In the messy living-room, Tatsuya sat on the sofa close to the window. The sun could be seen setting in the far distance out the window. It gave the living-room this comforting, beautiful colour of gold. Trying to bear the pain as his sister Haruki applied bandages to the affected area where he got hit with a baseball bat.

“What were you thinking!? Huh!?” Haruki, clearly still upset about what happened, scolded Tatsuya.

“I did not know, okay! And besides, I am not the only one…”

“Of course, you are! Touching a woman's breasts… you… you… pervert!”

It was as if Haruki’s rage caught a second wind. She tightened the bandages on impulse. Tatsuya tried breaking free, but he could not escape the ogre’s grasp… ‘that’s probably something Hajime would say in this situation’ Tatsuya thought.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry!” Tatsuya screamed

“Sorry!? Oh, you sorry huh…” Haruki tugged the bandages swinging Tatsuya around the living-room

SLAM!

Tatsuya got sent flying across the living room and straight into one of the huge bookshelves. It was an immediate K.O. There is no way he is recovering from that.

“Haruki, how could you!?” screamed the shocked Aiko, with her hands planted on her cheeks.

Aiko sprinted so fast you could barely see her little legs. It was just a blur. When she arrived at the bookshelves, she yelled out. “Oh my God, are you okay!?”

“I did not use my full strength, so you don’t need to worry, Aiko. He is probably still alive… Probably”

“Tatsu… Tatsu… Big brother Tatsu!”

“You… you killed him!” Aiko cried.

“Relax, he is just unconscious, now clean up the living room or else you end up like Tatsu.”

“YES MA’AM!” Aiko scrambled around the place, collecting every speck of dust

MOMENTS LATER IN THE TWINS’ BEDROOM

Haruki rested her brother on his bed, tucking him in with motherly skills. She sat on the side and watched him sleep.

“You dummy Onii-chan, touching Himari’s breasts like that.”

*****

About two hours later

“I’m sorry about what happened earlier Himari, my brother did not know what he was doing. I’ll make sure he apologises once he wakes up.”

“Oh… yeah.” The girl sitting next to Haruki on the front porch is Himari Tanaka. She is a first-year student at a prestigious university. Her light brown hair danced to the tune of the slight breeze.

“Are you ok Himari? Your cheeks are blood red… I hope Aiko did not make you do some crazy hard labour again.”

“No, I’m fine… just not used to that is all.”

“Used to what?”

Himari’s cheeks got even more red. She can’t seem to stop thinking about that incident.

door creeks open

“Alright, a Choc chip ice-cream for sis and a strawberry ice pop for Hima.”

“Oh, thank you Aiko.”

“You sure took your sweet time. I hope you’ve cleaned the place up.”

“I’m all done cleaning, ma’am!”

Aiko struck a salute and marched like a soldier back into the house. Himari’s snickers and giggles sounded on the porch.

“What’s so funny?” Haruki asked, blushing.

“It… It’s… It’s just the way you siblings are with each other, And you kinda sounded like your mom just now.”

“I am not!”

Himari burst out some more giggles

“I Guess I should start calling you Mother Haruki from now on.”

“Please don’t, that is so embarrassing.”

“Just like your mom, you seem tough and stern on the outside, but on the inside, you are as soft as a pillow.”

“Am not!”

“Sure, you are. I caught a glimpse of you tucking Tatsuya into bed. You did it with such care. Hehehe.”

“You were watching!?”

“Only for a second.”

A black car pulled into the yard

“Oh, looks like your dad is here. I should get going.”

“k, See you tomorrow.”

Himari went to go greet Haruki’s father and went home

“Ah, Haruki, come give your old man hug.”

Haruki looked her father in the eye and said,

“Drop dead.”

“Kawh!” Kazuhiro put his right hand on his chest

“Why must you treat me so? What have I done wrong? Oh, please explain!”

In response to her father, Haruki just stood up, walked back into the house and locked the door.

*****

“Ah, the place has been cleaned up good. Our guest will be arriving soon.”

“Guest? What guest?”

“Your new babysitter, my little Aiko.”

“What really? Hehehe. I wonder how quickly this one will leave.”

“I am afraid that will not happen with this one, my dear.”

“Oh, really?”

“Trust me, this person is almost as tough, if not more, than your mother.”

“Pfft.”

Aiko could not help but think that her dad was exaggerating, yet again

“So, is Tatsuya not back yet? Message him and tell him to come on home. I got a big surprise for him.”

Haruki just noticed something rather strange about her dad’s behaviour. Whenever he talks about the new babysitter, he almost always mentions something about Tatsuya. Why? She asked herself.

“Oh, Tatsu is already home, papa. He is unconscious at the moment, but he should be awake when the guest arrives.”

“Yeah, it’s your two eldest daughters who are not home yet. The eldest is most probably still at the library and the other one… who knows what she’s up to?”

Message alert

“Ah. Our guest just sent me a text message. She says that she should arrive at around 07:30.”

“Wait, is she from out of town?”

“Ah, yes, but she used to live here.”

Kazuhiro strangely put emphasis on here.

Tatsuya unconscious and the new babysitter just an hour away from arriving. What kinda person is this new babysitter? Will she bring positive vibes to the Takahashi family or bad ones, maybe both, and which Takahashi family member will be affected most by this?

TO BE CONTINUED…