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Yuujin was brushing his teeth, preparing for another day of routine at school.
It was his second day of classes—not that he was particularly anxious, but it was acceptable.
"What kind of person takes this long brushing their teeth?" Misaki complained, passing by the bathroom.
Yuujin felt slightly irritated and decided to speed up.
"And what kind of person messes with their phone during lunch?" Yuujin retorted as he left the bathroom to finish getting dressed, criticizing Misaki in the same way.
"Ugh, you're so annoying," she snapped, heading to the living room, ready.
Yuujin stared out the window for a moment before continuing to get ready.
Once dressed, he left his room and greeted Emi, who looked quite exhausted.
"Are you okay, Aunt Emi?" Yuujin asked, concerned.
"Ah… Yes, I'm fine!" She gave a thumbs-up.
"What a lie, she's exhausted, Yuujin. And I'm just like her, but I have to maintain my gorgeous posture," Misaki said teasingly.
"Exhausted? Darling, I have to support you two until you grow up, all on my own! So of course I'm worn out. Let's go," Emi said as she headed for the door, yawning slightly while waiting for her nieces and nephews to leave first.
On the way, some old friends of Emi's appeared and greeted her.
"Mimi, where have you been all these weeks?" Hana said, touching her shoulder.
"Hana, Yumi… It's so good to see you. I haven't had much time for myself lately; work has been consuming most of my time," Emi ran her hand through her hair while Hana and Yumi observed Yuujin and Misaki.
"Are these… your kids?" Yumi teased.
"Are you crazy? Me? Having kids? Dream on. These are my nephews, and they're under my responsibility," Emi put her hands on her hips and stared at them.
"Ah, so these are the Osaka nephews you told us about?" Hana studied the two carefully.
"Exactly. Their parents died in an accident, so now I have to take care of them—lucky me," Emi rubbed her eye, her tone tired.
"Wow, that's rough. So, kids, did you know your aunt here used to be wild with us?" Hana approached them, starting a conversation.
"Wild? How so?" Misaki stopped fiddling with her phone to listen closely.
"Yeah, there are some things about your aunt that you probably don't know," Hana teased, making them more curious.
"Want to stop by a restaurant with us quickly before your classes?" Yumi came up behind them and hugged both around the neck.
"Is it okay if we go, Aunt Emi?" Yuujin asked, questioning the plan.
"Of course, you can. I need to get there earlier today," Emi straightened slightly to look more energetic.
"Aren't you coming with us, Mimi?" Hana asked.
"No, maybe on a Saturday. For now, I need to get there early and organize some paperwork," Emi said, then went on her way, while Yuujin and Misaki followed Hana and Yumi.
"She really looks exhausted, doesn't she? I told her that being a teacher is living tired," Hana laughed a little with Yumi and Misaki, while Yuujin stayed more neutral.
"I once wanted to be a teacher, but I got a bit confused," Yuujin said as he fell behind, staring at the ground and lost in thought.
"You seem different today, Yuujin. Very thoughtful… are you plotting something?" Misaki slowed down to match his pace.
"Ah… No, I'm not plotting anything. Just… thinking…"
They arrived at a nearby restaurant and placed their orders. While waiting, the conversation flowed.
"And he ended up spilling the entire soup on the couch," Misaki laughed, along with Hana and Yumi, recalling a story about Yuujin.
"You're annoying," Yuujin rolled his eyes.
"Hey, I'm the one who calls you that, you idiot!" she said teasingly. "But enough about us—what things about Aunt Emi didn't we know? Tell us now!" Misaki asked, curious.
"Ah yes. Mimi and us have been friends for a long time, and we made the most of our youth," Hana said with a smile, remembering old times.
"Those were crazy days when we went out at night causing trouble," Yumi added, turning to Hana, and they laughed.
"What?! Tell us already!" Misaki demanded, stopping her eating and drinking just to listen.
"Alright, kids, here we go," Hana smiled at them.
...
"Be careful, Mimi!" Hana shouted, and Emi glanced back.
The light almost caught her, but she dodged and hid.
The three of them had broken into a junkyard to grab some parts to improve Yumi's motorcycle creatively.
Emi was nearly caught by the junkyard's guard.
"That was close," Emi muttered, holding a baseball bat to defend herself from a tall dog roaming nearby.
"Move forward," Yumi signaled, carefully avoiding the lights and picking up some parts.
"This one is perfect," Hana complimented a part she had found herself.
"Haven't we stolen enough already?" Emi asked, one hand on her hip, the other holding the bat on her shoulder.
Everything seemed calmer until the dog spotted them and tried to attack Emi.
Emi swung the bat to keep the dog away.
"What kind of demon dog is this? I have no mercy for this breed," she shouted, moving toward the dog, which bit the bat. Hana quickly distracted it by tossing a part at it.
The dog released the bat and lunged at Hana, who had set up a little trap with some round parts that made the dog slide and fall.
"Now's our chance!" Emi said, throwing a piece toward the guard's area, breaking glass and almost hitting his face, all to escape.
They ran, but Yumi tripped and hurt her knee while reaching the fence.
"Damn it!" Yumi groaned.
"Calm down!" Hana rushed to her, but the dog returned.
Emi stepped in, placing the bat in the dog's mouth to stall it while Hana helped Yumi.
They jumped over the fence, but the dog spit out the bat and lunged at Emi.
When she tried to jump over, it bit her foot.
"Stupid dog!" Emi shouted, feeling the pain.
"Mimi!" Hana tried to grab her, but Emi fell back inside the junkyard.
She kicked the dog's snout, grabbed the bat, and ran toward a pile of debris, climbing to a darker area to hide.
The dog tracked her by scent, so she had to climb a heap of junk.
She found a spray can, hoping it still had paint, and sprayed it in the dog's face, causing it to fall off the pile.
Emi ran and finally jumped over the fence.
"Mimi!" Hana shouted, worried, while Emi stood with scraped knees.
"All good, girls. But I want to do something first," Emi said, tagging the wall: "Thanks for your junk, we'll use it wisely. And we hated your guard and dog."
They heard sirens, probably the authorities, so they ran as far as possible with their loot.
They reached an alley and rested.
"We got a lot, let's make the most of it," Emi said, brushing her hair back.
"True, haha. Reminds me of the time you had to hide in a stranger's yard to avoid another guard," Yumi said, and the three laughed.
This wasn't their first adventure, but at least they were safe.
...
"You're kidding?! Aunt Emi was like that?!" Misaki exclaimed, impressed.
"Ah, darling, she was even worse," Yumi laughed.
"Interesting… doesn't seem like her at all," Yuujin commented.
"It doesn't look like her because she's even better than that, haha," Hana said, smiling.
The four talked until they reached a street and said their goodbyes.
"Did you hear that, Yuujin?! Aunt Emi used to be so cool!" Misaki said excitedly, while Yuujin stayed thoughtful.
"Then we should make the most of our time; we'll get tired like her at some point," Yuujin said, sounding somewhat weary.
"Ah! You always think the worst!" Misaki punched his shoulder lightly, and the two continued chatting on their way to school.
Yuujin grew quieter, lost in his thoughts, seeming trapped in his own mind.
To be continued...
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