MaruMA:Gaiden02:Chapter 3 1

Little Brother

1

Little brothers are boring.

Even though he would follow behind me anywhere I went, as soon as he got into elementary school his face changed into one that said, 'Starting today, I've become independent.' No matter how much I persuaded him, he didn't grow up according to plan and he didn't even act like Bakuretsu Jeff and feed me ridiculously spicy food.

Also, no matter how much I beg, he absolutely won't call me Onii-chan.

The time was midway through September, when the new school term starts, and the Shibuya family's eldest son, Shibuya Shouri, woke up letting out a sound like a cicada. The character clock next to his pillow read 1:30PM. Outside the window were elementary school kids shouting and kicking around a ball, undeterred by the heat.

His mother who must have been downstairs wasn't coming to wake up her son even though it was after noon. She's probably watching reruns of 2-hour dramas in the air-conditioned living room.

No matter how lazily he behaves, she doesn't show any concern for a college student during summer vacation.

Registering that there was something moving at the edge of his line of sight, it turned out to be the screensaver on his computer. He'd been playing a game he just bought until the early hours of the morning.

"... Crap..."

Now that he thinks about it, the light and the air-conditioner were left as they were as well. Who knows what his little brother would say if he saw this. Today is Saturday, so it's probably around the time he'd come back home if he isn't held up.

The second son of the Shibuya family, Yuuri, is an exceptionally healthy high school student so he hardly ever misses school. He almost always gets out of bed at a regular time and no matter how hot it is, he'll have a proper breakfast and go to school. He hates the air-conditioner because he gets cold and he avoids the bus and train because his body will get out of shape.

Nowadays there are hardly any high schoolers like that. A type that's so muscle-for-brains it's unusual.

It's not necessarily because of that, but he's bad at studying as expected. Every year at the end of summer vacation, he gets overwhelmed by all the homework he let pile up and spends all night doing it while his older brother yells at him.

However, this year was different.

For the first time in his life, the little brother who moved up to high school got through August without relying on his family. From what they heard, he apparently got help from a middle school friend and finished all of his homework.

How horrible! The ones at a loss were his family. It doesn't feel like September arrived at all like this. It doesn't feel like summer really ended, does it?

"... Today is September... what's the date?"

While voicing a pathetic complaint, the oldest son of the Shibuya family, Shibuya Shouri, got out of bed.

Now that the elementary, middle, and high school summer vacations were over, there wasn't any temp work as a teacher in cram schools either. While digging through the pillows to find his glasses, he stuck a hand down his underwear and scratched an itch. His current state could not be shown to the neighbors.

The motto of the only woman in the house has been "Boys really are boring" for a long time. However, those words that sounded like pouting have started to not be directed at him. Where the oldest son is concerned, she seems to have abandoned her hopes and dreams.

His grades were excellent throughout elementary, middle, and high school, he was a model student popular even amongst the neighbors, and he passed the entrance exams to Hitotsubashi University as expected.

The reality of Shibuya Shouri who had above average looks even to those with bad eyesight and had no hesitation in declaring that his hero was Ishihara Shintarou was known only to those in his family.

The facts that Shibuya Shouri set up a review site for galge unbeknownst to his friends and acquaintances, that his type was Leni Something-straße, that his underwear was all bought by his mother, and that he failed his temporary license test twice were secrets from his dark side that must not be revealed to others.

It is a past that cannot exist for someone of outstanding talent that will rise up to take on the responsibility of the Tokyo Metropolitan Area in the future, emulating his admired Governor Ishihara.

Speaking of a past that cannot exist...

"Ughhh, who the hell attached this ridiculously large file?"

When he checked his e-mail, there was correspondence from someone he hadn't spoken to in a while. It's probably the same complaint as always. That American who frequently changes addresses seems to be staying in Arizona at the moment.

Summer that year, the Shibuya household of three men and one woman were unexpectedly forced into a life abroad.

It was because the backbone of the family, Uma-chan (aka. Shibuya Shouma), was assigned a three month job in New York.

"But why New York? Sending us to a big city like New York instead of Boston where we're already used to? It can only be the company harassing us!"

"How is it harassment? If it was Texas or Alaska I'd understand why you're upset, but there's skyscrapers? It's Manhattan? There's the Statue of Liberty? And what's more-" Threatened with the Shibuya family's wife's, Shibuya Miko's, menacing glare, Shouma bit back his words of 'there's two baseball fields.' "... we can see as many musicals as we want."

"Ugh, I am shocked! Me and musicals?! How dare you suggest that Texas Chainsaw Jennifer of all people see a musical? Alright then, I'll ask. What do you recommend I see?"

"... How about Cats?"

"I'm a dog person, through and through."

"What about Les Miserables?"

"I like Inspector Javert."

"Jesus Christ Superstar?"

"I've been a buddhist since the day I was born."

Being a secret fan of South Pacific, the husband gave up recommending shows.

"Then how about dancing in a local immersion school there?"

"Immersion? Hey hold this here, please. Tightly! If it comes loose I won't be able to see it! What's native there? Jazz?"

"Things like gospel."

"You're trying to pick a fight over my singing ability, aren't you? Oh okay, school. Since I'll have a whole three months, that's good. I thought of something, too. Maybe I'll take this opportunity to master capoeira?"

Isn't that a Brazilian martial art?! Imagining his wife BUILDING UP even more, Shibuya Shouma started trembling on the inside. To anyone watching as she stood there holding her breath and tying her obi belt, she seemed very gentle and refined. But the truth was she competed at the national levels of fencing and was a wild fighter that went by the dancer's name of Hamano Jennifer during her school days. "A wild fighter, a wild fighter, a wild fighter..." the echo screams.

If that wife learns, of all things, capoeira and used it around the house, who knew what would happen? Even now, late in the night, secretly, she is a wife that benchpresses. She was already unmanageable with her Bruce Lee Level 7 certification.

"No! No way! No school allowed! How about I treat you to shopping? This month only you can use the card as much as you want. Have fun on 5th Avenue!"

If she wasted too much it would be a serious expense, but at this moment he couldn't call that wasteful. After all, they were expected at his boss's party this afternoon. If he offended his lovely wife right now, he'd end up going to the party alone.

This husband and wife who were born and raised in Japan hated the gatherings particular to Western culture. It wasn't because they were discriminated against or harassed. However, it was uncomfortable for the husband who could not make a tasteful joke and since everywhere his wife went people would continuously say, "OH, BEAUTIFUL KIMONO! GEISHA! A YAMATO NADESHIKO!" she was always ready to explode when it was time to go home.

Shouma screamed in his heart, "The lady that everyone was calling Yamato Nadeshiko is trying to master capoeira! Isn't she closer to a ninja or samurai?"

That being said, attending without a partner would be humiliating for a married man and people in the company would suspect that he was gay again. It was troubling when a memo was secretly sent to him, inviting him to a crossdressing club. I won't participate! I won't participate in the seminar on releasing my inner self or the parade at the end of June either!

"Alright, without thinking about loans, just let my amex card sing."

After throwing him a glance, Miko said, "I got bored of that on the first day."

"What? On the first day?"

"Well the selection of children's clothes isn't that good. It was the perfect chance to try out cute brand name clothes, but they're all chic black and brown things. Yuu-chan would look better in more bright and beautiful clothe-"

"What!?"

Shouma opened the door to the adjoining bedroom. He had a bad feeling. A very bad feeling.

About to turn four in another month, the second son Yuuri was at the peak of cuteness. He doesn't rebel, he doesn't speak badly of others, he doesn't even look at people coldly. He was a little bit dumb compared to the first son, Shouri, but his reflexes were sharp despite his age and his sense of balance was excellent. He was slow to start talking, but quick to start walking and, having inherited mostly Shouma's genes, was quick to like baseball at the age of three.

When they put Yankees uniform pajamas on him that they bought last night, he slept like a log, snoring uncharacterically loud for a toddler. Seems like it was comfortable. Watching his belly go up and down under the pinstripe cloth, his father nodded contentedly.

Yeah, it suits him. This child will definitely be a professional baseball player.

His wife spoke up with an exasperated look. "So if the Ultraman pajamas look good on him, Yuu-chan will grow up to be Ultraman?"

"Of course not. Don't say something ridiculous."

But Shouma had forgotten something then. At the same time that the second son was a tool for him to live out his dreams, he was also the favorite of his wife's.

"AHHH!"

The two sons were watching cable TV nicely together in the bedroom. The second son, Yuuri, was sitting between his big brother's legs and laughing at a blue muppet devouring cookies. The first son, five years older, had a hand on his knee and was happily pointing at the tv.

The young children brought from Japan for this temporary overseas work assignment were laughing carefree in this New York apartment-hotel bedroom. It was truly a heartwarming scene. However, the problem here was the second son's clothes.

"Y-Yuu-chan, you're so cute- No, what are you wearing?!"

The youngest son about to turn four was wearing a knee-length, deep blue dress with a white apron, his short hair was forcibly tied up with powder blue ribbons, and he was wearing matching lace socks.

"A skirt, that's a skirt, isn't it?! D-d-d-darling, what are you going to do if Yuu-chan likes crossdressing because you made him wear things like this?!"

While moving his younger brother around with hands around his wrists, Shouri made a face as if to say, 'This again?' On the screen, children from around the world were dancing by making the shapes of the alphabet.

"Don't yell in front of a toddler."

"Ah, sorry. Papa was bad."

Who knew what DNA from what ancestor he received, but the first son was strangely well-behaved. People often say that their offspring will be professors or cabinet members, but Shouri truly was on that course.

"I don't think it's good to judge people on what they're wearing."

"Oh, that's certainly true, but... wait. Wait, wait, Shou-chan. This is a problem between Mama and Papa, okay? Hey Darling. Jennifer. JEENNIFFERR!"

Even while being surprised by their father's menacing attitude as he went back to the living room, the slightly dumb person being debated raised their hands up with a blank stare.

"....?"

"It's okay, Yuu-chan. He said it's a problem between Mom and Dad. If children stick their noses in married people's conversations, nothing good will happen."

The three year old pointed at the television and let out a happy shout.

"Bwee!"

"Yeah, that's right. It's 'vee'. It's your big brother's name. V for VICTORY."

"BIKTOREE!"

"That's right. Yuu-chan is ADVANTAGE."

"Ad..."

"I guess you can't say it yet."

Yuuri was just a little bit dumb.

The married couple's trivial fight continued until the doorbell rang energetically. Even under normal circumstances it was an event they were reluctant to attend, but now they don't want to go out even more. Cutting across the living room headed towards the door, Shouma spoke like he was spitting out the words.

"Your hair definitely looks better up! You're absolutely beautiful when you can see the nape of your neck. You can bet my treasured baseball cards on that... Hello?"

Upon opening the door a crack with the chain still in place, he found a stranger standing there with a wide smile. He was wearing a uniform he hadn't seen before. It was too bright to be from the hotel. Was he a police officer? Then what about those white leggings?

"Are you Mr. Shibuya?"

He was suddenly saluted.

"Y-yeah, I'm Shibuya. What sort of business did you need with me?"

If he was collecting money for the Boy or Girl Scouts, they should be a cuter boy or girl.

"I'm the babysitter dispatched from the New York branch."

"Ah, the babysitter, huh?"

While checking the letter of introduction he was handed, Shouma undid the door chain. His company name and affiliation was written on his ID as well as his name.

Matthew Olsen, 26, Nursery School Teacher

"... Nursery School Teacher..."

"It's been three years since I earned my certification. Ah, this uniform is a costume for getting along with young children. It's often mistaken for the Black Tri-Stars, but I am a human of the Federation."

"Human of the Federation?"

Excuse me?

Shibuya Shouma's temper from arguing with his wife was thrown into confusion. Did he mean he was an official citizen of the United States Federation? Well, whatever. It was true that he did put in a request for a babysitter from the New York branch office. The second son was different, but the first son was better at English than his parents so there wouldn't be any problem if the babysitter wasn't Japanese.

"Well, com-"

He opened the door so the man could come in, and then...

"Hello, Mr. Shibooya."

"Eh?"

Another man in the same uniform appeared. He was bigger than the man that introduced himself as Matthew Olsen and half his face was covered in a brown beard. He was a bear. The identification he handed over was the same as the previous and the words 'Nursery School Teacher' were written in big letters.

"I am also a babysitter dispatched from the company! I'm mistaken for one of the Black Tri-Stars, but I'm a proper Federation human."

"I don't remember asking for two."

"What's going on?" Even Miko's stride was becoming wild in her displeasure over their BATTLE being put on hold and over how uncomfortable her obi belt was.

"Well I guess because there are two children it looks like whoever was in charge was being considerate." Even as Shouma thought this and opened the door a little more, there was a third person standing at attention saluting him, just as he half-expected. This man was in an unimagineable pink uniform with a scarf draped cutely across his chest.

"Th-three people came."

"HI MR. SHIBOOYA! I am a baby sitter dispatched from the company. I'm often mis-"

"You keep saying that!" Miko, with a temper straight out of hell, slammed the door right into the man's nose.

"... -taken for one of the Black Tri-stars..."

The third was shot down before entering the room.

"Why did two babysitters come!? And such scary old geezers?"

"Old-... Wait, they might send people similar to the parents' age so when children are abroad they won't be afraid."

"How rude! Are you saying I'm like this old geezer?"

"No, Darling, you're not a geezer."

The babysitter Matthew Olsen was 26 years old.

It seems she's in a state where she wants to be angry even if something funny happened so Mrs. Shibuya Miko messed up her hair as she approached her husband.

"Ugh, I hate this! This is why I didn't want to come to New York with you! Just what exactly was the point of dragging your family out here even at the expense of making Shou-chan take off school just as his new school year started? What are you going to do when this is the reason why he gets left out by his friends when he goes back home and ends up skipping out of school!?"

"Hey, you kept on saying all the time before we got married that a family is a family because they're together-"

"Don't stand behind me!" As she returned to the room the children were playing in, the wife thrust fingers right at her husband's eyes. Those slightly downturned eyes filled with even more fear. Was Yamato Nadeshiko going to blind her own husband? "And also. Don't. Call. Me. You."

"S-sorry."

Turning her back on her husband who had raised his hands and calmed down, Miko pulled a suitcase out of the closet and started tossing things around her into it one by one. This is bad. This is "I'm going home to my parents in USA." From the home of the Statue of Liberty all the way back to Yokohama.

"I'm sorry, but we're going back home before you."

"Don't just talk about selfishly going home all of a sudden! If you do, what about tonight's party? It's the boss's birthday and the boss's son's COMING OUT, you know!? I don't know what he's revealing to the public, but a lot of important clients are coming!"

"Oh, I see."

The second son, Yuuri, still sitting between the first son's legs, pointed at the TV and laughed. He was a child unaffected by the argument around him. He prefered the scene of someone jumping around on a large keyboard making noise. Did they change to a movie channel?

"Shouma-san cares more about his job than us, his family."

"Uhh-"

Crap. His wife turned serious and was using her husband's name. She was furious.

"That's right. Shouma-san is an international bank MAN. That'd shorten to InBa Man, right? Ah, was I wrong? Maybe it's GLOBAL bank man shortened to GloBa Man?"

Even the husband was a little offended at having big, dragonfly-like western letters attached to his profession.

"Yeah, that's right. I'm a GloBa Man. I'm the government relief warrior GloBa Man that fights with a computer and calculator to protect the peace of the world's finances. However, in order for the Japan-born GloBa Man to compete against the foreign financial warriors, he needs the cooperation of his partner coming to a party! You understand at least that from when we lived in Boston, right?"

"Then you should hire the geisha, GloBa Pink, to strut around New York with you all of June."

"... GloBa Pink...."

Immediately imagining the costume, Shibuya Shouma's gaze slid away from her. How about a thirty-something veteran bank clerk with sharp glasses and makeup just a little on the thick side? She's an excellent teller who can be trusted with loan consultations, but on days off she'd play the part of partner for her boss. She doesn't miscalculate one yen or even one-hundredth of a yen at work and she even helps out with dealing with complaints from junior employees. The amount of times her boss, Shouma, had to go out with a box of cakes to apologize takes a dramatic downturn after she starts working. In her hands are her favorite calculator and a pen with attached stamp, on her lap is a cooling blanket to ward off illness. Naturally, the stationary she usually uses are promotional items featuring our bank's mascot, Captain Duck.

"... That might be nice..."

"WHAT!?"

At these few seconds of dreaming, his wife in reality blew up into a seething rage.

"Hey look at this, Shou-chan, Yuu-chan. A grown adult is lost in perverted fantasies. If you constantly think of embarassing things, your eyes will droop and you'll end up with a face like that! Ah, wait Shou-chan, that movie's no good, no good at all. I told you that you can't watch shows with kissing, right?"

"Mom, this is New York. Even foreign movies for kids have kissing."

The first son looked back and forth between his agitated parents. The 8-year old child was completely dumbfounded.

"Yeah, that's right, Shou-chan. There are kiss scenes in every movie. Compared to my daydreaming that's a trivial thing. This old woman is too stubborn, isn't she?"

"... Old woman?"

The wife threw the wallet she had in her hand at her husband's feet. Veins were popping out on her forehead. She probably remembered. That day she was first called an old woman at the neighborhood's elementary school. That night she soaked her pillow lamenting about how the flow of time was cruel.

"Not old lady, but old woman?" The part she was annoyed about was a little off. Shibuya Miko put her hands on her hips and gave the kids watching the scene from the bed an order. "Shou-chan, Yuu-chan, gather your things. Then say goodbye to Papa."

"What? Why suddenly goodbye!?"

"The ones who raised me will make the children happier than you, someone who calls a woman younger than you an old woman. Are you prepared, Shouma-san? I am now going to say something I've never said once since we got married."

Shouma stood ready for impact. What is it? What words is she planning on saying? Is she planning on saying 'you wear a wig?' Jennifer let the words loose with a calm gaze.

"I want a divorce!"

What? That was pretty normal.

"No, it's not! Ehh!? J-just for that you can't take both of the kids away! That's unreasonable! The mother taking the kids if the parents split up is old-fashioned nowadays. I've been a proper father all this time too and, f-financially I have more power!"

"And I have more fighting ability and vitality."

"But I have recovery maryoku- that's not the issue! Anyway, like I'll let you take my sons away from me that easily. Especially since Yuu-chan's my second son who I've put high hopes on fulfilling my dream of becoming a professional baseball player. There's no way I'm letting you raise him when you don't even try to understand manly dreams! Right, Yuu-chan?"

He stooped down looking for agreement and the three year old child who didn't understand what was going on smiled. The mother couldn't hold her tongue at that.

"That's expecting too much. Stop pushing a selfish dream on him. Why's it always baseball, baseball? Yuu-chan has a more limitless potential than that. Even in sports there's more than baseball and he might be better suited for something else. Hiding your selfishness behind so-called 'ideals' by pruning away your child's potential is hard to forgive! A person like that is unsuited to be a true parent! Hey, Yuu-chan? What do you want to do when you get older? Fencing? Kendo? Chambara Trio?."

"Chambara Trio isn't sports."

There's no child who doesn't get happy being talked to by their beloved mother. Yuuri moved his hands around enthusiastically and got up so much that he was about to fall out of his older brother's lap.

"See? Of course Yuu-chan prefers his mother who gave him his blood."

"That's cheating! Just because you breastfed him!? If that came out of me, I'd have done it too!"

"Not milk, blood!"

"It's basically the same thing. Hey, did you know, Yuu-chan? Women always brandish around that they're a mother or that they're the ones that gave birth. Women are dishonest. What matters most in a parent isn't a mother's milk, but love, right?"

"It's shifting, Uma-chan. It's shifting to a strange angle."

"Eh!? No, this is my real hair! It's my real hair!"

Giving the husband and wife comedy duo a sidelong glance, the first son picked up his little brother and got off the bed. He put on his little sneakers with a practiced hand and the two of them escaped to the living room.

"Let's go, Yuu-chan. There's going to be a lot of carnage after this."

"Carnidge."

"You don't need to memorize that."

Back to Let's Meet Again in Shin Makoku

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