Samurais and maids, if asked he would say definitively that he liked them, possibly even loved. Holy, it was a mood thing. His enjoyment of such staples of literature culture ebbed and flowed, waxed and waned. At least, before today he felt that way.

  Now, he hated them both.

  Well maybe not hate, perhaps that was an over exaggeration spurred on by recy bias. One of them did just try to kill (maybe, harm yes) him. The other, he holy didn’t even know. He certainly hadn’t read anything st night. So he could only guess what inspired the maid. And given the sliding scale of maturity, it could’ve been anything.

  And he didn’t really know if he was actually ready for the extreme side of that, even if the books he read might be sidered wish fulfillment depending on the day.

  He groaned a little ing out of his room still reeling from the events. ‘I ’t believe that they just popped up in my sleep! How lohey there? Ayumi didn’t say anything about this! I ’t live like this…’

  Sitting down at the table, his mind still worked on clearing itself and his heart trying to slow down to a normal pulse. A tug on his sleeve grabbed his attention. “Oh, I’m sorry, Ken. Did you need something?”

  “It’s Jun.”

  “ht. Thanks!” He looked over to Jun who stared back quietly mute as ever. “I’m sorry, Jun, I woke up with a headache. Oh nothing bad, thanks for w.” After the one sided versatioood up and walked around the table patting him on the head befoing into the kit.

  He pulled out the bread from the et and put a slito the toaster. A gnce from Momoko inquired silently. “Jun, he waoast along with breakfast.”

  “Don’t spoil him too much, Yuki.”

  “I’m only giving him one. He’s looking forward to your breakfast!” He moved around Momoko stirring one of the pots as she tried to hurry and finish. Afterwards, he pulled down ptes and bowls. “Ken! Jun!”

  Quickly, two pairs of feet scurried with boundless energy at the summons. He bent down a little. “Mind helpihe table?”

  “Yes, please! Jun you get the bowls!”

  “Thanks!” He watched them mindfully walk away aware of their delicate cargo while still looking like they were jittering boung balls locked in a cage. Yuki straightened out his bad went back to aiding Momoko, mind and body finally feelier. “Yono work on your Jun reading skills. I’m not always going to be around.”

  “I’ll just video chat with you. Image quality holds up over phones, right?”

  “You lose that in person touch.”

  “I don’t know how you ma.”

  “It’s the wrinkles in the forehead and muscle tension in the nebsp; Eae is a letter or word by itself.” Momoko gnced over at him, hearing him matter-of-factly deliver it straight. A wide grin shined back for her. “Holy, no idea. I told you before, doesn’t make any sense. I just hope it’s something that he es out of in time.”

  “You and me, both…but it’s already been a year.”

  Chapter 9 Troubled Joy

  By the time Yuki closed the gate, a deep simmering panic started to roll ihe back of his mind. One he vocally tried to shout away, internally. ‘No maids, no robots, no brain stop it! Just stop it!’ So much mental energy fought to keep all of his errant thoughts in chebsp; He really didn’t need a maid or something worse popping up in the middle of the street.

  However, when he began to walk into the street turning towards his school there was a heavy weight on both of his arms. He looked down and jumped ba surprise to find that both Ken and Jun had followed him. Yuki k down looking at the two with hopeful eyes. “What are you two doing?”

  Jun remained quiet as Ken stepped forward as their voibsp; “Jun wao walk with you. So we decided to go to school with you.” It’d be even more endearing if it wasn’t an obvious lie.

  Yuki couldn’t help but give him a warm smile. He patted the two on the head. “I don’t mind you ing with me as far as the stop sign. But Ken, what have you told you about lying?”

  “I wasn’t lying!” He looked over to Jun for assuranbsp; A small shy nod came iurn.

  “Jun ’t speak.”

  “Jun answer yes or no to questions,” Ken said, looking a little too proud about the ter.

  A small chuckle came out of Yuki realizing the game Ken pyed. “Alright, alright. Just try not to take advantage of yht brother too much, Ken.”

  “So we walk with you?” Yuki nodded and gave them both one of his hands. They bounced eagerly on the offer.

  “M Yuki!” Saki said from behind him as they met at the usual spot ih. When she came closer she saw his brothers with him as well. “Oh, Ken and Juh you today!” She bent down pulling her skirt in as she lowered herself to their eye level. Saki gave Jun a pat on the head and a warm smile. “Still as cute as ever, Jun.” A snappy turn had her fag Ken giving him a mischievous grin to match the ohat was on his lips already. “Tagging along with your brother, huh?”

  “Yup!” Ken raised his left arm in ear.

  “Don’t fet we’re going as far as the stop sign. You’ll be te otherwise.” The presence of Saki risked them fetting everything. They already started to try to climb up and around her with little encement needed. ‘I’m relieved she still pys with them despite everything that’s happened. I feel bad they don’t get to py together anymore like before…’

  They walked down looking almost like a brother and sister taking their younger siblings to the park, which holy if Ken made the decisions it’d happen. Unfortunately for him, Yuki kept them on track despite how much fun Saki had with them. She put them both back down as they reached the stop sign.

  Saki k down patting them. “You walk with us again whenever you want, ya know.”

  “Really? Hear that Jun?” Ken rose up both of his hands cheering and ran off dowher street with Jun running after him. They disappeared around the turn of the street leaving Yuki and Saki aloo resume the rest of their walk.

  Yuki stretched a little and turo face Saki. Keeping his usual smile painted over his face, he greeted him. “Good m, Saki!” The moment his brothers disappeared, the panic returwofold, notig that he had dropped his guard.

  “M-M. What’s wrong Yuki? You feeling alright?” The sudden voiocked her back a step.

  He waved his hand and arm together motioning off her worries. “Yup! Just worried with Ken and Jun pulling you five different dires so early in the m.”

  ‘Something’s a little off. I don’t think he’s lying, but hiding something else maybe?’ Saki smiled back. If he had something else, she could wait until he was ready. “They’re fine. It’s no worse than they used to do.”

  “How’s track been for you?” They began walking dowreet. The focus of Saki gave him a little fort. A mental strain still trickled through the filter of his mind.

  Leaning back a little as they walked, Saki pushed out the m versation. They had nothing to do with Yuki. “Still getting used to it all. But I guess since I did all that self defe doesn’t tire me out that mubsp; They say I have good times for a novice.”

  “Going to be the star of the first years before you know it!”

  “I don’t know about that. N to win any medals.”

  “Aw, you gotta shoot for the stars!”

  “One of us is iars enough for both. I’m happy keeping both feet firmly pnted.”

  Yuki pouted to her disappointed in the ck of goals. “If you’re having fun.”

  “Yeah…uh-huh…” Saki eyes grew small suddenly when she saw somethio Yuki that she could not expin. Her words were faili the moment as shock was overp anything that she was attempting to do. She could barely step back from him. “Y-Yuki… What’s that?” Her arm raised up as her finger exteo point to something behind him floating in the air.

  “Huh? What’s gotten into you, Saki?” He could see that he was not going to get anymore out of her. It seemed like it was a miracle that she mahose words before she lost the ability to speak. Yuki turned around, curious to know what had gotten to her. “It’s a fairy!” he said matter-of-factly. Then a bell dinged in his head and he jumped back behind Saki in shock as well. “What is that?!”

  “A fairy? But those aren’t real. It ’t be!” Saki had found her voice, but only through the disbelief in Yuki’s rea after stating it so cheerfully. ‘He’s as freaked out as me. What’s going on?’ fused, Saki blirying to figure out if it was real. “So um… Yuki?”

  “Y-Yeah?” They both looked on at the blue wiiny person h between them. A momehey exged questioning stares at each other. Then bad it was missing. Whily further freaked them out. “Where’d it go?”

  “W-where’d what go?” a familiar voice asked from behind them. They both turned again to find an awkwardly smiling Ayumi looking lost to what had them in a panibsp; She leaned in and then babsp; “Is…is something wrong?”

  “Oh Ayumi!” Saki sighed a bit in relief thinking the fairy talked to them. But now gone, she started doubting what she saw. She pressed a hand against her head in fusion.

  Yuki bounced over to Ayumi’s side, happy to see her. He g her trying to get a firmation. Nothing but a quick stare that dropped the fa?ade only in her eyes returned. It gave him some relief. “Oh sorry, we saw some odd bird for a moment! Flew right up to us and then darted away! Like it had never been there.”

  “Oh? R-really? Sounds a little scary.”

  “I-I guess it was, a little. Right, Saki?”

  “A bird yeah, just a bird…”

  Underh his smile, Yuki grimaced internally. ‘I don’t know how much she bought it… I don’t know why I’m even hiding it from her. Though I’d like to be able to tell her on my own terms, not my stupid brain pying fast and loose with it’s imagination!’ It just relieved him that it ended. School hadn’t even started yet and his mind wanted a nap.

  “C-css is going to start.”

  “Wha!? We lost so much time with Ken and Jun!”

  Saki snapped fully back to reality. She looked down at her watbsp; “We’ve still got time, just no dawdling!”

  When they reached their homeroom css Yuki walked in ahead with Ayumi. Saki was ing up to the entrance, but audent in the hall called out to her. “Saki!” The girl rushed to Saki out of breath. A girl from the track team stopped in front of her bent over rec her breath. “What’s wrong, Hitomi?”

  Hitomi was one of the track members that ran in the rey rabsp; She had only barely gotten to know the girl since she came from a different middle school, but they traiogether after school. The coach said that they had different running styles and hoped that they would rub off on each other to improve overall. “It’s Takako. She didn’t show up for m practibsp; The coach was really angry, but her friends said that she had left already. Do you know anything?”

  “Takako? No, I don’t. She’s always early to practice though.”

  “Yeah. I think something happeo her.”

  “She could be sick or something.”

  “Maybe…” Panic built up in the girl’s eyes. More than just a flu seemed to fill her ideas. She then looked back up at Saki quickly with a panicked worry and wrinkled brow. “We o do something!”

  Saki could see how worried Hitomi was about Takako. She remembered that Hitomi and Takako hung out together once or twice she saw both of them. She had seemed a little unapproachable with the other track members. It certainly did not make any seo her for her to miss a practibsp; ‘It’s probably nothing, but if it calms Hitomi I should help!’