Living With a Genius Brother

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Inside the warehouse, the symphony of raindrops enveloped the entire building, their soft patter echoing through the space. The staff bustled around, their movements purposeful as they prepared the set for the final episode. Positioned in front of Aqua and Aikara, Kana raised her finger to the air, ready to explain the unique circumstances they faced.

With a composed demeanor, Kana began to outline the usual procedure, only to reveal that due to the limited permission to use the film set for just one day, they would need to combine dry runs with rehearsals.

Aqua couldn't help but comment, his voice tinged with a hint of criticism. "How sloppy. Even my director is more meticulous than this," he remarked, his disapproval evident.

Kana sighed briefly, her shoulders shrugging slightly. "We don't have the luxury of time or resources to do better," she responded, a hint of resignation in her voice.

Curiosity getting the better of him, Aikara tilted his head and asked, "What's wrong with having just one practice? I think immersing yourself in the character and getting used to the setting can be accomplished with a single run-through."

Before anyone could say anything, Aqua grabbed Aikara's head and forced him to bow down alongside him. "Forgive this idiotic brother of mine." Aqua apologized to Kana "He's just saying that because he's an airhead. He's been like that for the past few years now."

Aikara wriggled free from Aqua's grasp, furrowing his eyebrows and crossing his arms in defiance. "What do you mean air head? I'll have you know I'm quite sharp!" he declared, puffing his chest out with pride.

Ignoring Aikara's rebuttal, Aqua turned his attention back to Kana. "Sorry about him. While he usually knows how to read the room, when it comes to things he excels at, like acting or taekwondo, he can't read the room and can come of as arrogant because he assumes everyone is just as good as he is.

Kana scratched her cheek awkwardly, a small smile playing on her lips. "Well, it's fine. Oddly enough, when he says it, it doesn't come across as arrogant because of his charismatic demeanor," she admitted, her tone filled with amusement.

Aikara's chest swelled with pride at Kana's words, his self-satisfied grin widening. "See? I told you, Aqua. My charm and talent are simply irresistible," he chimed, basking in the praise.

"No, you're missing the point-" Aqua began to retort but stopped himself as he saw the grin on Aikara's face not leaving, which he made him realize the futility of arguing any further. He couldn't be bothered anymore.

Aikara let out a gleeful giggle and flashed a peace sign, relishing in his victory, while Kana turned around and caught sight of a familiar face.

"Ah," she exclaimed, capturing the attention of Aikara and Aqua, who also turned to face the direction she was looking at. Their gaze fell upon a striking young man with flowing, purple locks, making his way towards them while running his fingers through his hair.

"Yo, Kana-chan, the rain's really something today," he started, a hint of annoyance evident in his tone. "I'd like to delay the filming."

Kana's laughter escaped her lips, but it held a hint of forced cheerfulness. She was just about to introduce Aqua and Aikara to Melt when Aikara, with a mischievous glint in his eye, stepped forward, his hand raised in greeting.

"Melt-kun, right?" Aikara asked, tilting his head to the side. His charming smile lit up his face, uncertain if he had guessed correctly. "If I got it wrong, my bad. Names tend to slip my mind sometimes. I'm more of a face person, you know?" He playfully ran his fingers through his hair, emitting a light chuckle. "Anyways, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance! I go by Aikara, but you can call me Aka if you prefer. We're going to be co-workers for this scene, so it's great to meet you!"

Melt took a step back, surprised by the unexpected interaction. He had planned to ignore the newcomers and focus on finishing the shoot. However, there was something about Aikara's aura that commanded attention and refused to be ignored, drawing everyone's gaze towards him.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet you," Melt awkwardly responded, scratching his cheek as he extended his hand for a handshake. "And you're right, it's Melt."

"Really? That's great!" Aikara exclaimed, his eyes widening in genuine surprise. He let out a small chuckle, placing a hand over his chest as if he had just escaped a close call. "Wow, I was seriously scared, you know? I mean, imagine if I messed up your name! What if you decided to bully me because of it?" He shrugged playfully, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "But hey, thankfully, that's all ancient history now!"

Melt couldn't help but chuckle. "What the heck?" he asked, finding the situation amusing. "Who the hell would bully someone just because they got their name wrong?" A slight smile formed on his face, surprising Kana, who had been observing their interaction from a distance.

Melt, the guy who typically acted like an arrogant prick and never smiled during their time together, had just chuckled and smiled after meeting Aikara for a mere few seconds.

Kana looked at Melt, her frustration boiling over as she clenched her fist, her teeth grinding in anger. 'Melt, you bastard! I've been trying to get close to you this entire time, hoping that we can make the drama better, but all my efforts have failed. You never even smiled! But the moment Aka enters the scene, you instantly light up. Are you that easy!?'

Frantically, she ran her hand through her hair, disheveling it in frustration. 'AHHHHH, you're so annoying!' she internally seethed 'What's so special about Aka that makes you act like this? Is it that? Do you like guys? So when a handsome guy comes around, you instantly smile for them? Bastard!' Kana fumed, her anger directed at Melt, who remained completely oblivious to her seething animosity.

Meanwhile, Aqua, who had been quietly observing Kana ever since he heard her grinding her teeth, found the situation quite amusing. As he watched her seething with frustration, he couldn't help but be entertained by the intensity of her emotions.

"What's got you fuming like that?" He whispered, making Kana's expression of anger disappear as she turned to Aqua "From what I've seen, you aren't normally consumed by anger."

With surprise flickering across her face, Kana's eyes widen as she forgot Aqua is present. "Ah... You saw it?" she stammers, catching her breath. Aqua nods in confirmation, prompting her to cross her arms and divert her gaze away, her expression growing guarded.

In a strong yet apprehensive tone, she speaks up, making sure her words aren't audible to Melt. "Y... you can't blame me, alright," she whispers, her voice tinged with a touch of vulnerability. Her fingers fidget with a strand of hair as she musters the courage to express her feelings.

"I've been putting in so much effort to get close to Melt, in order to make the drama better," she admits, a hint of frustration tainting her words. She points subtly at Aikara, her actions mirroring her inner turmoil. "But every attempt I've made, he's met with indifference. Yet, just a few seconds of conversation with Aka, and they're already close. I guess you could say it's slightly frustrating to see all my hard work be surpassed by that guy in just a few seconds."

She awkwardly scratched her cheek, her gaze shifting away from Aqua as she spoke in an apologetic tone. "Sorry for making you listen to my ranting. You must be mad at me for slightly dissing your brother, huh? Your sister mentioned that you're a 'bro con'." Her words were tinged with a touch of discomfort.

Aqua stared at her with a deadpan expression, his voice resolute as he replied, "I'm not." His serious response elicited a light giggle from Kana, who had intended her comment as a joke. "And I'm not mad at all about you dissing my brother. I understand what you mean. It's annoyingly frustrating to see all your hard work and effort be nothing compared to him." Aqua's somber expression reflected his sentiments.

Observing the change in his demeanor, Kana sought to lighten the mood. "Having a brother like that must be tough, huh?" she asked, to which Aqua nodded in agreement.

"Absolutely, it's hard, it's annoying, and it can induce feelings of jealousy." Aqua said before the corner of his lips curled upwards into a small smile "Still, he's family, I taught him Japanese, and he gave me support while we were children, so I honestly can't say I hate him." As he spoke, Aqua's gaze shifted towards Aikara and Melt, who were walking away, engaged in introductions with staff members.

Kana raised an eyebrow playfully, a mischievous smile forming on her lips. "Wow, you're totally a 'bro con'," she teased, causing Aqua to turn to her once again.

"No, I'm not."

"You are."

"I'm not."

"You are."

"I'm not."

The playful banter continued, their voices overlapping in a lighthearted dispute until Kana eventually grew tired.

"Fine, you win," she relented, and then playfully pushed Aqua from behind. "Now that's settled, it's time for you to greet people on the set. It's an important part of the job. Come on!" Her excitement was palpable as Aqua nodded, and they began to walk around the set, with Kana following closely behind.

As they conversed, Aqua turned to Kana curiously. "Why are you following me? I could manage on my own, and I'm sure you'd prefer to accompany Aikara since you're closer to him."

"Well, he clearly has someone to show him around the set, so he can rot in hell for all I care," Kana retorted.

"Looks like that foul mouth of yours didn't change." Aqua said in amusement.

Ignoring his remark, Kana explained, "The reason I'm following you is simple." She paused, piquing Aqua's curiosity. "I'm the one who recommended both you and Aikara for this production, so I feel responsible for both of you. It would leave a bad taste in my mouth if I simply left you guys here without guidance, although it seems like he won't need it."

Aqua's surprise was evident as he commented, "You've matured. You're different compared to when you were a child."

Kana sighed, her tone slightly exasperated. "Please don't remind me of my dark past," she pleaded, seeking to change the subject and steer the conversation away from her past antics.

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(Aikara's POV)

"I know it's kind of late to say this, but isn't it cool that we both have purple hair?!" I exclaimed, playfully grabbing a lock of my hair. Melt nodded in agreement, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"You're right, although mine's a lighter shade," Melt responded, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.

We've been talking for a fairly long time now, and we were currently far away from Aqua and Kana since Melt said he'll introduce me to the staff, and that's what we've been doing all this time.

After interacting with him, he's honestly different from what I heard from Kachan. He wasn't arrogant at all and was a fairly normal young man if I do say so myself.

I find him pretty likable as we talked about our hobbies.

Hmm, maybe it's because of my overflowing aura!

Deciding to momentarily set aside my thoughts, I noticed a familiar middle-aged man standing before me. While we hadn't met in person, I had conducted enough research as Aqua had tasked me with gathering information and obtaining a DNA sample from him.

Deep down, I believed pursuing the DNA sample was futile, as I was certain he wasn't our father. It seemed like an unnecessary waste of time, effort, and money. Moreover, DNA tests were quite expensive, and I wondered how Aqua had managed to afford one. Perhaps he had saved up from his work at Director Gotanda's place?

"Are you Aikara?" Director Kaburagi's voice interrupted my thoughts, and I nodded enthusiastically, wearing a bright grin as I extended my hand for a friendly handshake.

"That's me! Nice to meet you!" I exclaimed, my eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. Director Kaburagi reciprocated the handshake, but swiftly broke away, evading my grip. He spoke, his voice composed yet filled with a hint of familiarity. "Likewise. I've seen some of your auditions, so I'm keeping my hopes up for the rehearsals. Good luck," he said, waving his hand as he walked away.

Kaburagi Masaya.

A man with a connection to Ai.

I couldn't help but wonder what that connection might be.

I'll get information out of him after rehearsals.

With a renewed sense of purpose, I decided to stop overthinking and continued my introductions to the staff members. After all, building positive relationships with them was of utmost importance.

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A.N

End of chapter.

Nothing much really happened here, just a talk between Kana and Aqua about our MC.

I think it's essential though.

From the previous chapters, I think I've been giving Aqua the impression of hating Aikara, which is certainly not true. Not to mention that it doesn't align with his character at all. Aqua really cares about Aikara, I just think it wasn't shown a lot in the previous chapters.

Just because you're jealous or frustrated because of your sibling, and even if you lash out on them, it doesn't automatically mean you don't love them, and I want to show that through Aqua.

So I guess Aqua really is a bro con just like Ruby and Kana said, even though he doesn't want to admit it.