Arriving at the apartment, the door opens. New... residents join Emi in this apartment.
"Did you bring all the bags?" Emi asks the two siblings, who simply nod.
"Well, if my phone's with me, I've got everything in my bags," Suzuki Misaki, a somewhat rebellious and sarcastic girl, states as she enters the apartment and haphazardly drops her suitcase.
"Hey! You're not at home anymore! You can't just dump your junk like that!" Suzuki Yuujin, a calmer boy who can't stand mess, confronts his sister.
"My stuff isn't junk. Maybe that car collection of yours is junk," Misaki flops onto the couch, already making it clear she's messy.
"I agree with Yuujin, and that's rare coming from me," Emi says sarcastically.
"Doesn't sound like it," Yuujin confronts, a bit annoyed. "I'm taking my things to my room. After all, where are they, Aunt Emi?" Yuujin asks, holding his suitcase.
"It's past the bathroom, your rooms are there," Emi states, picking up her phone and texting.
"Your rooms?" Yuujin asks, a bit unsure.
"Did you think my apartment was small? Hmph, I'm offended," Emi says, in a somewhat humorous tone. "Go on, and grab your sister's things, because if it's up to her, everything will rot right there."
"That's not fair, she should get them! Aaahhh!" Yuujin picks up Misaki's bags and takes them to a room, just dumping everything, while he takes his bags to his own room and organizes his new space.
Yuujin looks out the window, taking in the view of Tokyo's bustling movement.
The city is beautiful... The movement resembles the center of Osaka.
The boy observed everything with interest and curiosity, before turning back to organize his belongings.
"Kiki, you need to tidy up your things too!" Emi says, with a slightly annoyed tone, squeezing an orange to make juice.
"What's with that nickname? I'm going, I'm going!" Misaki exclaims, getting up from the couch and taking a picture with Emi.
"Ow! My eye! Who leaves the flash on?" Emi asks, a little dazed by the light.
"Me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sort out that craziness," she mutters, heading to her room, but stops when she sees Yuujin organizing his toy cars.
She approaches him very slowly, ready to scare him.
"It's not going to work, Misaki," Yuujin says, already used to her antics.
Misaki then grabs his phone and tries to unlock it.
"Hmph, as if you'd guess the password," he says, unconcerned, tidying his cars and grabbing some materials to build a new display shelf for his collection.
"I got it. Now I'm going to snoop," Misaki says, running off to her room with her brother's phone.
"BUT HOW DID YOU?! HEY!!!" He runs after her.
When he reaches the room, he sees her going through his private conversations.
"You have some strange people. Who's Yurina?" Misaki is rummaging when Yuujin arrives.
Yuujin blushes slightly, and tries to grab the phone.
"Damn it, you meddler! What's your problem?" Yuujin shouts, as Emi arrives to see what's happening.
"Stop being like that, you jerk!" She takes a step back and keeps scrolling until she finds their parents' contact.
She freezes in shock, completely paralyzed.
Yuujin snatches the phone from her hands and sees her in shock.
"Did you see a ghost or something?" Yuujin questions, a bit irritated.
"Maybe, your hair is white and you're paler than a polar bear," Emi smiles, teasing him.
"Are you supporting her?!" He shouts at Emi.
"No, no. I'm just enjoying what you started yourself," she laughs loudly, and Yuujin turns his attention back to Misaki.
"Yuujin... You still haven't deleted Mom and Dad's contact?" Misaki asks, in shock.
"You... Oh... No... I haven't deleted it..." Yuujin confirms.
Emi knew very well how drastically this weighed down the atmosphere.
Both siblings had been at home while their parents went out shopping and were in an accident on the way, which resulted in their deaths; they didn't survive. That's why both had to move to Emi's house, the closest relative with the means to care for the teenagers who previously lived in Osaka.
"Look... I don't want to meddle, but since I already am, I think it's better to at least archive it... Better than... remembering that difficult moment," Emi states, stepping away and out of their sight.
"I agree with Aunt Emi, Yuujin," Misaki says, leaving the room as well.
Yuujin remains lost in his own thoughts, remembering the news when they received it.
Flashback
"Yuujin, someone's at the door," Misaki shouts from her room.
"OPEN IT!" Yuujin shouts, lying on the couch, watching TV.
"No! You go! You're closer," she shouts back.
Yuujin grumbles and gets up, opening the door to find a police officer.
"Suzuki Yuujin, right?" the officer asks, and Yuujin freezes.
"Yes... That's me..." Yuujin says, nervously.
"I have news about... your parents..." the officer speaks with a trembling voice.
After explaining everything, Yuujin and Misaki go into shock, feeling destroyed inside.
"Did they... did they... survive? Are they at least hospitalized?!" Yuujin asks desperately.
"No... I'm sorry. They didn't make it," the man confirms, his voice filled with so much pain at having to deliver this news to the siblings, who break down in tears.
Flashback off
"That day... it was tough..." Yuujin says to himself, leaving Misaki's room and returning to his own, looking more downcast.
Later, the three are at the table, talking.
"Ugh, school is such a pain!" Misaki exclaims, in a murmuring tone, eating her food distractedly because of her phone.
"I don't want to have to make new friends," Yuujin says, a bit irritated, as always.
"Unfortunately, that's how it is. I hated going to school too, but look! I survived, so you will too. Get ready, I'll look for openings tomorrow," she says, eating a bit more.
"And did you really have to deliver that news at dinner time?" Yuujin questions, trying to eat without thinking too much about it.
"Of course, it's the only time your sister pays at least A LITTLE more attention. And even then she won't look at us," Emi says, flicking Misaki's ear to get her attention.
"Huh... What did you say? I don't want to go to a new school," Misaki goes back to her phone, ignoring everything.
"Yeah... You're right. I hope... people are friendlier," Yuujin confirms.
After a while, he's helping Emi wash the dishes, while Misaki is in her room, on her phone, as usual.
"You wash dishes better than I do," Emi smiles at Yuujin, happy for the help.
"It's habit, I used to help... my mom too." The atmosphere becomes a bit heavy after Yuujin's words.
"Oh, no, no! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you remember that! I mean, not like this and..." Emi tries to find the right words, but seems to make it worse.
"It's fine, I'm just going to finish up and go to sleep, you can rest," Yuujin confirms, and Emi thanks him, stepping away and leaving him to wash the dishes alone.
He washes and thinks a lot about what his new life in Tokyo would be like, with his sister and aunt.
When he finishes washing the dishes, he puts everything away and brushes his teeth, collapsing onto the bed after everything he's done.
"Oh, at least she made these beds before we got here..." He murmurs, snuggling in and wrapping himself up, knowing that tomorrow would be a new day... and the day Emi would enroll them in a new school, and they weren't looking forward to it at all.
To be continued...