It's okay Rex, even though you and your friends have terrible taste, I'll still love you. :V
 
Chapter Nine: Murky Dealings
You feel very silly a moment later as you realise that, more than anything else, you just want to talk to Yuko. You feel a little less silly when you remind yourself that she was hurrying out the door and wouldn't have had time for you anyway. Then on the third hand, either way you wind up the annoying younger brother coming to her with problems even you don't understand and expecting her to fix them. You despondently cram some sausage in your mouth to distract your stupid brain. You learned in school that eating helps with stress because of grazer instinct - if it's safe to eat then the situation can't really be that bad, so it takes the sensation of chewing as a sign to just switch off the stress response. Your breakfast isn't making you feel any better, though. You can barely even taste it properly.

"Are you alright, Alfons?" Sella asks politely, pausing with her cutlery raised.

"Fine!" you lie enthusiastically. "Just waking up still, is all!"

"Ah. Well, regardless, we're always here for you."

Leysritt emerges from the living room, tossing the empty cereal box over in the bin's general direction. Sella's eyes and yours follow her as she approaches the coffee machine and proceeds to drink straight from the pot. Your brow furrows. You watch in curious awe as it all disappears down her throat in visible gulps. Sella clears her throat loudly. Leysritt turns, the last dregs swirling at the bottom of the pot.

"Yes?" she asks. Steam billows past her lips as if it were 30 below.

"... I'll make another pot," Sella says with a grimace.

Leysritt puts her hand over her heart and shuts her eyes, overwhelmed by Sella's generosity. Sella rolls her eyes.

"Oh um, could I please have some spending money?" you ask as the thought occurs to you. "Was thinking about maybe heading into the city to see a movie or something."

"Seeing some friends?"

"No, um... killing time so I can go talk to Yuko," you admit, eyes averted.

Sella giggles. "Oh no, sibling love, what ever would the neighbours think?"

You blink. Weird feeling. Deja vu? No. But you don't know what else it could be, because like that it's gone, like trying to catch a fish barehanded. You refocus on Sella. She's got her wallet out, muttering to herself in an annoyed fashion as she rifles through American dollars, euros, and what appear to be antique Deutschmarks before finally hunting down some yen. You always thought it was weird how a 1 in one country can be a 100 in another.

"There you are." Sella presses a little pile of notes down flat on the table beside your knife. "And remember to call if you get lost or need us for anything!"

"(M'not gonna get lost,)" you mumble to yourself.

"We handing out money? Great-" Leysritt starts.

"Have fun today, Alfons!" Sella says quite a bit louder than is necessary.

***

The sun shines down brightly upon Fuyuki amid a dazzlingly clear, blue sky. The fresh breeze flows through the streets like water, plucking at the too-long strands of your white hair (you really need to get it cut). You glance at the 'FOR SALE' sign in front of the empty lot opposite your house (it's a nice neighbourhood, you don't know how it's gone unsold for so long) and set off.

You give some consideration to visiting Ryuudou Temple. You've gone a couple times before, sometimes with Yuko, sometimes alone. You've never considered yourself particularly religious, but you've always liked it up there on that mountain. Even in the woods once or twice, when you were feeling particularly adventurous. Now more than ever you think you'd like to head up the steps (it's a great workout) and find somewhere peaceful to sit. But it's much further out of your way from home than it is from school, and you're going to be doing plenty of walking today anyway. So you set off across Miyama towards Shinto - you'll drop in at the coffee shop to see Yuko around midday, when it's time for her lunch break.

There's never any time to go into Shinto on weekdays, given the trek. And when you do have time, there's nowhere else to go but Verde. It's the biggest shopping centre in town, the beating heart of the commercial district. It's honestly a tiny bit overwhelming just how loud it gets merely from having so many other people there all speaking at perfectly normal volume, but you manage well enough. It's the arcade that's the real headache, a cramped space jam-packed with colour and light and sound all dragging your attention in different directions, so you prepare well in advance with a brace of drinks from a shop on the way there.

You check your watch constantly. Time passes both too slowly and too fast. You have a series of enthusiastic, pitched bouts with a very good Kain player as Cecil in Dissidia for a while before you move on. When you do you round the bank of machines, looking to commend the person you've been playing with for the past 15 minutes or at least say 'hi', but you barely glimpse the boy with dyed hair before he's off. You shrug and go on your way.

Once you've burned through the supplies you brought with you, you put your poor overworked player card away and move on. Your stomach's starting to growl but you hold off from anything major - best to order plenty at Yuko's work instead so you look like a valued customer. But you are still hungry. So you relent and buy a taiyaki to nibble on the way back.

The sun shines down brighter than ever, directly overhead. The wind only seems to pick up to match it, blowing in from the sea to the north in a cool wave. It hits you full force as you cross the bridge back to Miyama, your hand trailing along the sun-warmed metal of the handrail. Your pace gradually slows. You look down at the sparkling, clear waters of the Mion below through furrowed brows. Eventually you stop, right in the middle of the footbridge. You settle your other hand down on the railing, as if to grip it for support, and look out across the city. You've had fun today. It's been as much as you could ever hope for most days at school, chin in your hand, hunched over the desk, staring at the clock. But... why doesn't it feel like it?

You look down at your watch. Nearly midday. Uh-oh, Yuko could be taking her break any minute now. You tear yourself away from the view and your own navel-gazing thoughts, double-timing it back into the heart of Miyama.

The coffee shop's doing pretty good business once you get there. Not the busiest you've ever seen it mind, that's normally the top and tail end of the day, especially the former on school days. But enough that you start getting a little worried. You step into the shade, sidling past the people queuing for the register, and get a good look behind the counter. The door to the kitchen opens and Yuko walks through, blinking uncomprehendingly for a moment before she realises it's you.

"Alfons! What's up?"

"Could, uh... are you...?" you make vague gesticulations at one of the booths. Yuko glances over there, and nods.

"Tami, take his order and cover for me?"

Instead of manly coffee for men you order a baby hot chocolate for babies. You nurse it and keep your head down as Yuko's friend quickly explains to Mr. Ito that no, Yuko didn't already take her break, that would be silly, she only just started it and look, she brought her little brother in to buy things, and not even with her employee discount! You finally relax once Mr. Ito heads back into the kitchen to see to the food.

"Oh lighten up!" Yuko reaches around the free coffee Tamiko made her and ruffles your silver-white hair. "He's not an ogre. Worst he can do is fire me."

"Firing's bad, though."

"I'll get another job! It's a growing city, plenty of work. Anyway, figure you didn't come here to talk about employment." She takes a little sip of her drink. "What's up?"

Well.

"... I don't know," you say lamely.

Yuko puts her drink down, quirking one brow. "You don't know?"

You shrug helplessly.

"You came and pulled me away from work to talk about nothing?"

"N-no I- I'm sorry I-"

"Hey, hey." Yuko snaps her fingers, drawing your eye. "I was joking. I'm not angry. C'mon, I know something's the matter. Just say what you want to say, whatever springs to mind first."

"... am I a good little brother?"

Yuko blinks. "Huh?"

"I'unno I just..." You hunch over a little, tugging your drink closer to nurse it in both hands. "Feel like I did something wrong. Something really wrong and stupid and I need to make it up to someone but I don't even know who I did it to. Feel like a stupid annoying hanger-on who doesn't understand anything about anything and just... makes stuff worse."

"Hey. Hey." She reaches over the table and squeezes your wrist. "You're not perfect. Mostly because you say stupid stuff like that sometimes. But most of the time you're so cute and precious I could just pinch your chubby widdle cheeks-"

"Aaahhstoppit!" You wave your arms wildly to fend off her hands. Eventually she shifts back in her seat, rebuffed.

"Heh, truth be told I'm not that great for advice, Al," she says. "You're alright, y'know? You always try really hard and you always try to do right by people. I guess just try to remember that."

You smile a little. "You should really get back to work before Mr. Ito yells at you."

"I think I see a smiiiile~"

"m'not, goaway"

Yuko reclines in her half of the booth, draining the rest of her cooled coffee. Sighing to herself slightly as she relishes it. She sets it down and stands up, pausing before she moves away.

"Anime night tonight? Promise I'll help you with your homework so Sella doesn't yell at us."

Now you really do smile. "Thanks!"

"It's nothing, you're still on baby-work like '2+2=four apples'."

You try to think of a witty retort but by the time you even have the seed of one Yuko's already back behind the counter, taking over at the register while Tamiko switches to the coffee machine. You finish your drink in... while not significantly higher spirits, higher nonetheless. You take the empties up to the counter, try not to bump into the foreigner in a business suit coming in from the street, and head outside back home.

***

Monday passes lazily. You stayed up watching anime with Yuko a liiiiiittle too long than was healthy, and Ms. Fujimura maaaaay have pelted you with chalk and erasers. But mostly you've just felt kind of distracted, that kind of itching feeling where it's like someone's staring at you behind your back. But no one's there. The desk right behind you is empty like it always has been.

You stay after the bell to clean up the classroom with everyone else (how does one classroom get so dusty!?) and head down to the lockers at a sedate, loping pace. You move with the crowd as you cross the sandy expanse of Homurahara's grounds, knowing Yuko will be waiting for you at the gate.

Except you see her walk right past her bike and out the gate. Your brow furrows. That's weird. Why would she leave her bike behind? Without her bike she'd have to get up at a reasonable time and walk like you. You quicken your pace, then again, then again, until you're jogging past the loose gaggles of kids young and old and out the front gate. Scanning the dispersing students for a sign of Yuko's retreating back.

There it is. You'd know her anywhere. You start after her. Pause. Backtrack and check the bike rack. Okay, hers is locked up, so it probably won't be stolen unless some kid has a set of boltcutters in their backpacks. Or someone salmon-leaps over the fence to steal it in the dead of night. You can't puzzle it out. So you chase after Yuko to ask.

Easier said than done. She's got longer legs than you and she's fitter than you, so she's made pretty good time while you were hesitating. You refrain from running to catch up to her, mostly because you don't really wanting to be gasping for breath for five minutes before you can finally ask her what's up. So you just walk quickly, slowly narrowing the distance between you or at least matching her pace, until she turns right towards the Miyama shopping district. She doesn't have shifts on school da- oh god she's being fired isn't she?

You really do run now, struggling to catch up with her so you can breathlessly apologise for ruining her life. You dodge this way and that to get through all the people gathering in the shopping strip, seeking out Yuko's rather distinct form or, failing that, heading for the coffee shop. But when you make it to the latter you see no sign of the former, or Tamiko for that matter. You stop in the middle of the doorway and scratch your head, only moving once a patron coughs politely behind you.

You hear her voice. She's around the back. Oh god Mr. Ito must've taken her out back to yell at her properly. You head down the alley, skirting a bin, and come up on the corner to find-

-Yuko talking to someone you've never seen before. You stop dead. You shrink back. You peer around the corner silently.

He's a foreigner, an adult. Looks more like Yuko's father than yours does, what with the brown skin to go with the black hair. Not that he has much of it. Most of his scalp is shaved bald, save for a ponytail-type thing at the back of his head. He's wearing gloves and a business suit, but the golden hoops in his ears kind of ruin whatever respectable image he might've been trying to cultivate. His hands are in front of him, one hand gripping the other wrist. His free hand holding something you can't see.

Oh god oh god what's happening who is this weirdo what're you supposed to do?

[ ] Just stay quiet and watch. Maybe you'll understand more if you listen to them talk some. Maybe something bad's going on and you'll ruin everything if you barge in?

[ ] Walk over and ask what's going on, act all casual. Being civil'll work, yeah? Worst comes to worst you can scream for help, right?

[ ] Confront Yuko. Yeah you're kind of upset she ditched without a word to come see this weirdo. You want answers, now.

[ ] Run in and punch him! Yuko's been acting weird and it's probably his fault and maybe if you get him in the groin it'll give you and her time to run for the crowd!

[ ] Back away. Whatever Yuko's doing is her business and you might ruin it if you eavesdrop or do anything else. Maybe she'll explain it all tonight and it'll just be some hilarious misunderstanding.
 
[x] Just stay quiet and watch. Maybe you'll understand more if you listen to them talk some. Maybe something bad's going on and you'll ruin everything if you barge in?

stealth modo.
 
[X] Walk over and ask what's going on, act all casual. Being civil'll work, yeah? Worst comes to worst you can scream for help, right?
 
Don't worry everyone, its just the local tattoo artist. Strange chap but he gives good deals.

[X] Back away. Whatever Yuko's doing is her business and you might ruin it if you eavesdrop or do anything else. Maybe she'll explain it all tonight and it'll just be some hilarious misunderstanding.

Everything will be totally normal in our totally normal lives as an albino german boy in coastal Japan with a Hindi-descended adopted sister, raised by a japanese man raised in Cambodia and Mysterious Albino German Woman with Mysterious Albino German Maids.

NOTHING special is happening. Not a thing. No siree.

(Don't actually meme vote, kiddos, I have a permit for this)
 
Oh look, it's Yuko's relationship adviser!

[ ] Run in and punch him! Yuko's been acting weird and it's probably his fault and maybe if you get him in the groin it'll give you and her time to run for the crowd!
Someone convince me this isn't the best option.
 
Oh look, it's Yuko's relationship adviser!

[ ] Run in and punch him! Yuko's been acting weird and it's probably his fault and maybe if you get him in the groin it'll give you and her time to run for the crowd!
Someone convince me this isn't the best option.

Chanakya is literally Joeseph Joestar. We'll end up punching a spiky coat hanger.
 
"Tami, take his order and cover for me?"

Yuko reaches around the free coffee Tamiko made her

There wasn't even any interaction but I'm still ecstatic to see Tamiko again.

[X] Walk over and ask what's going on, act all casual. Being civil'll work, yeah? Worst comes to worst you can scream for help, right?

Oh come on, it's Yuko, it's not like she's some tattooed delinquent meeting with her magic drug dealer.
 
Awwww. Yuko is best big sister.

Also, I kinda figured Chanakaya would be outside the mirror world - his stuff works best when he's free to move. This may be a trap, incidentally. Although if we assume Chanakaya was who Yuko was seeing earlier, it may not be?

And what the hell is he showing her? He might be warning her that we're in danger or something and providing photographic evidence of us wandering about at night in strange costumes,.

[X] Walk over and ask what's going on, act all casual. Being civil'll work, yeah? Worst comes to worst you can scream for help, right?

I have no idea what effect being carded might have had on Chanakaya. So, let's do some reconnaissance. And see what he's holding.
 
[X] Just stay quiet and watch. Maybe you'll understand more if you listen to them talk some. Maybe something bad's going on and you'll ruin everything if you barge in?

hnngggg muh heart /lsp

(Also sneaky little brother eavesdropping powers gooooo!)
 
TAMIIII

though I don't think we ever actually saw Tamiko onscreen and she hasn't actually said anything.

Clearly Yuko's been hypnotised! *gasp*
 
Sella.

Less.

And we left them.

More of a monster than Vortigern. All of you.

LITERALLY MORE OF A MONSTER THAN VORTIGERN!
 
[X] Walk over and ask what's going on, act all casual. Being civil'll work, yeah? Worst comes to worst you can scream for help, right?
 
[X] Confront Yuko. Yeah you're kind of upset she ditched without a word to come see this weirdo. You want answers, now.
 
[X] Walk over and ask what's going on, act all casual. Being civil'll work, yeah? Worst comes to worst you can scream for help, right?
 
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