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School Rumble (Broom and I)

Mifune deigned not to reply, but a casual glance in her direction was about as sharp as a knife. "I just don't see the point in wasting my time in things that don't matter," he defended without much thought. Or Sophie was a headache, but heaven forbid that come up.
 
"Mifune's scary." Sophie whimpered before moving over to Adam and grabbing him by the arm. "Come on, let's go somewhere less scary! I want something from you!"

That was enough to slightly annoy Kokoro, but she trusted Adam. So she kept her eyes on her brother as she sipped her tea. "That's why I found it so interesting that you said you were in this tournament. I'm only going to watch it so I can assign new combat grades to certain students. Other than that, it's pointless."
 
"Uh...okay?" Adam said faintly, glancing a little at Kokoro as he was dragged out of his seat by an eager popstar.

"I see," Mifune murmured. "Since when were you and Mei so close, Kororo?"
 
"It's a long story..." Kokoro began as she watched Sophie pull Adam out the room. "When you left, I sort of clung to her for a while...and then she pushed me away. So I got a boyfriend...and things happened, and she ended up arresting him and he hated me for it. I was angry with her for a long time...I wanted to ruin her life since she ruined mine. But when the time came for us to fight, she refused to hurt me..I think in that moment I realized she changed. So I am helping her now as much as I can...because I was apart of something that hurt Mei and her friends. I want to make that up to her..and Adam too."
 
"That right," Mifune said, taking a sip of his tea. "Guess things really went weird in this joint, huh? No Kishi overseeing the DC, didn't think Mei had it in her to lead."
 
"Me neither. But she has proved me wrong and is willing to make decisions that I never could. I don't know if you've seen her lately, but she's changed a lot from when we were kids." Kokoro replied as she frowned a little. "So have you..."
 
"Is that a bad thing?" Mifune asked, glancing at her. "People need to change, sis. I just wish I could have told you before I left."
 
"It's not a bad thing...it's just that I could barely recognize you. You're nothing like you were before you left. And you just seem...unhappy." Kokoro was hurt when he left her behind without saying goodbye, but she had come to terms with it. She loved him a lot, that would never change even if he hadn't contacted her once since then. Seeing him made her happy to know that he was alright and doing well for himself. But his demeanor was what worried her. He was still bitter about everything that happened and she didn't blame him.
 
"Do I?" Mifune murmured, glancing up at the ceiling. "I guess I haven't really thought much about it, to be honest, I've been working ever since I met Sophie."
 
"That's all it is, isn't it? Just work..?" She didn't feel like he liked her that way...She wasn't even sure if she was his type. She had never seen the type of girls he liked before. "I mean, how long have you been working for her?"
 
"A few years, why?" Mifune said, taking a sip of his tea. Kokoro had gotten better with her tea preparation. "What are you getting at?"
 
"You've never felt anything for her? Or anyone for that matter?" Kokoro knew the question was a bit forward, but she was a blunt person. Even if he was her brother. "There's more to life than just work, big brother..."
 
"Of course I do," Mifune murmured. "She's beautiful, contagious to be around. But I'm her bodyguard, it wouldn't work. And if I'm not doing it, someone else would...and I wouldn't trust that other person." It was hard to explain, maybe. People in Turuga followed their heart and their gut more than anything, it seemed. There was nothing wrong with that, but outside in the real world...things never lined up so easy. "She grew on me, I guess. You can't blame someone for not knowing, you can only blame them for choosing to be ignorant, she isn't. She likes soaking up everything she can."
 
"How would it not work? If you're always with her..." Kokoro was sort of surprised at how honest he was with her. But it seemed like he was a little too good at hiding his emotions. She'd never guess that he actually really did like that bubbly pop idol.
 
"Because out in the real world, it's considered being too close to your work, fraternizing." Mifune murmured. "If there was ever a time where I wasn't, and I knew she was safe, I don't know, maybe." he shrugged. "I'm more worried about making sure she's okay, instead of how I feel. She's a big pop-star, you know? I'm just the guy who takes a hit for her if I have to. I don't really matter in the grand scheme of things." Something he was used to, but at least it was a good cause for a change.
 
She assumed that the real world was any country that wasn't Turuga. Still, it was sad to see him with such a low opinion of himself, even after all these years. "It's called stealth, Mifune. No one is going to know but her if you hide it well enough."
 
"I'd rather not risk my job," Mifune said. "Not everyone has job security like you do, Kokoro." It wasn't bitter, it was just the truth. If she could continue the family deal of making silver, then she could do whatever the hell she wanted. The bitter part came in the fact that their parents still left her alone all the time, which made him feel like a terrible brother.
 
"No, but...it's not like this will be the only job you'll ever have. Lots of people don't have job security the way I do..." Kokoro sighed heavily before taking another sip of tea. "I get where you're coming from, but...you deserve to be happy. The way things are now...you can't just do this forever."
 
Mifune glanced at her a moment before sighing and sitting his cup down. They were both terrible at this. "...Hey, come here. When's the last time your big brother got a hug?"
 
Kokoro blinked before looking away, her cheeks growing red. She had been ignoring the urge to hug him since the first time she saw him, but now that he was asking for it she couldn't ignore it any longer. She set down her cup calmly only to launch herself at him, her arms immediately latching to him desperately. She had been so lonely without him and she always constantly tried to fill the void he had left. Adam distracted her, but he could never be a replacement for Mifune...she just missed him so much! So much that she could feel her tears streaming down her cheeks. "I missed this...I missed you." She whispered as she buried her face into his neck.
 
"I know, I'm sorry," Mifune said honestly, face nuzzled into her hair as he held her. "I wish I could have said something, Kokoro...but I had to leave when I got the chance. You've really grown up." He knew he'd feel this way, the guilt of all those years slamming back into him. He felt like an idiot for ever leaving her, but what else could he do? He wasn't happy when his parents did nothing but tell him he was worthless.
 
"You've grown too...a lot. I can barely get my arms around you...definitely not how I remembered. But it's..nice." Kokoro murmured as she closed her eyes. Even when he was smaller she always felt safe with him. Now she just felt like nothing could get to her at all. "I can see why Sophie hired you..."
 
"Heh," Mifune mumbled, hand on her head. "...We'll probably be sticking around a while, Kokoro." he murmured. "Sophie wants to find a place to get her education properly, she's been enjoying it here." And...maybe he was too, a little. Seeing Kokoro felt a lot nicer than he expected it would, maybe he had been gone far too long.
 
"Really?" Kokoro asked as she looked up at him, relaxing herself on his lap. "I thought you said you were just going to be here for a little while." Never mind the fact that some foreign pop star actually liked Turuga enough to get schooled there. Kokoro was too focused on Mifune to really care about her, even though she did like her music and Adam was a fan.
 
"Yes, well...Sophie has a way of getting what she wants," Mifune sighed. "And it wouldn't be too bad to hang around here for a while, catch up with you again."
 
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