at the crafting table with Yuki. He had a handful of crayons and was rapidly scribbling them all on a single sheet of paper. It hard to tell what he was trying to make, if anything, but whatever it was, Yuki was on the other side of the table looking at the boy both in confusion and terror.

“Yeah, he seems nice, hehe.” Those poor crayons.

“Mhm!” She smiled at me sweetly.

From that point on, I continued to watch the kids play. The lady’s son kept trying to talk to Yuki which only earned the kid slight mumbles. Meanwhile, Yume put her attention onto the dollhouse and got herself into character. She gestured me to come over and so I did.

“Sup, Yume!”

“I need a good dragon.”

“Well, you’re lucky I’m here! Best dragon in the East!”

“Yeah but, I can’t find any dragon dolls.”

“Guess we’ll have to improvise!”

“Impro- what!?”

“Improvise! Work with what we have!” I looked around and spotted a pterodactyl figure, “Ah, this could be our dragon!

“But, isn’t that a dinosaur?”

“Is it?”

“…It is.”

I looked at her in disbelief, “Come on, Yume! Where’s that imagination of yours!?”

“I’m sorry but dinosaurs are just so…GLOOMY! They don’t really go with the vibe I’m trying to go for.”

“And dragons do?”

“Yup! Dragons are fun and terrifying and stuff! That dinosaur just looks sad and gloomy.”

I thought for a while, “Well, maybe that’s a good thing!”

“Really?”

“Yeah! Maybe this dragon…”

“Dinosaur.”

“WHATEVER! Is from a gloomy place that sucked the joy out of everything. This dra- DINOSAUR, tries to go from kingdom to kingdom to find joy for itself but never could.”

Yume seemed to brighten up at that idea, “But the princess of happiness shows the dinosaur joy and stuff and turns him into a dragon!”

I laughed, “There’s that Yume imagination I know I love! Now, let’s get to work.”

“Yeah!” She smiled brightly as we started the plot of our fantasy. I put on my best gloomy dinosaur impression which made the “Princess of Happiness” laugh. I may be a gloomy dinosaur, soon to be dragon, but I swear for as long as I shall live, I will keep a smile on this princess’s face and that’s a promise!

We continued on with our fairytale when Yuki came crossing his legs, “You okay there, Yuki?”

“Bathroom please.” He whispered towards me.

“Oh right! I should have made you guys go before we left. Hehe, my bad!”

Yuki looked at me blankly.

“Bathroom! Right! Uh…” I looked around the room and no bathroom was to be seen, “Um, there should be one nearby. Yume, come on, let’s take your brother to the bathroom.”

Yume shook her head, “Sorry, too invested. Go without me.” She continued on with the fairytale.

“I can’t just leave you here. I’m supposed to be babysitting you!”

“Don’t worry, I’m reponsible!”

“Responsible.”

“That’s what I said!”

“Well, don’t you need to use the bathroom, too?”

“Hmm, nope!”

“You sure?”

“Yes!”

I sighed. From the looks of things, Yume isn’t going to budge.

“Hmm…” I looked over to the lady from earlier and got an idea. I got up and walked over towards her with a grin, “Heeeeey miss?”

“Yes, young sir?

“Um, If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, could you keep an eye on her over there?, I gotta take this one to the bathroom.” I patted Yuki’s head.

“Sure! I don’t see why not.” She smiled brightly at me.

“Thanks! You’re a lifesaver! Let’s go, Yuki.” I grabbed Yuki’s hand and left out of area in search for a nearby bathroom.

I scanned around for a bathroom and found one near some fountains. I held on to Yuki’s hand and ran over.

I opened the door to the men’s room for Yuki and followed him in. I might as well go in, too, I guess.

I already finished my business but Yuki was taking quite sometime and I was getting concerned.

I knocked on the stall he was in a couple of times, “You okay in there, Yuki?”

“Um, yes?”

“You don’t sound sure?”

He paused for a couple of seconds, “Hiro, I didn’t really need to use the bathroom.”

“Huh? Wait, then why did you…”

“That kid kept trying to talk to me and I didn’t know what to say so I got scared and asked to use the bathroom. That’s what I do at school.”

“Oh, Yuki…” Yuki’s a very shy kid if you couldn’t tell already. Talking to new people isn’t really his thing. The only reason he’s okay with me is because I was always around him growing up so he’s used to me. When it comes to other people, even kids his own age, he avoids them like the plague. It always makes me so sad to see him like this, “You can’t hide in there forever!”

“Yes, I can!”

I sighed, “Look, I know talking to new people can be scary sometimes but that doesn’t mean you should give up trying. There’s a lot of shy kids like you out there waiting for a new friend! They just have a hard time talking to others, like you.”

He didn’t respond to that.

“Hm, I knew a shy kid once.”

“You did?” That seemed to spark his interest.

“Mhm! It was hard getting him to talk but we found common interests and we soon became friends! But even while we were friends, he was still a shy kid. He only clung to me during school. When he got older, he came out of his shell and became a leader for his classmates and his family. Now, he’s one of the coolest guys I know.”

He paused for a while again, “So, who was the kid?”

I chuckled, “Your brother.”

“Wait, Yuuma was shy!? He’s always so confident and he always knows what to say and stuff!”

“You can be like that too, Yuki, but you got to learn how to come out of that shell of yours. Don’t let fear get the better of you, okay?”

He didn’t say anything but I heard some shuffling around in the stall. After some seconds, the stall opened.

“I think I’m ready to go now.”

I smiled at him, “Alright, Yuki.”

Yuki washed and dried his hands and we went back to the kid area.

Once we made it back inside, I looked over to the dollhouse but noticed Yume wasn’t there. I looked around the jungle gym but didn’t see her there either.

I went over to the lady from earlier who was still sitting in her chair, “Excuse me, but where’s Yume?”

“Hm?”

“The girl I told you to watch earlier?”

“OH! She went to the bathroom!”

“The bathroom?” Of course Yume goes to use the bathroom after saying she doesn’t need to, “And you just let her?”

“Yup!”

“Why? I told you to watch her!”

“I did! I watched her walk right out of here!”

I groaned, “How long ago did she leave?”

“Some time after you left.”

That means she was gone for quite some time considering how long we were gone. Yume isn’t shy like Yuki so I don’t think she’d be hiding in the bathroom. Something’s up!

“Sorry, Yuki! You can try to talk to that kid later. Right now we gotta find your sister!”

I grabbed onto Yuki’s hand and ran straight towards the bathrooms.

Once we made it there, I realized that I couldn’t go into the girls’ room on the account of me not, y’know, being a girl!

I panicked for a moment until, “You okay there, sir?” A lady tapped my shoulder.

“Not really. I’m supposed to be babysitting and one of the kids I’m watching went to the bathroom a while ago but I’m not sure if she’s still in there or not. Could you check for me?”

She nodded “Sure! What does she look like?”

I patted Yuki’s head, “Like him but with slightly longer hair. She should also be carrying an old bunny with her.”

“Okay, on it!”

“Thanks, you’re a lifesaver!”

The lady nodded and went inside of the women’s restroom leaving Yuki and I outside. We waited for a couple of minutes and then the lady came back out.

“Well?”

The lady shook her head, “Sorry, no sign of her.”

“Ugh!” I wanted to tear my hair out. I fucking lost Yume. What am I going to do!? I sighed, “Thanks for the help anyways.”

“No problem. I’ll come tell you if I find her.” She waved and left.

Yume couldn’t have gotten too far, right? There’s no need to worry. Definitely!

I calmed myself down and turned to Yuki, who seemed to also be stressed out over this, “Don’t worry, we’ll find her. We just gotta keep looking, okay?”

Yuki nodded. I took his hand and squeezed it tightly. With determination in mind, we set forth in our search for Yume.

I guess the most logical thing was to contact mall security but I didn’t want to blow this out of proportion. She couldn’t be THAT lost, right? Besides, I already had a few ideas of where she could’ve went.

First we searched in the arcade. The arcade has a bunch of bright lights and games she’d like to look at. Now, she doesn’t have any tokens on her of course but when it comes to arcades, Yume is more of a looker than a doer. She’ll probably stand by and watch others play the games.

I asked around the arcade to see if anyone saw Yume. Unfortunately, I was out of luck.

Even then, I still had hope. Still holding onto to Yuki’s hand, I went into the nearest clothing store.

Yume loves hiding inside of those clothing rack thingies. She also loves the smell of new clothes too. There’s a high chance she might be in there.

Yuki and I went in and checked each and every one of those clothing rack thingies. We got a couple of weird stares in the process but we didn’t care, we were on a mission.

I asked the person who was working there if she had seen Yume but again, no luck.

Geez, hide and seek was never this hard.

Next, we checked over to the bakery. All those pastries on display, no way she could resist standing and staring at them all.

I went up to the baker and asked him about Yume and like all the other times before, we had zero luck.

I ended sitting on a nearby bench with Yuki beside me. I learned my head back in exhaustion and sighed.

God, what am I going to do? Yume could be anywhere by now. What if Ayame and Yuuma find out about this?

I moved forward and put my head in my hands.

They’ll never want me in their house again. No more head pats and warm meals from Ayame. No more hugs and kisses from Yuuma. Damn, first time being in a committed relationship and what did I do? I lost my boyfriend’s younger sister in a FUCKING MALL!

I moved my hand and started to chew on the the tip of my thumb.

And Yume! What if something insanely bad happened to her. I swear I’ll never be able to live with myself.

I was tugging at my hair when I felt a small hand patting my shoulder. It was Yuki, I saw he was giving me a small but reassuring smile, “We have to keep trying.” He said in a quiet voice but loud enough for me to hear.

I tried to smile at him back but from the way it felt, you could easily tell it was forced. Yuki certainly could tell and frowned. He sat there contemplating for a while and looked around. He saw something and got up from the bench. I turned to where he was going and he didn’t see something, he saw someone. It was the kid Yuki was having trouble with talking to earlier and his mom was observing some of the pastries from the bakery.

Yuki slowly came up to him, head hung low, and patted the boy on his shoulder.

“Oh, hey!” The boy grinned at him widely.

Yuki didn’t say anything instead he just waved.

“I never got your name before! Mine’s Kiyoshi Yamamoto but you can call me Kiyo if you want!”

“Um…” Yuki took a deep breath, “I’m Yuki.” He started to play with the hem of his shirt, “Um, uh, do you think you can, uh, help me?”

“Hm? What’s the problem?”

Yuki sighed, “Well, we can’t find my sister. She came to play area with us earlier. She went to the bathroom before but now we can’t find her.” He started to mess with the ahoges on his head, “We’re twins so we look similar and yeah.”

“Wait, I think I've seen her!”

I lit up at that and ran up to the kid, “Wait wait wait, You have!?”

“Yeah, I thought she was Yuki at first and was confused on why he changed clothes and junk.”

I bent down to his eye level, “Tell me, where was the last time you saw her?”

He scratched his head in thought, “Oh, I remember! I saw her chasing after another girl holding an old bunny!”

That old bunny must’ve been Mr. Usagi! But why would another girl have him?

“Did you see where they went?”

“Ummm, near the food court, I think? Hard to tell.”

“The food court! Of course!” I took Kiyo’s hand and shook it rapidly, “THANK YOU! THANK YOU!”

“Hehe, no problem!”

I stood up with joy, “Come on, Yuki! Let’s go get your sister!”

“Bye, Yuki!” Kiyo waved at him.

Yuki waved back and we ran off. Wow! Thanks to Yuki’s communication skills, we managed to find out where, Yume might be. Damn, I’ve never been prouder.

We ran and ran all the way to the food court, maneuvering around other passersby’s. I made sure to check behind me every now and then to see if Yuki was still behind me. I already lost track of Yume, don’t wanna lose track of Yuki as well.

I checked behind me to see if Yuki was there one more time, which thankfully he was, and ended up tripping on nothing but my own feet.

“Ugh!”

Yuki ran up to my side, “You okay, Hiro?”

“Yeah, I-”

“Please! Just give him back!” I was interrupted by the sound of… wait a minute, Yume!?

I immediately got up from the ground and turned the corner. There she was, we finally found Yume! There was a girl in front of her as well but I wasn’t even paying attention to what was happening. I just ran up and pulled Yume into a tight embrace. I never wanted to let her go again!

“Hiro-Nii?”

“Oh god, Yume! I thought I lost you forever!”

Yume turned around and hugged me back, “Sorry if I scared you.”

I pulled away and looked at her. Then I looked to the girl in front of her, who was hugging Mr. Usagi tightly for some reason, “So, what happened.”

Yume crossed her arms and spoke, “Well, after you two left for the bathroom, I needed to use the bathroom as well so I went. When I came out, I saw that girl holding Mr. Usagi so I ran after her. I’ve been trying to get him back this whole time!”

I stared back at the girl.

The girl puffed her cheeks out, “Finders keepers!”

“But, he’s mine!” Yume cried out.

“I don’t see your name on it!”

“Mr. Usagi is his own bunny, okay!?”

“Okay, calm down you two.” I said in an attempt to defuse the situation. I turned to the girl holding Mr. Usagi, “Hey, where’d you find that bunny?”

“I was in the play area and found it in the ball pit.”

Ah, she must’ve lost him while she was playing in there. I don’t think I remember seeing him while we were playing pretend, “Look, that bunny you’re holding is rightfully hers. Please just give it back.”

The girl rapidly shook her head from left to right.

Yume started to tear up a bit, “Please, my dad gave him to me.” She sniffed and started to mess with her dress, “I really want him back. Please!”

The girl was stubborn and still refused to give him back.

“HEY! WHAT’S GOING ON!” We were interrupted by some guy who was like, two times my freaking size!

The girl ran behind him, “Big brother! They’re trying to take my bunny!”

Her “big brother” in question turned to me in rage, “IS THAT TRUE!?”

Yume and Yuki squeaked in fear behind me while I stood my ground, “Sorry sir, but that bunny isn’t hers. He rightfully belongs to this girl right here.” I patted Yume’s head, “Your sister found him in the ball pit after Yume accidentally left him in there. Can you please convince her to give him back? He means a lot to Yume.”

He looked down at his sister and back at me, “How about…no!”

“Huh!? Why!?”

“My sister found it, fair and square!”

“But he doesn’t belong to her!”

“Tough cookies! Your sister shouldn’t have lost it, Goldie Locks!”

Ignoring the fact that he called Yume my sister, and me “Goldie Locks”, I was seriously starting to get irritated and stepped up to him closer, “Look, even if she lost him, that doesn’t change the fact that he rightfully belongs to her! So please, give him back!”

“I said no, shrimp! Maybe if you’re sister wasn’t dumb enough to lose it in the first place, this never would have happened!”

I turned back and saw Yume started to actually cry. BASTARD! I tried to be reasonable at first but now I was fucking pissed! He could insult me all he wanted but he had the fucking audacity to call sweet Yume, dumb! That bastard, “Look, I don’t know what your deal is exactly but I’ve told you time and time again, that bunny is Yume’s not your sister’s! That can’t be so hard comprehend, or are you just too stupid to understand anything!?”

That seemed to piss him off but I didn’t care, I was pissed too!

“I don’t know who you think you’re talking to exactly, but I could literally pulverize you if I wanted to!” He grunted while pounding his fist into his other hand, staring right down at me.

Then, I got an idea. A very stupid idea.

“How about a bet then!? Winner gets the bunny!”

“Hmm?”

“First, to pin the other down by any means necessary is the winner! You up for it? Or are you too scared!?” Look, I know it seems like I’m talking out of my ass at this point but I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get Mr. Usagi.

Or I’ll never be able to live with myself.

The large dude cackled, “I see you have a death wish! Alright I’ll take you on, but I won’t be going easy on you!”

“Right!”

Apparently our little feud caught on to others around us and a large circle developed around the food court. Even the people working there were in the circle. Well, talk about not wanting to blow things out of proportion.

Before our battle for the bedraggled bunny, Yuki tugged my sleeve.

“You sure this is safe, Hiro? What if you get hurt OR WORSE!?”

I bent down to meet him at eye level, “Now, I’m absolutely TERRIFIED! But, if having to fight that behemoth to get Mr. Usagi back to Yume, I have to try it, okay?”

Yuki looked at me blankly for a while but then nodded his head in agreement.

I turned back to the giant before me and stared him down.

I heard some of the doubts from the people in the crowd.

“Can’t way to see how this’ll go down!”

“Yeah, no way he’s going to survive!”

“Ginger’s going to get his ass handed to him!”

I didn’t care. I’m not doing this for them. I’m doing this for Yume.

That’s all I need!

We started to circle around the court with the crowd chanting, “FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!” and the titan lunged forward in an attempt to grab me.

Luckily, I’ve managed to maneuver around him before he could lay a finger on me. That made him furious and his attacks grew even more hostile. He resorted to punches and I dodged them all making him enraged. This seemed to wow the crowd a bit more to my side but I knew I couldn’t keep dodging him forever. I gotta pin him down or I’ll never be able to get Mr. Usagi back! Think, Hiroto! Think! You’re an assassin! Well, not really but THINK!

Unfortunately, my thinking didn’t last long and he managed to grab onto my collar. He picked me up slightly and threw me onto one of the tables that still had food on it. I laid there for a while but saw him coming towards me and immediately rolled off.

I splashed one of the drinks in one of his face, which wasn’t affective at all and only made things worse, “Not a pepsi guy, gotcha!”

He tried his luck at punching me again but was to no prevail, although he was getting closer by the second.

I can’t try hitting back, it’ll give him an opening to attack. The best course of action is to immobilize him some-

“HIRO-NII! LOOK OU-”

Shit.

…

I wasn’t able to complete those thoughts. All I saw was black.

Damn, that was one heck of a punch he pulled…

It felt like he kicked me down a couple of times as well…I don’t think I can get up…everything hurts…

Shit.

Hehe, just had to take them to the mall, huh?

Now Mr. Usagi is going to live with some other little girl. Not Yume.

Ha, I remember when she lost Mr. Usagi in her house once and wouldn’t go to sleep until we found him. Of course we did end up finding him and she was able to sleep soundly. That was like a year ago.

How is she supposed to sleep now?

I already have to make sure Yuuma goes to sleep when he’s supposed to, now I’ll probably have to worry about Yume as well. And if she’s not sleeping, Yuki’s not sleeping, and if none of the kids are sleeping, Ayame’s not sleeping either.

Great going, Hiroto. You were supposed to take away their stress and somehow you did the exact opposite. Now they’re all going to be freaking insomniacs and it’s all your fault!

They really don’t deserve the things life decides to put them through and because of me they’ll probably have to waste money and buy another bunny for Yume. Another bunny that’s not Mr. Usagi.

I remember the exact day when their father gave her Mr. Usagi. She was crying more than usual and there was nothing we could do to get her to stop, until Yuko came in that is. He came home from work while I was staying over, trying to comfort Yume as well. He gave her a present and her crying came to a stop. Of course the present was Mr. Usagi and she’s never been without him since.

That’s the only memory she had of her dad. He died the next year. She doesn’t know much about him other than the fact that he was the one that gave her Mr. Usagi.

God what would he think now?

…

Actually…what would he think now?

Hold on…what am I doing?

Yuko always had this “Never Say Never” mentality. He wouldn’t think too kindly of me just giving up like this.

“It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get back up.” I always heard him say.

I slowly started to open my eyes, seeing the fluorescent lights above me shining down on me…

Get up, Hiroto…

I got my sense of hearing back slightly and all I heard was Yume screaming, “HIRO-NII! PLEASE GET UP!”

Get up, Hiroto.

I slowly started to push myself off of the ground. I heard Yuki yelling, “GO HIRO! GO HIRO!”. Heh, probably the loudest I’ve ever heard him spoke.

Get up, Hiroto!

I was sore, very sore, but I had to get up, for Yume’s sake. I promised that for as long as I shall live I would keep a smile on that princess’s face and I will be sure to keep that promise!

GET UP, HIROTO!

I got up and stood my ground again. The crowd turned around and I could hear a couple of gasps and murmurs. The meathead turned around and looked at me in both confusion and frustration, “The hell!? Why aren’t you down!? You lost!”

I stuttered out a chuckle, “You knocked me out but…you didn’t pin me!” I stretched in attempt to help the soreness, “I’m not going down just yet! I! NEED! THAT! BUNNY!”

“You really do have a death wish huh!? There’s no way you’re going to beat me! Especially with how you look right now! Might as well just give up!” He cackled.

I shook my head, “No, I’m not giving up! That bunny belongs to that princess right there!” I pointed to Yume in the crowd,“Until I get that bunny back, I’m never giving up! No matter the cost! I’LL DO ANYTHING FOR THAT FAMILY, YOU HEAR!?”

“WHATEVER! Pinning you shouldn’t be so hard! Let’s make this quick!” He tried to lunge forward again but was quickly weighed down by something or rather, somethings. It was Yuki and Yume and they were holding his legs tightly, “What in the-”

“WE ARE NOT LETTING YOU HURT OUR HIRO-NII ANYMORE!”

“YEAH!”

He tried to shake them off, “GET OFF OF ME!”

I couldn’t just stand there, I had to do something while he’s occupied. I looked around and spotted some tinsel around a pillar. I hastily ran over and untied it.

Meanwhile, the gargantuan was trying to pry Yume off of his leg. I came from the other side of him and pulled the tinsel around his neck making him fall back a bit. I pulled some of the tinsel down to wrap around his torso and waist. He still had trouble moving with Yuki and Yume on his legs. I tied the tinsel into a sturdy knot making it hard to get himself loose.

“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS STUFF MADE OUT OF!?”

He tried to wiggle his way out but it was no use.

Yume and Yuki let go of his legs

and he turned to attack me.

Luckily, the cup that splashed at him earlier was still on the floor and out of his line of sight. He ended up stepping on it and tripping. He fell face first onto the floor and me, Yuki, and Yume used this to put advantage. Yuki and Yume sat on his legs while I had my knees on his back.

The crowd started to count, “One, Two, THREE!”

We won. WE WON!

“THE GINGER IS THE WINNER!”

I’m not even going to comment on that.

The, um, damnit! I ran out of the descriptions! Whatever, the guy underneath us rolled and rolled, “You can get off me me now!”

And so we did, “So, you’re going to keep your promise or what!?”

He sighed, “I wasn’t expecting you to actually beat me. I guess a bet’s a bet. Sorry, Chiyo. Give the girl the bunny back.”

“But! But!” She looked down at Mr. Usagi and puffed out her cheeks, “FINE!”

She walked up to Yume and handed Mr. Usagi to her, “Here!”

Yume took him graciously, “MR. USAGI!” She pulled him into a tight hug.

“Um, I’M STILL TIED UP!”

I chuckled, “O-oh, right! Sorry!” I helped him up and untied him.

He walked over to his sister and Yume gave me a small, but big, hug.

“THANK YOU! THANK YOU! You were so awesome Hiro-Nii! You were like a ninja or an assassin of some kind!”

“Pffft- ASSASSIN! That’s a bit of an exaggeration, hehe. Besides, you two were awesome as well!” I ruffled both of their heads.

“YUKI!” Out of nowhere Kiyo came running.

“Kiyo?”

“I saw everything! I didn’t know your big brother was so cool!”

I waved my hands repeatedly, “Oh, I’m not-”

“Yeah! He’s the coolest!” Yuki interrupted me for some reason.

Kiyo grinned, “Well, I’m going to be back here on Sunday. Do you think you’ll be able to come too?”

“Hmm, I’ll try!”

“Great! I have to go now, see you soon Yuki!” Kiyo waved as he left and Yuki waved back.

I tapped Yuki on the shoulder, “Um, Yuki? You do know that Yuuma’s your big brother, not me right?”

“Well, I think both of you are!”

I looked down at him in confusion.

“You both will do whatever you can to make me and Yume happy! You watched us grow up and was always there when we needed you. Sure, you may not be related to us but we still consider you to be our big brother!”

“Yeah, we don’t call you “Hiro-Nii” for nothing!” Yume chimed in.

I couldn’t help but feel myself tear up. I sniffed and let the tears roam free.

Yuki’s expression changed into worry, “OH, Hiro-Nii! Are you okay!?”

I sniffed, “Y-Yup!”

“But you’re crying.”

“These are happy tears, Yuki! I just love you two so so much!” I pulled them both into a hug and squeezed them tightly.

“We love you too, Hiro-Nii!”

I have two older sisters so I was always considered to be the younger brother of the family. But I have to admit, being an older brother doesn’t sound half bad.

I wiped my face, “You guys wanna go home? I’m really tired.”

They both nodded simultaneously.

“Alrighty! Hm…” A thought crossed my mind for a second. “Before we leave, I have to do something. Follow me you two!”

With the twins behind me, I made my way to the nearest toy shop. I found the fluffiest bunny and bought it.

“Who’s the bunny for?” Yume asked.

“You’ll see.”

I looked and looked around until I found who I was looking for, “Come on you two!”

It was the little girl Chiyo and her older brother. The both turned and looked at me in confusion. I bent down and handed her Chiyo the bunny I bought, “Here, your own Mr. Usagi. Feel free to name it whatever you want!”

She looked at it at awe, “Is it really for me?”

I nodded. She took the bunny out of my hands and squeezed it tightly, “Thank you so much, mister!”

“No problem!” I looked at her brother and we exchanged nods.

I turned to Yume and Yuki, “Now we can go.”

I took Yuki’s hand in one of mine and Yume’s in the other and we headed off.

Damn, today was a day.

After all of that, we made it back home. Ayame and Yuuma still weren’t home yet so all three of us decided to finish that Christmas special that we watched a bunch of times before.

Eventually, Yuki started to fall asleep and Yume came following after with Mr. Usagi in her arms. They both ended up going to sleep and I cover both of them with my sweater. I couldn’t help myself but give them kisses on the top of their heads as well.

The door started to unlock and then it opened up with Yuuma on the other side.

“I’M HOM-”

“Shhh- They’re sleeping.” I gestured to the sleeping twins beside me.

“Ah, okay. What happened to your face?”

“Nothing, just, uh, fell off of something.”

“You fell off of something?”

I nodded

“Okay?”

“Ayame still at work?”

“Yup. You guys had fun?

“Oh, you have no idea.”

He took off his shoes and sat down beside me. “Well, I’d love to hear all about it.”

“Yeah but,” I yawned, “I’ll tell tomorrow, I’m starting to get sleepy, too.”

“Okay. Sorry if it seemed like I doubted you before, seemed like you had everything handled.”

Yeah, right.

“It’s fine, it was a great honor.” I leaned my head on his shoulder.

“I’m sure it was, you’re like another brother to them.”

“True, although you’re waaaay better than I am at this older brother stuff.”

“Come on, you’re good too.”

I yawned “Let’s just say we’re both good.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

We continued to watch the rest of the Christmas special until I fell asleep on Yuuma’s shoulder.

I’m going to have to tell Yuuma about what happened today sooner or later. Never realized how hard being a babysitter, and older brother, could be. But seeing those two grow up and giving them the happiness they so rightfully deserve, makes me believe that it’s worth it.

#FINALLY #assassination classroom #ansatsu kyoushitsu #assclass #hiroto maehara #yume isogai #yuki isogai #yuuma isogai #ayame isogai #hailey writes

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