CH. 87 - His Brother

 Eventually, as the day goes on and the sun sets early this day, Mormo hops on the counter and looks around at the snacks before coming to an empty bag of chips. He grumbles before turning to Suiyoubi.

 “Oi, dark heart! We’re kinda running low on snacks here. How is a little guy like me supposed to party with no chips?” He asks Suiyoubi, who looks at him and smiles before hugging him tightly.

 “Aw! You are just a little guy, aren’t you?” She asks happily as Mormo struggles in her grasp. 

 “Oi! Airhead, didn’t you hear me?! We’re running out of the goods!” Mormo shouts. Suiyoubi stops and looks at the snacks, also noticing they’re running low.

 “You’re right, we are pretty low.” She says.

 “Again? Who’s eating all the food?” Kitaro asks as he notices Hisana and Chizuru munching away, looking at him. He sweats and goes back to what he was doing. “Nevermind…” he mumbles.

 “Don’t worry, we can go get more.” Sugawara says, getting up.

 “Yay! Nighttime adventure!” Chizuru says excitedly.

 “It’s only like five in the evening.” Ryuji points out.

 “Yeah, well, the sun already set, so bleh!” Chizuru sticks her tongue out at him. Kitaro makes a disapproving face as he plays his game.

 “Do we all have to go? I’m kinda in the middle of something.” Kitaro says, focusing on his game.

 “How are you doing that with your hands?..” Touma asks softly with a sweat as he stares at Kitaro performing wild moves on the game he is playing. The others stare at him and sweat before Shiori speaks up.

 “We’ll just split into two groups.” Shiori says as the friends nod. Her, Lucy, Chizuru, Hikigaya, Haru and Sugawara all head out of the large apartment building while giggling and talking when, before they can even get 10 meters from the front, Sugawara stops. He looks frightened as he sweats. The others stop and look at him, confused by his reaction.

 “Sugawara?” Hikigaya asks.

“What’s wrong?” Chizuru asks too. Haru looks at him with a concerned look before slowly turning around and noticing a young adult man standing a bit away from them. He stares at the man for a moment before the young man speaks.

 “Sugawara. What are you doing?” He asks coldly as the others notice too. Sugawara stares with frightened eyes as the man stares only at Sugawara. Seeing his frightened look, the others begin to get defensive over Sugawara.

 “Hey, I’m not sure what’s going on but-” Chizuru says before she’s interrupted by the man.

 “I asked you a question, Sugawara. What are you doing?” He cuts her off, completely ignoring her. They can feel the tension rising in the air as Sugawara lowers his head.

 “I’m… hanging out with friends…” He answers softly. The others are surprised that he actually responded to the man’s question. The young man’s eyes squint a bit behind his sharp glasses. 

 “Friends? That’s what you’re busy with?” He asks, obviously upset. Sugawara holds himself tighter before speaking.

 “Brother, please…” he begs softly as the group is surprised. Haru’s eyes widen as he is more familiar with Sugawara’s family situation.

 “That’s his big brother..?” Haru says softly to himself as Sugawara continues.

“Ichiro, I promise I’m still keeping up with my schooling and work. It’s-”

 “No, you’re not.” Ichiro, Sugawara’s brother, interrupts sharply as Sugawara jumps a bit. Ichiro stares at Sugawara intimidatingly before speaking more. “I’ve seen your grades and the trivial projects you’ve been working on. A waste of your time.”

 Sugawara begins to hold himself tighter as he feels the anxiety rising within himself. Lucy notices and decides to speak up.

 “Hey, it may not be my business, but if I could-” Lucy starts when Ichiro finally turns his piercing gaze to Lucy, causing her to hesitate for a moment. He then stares down the rest of the group before returning his gaze to Sugawara.

 “These are really your so-called friends? You’re an Ito. You are to be focusing on your studies and building your career to take your place on the Ito Board, like our parents, like me. Not wasting your time with these nobodies.” Ichiro says harshly. They get offended looks on their faces, especially Lucy. 

 “Excuse me?” She begins to step toward Ichiro. “Who do you think you are-” Before she could finish, Haru lifts his hand in front of Lucy, stopping her. She looks at him, surprised, and sees Haru staring intently at Sugawara.

 “You are obviously incapable of managing your time by yourself. It’s no wonder Father sent me for you. You are not ready. Come, we are returning home.” Ichiro says commandingly. Sugawara looks up in shock and worry.

‘Returning home?.. I have to… leave my friends..?’ He looks back at the group, who all have worried looks on their faces, unsure what to do as Ichiro turns and begins to walk away, expecting Sugawara to follow. Sugawara sweats and begins to shake. ‘People who care about me…’

 He thinks back to when he bumped into Haru the second time they met, then the night they carved their names into the post and Hikigaya’s words. He thinks of the many adventures and moments they’ve had together, from him being heartbroken on Valentine’s to Haru kissing him in the tent on that camping trip. And everything else up until that point flashing through his mind.

‘In one moment, it’ll all go away… just like that?..’ He begins to tear up as he turns to follow Ichiro. ‘I’ll never see them again…’ He lifts his foot to step but hesitates. He shakes before putting his foot back down and standing for a moment before lifting it once again but this time slamming it back down on the ground.

 “NO!” Sugawara shouts. The group is surprised, with smiles starting to come across their faces as Ichiro pauses. 

 “No?” he asks as he turns to look at Sugawara. Sugawara shakes and hangs his head low and clenches his fists before looking at Ichiro intensely.

 “I said no! I’m not going back with you! I’m never going back to that awful place!” He shouts as he thinks back to his childhood. “You, father and mother, always looked down on me. Not once was I ever treated with any kind of care. I didn’t have any friends, I didn’t have any family! I was raised to be a thoughtless drone, programmed to do as I was told.. but I refuse!”

 He thinks about his parents always commanding him to study specific things and do specific things, all to lead to the future they had already decided for him. He thinks about all the times he was locked away in his room because, unless it was a part of his curriculum, he wasn’t allowed to experience it.

 “No one in my entire life cared about me! It’s as if I was born to be some tool for them to use whenever it was convenient for them, and now that I’ve finally found real friends, found people who actually care about me, you want to take that all away?” He shouts as tears fall down his face. Ichiro watches Sugawara not with a look of anger or frustration but with focused eyes, as if trying to analyze every word he says. Sugawara’s face looks emotional but determined.

 “I won’t let that happen. I am not going back with you no matter what you say!” Sugawara says firmly and determined despite his anxiety. Sugawara stares with a determined look as Ichiro stares back. There is silence for a moment before Ichiro looks down a bit. He lifts his hand and stares at it softly before speaking.

 “Our lives… aren’t all as they seem to be.” He says softly as Sugawara’s determined look softens a little with surprise. Ichiro lowers his hand and looks back at Sugawara before stepping towards him.

 Before he can get too close, however, the group all steps in front of Sugawara, ready to defend him. Suddenly, a hand grabs hold of Sugawara’s gently. He looks up to see Haru standing in front of him, holding Sugawara behind himself, still holding onto his hand. Sugawara smiles softly as his eyes shine. Ichiro is surprised by this action as the group confidently defends Sugawara. Ichiro stops and stares at them for a moment.

 “Are they really that important to you?” He asks Sugawara without looking at him. Sugawara gently lays his head on Haru’s back before answering confidently.

 “Yes.” he says clearly. Ichiro cracks a slight smirk before turning back around.

 “Then it seems you have more backbone than the rest of our family.” He looks over his shoulder. “More than me.” He says softly. Sugawara slowly comes out from behind Haru with a softly surprised look. Ichiro looks away from them again. “You know, they’re not going to be happy when I return without you.” Ichiro says. Sugawara gets a softly angry look.

 “Good!” he shouts back as Ichiro chuckles to himself a bit before walking away. The group all relax a bit as Haru sighs in relief.

 “Is all your family that intense? Cause I don’t know if I can take it.” Haru asks playfully as Sugawara stares at his brother with a serious look.

 “Yes, but don’t worry. You won’t ever need to meet them.” Sugawara says with a smile to Haru. 

 “Right.” Haru says with a soft smile before getting a slightly worried look and looking back at Ichiro. “Hey, is everything gonna be okay? He sounded really serious..” Haru asks.

 “It will be. We don’t need them. Besides, what’s the worst they could do? They’re just a normal tech company after all.” Sugawara says with a smile to Haru, who smiles back with a nod as they hold each other's hands firmly.

 Somewhere else, far away. Ichiro stands in a large hall before two large doors that lead into a big office. He hesitates as he stands before them with his head lowered and a bit of sweat on his cheek. He exhales before opening the doors and stepping into the office. There he sees a big desk at the far end of the dark office and an old man sitting at it.

 On the desk, different sheets of paper and folders sprawl about, some having a ‘closed deal’ stamp on it for a fellow tech company and another being a supply order sent from ‘Precipice Manor’. A set of large windows being the only source of light in the big office. Ichiro stops a bit away from the front of the desk and looks at the old man.

 “Grandfather, I’ve returned from my retrieval of Sugawara.” Ichiro says. The old man looks at Ichiro, with his hands folded in front of his face.

 “How is Sugawara doing? Will he be taking his seat amongst the Board soon?” The old man, Mr. Ito, asks with a neutral tone. Ichiro sweats and lowers his head a bit.

 “About that… It seems that he won’t be taking his seat… In fact, he’s never returning to Ito Industries as a whole.” He says as Mr. Ito stares at him in silence for a moment.

 “Buahahahah!” He laughs loudly as tears even form in the corner of his eyes from the laughing. “That brat! He was always the brightest in our family line!” Mr. Ito says while laughing before eventually calming his laughter a bit. “If that’s what he wants, then that’s what he’ll get! Cut him out of the Ito Fund and remove his access to our supply houses and servers. You will have to carry his seat as extra on the Board, am I clear?” The old man asks intently. Ichiro bows a bit.

 “Understood.” Ichiro says. He turns to leave as Mr. Ito turns in his chair to look out the window with a soft look.

 “I’m sorry I did such a bad job raising your parents that they ended up neglecting both of you.” The old man says. Ichiro stops and looks back at Mr. Ito with a surprised look before smiling warmly a bit. Mr. Ito then turns to look at Ichiro. “You’re doing a great job. One day, you may even replace me.” He says softly to his grandson, whose eyes shine.

 “Thank you, grandfather.” Ichiro says softly. He bows to Mr. Ito before leaving the office. Mr. Ito stares at the closing door for a moment before sighing and leaning back in his chair. He turns his head and looks at a picture on his wall of him, his daughter and her husband and a younger Ichiro and Sugawara. He stares at Sugawara specifically.

 “That boy’s future is going to be much bigger than he realizes.” He squints a bit and pauses for a moment. “Sugawara…” He says quietly as he sits at the top office of a large industry building with ‘Ito Industries’ largely labeled on the side of the bustling building, a tower standing well above the clouds, an inhuman monument built to touch the very gods.

 Soon a new day comes… The school bell rings as the class quickly collects themselves and starts bolting out of the classroom as quickly as possible, excitement beaming off their faces. Samuel reaches out with a sweat.

 “Oh- Wait- Kids!…” she tries to get their attention, but the end of class on the last day of their third year has them far too excited to start summer break. “Just… have a good summer.” Samuel says softly with a melancholic look. Suddenly, Shiori, Hikigaya, Chizuru, Alice, Suiyoubi and Haru stick their heads back into the doorway and shout.

 “Have a good summer, Ms. Samuel!” They all shout before Haru tosses a gift box at her and they rush off. Samuel catches the box with a fumble before smiling warmly. She tears it open and pulls out… an apple. She stares at it for a moment with dull eyes.

 “Gee, thanks…” she mumbles before turning it around and seeing a note attached to the back of it saying, ‘See you next year! Love, your class!’ She smiles happily at the note and sees a card in the box signed by the entire class. She blushes before giggling to herself.

 Just outside the school, Chizuru smiles while tightening up before jumping with joy, a wide smile on her face and her fists in the air.

 “Yay! Last day of school is officially over! Here comes summer vacation!” Chizuru shouts happily.

“It’s kinda hard to believe we’re gonna be fourth years when we get back.” Lucy says.

“Time really does fly, huh?” Hisana says softly with a smile as Lucy nods. Chizuru turns around with an excited look and stops before the group.

 “This vacation is gonna be the best summer ever!” She says excitedly.

“What makes you say that?” Hikigaya asks.

“Becaaauuse this is our last one! We gotta make it count!” Chizuru says with a big smile. She pulls out her phone and starts scrolling through her notes. “I have so many adventures planned for us! It’s gonna be a blast!”

“A-all of us?..” Touma asks with an embarrassed smile.

 “Of course. How are we gonna have fun without you, you big dummy?” Hikigaya asks with a smile, elbowing his arm. He smiles shyly a bit before nodding. Mormo then pops out of Suiyoubi’s backpack.

 “I don’t know ‘bout y'all but I’m looking to see some hot summer babes.” He says casually while imagining a few in his head. He thinks for a moment before looking at Chizuru. “Speaking of which, now that you’re all fourth years and whatnot, why don’t you go ahead and show me a lil something something, eh?” he asks while wiggling his eyebrows at her. Lucy gets angry before choking him with her hands.

 “Yeah right, you perverted stuffed animal! I should gut you just for asking such a thing!” Lucy shouts.

“No..! Please don’t..!” Mormo begs between breaths as the others giggle or sigh.

 “Anyway, I figured we’d start off light. Like a little party or something?” Chizuru says as Shiori sweats a little.

 “Not like the last one, right?..” she asks. They giggle as Sugawara smiles.

 “Want me to host again? I’ll set some things up just in case Daiki tries any funny business.” Sugawara says with a smug smirk.

“Perfect!” Chizuru says with a smile.

“This one should be themed. Like we all bring specially themed snack boards or something!” Suiyoubi proposes. Chizuru and Hisana light up with excitement.

 “That’s a great idea!” They say together.

 “We could wear costumes!” Chizuru says.

 “And play board games!” Hisana says too, matching her energy. Kitaro leans over to Ryuji.

 “There they go again. It’s all about the snacks and doing whatever they can to embarrass us.” Kitaro says. Ryuji nods with a soft smile on his face. 

 “I would like to attend.”

The group stops and turns around in a bit of a surprise as they see a small hand raised in the air. They see Riley standing behind them with a reserved look on her face.

 “Woahhh, hold up. If she’s going, we’re going.” Tsuki says with Milo beside him. Haru glares at Riley.

 “Yeah, well, sorry, buddy, but this party is for close friends only.” He says while sticking his tongue out at her and pulling Sugawara away from her.

 “Why? Let’s make it a big thing.” Alice says. Haru looks at her in shock.

“If it is going to be hosted at Sugawara’s residence, I would appreciate to be in attendance.” Riley says.

 “I don’t see the harm in having them tag along, do you?” Hikigaya asks with a smirk.

 “Not at all.” Ryuji says, smirking too. Haru looks at them in shock.

 “Guuuuys…” He groans as Shiori sweats.

 “You guys can be real jerks sometimes.” She says with a smile.

 “Thank you.” Hikigaya says back to her. Riley smiles a bit before bowing.

 “I truly do appreciate it.” She says.

 “You really don’t have to be so formal, main…” Alice says with a sweat as Riley stands back up. 

 “Well then, it’s settled! Now come on! Let’s get to planning the first event of the summer!” Chizuru says as the group begins to walk away, cheering in excitement. Haru stares at Riley with a silly glare as Riley walks past him before sticking her tongue out at him for a moment. Haru is stunned.

 “Did you see that?? She’s totally mocking me!” he says out loud as Sugawara has a surprised look on his face.

 “I think she’s starting to like you.” He says, pleasantly surprised.

“No way. She just wants to get closer to you!” Haru says to his boyfriend.

“I don’t know. I’ve known her for a long time, and I’ve never once seen her tongue leave her mouth like that.” He says with a smile as Haru pouts.

 “I still don’t like her..” Haru mumbles. Sugawara smiles a bit and places his hand gently on Haru’s cheek.

 “Come on.” Sugawara says before pulling Haru along as the group marches happily into their last summer vacation.