Yûsuke's POV:

"Why are we here?" Yoshito asked me for the fourth time.

"Just wait and see" I told him.

We were hidden in front of the movie theater on the other side of the street. It was almost 7:00PM. Finally, I saw Momoko approaching the entrance.

"What is Momoko doing here? Did you asked her out?" Yoshito asked me, confused.

I demanded for silence as I saw her waiting for her date to arrive. Yoshito was more and more irritating every minute. After he asked me to help him become more mature, I asked him who was his crush. I was relief that he was talking about Miyako. I promised to help him, but I had more important things to do first. Now I'm starting to regret bringing him with me. Several minutes passed, still no sign of Homare.

"Can you please explain me what's happening?" he asked me.

"Fine" I gave up, "a guy from our school asked Momoko out. He was suppose to meet her here at 7:00PM."

"He's kinda late, don't you think?" he said.

"Effectively. I think he's not coming" I told him, still watching Momoko.

"I still don't get how does this make me more mature" Yoshito said.

I sighed and looked at my little brother.

"Just learn from that oaf! Will you ever dare to do this to Miyako?!" I asked him.

"Do I have to?" he was confused.

"No! This is wrong!" I facepalmed.

I took another look at Momoko. She seemed pretty sad. That really broke my heart.

"When I see that Homare guy, I'm gonna make him bleed!" I growled.

Yoshito analyzed the situation for a minute.

"Why don't you go and talk to her?" he suggested.

"Me? Why?" I asked him, surprised and blushed.

"It's obvious to me you like her. Just look at you! You came here just to check out on her!" he told me.

"But what should I say? Oh, hey, Momoko! I couldn't help but noticing that your date didn't show up! I know it because I'm stalking you!" I used sarcasm.

"Just tell her you were passing by and ask her to watch a movie with you" he explained me and pushed me to the street.

I wanted to punch him, but fortunately Momoko didn't saw us. I sighed and decided to approach her when I saw Yoshito running away from me. I was really nervous.

"Hey" I greeted her.

"Yûsuke? What are you doing here?" she sounded nervous.

"I was passing by and I saw you here, so I came to ask you the same" I lied.

"Oh" she replied.

"Are you waiting for someone?" I asked her, even if I knew the answer.

Maybe that wasn't a nice question, because she got instantly more nervous and sad.

"N-no" she lied at first, but then sighed, "actually yes. But it seems he's not coming."

That was my opportunity!

"They're playing a superhero movie. It's one of your favorites" I showed her.

"Yeah, I know" I couldn't cheer her up.

"Do you-?" I was about to ask her to watch the movie with me when someone interrupted us.

"Hey! Sorry I'm late!" it was Homare, "I couldn't find my wallet! I hope you didn't had to wait for too long!"

No, you stupid cockroach, just for like 30 minutes!

"No, no! It's okay! I just arrived!" she lied and smiled.

Homare looked at me, arrogant and priggish.

"And this is?" he asked Momoko.

"Oh! This is my friend Yûsuke! He was passing by and stopped to say hi!" she explained to him.

"Oh" he said and ignored me, "let's go! The movie must have started!"

"What are we gonna watch?" she asked with excitement.

"Well, there's this scary movie everyone has been talking about, we should try it!" he replied.

Momoko accepted, even tho she doesn't like scary movies. This oaf didn't even asked her what she wanted to watch! Homare entered the theater, leaving Momoko behind. Before following him, she said bye to me. I lost my opportunity! Homare - 1, Yûsuke - 0.

Ryu's POV:

Akito and I were seated on the emergency room waiting for the doctor. We were really anxious to know how Kaoru was. Finally, the doctor arrived.

"How is she? Is it bad?" I asked him.

"She'll be fine. It's not a fracture so she'll be in perfectly state in a couple of weeks. She'll just need some rest and a cast on her right leg" he explained.

Akito and I sighed with relief.

"Also, I need her parents to come and sign the papers" he added.

"We'll call them right away. Thanks, doc" Akito shook hands with him.

The doctor left and a nurse guided us to Kaoru's bed. She seemed pretty upset and sad at the same time.

"Hey. How do you feel?" Akito asked her.

"Better. Thanks" she responded with discouragement.

"Did you called your parents?" he asked her.

"Yes" she affirmed.

"Perfect. I must leave now. Text me when you get home, okay?" he told her and she nodded, "see ya."

"You scared me" I admitted once Akito left.

"You? Scared?" she seemed kinda surprised.

I seated on the chair on her left and looked at her.

"Yeah. I was afraid something bad happened to you" I explained to her.

"Evidently something bad happened to me" she rolled eyes.

"What you did was pretty stupid, Kaoru" I changed into a more severe voice, "you could've hurt yourself worst."

"But it didn't happen" she crossed her arms.

"But it could've happen!" the tone of my voice made her shiver, "don't ever scare me like that again, Kaoru! Ever!"

She lowered her head and squeezed the sheets before responding.

"I'm sorry" she spoke in a low tone.

She looked and sounded really adorable. At the same time, I knew she was being honest. My instinct was to hug her. Surprisingly, she corresponded my hug. That made me hug her even tighter and smile a little. I was happy now. Kaoru was actually being sweet with me. Maybe she does love me.

"I love you, Kaoru" I told her, still holding her.

"I hate you" she hid her blushed face on my neck.

After a few seconds, we separated from each other.

"You must leave. My family will be here soon" she told me.

"Do you want me to call Momoko and Miyako?" I asked her and stood up.

"No, don't worry, I'll call them" she answered to me.

"Okay, then. See you tomorrow" I told her.

"Oh, and-" she said before I left, "thank you."

She blushed and looked away, trying to act cool. She looks so cute when she does that. I just smiled and laughed a little before leaving. Kaoru it's totally the girl of my dreams!

Yoshito's POV:

I was walking home, alone and crestfallen. I was disappointed that Yûsuke couldn't help me with my maturity problem. I'm pretty sure he likes Momoko, he just can't admit it! Anyways, when I got home I approached the kitchen to search for food. I was really hungry! Just then, mom appeared and smiled.

"Hey, honey! Are you hungry?!" she asked me.

"I'm starving!" I answered her.

"I'll make some hamburgers, how about that?" she suggested.

"Yes, please!" I exclaimed.

I took a seat at the table while I waited for the food to be ready. Suddenly, my mother started coughing and then approached the sink. I ran to see how she was immediately.

"Mom! Are you alright?!" I asked her.

It was then that I noticed that she was vomiting blood. I watched the scene with horror.

"D-dad! Ryu!" I shouted nervously, looking for help, but no one responded, "hold on, mom! I'll ask for an ambulance!"

I picked up my phone, but mom took my hand.

"Calm down, sweetie. I'm okay" she told me, barely audible.

"No you're not! C'mon! Let me help you!" I tried to lead her to the chair.

"No, no! I'm fine! Don't worry! I'll just wash all of this!" she insisted.

I stood there, still in shock. I didn't knew what to do or say. I clenched my fists, feeling useless.

"I can't even help my siblings when they need me. I'm hopeless and weak" I thought.

I saw my mom cleaning the blood from the sink. I stared at her when I saw her smile, like if nothing just happened.

"Would you like some bacon for your hamburger, sweetie?" she asked me.

"Is she insane?!" I thought.

"Mom, what's wrong with you? Are you sick?" I asked her.

"I told you not to worry. I'm okay" she continued smiling.

"There's no need to lie to me" I insisted and took her by the hands, "please, tell me the truth."

"Yoshito" her smile instantly disappeared, "please, do not insist."

The tone of her voice was different now, and so were her eyes. I could tell how sad and anguished she was. She turned her back on me to continue cooking, still crestfallen. I don't know how I got enough courage to face her once more. This time I found that she had shed tears on the lettuce. I swallowed, hoping I had enough courage to say the right words.

"Mom, whatever you need, I'm here. No matter what happens, me and my brothers will always be here for you" I told her, making her cry even harder, "I love you."

We joined in a big hug, which felt eternal, but I didn't care. I wasn't lying, not even knowing that she lied to us about our mere existence. Deep inside of me, I knew she had her reasons. I wanted to give her the opportunity to explain everything to us. Each thing at it's time. Suddenly, my phone started ringing. My mom separated from me and dried her tears. I was surprised to see it was Miyako calling me.

"Sorry, gotta answer" I told mom.

I walked away a couple of meters to have more privacy and answer the call.

"Hello?" I say.

"Yoshito! I'm so glad you answered! Kaoru is in the hospital and Momoko doesn't answer my calls! Is she still with you?!" she sounded really worried.

"No, she-" I was about to respond her, but something stopped me.

I couldn't just tell her that Momoko was at the movie theater! She will know I was there! I don't want her to think that I'm stalking Momoko or that I like her! But, if I don't tell her, she'll be so worried! What should I do?!

"She what?" she asked me.

"M-maybe you should ask Yûsuke!" I suggested.

"Why him? Isn't he with you?" she questioned.

"No, and I don't know where he went. Maybe their hanging out, who knows" I shrugged.

"Damn, Yoshito! You're a genius!" I thought.

"Okay, then. Thanks" she told me.

"You're welcome" I smiled, "oh, and-! What happened to Kaoru? Is she okay?"

"Yes, she just texted me she's at her house now. She'll explain everything to us tomorrow. Bye!" she sounded more like her now.

"Okay, bye!" I hung up.

Just then Ryu arrived at the house. He had some explanations to give.

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Is Yûsuke starting to develop feelings for Momoko? How will Kaoru feel after this injury? What's wrong with the boys' mom? Will Yoshito gain enough maturity that he needs to conquer Miyako? Let's keep reading to find out!