Interlude 2: Memories with the "little brat" Part 2
The Brat and the Shopping Date
1
“Alright, listen up. You kids need to obey Yuu-kun. If you get lost, never follow a stranger—go straight to the lost child center. Got it, Mahiru-chan and Asuka-chan?”
Miya’s mother, Haruyama Mirai, stood with her hands on her hips, giving the brats a stern warning.
“““Yes, ma’am!”””
The brats replied in unison, their voices brimming with energy.
“Okay, Yuu-kun, I’m counting on you.”
“Leave it to me,” I said.
I’d planned to spend the day lounging at home, but somehow I ended up tasked with taking the brats to a nearby shopping mall.
Mirai had been worried about letting elementary school kids go alone and was supposed to chaperone, but something came up at the last minute. My mom caught wind of it and volunteered me as their guardian.
In a rural area like this, a big shopping mall is practically an entertainment mecca.
With specialty stores, a movie theater, a food court, and an arcade, it’s packed with families and couples on weekends.
After a ten-minute walk, we arrived at the Ae○n mall. As expected, it was teeming with people.
“Listen up, you three. If you get lost in a crowd like this, it’ll be a nightmare to find you. No running around or wandering off on your own, got it?”
As I laid down the law like a proper adult, Miya gave an exasperated sigh.
“Yuu-nii, make sure you don’t get lost.”
“As if I would.”
“This isn’t a date, so don’t get any ideas,” Mahiru added.
“Like I would.”
“Hey, where should we go first?” Miya asked, looking around excitedly.
She’s probably been here plenty of times with her parents for shopping, but she was acting like it was her first visit. She must be thrilled to come to the mall with her friends—even if I’m here too. Asuka’s eyes were practically sparkling.
“Um… let’s go there,” Asuka said, pointing to the escalator. Wearing a large straw hat and a flowy dress, she led the way to the second floor.
Our first stop was a whimsical, fairy-tale-themed accessory shop, clearly aimed at elementary and middle school girls. As expected, it was bustling with girls their age.
“Oh, this is cute!” Miya said, holding up a strawberry-shaped eraser.
“Miya, this one’s better—it’s scented!” Mahiru said, showing off a scented eraser. Miya and Asuka sniffed it like curious puppies.
Three brats, frolicking in the stationery section for girls.
Miya’s usually cheeky, but seeing her act her age and have fun like this was kind of adorable.
That said…
“…”
I was the only guy in the shop, and the stares from around me were starting to get uncomfortable. If anyone I knew saw me here…
I’m at that age where I care about stuff like this. Gritting my teeth through the awkwardness, I waited for the brats to finish shopping.
“Next, we’re hitting the arcade!” Mahiru declared, taking the lead.
“Hey, slow down! You’ll get lost!” I called after her.
The arcade was lit up with flashy lights, filled with medal games, rhythm games, and ride-on shooters. Next to it was the food court, drawing a crowd of kids and adults alike.
Rhythm game.
“Whoa, Asuka, you’re crazy fast!”
“I can’t even see the sticks moving!”
“Full combo? That’s insane!”
Shooting game.
“Shoot the ones on the side!”
“Heal, heal!”
Medal game.
“That shot went in!”
“This gorilla’s pretty good!”
“We’re out of medals…”
Racing game.
“Who put a banana here?!”
“Yuu-nii’s in last place!”
“Hmph, what a loser.”
After a whirlwind of games, we headed to the food court for lunch.
“Ugh, I’m stuffed. Yuu-nii, you can have this,” Miya said, offering me her leftovers.
“Me too,” Mahiru added.
“You guys have some nerve leaving just the plain rice and passing it off to me.”
“Yuu-san, you can have some of my hamburger,” Asuka offered.
“Oh, thanks,” I said.
With our stomachs full, we headed to the bookstore next.
Maybe because it was lunchtime or just a busy day, the mall was getting more crowded by the minute. It’s getting packed, I thought, glancing to the side—
Thud!
“Ow!”
“Oh, sorry!”
“No, my fault for not looking where I was going.”
I’d bumped into an older woman coming around a blind corner by a display shelf. I could’ve dodged her, but the space was just too tight. That’s how crowded the Ae○n was today.
“Really sorry about that,” she said.
As the woman walked off, I turned back—
“Whoa, hold on… huh?”
All I could see were unfamiliar shoppers.
“Where… are those brats?”
＊
2
My blood ran cold. I told them over and over not to get lost.
No, this was my fault. I took my eyes off them…
I scanned the crowd, but there was no sign of them. Did they go ahead without noticing I’d bumped into someone?
Pushing through the sea of people, I hurried to the bookstore.
“Please, please be there…”
They hadn’t changed their destination, so maybe they were waiting near the bookstore entrance.
But…
“…They’re not here. Damn it.”
I searched every corner of the bookstore, but Miya, Mahiru, and Asuka were nowhere to be found.
Dark thoughts flooded my mind.
What do I do?
What if they got snatched by some creep…?
It’s because I wasn’t paying attention…
Ping-pong-pang-pong. An announcement echoed through the mall.
“We have a lost child announcement.”
I snapped back to reality.
Right! The lost child center. I could get them to make an announcement. That’s way better than running around aimlessly.
With that in mind, I rushed to the service counter—
“From Fujinomiya City, Arigetsu Yuu-kun.”
Huh?
“Arigetsu Yuu-kun, wearing a white shirt and brown shorts, if anyone has seen him, please contact the nearest staff member.”
Wait, what?
“Once again, a lost child announcement. From Fujinomiya City, Arigetsu Yuu-kun. Your friends are looking for you. If anyone has information—”
“Those… little brats…”
Sure, it’s my fault for getting separated, and Mirai did tell them to go to the lost child center if they got lost.
But to have me announced as the lost child…?
＊
“Man, what a handful,” Mahiru said, leaning against the service counter with an exasperated tone.
“Getting lost as an adult? Total loser behavior,” Miya said, shrugging and shaking her head.
“There he is!” Asuka said, spotting me emerging from the crowd and pointing.
“You guys…” I growled.
“Seriously, Yuu-nii, getting lost as a high schooler?” Miya said. “Wait… huh?”
“Whoa, he looks mad,” Mahiru said.
“Run!” Asuka squeaked.
“Wait, you little brats!”
And so, I spent the rest of the day chasing those scattered brats all over the Ae○n.
＊
The Brat Loves Beetles
1
A majestic horn. A glossy black body with a bold form. The object of every summer kid’s admiration. The king of beetles.
Peering into the breeding case, Sayaka said, “Wow, that’s impressive! Did you catch this, Miya-chan?”
“Yup! I caught it earlier. Yesterday, I set a trap in the forest, and this morning, me and Dad woke up super early and found a ton!”
“That’s amazing!”
“It was my first time catching a beetle, but it was easy!”
“Nice job!”
“Wanna touch it, Oba-san?”
“Eek!? Uh, well, why don’t you show it to Yuu first? He used to catch beetles all the time when he was younger.”
“Oh, right! I’ll show Yuu-nii!”
Miya hugged the case and headed for the stairs.
＊
2
“It’s so hot…”
My room has no air conditioning, so the windows are always wide open. The fan whirred uselessly, stirring the muggy air.
I’d been playing a video game earlier, but the heat dulled my brain, so I gave up. Sprawled on my bed, I heard the thud-thud-thud of footsteps racing up the stairs.
Great, here comes the noisy one again.
“Hey, Yuu-nii, you alive?” Miya called out.
“I’m alive, thanks for checking… Wait, what’s that?”
“Isn’t it cool? I caught it earlier!” Miya said, proudly holding up the case.
“Ugh…”
My body temperature plummeted. The sweat on my skin turned cold, and I froze.
“…”
Arigetsu Yuu, a guy who can’t handle bugs.
Well, to be precise, I’m now a guy who can’t handle bugs.
As a kid, I used to head to the mountains to catch beetles and stag beetles. I’d grab grasshoppers or praying mantises barehanded from the bushes.
I’d swing a net at cicadas and chase dragonflies around.
In fourth grade, I made a bug collection for a summer project, earning the nickname “Insect Collecting King” after a popular arcade game at the time.
But at some point, that changed.
When did I start finding the underside of a beetle creepy?
It’s not that unusual. As you grow up, you notice things you didn’t as a kid, and they start to gross you out.
“Pretty cool, right?” Miya said.
“Uh? Oh, yeah,” I mumbled.
A girl who likes beetles, huh? Miya plopped down and opened the case.
“Look!”
She casually grabbed the smaller horn and pulled the beetle out.
Don’t show me the underside!
Its wriggling legs, glossy black surface, and… those bristly hairs. It’s just… gross.
Startled by being picked up, the beetle thrashed wildly. Its writhing legs were practically indistinguishable from a cockroach.
Especially that part near the base of the legs…
“Let Yuu-nii touch it too!”
“Uh, no thanks.”
“Don’t be shy!”
“No, really, I’m good… I’m allergic to beetles. Don’t bring the underside near me.”
“Oba-san said you used to catch tons of beetles!” Miya said.
That old hag.
“Here!” Miya plopped the beetle onto my knee.
“Eep!”
The prickly sensation hit me directly. My skin crawled instantly.
“Ughhh!”
Every time the beetle moved, a creepy, ticklish feeling skittered across my skin.
“What? Yuu-nii, are you scared?” Miya asked, smirking up at me.
Crap.
If she finds out I’m freaked out by a bug, she’ll never let me live it down.
“Yuu-nii’s an adult, but he’s scared of bugs? What a weakling!”
I could already picture her cackling.
“Hah!”
Before I knew it, the beetle had crawled up my shirt to my chest.
Stop it!
Don’t climb any higher!
Turn back, I’m begging you!
Maybe it sensed my desperation, because the beetle stopped there. Its lifeless eyes met mine.
Those blank, unreadable eyes creep me out too. Bugs are so unsettling because you can’t tell if they’re conscious or not.
“…”
“…”
The beetle and I locked eyes, frozen for a moment. Come on, just go back the way you came. If you climb any higher, I’ll flick you off, even if it means getting my hands dirty.
“…”
“…”
But then, it did something far beyond my imagination.
With a bzzz, its back split open, revealing thin wings.
“Huh?”
“Wow, so cool!” Miya cheered.
Fueled by her enthusiastic squeal, the beetle took flight, buzzing around the room before landing squarely on my face.
“Gah!”
I don’t remember much after that. It was the first time in my life I’d ever fainted, on a sweltering summer morning.
＊
“Listen, you better not tell Mahiru or Asuka about this,” I said.
“Lost to a beetle, huh, Zako-nii?” Miya teased.
“That was because it flew out of nowhere—”
“Loser, loser! Hahaha!”
As we headed downstairs, my mom called from the kitchen.
“Miya-chan, come eat lunch!”
“Okay! Oh, Oba-san, guess what? Yuu-nii—er, Zako-nii—just—”
“Shut it, you!” I snapped. “Oh, boiled shrimp?”
On the table were somen noodles, vinegared side dishes, and whole boiled shrimp. My dad had already finished eating and was getting up.
“Nice, looks tasty,” I said.
Shrimp’s one of my favorite foods.
I grabbed one, cracked the back with my fingers, and pulled off the head. Then I peeled away the legs to reveal the plump, red meat inside.
“What’s wrong, Miya?” I asked, noticing her staring.
Below is the translation of the provided text, continuing from the previous sections, preserving the author's original writing style, tone, and pacing. Japanese honorifics such as "Yuu-nii," "Oba-san," and others are retained for cultural authenticity. The translation maintains the playful, chaotic, and nostalgic vibe of the original Japanese, capturing the humor, embarrassment, and dynamic interactions between characters, as would be expected in an official English translation.
＊
She suddenly went quiet.
Her face was pale as she stared at me.
“Yuu-nii, that’s amazing,” Miya said.
“Huh?”
“That’s basically a bug, right?”
“…Huh?”
I didn’t quite get it, but at least she stopped calling me “Zako-nii.”
“Come on, Miya-chan, eat up,” my mom said, bringing a fresh batch of somen noodles from the colander.
“Oh, yeah,” Miya mumbled.
What happened to all her energy from earlier? She was unusually quiet throughout lunch.
The next day.
“Ugh, it’s so hot…”
Another scorching day. I sprawled on my bed, flipping through a manga.
“Yuu-nii!” Miya’s voice rang out, accompanied by the thumping of footsteps up the stairs vibrating through the bed to my back. Judging by the racket, the whole brat squad had shown up.
I glanced toward the door, waiting. Sure enough, it flew open, and Miya burst in, followed, as expected, by Mahiru and Asuka.
“Hey, you guys—”
I noticed Mahiru and Asuka looked out of breath, almost frantic. Had something happened?
Miya, on the other hand, was her usual self. She plopped down in front of the TV, starting up a game without even asking my permission.
“Mahiru-chan,” Asuka whispered from behind her. Mahiru glanced at Miya, then turned to me.
“Y-Yuu-nii,” she said.
“What’s up?” I asked.
She lacked her usual spunk.
“I heard from Miya, but…”
Mahiru hesitated. Asuka gripped the hem of Mahiru’s T-shirt tightly, her eyes darting nervously.
What’s going on? I couldn’t read the situation.
Was it something hard to bring up?
Finally, Mahiru steeled herself and spoke.
“Yuu-nii, is it true you peeled and ate a beetle?”
“…Huh?”
“Are beetles, like, plump and tasty?” Asuka added.
“Huh? Huh?”
What were these kids talking about?
“Miya said you peeled a beetle and ate it whole yesterday,” Mahiru said.
“Yesterday? You mean the shrimp—wait. Miya, did you tell them about yesterday?” I demanded.
Miya, who hadn’t been listening, tilted her head slightly toward me.
“Yup,” she said.
“What exactly did you tell them?”
“Hmm, that you fainted because of a beetle and that the shrimp with its shell looked like a bug.”
“Ugh.”
I’d specifically told her not to tell Mahiru and Asuka, but she ignored me. Fine, whatever. The real problem was that she must’ve mixed up the beetle fainting story with the shrimp lunch story. Kids’ stories are often like that—missing subjects or jumbled together.
She probably mashed the two together, leading them to think I boiled a beetle, peeled its shell, and ate it whole.
“What’s it taste like?” Mahiru asked.
“Can you eat stag beetles too?” Asuka added.
It took a solid hour to clear up their misunderstanding, to say the least.
＊
The Brat and the Pool
1
“To our seniors, a salute!”
The underclassmen bowed in unison.
“Thank you so much!”
Their voices echoed through the gym.
Today was the retirement ceremony for the boys’ basketball team I’m part of. After losing in the first round of the regional qualifiers, we’d finished handing over duties to the second-years and cleaning the clubroom. As of today, July 30th, we third-years were officially retired.
I started basketball in high school. In middle school, I played baseball, but the high school baseball team required a buzz cut year-round—middle school only needed it for summer tournaments—so I passed. I wanted to join an athletic club, and influenced by a popular basketball manga at the time, I chose basketball. I could barely dribble when I joined, but the days spent practicing with my teammates were incredibly fulfilling.
“Alright, the celebration party is tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Okushoen, as requested. Dismissed,” our advisor announced, wrapping things up. Okushoen, by the way, is a local yakiniku chain.
“Hey, Arigetsu, you free tomorrow? Let’s hang out before the party,” said Endo, a fellow third-year. With his buzz cut and towering height well over 180 cm, he’s a lively guy with a sharp mind—a beefy Ka○o, if you will.
“Sorry, I’ve got some stuff to do during the day.”
“What’s ‘stuff’ supposed to mean?”
“Just, you know, stuff.”
“Alright, see you tomorrow then.”
“Yep.”
Endo headed off to another teammate.
“—Man, fine, Kageyama, let’s hang out.”
I sighed, dreading the hassle awaiting me tomorrow.
＊
2
The next day, the last day of July.
“So hot…”
The sun was especially brutal today, practically roasting my skin. Still, it was perfect pool weather.
The good old public pool. It’s been losing visitors to the fancy new leisure pool that opened recently, but it’s still decently busy.
A pool means bikini-clad older girls, right? My eyes couldn’t help but wander to the curvy, splashing beauties.
Someday, I’d love to go to the pool with a girl like that.
“…Haa.”
I let out a sigh.
“Hey, what’s with the sighing?!” Mahiru snapped.
“No choice, Mahiru. Yuu-nii’s weak to summer. He’s a total loser,” Miya said, shrugging.
“There’s so many people!” Asuka said.
“Haa,” I sighed again.
Sadly, I was stuck with three flat, skinny brats. As usual, I’d been roped into babysitting them.
“Alright, let’s go,” I said.
“Let’s do this!” Miya cheered.
“Wait, you guys! Warm up first. You need to stretch properly, or your heart’ll get a shock jumping in.”
“Yuu-nii’s the one shocking us with how pale he is. Whiter than me! Like a bean sprout!” Mahiru snorted.
“Shut up! I’m an indoor athlete, okay? Whatever, just start stretching.”
“““Yes, sir!”””
After thorough warm-ups, we headed to the pool.
“And don’t run by the poolside!” I called.
“Got it! Here we go!” Miya said, jumping into the shallow kiddie pool.
“No jumping either!”
Tap tap. Someone tapped my shoulder.
“Hm?”
Asuka stood there, holding a deflated float with the air valve in her mouth.
“Yuu-san, can you blow up my float?” she asked.
“What, you can’t swim? Hand it over.”
She’d tried inflating it herself, but a first-grader’s lung capacity wasn’t quite up to the task.
“Here.”
“Thank you!” Asuka said, slipping on the fully inflated float and jumping into the pool.
“Yay!”
“I said no jumping!”
“Shut up! Take this!” Miya and Mahiru started splashing water at me. But with their scrawny kid arms, it was barely a drizzle.
“You brats! I’ll show you a real splash!” I roared.
“Wah!”
“Scatter! Flank him!”
Ugh, dealing with these brats is exhausting. But I’ve got yakiniku tonight, so I’ll put up with it for now.
After playing in the kiddie pool, we grabbed ramen at the cafeteria.
Why does ramen taste so good after swimming?
“Hey, I wanna ride that!” Miya said, pointing to the back of the pool. A massive, winding pipe stretched from top to bottom—the pool’s main attraction, the water slide.
“Hmm, that one? I think kids aren’t allowed to ride it.”
“What? Discrimination?” Asuka said.
“Where’d you learn a word like that?”
“Come on, let’s check it out!” Mahiru said, dragging me toward the water slide area.
Sure enough, there was a height restriction. You had to be over 125 cm to ride.
“See? Stand in front of the board. If you don’t reach the red line, you can’t go.”
As expected, none of them made the cut.
“Ugh,” Miya grumbled.
“There’s a smaller slide over there with no height limit. Go try that one,” I said.
A gentler, open slide was set up nearby, safe for younger kids.
I waited at the bottom, and Miya came back.
“What’s up?”
“They said I can’t slide without an adult,” she said.
“Huh?”
Miya grabbed my hand and pulled me along.
“Come on, hurry!”
How did it come to this?
“Man, this is kinda high…”
Standing at the slide, a creeping sense of fear hit me. Without the pipe covering it, the height difference felt all too real.
But I couldn’t let them see me scared. Knowing these brats, they’d taunt me with “Zako, Zako” nonstop.
I sat at the starting point with Miya on my lap.
“Here we go!”
“Don’t squirm! Hold on tight—woaaaah!”
Holding Miya’s slender waist, we zoomed down. The water at the bottom rushed toward us, a chill shot through my legs, and before I knew it, we were submerged.
“Hahaha! That was fun!” Miya squealed.
Is this really for kids?
“Alright, my turn!” Mahiru said, ready and waiting.
“Wait, hold on—”
This is bad, seriously.
“Hurry up, it’s getting crowded!” Mahiru urged.
“Eeeeek!”
“Me next!” Asuka chimed in.
“W-Woaaaah!”
In the end, I was dragged down the slide twelve times—three kids, four rounds each.
＊
3
That night, at Okushoen for the club’s celebration party.
“Whoa, Arigetsu, what’s with the sunburn?” Endo asked, looking puzzled.
“Look at his wrist! Only one side’s not tanned!” another teammate pointed out.
The wristband for the pool locker key had left a pale stripe.
“Did you… go to the pool?” Endo asked.
“Uh, yeah,” I admitted.
Crap. Busted.
“You said you had ‘stuff’ to do when I asked you to hang out. What’s so important you’d ditch your friends? A girl?” Endo pressed.
“A girl?”
“Arigetsu has a girlfriend?”
“Who’d you go with? Don’t think you can sneak one past us!”
The other teammates swarmed me.
I couldn’t say it. No way I could admit I was at the pool getting bossed around by a bunch of brats.
“Spill it! Who was it?”
“Was it Shimomura from our class?”
“No, it’s not like that, seriously—”
The girlfriend-less teammates crowded around me, turning the yakiniku party into something far more intense than just meat.
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