Shimamura Family 0.1

Immediately after Shimamura-san made her decision and agreed to stay for just a bit longer, Akito-kun cheered aloud, ran towards me, and then jumped on me. Due to his unexpected and unprecedented actions, my reaction got the better of me and then I immediately caught him and then he quickly sat in my lap.

"Hey─! Akito, that's dangerous!" Shimamura-san said.

"Oh, it's fine," I reassured her. "It just caught me off guard, that's all."

And besides, it wasn't really that big of a deal. Due to his small body, he's pretty much practically weightless that it wasn't much of a problem, so even if I didn't catch him, I would probably still be fine.

Though I am wondering why he's suddenly going to me.

He leaned his back on my chest while snuggling up to find the most comfortable position.

At this point, I didn't know what to do. I haven't taken care of any children, and I'm pretty sure a normal one wouldn't just voluntarily jump on a stranger and sit on their lap. Of course, there was still food, so I decided to entice him with that.

Yuumi placed a plate in front of me with two slices, presumably for me and Akito-kun. I took the fork with the plate, cut up a small piece, and stuck it in the fork. Then, I hovered it near Akito-kun's face.

"Akito-kun," I said. "Want some cake?"

"Mm…?" As if he was waking up, he faced forward to face the cake in front of him. "Yes! Thank you for the food!"

His comfortable leaning position got dispersed, and reached out for the cake, eating it directly while still sitting on my lap.

Of course, he reached it, and then munched on it. The other girls started eating as well.

One by one, the dessert that Yuumi prepared was yet again disappearing from the depths of our stomach like earlier. Akito-kun and I took a sip from our tea. I only realized it was sencha. The grassy flavor matched with the darkening environment with the gentle breeze of the evening blowing made me feel refreshed. Speaking of evening.

"It's getting kind of dark, isn't it?" I asked.

"Indeed it has," Yuumi said, munching on the last piece of the matcha-flavored cake. "This amount of food would be enough to last us beyond dinner, I believe."

"This is why we should've just left…," Shimamura-san said, munching on the last piece of the cheesecake.

"It's fine. We enjoyed having your company."

Looking at the time, it was already 6 pm.

"Well, we should probably head home now," Shimamura-san said. "I wouldn't want my family to worry about me or Akito."

Shimamura-san stood up to leave. Of course, she was going home right now, but there was just one major problem.

"About Akito-kun…"

After both of us took a final sip from the tea, Akito-kun got so refreshed that he fell asleep. Add that to both his comfortable snug at me, and it's probably almost irresistible for him to even stay awake.

"You think you can lift him?" I asked Shimamura-san. "Seems to me that he's asleep."

"Well, that's a problem. I can't lift him, since I'm not strong enough. If he were a baby, that'd be a different case, but…"

That was surprising. I'm pretty sure most people can carry a child of this size. What's even more surprising is that Shimamura-san, the person who beat one of the Three Deadly Beauties of Mitorishi Senior High, is admitting she can't lift her little cousin.

The Three Deadly Beauties are people from my school, Mitorishi Senior High. All of them are upperclassmen, and they're all girls. The one Shimamura-san beat is Nao Aoyama, the ace of the Volleyball Club, with a volleyball match. The remaining ones are Ayane Matsumoto, the president of the Acting Club, and Youko Yamashita, the ace of the Swimming Club. One of them happened to be my friend in junior high, which was Ayane Matsumoto.

"Hm… Well, this certainly is going to be a problem," I said.

If Shimamura-san couldn't carry Akito-kun back to their home, then the only option left would be me carrying him. But that poses a major problem, and that is accompanying my little sister.

Yuumi finished putting everything back in the basket, and then made a suggestion.

"Why don't you just walk Shimamura-san back to their house?" she said.

"That's what I'm thinking, but I'd be leaving you alone."

"Don't worry. It's not like the road towards our house strayed into a different path."

She used some pretty darn complicated words there. But that's not the problem here.

"It's still dangerous, though. You said last time that there was a creepy old guy talking to a girl near our neighborhood, right?"

"You remembered that? Don't worry, I just made that up so you'd accept my proposal of walking Miku-chan-senpai home."

Then I could've just refused back then, didn't I?

"You don't need to worry about me, Yuu-nii. Aki-chan's still a kid, and without a man by his side, who's going to protect him?"

"Shimamura-san."

"Well, who's gonna carry her?"

"Me, probably."

When I said "probably," Shimamura-san let out a soft giggle.

"And that's that," Yuumi said, standing up and taking the basket. "I'll be home. Let's have a nice chat later, okay?"

"…Well, if you insist."

Although I still had some doubts about leaving her alone, since she wants me to believe in her, I'll do just that. I should just trust her as a brother.

She started walking away, the breeze making the long skirt of her one piece dress flutter and dance with the wind. It was a marvellous scenery that could fit a breathtaking scene for a movie.

"Let's get ourselves going, Shimamura-san," I said.

"Oh, sure…"

I positioned Akito-kun into a more comfortable position for me to hold him, which was giving the kid a piggyback ride. Then, both me and Shimamura-san headed towards her house.

"Sorry for the trouble all of a sudden," Shimamura-san said. "I've already been giving you enough trouble everyday by you delivering that omelette rice everyday."

"It's fine, really. It's not like you had anything better to do anyway, didn't you?"

"That is true."

"I'd say it was just a good way to pass the time. Truth be told, I've never had a picnic with other people other than my family."

It was well over seven years ago, but that experience has been an unforgettable one. At least, until Yuumi mentioned it earlier while we were finding our spot for the picnic.

"It's actually my first time going on a picnic," Shimamura-san said. "I thought for sure I'd never experience something like this, but I was proven wrong."

"Time and fate are two funny individuals. But what do you mean about never experiencing it?"

"It's complicated. Family problems, might I add."

"Oh. Then I won't pry any further."

I wasn't the type of person to meddle with other people's business, especially if that business is about family. Inviting a stranger to the situation of your family would definitely just complicate things.

The night was just about to roll in. I could see a few people in the neighborhood entering their houses, and as they did, the lights that illuminated the streets were also turning on. It was rather bizarre. It's not everyday you witness those lights turn on in the evening.

"You're quite overprotective, aren't you?" Shimamura-san asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm talking about your little sister. You know that she can take care of herself without you being there, yet you're too focused on the safety of her."

"That…"

I certainly can't deny that. Anything that I'd say would definitely be used against me. That's just how much my love towards Yuumi overflows.

"Well, I guess it's family problems as well, you know?" I said.

"Oh, sorry for bringing that up then."

"No, no, it's quite alright. Unlike yours, ours isn't really that complicated, so I can just share it with just about anyone."

"Are you sure? You'd be sharing a secret with me, a complete stranger who always takes your lunchbox just for the omelette rice."

"I wouldn't say you're a stranger. And since I'm sharing a secret, I'm expecting you to keep it a secret even to Akito-kun. Think you can do it?"

"That trust of yours would surely bring you down someday… Fine, I'll carry your secret to the grave."

"I wouldn't really go that far…"

I certainly can't do anything about my trust. If I were to describe myself, it would be that I'm easily deceived.

I explained the circumstances to Shimamura-san. About Mom and Dad going abroad due to Dad's work being relocated somewhere in the country, how we took care of ourselves with just the two of us, and how we lost communication to them half a year after the relocation began.

Although all that I just mentioned were certainly not befitting for a proper family, with the parents and children getting separated at such a young age, I wouldn't say life was all that bad. Due to them being away, Yuumi and I closed the gap between us that we didn't even realize was there, and we learned how to take care of ourselves.

And sure, while that could be something that I, or even Yuumi perhaps, can be thankful for, the noises of just the television and our footsteps felt rather lonely. Every once and awhile, we'd both wish for both of them to come back for a bit.

At the very least, due to Dad's relocation, we've learned how to take care of ourselves. Thanks to Yuumi's knowledge in manga and light novels, which she can surprisingly apply here in the real world, she's learned how to cook without Mom's help. The only help Mom was able to pass on to Yuumi was a recipe book that only the women of the Akamatsu family know about.