Interlude 1The Brat Calls in Reinforcements
1
Late July rolled in, and summer was in full swing. The incessant chirping of cicadas, the scorching sunlight, and the fresh scent of green filled the air. The most vibrant season of the year had arrived. A few days into the last summer vacation of my high school life—
“Yuu, if you’re just lazing around, come help out at the shop. There are some cute customers waiting,” my mother said, poking her head into the air-conditioned living room where I was eating ice cream and watching TV.
“Ugh, fine,” I replied.
Our family runs a café called ‘Moonlight Terrace’. I help out from time to time. The shop, passed down since my grandfather’s days, has a cozy log cabin vibe with terrace seating outside, and it gets a decent amount of foot traffic.
I’m part of the boys’ basketball team, and with club activities keeping me busy, I haven’t had much time for part-time jobs. Helping at the shop occasionally earns me some pocket money, though.
But after crashing out in the first round of the summer tournament, my schedule until the retirement ceremony at the end of July is wide open, leaving me to loaf around every day.
“Hm? Cute?” I muttered.
A bad feeling crept up on me.
I put on the employee apron and headed to the shop.
“Yo, Yuu-nii!” came a voice from the back table, where three girls were seated. One of them—Miya—leaned forward eagerly.
“Hey,” I replied.
“I brought some friends today!”
“Nobody asked you to.”
“Hello,” said one girl.
“Hi,” said the other.
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The two girls sitting on either side of Miya exchanged a glance before greeting me.
“Hey, hello,” I said.
They looked about Miya’s age, probably.
“This is Mahiru, and this one with the glasses is Asuka,” Miya introduced.
Mahiru was a tanned girl with a short haircut, exuding an energetic vibe. She wore a sleeveless shirt and shorts, perfect for summer. Asuka, on the other hand, had long black hair and was dressed in a frilly dress, giving off a quiet, reserved impression.
All three had ordered cream sodas and were engrossed in a handheld game.
Miya’s usually a cheeky little thing, but seeing her having fun with her friends like this was kind of heartwarming.
Alright, time to get to work.
As I turned to leave, Mahiru looked up at me and said, “Huh, so this is Miya’s lackey?”
Wait, what? Did I hear that right, or am I imagining things?
“Mahiru-chan, you can’t say that to grown-ups! You’ll get in trouble,” Asuka whispered.
“But if he’s Miya’s lackey, doesn’t that make him our lackey too, since we’re her friends?”
“Oh… yeah, I guess so…”
No, no, no, don’t just agree with that!
“Hold on, Miya. What kind of nonsense have you been telling your friends about me?” I demanded, grabbing her cheeks with both hands and stretching them.
“Now, you better watch what you say next.”
“Uwaaah!”
“What was that?”
“Hey, don’t bully the little kids!” my mother’s voice boomed, followed by a sharp chop to my head.
“Guh!”
“Go on, get back to work. That table over there’s free—clear it.”
“He’s so weak,” Mahiru smirked.
“Hmph, what a loser,” Miya added.
“Wow, that looked like it hurt,” Asuka chimed in.
That little brat… Did she deliberately bring her friends here, knowing I’m at a disadvantage with my mom around?
No, there’s no way her brain works that fast.
But—
“Oba-san, can we go upstairs to play games after we finish our drinks?” Miya called out.
“Sure thing!” my mom replied.
“!?”
Upstairs? The only place she ever hangs out upstairs is my room.
By getting my mom’s permission instead of mine, she’s completely bypassing my say in the matter. Did she predict I’d kick them out if they tried to barge into my room with friends in tow?
“No, wait a sec—”
“They’re Miya-chan’s friends, so it’s fine. Hurry up and clear that table already.”
“Yay!” Miya cheered.
And just like that, my room became a hangout spot for a pack of brats.
＊
2
A few days later.
This was bad. Really bad. Way worse than finding untouched homework on the last day of summer vacation.
I was panicking.
“Hey, Mahiru, what’s this item do?” Miya asked, sitting on the edge of my bed and passing her gaming console to Mahiru.
“Lemme see,” Mahiru replied.
“Here.”
Asuka, meanwhile, was devouring one of my shonen manga volumes in front of my bookshelf.
“This one, Miya… you need a different character to use it,” Mahiru explained.
“Ohh, that makes sense!”
“Um, Yuu-san, could you grab the next volume for me?” Asuka asked.
“Y-Yeah, sure thing.”
My room had officially become the brats’ clubhouse.
Ever since they took it over a few days ago, they’ve been treating it like their own personal lounge, hanging out without a care in the world.
Having more noisy kids around was annoying enough, but the situation was dire for a much bigger reason.
You see…
Hidden under my pillow was a dirty magazine.
I’d let my guard down.
Last night, a teammate told me you’d have naughty dreams if you slept with one under your pillow. Half-joking, I tried it out.
I completely forgot about it until now, after these kids showed up, and the memory hit me like a truck.
What a colossal screw-up.
If they found that magazine…
“Ew, gross!”
“I’m telling Oba-san!”
“So you’re a pervert, huh, Yuu-san?”
No, no, no!
I had to get them out of my room and secure the magazine, stat.
“Ugh, I can’t win!” Miya groaned, flopping onto the bed and landing on the pillow with a thud.
“W-Woah!” I yelped.
“What’s with you, Yuu-nii? Yelling out of nowhere,” Miya said, startled.
“N-Nothing! Uh, don’t you guys want to play outside or something?”
“It’s too hot,” Mahiru shot back instantly.
You’re wearing a sleeveless shirt that shows off your shoulders and have a perfect tan, and you’re saying it’s too hot?
“We were just playing outside earlier,” Miya said, staring at the ceiling.
“Okay, then how about some ice cream at the shop?”
“Oba-san already gave us soft serve earlier,” Asuka said.
“Oh, right…”
Getting them out of the room was going to be tough.
The mission was simple: rescue the magazine without them noticing.
But one wrong move in this situation could spell doom.
What to do…
“Hey, Yuu-nii, play with us! This game lets you do multiplayer with just one cartridge,” Mahiru said, tugging at my hand. She was sitting on the bed’s edge, her thin legs stretched out carelessly like a boy’s.
“O-Oh, sure…!”
This was my chance.
I casually sat next to Mahiru, right by the pillow.
Now for the tricky part.
Let’s break down the situation. The target—the magazine—was under the pillow right behind me.
Miya was sprawled across the bed, her small head on the pillow. Mahiru was next to me, and Asuka was by the window, engrossed in manga.
The pillow was within arm’s reach. Asuka was distracted, and the pillow was out of Mahiru’s line of sight since she was focused on the game.
If Miya got off the bed, I could slip my hand behind me, tuck the magazine into the back of my shirt, leave the room, and hide it somewhere else.
A perfect plan.
It was 2:00 p.m. Operation Rescue commenced.
“Ugh, Mahiru, you’re too good!” Miya whined.
“You’re full of openings, Miya,” Mahiru teased.
“Here, Yuu-nii, your turn,” Miya said, handing me the console.
“Huh?”
It was a multiplayer action game. I was actually pretty good at these. Back in middle school, I spent a lot of time at arcades playing fighting games and shooters.
This was my chance to show these brats who’s boss.
But now wasn’t the time. Both my hands were occupied, and my eyes were glued to the screen.
“N-Nah, I’m good,” I said.
“What, scared you’ll lose?” Mahiru grinned smugly.
“What’d you say?”
“You’re afraid of losing to kids, aren’t you?”
“…Alright, you’re on. I’ll crush you.”
“Pfft.”
Crap, I fell for her cheap provocation.
I wanted to lose quickly and switch with Miya, but after that exchange, losing too easily would just give them more ammo to mock me.
I could already hear Mahiru sneering, “Wow, a grown-up losing to kids? Pathetic.”
I’d have to put up a close fight and lose at the last second.
“Here we go!” I said.
“Not bad, Yuu-nii. Guess I’ll have to get serious,” Mahiru said, her attacks suddenly intensifying.
“I’m gonna hit the bathroom,” Miya said, hopping off the bed.
Perfect timing. I’d put up a good fight, and the bed was clear. Time to throw the match.
“Gotcha! I win!” Mahiru declared.
“Tch, damn it. Alright, Asuka, your turn,” I said.
But then—
“Ugh, it’s so hot,” Asuka said, putting away the manga. She took a sip of juice from the table and moved toward the bed. Her bangs were stuck to her forehead with sweat, and her cheeks were flushed like apples. She flopped onto the bed.
“I think I need a break,” she said.
What the—?
You were just reading manga! What’s there to be tired about?
“Asuka’s got no stamina. Let her nap. Alright, Yuu-nii, round two!” Mahiru said.
Seriously?
“Who won?” Miya asked, coming back.
“No way Yuu-nii could beat me,” Mahiru bragged.
“What?! Okay, my turn!” Miya said, bouncing on the bed.
The springs creaked, and the bed shook irregularly.
“Alright, alright, I get it!” I said.
“Miya-chan, you’re shaking the bed!” Asuka said, wiggling with the vibrations. Finding it fun, Miya kept jumping.
“Hahaha!”
“Idiot, Miya, stop it!” I snapped.
The vibrations were shifting the pillow, and the magazine was starting to slide out onto the sheets.
This was bad. The corner was peeking out.
“Switch with me after this!” Miya said.
“Fine, just stop jumping! The vibrations’ll carry downstairs to the shop!”
As I spoke, I leaned back, trying to cover the exposed magazine with my body.
Phew, that was close.
Wait, no.
If I leaned back any further, my head would land on Asuka’s chest.
What do I do?
Hiding the magazine was top priority, but putting my head on a girl’s chest—even a kid’s—would be…
I tensed my abs, holding a position just short of touching Asuka’s chest.
“Ughhh…”
This was tough.
“Hey, what’s that? There’s something under the pillow,” Miya said.
“!?”
“Huh?” Mahiru turned toward the pillow.
It was over. I was done for.
God, Buddha, Yama, someone—save me!
At that moment—
“Hey, everyone! I cut some watermelon!” my mom’s voice called from downstairs.
“Watermelon?!” Miya exclaimed, leaping off the bed.
“Alright, get up, Asuka!” Mahiru said.
“Wha…?” Asuka mumbled.
The brats thundered out of the room.
Left alone, I collapsed onto the bed.
“Saved…”
Thank you, watermelon. I steadied my breathing and retrieved the magazine. Hiding it somewhere within their reach was too risky. I’d need to find a new hiding spot—a new mission for the summer vacation.
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