It was a Saturday morning and a holiday for Hotaro. He was still sound asleep in his bed with Hana clenching tightly to him. She was no longer afraid but felt at peace. She does not remember how long has it been since she felt like this. Her body felt warm and she had a sense of security with her.
Slowly, Hotaro's eyes opened but not completely. The curtains stopped the sunlight to enter the room but its almost translucent look, dimly lit the room enough for one to see everything inside. His chest felt warm and he found Hana's head on his chest. She held onto his t-shirt. Since both of them were pretty tired, they slept in the same clothes they wore during the day.
Making sure, not to wake Hana up, Hotaro slowly made her hand stop grabbing his t-shirt. He sat up and placed her teddy bear next to her which she hugged close to her. Smiling at her cute peaceful face, he walked towards the curtains and slightly opened them letting a streak of sunlight enter the room. The particles of dust suspended in the air could be seen in the ray of light.
Hotaro stretched his arms and then walked out of the room towards the bathroom to brush his teeth while he let the water in the bathtub heat. He really liked taking baths early in the morning so once he brushed his teeth and freshened up, he walked back to his room finding Hana still asleep.
Without making any noise, he opened his closet to get his clothes out along with a towel. He went back into the bathroom and locked the door. The water was heated to his preference and he sat down to take a shower and clean himself before dipping himself in the bathtub.
"Morning baths are the best," he muttered to himself.
While letting his body relax, he racked his brain making a schedule for the things he had to do today. It included making breakfast, getting Hana to take a bath, then going shopping for things for Hana's room, having lunch outside, and then come back to do whatever they want before having dinner and then taking a bath before heading to bed.
Revising this plan in his mind, again and again, he lost track of time a little and found himself in the bath for longer than he thought. He quickly got out and dried his body before wearing the fresh clothes he brought with him. He dried his hair with his towel and they were all a mess right now. He took the clothes of yesterday out of the washing machine and put them in a bucket with his towel to take out to dry.
As he walked out, he found himself staring at a little figure holding a stuffed animal and rubbing her eyes. Her bed hair was more of a mess than the hair Hotaro had right now.
"Good morning Hana," he said to the little girl. "Did you sleep well?"
She looked at him with drowsy eyes and when her eyes were no longer sleepy and completely open, she nodded her head.
"Good, because we have a long day today. We have to decorate your room, right?" he said in a cheerful tone.
"Then can I have a bunny?" she asked him.
"I did say I will get you that so why not? Go brush your teeth. I had already put your toothbrush out and the toothpaste is right next to it. Ask me if there is any problem," he told her and she nodded her head quickly.
She left her bear right where she was standing and rushed towards the bathroom. He put down the cloth bucket and went to pick up the stuffed animal and walked over to Hana's room to place it with his other friends.
He then walked out to dry his clothes. Once done with that, he went to the kitchen and looked in the fridge to see what he will be making today. While looking around, he saw some eggs and rice from yesterday left there and he decided on what he is going to be making. He brought out the ingredients and placed them on the table along with Hana…
"Hana, why are you sitting at the table?" he asked the little girl.
"I want to see Onii-chan make food for us. Also…can I help you?" she asked the question in a meek voice. Hotaro smiled and placed his hand on her head and pats it.
"You can do one thing. While I am making breakfast, how about you go and take a bath? Can you do that?" he asked her and she nodded her head happily and jumped off the table heading upstairs.
"It sure feels a lot livelier now," Hotaro muttered.
He made the food rather quickly along with coffee for himself which was really sweet. Just perfect, along with milk for Hana. She was a growing kid so milk was something which she should not leave on. The aforementioned person walked down and her all hair was right in front of her eyes and was covering most of her face.
She looked at Hotaro and raised both her hand and curled her finger. "Gargh…I am a ghost," she said in a little deep voice cute voice.
Amused by her little act, Hotaro acted scared seeing her. He retracted his steps as she walked towards him and then…she leaped at him and he quickly dodged her and started running away. Hana was right at his tail since he was not running too fast. He fell down intentionally and started crawling back slowly. Hana jumped on him and hugged him while giggling.
"Hehe, it is me Onii-chan. You got scared so easily," she said while giggling.
"Oh, thank god it's just you Hana. I was so scared that my little sister turned into a ghost," he said acting like an award-winning actor. "Okay, come with me. I will dry your hair."
Hotaro picked Hana up and took her to her room before covering the breakfast he made. Hana had no idea what he made since she could not see the food. He took her to her room and made her sit on the bed. He brought a hairdryer and plugging it in, he started drying her hair while setting them at the same time.
"Onii-chan, the hot air tickles," Hana said.
"Just endure it a little more. I am almost done," Hotaro said and continued drying her hair. He was finally able to do it and brought a mirror in front of her. "How does it look?"
Hana's silky hair was are all straightened properly and fell down her back till just below her shoulder. One bang in the middle fell down her forehead in a leaf shape along with some on the side.
She touched her hair a little and seeing the hairstyle jumped in happiness. "I love it!" she shouted.
They both then head down and it was time for the big reveal. Hotaro placed his hands on the cover and in a dramatic way revealed the delicacy on the plate with a 'Tada'.
Hana looked at the dish and tilted her head in confusion looking at the unknown food placed before her along with a glass of milk. She looked at Hotaro who took out a small spoon for her and handed it to her. He sat down without saying anything and then dug his spoon in the dish and took out a lump.
It was yellow on top with orange-colored rice inside it. He placed the spoon in his mouth and let out a satisfied sound while chewing. Hana copied what he did and placed the lump in her mouth and started chewing. Her eyes widened and she was moving her legs back and forth while chewing the food.
"You liked it?" Hotaro asked Hana who repeatedly nodded her head. "It's called Omurice by the way."
"Omu…rice?" she said tilting her head before smiling. "I like this a lot."
"That's good and don't forget to finish your milk," Hotaro said and Hana groaned at this. "I won't take no as an answer. Milk will make your bones stronger and you can grow to be a really strong girl. Onii-chan is scared of ghosts so who will protect him?"
"I will!" Hana said raising her hand. "I will protect Onii-chan from ghosts. He has been really nice to me so I will protect him."
"Then you need to drink your milk," he said and Hana's determination went away a little.
"O…kay," she finally said.
"Good, now as a reward, we will have lunch outside, okay? We will eat whatever you want," Hotaro said leaning forward a little.
"Really?" she asked him and he nodded his head. "Yaay!"
Hotaro chuckled seeing her like this and went back to eat his breakfast and drinking his really sweet coffee.
'She is my little sister so I can spoil her a little, right? I sure hope so.'
They both were having their breakfast and it was time for the final boss. Hana stared at the glass of milk and gulped. She looked at Hotaro who was looking at her with a smile on his face. She hesitantly grabbed the glass of milk and brought it close to her mouth. Then in one go, she started chugging down the milk. Her eyes widened as she brought it away from her mouth and stared at the milk. It was sweet.
Hotaro added a little sugar to the milk making it taste sweeter than usual. That was how he drank milk when he was little because he also used to hate it. It was something Julie had recommended him. He thought that Hana might have the same case so he tried it out and luckily it all worked. She was now drinking the milk with a smile on her face.
"It tastes good," she said looking at him. "It's…sweet."
"Is that so? How did milk taste before?" he asked her hoping to get to know where she was before all this.
"In Germany, the milk tastes a little bland. I did not really like it but mom always told the aunties in the black and white dress to make sure I drank it. It was the same in America, England, India, and Russia," she said unknowingly telling him where she had been.
"So do you like the milk in Japan more?" he asked and she nods her head. "That's great and now that we are done with this, go get ready for shopping while I clean the dishes. I have already put your shoes in the shoe rack near the entrance."
Hana jumped off the chair and went upstairs and Hotaro picked up the utensils to wash them. Hana was in her room and she grabbed her bag from before and took out a little notebook. It did not have a title before but she wrote one now. It was titled, "My life here with the best big brother."
She started writing something in it quickly and filled one page with words. She then put it back in the bag and slung it around her shoulder and walked down. Hotaro was walking up the stairs while Hana was heading down. He was going to get the money, phone, and set his hair properly.
Hana took out her little red-colored shoes and wore them. At that moment, she heard the doorbell ring. Since she wanted to do something on her own, she opened the door.
There, standing before her was a girl in boyish clothes and her hands in her pockets. She looked at Hana and bends down smiling at her.
"Good morning Hana-chan," she said to her in a friendly voice.
"Good morning um…Hinami-nee-chan," she said finally remembering her name.
"I am so happy you remembered my name. So, where are you going?" she asked seeing Hana's attire.
"Onii-chan is taking me out for shopping! Then he said he will also let me eat whatever I want," she said letting out all the positive energy in this world.
"Really? Mind if I join you?" she asked.
"No," came a voice from behind Hana. Hotaro was standing there with his hair styled and wearing his shoes. "I already decided to bring you along so no, we won't mind if you join. Right, Hana?"
Hana looked at him and pouted a little but nods her head. After wearing his shoes, Hotaro stands up and pats her head gently.
"Don't worry Hana, Hinami has a really good sense of fashion and decoration though she does not look the part."
"What do you mean by that?" Hinami said a little annoyed.
Hotaro laughed at this and did not answer her. He informed Julie about the matter and now the three of them started to head to get Hana's stuff. Hana walked right next to Hotaro and Hinami was walking next to Hinami making Hana walk in the middle.
The reason why she pouted before was that she wanted to go shopping with Hotaro alone. Ever since she was small, no one really cared about her. She did not feel any love and affection from her parents. They would go out in the morning and come back late at night. Whenever Hana wanted to welcome them back, she was just sent to her room. The maids were also just doing what they were supposed to do, nothing more, and nothing less. Hotaro on the other hand was different.
When she was told that she will be sent to live with her brother, she was sad because her parents had no look of sadness while sending her away. They did not even bother seeing her off at the airport. When she arrived with the people dressed in black, she was anxious about how Hotaro will treat her. She was scared if he would also just ignore her most of the time but it was not the case. He was the first person who showed her affection, who made her feel very happy.
Last night she had the dream that Hotaro was standing with her parents and as she walked towards him calling him, but he just shrugged it off. Not sparing her a glance, he walked away with not a hint of emotions on his face. She ran after him but could not get him in her grasp. Falling down, she called him out again and again but he did not turn to see her. He just disappeared. That was her nightmare. She lied when he asked her if it was a nightmare.
When she slept next to him hugging him while he was gently stroking her hair, she felt at peace. She felt loved and she did not want that feeling to go away. She looked towards Hotaro who was holding her hand as they walked and tightened the grip a little which made him look towards her. She only smiled at him and he also smiled seeing her.
Hinami felt a little left out but was happy for the siblings. "You two seem to be getting along well," she said.
"That's true but then again, just who wouldn't after getting to know Hana?" Hotaro said with a smile.
"True, also, she is so cute," she ended up squealing and Hotaro hid Hana behind him looking at her suspiciously. She looked at him staring at her, "What? I am not into little girls, I was just stating a fact."
"Sure…" Hotaro said in a sarcastic and uncertain tone.
"Hey, what do you think I am? Wipe that look off your face or should I do that for you?" Hinami growled.
Hana quickly stood before Hotaro with her hand wide open standing in a defensive position, pouting. "No, I will not let you hurt Onii-chan," she said.
Both of them looked at her and laughed out loud seeing her cute response. Hinami picked Hana up and started rubbing her cheek with her own. Hana was protesting but she could not get out of the grasp of Hinami's superhuman strength. When she finally stopped, Hana pouted and looked away from Hinami showing an angry expression. Hotaro pats both of their head simultaneously and they looked at him.
"You two sure make an interesting pair," he said in an amused tone.
"Oy, stop patting my head. I'll break your hand," Hinami said annoyed.
"Is that so? I thought you used to really like it when I used to pat your head. Don't you remember?" Hotaro said with a grin on his face.
"I was a kid back then! A dumb one at that!" she shouted annoyed and Hana giggled at it.
Hinami put her down and she was still giggling. Hinami looked at Hotaro and smiled.
"You sure changed a lot in one day Hotaro. Good for you," she said and Hotaro tilted his head in confusion. "You are starting to smile a lot more dumbass."
"Hinami, Hana is standing right before us so please don't swear," Hotaro said and Hinami shrugged her shoulder with a 'Sure'.
The three continued to head toward the shopping area and when they reached there, Hana was overwhelmed by just how many people there were. Hotaro held her hand firmly so that she could not get lost and Hinami has already pulled away from them in the crowd. Hana looked at Hotaro asking if they should help her but Hotaro pulled her and brought her on the sidewalk where it was not too crowded.
Hana looked at the people passing by with great fascination. There was also an event happening nearby and among the crowd were some cosplayers cosplaying as different characters. While Hana was jumping up and down in excitement, Hotaro was looking at the time on his phone. He had a timer running at it and then it reached 00:00…
"Good that you didn't leave me behind or if I had found you, you were so dead," Hinami said who was panting heavily.
"Hinami-nee-chan, where did you go?" Hana asked the girl.
"Just got drifted away, it's common here, now where are we heading first?" she asked and both of them looked at Hotaro.
He pointed his index finger up and both of them followed his finger and found that they were standing in front of a furniture store. Hinami sighed and Hana looked inside and gulped looking inside the store. It sure looked really intimidating because there was a lot of furniture there and just by looking, could tell that they were by no means cheap but Hotaro didn't mind.
The money Hotaro got was a lot for just one person and he was someone who has the habit of saving money so he could easily refill his stock of candies whenever he wanted to. Even so, he had a lot of saving with him. Enough to let him buy things for Hana. He looked at her and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Let's go inside," Hotaro said taking them inside.
They were looking around the store and Hana had her mouth wide open so Hotaro closed it with his hand but it would again open instantly. She was fascinated by the wooden tables shining brightly, the bed frames big enough to let four people sleep in it without compromising for space, and the study table that Hotaro was looking at.
"Hmm…how about this one Hana? The chair which comes with it can also be adjusted to your preference and the desk itself looks quite well made," Hotaro said placing his hand on his chin.
Out of the three, he was the one who is putting the most thought into the shopping. Hinami nodded her head to his decision and Hana was just amazed. A store clerk came towards them, he had a bob cut and a round body but from the look on his face, you can tell that he knows his business.
"An amazing choice sir, this study table has four drawers to put your stuff in and the chair can be customized with the person's needs. The desk is also made of high-quality wood and will not be spoiled too soon. We also have a five-year warranty on this piece. Also, if you buy it now there is even a twenty percent discount on it."
The price of the product was really a lot and even if there was a twenty percent discount, it was still expensive. Hana looked at the price and was a little worried because even if she was a kid, she knew it was a hefty sum. She tugged Hotaro's shirt and looked at him.
"Onii-chan, this is a lot," she said to him.
"Do you not like this?" he asked her.
"No, I do, I love this one but…" she said and then looked back at the study table. Hotaro pats her head with a smile on his face.
"If you like this, then there are no problems. I don't want you to hold back today. Anything you want, just say. Can't I spoil my little sister a little?" he said and Hana was a little hesitant but when she looked back at Hotaro's face, she nodded her head.
"We will have this," he said to the store clerk and he nodded his head.
The rest of the furniture was bought by Hinami's preference because she was quite well versed in that. The study table was the only thing Hotaro knew about and he was a little lagging behind on the other stuff. In the end, they bought a bookshelf, another shelf, and a round table along with the study table. They were to be delivered to his house this evening and the people from the store would help with setting it up.
They then went to the toy store and Hana's eyes fell on her prey or her stuffed rabbit to be more precise. Seeing her reaction, Hotaro bought the plush for her and she hugged it tightly with a smile on her face. Hinami went and bought some room decoration with Hana while Hotaro went to the book store and see if there were any books he would like to read.
Hinami then took Hana to buy her some clothes and when it was all done, they called Hotaro and they all met at the food court. Hotaro had a little cap in his hand which he thought would look good on Hana and she placed it on her head and posed.
"You are looking so cute Hana-chan," Hinami squealed. They both looked at Hotaro for a response and he just chuckled.
"It looks nice Hana but do you like this? I did buy it for you," he asked her and she jumped happily.
"I love it, the color looks really nice. Thank you Onii-chan," she said hugging his legs. He pats her head and then they all sat down.
Now, it was time for the main course. Hana was handed the menu and she was scanning it while Hotaro and Hinami looked at her. She was flapping her legs back and forth happily and when she finally decided, she ordered the food without letting both of them know what she ordered.
They had a burger, fries, cola, and a chocolate milkshake for Hana.
"I always wanted to eat this," she said happily and they all started digging in the food.
Hana would occasionally make a mess and Hotaro cleaned her face with a tissue. She was eating everything with a big smile on her face. It radiated a little too much because everyone there looked at the three who were happily enjoying their meal. They looked like a family together and technically, they were not wrong.
Hana had a lot of fun and brain freeze because she drank the cold milkshake a little too quickly. She then even ordered ice cream which the three relished and mostly Hotaro with his sweet tooth. When they were finally done, all of them leaned back on their chairs and Hana lets out a cute little burp before covering her mouth being embarrassed.
"So Hana, did you have fun?" Hotaro asked her and she happily nodded her head.
"Yes, I had a lot of fun today. All thanks to you Onii-chan, you are the best," she said hugging him and he strokes her hair.
Hinami took a picture of this scene and sent it to her mother. They then picked up all the bags they had full of the things they bought and were making their way back. Since Hana felt a little tired, Hotaro picked her up on his back and Hinami helped with the extra bags. The three had a lot of fun today and all thanks to the little girl on Hotaro's back.
While heading back, they slowed down a little for no particular reason. Hana felt a little better and she got down. On the way, they even took a detour and went to see the school Hana was about to attend from the day after tomorrow.
When they finally reached Hotaro's house, they saw three people standing before his door. He was a bit confused as it why that was so and he approached them.
"Um…can I help you?" asked attracting their attention. They turned around to see him and the adult man raised his eyebrow.
"Are you Yamato's son?" he asked him and he nods his head.
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