You're fine. It's going to be okay. You've moved on. It's over. You aren't alone.

These are things that Osomatsu's mind constantly repeats to him as he falls asleep or wakes up. He doesn't know why, but it does. Sometimes it's his voice, sometimes its a distant yet familiar one. It always leaves him confused. What's over? He's moved on from what? As far as he remembers, there was nothing to make him think this way nor does he remember when it started, it just did. Especially on days where he had that dream.

It's sometimes varies, but it's usually the same. Osomatsu is a kid, alone on his room. The room always looks the same, except it's either in black and white or certain items colored. One thing that never changes is there is never any noise, not even when the door opens to show the intruder. He doesn't recognize who it is but they always seem so familiar that it unsettles him.

The end, however, never changes. The intruder gets closer to him, looking bigger the more steps he takes forwards, driving Osomatsu to step backward, farther and farther until his back meets the wall.

Every time, Osomatsu screams. Every time, it's always unheard, even by his own ears. Every time, he closes his eyes. And every time, once he opens them, he's alone.

In all the years he's had this dream, never has he been able to keep his eyes open. He always closes them out of fear or instinct, it was impossible not to no matter how hard he might've tried. Even if Osomatsu is aware this is a dream, that he knows what will happen, he can't change anything about it. Once it's set, it will follow through.

Thankfully, he always wakes up once it ends. He also doesn't get this dream every day, just occasionally. Mostly on days he feels extra lazy, or when his stupid 'brothers' just become extra unbearable and don't know what any ounce of alone time is. It's why when he woke up after this dream, to the sound of the reassurance and the annoying voice of Choromatsu, he knew the day was already going to be terrible.

"Get up already, Osomatsu-niisan!" Osomatsu replied with a moan and rolled away from the voice. He really didn't want to get up today. It felt too tiring.

"Come on Niisan! You're about to beat your record in the longest time you haven't missed a school day! It's almost two weeks~" He could care less about that. School was a drag anyway. "No...either way you've already jinxed it..." There was a 'tch' heard, but nothing else. The futon was too warm to leave and it's not like it'll kill him to stay home.

But. That isn't any way to think. He's been trying to change, he needs to change. At least try for his parents. So with a groan, he sat up and rubbed his eyes, proceeding with his daily routine of getting ready, avoiding any direct conversations, and leaving through the door. It's been two months since school has started and the longest he's stayed in school was a week and a half without absences. Pretty sad if you ask him, but it's the best he can do. At school, Totoko sometimes goes to eat lunch with him too, obviously not without seeming like Osomatsu was knocked unconscious, with insults prior to this, only to be dragged to a remote area. Despite how it sounded, it really wasn't unpleasant at all . Totoko was the one normally talking, complaining about her classmates and classes, Osomatsu always content to listen.

And surprisingly, after the first day of school, there wasn't as much pranks as he thought there would be. Maybe occasional notes showing up at his desk or people obviously talking about him or tripping him as he walked by, but they weren't so bad nor were they very frequent.

Prank after prank throughout the years, it made new ones seem like they were nothing, that he's dealt with worse. Except each prank really did do something to him. He'll act as if they meant nothing, maybe even laugh at it, but they really just made him hate the five 'demons' more, hate himself more. But there was no way he'd let anyone know that, he doesn't want to give them that satisfaction and make his mother worry about him more than she already does. So he barely stands as tall as he can with a grin that he's used to plastering for the rest of the day. Most of the day.

Eventually, Osomatsu was at the front gate of the school. Because the high school he goes to is local and on a low budget, it still requires changing their shoes when they want to enter the building. When Osomatsu went in and opened his locker to get his shoes, they were nowhere in sight. He looked closer and squinted, to see if he didn't miss them or if they were just in some weird position where he couldn't see them right away. He even put his hands inside and moved them around to see if he could feel anything.

Nothing.

Osomatsu withdrew and started to look around him. Maybe they were on the floor? He looked down to see. There was still nothing. As he looked around, most were with their friends or just entering, but some where staring at him, others even snickering. It didn't take long until Osomatsu got the hint of what could be going on.

He blankly stared off with a blank face, looking at no one or nothing in particular. "Osomatsu-niisan? What's wrong?" Osomatsu blinked once before shaking his head lightly and walking into the school building. "Niisan! You'll get in trouble without your shoes!" But he didn't stop. He wasn't going to take it and give in, might as well move on with his day. Even with his locked mind, it didn't take long until someone from the school staff noticed.

"Hey, you there, stop!" He stopped in his tracks. "Oooo, you're going to get in trouble~", "This is why we told you to put your shoes , or at least look for them other than not even trying!"

"What's your name?"

"Matsuno Osomatsu."

There was a pause. Osomatsu knows why. She knows who he is, of course she does.

"Well, Matsuno, why aren't you wearing your indoor shoes?"

"They weren't there-"

"They weren't there?"

"Yes."

"So you lost them? Just because you lost them doesn't mean you can just walk into the building with your outside shoes. You should have gone to the office. You do know that, don't you?"

"Yes, I know that, but I didn't lose them. They were there the day before and now they're gone. Someone must've opened my locker and taken it."

"Really?"

"Yes"

"Well show me. If it shows it was tampered with, we'll see into it."

With an eternal sigh, Osomatsu turned around with the heels of his shoes, causing a squeak in the small hallway. There were students staring and standing near them, they probably heard the entire conversation. It seemed Miss School Staff didn't mind the audience though. Probably more people to humiliate him in front of.

They started to walk back to the lockers and in front of Osomatsu's. Now everyone was staring, not even trying to hide it and being as obvious as they can be. All eyes on were on him, putting him on the spot light. Osomatsu got a chill yet everything felt so warm and suffocating and- and isolating.

He opened his locker, and to everyone's surprise, there they were. Shoes neatly and perfectly set in his locker, as if they've been there all along, waiting for him.

"So they aren't there, Matsuno?"

Osomatsu's eyes widened. He knew what happened, he knew no matter what he said it wouldn't matter, but he had the urge to defend himself despite knowing how hopeless it was, "N-no, they weren't there before..! I swear they- I checked and they weren't there," there was frustration and desperation in his voice, but he didn't raise it.

"If that's true, why are they there? Did you just want to 'rebel' or waste my time?"

"What..N-..no! Someone must've taken them and put them back to bother me or something-"

"That's enough," She raised her hand to show him to stop, "You won't be trouble but put your indoor shoes on and get to class." With that she headed back into the building.

Osomatsu felt his face warm, and once she was out of sight, a student spoke up, "Hey Miss! He was telling the truth! It must've been one of his 'brothers' that took it and brought it back, like what's his name? Bullshitmatsu?" It was immediately followed by his own laughter and the laughter of other students. From what he can tell, most of the laughing students were in his year, people he's seen and recognized, and who he assumed were the underclassmen, had confused faces.

Osomatsu suddenly felt claustrophobic, as if the room was closing in on him. There was more comments and jokes followed after that, many around him. All he could see was them getting closer, he could only hear their voices, the comments, the taunting, laughing. He wasn't sure if this was real or his wrong messed up mind that's making him see even more worse things, but it was suffocating. His face was now hot while his eyes were getting watery. Osomatsu looked so weak, he still does and it's pathetic, it's humiliating. He had to leave, he had to get away. He had to run.

Without further self convincing he put his hood on and darted out through the building door and started to quickly pace through the street.

"Osomatsu-niisan are you okay? Where are you going?!"

"Are we really going back home after we just got here...? You do realize they were just trying to get under your skin..."

"We swear we didn't take your shoes! Let's go back!"

"C'mon that was embarrassing you should've just stayed."

"Brother, if you need to talk-"

"JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!!" Osomatsu stopped in his tracks. "why....why are you here...? Why do you exist...? I know you all aren't REAL, I know you're all made up and have never existed, that you aren't my 'brothers' so WHY?!"

"Niisan...we're here to help, we don't want to-"

Osomatsu turned around to face them, tears threatening to fall, "Help?! That's what you say but if you wanted to help you wouldn't be here! You're all the reasons I'm like this and that shit like that happens, that I'm a god damn freak!

"You want to help?! Then go away! Disappear forever and get out of my life, stop ruining it! And if...if you can't even do that...at least shut up and leave me alone...stop..stop talking." He was tired of getting frustrated and angry, of people, of his brain, of himself and his feelings. Osomatsu continued his stride home, that's all he wanted to do, get home and forget this awful day.

The five stayed behind and moved when there was a certain distance between them and Osomatsu. "Choromatsu-niisan....do you think he'll forgive us or talk to us again...?"

"Why of course he would Jyushimatsu," Karamatsu replied instead, "This isn't the first it's happened and won't be the last, but they always end the same-"

"Really..? Do you really think it will...?" They all stared at Ichimatsu, who started taking the lead in their walking, "This time...this time felt different, and I know you all felt it... He's said worse things but not like this...we all know how the last huge outburst was like.."

Osomatsu has had many, but they knew exactly which one. It might be the reason why what they said in school really got to him, enough to break his charade and even make him want to cry. Choromatsu shook his head, "I know, but we pulled through. He needs us, this is the reason why we're here, for when he feels like this. We need to help him."

"But..isn't he right?" Todomatsu shyly spoke up, "He did get upset because of us. Maybe without us he wouldn't get pranked so much.."

"Well, it already happened," Choromatsu responded, "Now, we just need to be there. Maybe it was our fault, like all the times he's said it was, but we can't leave him. We can't let him feel alone no matter how or where, he needs us.

"Now let's go catch up, we're almost home."