Agreements were made and everything steadily settled down. August rubbed his temples as a headache slowly formed at the idea of working with the girls at the exhibit.
’The things we do for this club… What would we even do at such a useless place?’ He quietly complained to himself even though he knew their club had no other choice.
Once the whole mess was over, they were dismissed, leaving Azumi Sensei alone to straighten up the mess. If the girls hadn’t been the ones to have made the mess, August would have charged back in there to help out. Just recalling how disorderly the room was made him shudder with disgust.
”Women are so filthy.” He spoke to himself as he continued on with his schedule.
Classes were over before he knew it. On his way home, he picked up April. The trip was filled with silence. As much as he wanted to joke around with her and make her smile, August could not bring himself to say a thing, the events from before still all too clear on his mind.
Perturbed by her older brother’s unusual bout of silence and by the fact he didn’t bother her about not holding his hand, April picked up on the tension naturally. “Nii-chan, Did something happen?” In her eyes, August was a ray of sunshine this bleak world most certainly needed. For something to bring him down, it may as well spell the end of the world. “Did your girlfriend break up with you?”
The question came out of nowhere, catching him by surprise, August sharply inhaled and somehow managed to choke on his own spit. It was a mystery as to whether his face was flushed with embarrassment, anger, or lack of air. Regardless, it took him several seconds to regain some of his composure.
”W-what? Are you crazy? When, who did I start dating? God, April what is going on in that head of yours? If I were to date anyone it would be one of the club members. Haven’t you seen them?” As he spoke, he pulled out a picture from his wallet. It was a group photo of the group before their first gig at the local cafe, the anticipation on their young faces making them look all the more youthful. Pointing at Hiro and Akiyuki in particular, August aggressively made his point.
April’s eyes widened at his statement, never once expecting for her brother to lean the other way in the slightest. The moment she laid her gaze on the photograph, her breath hitched for other reasons, her attention fixed on Lucifer. His red eyes immediately caught her attention.
’His hair looks so soft...’ She was in a daze for some time as if to engrave his every feature into her little heart. Gradually coming to, she raised her deadpan gaze to look her brother in the eye. “You have some really bad tastes. Nii-chan.”
With a scoff, he quickly put the picture away and took her hand to lead her home.
“ Oh, hush. What would you know? You can underestimate Hiro if you want, but Akiyuki, he...” The mention of the glorious leader of the Music club brought August back to the events from before. The president’s domineering gaze washing over him was like the winter’s chill. While he loved the President’s kindness, the chill brought yet another charm to the bespectacled president.
“Never underestimate the president.”
The two continued to chat away happily and eventually reached their home, an average three bedroom apartment. August was the first one to enter. Before he even knew what had happened, an object flew past him, missing his face by mere centimeters and shattered on impact, painting the wall a light brown color with what little liquor remained. August didn’t even have to look down at his feet to guess what it was. Nor did he have to guess who had thrown it.
His expression showed no panic, his smile just as at peace as when they were walking home, seemingly unaffected by the sudden development. Turning to his sister, he bent down and helped her take off her shoes before removing his own.
“It has been a while, hasn’t it? Be careful not to step on the glass. Head off to your room and do your homework. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.” He instructed her with a gentle smile, closing off any room for negotiation. Though hesitant, April meekly nodded her head and rushed upstairs.
Once he was assured his sister was safe, August’s gentle expression hardened into an indifferent one as it swept over to the frail woman sitting slumped on the floor with her back against the wall. Taking note of the pills on the ground and how she was only half conscious, muttering nothing but utter nonsense, August sighed and started cleaning up the mess of bottles she left lying around along with the shattered one. The two probably surprised her when they entered the home without warning. That or she wanted to hit but was too tired to do so.
“Alcohol is a funny thing, isn’t it?” He quietly spat, voice laced in disgust as he finished up and put all the pills back in place.
After stuffing them into her blazer pocket, August picked the woman up and took her to her bedroom. She groaned in irritation along the way, angry that he had the nerve to carry her around like some kind of useless sack of meat. Unfortunately, that’s all their mother ever was. The smell of drink on her was very strong. If he wasn’t so used to it, he would have vomited and left her alone to die alone of a cold. However, the family relied on her hefty paychecks. Until he could move out with April, there was nothing else he could do.
Not so gently setting her down onto her bed, he tossed a blanket over her and left without another word. Their mother was a drunkard. With the limited resources around them, it was only natural she would relapse every now and then. With her in this state, it was like August had two children to care for. Looking around, things were still in disarray here and there. Speedily cleaning up with well-practiced movements, August quickly tidied up so he could bathe and remove the stench she left on him.
Once all was done, he finally set his attention on the kitchen and began to prepare dinner and tomorrow’s lunches. For dinner, he made curry with rice. For April, he added
panda shaped onigiri to the dish, his love for the cute creatures showing again. As a side, he pulled out some milk bread buns he made the other day out of the cabinet and he finished off the meal with leftover macarons he had made the day before. Satisfied, he called April down and they had a peaceful dinner.
With their mother off in her bedroom, the two managed to chat along about their days happily, August neglecting to mention the fight that broke out as he twisted the truth.
”Ah, some classmates, the club members and I got an assignment from the teacher. I’ll be out at an art exhibit this weekend. I don’t know how long it will last. Would you be able to stay with a friend?” With their mother’s erratic temperament, it was safe to say, leaving April at home alone with her wasn’t an option.
April swallowed down the last remains of the panda before nodding her head. “Heh, you say things like this and you still tell me you aren’t seeing anyone? You don’t have to hide it. As long as they make you happy, they have my approval.” She teased him with a sly smile on her face. This time, August was used to the weird joke and only rolled his eyes.
”I already told you, I’m not dating nor do I plan to date. I already have the cutest little sister in the world anyway. You’re enough of a responsibility as is.” He replied with a full of himself smirk of his own.
As usual, her cheeks flushed with the familiar mixture of anger and embarrassment. “Y-you! Why are you so weird and shameless, you siscon!” Unable to tolerate him any longer, April ran upstairs to her room. Satisfied with her reaction, August focused his attention on his meal before tidying the kitchen and dining area up for the next day.
By the end of it, he was more than ready for bed. He wandered off to his room and pulled out his grandfather’s guitar, gently plucking away a bittersweet tune. The upcoming exhibit was the primary thing on his mind, his thoughts wandering back to the girls their classmate would be going with.
”They’d better not fuck this up.” He mumbled to the moon that hung in the sky right out of his window. Though it’s phases were different, the bright ball more or less remained the same. If they lost the club because of them, there was no way August would let them off. Even now, he planned on some pranks he could bring up to Lucifer later. The fellow club member was like his partner in crime. As for who his first target would be, only two blonde pigtails came to mind. That night, he quietly swore to save those pair of glasses from a life of suffering.
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