CHAPTER SEVEN

Everything?

What did he even mean by everything I did with Natsume?

Wait. Was he actually thinking that I did some inappropriate things with Natsume last night?

I couldn't believe this. Like, really.

This dirty-minded devil.

It was my turn to scoff, getting exceedingly annoyed. "Whatever we did last night isn't your fucking business, so let me go."

Aomine Daiki didn't respond but I could tell that what I said only pissed him off even more because I saw his jaw tensed, as if he was clenching his teeth to control his anger.

What the hell is up with this guy?

I couldn't understand why he was suddenly acting like this or why he was saying such things, or why he was mad at me in the first place just because I was with Natsume last night.

I mean, he was supposed to hate me for heaven's sake. He was supposed to not give a damn about anything that involved me and my life.

"Daiki? Miyako?"

Boy was I glad when I heard my mother's voice.

"Mom," I blurted out, relief flooding over me. I turned to look at her. She was standing by the front porch, eyeing us curiously. "Natsume just left. He took me home."

Aomine's grip on my arm finally loosened up so I took that chance to yank it free from his hold. I hurriedly opened the gate then strode towards my mother, not even sparing him another glance.

"What were you two doing?" she asked, examining my face.

"Nothing. We weren't doing anything," I assured her, relaxing my expression. "We were just talking."

Yeah. Talking, my ass. As if. Your stepson just basically harassed me. Again.

"Oh, alright," she said then turned towards my stepbrother who remained standing on the same spot. "You should also come in now, Daiki. Breakfast is ready."

As expected, Aomine Daiki didn't give my mother any sort of response. He just merely looked at us with that indifferent gaze of his as if he didn't hear a thing.

Wow. Talk about rude.

You know, it kind of amazed me how my mother was able to take this much hostility from him every single day. It was very clear that he didn't want anything to do with her, yet she was still trying to get him to open up to her.

She deserved props.

If it was me, I had probably left Aomine Daichi ages ago.

***

My baby brother and Uncle Daichi were already seated in front of the dining table when my mother and I came.

"Nee-chwan~" Kaito chirped immediately upon seeing me, flailing his arms in front of him, wanting me to carry him. So I obliged and took him out of his baby chair.

I smiled when he wrapped his small arms around my neck, burying his face in my shoulder. "Did you miss nee-chan?"

"Yes. Kaito missed nee-chwan~"

Giggling, I kissed the back of his head. He was such a sweet baby. "I missed you too, little guy."

"Have you eaten breakfast yet, Miyako?" I heard my Uncle Daichi ask, getting my attention. He was giving me the usual kind smile of his, rendering me wordless for a moment.

I knew fully well that he was trying to get close to me, just like how my mother was trying to get along with that rude son of his. Both of them were really making great efforts to make this work, I could see that. And that's exactly what made this all the more awkward for us; for me and Aomine Daiki.

Nevertheless, I partly nodded my head as a response. "Yes."

Well, for starters, I wasn't like his son who didn't have manners.

"She ate already at Natsume's." My mom slid down to the empty seat next to him, chuckling softly when she saw how Kaito was clinging onto me like a sloth.

"That's good," Aomine Daichi said, turning to look at me once more. This time, however, he showed me a serious expression. "Please don't do that again, Miyako. We were all worried when you suddenly ran off like that in the middle of the night."

I couldn't exactly tell if he was chiding me or simply trying to converse with me like always because despite his words, I couldn't trace any hint of displeasure in his voice. "I'm sorry," I responded sincerely, "I promise I won't do it again."

"Thank you." He gave me a warm smile as he added, "We're a family now so if there's a problem we'll talk about it, okay?"

"I was at fault too," my mom interjected, placing a hand on top of his arm above the table. "I didn't ask her before making the decision." Then she turned to face me, smiling at me lovingly. "But your Uncle Daichi is right, Miyako. From now on whenever there's a problem, we will talk about it. Like a family."

What they just said put me in a trance. I struggled to find the right words to say as I stood in front of them with my baby brother in my arms, feeling the sudden churning of my stomach.

Like a family, huh.

I wished they would stop. I wished my mother would just stop.

How could she say that to me so easily after everything she had put me through?

It would always start like this. She would make me feel like we finally found the place where we belonged, that we were finally going to become a happy family along with the man she had chosen to play the part as my father. Then once I'd get comfortable, that happy family she had painted would always shatter like a dream.

I unconsciously tightened my grip on Kaito. I didn't want him to experience the same things I did.

Nothing was as painful as leaving the people you had learned to love and having to start your life over and over again.

I flinched when Aomine Daiki suddenly entered my line of view. The sight of him walking nonchalantly towards the refrigerator jolted me out of my thoughts. I didn't even notice he had entered the kitchen.

"Daiki," his father spoke, getting his attention. "Take a seat and have breakfast with us."

"I'll change my clothes first," was what he said as he opened the bottle of sports drink he got from the fridge. Then after taking a few gulps, he walked away with the half empty bottle in his hand, giving me an apathetic glance as he passed by me.

I didn't pay him any mind though as I sighed quietly, pulling myself together.

After about another minute, I placed my little brother back down to his baby chair, making sure he was secured before I moved away. "I'll go rest in my room now. Is that okay?"

My Uncle Daichi, who was already savoring the taste of his morning coffee, shifted his attention to me. "Of course, Miyako. Let us know if you need anything."

"You looked like you didn't get enough sleep last night, so go ahead," my mother added.

"Thank you," I simply said as I turned my back on them then went straight to my room.

I heaved another deep sigh as soon as I was finally alone. The day had just started yet exhaustion was already eating me out.

Ugh. I need to sleep.

After locking the door, I sunk myself into the softness of my bed, smiling bitterly.

"I can't believe I actually missed this bed."

***

The sound of constant knocking slowly dragged me out of my slumber.

Pulling myself up, I grabbed my phone to check the time. It was a little over noontime. I slept peacefully for a couple of hours.

At least I feel a lot better now.

Yawning, I crawled out of bed.

It was my mother's frowning face that greeted me as soon as I opened the door. She was carrying Kaito in her arms, her brows were furrowed when she asked, "Why is your door locked?"

"Sorry. I didn't know, " was all I could say.

Well, I couldn't exactly tell her that I had resorted to locking my door from now on due to my stepbrother next door who didn't know how to respect other people's privacy.

She only sighed in response to what I said, as if dismissing the matter. "Your Uncle Daichi and I are going out for a bit, can you babysit your brother?"

"Sure," I responded immediately, reaching out to take Kaito from her.

"You haven't had your lunch yet so if you're hungry there's food in the fridge. Or you can order takeout if you want."

I nodded my head. "Okay."

After kissing my little brother goodbye, she finally left.

"Kaito wants to play~"

"All right." Smiling, I carefully placed him down to the floor. He ran around immediately, grabbing everything his little arms could reach. "Hey, be careful."

He stopped on his tracks, turning his attention to me as he pouted. "Kaito is careful~"

I couldn't help myself from releasing a loud squeal. He was too adorable. I rushed to grab my phone from my bed then started taking pictures of him, intending to send them to his big brother later.

"Your Natsume-nii will definitely melt once he sees your cute pouting face."

At the mention of his brother, he frowned. "Natsu-nii doesn't play with Kaito anymore."

I stiffened up into shock upon hearing that. Kaito had probably been missing his big brother now since Natsume hadn't visited him yet ever since we moved here.

"Natsume-nii will come play with you next time," I told him in a soothing voice, giving him an assuring smile. "For now it's just you and nee-chan, okay?"

Kaito stared at me for a couple of seconds, as if contemplating what I just said, before asking, "Is he going to live here, too?"

I opened my mouth to speak but I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to explain to my two years old brother our complicated family circumstances.

This is supposed to be your job, mom.

And because I was too busy mulling over these things, I nearly jumped right out of my skin due to surprise when Aomine Daiki's deep voice suddenly drifted into my ears.

"I see. So that's why he looks exactly like that guy, they're brothers."

I released a long, exasperated sigh. Forget about locking the door, I didn't even close it just now when my mother left.

"What are you doing here?" I asked drily, throwing him a glare. Irritation welled up immediately inside of me as soon as I remembered what happened between us earlier in the morning.

Damn it. This blue-eyed devil was starting to really get on my nerves way too much.

"I came to take a look because it's noisy," he responded, leaning casually against the doorframe. He looked good in his plain grey shirt and faded blue jeans, both of his hands were inside his pockets as his eyes surveyed me and my brother.

He was really hot. If only his attitude didn't suck, he would've taken my heart.

But, wait.

That guy? Did he mean Natsume?

I shifted my gaze to Kaito who was indeed the exact copy of his big brother. They had the same brownish blonde hair, facial features, and adorable smile.

"Let's playyy~"

I gasped when Kaito suddenly ran towards Aomine, tugging the hem of his shirt. I had expected the latter to act indifferent again—like what he always did to my mother—but he reached out to pat the top of my brother's head instead, leaving me entirely dumbfounded.

"You're not scared of me?" His voice was soft and gentle when he asked, giving Kaito a kind smile.

That caught me off guard and my mouth literally hung open in shock.

I mean, what was up with him and his mood swings? It's like the Aomine Daiki who glared at me menacingly earlier today was just a figment of my imagination.

"Kaito is not scared," my brother responded as he stared intently at the towering man in front of him with expectant eyes. "Let's play. Nee-chan is boring."

What? This little traitor.

I was just about to voice out my complaints to my little brother when Aomine's laughter rang in the silence, stopping my words. The gentle expression and the genuine smile plastered on his face as he gazed at my brother made my breathing hitch.

Wow. I didn't know he had this side to him.

"Your big sister is boring indeed, she didn't even give you a toy to play with." He said it in a sympathizing tone, but I could tell he was trying to diss me.

"Nee-chwan only takes lots and lots of pictures of me."

Much to my surprise, Aomine lifted Kaito up and carried him in his arms. "I have a ball in my room. Wanna play with it?"

"Yeheyyy~"

And before I could even protest, they were already gone.

"What the hell?" I placed a hand on top of my chest, feeling the erratic pounding of my heart. The image of Aomine Daiki's gentle smile kept on replaying inside my head.

I think I'm going crazy...

I composed myself then quickly followed them next door.

Kaito was already playing with a basketball when I arrived. Aomine was crouched down beside him, teaching him how to dribble. Since the ball was quite heavy for a toddler like him, my brother was naturally having a hard time. Despite that, Aomine maintained the gentle expression on his usually intimidating face as he patiently taught Kaito how to play.

The sight in front of me had me at a loss for words once again. I couldn't keep up with the unexpected turn of events, as well as this guy's sudden change in attitude.

Maybe he was possessed? Or, maybe he simply liked children?

I sighed to myself, brushing away all unnecessary thoughts in my mind. "I had no idea you can actually look this harmless."

Aomine turned to face me, a corner of his lips twisting up into a lopsided smirk. "What? Did you think of me as some kind of monster?"

"Nope. More like a devil."

Surprise was evident on his handsome face as he blinked his eyes twice. "Really?"

I fought the urge to laugh at his reaction, shrugging my shoulders. "Well, you did say you'll make my life a living hell, and you've been true to your words since the day you said that."

The gentle expression on his face disappeared completely, making me regret ever bringing up this kind of conversation. He didn't say anything though so an awkward silence reigned between us, the sound of the basketball that Kaito was playing with was the only noise I could hear.

Seriously. Me and my damn mouth.

My eyes widened, however, when I saw guilt flashed through Aomine's deep blue eyes as he fixed them on me. Then after a few more seconds of just stoning there, he reached out to ruffle Kaito's hair before straightening his back then walking closer to where I stood.

He situated himself in front of me, boring his gaze into my face as if studying any readable expression I had on it. "Last night when you told me to stop pretending like I don't hate you because you're not going to do the same, you were wrong. I wasn't pretending."

What he said left me in a daze as I tried to recall the things he did last night and what I had said to him in response. I frowned deeply when I finally realized what he meant. "Are you saying that you don't hate me?"

If he didn't hate me then why did he bully me for days? Just for fun? Then that would be even worse.

I would definitely punch him if he'd say that. Really.

"I don't hate you," he responded in a serious yet calm voice, looking at me straight in the eyes. "But I apologize for trying to make things hard for you since you came. I didn't mean to act like a child and take my anger out on you. I was just..." He trailed off deliberately, as if not knowing what to say. Then I gasped when I saw how his eyes sneak a glance of the portrait located at the corner of the room. "Never mind. All I really want to say is that I'm sorry," he finally finished, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

His unexpected apology was supposed to take me by surprise again, but I suddenly felt like tearing up instead. The look on his face when he glanced at their family portrait he had been keeping in his room made my chest tighten painfully. He looked just like me whenever I remembered my late father—whenever I thought about how happy and pleasant my life would have been if he was still here with me.

"It's okay," I started in a soft voice, composing myself. Since he was being honest with me, I decided to do the same. "To tell you the truth, I understand where you're coming from. I know this must be really hard for you, too."

"Still that doesn't excuse the way I behaved," he said in a strained voice, taking me aback because it almost sounded like he was scolding himself.

I frowned, contemplating his words. I couldn't trace any sarcasm in his tone. If anything, he was too sincere. So I decided to slap his chest playfully to somehow lighten up the mood. "I know, right? You were such a big jerk."

Aomine didn't say anything for a while as he stared at me. Then he placed a hand on top of my head, chuckling softly. The sound of his genuine laughter rang in my ears like a melody, making me smile as well.

Suddenly, I realized that being close to him like this, talking with him and laughing together, wasn't so bad.

"I heard you didn't want to transfer to Touo?" he asked as soon as his laughter subsided, retracting his hand.

Oh. So he really heard me and my mother last night. That's why he looked completely astounded that time I saw him outside of my room, it's because he heard my little drama.

How freaking embarrassing.

"Yeah," I replied, trying to sound casual even though deep inside I was dying of embarrassment. "Though I decided to just go with it, I'm in my last year of high school anyway."

"That's good." He looked relieved for some reason, and I couldn't figure out why.

I was about to ask him what he meant by that when the door to his room suddenly opened and a beautiful girl with peach colored hair came into view. She looked quite surprised to see me and Kaito inside because she gasped aloud, freezing on her spot.

"Are these your new siblings, Dai-chan?"

Aomine Daiki turned to her, an annoyed look instantly came to stamp across his face. "What are you doing here, Satsuki? I thought I said I can't come to practice because I'm tired."

Dai-chan? Satsuki? They were addressing each other casually.

Wait.

Is she who I think she is?

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A/N: I just wanna thank everyone who's still reading this book. ♡

Your comments and votes motivate me to continue the story. :)