Sacrifices

I gave up everything for Jusa after our mom died.

He had barely started his first year of middle school when it happened. The timing wasn't ideal for any of us, really. Ryouta-niichan was still studying for the university entrance exams and I was about to take multiple entrance exams for high schools. Understandably, Dad wanted to move out of the house where Mom drew her last breath and quickly applied for a job transfer within his company. That was when we found out we were moving to Kanagawa.

It was too much of a hassle for Ryouta-niichan to come with us since he was so close to finishing high school. Luckily for him, our aunt graciously offered to take him in for the last four months of the school year just so he didn't have to transfer during a pivotal time in his life. That also meant we were splitting up and I wouldn't have my older brother to look up to anymore.

Before we left, Ryouta-niichan and I had a heart-to-heart conversation about what had happened and where to go from there.

"I still think moving away is extreme," I sighed. "We're all hurting, but the last thing we need is such a dramatic change, y'know?"

"You have to get into Dad's brain to see why he feels the need to run away," Ryouta-niichan shrugged. "I think if my wife died like that, I would also feel the need to abandon everything."

"At least you get to stay here," I pointed out. "I wish Aunt Sadako had enough room for the both of us."

", you can't stay here," he chided me. "If we're both here, who's gonna look after Saburou? Besides, the high schools in Yokohama are much nicer for your ambitions."

"Jusa..."

Ryouta-niichan and I would always tag-team taking care of our baby brother. All this time, I was too busy thinking about Mom and how I was going to adjust to such a dramatic mid-year transfer that I had forgotten about him. He was the one Mom was closest to since he was the only one out of the three of us who liked tennis and could keep up with her when she was playing. Now that she was gone, Jusa had changed—and it was worrying.

", y'know that even if I were to go with y'all to Kanagawa, I would still be gone after the school year finishes, right? I'm gonna be starting university soon," he reminded me. "Either way, I'd be leaving our baby bro in your hands. It just kinda sucks that I had to speed up that timeline."

"But there's no way I'll be able to look after him on my own," I protested. "What if I mess up?"

"How can you mess up when I was the one who taught you everything?"

"Ah, right," I realized. "You screwed up so many times, I guess I do know what not to do, Nii-chan."

"Ouch, so harsh, little sis," he winced. "Buuuuuut, I guess that's my bad you're never afraid of speaking your mind."

"Nii-chan..."

"I'll be able to sleep at night knowing that you'll be watching over him, ," he smiled as he gave me a big hug, lifting me off the ground in the process. "I'll make it up to you someday, m'kay?"

"God, put me down," I demanded. "You better get a big, fancy job with your fancy European university degree 'cause I'm gonna have a field day with your wallet!"

Jusa and I enrolled at Rikkai shortly after our move, but I wasn't going to stay there for high school. My test scores were high enough to get me into a specialist high school for the humanities in the big city and I wasn't going to give that up for a nepo baby-infested elevator school. I also just didn't fit in with the Rikkai vibe of always being the best at everything and never being able to accept a loss. That felt like a very toxic philosophy to live by.

Of course, Jusa was a genius of sorts and he didn't care too much about the people around him. He ended up staying in the Rikkai schooling system for all of middle and high school without kicking up a fuss. That being said, he really didn't have many friends at school and I heard rumours that he was arrogant and overly flirtatious with people in general. Still, he kept up with tennis at his new school, going as far as making the starting lineup for Rikkai and getting invited to be on the U-17 national team. Jusa would send me updates while he was away at camp or overseas for an expedition and even bought souvenirs for me. He seemed to be a lot happier at the camp than at school and it looked like he made a lot of friends there as well. I was particularly surprised to learn that not only did he find someone taller than him, but one of his teammates was the Kimi-sama. I was so jealous of him.

Jusa was a lot more depressed when he came back from tennis camp the first time, however. I couldn't ignore his depression any longer and decided to ask about it.

"Jusa, everything okay? You've been down in the dumps since you got back. Do you really miss camp that much?"

"No, not really," he sighed. "Nee-chan, can I tell you something?"

"Of course," I nodded. "Anything."

Jusa looked sweaty and nervous as he took a shaky breath in and out. He couldn't look me in the eyes, which made me really worried for him.

"Nee-chan... I... I fell in love with someone."

"Oh, no." I wrapped my arms around him tightly. "You poor, sweet child."

"I really liked them too," his voice cracked. "But we broke up..."

"It's hard, I know," I comforted him. "Breakups are difficult, Jusa. I'm sorry you're hurting."

"I just wished we lived in a world where they didn't have to be afraid to like me, y'know?" he sobbed.

"Jusa... I promise you that it will change one day," I told him. "Don't give up. I'm sure you'll cross paths with them again someday—and that'll be the day you two can freely be with one another."

"Nee-chan? You're sounding like a politician," he laughed slightly. "Thanks."

"What for? You're my baby brother, Jusa," I reminded him. "I'll do anything to make you happy."

"Anything ?" he asked me as he tried to give me those damn puppy-dog eyes that I can't say no to.

"We're not having yasaitendon for dinner."

"But Nee-chaaaaaaaaaaaan," he whined. "My heart has been shattered into a million pieces and the only way it can put itself back together is by consuming your yasaitendon."

"I'm fairly certain that the cholesterol from the tempura is not good for your heart—especially a broken one," I pointed out. "And, I'm tired from studying for these stupid entrance exams. I'm not putting in the effort to cook that tonight."

"You're so mean, Nee-chan," he huffed.

"Tell you what—I'll make it on the weekend, okay? Just not now when my brain has turned into mush from trying to cram in all this useless information."

Jusa hugged me tightly with a big grin on his face. "You're the best older sister ever!"

University was where I first learned of the asshole who broke my baby brother's heart and also where I fell in love with him as well.

Ochi Tsukimitsu was his name and he was so tall that I wondered if there was enough blood circulating up there where his brain was. We were both part of the same faculty and shared a lot of courses, but he was a psychology major and I was double-majoring in politics and law. We had interacted a couple of times, and I could instantly see what Jusa saw in him that was charming.

I wasn't aware that Mitsu-kun was that person my little brother fell in love with until we started talking more. It first started off with him asking if we were related:

"Mouri-san—"

"'s fine," I told him.

"-san, then," he corrected himself. "This may be a strange question, but do you have a younger brother by chance?"

"I do," I answered. "He's two years younger than me."

"I see," was his answer before taking a very long pause.

"Ochi-kun?"

"He wouldn't happen to have been on the U-17 national tennis team, would he?"

"...He's the captain of it, now," was my hesitant reply. "Ochi-kun, do you know my brother from somewhere?"

"I was his doubles partner last year," he answered. "Is... Is he doing okay?"

"I'm not too sure," I admitted. "He's back at the camp now and we haven't really had the chance to speak over the phone."

Mitsu-kun just nodded without saying much else.

"Do you want his LINE?" I asked. "You can get in touch with him yourself."

"No, thank you," he declined. "As long as he's doing well... It's enough for me."

"Oh-kay?"

Mitsu-kun and I became quite close to one another from that point on. It was refreshing to know a guy who didn't like opening his mouth to say the most ridiculous things at any random time. He was a man of few words, which only accelerated the speed in which I fell for him.

"Say, Mitsu-kun, have you ever been in a relationship?" I asked him rather abruptly one day.

I wasn't expecting him to answer, but the fact that he nodded without hesitation surprised me.

"Really? Are you still with them?"

"...No," he answered rather solemnly. "It's been a while since I last saw them."

"Aw, that's too bad," I lamented. "What were they like?"

"They were... kind," he recalled. "Kind... and patient. A bit too energetic and selfish, but very dedicated. They loved me, but I was too afraid to love them back."

This answer wasn't something I ever expected to come out of Mitsu-kun's mouth. I wasn't sure what to say next.

"If I get to meet them again, I would like to give it another try," he admitted. "I've learned to accept who I am now, so I feel like I can give it my all to try again."

"That's so romantic," I cried as I felt my own heart shatter from being indirectly rejected. "I hope you get to meet them again, too."

It wouldn't be until Jusa enrolled at the same school as me two years later that I learned the whole truth. They were practically the hottest gossip on campus. Mitsu-kun and I had become good friends by that point, so it was more of a shock to me than Jusa to find out about their history together.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me he was your ex, Jusa," I sobbed in disbelief.

"I didn't know you'd be... supportive of me in that way, Nee-chan!" he retaliated. "Coming out isn't exactly easy, y'know?"

"Oh, believe me, I do know how hard it is," I clapped back. "You're not the only one who isn't straight around these parts."

"N-nee-chan?!"

"What?" I looked at him innocently. "You're not the only one who's kissed a girl—or boy—before."

"This isn't a competition, Nee-chan..."

"I'm still offended that you never said anything about Mitsu-kun, Jusa," I huffed. "He really is cute."

"Hey, he's mine," Jusa growled. "Tsuki-san isn't cute, either. He's Tsuki-san!"

I laughed. "I suppose! But, how could you keep that from me? If I knew, I would've set you guys back up!"

"Nee-chan, this is already embarrassing enough," he pouted. "Don't get involved any further. You can still be friends with Tsuki-san but... Just, don't talk about me, okay?!"

"Who am I gonna brag about my genius baby brother to?" I sobbed. "If not for Mitsu-kun, then who else?"

"Go tell Mom if you have that much to say! Not to Tsuki-san!"

I always wondered why Jusa never acted on his feelings—especially now that the cat was out of the bag. I always sat around in silent hope that he and Mitsu-kun would finally rekindle their relationship, but that just never ended up happening during the rest of my time at university.

Of course, society wasn't necessarily kind to people like us. Jusa and Mitsu-kun kept hooking up and breaking up every other week. I could tell it was because he was worried about his future and that he wanted to be "normal" like the rest of society. I, for one, didn't think it was a good idea to succumb to heteronormativity, but I wasn't in a position to say much, considering I was in a straight relationship myself.

My partner at the time really wasn't anything special. If anything, I found a lot of things I hated about him the longer I spent with him. We differed on a lot of things and really didn't have much common ground at all, but he was a smooth talker when he did say anything. I let that inertia get in the way of ending things with him since it was easier to put up with him than move on—or so I thought.

He proposed to me when our relationship was in a terrible state. To this day, I wasn't sure why I said 'yes' to him. Mitsu-kun was the first one to find out and he wasn't impressed at all.

"You don't need to go through with this marriage," Mitsu-kun advised me.

"It's a bit too late to get back the deposit now, Mitsu-kun," I reminded him.

"Then..."

He shifted closer towards me. There was a strange look in his eyes that almost looked like he was begging me.

"Marry me," he asked as he took my hand. "I'll never get in the way of your romantic pursuits and it will appease the conservative side of your family."

"Mitsu-kun, I'm flattered—truly," I began, "but I can't marry you. I can't betray Jusa like that."

"I'm sure if you explain it to him, he will understand—"

"No," I stood my ground. "The only person who should be marrying you is my younger brother and my younger brother only. Not me or some other person."

"-san..."

"Besides, who knows what will happen in this country in the next decade?" I wondered. "With this new government in power, something is bound to change."

"But... Couldn't we just get a divorce if that were to happen?"

"No," I laughed.

Mitsu-kun seemed genuinely curious. "Why?"

"Because," I began, "if we got married, I would never want to divorce you."

"-san?"

"I love you, Ochi Tsukimitsu," I confessed. "But you can't fall in love with a woman and I could never live with myself if I stole you from Jusa."

I couldn't help but snicker as I watched Mitsu-kun's face turn bright red as he struggled to say anything.

"What can I say? It must run in our blood to fall for someone like you, Mitsu-kun."

"I... Thank you...?" was his confused response. "-san, you like me?"

"Ain't that what I said?" I grinned. "Truly, you are refreshing to be around compared to the rest of your kind. If only you weren't so madly in love with my baby brother..."

"-san, we can still—"

"Like I said," I interrupted, "the only person you're marrying from my family is Jusa and Jusa only. I refuse."

"But, is marrying your current fiancé a good idea...?" he wondered. "I shouldn't speak ill of him, but..."

"People change," I sighed. "Yeah, I know he doesn't have a great image, but he's really not that terrible."

"I'm not too sure," his voice trailed off. "I'll respect your decision, but I can't hold my tongue regarding this man, -san."

"Your concerns are duly noted, my friend," I nodded.

This conversation started driving a rift between the both of us from that day onward. Mitsu-kun didn't show up for the ceremony and conversations had devolved into one-sided messaging on LINE. By the time I started to notice, it was too late to do anything about it.

Nothing had prepared me to hear the news that Jusa intended on marrying his best friend from high school. Dad had always been nudging him to make things more serious with -kun without realizing that -kun wasn't a woman. It shocked me to hear that the two of them had even agreed to a marriage pact and I was disappointed to know that -kun would register themself as a woman for this. But, above all, I just know Mitsu would be the most devastated to hear about this. I tried to do what I could to stop this from happening, but deep down, I knew I was too late.

"Oh, -neesan," they greeted me in surprise. "Didn't think you'd be stopping by. Jusaburou isn't around if you're looking for him."

"Actually, I was hoping to speak with you," I stated. "Is now a bad time?"

"Nah," they brushed off. "Come in. Tea or coffee?"

"Neither, I'm fine," I answered. "-kun, I wanted to talk to you about your marriage to Jusa."

"Are you trying to convince me to not go through with it?" they wondered. "I don't need convincing. It's your brother that needs someone to smack his head upside-down."

I blinked a few times, unsure about what I just heard. "Huh?"

"I've always told Jusaburou that this wasn't a good idea," they fretted. "He's just tired of your dad being on his ass about marrying a good woman who has her life figured out. Marrying me would stop that."

"I don't understand," I began, "if you're against it, then why are you going along with it?"

"I also have some majorly bigoted parents of my own to deal with," they snorted. "It would only be on paper, anyway."

"But... Are you sure you're okay with spending potentially the rest of your life labelled as the woman who married my baby brother?" I asked them seriously. "I don't know too much about you, but you always seemed distressed about being seen as one."

"It's a necessary evil," they sighed. "Until those reforms come in, I'm stuck in this flesh prison. Might as well marry the one guy who actually gets it."

"Even so, you don't need to go through with it," I pleaded. "I'm sure if you two just held on for a few more years—"

"-neesan, really," they interjected, "I'm not the person you need to convince, and last I checked, you also did the exact same thing when you married what's-his-face."

I wasn't sure what came over me, but the next thing I knew, my hand was stinging slightly as -kun rubbed the side of their face. Despite being slapped, they were still smirking.

"Harsh, much?" they chuckled.

I stormed off without another word, but I only had myself to be angry with because I knew they were right. I couldn't even look at my own husband later that night without -kun's words repeating over and over again in my head.

I got an angry phone call later from Jusa about what happened. He wasn't impressed to say the least.

"Why did you slap -chan?!" he shouted.

"Why do you insist on marrying them?!" I shouted back. "They don't deserve to be labelled as a woman forever!"

"You think I don't know that?!" he continued to yell. "-chan can make their own decisions and it's not up to you or me to question them!"

"Why is it even important for you to get married anyway? Why are you going through with this?"

"'Cause I want society to stop judging me for being single," he answered. "I'm tired of the stares. I just want to move on."

"Jusa, no one's judging you—"

"Don't give me that crap, Nee-chan," he spat. "Dad never let you hear the end of it when you were still single after graduating uni. How is this any different?"

"You're not under the same pressures as I am, Jusa," I defended.

"You'll never understand me, Nee-chan," I could hear him scoffing. "You married that bigoted asshole who made you deny who you are. How could you ever understand what I'm going through when you've done that to yourself?"

I couldn't believe what he just said to me. He never was the type to attack so precisely and with that much force.

"Y'know, if we're going this far..." I took a shaky breath before continuing, "Mitsu-kun asked me to marry him, but I turned him down 'cause of you."

"No one asked you to do anything, Nee-chan," was his cold and vitriolic answer. "So what if you married Tsuki-san? It's not like I can! How could I even compete against you when the playing field ain't level to begin with?"

"I hate that dismissive attitude of yours, Jusa," I groaned. "Is it not enough to just be with him?"

There was a long pause before I heard him clench his teeth together. "No, I want the world to know he's mine and mine only."

The line went dead not too long after that. We didn't speak to each other after that—not even at the wedding.

I decided that enough was enough and threw myself into politics to try and get some real change to happen. If Jusa wasn't going to fight for it, it was up to me to push for these constitutional changes instead. I joined a nonprofit group that was working to change the legal definition of marriage in the country. It was a long year, but our case started making its way through to the top courts of the country and it was looking more hopeful with each passing day—especially now that a SocDem government had won a surprise minority in a snap election.

The more I sank into my work, the less I saw the man I was legally married to. He didn't make any sort of effort into maintaining the relationship and hated what I was doing with my career. Every time we did see each other, he would moan about how we never saw each other but offered no solution to meditating that. Why were men so useless? I didn't even want to argue with him and just let him rant about it until he got it off his chest.

When the Supreme Court announced that the legal definition of marriage as it stood in the country was unconstitutional, I felt my soul escape my body and enter Nirvana. Things could finally start to change with this ruling and it was up to me to get it over the line. I almost couldn't believe it until an unexpected phone call brought me back to reality. It was Mitsu-kun and he was asking to meet up with me. Curious, I agreed to it—especially since I hadn't seen him in what felt like years.

"Mitsu-kun! You look as tall as ever," I joked.

"I heard about the Supreme Court ruling," he mentioned. "Congratulations. I know you worked hard for it."

"Ahaha, thank you," I blushed. "The ruling is only the first step; now, I have to get the rest of the law written and codified."

"You can do it," he nodded. "If anyone can do it, it's you, -san."

I giggled lightly. "So, what have you been getting up to since we last spoke? Any important person in your life since then?"

He shook his head firmly. "I tried to move on from your brother, but..."

"'But'?"

"I tried seeing other people, but I couldn't let go of my feelings for him," he admitted. "I've been single ever since."

"Mitsu-kun..."

"He's married now, so there's not much I can do about that," he lamented. "How about you? You're still married to—"

"Yeah, still am," I groaned. "All he does is complain about things he can fix on his own but chooses not to. What can I really do about that, y'know?"

"I see," was his tepid response. "You don't have to put up with him, -san."

"Are you suggesting I get a divorce?" I asked him. "I'm not sure how much of a case I'll have in litigation if he doesn't agree to it."

"-san, look at yourself for once," Mitsu-kun scowled. "I've said before that I can't hold my tongue, but please don't make me spell out the obvious. I'd rather not bring my work into our friendship."

I was confused by that last sentence. "What do you mean by that?"

Mitsu-kun reached over and tried to place his hands over mine, but I quickly withdrew them without even thinking about it. He had such a despondent look on his face as he let out a sigh.

"-san, I care about you a lot," he began, "but I can't sit by and watch yourself be put through this. I just hope that you can see what I can someday—even if it's difficult."

"Mitsu-kun..."

"If you need help, you know I'm here for you," he reassured me. "Just... You deserve so much better. I mean that."

"Why did it have to be you to say that to me?" I choked. "Y'know I'm still not over you, Mitsu-kun."

"I'm sorry," he said as he fumbled with his fingers.

"I can't believe Jusa would pass you up like this," I snorted. "I can't promise anything, but if I need your help, I'll reach out, yeah?"

"Okay," he nodded.

"How have you been, otherwise?" I changed the topic. "Have you spoken with Jusa lately?"

He shook his head. "Not since the wedding."

"Why not?"

"...It's better if I didn't," he bit his lip. "His partner loves him. I shouldn't get in between that."

"-kun?" I questioned out loud. "Mitsu-kun, that entire marriage is just a front, y'know?"

"I'm aware of that," he stated, "but I'm not blind, either. Their feelings for your brother are genuine."

Why was this news to me? Had I completely overlooked the signs? Mitsu-kun must've picked up on my confusion since he changed the subject again.

"I really hope your bold changes get through the Diet, -san," he smiled sadly. "No one will have to go through what we have if these become law."

That conversation with Mitsu-kun pushed me to reassess my life as everyone at the organization doubled their efforts into drafting the revised law. It felt like a strange dream when everything was finalized and passed through the chaotic Diet. There was a lot of pushback, but things finally made it through and now there wasn't much people could do about it for the time being. For the first time in a while, I could rest a little easier knowing that it was all over.

Immediately following all of this, I decided that divorcing my husband was long overdue and it had to be done. Mitsu-kun didn't ask too many questions when I asked if I could crash on his couch for a few weeks and even helped me with getting a really good lawyer. He stopped me a few too many times from repeating the same mistake of trying to go back to him and offered me a big shoulder to cry on. Mitsu-kun really didn't have to do any of this and it only made my heart ache even more knowing that I needed to let go of these romantic feelings for him.

Eventually, -kun contacted me out of the blue to discuss something between the two of us. Curious, I decided to meet up with them over drinks to hear them out.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, -neesan?" they greeted. "Thanks for coming out."

"I am a bit curious as to why you called me out," I answered. "Especially over drinks. You know I'm a bad drunk, right?"

"Jusaburou warned me in advance," they smirked. I could see the twinge of sadness in their eyes.

"Is something wrong, -kun?"

"Not at all," they snorted. "I brought up divorce with Jusaburou."

"Divorce?" I parroted. "Really?"

"Well, there's no point in us being married to each other anymore, right?" they shrugged. "You made it legal for Jusaburou to marry another man. All he has to do now is ask Ochi-kun out after we finalize the divorce."

"I mean, I guess," I scratched my head. "But... What about you?"

I watched as -kun wiped a stray tear from their eye before burying their face into the bourbon in front of them. "I really do love him, but he's not mine at the end of the day."

"-kun..."

"Of course I don't want to divorce him," they sniffled, "but Jusaburou deserves the world and more... I can't give that to him because I'm not Ochi-kun."

I drew them into my arms. "I know how you feel," I sighed. "Falling in love with someone who could never love you back in the same capacity... It really sucks."

-kun nodded without saying another word.

"Y'know, I'm also going through my divorce as we speak," I scoffed. "'Course, my soon-to-be-ex-husband is a different sort of story, but... It still hurts."

"It may hurt now, but you could do so much better than that toe," they snorted. "You deserve someone who treats you like the queen you are, -neesan."

"Ain't you the sweetest, -kun?" I laughed. "If you keep talking like that, I might fall for you instead!"

"Well, once this divorce is finalized, I will be on the market," they joked. "One step at a time, right?"

When I got back to Mitsu-kun's later that night, he was fussing with the kettle in the kitchen as I almost fell onto the floor. Thankfully, his reflexes were quick.

"Are you okay?" he asked me.

"Just a little tipsy," I lied. "Why're you awake? Dontcha have work?"

"I wanted to make sure you were okay before I went to sleep," he answered. "Also, I'm making you some tea to help sober you up."

"You're too sweet for your own good, Mitsu-kun," I sobbed.

He walked me over to the couch and sat me down before returning to the kitchen and bringing over a hot cup of chamomile. He set it down in front of me on the coffee table before taking a seat beside me.

"Jusa and -kun are getting a divorce," I blurted out.

"They are?"

"-kun wants to talk to you," I added. "They wanna tell you something."

"I see," was his confused response. "About what, though?"

"Dunno. Ask 'em yourself."

I reached out to grab the cup and take a small sip. Mitsu-kun helped support the cup so I wouldn't drop it. I let out a yawn before I leaned back into the cushions and closed my eyes. I felt him drape a blanket over me before saying 'good night' in a low voice.

Over the course of the next year, Jusa and Mitsu-kun got back together and it felt like some balance in the universe was being restored. I felt vindicated for all of the work I did and all of the sacrifices I made along the way. Of course, a part of me was slightly bitter about seeing two lovebirds being all cute and gross together, but that feeling started to pass when I started putting myself back out there on the market. After some time, I did manage to find someone to lean on, but I wasn't expecting them to be my baby brother's ex—of all people.

I awoke one morning to the sound of -kun's phone going off with hundreds of texts. Annoyed, I picked up the phone to flip it onto silent so I could go back to bed, but I noticed a text that intrigued me; it was from Jusa, it seemed urgent, and there was an address to meet up at. I wanted to read it, but -kun came by and swiped their phone out of my hand.

"Morning," they smiled. "Snooping through my texts? You don't trust me?"

"It woke me up and I wanted to turn it off," I huffed. "Who's texting you this early and so insistently?"

"Just a moron who needs my help," they shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I'll sort it out."

I rubbed my eyes before taking a look at them all dressed up. "Are you going out?"

"Kinda have to," they shrugged. "I'll be back as soon as I deal with this friend."

I was suspicious and very interested in what Jusa was dragging -kun out for. I jumped out of bed and got myself all dolled up to go stalk my partner and brother. They were both meeting up at an expensive department store and spent way too long looking at rings. Which one of them was planning on proposing? I continued to follow them until they had settled down at the restaurant for lunch—which is when I made my move.

"Jusa, is that you?" I called out to them.

"Nee-chan?!"

I made my way up to their table and sat down in -kun's lap, wrapping my arms around their shoulders.

"You told me you were seeing a friend—not my baby brother," I scolded them.

"Jusaburou is my friend," they groaned. "Even if we're exes on paper."

"-chan, are you dating my sister?!" Jusa gasped in horror. "Nee-chan, what about your husband?!"

"My ex-husband can go choke on his own dick and die," I spat. "-kun here is just so much better in every aspect. They actually know how to please a woman and they're not a misogynistic asshole."

"What can I say? Your sister's hot, Jusaburou," -kun shrugged.

"I don't wanna hear it!" Jusa shouted as he plugged his ears with his fingers and shut his eyes tightly. "I can't believe my ex-wife is now my sister's partner..."

"That means we can stay as a family, Jusaburou," -kun mentioned.

"I refuse to address you as my older sister," he pouted. "You're always gonna be -chan to me!"

"The thought of you being my younger brother is terrifying—especially when my birthday is after yours." They kissed me on my cheek. "Why are you here anyway, ?"

"I read your texts and was upset that you didn't invite me along with you," I huffed.

"...You two are so similar, it's terrifying," they mumbled. "I'm just helping your little brother out with his marriage proposal. There's nothing else to it."

"Jusa, you're finally going to propose to Mitsu-kun?!" I shouted. "Oh my God! Finally!"

Jusa was getting redder by the second. "Nee-chan..."

"Oh, I am so going to get that dress now," I clapped excitedly. "-kun, how much is your credit limit?"

There was a hint of worry in their eyes. "What the hell are you trying to get me to buy...?"

"My outfit for my darling little brother's wedding, of course. We're going to need to coordinate."

"I'm going to be his best man," they told me. "If we're coordinating, it'll look like you're part of the wedding party."

I glared at Jusa, who looked like he was going to die of embarrassment any second now. "You asked them to be your best man and not Ryouta-niichan?"

"You know how much Ryouta-niichan hates weddings," Jusa complained. "I'm sparing him the pain."

"On second thought, maybe we shouldn't be dating each other, ," -kun laughed. "This family drama is too much for me."

"I'm not letting you go, -kun," I pouted before kissing them on the lips. "You're stuck with me for the long run."

"Nee-chan!"

"It's fine," they brushed off. "If we're all done here, why don't we start looking at fabric choices and accessories?"

"...Does my sister have to come with us?" he pleaded.

"No, but I will be expecting lots of pictures from you," I demanded before standing up. "I'm gonna go. I just wanted to come and mark what's mine."

-kun gave me one last kiss before I left. "Later."

I went about the rest of my day running errands and doing chores around the apartment until Jusa brought -kun home. -kun seemed worn out and went to take a nap, leaving me alone with my baby brother. This was the first time in years since we were alone together in a room. We still hadn't spoken to each other about that fight years ago and I didn't know when was a good time to bring it up. It seemed that Jusa knew this too since he started talking about it without being prompted.

"This is so awkward," he mumbled. "We've never talked about that fight, have we, Nee-chan?"

"Nope," I confirmed. "Honestly, I don't really remember what we said, but it annoyed me enough to make a big change to my life."

"I thought about what you said," he began, "about you turning down Tsuki-san's marriage proposal 'cause of me... You gave up a lot for me, didn't you, Nee-chan?"

"You're my baby brother, Jusa," I told him. "When we moved to Kanagawa and separated from Ryouta-niichan, I promised him I'd do anything for you."

"What I said was harsh that day," he admitted. "I'm sorry, Nee-chan."

"Aw, don't be," I said as I hugged him. "I'm sorry for reacting poorly to the news that you and -kun were getting married all those years ago. I think I was just angry that you were making the same mistake I made when I married my ex, but you and -kun both had your reasons for doing it."

"I'm real lucky to have -chan in my life," he mumbled. "No one gets me more than them. You better not drive them away from my life, okay? I'll hate you for the rest of my life, otherwise."

"Don't mess up with Mitsu-kun, then," I threatened with a smile. "He waited all this time for you, so you better give him the world and more."