Kuro 4* - Brother to Brother

[nazunyan427]

Note: There was no JP/ENG proofreader for this story, I just double-checked it myself.

Story Name: Brother to Brother

Writer: Yuumasu

Season: Fall

Location: Kuro, Mao, Izumi, Shu Dorm Room

Characters: Kuro, Mao

Kuro:

Zzz… Zzz…

Mao:

Whoa, this can’t be happening!

Kuro:

(Hm...?)

Mao:

This is so bad, I completely overslept! Argh, nooo, why did I stay up so late?!

Kuro:

*yawn* Ya sure are lively this mornin’, Isara?

Mao:

Oh, Kiryuu-senpai. Good morning!

Oh god, don’t tell me—did I wake you up? I’m so sorry for making such a ruckus!

Kuro:

Don’t worry about it, it’s about time for me to wake up anyway… See, my alarm just went off there now.

Ya could still sleep for another hour and make it into school on time though. Do ya have somethin’ scheduled?

Mao:

Morning practice with my basketball club! Ever since I became stuco president, I haven’t been making it to practice as much. But I’m the captain, so I should try to attend as many sessions as I can.

I’m not the only member who’s busy, so I don’t want to go making excuses.

I only have half a year left at Yumenosaki, so I want to make myself some fond memories to look back on.

Kuro:

Now aren’t you something.

Mao:

Not at all, I still have a long way to go.

Kuro:

No need to be so humble. You’re the stuco president on top of the captain of the basketball club, so… Hmm?

Haha, I take that back. Looks like ya do have some ways to go after all.

Take a look at yer feet there. Ya have yer socks on inside out.

Mao:

What? Oh god, you’re right!

This is so embarrassing… Thanks for pointing that out. You just saved me from becoming a laughing stock among my juniors.

I’ll just put them back on properly… There! All right, I’m off!

Kuro:

Hey, did you just drop something?

Mao:

A button? Whoa, it’s the one from my sleeve!

Why is this happening today of all days? I guess today is my unlucky day…

Kuro:

Calm down, Isara. C’mere, I’ll fix that up for ya.

Mao:

Thank you. Uuu, sorry for putting you through all this too…

Kuro:

I’m tellin’ ya, it’s fine. Look, now yer right as rain.

Mao:

You really saved my butt here. Once again, I’ll be on my way!

Kuro:

Righto. Watch yerself on the way over there—make sure ya don’t trip and fall on yer way.

...Haha. Mornings with my little sis were always hectic too.

(There’s supposed to be four of us in this room, but Itsuki and Sena are away overseas most of the time. So it’s more like it’s just the two of us.)

(Considerin’ I’m comin’ from such a lively family, it did feel awful quiet at first. But I can call home any time I want, so it’s not like I’m lonely.)

(That said, I do miss mornings back at my place.)

Several hours later

Location: Starmony Dorms Common Room

Mao:

There you are, Kiryuu-senpai.

Kuro:

Welcome home, Isara.

Mao:

Thanks! And thanks a million for all your help this morning!

Here, consider this a token of my appreciation! I hope you like it…

Kuro:

Didn’t I tell ya it’s fine? I hardly did that much.

Mao:

You did loads! If it wasn’t for you, in the worst case scenario, I would’ve spent the whole day with my socks turned inside out and my button missing from my sleeve—how pathetic would that look?

I can’t thank you enough. So please, at least let me offer you this much in return!

Kuro:

Just a thank you is more than enough, ya know? But if y’insist, I’ll take it. Can I open it now?

Mao:

Of course. You should eat it while it’s still hot~ ♪

Kuro:

Whoa, pork buns? I see ya got them from that Chinese place in town. There’s two in here, so let’s have one each.

Mao:

Oh no, you should eat them both. They’re supposed to be my way of thanking you for being such a thoughtful senior.

Kuro:

And as your “senior” I’m asking you to eat one with me. Here, go on and take it.

Mao:

Ah… Got it. If you don’t mind.

Kuro:

Go on, dig in. This mornin’ was a bit of a disaster, huh?

Mao:

Yeah. Even though I try to present myself as this reliable older brother who has his act totally together back home. I need to get a hold of myself.

Kuro:

Hey, it happens. Everybody has those days.

Speakin’ of back home, once you left, I immediately started thinkin’ about my little sis.

Mao:

Oh yeah, you mentioned before having a little sister too.

Kuro:

Yeah. She can be a bit careless herself. I’ve lost track of how often I have to sew her buttons back on or fix up a frayed sleeve.

Mao:

My own sister won’t lose when it comes to carelessness. God knows how many times she’d forget her bento and I ended up having to chase after her.

And then she has the nerve to casually complain about how much I nag her. She’s so blunt with me! I’m just about the only one she has an attitude with.

Kuro:

I know what you mean. My own sis can be a real handful too.

But all of that combined is what makes her so cute, y’know? She’s real special to me.

Mao:

I get you. She sure does bug me sometimes, but I could never bring myself to dislike her.

Kuro:

Yeah… Oh right, since the two of us have sisters, we have that connection. D’ya think I could ask ya somethin’, get yer opinion as an older brother?

My sis has a Parent’s Day comin’ up, but my old man can’t make it ‘cause of work, so he asked me to fill in in his place.

But I ain’t got any idea just what I’m supposed to wear to that sorta thing. If all of the students’ parents are gonna be there, should I be wearin’ a suit or somethin’? And maybe wear my hair down, no gel?

Are there any manners I need to keep in mind for that sorta occasion?

Mao:

I don’t think there’s anything in particular. You can just act normal? It’s not like you’re going to a wedding ceremony or anything.

Kuro:

I dunno what actin’ “normal” is supposed to entail. I’m hardly the kinda guy ya can brag about a whole bunch.

But at least when it comes to the stage my sis stands on, I wanna present myself as a good older brother, y’know?

Mao:

I see, I get you. In that case, why don’t I help you pick out what to wear? I know exactly what it feels like to want to present yourself as a good big brother ♪

Kuro:

That’d help a lot. It’d sure give me a huge boost of confidence to have a fellow older brother by my side~ ♪