HIM – BIRTHDAY KICKS

Tyson slowly opened his eyes and groaned lowly, stretching out. Looking sideways, he saw that it wasn’t even 8 o’clock yet, causing him to curse inwardly. Still, despite it, he felt strangely excited inside and slowly got up out of his bed and made coffee before sitting in front of the computer.

Around half an hour later, he was startled by a sound of the ringing bell. Eh? Who is it this early? … I-it can’t be, right? He hesitantly walked over to his doors and opened them. On the other side waited a woman in her mid to late twenties, wearing knee-low skirt and pinkish jacket. Her hair was tied up in a bum and she wore large sunglasses over her face, her red lipstick sticking out against her pale skin.

“… sis.” Tyson muttered as he lowered his head.

“Ha ha, mornin’, mornin’,” the woman walked over and hugged him joyfully, burying his head into her rather large chest. “Did you sleep well? Ha ha, looking at your dead face, I don’t think you have! Don’t worry, your big sis will cook you up a nice breakfast.”

“… thanks.”

“Ah, move now, move,” she pushed him sideways and walked into his apartment casually, sitting down onto a sofa and exhaling blissfully. “This place is the same as a remember it: not a whiff of a woman’s scent.”

“… can you please not remember it by scents then?” I should have expected she’d come this early…

“Ah, who’s the grumpy one, huh? Who’s the grumpy one?” she pulled him into her arms and patted his head as she spoke.

“Can you not treat your brother like a dog, please?”

“You’re up early,” she said. “Or did you stay up late?”

“What’s it to you?”

“Ah, that’s not healthy Ty. I know boys your age have needs--”

“--what do you mean my age?!”

“--but you have to at least control it if you can’t find a girlfriend.”

“… who the hell can stay up all night long jacking off?! Please find him so I can give him a medal!!”

“Ah, how can you talk so filthily in front of your sister?”

“Shut up. You’re ten times worse. Do you want coffee?”

“Yes, please.” It’s going to be the same story all day long, won’t it?

“How’s everyone back home?” Tyson asked as he began preparing coffee for her.

“Everyone misses you~~”

“Yeah, and I’ll win ten billion bucks on lottery tomorrow.”

“Ah, you really don’t have any faith in your family, do you?”

“Of course I do,” Tyson said. “But I’ve been raised a cynic.”

“No, you turned a cynic because it was apparently easier than confessing to the girl you liked.”

“… you aim straight at the heart, don’t you?”

“How are those two doing anyway?”

“They’re fine,” Tyson said. “How else are they going to be?”

“Too bad for you.”

“… it’s fine.”

“Oh! You really got a girlfriend!” … regardless of anything, then, me moving on from Emma can’t just be my effort?!

“How’s Sam?” Tyson asked, sighing.

“Ah, the hubby’s fine. He drove me here.”

“He should have stayed for coffee.”

“He told me to tell you ‘this is a payback for what you did back in 2nd grade’.”

“Aah, that bastard really knows how to hold a grudge.”

“Thanks,” the woman said as Tyson handed her a cup. “How are studies?”

“Good. Better than last year, actually.” Tyson said.

“Ah, that’s fantastic to hear. Who would have thought someone who can actually study would be born in our family?”

“Aye, I’m beginning to suspect I was adopted.”

“How cruel! Can’t you see similarities between the two of us everywhere?!”

“Uh, no. Thank god for that.”

“Tsk. You’re still as rebellious as always. I still remember when you were a kid how you swore you’d marry no one else than me. Ah, could that be it? Were you jealous that your big sis got taken away before you had a chance? Aww, sorry~~”

“Go die.”

“Not yet, not yet.”

“How can you be so loud in the dead of the morning?! What the hell are you made of?”

“Oh, by the way, I’m pregnant.”

“…”

“…”

“THAT’S NOT ‘BY THE WAY’ NEWS!!” Tyson exclaimed, jumping onto his feet. “W-what?! When?! How—wait, I know how! Why did you tell me beforehand?”

“He he, I wanted to see your reaction first hand. It’s as adorable as I imagined.”

“Ugh, you really are a headache,” Tyson slumped down into the sofa, but his tired expression was replaced by a smiling one. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks.”

“I can only imagine just how happy Sam was with the news.”

“He actually passed out.”

“… really?”

“Yup.”

“He really never changed.” Tyson chuckled lightly as he spoke. “Boy or a girl?”

“We don’t know yet. Decided to keep it a surprise.”

“Ugh, I’m too young to be an uncle though. This is gonna hurt my rep.”

“Ha ha ha, right, ha ha ha, your rep, ha ha, aah, I love how you can always make me laugh.”

“… can you stop breaking my heart, please? It’s already dead enough!”

“Ah, fine, fine,” she then suddenly placed her hand onto his head and smiled. “Happy birthday little brother.”

“… thanks.”

“Ha ha, you still blush easily, huh? You never cease to amaze me!”

“So? What’s my birthday present?”

“Oh? I was supposed to bring that?”

“Fine, just give me some money.”

“We’ll talk about it~~”

“…”

“So, what about this girl I’ll be meeting today? Anything I should know?” she asked, still smiling.

“Ugh, I really wish you two wouldn’t meet.” Tyson said, sighing. “It’s not gonna be good for my heart.”

“Eeh? What are you talking about? I’ll of course be nice to the first girl my bro’s introducing me to!”

“You? Be nice? Ha ha ha, ha ha, aah, I love how we can make each other laugh so easily~~”

“Heh, you’re still a cheeky brat you used to be, huh? How’d you two meet?”

“Classes.”

“Oh? So Emma knows about her?”

“Yup.” Tyson said.

“Eh, bold move lil’ bro, bold move. I respect you somewhat now!”

“You didn’t respect me before?! And wait, what do you mean ‘bold move’? What move?!”

“Eh? Aren’t you just using that poor little girl to make Emma jealous?”

“… just what the hell does everyone think about me?! Does everyone really think I’m just a despicable bastard?!”

“Oh? She’s not?”

“Of course not!” Tyson exclaimed. “I already told you. I gave up on Emma.”

“Oh well, it was about time anyway,” the woman said. “She wouldn’t be that good for you anyway.”

“… oh, really? Who the hell was it that encouraged me throughout high-school to confess, huh?!”

“Oh? There was someone like that? I wonder~~”

“Ah, whatever. It’s barely morning and I’m already dead tired from dealing with you.”

“You’ll have to come home for baby’s birth, you hear me? I won’t take no for an answer!”

“Of course I will, idiot,” Tyson said, smiling. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“… oh, so you can be sweet when you want to.”

“Yeah, yeah, fix me a breakfast now.”

“What do you want?”

“Sister special.”

“Recording included?”

“Just go die.”

From bottom to top and over, sun moved slowly as the day passed. Tyson and Aya agreed to meet at 3 P.M. at the nearest bus stop so, Tyson and his sister left the apartment half past 2 and headed over to the station. Tyson wore casual clothing toppled with leather jacket and sunglasses, satisfied with the chosen outfit.

“I still think she’s imaginary,” his sister said, chuckling. “Poor guy, even dressing up to deceive me.”

“… would you give a rest already? Even I’m not desperate enough to make up a girlfriend.”

“’s that so?”

They made it to the station quarter till 3 and sat down onto the bench. Tyson was slightly surprised to not have found Aya already here as she had tendency to arrive early almost always. Ten till 3, his phone vibrated slightly and Tyson took it out, opening the message. His body shuddered for a moment as he read the contents, eyes widening: I’m so sorry, but I can’t make it. It’s my dad. He relapsed again. Doctors can’t reach mom, so I have to go. Sorry, I’m really sorry. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.

“What’s wrong?” his sister asked. Think, think! Which hospital?

“She’s not coming.” Tyson said. From what I remember, she always uses bus heading north when we part ways. There are three hospitals up there. Her dad has cancer, so it has to be one of the two general ones. Considering that she arrives early in the morning, it’s either close or really far away.

“Oh? So that’s the excuse you came up with? He he,” Which one of the two? Think, think! “It’s fine, big sis is understanding~~” They’re roughly twenty minutes away from one another so I can’t guess blindly. Alright, the bus she takes can technically reach the area of either of the two, but my guess is that she leaves at the earlier stops. “Why did you go silent suddenly? It’s fine, it’s fine. The two of us will just have to make do and hav---”

“SHUT UP!!!” Tyson suddenly shouted, startling both her and others waiting at the stop as eyes turned toward him. “I’m… I’m trying to concentrate, so s-shut up… please…” his body was shaking lightly as droplets of sweat fell down his forehead. His sister was stunned into silence, as she realized she had never seen him like this before. Fine, I’ll go with the Teroy General. Please be the right one. Please… “I-I have to go. I’ll call you.”

Without offering any more explanation, Tyson took to his feet and ran as if the wind was chasing him. His eyes constantly looked left and right for a Taxi, and only after a few minutes of running did he find it. Immediately hailing it, he got in without hesitation.

“Where to?” the driver asked.

“Teroy General, please.”

“Alright.” Aah, please make it be Teroy…

The entire trip through, Tyson couldn’t help but feel nervous and anxious, unable to settle. He had long since forgotten that it was his birthday today and cast aside any thought of celebration. He had even forgotten that he just left his sister without explaining anything. Everything besides getting to the hospital as quickly as possible lost meaning to him.

As he quickly paid the fare, he ran out and hastened through the entrance, heading over to the information desk. However, just as he was about to reach it, from the corner of his eyes he saw Aya sitting on one of the waiting chairs, her head hung low, body limp and listless. His heart froze for a moment as he headed over, panting roughly. She lifted her head up and shook for a moment as her eyes gleamed with surprise.

“Tyson… wh-what are you--”

“Your dad?” Tyson asked, but he immediately realized the answer without the words.

“He… he didn’t make it… “ … n-no way…