It was a feast in the family of six. Taku couldn't grasp what was going on, or rather, he seemed indifferent to what was going on. And for crying out loud, what was the hullabaloo for?
Taku was sure of the penurious state of his family, the bland meals his mother cooked. So where did they come up with the money to buy all these Japanese dish? He wondered in bewilderment.
Japanese food ranging from gohan, tempura, gyudon, shioyaki, karaage chicken, okonomiyaki, and others. The aroma of the hot sizzling food filled the air, a scent that was unfamiliar in the house.
It might not be too much for other families, but it was definitely too much for his family. Taku couldn't deny the extravagant spending that must have been done to come up with all these.
Something must be amiss!
Everybody was seated and eating, except Taku, who was only seated but just stared at the food as thoughts raced through his head.
The gentle clatter of cutleries and plates was musical in the hearing.
"Was any of his little sisters getting married?" he wondered in his head. But weren't they too young for that? His parents were very strict against child marriage, so why would they give his sisters away in marriage? He remembered when his uncle…
"Taku, why are you staring at the food and not eating?" His mum broke into his thoughts.
He looked at her, then at his younger sisters who were just six and seven. They were looking very thrilled. He didn't think it was marriage. They were truly too young for that. Besides, he knew his parents too well, they wouldn't go against their strict principle.
Everybody was excited. his parents, his two sisters, and even his twin brother. He seemed to be the only one oblivious of what was going on.
If there was anybody who would tell him what was going on, it would be his twin brother. He stood up abruptly, held his brother's hand, and tugged him to their room. His brother, although looking muscular, didn't resist but followed him.
"What's going on, Riku?" Taku's eyes danced with huge curiosity. Well, they say curiosity killed the cat, but in this case, Taka oblivious of what was going on at the moment, would kill him.
"You don't know?" he asked, eyes widening, "I…."
"What are you two doing here?" Their mum's gentle voice, like a soft whisper, interrupted Riku. "Come and eat before the food gets cold." She held Riku's hand gently and led the way.
Taku stood there for few moments before joining them.
They resumed eating. Taku started eating and enjoying the food. For all he knew, that would be a lifetime rich Japanese meal he would be eating.
He stopped looking at his father's proud face, which was frequently glancing at Riku and nodding as he ate. His mum patted Riku's back and served him the dishes personally.
His sisters were giggling and whispering between themselves, looking at Riku.
"Whatever this feast was about, it was actually for Riku," he said in his head.
And whatever it was, he was happy for his twin brother. But why would he be the last person to know what was going on in the family? He hadn't cared before, but now he seemed to care.
He was the second child in the family but treated as the last child. His curiosity grew further and he couldn't hide it anymore. He deserved to know what the fuck was going on! He stopped eating and dropped his chopsticks, which clattered on the table.
"Can someone please tell me what's going on here?" he asked calmly, trying to stomach his huge curiosity and displeasure at how they'd kept the news from him.
Everybody paused eating and looked at him with intense stares.
"Your twin brother here killed a very fierce demon terrorizing the city," his father finally said proudly. "He is a true son of his father." He was super proud of his son's achievement, which was honorable to the family and among demon slayers.
"Oh!" he exclaimed with a lack of interest.
If there was anybody who didn't believe in demons' existence, it shouldn't be Taku, because his family history had been all about demon slayers. He'd heard stories about them many times, but he just couldn't bring himself to believe such creatures existed. "His family must be delusional," he concluded.
He smirked, then added, "Riku, I hope you continue killing demons so we get to eat rich and sweet dishes like this." His voice laced with sarcasm.
"I hope one day you will come with me and learn to be a demon slayer like the rest of our family," Riku wished
"To hunt for non-existent creatures?" His eyebrows rose with skepticism.
His father clenched his fist against the table, infuriated. "Taku, I will not take that from you. I wonder how you became a member of this family. With all the stories about demons, your brother and I always going out at night to hunt demons, you still doubt the existence of demons. I don't want you to utter such nonsensical and prohibited words ever again," he reprimanded.
Taku wouldn't want to spike the good atmosphere. If not for anything, he would do it for his twin brother, whom he loved dearly.
"I'm sorry, Dad," he apologized.
"I don't want to hear you utter any word again," he warned.
"Okay, Dad."
Whatever was going on as they were eating, Taku was not noticing it. He was eating his food quietly. He had homework piled up in his school bag, and that was where his thoughts were. He just wanted to get done with his food, then do his homework and have a chit chat with his twin brother.
Taku didn't mind Riku getting all the attention from his parents. He wasn't hurt in any way. He knew what to do to get his parents' attention, especially his father's: to be a demon slayer and start killing demons.
But he didn't want to do anything he wasn't interested in, in order to get attention; he wasn't desperate for it. Or rather, for what didn't exist. And even if it existed, he still wasn't interested.
He was aware of his brother's exceptional martial skill, and he was very proud of him. He wouldn't want to be like him, but he watched him practiced sometimes, out of sheer love because his brother wanted him to be there.
He would do anything for him. But there was little he could actually do for Riku; Riku had all the abilities one could ever think of. He really wanted to do more for his twin brother.
Since he didn't have so much to do for his twin brother, he didn't impose on him for help which he knew he could get from him, even when his life was threatened .
There was one thing he really wished had to stop forever in his life in order to live and be a normal kid in school, but he wouldn't want his twin brother to go through all of that for him.
Meanwhile, this was beyond Taku's control. He doubted if he would ever be a normal kid in school and that made his heart bleed.