CH. 78 - Brother Troubles

 In mid December, school is out for winter break. It is late in the day with the sun already set as Kenji locks up the ramen shop with Lucy and Ryuji standing behind him. 

 “Thanks a bunch, you two. Always coming in and saving my skin.” Kenji says to them with a smile.

 “Of course, dad! Not like we’re doing anything else this winter break… The groupchat’s been really quiet so far.” Lucy says, a bit disappointed at the lack of activity before she perks up a bit. “Oh yeah, isn’t your birthday coming up, Ryuji?” She asks him as he nods a bit.

 “It’s today.” Ryuji says casually. Both Kenji and Lucy are shocked at his response.

 “Why didn’t you say anything, boy? I wouldn’t have asked you to come!” Kenji shouts.

“Yeah! What’re we doing out here? We gotta celebrate!” Lucy shouts too. Ryuji sweats a little as he looks at them, confused a bit.

“It’s fine. I never do much for my birthday, anyway. With my father working so much and my mom’s condition, it’s normal to end up this way.” He says, genuinely not hurt by the lack of celebration. Kenji hears his words and stops with a concerned look.

 “How is Fuyuko doing?” He asks softly. Ryuji just shrugs.

 “Fine. Not much has changed.” Ryuji says. Kenji squints a little with a sad look.

 “But it hasn’t gotten better…” Kenji says softly as Ryuji shakes his head. Lucy looks at him softly for a moment before grabbing his hand and smiling at him.

 “Well then, how about you spend the night with me and we’ll throw you a nice celebration?” Lucy offers. Ryuji smiles a bit and nods. 

 “Great! With Yamato back home for the next week, it’ll be like having the whole family together!” Kenji says happily as they start walking off. Ryuji looks surprised hearing his words.

 “I totally forgot he was coming home! This is going to be great!” Lucy says happily as Ryuji’s slight smile disappears.

 Ryuji and Lucy sit on her bed in her room with a movie on as she laughs out loud, and he watches her happily.

 “Haha! Dude, can you believe they did that? First, they ‘spend the night together’ then after that entire day, she still didn’t ask him out? I can’t believe them.” Lucy talks happily with a big smile as Ryuji shakes his head. 

 “Hikigaya has never been great with words, but I think it’s clear by now how they feel. I’m surprised he was willing to have that kind of relationship with her, though.” Ryuji says as Lucy nods.

 “I know, right?” Lucy says when suddenly there’s a knock at her door.

 “Lucy, your brother’s home.” Yuri, Lucy’s mom, says through the door happily as Lucy smiles and jumps up. She swings the door open and rushes down the stairs.

 “Big bro! You’re back!” Lucy shouts as she jumps on him, giving him a big hug. They laugh as Ryuji steps down the stairs slowly with a neutral look on his face. He watches as Yamato, her brother, pulls away from his sister.

 “Of course. Mom would’ve threatened me if I didn’t, haha!” Yamato says with a laugh before noticing Ryuji on the stairs. He glares at him, his smile fading away, but after a moment, he smiles again and looks at Lucy.

 “Look how big you’ve gotten! I remember when you were half this size begging me to beat the level you were stuck on in your games.” Yamato says as Lucy smiles.

 “You’ve only been gone for, like, a year. But yes, I’ve become quite the game whiz since then.” Lucy says smugly.

 “Right, right, my bad.” They laugh together for a moment before Lucy looks back at Ryuji.

 “Yamato, you remember Ryuji, right?” Lucy asks as Ryuji steps down the stairs.

“Of course, you two were always inseparable as kids. Speaking of which, I heard you finally made it official. Took you long enough.” He says with a smile. Lucy blushes and rubs her head.

 “Yeahhh, what can I say?” She laughs a bit.

 “You must be tired from the long drive. Why don’t we get you all set up in your room.” Yuri says while taking his coat.

 “Thanks, mom.” Yamato says with a warm smile as he grabs his bags.

 “Ooh, mom, can we make those marshmallow things now?” Lucy asks her mom excitedly.

 “Go ask your dad, I have no idea where the stuff is.” She says as Lucy rushes off.

 In that moment as the others talk, Yamato steps next to Ryuji with a smile as Ryuji looks down. Yamato puts his hand on Ryuji’s shoulder gently before leaning close to his ear. He whispers something as Ryuji simply nods before Yamato continues up the stairs past him. Ryuji just stands there for a moment, looking at the ground with his neutral look.

 Later that night, Lucy sleeps soundly as Ryuji sits up against her bed on the ground. He gets up and puts on a jacket for the cold weather outside before quietly leaving the house through the front door. He steps outside and sees Yamato leaning against a wall out front. He looks at Ryuji with a glare.

 “I can’t believe you. After all my warnings, after all the years I told you to stay away from my sister, you just went and took it one step further.” Yamato says with a mean tone as Ryuji stands there with his neutral look, staring at the ground.

 “I hope you know this doesn’t change anything.” Yamato says. Ryuji nods softly as Yamato steps forward a bit. “You may have my sister’s approval, but that still doesn’t make you good enough for her. From the moment she met you, she’s only been involved in more and more trouble than she should. If I were you, I’d step away before you hurt her any more than you already have. Before you tear this family apart.” He says sharply before stepping back inside.

 Ryuji stands silently in the cold with his head lowered. As Yamato steps back inside, he takes his jacket off and puts it away when Lucy comes down the stairs with a jacket on. Yamato looks at her surprised.

 “Lucy? What are you doing up?” He asks.

 “I kinda felt Ryuji wasn’t with me, and when I woke up, he was actually gone. I’m gonna go and look for him. He would never just leave me like that.” Lucy says confidently as she steps towards the door. Yamato sweats with an upset look.

 “I don’t think you should. I’m sure he must’ve just been homesick or something. He's alright.” Yamato says. Lucy looks at him, surprised a bit before smiling.

 “What are you talking about? This is his home.” She says before opening the door and leaving. Yamato clicks his tongue in frustration before turning around and walking back to his room.

 Lucy steps out the door and looks around for a moment before rushing down the driveway. When she reaches the sidewalk, she looks around for a moment more before noticing Ryuji sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall.

 “Ryuji? What’re you doing out here?” She asks. He shrugs a bit as she gently sits down next to him. “Is everything okay?” She asks again.

 “Mhm.” He hums quietly, not looking at her. Lucy looks at him concerned before speaking.

 “Ryuji, I-”

 “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Ryuji asks, interrupting her. She looks at him confused.

 “Is what a good idea?”

 “Us. Am I really what you want?” Ryuji asks quietly. Lucy stares at him, unsure of what to say to such a strange question.

 “What are you saying?..”

 “I’m not really all that special. The likelihood of me actually accomplishing my goals are low at best. Do you really want to be stuck with someone like that?” He asks calmly and quietly without looking at her. Lucy stares at him for a moment before getting an upset look and standing up.

 “Get up!” She commands. Ryuji looks at her confused for a moment before standing up. Immediately as he gets to his feet, his eyes widen as Lucy wraps her arms around him and holds him tightly to her. “I don’t care what your future holds as long as I’m a part of it.” She says softly with her chin on his shoulder. He is surprised for a moment before hugging her back, squeezing her tightly to him. He smiles warmly for a moment before he hears her brother’s words.

 “Before you tear this family apart.”

 He gets a worried look as he holds her. They pull apart as Lucy looks him in the eyes.

 “I don’t know why you’re suddenly thinking these things, but just know that I.. love you. Okay? I love you a lot, and I always have. That isn’t going to change, so just come back inside with me? It’s cold out here..” Lucy shivers a bit as Ryuji nods and follows her back inside, her leading the way holding his hand in hers.

 In the morning, Kenji and Yuri are in the kitchen as Lucy comes down the stairs, dressed for the day.

 “Where’s Ryuji?” Yuri asks.

 “He had to leave early to help his mom.” Lucy says casually.

 “Aw, we didn’t even get to say goodbye.” Yuri says with an upset look.

 “Don’t worry, knowing that boy, he’ll probably be back later today!” Kenji says with a laugh. Lucy smiles.

 “Yeah, I thought I would go over and help him out a bit. It’s pretty hard taking care of the whole house by himself.” Lucy says as she heads towards the front door, but Yamato comes in.

 “Yo, Lucy! Let’s hangout today. Maybe go bowling or something?” Yamato says. Yuri looks at them with bright eyes.

 “That’d be so sweet. We should all go! The shop’s closed today, right?” Yuri asks her husband. Kenji nods in response with a smile as Lucy sweats a bit.

 “Well, I was actually gonna..” Lucy says as Yamato looks at her with playfully sad eyes.

 “Aw come on, Lucy! Your big bro is only here so many days a year.” He says with a smile as she looks at her parents, who smile at her. She sighs and agrees as the family cheers happily.

 “Let me grab my coat. We’ll just eat breakfast out today as a family!” Yuri says excitedly while rushing off. Kenji looks sad as he holds a tray in his hands with oven mitts on.

 “But.. my muffins…” he says softly. Yamato laughs as Lucy sweats a little, looking concerned as she thinks.

 ‘He should be okay, right?..’

 Later that day, after the family gets back home from a long day of happy activities, Lucy stares at her phone with an upset look as she goes straight upstairs. Kenji notices and calls out to her.

 “Lucy, you want to watch a movie with us?” he asks as Lucy shakes her head, not looking away from her phone. Kenji sweats as Yuri puts her hand on his shoulder.

 “Might be boy troubles. Don’t worry, love.” She says softly as Kenji nods.

 “Not surprised coming from him.” Yamato says from the couch. His parents look at him confused and a little upset with his words.

 “Yamato! Stop badmouthing your sister’s boyfriend!” Yuri says as Yamato looks defensive.

 “What? I’m just saying, coming from his background, I’m not surprised he'd be cold and distant.” He says as the parents argue with him about it. As they do, Lucy closes the door to her room as she stares at her phone, leaning against the door. She glares at her phone as it shows she messaged him multiple times today, but none of the messages were read.

 “He's left me on delivered all day… Maybe I should call him?” She looks conflicted before sighing and tossing her phone onto her bed before flopping down on it herself. “No, I’m sure he’s just busy. I’ll probably see him tomorrow.” She says with a soft smile.

 The next day comes and goes as she hears nothing from him. She sits in her bed with an even more upset look, still staring at her phone. She then sighs before deciding to message Chizuru.

“Hey have you heard from Ryuji recently?” Lucy texts. Chizuru responds almost immediately.

“Yeah we texted a bit earlier. What’s wrong?” Chizuru responds. This response makes Lucy upset, but she doesn’t say it.

“Nothing, just curious.” She closes her phone and lays on her bed with an upset look.

 ‘Why isn’t he talking to me? Did I do something wrong?’ She thinks as she thinks back to the other night.

 “I don’t care what your future holds as long as I’m a part of it.”

She sweats a bit thinking about her wording. She suddenly sits up with a worried look.

 “Oh no… Did I hurt his feelings saying that? I do care about your future, Ryuji, I promise!” She says out loud, slapping her hands against her face before collapsing back on her bed. She looks upset and worried as she removes her hands and stares at the ceiling. “I guess he just needs some space…” she says softly before rolling over towards her window, hugging a pillow tightly to her chest. 

 The next day, Ryuji is out for a run in the early morning. He runs and pants as he thinks about Lucy. Images of her smiling and laughing flash in his mind.

 “I don’t care what your future holds as long as I’m a part of it.”

He thinks of her words that night as he blushes and grits his teeth, conflicted, before coming to a stop. He lowers his head as he pants.

 ‘What should I do?... Her words were so kind… I love her, but I don’t want to ruin her wonderful family…’ He thinks to himself. He clenches his fists in frustration for a moment before getting surprised when he hears something.

 “Ryuji?” the familiar girl’s voice says. He looks up to see Shiori standing in front of him. She is in her running attire and is sweating just a bit.

 “Shiori.” he says softly as she approaches him with a bit of a smile.

 “Going for a little run?” She asks politely.

 “Mhm.” He hums with a nod. 

 “You should tell Hikigaya to run more often. He seems to think strength training is the only thing that matters.” She says, drooping a bit while thinking of him.

 “Don’t worry, I get all my cardio from lifting these weights! Haha!” Hikigaya laughs while holding up a dumbbell.

 Shiori sighs while shaking her head away from the thought.

 “Although I guess it’s not a big deal since he can keep up with me just fine.” She says with a smile as Ryuji nods again, not making eye contact with her. Shiori notices and sighs a bit. “So, is it true?” She asks. He looks at her confused.

 “What?”

 “Are you avoiding Lucy?” Shiori asks directly. Ryuji gets nervous a bit and looks down. “Chizuru told me she thinks something is going on between you two. Did you guys have a fight?” Shiori asks. Ryuji shakes his head. “Well, that’s good. Cause Hikigaya and I fight all the time, and it gets really annoying.” Shiori says with a huff, crossing her arms. Ryuji chuckles and smiles at her.

 “So you two are dating?” Ryuji says. Shiori blushes and gets embarrassed.

 “N-no! Hey, wait, we’re talking about you here, not me!” Shiori shouts. Ryuji chuckles a bit more as he sits down on a bench next to them, his smile fading.

 “It’s nothing like that. I just… I feel like I’m not good enough for her.” Ryuji admits softly. Shiori looks surprised as she joins him on the bench. “My family is almost entirely broken, my grades aren’t spectacular and the chance my career actually succeeds is low. I just want to be someone she can be proud of.” He says with his head lowered. Shiori looks at him, thoughts echoing in her mind before looking away.

 “You know, strangely I can relate.” Shiori says as Ryuji looks at her. She then looks at him again. “Have you told her any of this?” Shiori asks. Ryuji shakes his head. She looks down for a moment as they sit in silence before she lifts her head again.

 “I may not tell him very often, but I really appreciate Hikigaya. He's shown me that it’s always best to tell people the truth about how you’re feeling. Running away won’t solve anything.” She says softly as Ryuji looks at her, a bit surprised. Shiori thinks of a few times Hikigaya helped her through her problems by talking it through. The night of their first Christmas party when she felt discouraged and wanted to leave, the time he accepted her valentine’s chocolate despite knowing they weren’t for him, and the time they fought in the woods over whose fault it was. She blushes a bit.

 “It doesn’t always feel great in the moment and can be a bit messy at times, but…” She thinks of the night she cried to him before he kissed her at the end of last summer. “Things will always work out that way." Shiori says softly as she relates her recent feelings of inadequacy to what Ryuji's feeling now, realizing that it's something everyone might feel. "Maybe… we could tell them how we feel together.” Shiori says softly. Ryuji smiles a bit at her. She then laughs, embarrassed. “To think I used to have a crush on you and now here I am helping you with your relationship. Life sure is crazy, isn’t it?” She asks.

 “Thank you, Shiori. It means a lot to me.” He says softly. She blushes a bit and smiles.

 “Of course.” She then gets up and stretches a bit. “Well, I’m gonna get going. And you better tell Lucy you’re sorry for ghosting her or I’ll kick your ass, got me?” Shiori says assertively, pointing a finger at him as he nods. She smiles one last time before continuing her run. Ryuji looks down a bit, thinking about her words.

 “Tell her the truth…” he says to himself.

 Later that night, Lucy pokes her plate of food in front of her, sighing with a sad look. 

 “Hey Lucy, I haven’t seen Ryuji in a while, where is that boy?” Kenji asks.

“I don’t know, I haven’t heard from him.” Lucy says with an attitude.

 “What happened? Did you two have a fight?” Yuri asks, concerned. Lucy shakes her head, still staring at her plate.

 “Oh, you know boys. Always so emotional and unreliable. Don’t you worry, little sis. You’ll definitely find a better partner one day.” Yamato says while taking a bite of his food.

 “Yamato, enough! We talked about this.” Yuri scolds.

 “I’m just saying! He doesn’t really bring a lot to the table. I’m sure Lucy could get someone with much more going on, someone she can count on.” Yamato says. Lucy then gets up from the table and heads towards her room.

 “I’m going to bed.” She says coldly. They let her go as both Kenji and Yuri glare at Yamato, who sweats nervously.

 Lucy lies in bed, holding her pillow to her body as the night deepens. Tears start to roll down her face as she eventually falls asleep with sadness in her soul. Late in the night, Ryuji rushes over to her house, sweating and panting as very light snow begins to fall around him. 

 “I have to tell her..” Ryuji says between breaths. He eventually makes it to her house and comes to the front door while trying to catch his breath. He reaches for the door handle but stops just before grabbing it. He hesitates for a moment before slowly dropping his hand.

 “Before you tear this family apart.”

He stares at the door before stepping back. His face drops a bit as he slowly turns away and leaves. Lucy opens her eyes a bit before sitting up quickly. She looks towards her door with a surprised look for a moment.

 “Ryuji..?” she says softly before quickly getting up and getting dressed. She rushes down the stairs and out the front door, looking around only to see no one there. She continues as she runs down the street.

 ‘I know he was here, I felt it. But why won’t he come talk to me? What’s going on?’ She thinks to herself as she runs until she stops on a corner of the sidewalk. She pants a bit before getting a determined look as she continues running.

 On a dock by the ocean, Ryuji sits with one leg over the edge as he stares off into the water. After a moment, he hears footsteps stop next to him. He looks up, surprised as Lucy catches her breath, staring at him. 

 “Lucy? What are you doing her-”

 “What are you doing here?!” Lucy shouts, interrupting him. “You haven’t spoken to me in days or stopped by to see me! I’ve been so worried, and now you come here of all places!” She says angrily, with tears in her eyes. Ryuji sweats before looking down.

 “I’m sorry.” Ryuji says softly.

 “Yeah, you better be!” Lucy shouts back. They stay there in silence for a moment before Lucy slowly makes her way to him and sits down next to him with a huff. They don’t look at each other as she sits.

 “How did you know I’d be here?” Ryuji asks softly. Lucy looks upset as she stares into the water too while answering.

 “Duh, it’s obvious.” She says before her tone softens a little. “This was the place we met.” She says softly as they think back to that day.

 Young Ryuji sits the same way he does now on the edge of the pier. He has a bandage on his face as he looks upset. Suddenly, a little girl’s voice calls out to him.

 “Hey you.” She says. He looks up to see young Lucy smirking at him. “I saw what you did earlier. Yeah, that was pretty cool.” Child Lucy says smugly while placing her hands on her hips. Child Ryuji stares at her for a moment before ignoring her words. She gets angry at his reaction. “Hey, don’t ignore me when I’m trying to compliment you!” She shouts. Ryuji only looks more upset.

“Don’t. It wasn’t cool at all.” Ryuji says in a mumble. Lucy sits down next to him with a soft childlike look, kicking her feet back and forth over the edge of the pier.

 “I thought it was kinda cool.. That jerk was making fun of you for reading a book! He had it coming!” Lucy says enthusiastically. Ryuji shrugs. Lucy looks conflicted on what to say next due to his responses. “What were you reading, anyway?” She asks. Ryuji hesitates with a worried look before answering.

 “A recipe book..” he mumbles. Lucy is shocked.

 “A cookbook?? Why would you wanna read that??” she asks, shocked before quickly trying to play it cool, looking away. “I mean.. why would he make fun of you for that?.” she asks through pursed lips, obviously trying to compose herself. Ryuji turns away from her, upset.

 “Go ahead, laugh all you like.” He says upset. Lucy then whines and begs for forgiveness, grabbing onto his shirt.

 “Noooo, please, I genuinely meant my second question…” she whines. Ryuji looks at her a bit before answering with his head down.

 “He said it’s weird for kids to like cooking so much.. he said it’s like wanting to be a dentist or something and tried to take my book away..” Ryuji explains. Lucy stops and looks at him softly.

 “So you got beaten up over a book?” She asks. Ryuji shrugs. “Why?” She asks softly. Ryuji pauses before thinking of a memory of him and his mom cooking together then enjoying the food happily. He then smiles and looks at Lucy with passionate eyes.

 “Because I wanna be a great cook when I get older.” He says while looking at her with a confident look. Lucy blushes at his response and looks away. She fiddles with her fingers, a little embarrassed.

 “Well, if you wanna, you can practice cooking for me..” she says timidly. Ryuji looks surprised with a blush on his cheeks, looking away shyly too.

 “Okay.” he says as they sit on the dock together with the sun setting before them.

 It fades back to current time, where it is dark and cold in the middle of the night and the two of them sit quietly next to each other exactly like they once did years ago.

 “Ryuji, why have you been avoiding me? Was it something I said? Do you… not like me anymore?..” Lucy asks softly and sadly, looking away.

 “No!” Ryuji almost shouts, looking at her with a shocked look. Lucy looks at him as he blushes in embarrassment and looks away, composing himself. “No, that’s not it... It’s just… I can’t help but feel like… I’m not good enough for you…” he says quietly while looking away. “I really, really like you, Lucy. I want to be someone you can be proud of.” Ryuji admits to her.

 “But I am proud of you!” Lucy says passionately, turning to face him a bit. “Ryuji, I’ve never met anyone like you. You’re cool, calm, handsome and one of the most talented cooks I’ve ever met! Have I done something to make you feel not good enough for me?” Lucy asks, concerned. Ryuji shakes his head. “Then where is this coming from? I need to know because I hate seeing you like this.” Lucy says, placing a hand on his. Ryuji hesitates for a moment before thinking about what Shiori said.

“It’s always best to tell people the truth about how you’re feeling. Running away won’t solve anything.”

 Ryuji grits his teeth a bit before answering, hesitant and anxious to tell her the truth, but soon, he does.

 “It’s… your brother.” Ryuji admits. Lucy looks surprised. “Whenever he’s around, he’d always tell me that I’m not good enough for you and if I stuck around, I’ll only end up hurting your family. And that’s the last thing I want to do.” He says softly while looking down. Lucy stares at him for a moment, processing what she’s been told before speaking.

 “Wait, Yamato has been saying that to you?” Lucy asks. Ryuji nods softly. Lucy growls as she gets angry. “That dumb idiot! Who does he think he is?! When I see him, I’m gonna-” Lucy starts shouting as she gets physically angry next to Ryuji. As she does, he gets worried.

 “No, please don’t! Don’t worry about it. It’s okay. I don’t want to be the reason your relationship with your brother is ruined...” Ryuji says sadly. Lucy looks at him, still a little angry but confused.

 “Huh? You won’t ruin anything.” Lucy says as Ryuji looks at her. “Yeah, we may end up fighting about it, and he may get upset with me, but that’s what siblings do. At the end of the day, I’ll love my brother no matter what, but I sure as Hell ain’t gonna let this slide. C’mon.” Lucy says firmly while getting up. She takes his hand gently but firmly and starts pulling him along. He looks surprised, and a little confused as she leads him back home, angry yet not resentful. Ryuji looks at her as if studying her feelings, trying to understand.

‘I’ve never had a normal family to fight with.’ Ryuji thinks about himself growing up alone as he thinks to himself. ‘It’s hard for me to get the relationships between siblings sometimes. I don’t always understand them… but maybe they’re not as fragile as I thought.’ he thinks as he looks at Lucy, so determined to fight with her brother.

 They eventually get back to Lucy’s house and go right upstairs to her room. As soon as she closes the door, Lucy starts taking off Ryuji’s jacket for him, too focused on being upset as Ryuji stands there letting it happen.

 “You’re spending the night with me and in the morning, I’m giving him an earful. Nobody gets to talk to you like that, especially not my brother.” Lucy says firmly, pointing at him with caring eyes. Ryuji blushes as she speaks before she climbs onto the bed, pulling him with her under the blankets. They get comfortable under the blankets as Lucy lays real close to Ryuji, making sure he doesn't go anywhere. Her look softens as she blushes.

"Ryuji… I'm really sorry you felt this way for so long…" Lucy whispers as Ryuji shakes his head.

"It's not your fault… As long as you love me still… Everything else will be okay…" he says softly. Lucy's eyes shine as she snuggles in his arms, pulling the blankets up over them.

 In the early morning, Kenji helps Yamato put his belongings in the trunk of his car as Yuri watches.

 “It’s too bad Ryuji couldn’t see you off. He’s such a good kid.” Kenji says with a huff, plopping the bag down as Yamato tosses a different one next to it.

 “If you say so.” Yamato says with a neutral look as they step back.

 “Yamato!” Lucy yells from inside the house as she marches down the stairs towards the front door with Ryuji behind her. Kenji smiles.

 “Oh, there he is.” Kenji says happily. Yamato smiles with a sweat.

 “Hey! What’s up, little-” Suddenly, Lucy dropkicks Yamato in the face and sends him tumbling to the ground. Ryuji looks shocked as the parents just sigh. Lucy stands up with an angry look.

 “Don’t you little sis me! Ryuji told me what you said to him, and I’m pissed!” Lucy shouts. Yamato sits up, sweating, with a worried look.

 “W-what are you talking about?” He says awkwardly.

“Don’t play dumb! Telling him he’s not good enough for me and that he’s hurting our family!” Lucy shouts. Yuri and Kenji both look at Yamato shocked as he stands up.

 “Yamato! Is that true?” Yuri asks in disbelief and disappointment. Yamato hesitates before answering.

 “Yes, it’s true.” He admits.

 “Why would you say that to him? He’s a great kid! He helps me out at the drop of a hat whenever I ask, he's talented and, best of all, he makes Lucy happy!” Kenji says with a disappointed look. Yamato looks defensive as he points his hand at Lucy and Ryuji.

 “But it’s true! From the moment he met her, he’s been nothing but trouble! His poor attitude will only lead to an empty future! Lucy should be more focused on her own future instead of-”

 “Shut up!” Lucy shouts with her eyes closed tight and fists clenched, interrupting Yamato. She then gives him a serious, passionate look. “The only thing I should be concerned with in my future.. is becoming his wife!” Lucy shouts passionately. Yamato sweats with a shocked look. Yuri blushes and covers her smile. Ryuji blushes intensely too. “So you better hurry up and apologize to him. Go on, Ryuji.” Lucy says as she looks back at Ryuji with an adamant look. He hesitantly steps forward toward Yamato. The brother gets an irritated look, clicking his tongue before bowing to him reluctantly.

 “I’m sorry for treating you the way I have these past years.” He says, irritated. Ryuji sweats anxiously a bit before speaking softly.

 “Please stand. You don’t need to apologize to me.” Ryuji says. Yamato looks up at Ryuji, a bit surprised, as the others are shocked too.

 “Ryuji!” Lucy says, upset. Ryuji looks over his shoulder at her before smiling.

“You were only looking after Lucy.” He says while looking back at Yamato. “How could I be mad at that?” he asks with a soft smile as Yamato is shocked. He looks conflicted as he sweats a bit. He then looks at Lucy, who is blushing.

 “Sis, does he really make you that happy?” Yamato asks. Lucy focuses on her brother before answering confidently.

“More than anything else could.” Lucy says. Yamato sighs in defeat while scratching the back of his head.

 “Well, I guess that’s that. You beat me.” Yamato says. Ryuji sweats a bit at his words.

 “This wasn’t a competition…” he says softly. Yamato gives him a serious look.

 “But don’t think this means I’m gonna go easy on you. You better keep making my sister happy or I’ll never accept you as a part of our family.” Yamato says sharply. Ryuji nods confidently as Kenji pats him on the back.

 “I told you, he’s a good kid.” Kenji says, holding onto Ryuji’s shoulder. Yamato smiles a bit while closing the trunk of his car.

 “Well, I’m off until next time.” Yamato says. Kenji and Yuri take turns giving him a hug until he looks at Lucy. She looks upset but hugs her brother anyway. After she pulls away from the hug, she points at him.

 “You better bring Ryuji a good gift next time you visit or I’ll never forgive you.” Lucy warns. He laughs and sweats a bit. 

 “Alright, alright. I love you too, Lucy.” Yamato says. Lucy smiles a bit.

 “Love you, big bro.” She says. Yamato smiles as he waves goodbye before getting in his car and driving off. They watch him go before the parents go back inside. Without looking at him, Lucy speaks.

 “Hey Ryuji?” She asks softly. He looks at her with a soft smile.

 “Hm?” he hums. Lucy then looks at him and smiles widely.

“Why don’t we bring your mom a hot meal?” She asks with a big smile. Ryuji blushes and smiles at her before nodding as they both go back inside.