58 and a Half Hours/September 3, 2016
Yuu, Valen, Faye, and Minako all walked in the front door together. They were returning from a family luncheon Valen's parents had held, and they had insisted on inviting Yuu, and the two girls as well. Faye and Minako were both on edge; once they had stopped pretending not to be in a relationship with Yuu at home, it was becoming harder and harder to pretend at all.
As the group got into the house proper, they heard voices coming from the kitchen. Yuu made his way in, and found Natsu and Rika chatting with his oldest sister and niece. “Hey, Miku! This is a surprise!” Yuu said pleasantly, as Faye, Minako, and Valen made their way in. Yuu made his way over to give her a hug. “It's so good to see you!” Miku said, reciprocating before moving on to Faye and Minako. “And Valen! It's been so long I almost didn't recognize you!” Miku exclaimed, giving Valen her own hug. “How's it going, Natsumi?” Yuu said, kneeling down to her level to give her a hug. Natsumi just blushed and stepped away, embarrassed, when he let her go. “So what brings you out here?” Yuu asked. “Oh, I just thought I'd come visit for the long weekend. Natsumi's been asking to visit Rika as well. So, I hear you've been headhunted by a private school!”
“Yeah, I start there on Tuesday,” Yuu said. “I spent the last week there getting personally tutored by my new teacher.” “She actually called me the other day to let me know that things were going so well that he didn't need to go in yesterday!” Natsu said, proudly.
Just then, Natsu's phone rang. “Hello?” she asked. “Hi, I'm Marie Ueda with Itou Academy,” the voice on the other end said. “Shh, shh, it's the school,” Natsu whispered, excitedly. Yuu quietly whispered out the side of his mouth to Minako, “You remembered to return those files yesterday, right?” “Of course, otherwise how else would they have had Mom's number?” she replied.
“I'm just calling to let you know that your daughter Minako's application has been approved. Her scores on her assessment exam are sufficient to advance her to eleventh grade,” the voice on the other side said. “Hang on, what's this about Minako?” Natsu asked. “I'm saying that we would like Minako to attend our school. The necessary forms have already been filled out, and we're already handling the transfer process.” “I-I don't know what to say,” Natsu said. “We're mailing you the women's dress code along with the revised men's dress code. Given the short notice, both Minako and Yuu are officially excused from following the dress code for the first week, provided they aren't dressed sloppily. Button down shirts, no t-shirts or shorts.” “Th-thank you...” Natsu trailed off as the call ended.
“What's this about an assessment exam?” Natsu said, turning to Minako. Her face was practically shining with pride. “It's what I went out to do yesterday. I figured I'd make it a surprise. So... surprise, I guess?” Minako said sheepishly.
“Well, that was the school saying that they want to enroll you as a junior in high school. I'd say skipping ahead two grades calls for a celebration!” Natsu exclaimed. Yuu noticed a brief look of annoyance on Miku's face, before she mastered herself and smiled at Minako. “I'll go get the car ready, I'm pretty sure Rika will want to ride with Natsumi,” Miku said, taking the two youngest girls with her.
As soon as Miku was out the door, Natsu turned to everyone else. “Ok, she's planning on staying until Monday, so I need you all to be on your best behavior, if you know what I mean.” “You mean except me, right?” Valen said, ever so slightly smugly. “Yeah, I guess you can be as lovey-dovey with Yuu as you want. But the rest of us? Best behavior,” Natsu said, drawing a nod from Faye and a grimace from Minako.
Everyone was seated at the steakhouse Minako had chosen. Natsu and Minako were seated at one end of the table, while Yuu and Miku were at the other end, with the other four girls in the middle. Natsu and Minako were animatedly chatting with each other, while Faye and Valen took care of the two younger girls, leaving Yuu and Miku quiet.
“So... how've things been for you? It was Christmas the last time you came by,” Yuu said, awkwardly. “Great, great,” Miku answered with forced enthusiasm. “I got another promotion at work, they're giving me my own office. Some of my coworkers joke that I'll be running the company before long.” “I see,” Yuu responded, trying to think of what to say next. “So... how's Dad?” he tried. “It's been a couple months since I last talked to him, but at the time he mentioned he was dating somebody and thinking about getting remarried,” Miku answered. “Good for him,” Yuu said dully.
A long moment passed. “So, could you tell me what's bothering you? You're not hiding it very well,” Yuu said. “This is just picking at some old wounds,” Miku sighed. “I didn't really come to visit Mom. Mostly I just wanted to see you guys. And Natsumi was really missing her favorite aunt,” The two of them looked over at Natsumi talking excitedly to Rika, as Faye and Valen had ended up taking over coloring in the kids menus they were given. Yuu chuckled slightly at the sight.
“I really am proud of Minako, skipping ahead in school is nothing to sneeze at. It just kind of hurts how big a deal Mom is making of it,” Miku said. “What... happened between you and Mom?” Yuu asked. “I was about Rika's age when you tested out. I remember grandma Meg throwing you a party and all of our aunts and cousins along with grandma Kass coming over. I... also remember a lot of shouting. Then you moved off into the dorms and we've been seeing less and less of you since.”
Miku forced a smile. “Look, don't worry about it. I'll try to keep in better touch. For now, let's just be happy for Minako. However I'm feeling at the moment, she deserves this.”
Yuu lay in bed staring at the ceiling. He could hear the raised voices from elsewhere in the house; not quite shouting, but he was able to clearly make out more than a few angry statements. It was always like this when Miku came to visit. There was never a single common thread to the fights; it was almost like Miku and Natsu just couldn't get along.
Yuu's door quietly opened and shut, as Minako let herself in. “I know we're supposed to be on our best behavior, but could I sleep in here tonight?” “Honestly, I'm not in the mood tonight,” Yuu said. Slightly annoyed, Minako replied, “I guess given how things usually are I shouldn't be surprised about the way you took that, but I'm going to give you the benefit of that doubt. That's not what I'm in the mood for, I just want to be close to you.” “I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it,” Yuu said, opening a spot in the sheets for Minako to climb in. “It just makes me feel sick inside listening to them like this,” he finished.
“Remember a couple months ago, when I said I didn't want a baby yet?” Minako said, snuggling up to Yuu. “This is a big part of why.”
Minako sighed. “I've never gotten Miku to fully open up about it, all I've ever gotten her to say is that this all started over Natsumi; I guess Mom was really upset when she found out Miku was pregnant, and things never got better the rest of the time she lived here. Oh sure, they've been able to patch things up well enough to be civil when we're around, but whatever was said back when Miku moved out has never actually healed.”
Elsewhere in the house the two heard a door close; it wasn't slammed, but it was closed with a bit more force than necessary. Minako reflexively squeezed Yuu a little tighter at the sound. The two remained quiet for the next hour before they finally drifted off to sleep.
Next Entry: Sunday, September 4th, 2016
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