“This is quite the mess you have here, Isamu! What’s with the open books on the floor? It’s like a maze or an obstacle course!” Mareo says as he tries to make his way from the door through the gaps between the books lying around on the floor.

“No excuses there, but it just makes it easier to look for a certain book, you know?”

“That was an excuse and a half!” grunts Mareo as he jumps onto the bed from a distance, “How do you even make your way through all that, man? Seriously, just clean up!”

Sighing Isamu starts picking them up one by one.

“What are these books about anyway?”

“Physics.” Isamu says with a pause as he puts the books in his hands in a pile on top of the table on the other side of the room to Mareo, “And math.” The books almost fall over and hit the computer screen that rested on the table.

With a skewed frown, Mareo says,“ And why are there so many?”

“Different books have different ways of explaining things. I just lay them there and looked through each one topic by topic.” Isamu says with his voice wavering.

“You don’t sound very convincing.” His frown as skewed as it was before Isamu’s feeble protest, “More importantly, do you understand what they’re talking about? Some of those books aren’t meant for us to read.”

Standing in front of the dwarfing wooden shelf next to the table Isamu says as he puts the rest of the books on it, “Not all the math, no. But just knowing the theories is pretty much enough for me.”

"No-no. Isn't it weird for you to understand all the theories in the first place?" “So? Is this what you’ve been doing for a week now? Reading all this useless stuff to and ending up with a week’s worth of sleep debt?”

“Yeah,” Isamu drops his bag next to the table. “Well, what else was I supposed to do? Besides, obsession is supposed to be a young man's game, right?”

“Uh, Sleep?” “I do remember hearing that last bit, though.”

“Guess you’re right, dad!” Isamu says, stretching his arms.

“You want to get more than a splitting headache? How about a broken head instead.” Mareo clenches his hands before him with an irritated smile.

“How about getting up then? There’s a futon in the closet. Bring it out and sit on it.” Isamu says with a snicker.

“That’s pretty ungrateful of you, don’t you think?” Mareo says with a snicker as well.

“Oh, you think so, dad?”

“Okay, that’s it!” Mareo says as he punches Isamu in the ribs.

“Oww… What was that for?”

“Oh-ho-ho! So you don’t know, dear son?” Mareo says as he cracks his knuckles.

Both of them laugh as Mareo sets out the futon on the ground.

“Come down for dinner you two! ”

“That’s your mom, Isamu. Want to go now?” “Naah. Too sleepy to feel hunger. See you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? You’re going to sleep with an empty stomach? That’s bad for your health. Eat something at least.”

“Sorry for worrying you, dad. But I’m not going to eat.” “One more time and you’re getting it!”

“Okay, okay. You worry too much. There’s my mom for that. ” Isamu says swinging his hand in the air, telling him to go.

“I’ll turn the lights off then, go to sleep,” Mareo says as he walks to the door.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

“Want some more, Fuuji-kun?” Isamu’s mom says lifting the lid of the dish with a spatula in her other hand.

“Oh, no, Oba-san. I’m about done.” Mareo says putting down the chopsticks on top of the empty bowl. “More importantly, what’s with this feast of a dinner she’s prepared? Is today some special occasion?” “Um, is today some occasion? Kasumi-chan, is it your birthday?” Mareo turns to Kasumi on the other side of the table.

Kasumi had a tracksuit on and a headset around her neck and was eating rather hurriedly, occasionally swaying her head getting her untied hair out of the way. Hearing Mareo’s question, she says with the last bit of her food still in her mouth, “No, it’s not.” After swallowing, she says, “It’s because you’re here.” Putting her rice bowl down, she hurries out.

As she walks out, Isamu’s mom says, “Be careful not to stay up too late, dear.” Then standing up, she starts cleaning up the table. “That girl really cannot hold still when it’s those games of hers. She’s almost in junior high! When will she learn to take care  of herself more?”

“Are all mothers like this? Kasumi-chan is probably as good as Isamu in studies! Moreover, she’s great at games too. There’s nothing wrong with a hobby like that, right? If anything, it’s got to be a PLUS! Not that I can tell her mom all that! ”

“Oh yes, Fuuji-kun, you didn’t come over for a few months in summer. Did something happen back then? Isamu wouldn’t tell us anything about it.”

Forcing a smile, Mareo says, “I just had some things I had to take care of. That’s all.”

“That’s a relief,” she says walking back from the kitchen.

“Hmm?”

“I thought you two had some kind of falling out. Isamu hasn’t had a friend he’s opened up to in a very long time. So, I was kind of worried. Thank you for sticking with him, Fujii-kun. Especially with how much he’s been bothering you. You even had to drag him back home today.”

“Tell me about it! It’s like I have two girlfriends to take care of. Well, it’s not all that bad.  Being relied on feels great. But then again, I CAN’T TELL HIS MOM ALL THAT! ” “Oh, no. I didn’t really do anything.”

“I wish my children were as humble as you.”

“Haha,” Mareo says scratching his head.

“Oh, I almost forgot. Fuuji-kun, will you take a bath? The water’s heated too.”

“No, I’ll just go to sleep today. Thank you for the food,” Mareo says as he gets off his chair and heads upstairs.

As he is about to open the door to Isamu’s room and head in, the door to the room next to his opens and Kasumi rushes out. “Is your match already over? Couldn’t last long enough? ”

“Yeah. My team is probably mad at me right now. But it’s because of my pc dying. No, wait. Come here, Fuuji-san, I need your help with something.”

“No-no-no. I’m not going into the room of my best friend’s little sister without a proper reason. I have my pride as a man. Thank you for the offer, but I’ll have to decline.”

She frowns. “Oh, just come here, will you? Your over-dramatic replies are really annoying sometimes. The CPU is too heavy for me. Can you carry it here? Otherwise, Nii-san will forget to take it to get it repaired.”

“Oe oe, aren’t you supposed to be a bit more concerned about your pc suddenly dying on you?” “Alright, then.” Mareo enters her room and goes straight to the desk on which the unit is sitting. “Did you unplug all the wires?” 

“Yes. Thanks for the help.”

Mareo takes it to Isamu’s room and places it beside his table.

“So, are you two going out?” Kasumi says standing at the door. 

“WHAT?”

She replies nonchalantly, “Are you and Nii-san going out? It’s not a hard question to understand... I mean, you aren't that dumb, right? ”

Chuckling, he says, “No. Your brother and I are not a thing. I have a girlfriend and a great one at that. Want to see?”

Leaning on the doorframe, she says, “No. Keep your bragging to yourself. I thought Nii-san was into guys. He’s never had a girlfriend and you’re practically the only person I’ve seen him having fun with.”

Mareo sits down on the laid out futon. “What are you doing, Isamu? Why do I have to tell your little sister all this?” “No, I don’t think he swings that way. I’ve shown him some of my treasured doujins and he didn’t mind...”

Her eyebrows raised and her frown skewed, she says, “So, he is a closet pervert like you?”

“W-who are you calling a pervert? It’s pe-perfectly fine for us to try and know more about things.”

“Hmm…..”

“Yep, she’s not convinced at all. Why did I have to find the worst example in my memory?”

“Anyway, remind Nii-san to take it to get repaired tomorrow. And keep your perverse thoughts in check. If I feel anything suspicious going on, I’ll poke your eyes out,” she says as she closes the door.

“Eh he heh he.” “Now her image of me is shattered completely. There goes my chance… I don’t even have any younger siblings! This was my only opportunity of being a ‘cool’ big brother. Hello, sorrow, my dear friend. ”

Mareo lies down and pulls the blanket up over his head. He mumbles as he yawns, “All that food is making me sleepy.  Jump, you’ll have to wait till tomorrow.” 

……………………………..………………………………………………………

“Thank you for your patronage.” An employee says as Isamu walks out of an electronics and repair shop and stands in front of it with his phone to his ear. “Kasumi, they’re saying it’s going to be done by tomorrow. Remind me to come and get it, okay. But seriously, take care of your things more!”

He hears a burst of nervous laughter from the other side. “I said I’m sorry! I’ll be more careful.”

“Oh, yeah. I’m heading to the bookstore here. Do you need anything?”

“Nothing’s coming to mind. Don’t get into an accident wearing those earphones of yours.”

“HUH? You don’t need to worry about me!”

“Yeah, yeah. Later then, Nii-san.”

“Hmm.” Isamu puts his phone in his pocket. “No rampage, huh, dear mind of mine? Guess I can go without the earphones for a bit.”

Passing a few shops, Isamu crosses the street to arrive at a bookstore, crowded, unlike the path he took here. He is greeted by the employee nearest to the door as he enters the bookstore, “Welcome, Okyaku-sama. How can I help you?”
--------------------------------------------------------------