A/N – This story is evidence of my painful boredom. I wrote it all on a whim, and the entire thing was written in about 2 and a half hours, tops. Apologies for any mistakes.
Chapter 1
Aiichiro Nitori slammed his hand against the wall, finishing his last training lap for the morning. He'd been up since 5 am, trying to complete the daily goals that Sousuke-senpai had set for him. He hoisted himself out of the pool quickly, going to check his time. Not bad. It was a definite improvement, but he could do better.
He had just reached for a towel to dry himself, when he heard it.
An ear-piercing scream.
It was a woman's voice, terrified and it chilled him to the bone. Shocked, Aiichiro dropped the towel immediately and ran out of the pool area, towards the lobby, from where the scream had come. Was someone in danger? Why was there a woman here so early in the morning? Aiichiro burst into the lobby and froze at the sight before him.
It was a girl. She was short, with sharp green eyes and wavy orange hair that covered her forehead and ran mid-way down her back. Her hands were covering her head and she cowered in a corner, emitting another scream as Nitori watched her helplessly. His eyes widened when he saw the source of her fear. Momotauro Mikoshiba was a few feet away, advancing on her slowly with a stag beetle dangling from his fingers.
"Onee-chan," Momotauro whined. He seemed hurt. "Why do you have to be like that? Pyunsuke-kun missed you, can't you be polite and say hello?"
The girl was trembling in the corner, and she lifted her head slightly to point a shaky finger at Momotauro. "Get-that-creature-away-from me!" She screamed again as Momotauro took another step closer to her. The beetle made a threatening clicking noise.
"Momo-kun," Aiichiro interrupted them hesitantly, causing both the siblings to turn and look at him. "What's going on? Hasn't Rin-senpai told you not to let the beetles out loose in the pool area?"
Momotauro pouted, as Aiichiro picked up the bottle that Pyunsuke was supposed to be in, and gestured for him to put the beetle back inside. Momotauro silently put the beetle inside and replaced the lid. Then he turned to show the closed bottle to his sister. "See, onee-chan? I put him back inside for you. His feelings are hurt now, I hope you're happy."
The girl refused to move from her corner. "Put it on that table, there," she insisted shakily, pointing to a table across the room. Momotauro pouted, but did as she said, putting the beetle on the other side of the room. The girl slowly stood up and dusted off what appeared to be an Iwatobi high school uniform.
"Arigatou," she said to Aiichiro, bowing to him quickly. Aiichiro flushed red.
"T-that's okay, I didn't really do anything-"
"Senpai!" Momotauro came back empty-handed, and slung an arm around the girl's shoulders. He grinned widely. "This is my onee-chan, Mikoshiba Mayumi. Onee-chan, this is Nitori-senpai!"
"Hello," Aiichiro greeted nervously. He rubbed the back of his neck with a hand. "I didn't know Seijurou-senpai and Momo-kun had a sister. It's nice to meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too," Mayumi replied, while shoving her brother away from her. She had a bright smile, just like her two brothers; only theirs didn't make Aiichiro's heart skip a beat. Mayumi managed to slip out of Momo's grip and bow to Nitori again. "Thank you for taking care of my stupid brother, Nitori-kun. I understand he can be a real pain. It must be difficult for you."
Aiichiro flushed. "No, it's not at all! Momo-kun's a great roommate."
Mayumi stared at him in surprise, before turning to smack her brother on the back of the head. Momotauro winced and glared at his sister resentfully. "Baka!" she scolded him. "Do you realize how lucky you are to have such a nice senpai? Maybe you can learn something from him and grow up a little."
Momotauro frowned. "Onee-chan, stop embarrassing me."
"I wouldn't have to if you'd let me do what I came to do, instead of pulling out those horrendous insects of yours," she snapped. "My friends' younger brothers collect playing cards and porn magazines. Why do you have to be the one with an obsession for beetles?"
"But I raised Pyunsuke myself, I don't see how he's any different from a pet-"
"Shut up," Mayumi snapped. She reached into her backpack, pulling out a large Tupperware box which she shoved in Momotauro's hands roughly. "Okaasan sent more snacks for you, since you finished the last batch in a day. Something about her growing boy needing nourishment. There's some of the fudge cake I made too. Don't eat it all yourself, or you'll get fat."
Momo frowned. "You're the one that's getting fat, onee-chan."
"Baka! Anyway, I have to go, I'll be late for school." Mayumi turned and gave Aiichiro another bright smile. "I'm sorry you have to put up with my brother, Nitori-kun. Make sure he shares some of the fudge cake with you, okay? I made it myself! It was nice meeting you!"
Aiichiro waved silently as the girl bounced away, her orange hair swinging behind her.
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The next time Aiichiro saw her was a few days later. This time it was at the nearby supermarket, while Aiichiro was searching for some protein powders to build up his muscle. He spotted the bright orange hair from three aisles away, bending forward slightly as she searched a shelf of baking products.
His heart skipped a beat for a moment, and he wondered whether he should approach her. Was it weird? They'd only met once, what if she didn't recognize him? His face flushed red and he decided to walk past silently, when Mayumi turned around herself and spotted him.
"Oh, Nitori-kun," she greeted him cheerfully. Green eyes shone at him. "How are you?"
"I'm fine," Aiichiro said quickly, searching for something to say so that an awkward silence wouldn't ensue. He quickly stammered out, "Y-your fudge cake was amazing, Mayumi-san! Momotauro-kun gave me some, it was really delicious!"
Mayumi flushed, and Aiichiro stared as he realized that when she blushed, her cheeks matched her hair. He quickly closed his mouth, hoping she hadn't caught him gaping at her. "Really?" Mayumi asked eagerly. "I'm really glad you liked it! I… I can send some specifically for you next time I bring homemade snacks for Momo," she said, before quickly adding. "Unless you were just saying that to be polite. Momo doesn't like my cakes much, he feeds them to his beetles," she muttered.
"No, I really liked it!" Aiichiro assured her. He watched as her cheeks turned even redder. "I'd love it if you could send more, but you shouldn't have to go to all that trouble for me, Mayumi-san. We don't know each other that well."
Mayumi laughed. "Well, you're putting up with my brother while I'm finally rid of him, so I guess you could say I owe you," she replied quickly, before looking thoughtful for a moment. "What's your favorite flavor?"
Aiichiro flushed. "I… I don't know. Butterscotch, maybe?"
Mayumi grinned. "Okay."
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Aiichiro came back to his room after a long practice session one night, to find his roommate still awake. Momotauro was sitting in his top bunk while playing with his stag beetle. He laughed happily as Pyunsuke crawled up his arm, before grinning down at his roommate. "Nitori-senpai! How was practice?"
Aiichiro smiled, tossing his bag on his chair. It landed on top of a pile of books. "It was fine," he replied.
"Good- no, Pyunsuke, not under the pillow- oh yeah, before I forget. Onee-chan came by today, she sent something for you, Nitori-senpai. I put it on your bed. It's probably something else atrocious she baked. Don't force yourself to eat it; I can always feed them to Pyunsuke."
Aiichiro flushed. Had Mayumi really carried out her promise to bake more cake for him? He noticed the small box on his bed and quickly opened it, as the mouthwatering smell of butterscotch wafted out. They were cookies; shaped like little flowers. Inside was a small folded slip of paper. He opened it to find a note in neat handwriting.
Nitori-kun,
This was all I could think to make with butterscotch. I hope you like them! Even if you don't, please, please don't let Momo get his hands on them. I couldn't bear to see that disgusting beetle eat my cookies.
Love,
Mayumi Mikoshiba
Aiichiro glanced up to make sure Momo was busy, before slipping the small note under his pillow and picking up a cookie. He bit into it and closed his eyes. It was amazing. As he closed the box and put it carefully on top of his table, Aiichiro realized one thing-
Even if the cookies tasted like dirt, he would have eaten them all for Mayumi.
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