Bike Onii-san and Scooter Onii-san
Pairing: Sakumiya, NinoxOC, NinoxYuriko, OhnoxSatomi (mentioned), OT5 (implied)
Genre: Slice of life, Fluff, Work AU, (attempted) Humor
Rating: PG
Word count: around 12k
Summary: A story about a joint project between Rainbow Daycare and Sunny Nursing Home. And *whisper* I just wanna make Sho suffers *evil smirk*
Note: This is the first (and maybe last) fanfic I ever wrote. Unbetaed, only checked the grammar and spelling using MS Word proofing tool and Grammarly lol. English isn’t my first language so forgive me for any plot hole and mistake kyaaa~ This idea has been haunting me for months till I couldn’t sleep and decided to write it. This fic is inspired by Sosuke and his mom in Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo on the Cliff, along with the daycare and the nursing home (you should watch it, it’s a masterpiece), a video about intergenerational care, and Sakumiya wearing the apron in their latest Gekkan Arashi. There was an OC character, Ninomiya Hironari, that is inspired by Nino’s chibi photo and Ponyo’s Sosuke. If you can’t imagine Sosuke, just imagine Smol Nino instead XD I intended to use only Sho POV, but finally, I use Nino POV too. ‘The home’ refers to the nursing home. I hope you can enjoy reading it as much as when I write it. Comments and constructive criticisms are very welcomed 😊 PS: I put some puns. Go figure!
"Ohayou gozaimasu! Wake up, fighter! Let's have a new adventure today!"
"Yes, yes~ Ohayou~ gozaimasu, Pii-chan," a man answered the call and turned off Pii-chan the alarm. He let a big yawn and stretched his stiff back.
"It's another slow day for me, I guess," he folded his futon, "Hiro, wake up. It's 7."
"Five more minutes, Kazuuuu," he heard the 5-year-old boy's voice.
"No. We'll be late and you don't know how long is 5 minutes tho. Let's go."
"Yeeeeeeessssss," Hiro let a big yawn and stretched his body.
"You indeed are my mini-me," Kazu chuckled and walked to the bathroom.
"Ah! We have a new sensei today!"
"In your school? How do you know?"
"Masaki-sensei told me," Hiro answered.
"You shouldn't believe everything he said, Hiro," Kazu brushed his teeth and washed his face, "Why does Aiba-shi like to spill the tea like that?" Kazu mumbled.
"But he was so~ excited when he told us. I guess it's not fake news," Hiro dried his chubby face, "And he's my sensei after all."
"Aaahhh, yes, yes. Let's change your clothes, have a super speed breakfast, and we're ready to go!"
"Yes!"
A super speed breakfast was a warm toast with strawberry jam and a glass of milk. He was guilty that he couldn't serve a nutritious breakfast for themselves, but it was better than nothing right?
"I'm so excited to meet the new sensei."
"We have to go faster today then. Come on!" Kazu checked Hiro's belonging, "Your hat, your socks, your shoes, your bag. Okay. My bag, my key, my helmet. Okay. Let's have a new adventure today!"
"Hahahaha, you sound like Pii-chan!"
"Oops, I guess so," Kazu chuckled while opened their apartment door, "You go downstairs first while I-"
"Haru!" Hiro yelled and ran downstairs.
"Oh. He left." He shook his head, locked their apartment, and took his blue scooter out from the garage.
"Hiro, wear your helmet! Good morning, Matsuda-san. Good morning, Haru."
"My, my, Hiro looks so excited today," Matsuda-san said.
"I'll have a new sensei at my school!" Hiro answered.
"Oh, have a nice day then."
"Hiro, come on. You can play with Haru after school."
"After school is too long. I need more playtime with Haru. Right?" Haru, Matsuda-san's shiba dog, barked and wiggled her coiled tail.
"We should go, or else you won't meet your new sensei."
"Wait~"
"Ninomiya Hironari-san." If Kazu has called his full name, he must be doomed.
"Okay, okay," Hiro pouted, "Let's go, Ninomiya Kazunari-san."
"My, my, have a safe trip!"
"Yes!" answered Kazu and Hiro, "Start the engine, and go!" Kazu's scooter passed through the quiet road.
Kazu- or Nino, and Hiro lived in Hakone. It had lots of hills and mountains. Nino worked as a caregiver in a nursing home above one of the hills, while Hiro's daycare is beside Nino's workplace. His workplace was convenient as he could keep Hiro close while doing his work. And it was a lovely place as he could meet and take care of kind-hearted grandparents there.
As they’re in Hakone, they often met cycling club passing by them after doing morning exercise. Nino couldn't imagine how hard was to climb the hills and mountains by bicycle. His leg must be broken into pieces and his soft, untrained leg muscles would be very stiff.
He saw a man who was pedaling his bicycle heavily in the hill’s slope. The man looked tired of riding his bike. He wore a rather big backpack. He didn't recognize the bike and the bag, so he assumed that the man was a backpacker tourist. He slowed down his scooter and tried to talk to the man.
"Onii-san. Hey, onii-san! Are you okay? Where do you go? Do you need a ride?"
"Oh, hhhhh- good morning. Hhhhh- It's okay, I'm fine," the man answered breathlessly, "I just- hhhhh- want to try this track. I'm going to go to the hill."
"We're in the same way, then. How about I give you a ride? But you should put this boy on your lap." As a caregiver, it's an instinct to take care of people like this.
"No, hhhhh- thank you for your concern. I'm sorry for making you worry- hhhhh. But I want hhhhh- to challenge myself. I hope we could meet at the summit. Ahahahaha rhyme unintended."
"Hmmm weird," Nino shrugged, "Okay then. Have a nice day, Onii-san," Nino paced up his scooter and left the man.
"Bye-bye," Hiro, who kept silent during the meaningless convo, waved his tiny hand.
"Bye- WOW WOW, CALM DOWN!" the man tried to wave back but he lost his balance and almost fell off of his bike.
Nino peeked the man from the side mirror, "Clumsy," Nino added. "How can he live that long with that clumsiness. It's a miracle. Ah, Aiba-shi can live with that, right, Hiro?"
"Hahahahaha, Kazu is right! Masaki-sensei is clumsy."
"By the way, Hiro, let's sing the song that Masaki-sensei taught you last week."
"Yeeeessss!"
-----( o 3 o )-----
"Good morniiiiing!" Nino parked his scooter and greeted his coworker, Ohno Satoshi, who was watering the garden beside the nursing home.
"Nhiho-han, hoodh horhin!" Ohno yawned.
"Oh-chan, morning!" Hiro said.
"Hey, my Hiro!"
"Yosh!" Nino took off his helmet and Hiro's. "See you at 5, okay?"
"Okay! Bye, Kazu. Bye, Oh-chan!"
Nino saw Hiro ran to the daycare. He was greeted by Aiba in the front gate.
"Ohayou, Masaki-sensei! I'm excited to meet my new sensei!"
"Yeah, me too! He's on the way, I guess."
"Aibaka-shi! Take care of my boy, okay?" Nino yelled from the home.
"Oi, don't call me like that in front of my students!" Aiba answered and laughed.
"Yes, yes. Bye, Hiro!" Nino grinned and waved them goodbye. "You need more sleep, Oh-chan."
"But I can't stop watching the fishing videos on Tsuritube."
"Yes, you can," Nino walked to the locker room, put in his backpack, and wore his favorite apron. A mustard-colored apron. He then helped Ohno swept the front yard.
"How was your weekend?"
"Slow, as always. I painted a new creation tho. And made loaves of bread."
"Productive. I took Hiro to the park yesterday along with Haru-chan. By the way, I saw a backpacker tourist riding a bicycle just now. He said that he was going to go up to the hill. But the sun has risen and there's no interesting tourism spot here. Have you ever seen him?"
"Not yet. You ride your scooter, right? Then he must be still struggling with the track."
"Aaah, you're right. He looks like a weird and clumsy man. I'm afraid that he'd collapsed before he reaches the summit."
They heard a honking car. The car stopped in front of the lobby.
"Ah! Good morning, Chiyo-san!" Ohno greeted a 70-year-old lady who sat on the passenger seat. Ohno helped her came out from the car while Nino took her wheelchair and her bag out.
"Good morning, Oh-chan."
"How was your holiday?"
"It was fun! But I missed you guys."
"Awww, you missed me more than Oh-chan, right?"
"Oi!"
"Hahahaha, sorry for interrupting your chat but I have to go now." Chiyo-san's daughter said.
"Have a safe trip, dear!"
"Yes, Mom. Take care!"
"You, too!" Ohno and Nino bowed to the car until it was out of their sight.
"Okay. So, good morning and welcome back to Sunny Nursing Home, Chiyo-san!" Nino said.
"Good morning, my son."
"Awww I have a brand-new mom. Again." They laughed and entered the building.
Sunny Nursing Home was built on top of the hill to provide a cleaner air dan a quieter environment for elders. 30 residents live in it. Nino, Ohno, along with other 10 caregivers took care of them every day, divided into two shifts. Usually, in summer or holiday season, young volunteers were helping in the home. It aimed to make a better connection between generations and train youngsters to take care of elders.
-----( o. w o )-----
"Good morning!" The man with the bike arrived at the daycare and met the headmaster.
"Oh! Morning, Sakurai-san."
"I'm sorry I'm late. I-"
"Put down your bag, sit down, and calm your breathing first," Higashiyama Noriyuki, the headmaster, chuckled.
"Oh- I'm sorry!" the man regulated his breathing and calmed down.
"It's totally fine. You're not late at all," the headmaster reassured him, "Welcome to the Rainbow Daycare, Sakurai Sho-san."
"Excuse me, Higashi-san?" someone knocked the headmaster room's door.
"Ah! Masaki-sensei, come here. Sakurai-san, you'll be his partner in his class."
"Hello again, I'm Sakurai Sho."
"I'm Aiba Masaki. We met just now on the front gate, right?" Aiba chuckled.
Sho nodded, "Nice to meet you, Aiba-san."
"Nice to meet you too. I'm the homeroom teacher of Sunflower Class."
"Yoroshiku onegaishimasu," Sho bowed and Aiba bowed back.
"Should we go to the teacher's room first before you follow Masaki-sensei to his class?" Higashiyama-san asked.
"Yes, please," Sho nodded.
Rainbow Daycare was a public daycare in Hakone. It consisted of 4 classes; 2 classes for 0-2 years old kids and 2 classes for 3-5 years old ones. Every class was managed by 2 teachers. The daycare had a small playground in front of the building. The daily schedule started from 9 AM to 7 PM. It mainly provided childcare and basic activities, like toilet training, how to eat, drawing, simple motoric exercises, and so on.
"Sho-sensei, what if you wait outside while I open the class? I'll make the kids call you then you come in," Aiba suggested.
"Sounds great," Sho nodded. He wore his favorite navy-blue apron with a smiley face sewn on it. He was excited to meet his new students here. Aiba gave a thumb up.
"Everyone, good morning!" Aiba came into the class.
"Good morning, Masaki-sensei!"
"How are you today?"
"Sensei, look! My mom bought me a new hairband!"
"Aww, that's why you look so happy today."
"I petted Haru-chan this morning!"
"Sounds good, Hiro-kun!"
"Sensei! You said that we will have a new sensei today, right?"
"Oh, Hiro-kun remember about that. Yes, today we have a new sensei. He and Masaki-sensei will help you play and learn. Can everyone help me to call him in?"
"Yeeeesss!"
"Great. Repeat after me. Sensei, come in!"
"Sensei, come in!"
"Good morning, everyone!" Sho came in and greeted the kids.
"Ah! Bike Onii-san!" Hiro pointed Sho.
"Oh, little boy!" Sho gave a small wave to Hiro. "Oops. Hi! My name is Sakurai Sho. You can call me Sho-sensei. Masaki-sensei and I will help you to play and learn about many things. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!"
"Yeeeessss!!!"
"Okay. Let's play something today! Hmm, what should we play?" Aiba asked the kids, "Ah! Let's play the big puzzle together. We have Sho-sensei here, so I think we can finish it faster. Right, Sensei?"
"Leave it to me!"
Everyone cheered and Aiba took the big puzzle from the shelf. He spread the puzzle pieces on the floor.
"Let's start!"
"Yaaay!"
-----( o 3 o )-----
"See you tomorrow, Masaki-sensei, Sho-sensei," a girl said.
"See you, Kiko-chan! Be careful!" Aiba waved.
"Yuri-kun!" Yuri's mother called from outside of the class.
"Ah, Chinen-san. Yuri-kun, your mom has picked you up!"
"Yeeesss! See you, Sensei!" Yuri waved his hand.
Aiba waved back and went back to the class. Sho was tidying the toys and other stuff.
"How was your first day?"
"It was exciting and fun! So far, I love them. they're energetic and kind. Like you, Aiba-san."
"Ahahahaha, is that so? Well, I'm happy, then. And don't call me Aiba-san. Aiba-chan or Masa-chan is better," Aiba gave Sho a failed wink.
Sho laughed hard at it, "Aiba-chan, that's hilarious!"
"But everyone loves it! I should take something in the teacher's room. Wait for a minute, okay?"
"Okay."
Sho continued his work. Then, Sho shifted his attention to Hiro. He was still in the class and playing with a car toy.
"Hiro-kun, are your parents late?" Sho approached Hiro and played a truck toy.
"No, I always wait for Kazu like this."
"Kazu?"
"Aibaka-shi! I come to- Eh?" Nino entered the class and halted his step.
"Yes? Eh?"
"Bike Onii-san!" Nino pointed to Sho.
"Ah, Scooter Onii-san."
"Eh? Ah! You're the new sensei! Why didn't you tell me this morning? I would give a ride for you," Nino smacked Sho's arm weakly.
"Haha, it's totally fine. I've arrived here safely, thank you," Sho grinned.
"Kazu! Let's go home!" Hiro took his bag and came to Nino.
"Yeah. What do you want for dinner?"
"Katsu!" Hiro said while he put on his shoes.
"Roger that!"
"See you tomorrow, Hiro-kun," Sho waved.
"Ummm, sorry for calling you Bike Onii-san," Nino blushed. "What's your name?"
Sho chuckled, "Hiro-kun called me like that too this morning," Sho grinned, "I'm Sakurai Sho. You can call me Sho."
"Ninomiya Kazunari. You can call me Nino. Nice to meet you, Sho-san," Nino smiled.
"Nice to meet you, too, Nino-san."
"Sensei, bye-bye!"
"Bye!"
Everything went smoothly for Sho. He could adapt to his new students and coworkers quickly. He was humble and lovable so that he was easy to approach. He was a fast learner and a hard worker too. He knew that male kindergarten teachers were rare, so he made sure that he had competencies for that job.
Beside Higashiyama-san and Aiba, he had another male coworker. He was the daycare's nutritionist; Matsumoto Jun. Jun planned and prepared the kids' meal every day based on their age and their nutrition intake. Along with the cooking team, he prepared meals for the teachers and other coworkers too. Some kids had allergies so he should make sure that the food was safe for them. Everyone loved Jun's special pudding. Jun sometimes helped the cooking team to make it on a special occasion, like on sports day or Christmas.
"The bike onii-chan is your teacher," Nino and Hiro had a katsu dinner at home, bought from the nearby shop.
"Yup. He helped us to complete the big puzzle. Even Masaki-sensei couldn't finish it."
"There's something wrong with Aiba-shi's brain. He leaves it at home," Nino shook his head.
"Hahahaha, Masaki-sensei is kind so it's fine."
"He's a kind-hearted-but-a-bit-idiot man," Nino chewed his katsu, "Hmm, it's delicious!"
"Yes! Can we buy this again someday?"
"Of course! Cheap and delicious foods bring double happiness, right?" Nino patted Hiro's head.
-----( o. w o )-----
"Nino-chan, can you take me to the park?" Chiyo-san asked.
"Eh? This early? Sure."
Nino and Chiyo-san often went to the park in the afternoon before Nino's shift ended. So, it was rare when Chiyo-san asked to go to the park in the morning. It's been a while since they enjoyed the morning air and the warm sunlight aside from the home. Some people greeted them on the way. After 10 minutes of walking, they arrived there. Nino secured Chiyo-san's wheelchair and he sat on the bench.
"I love the fresh air and bird chirping sounds. I wish I could take my late husband here."
"Yeah, that'd be a good day, for sure. Your husband definitely would be happy."
"Don't you want to jog here? Or just walking? Like them?" She pointed on the people near her.
"No, I should reserve my energy for today," Nino grinned.
"You're still young but I seldom see you exercise. You should maintain your health by doing simple exercises, Nino-chan."
"I do exercise, Chiyo-san," Nino chuckled, "I'm just too lazy today."
"At least, do stretching. You'll have a backache like me if you don't exercise enough," Chiyo-san scolded him and Nino just laughed weakly.
They heard children's excited voices and men voices getting louder. Unexpectedly, Aiba and Sho along with their students entered the park. Seemed that they had a routine playtime here. After the kids listened to the explanation from their teachers, they ran and played with everything they saw. Aiba and Sho watched over them playing. Some kids were making a sandcastle, playing soccer, collecting rocks, and playing on the slide.
"It looks tiring, teaching kids like that. I'm sure that I can't keep up with their energy level. Taking care of elders are more convenient as you don't move that fast," Nino chuckled.
"But you have Hiro, right?"
"Yes, that's why I know how difficult it was," Nino whined.
"Ah! That's him," Chiyo-san found Hiro playing tag with his friend.
"Just seeing him run that fast, I could feel my joints cracking and popping," Nino winced.
Chiyo-san laughed, "I miss my grandchildren. They're all grown-up now. I miss playing or just talking with them. Ah, the good old days." Nino saw a glint of sadness in her eyes. Chiyo-san always looked happy and smiley. She missed her grandchildren.
"Kazu!" Hiro recognized Nino from afar and came to him.
"Hey," Nino patted his little head.
"Good morning, Chiyo-san," Hiro bowed.
"Good morning, Hiro-kun."
"What are you doing here?" Hiro asked.
"Just enjoying the morning like you and your friends," Chiyo-san said. "Why don't you play again with your friends?"
"Hiiiiro-kun, come on!" Hiro's friend called him.
"Yeees!" Hiro answered his friend, "See you!" He waved and went back to play.
They only met for a short time, but Nino could see Chiyo-san looked different. She was beaming with a smile again.
"You sure like children, Chiyo-san. Is that why you ask me to take you here now?" Nino smirked.
"Is that obvious?" Chiyo-san was shy. "I love to see them playing on the daycare's playground, but sometimes I can't see them. It'd be nice if they could play with us at home eventually." That gave Nino an idea.
"Chiyo-san, can you wait here for a second? I'll be right back." Nino ran toward Aiba and Sho's direction.
"Sure. Don't be too long, dear!"
"Aiba-shi! Sho-san!" Nino called them.
"Nino! Good morning!" Aiba hugged him tightly.
"Ugh, let me go, you baka!" Nino hit Aiba's head playfully.
"Haha, sorry!"
"Good morning, Nino-san," Sho greeted him politely.
"What are you doing? I never see you here in the morning," Aiba asked.
"Do you see a grandma on a wheelchair right there? Her name is Chiyo-san. Can you guys do me a favor?" Aiba and Sho were confused but nodded.
"What did you do just now?" Chiyo-san asked.
"Ah... Just said hi to Hiro's teachers. We only meet when I pick him up," Nino grinned. "Do you still want to sit here?"
"Yes, I guess until they go back to the daycare. Can I?"
"Of course," Nino smiled.
They saw Aiba and Sho called their students and they surrounded them. Then, they walked to the park gate. At least that was Chiyo-san thought.
"Ah, they will go back. We should go back too."
"Don't go yet, just wait for them," Nino smiled.
The kids walked at first, but Hiro was too excited and ran fast toward Chiyo-san. His friends joined him and she was surprised. They stopped in front of her with a smile on their face.
"Good morning, Chiyo-san, Ninomiya-san!" The kids greeted them cheerfully. She was surprised by their sudden encounter.
"Good morning, Chiyo-san. I'm Sakurai and this is my workmate, Aiba. We're their teachers."
"Ninomiya-san said that you love children so he asked us to meet you here. And they're excited to meet you too. Right, everyone?" Aiba said.
"Yeeeesss!"
"Chiyo-san! Let's play!" Hiro said enthusiastically and his friends cheered happily.
Chiyo-san was smiling from ear to ear, surrounded by the boys and girls. The kids were happy because they got a new experience of playing with someone far older than them and aside from their family. Nino, Sho, and Aiba were happy with their small experiment result.
"You guys don't need to mention me tho," Nino was shy but smiling.
"It was your idea, right? We should mention you," Aiba patted his shoulder.
"You're a good observant, Nino-san. As expected of a caregiver," Sho turned to him. Nino thanked him and the three men continued to watch them play.
It was only 10 minutes but they got along pretty quickly. They all walked back together with a new feeling of happiness. Chiyo-san and Nino said goodbye to the kids when they arrived at the home.
"Chiyo-san looks happier. What did you do in the park?" Ohno asked.
"We met Aiba-shi and Sho-san's students there and we played together a bit."
"Sho-san is Hiro's new teacher, right? The clumsy man?" Nino laughed and nodded.
"I think the elders would be happy if we invite the kids here to play or just... socialize? I think kids have a different approach on how to get along with the elders than us or other volunteers."
"Whoa, since when you have that opinion?" Ohno chuckled, "You dislike kids, right?"
"I only like Hiro and it's still the same, but this morning's incident gave me an idea about that. What do you think?"
"Hmmm, what about you tell your idea in the monthly meeting next week? Or you just tell the director."
"Sounds good. Thank you, Oh-chan."
-----( o 3 o )-----
Nino searched for information about his idea on the internet and found out about the intergenerational care project. The concept between the project and Nino's idea were similar in some aspects. He found some short videos about the project too. Two days later, he proposed his idea to the nursing home director, Joshima Shigeru. He approved the idea and agreed to try it. They discussed more the detail that day.
In the following week, Nino explained his fixed idea about the project in the monthly meeting. His coworkers seemed to agree with his idea. He got feedback from them too. After that, Joshima-san invited Higashiyama-san, along with his employees, to have a joint meeting about the project. Everyone decided to try the idea of using one class first, Sunflower class, and they would do it on Mondays. The teachers and the caregivers planned a full-day activity and the timetable for both the elders and kids, while the nutritionists and the head cooks planned the meal set. They hoped that this project would be successfully executed.
Today was the first day of their project. Nino and other caregivers already told the elders that they would have a special visitor and they would meet in the hall room. They were confused but still happy nonetheless. Nino was excited to see the elders' happy face like when he saw Chiyo-san's. He was nervous too, as he didn't know how to handle a lot of kids. He waited for the kids and their teachers in the front office. Then he saw them walking to the home.
"Good morning, Nino-san," Sho said. Aiba waved from behind his students.
"Good morning, Sho-san, Aiba-shi," Nino nodded and waved back. "Let's go quietly. They've waited for you."
Nino let them in and guided them to the hall room. The kids were excited and smiling since they were in the daycare. They diligently put their shoes off and put them to a small shelf in the locker room.
"I'll open the door and talk to them. Then, when I give your sensei the cue, you go in. Just simply go in and don't run, okay? Get it?" Nino explained the plan.
"Yes," the teachers and the kids whispered and nodded. Nino gave a thumb up. Nino opened the hall's door and the elders focused their attention to him.
"Sorry for making you wait. Your special visitors have arrived. Please welcome, Sunflower Class!"
The teachers and the kids entered the hall. Chiyo-san and other elders were shocked to meet a lot of kids. They were speechless but started to clap.
"Good morning, grandma and grandpa!" The kids were excited to meet them.
"We're from Rainbow Daycare. Every Monday, we will meet you here all day to spend our time with you. My name is Aiba Masaki."
"And I'm Sakurai Sho. Please treat us well," they bowed to the elders.
Nino explained their activity. "We've divided you all into small groups. Today, you can introduce yourself to your group and talk about everything you want. Just socialize with each other. You will have the same afternoon nap, lunchtime, and snack time. Got it?" Everyone agreed and cheered.
As they only did talk sessions, the carers watched over them from the room's corners. So far, they got along pretty well. Laughter could be heard here and there. Some groups even tried to sing along the nursery rhymes. The afternoon nap time came. The carers spread the kids' futon in the hall. Some elders helped with the nap set and waited for the kids to sleep. Then they took a nap in their room.
It was time for the carers to have a break. They had lunch together in the pantry and shared about their first impression on this project.
"I never expected that the elders would be that excited and cooperative with the kids," one of the carers said.
"The kids bring a refreshing feeling, it feels different from the older volunteers," Ohno added.
"They sound like a group of dinosaurs," Nino said and everyone glared at him. "I'm sorry, but they're loud. I'm afraid that some elders would be uncomfortable with loud sounds. But I'm happy as long as the elders are happy too. If this is the engagement they need, we should provide it."
"Our students are human, Nino-san, "Sho chuckled. "I think it's a good project to increase the elders' engagement with the generations below them. They can meet each other almost every day. It's different from the volunteers as they only come for a short time," Sho said.
"We should plan many fun activities for them. Even making origami looks exciting for me now," Aiba added and everyone nodded.
"Maybe we can dig more good memories from them?" Nino asked.
"I think so, as the elders will recall the memories when they meet the kids. We can also fight against their dementia with this," Ohno smiled.
"And maybe we should arrange the activities that don't require the dinosaur’s roar," Sho said and everyone laughed. Joshima-san overheard their convo and smiled wide. He felt like he had started something great with everyone here.
-----( o. w o )-----
The project went well according to the initial plan. The carers planned on Saturdays and executed it on Mondays. They arranged many different activities for the elders and kids; like making origami, singing nursery rhymes, storytelling, drawing, playing toys, and so on. The kids indirectly made the elders do exercises, like stretching hands and body, walking, playing in the garden, and moving their legs.
The kids learned about taking care of elders too, like how to wipe their face, call the emergency numbers, put the scarf, and comb their hair. They were always excited when the elders told folklore stories or their childhood memories. They were curious and liked to ask questions, including the weird questions that made everyone laughed. 'Curious mini dinos,' Nino called them and got a double smack from Aiba and Sho. The kids learned a lot and the elders sometimes forgot about their physical limitations. Everyone was just having fun and getting closer to each other.
Not only the elders and kids, but the carers also shared lots of new bits of knowledge and life hacks on taking care of people. Kazama Shunsuke, the nursing home's nutritionist, and Jun often shared about simple, delicious, but nutritious recipes. Sho and Nino were getting closer too. Little that they knew that they were observing and interested in each other. At first, they only met when Nino picked Hiro up and the weekly planning. But they started to interact more for work and other things. Nino often messaged Sho about the elders' thoughts and used those to improve their plan.
"I start to like kids, thanks to this project," Nino said after the weekly planning. Everyone went home already and they were still there to prepare the material for next Monday.
"Eh? I thought that Nino-san likes kids all this time?" Sho responded.
"No. I only like Hiro."
Sho chuckled, "You look patient and soft when taking care of them."
"Because I don't want them to scream and cry and make the elders uncomfortable. But I think I start to understand kids after doing this for some times."
"Kids are fast learners and quite observant. Yesterday, Yuri-kun said that he wanted to make a folding fan as an early summer gift for Azumi-san."
"Ah, she tends to sweat more in hot weather, indeed. How considerate."
"I learn a lot about elders and their lives too."
"They're genuinely happy and look healthier, you know. They even ask you guys to come more often."
"Should we add one more day for them?"
"I don't think so, at least for now," Nino shook his head and Sho laughed.
"You said that you like kids now."
"Only this much," Nino made a small pinch gesture. They were busy with their things and the convo faded out.
"Ummm, Nino-san, I will have dinner after this. Wanna join?"
"Sorry, I've made a promise with Hiro and his mom. We will have dinner at home tonight. I missed her cooking."
"Oh. Okay, sorry about that."
"It's fine, maybe after the next weekly planning?"
"Yeah, sure," Sho smiled.
"Sho-san, I thought you already have a girlfriend?"
"Hahahaha, no, I'm single. I'm not interested in any relationship for now..."
"Oh..." Nino nodded. "Alright, see you next week!"
"See you, Nino-san!" Sho waved and sighed heavily. "That's what you get when you like a wrong person, huh? Yosh, let's go home and have a solo dinner," Sho smiled bitterly.
-----( o 3 o )-----
“Nino-sensei, can you help me fix this?” Kasumi-chan forgot how to make crane origami and she folded it wrong.
“Hmmm, how about you try to fix it yourself first? Or ask the grandpa in your group?” Nino crouched down and asked back.
“But I’m too afraid to ask him…”
“Awww,” Nino patted her head. “Call his name first, and ask him like when you asked me just now. It’s okay, you can do it. He’s a bit weird but will help you.”
“But I’m still afraid…”
Sho came to them, “What’s the matter, Kasumi-chan?”
“She’s afraid of Enomoto-san,” Nino explained to him and Kasumi-chan nodded.
Sho chuckled, “Don’t worry, he likes smart and brave kids like you. Don’t forget to smile and ask for his help politely.”
“Can Sensei go with me and hold my hand? I think I can ask for him if Sensei hold my hand,” Kasumi-chan held Nino’s hand.
“Eh? Sho-sensei?” Nino panicked.
“Don’t worry, some kids need a little support like that,” Sho reassured him.
“Hmm, okay then. Let’s go.”
Nino accompanied her to Enomoto-san. “Don’t forget to smile,” Nino reminded her and she nodded.
“Enomoto-jiichan… Can you help me fix my origami?” She smiled while holding Nino’s hand tightly.
“… Sure. Where’s your origami?” Kasumi-chan looked up at Nino and beamed a bright smile.
“See? He’ll help you, right?”
“Yes! Thank you, Enomoto-jiichan! Nino-sensei!”
Nino’s cheek was tinted pink and looked down, “You’re welcome.” He looked at Sho and grinned. Sho nodded and smiled back.
‘Yabai, he’s handsome.’
-----( o. w o )-----
“Um, excuse me! Aiba-chan?”
“Sorry, Aiba-san is still in the teacher’s room. What can I do for you, Ms …”
“Ah! I’m Ninomiya Yuriko. You must be Sho-sensei, right? Hiro often talks about you.”
“Hiro-kun’s mom! Yes, nice to meet you. Do you want to pick him up?”
“Yes. It’s been a while since I went here.”
“Where is Ninomiya-san?”
“He said that he’s still accompanying an elder for medical checkup. Today is my day off, so I guess I can pick Hiro up. He said that he already left a message for Sensei,” Sho checked his phone and nodded.
“Oh, yes. I’ll let Hiro know. Hiro-kun, your Mommy has picked you up!”
“Mommy? MOMMY!” Hiro ran and hugged Yuriko.
“Hey, my boy! Let’s go home with me!”
“Yes!”
“Take your bag first and put your shoes on, Hiro-kun!” Sho chuckled.
“See you, Sho-sensei!” Hiro waved quick and held his mom’s hand tightly. Sho waved back and went back to the class.
“Ninomiya Yuriko…”
“Sho-chan! Nino messaged me that Hiro-kun’s mom will pick him up,” Aiba came back from the teacher’s room.
“Yes, they just went home.”
“Aaaah, too bad. I missed her. Will she pick him up tomorrow?”
“Do you know her?”
“Obviously. She’s my student’s mom, Sho-chan,” Aiba laughed. “Moreover, Nino’s family is like my family, too.”
“Ah, yeah, sure,” Sho nodded. “Family…”
-----( o 3 o )-----
"Everyone, pay attention to me! Do you have something or someone special?" Aiba asked the kids.
"What is special, sensei?" Hiro-kun asked.
"Hmmm, special is something or someone you treasured so much. You love it more than anything in the world."
"Like my frog plushie?" Keiko-chan answered.
"Yes! What else do you have?"
"I have a pair of beautiful red shoes at home!" Haruka-chan raised her hand and answered.
"Awww it must be really special for you, right?"
"My grandma and grandpa are special!" Yuri-kun answered.
“Sho-sensei is special!” Tatsuya-kun answered aloud and everyone laughed.
"Yes. Everyone has something special in their lives. So today, I want you all to draw that special thing. Then, you can tell Masaki-sensei and Sho-sensei what makes it special in front of the class. Do you get it?"
"YES!"
"Good! We have something special to tell you too, so let's draw it together!"
"Yeeeessss!"
Everyone, including Aiba and Sho, started drawing on their paper. Some kids drew things like toys, seashells, and plushies. Other kids drew people, like their parents, friends, or even a baseball mascot. Sho, who is bad at drawing, tried to draw his special thing too. The class became quiet as they concentrated to draw.
"Sensei, what is that? Two pizzas and sticks?" Kento-kun asked. Everyone stopped and stared at Sho's drawing.
"No! It's a bike, my bike!" Sho pouted, "Can't you see it's my special red bike outside, Kento-kun?" Sho pointed toward his bike.
Kento-kun shook his tiny head, "No. It looks like a topping-less pizza. Sho-sensei is bad at drawing, right?"
Laughter exploded in their class and Sho pouted at first but let big laughter after that. He finished his drawing and decided to look at the others. He then saw Hiro's. Hiro drew three people. He focused on his paper till he didn't realize that Sho was approaching him.
"Hiro-kun, what are you drawing? It must be you, your mom, and your dad, right?"
"Ummm I draw myself, Mommy, and Kazu."
"Oh, so Kazu... is your dad?" Sho asked the boy with a big curiosity in his mind, hoping the impossible that Nino was still single.
"Noooo. Kazu is Kazu."
"Okay, so Kazu is Kazu. Not your dad." He wasn't satisfied with the answer and it made him more confused.
"Yes. When Mommy goes to work, Kazu will prepare my breakfast and take me to the school by his shoota!"
"Scooter," Sho chuckled.
"Yes, that, Sensei. And we'll go home together at five!"
"Hmmm, it sounds interesting. Try to tell your friends about Mommy and Kazu, okay?"
"Eeeeehhh, nooo," Hiro shook his head and pouted, "I can't."
"Why?"
"It's embarrassing. They will laugh at me."
"Who said that? Did I laugh at your story just now?"
"Ummm no..."
"So are your friends! Come on, you can do it!"
"Really?"
"Yes, I'm sure!" Sho gave the reassuring smile.
"Maybe I'll try it." Hiro let a small smile on his face.
"Shooo-sensei! Masaki-sensei! My drawing is done!" Kento-kun said.
"Me too!" another girl answered.
"Okay, everyone! Who has done with the drawing?" Aiba asked the kids and most of them raised their hand.
"So, let's start telling your story!" Sho said, "Who wants to be the first?"
"Me!" A girl with a cute twin tail raised her hand.
"Great! Let's listen to Kiko-chan's story!"
-----( o. w o )-----
"Aiba-chan, I want to ask your advice about something."
"Sure! Is it about the kids?"
"No, it's about me- Ah, no, my friend."
"Okay, what can I do for your friend?"
"So, my friend is liking someone. He likes his coworker but as far as he knows, the man he likes is already married. He even has a child too. My friend knows that it'll be impossible to be with him, but somehow, he wants to tell his feeling to his coworker. What should he do?"
"Hmmm, this is complicated. I'm against love affairs, but unrequited love hurts so bad. I think your friend should tell his coworker about that. I know the chance is zero, but your friend can live in relief as he has confessed. It'll be awkward at first, but I think they'll interact normally as the time goes.”
Sho thought deeply, "So he should confess, no matter what happens."
Aiba nodded, "No matter what happens."
"Even though he'll be dumped?"
"Even though he'll be dumped."
"Thank you, Aiba-chan. I- My friend will appreciate it."
"You're welcome," Aiba smiled. "By the way, have you prepared a draft for tomorrow's planning?"
"Um, yeah. How about a puppet show?"
"Sounds great! Or making sock puppets?"
"That's great too!" Sho grinned and thought again about Aiba's advice. He should confess sooner before everything got more complicated.
He was doing his laundry when he got a message from Nino.
Subject: Dinner
To: pyonchan.shochan@xxxx.jp
From: ninonanoni@xxxx.jp
Hi, Sho-san,
Do you still wanna have dinner with me on Saturday? I have a favorite ramen shop near my home. You should try it!
Nino
"Oh no, I forget that have a dinner invitation with him. What should I do?" Sho facepalmed.
[Yeah, of course. After weekly planning?]
[Yes. I'll bring my spare helmet so we can go there on my scooter. You can leave your bike in the home.]
"EH? EEEEHHH? He will drive me?" Sho panicked and paced around in front of his washing machine.
[I can't go to work without it, Nino-san. How about I go home by myself, put my bike at home, and you pick me up there? Then we can go together to the shop.]
[Your bike is light, right? How about you hold it while I'm driving you to your home, put your bike, and we can go together? I think it's more convenient.]
"This is not gonna happen! What should I do? What?" Sho freaked out. "Okay, calm down, Sho. Calm down and think. Think clearly. What's the best option? What's the best? Wait. Why are you overexcited about an ordinary dinner invitation? He's married already, Sho. No hope for you." Sho sighed.
[I choose your option, Nino-san. My home isn't too far from the hill. I guess I can hold my bike for a while.]
[Great! See you at the weekend :)]
[Yeah, see you :)]
Sho felt giddy and whistled his favorite song to loosen his tension. He couldn't hold back his grin.
-----( o 3 o )-----
"Are you ready, Sho-san?"
"Yes."
"Helmet?"
"Check."
"Your bag?"
"Check."
"Your wallet?"
"Check."
"Your bike?"
"Check."
"Okay, here we go. Don't move too much as it's a bit difficult to keep the balance."
"Okay."
"It's totally fine to hold me if you're afraid of losing the balance."
"O- okay."
The dinner date- no, the invitation was happening. They had dinner together in Nino's favorite shop. Sho kept holding his bike and watched Nino's back. He was never this close with Nino. Nino looked soft in his jacket. He never realized that Nino smelt homey. He smelt different from any other day. The night breeze calmed down his heartbeat and his blushed face.
After dropping off Sho's bike, they continued their way to the shop. The shop was small but the rich broth scent could be smelt from outside the door. It was appetizing. They went in and were welcomed by the owner.
"Irasshai- Oh! Kazu!"
"Matsu-nii! Good evening!"
"Oooh, who's the handsome guy you bring here?"
"He's my new coworker."
"I'm Sakurai Sho. Please call me Sho. Nice to meet you," Sho bowed.
"He works at the daycare, Aiba-shi's workmate."
"Finally, that scatter-brained teacher has a partner," Matsu-nii laughed.
"Yes," Nino chuckled. " Matsu-nii, the usual. Sho-san?"
"One miso ramen."
"Okay~ The usual and one miso ramen are on board~!"
He sat in front of Matsu-nii and Nino sat on his left. He looked around the small shop. It was like other ramen shops but somehow it felt special because it was Nino's favorite. He couldn't help but chuckle every time he called his name.
"Sho-san, is there something funny?" Nino burst his mind bubble and he blushed.
"Eh, hahaha, no. You bring me here to taste your favorite food. I'm honored."
"Ah, never mind. Everyone in Hakone knows this place. As you've become a Hakone resident, you should know Matsu-nii's place. Right, Matsu-nii?"
"Of course! We have some ramen menu as you can see there and seasonal desserts."
"Desserts?" Sho's eyes were bright when he heard 'desserts'.
"Yes, like cold pudding and stuff."
"What's your recommendation? I wanna try it!" Matsu-nii gave an OK sign and yelled the new order to the kitchen.
"You like desserts?" Nino asked.
"Yes! I like everything," Sho grinned.
"That boy beside you is a picky eater. He won't eat raw things, even a raw egg," Matsu-nii joined them.
"I'm bad with raw things, the smell is disturbing," Nino whined.
"That's why you're that small. Look at me, I'm bulky because I eat everything hahahahaha."
"You're bulky because you knead that noodle every day."
"Hahahaha, but I can't knead if I don't have energy. So, I need to eat a lot and everything. Right, Sho-san?" Sho laughed and nodded.
Their order has arrived. Sho looked at Nino's bowl.
"Hot tantanmen? In early summer?"
"Yup. I can eat tantanmen throughout the year. This is my usual. You can try mine if you want. This is super delicious!" Sho nodded and took a slurp. The taste was mind-blowing and he was speechless.
"Matsu-nii! This is maximum delicious! 5 stars! No! 10 stars!"
Matsu-nii laughed and clapped. "Try your miso ramen too."
Sho tried his noodles and as expected, he couldn't contain his excitement.
"I don't wanna go home. I want to live here." Other customers laughed at Sho and he was embarrassed. Nino held his laugh.
"Wait till your pudding come, Sho-san."
"Oh! Oh! Now I'm getting more excited!"
"Sho-san, you're cute," Nino laughed. "He looks more like a kindergartener than a teacher, right?"
"Yup! I like your spirit, Sho-san. You can help me here with that spirit hahahahaha," Sho laughed back heartily.
They had fun in Matsu-nii's place. The place was filled with 'Umai!' 'It's rich in flavor!' and other praises from Sho. They were full of food and joy. Sho even forgot about his overthinking yesterday. He was happy to learn something new about Nino. But good time indeed flew fast.
"Thank you so much for tonight, Nino-san. Tell Matsu-nii I said hi when you go there again."
"Yeah. Then, I should go home now."
"Nino-san..." Sho trailed off. Should he confess right now?
"Hm?"
"I... Nothing. Be careful and send my hello to Hiro-kun and... Yuriko-san."
"Got it! See you!" Nino waved and Sho waved back.
Sho sighed heavily when Nino was gone. “You're coward,” Sho cursed himself.
-----( o. w o )-----
“Ah, Nino-san. Hiro-kun, Kazu has picked you up!” Sho called Hiro. “What’s wrong? Your face is red. Do you have a fever?” Sho asked worriedly.
“No. no, no. Blame the sunset color hahahaha.”
“Okay, I’m done. Let’s go, Kazu!” Hiro called him.
“Bye!” Sho waved to them.
“…Yup. See you, Sho-san!” Nino waved and went away with a heavy feeling. He held Hiro’s hand tightly.
“Kazu? Are you sick? Your hand is sweaty,” Hiro said. “Kazu? Kazu?”
“Sorry, Hiro. Can you wait for a second? I need to talk to Sho-sensei.” He didn’t wait for Hiro to answer and ran back to the class.
“Sho-san? Sho-san!”
“Yes, did Hiro leave something?”
“No. The truth is… I… I like you.”
“… What?”
“I like you since some months ago. Will you go out with me?”
Sho frowned, “Are you serious? You don’t pull a prank on me, right?”
“No, not at all. I’m serious. You don’t have to answer my confession right now. You can take your time. Think about it carefully before you decide.”
Sho frowned again. “Okay, I’ll give you the answer as soon as possible. As you said, I’ll think about it carefully. And… thank you for liking me,” Sho smiled and Nino nodded.
“Yeah. I should go home now. Hiro is waiting for me. Bye, Sho-san,” Nino bowed quickly and ran back to Hiro. Nino felt better; it was like he lost burdens from his shoulders.
-----( o 3 o )-----
“Sho-sensei? Shooooo-senseeeeei!”
“Ah! Hm? What’s the matter, Hiro-kun? Sorry,” Sho woke up from his daydream.
“Are you sick? Do you want to go home?” Hiro checked Sho’s forehead.
Sho chuckled. Hiro sounded and behaved like a mini version of Nino. He even looked like Nino, “No, I was thinking about something. What can I do for you, Hiro-kun?”
“Will you come to the summer festival on Friday? Everyone is very excited about that.”
“I don’t know. Do you want to go there?”
“Obviously! My mommy even bought me a yukata! I’ll wear it at the festival.”
“Your Mom…” Sho trailed off, “Will you go with Kazu, too?”
“Yes, Kazu will go, too! Come on, Sensei, let’s go to the festival!”
Sho smiled reluctantly, “I’ll think about it, Hiro-kun.”
“Hooray! Thank you, Sensei!” Hiro hugged him.
“You’re welcome. I think I should wear a yukata, too,” Sho patted Hiro’s head.
Or so he thought.
He indeed came to the festival, but he only wanted to buy yakisoba for dinner. He went there after he finished his work, still in his checkered shirt and jeans. He was eager to go there, but he lost his motivation after Hiro’s talk about his Mommy and Nino. He still didn’t know why Nino confessed to him if Nino already had a wife and a child. He didn’t want to be the third wheel between them. He admitted that he had a feeling for Nino, but he knew that it would be impossible as Nino was a married man.
When he wanted to go home after getting yakisoba, he saw Nino walking in a navy-blue yukata. He looked gorgeous in that cloth. He wanted to call him, but he realized that Nino was talking to someone. Hiro’s mom. ‘Obviously, you idiot,’ Sho said. They were holding Hiro’s hands, talking, and laughing happily. They were a match to each other, while he was only a pathetic old man with a pathetic love story. His luck ran out when he got his job here.
He texted Nino after he was home. He would end his suffering tomorrow.
Subject: My answer
To: ninonanoni@xxxx.jp
From: pyonchan.shochan@xxxx.jp
Hi, Nino.
I’ll give my answer tomorrow night, after weekly planning. Please come to the park. I’ll wait for you at the bench when we first met before the project. Sorry for making you wait.
Sho.
“Done. Let’s do this, Sho. You got nothing to lose. Ah, no. You’re going to lose something important from you. But, it’s okay. You’ll learn something from this,” Sho talked and smiled to himself. He already made up his mind.
-----( o. w o )-----
The next day, Sho tried to be efficient and professional during weekly planning. He avoided any eye contact with Nino as many as he could, which was very hard as Nino kept staring at him. He even cleaned and tidied his class meticulously till Aiba almost slipped on the floor when he put the kids’ futon into the shelf.
“Aiba-chan, can I go somewhere now? It’d be done maybe in an hour.”
“Mm-hm, you can. But don’t be too late as I want to go to the festival with them,” Aiba looked at the carers.
“Okay, bye. I’ll be back!” Sho ran to the park and left them.
Nino went back from the toilet and noticed that Sho was missing.
“Where is Sho-san?” Nino asked.
“He said that he has to go somewhere. I think it’s something important as he runs so fast,” Aiba answered. Nino’s eyes widened. The time had come.
“I guess I should go too,” Nino took his cardigan and ran.
“Eh? Nino- Why are they running like that?”
“Nino confessed to Sho-kun some weeks ago,” Ohno answered out of nowhere.
“EEEHHHH???” Everyone was shocked.
“So, this time, Sho-chan will finally give his answer?” Aiba asked enthusiastically.
“Maybe. How about we wait for them before going to the festival?” Ohno suggested and everyone cheered.
Nino ran as fast as he could. After waiting for weeks, finally, he would get his answer. He arrived at the park and saw Sho sat on the bench, exactly the bench when they first met that morning. Sho was staring into the summer night sky. His small ambition for Chiyo-san brought him this far. ‘Yosh, it’s all or nothing!’ Nino said to himself.
“Sho-san…” Nino walked closer to Sho.
-----( o 3 o )-----
"Tell me the truth."
"What truth?" Nino sat down beside Sho.
"About you, Hiro-kun, and... And your... your wife."
"Wife?" Nino frowned, "What do you mean wife?"
"You- You're Hiro-kun's dad, right?"
"Wha-"
"Stop. Let me talk. You said that you like me but I don't want to be the third wheel in your marriage life. I don't have the heart to break Hiro-kun's life."
"Whoa, whoa, calm down, Sho-san. What do you mean marriage? Do I look like a married man?"
"Yes. With a wife and a child. Why did you confess to me if you’re already married?"
“It’s Oh-chan who encourages me to confess.”
Weeks before Nino confessed…
"Oh-chan, I think I like Sho-san," Nino said when they had a lunch break.
"Took you long enough," Ohno smiled.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Everyone can see that."
Nino blushed, "No way!"
"Yes way. The way you talk to him, your same gesture, and you often stare at him, right? Everyone can see that. Your red cheeks and ears said it all."
"Noooo, is that obvious?" Nino covered his embarrassed face.
"Yup. It's weird that you two don't realize about that."
"Uuugh, what should I do? I don't know a lot about him. What if he doesn't like men? He said that he didn't want any relationship for now..."
"It's only based on my observation, but I think Sho-kun harbors the same feeling for you."
"Seriously?"
"Mm-hm, he shows a similar gesture to you. He steals glances on you too. Sometimes he's clumsy when he's near you," Ohno chuckled.
"No, he's clumsy all the time."
"See? You're the one who refuses to accept the sign! That's why you make it more difficult."
"What should I do?"
"Just confess!"
"NO!" Nino yelled and Ohno shushed him.
“Come on, you can do it! You know that Sho-kun is single and shows a good sign at you. Just confess!
Trust me."
"I don't want to break our friendship. What if he dumps me?"
"No way, he wouldn't do that. I'm positive. And with your feeling now, you will break your friendship sooner or later."
Nino was silent. He didn't want to lose Sho but Sho would take some distance from him if the confession went wrong.
"Be honest to him and yourself. I think you guys are already mature enough to face that condition. By the way, I'm happy to see you have a love interest. It's been a long time. Micchan must be happy too."
"Eh, you talk about MY love problem with your wife? Oh-chaaaaan!" Nino slapped Ohno's arm.
"Can't help it," Ohno chuckled. "You guys are funny so I need someone to share the story. Take my advice and full support as gratitude for encouraging me back then, when I was going to propose her."
Nino sighed heavily. "I'll think about that. Tell Satomi-chan I said hi."
"Mm-hm."
"And don't discuss my love problem again," Nino pouted and Ohno laughed hard.
‘Come on, you can do it! You know that Sho-kun is single and shows a good sign at you. Just confess!’
“Easier than done, Oh-chan. Okay, take a deep breath. You can do it, Kazu. Yosh!” Nino walked to the daycare to pick up Hiro. And confessed.
“The truth is… I… I like you. You don’t have to answer my confession right now. You can take your time. Think about it carefully before you decide.”
Nino’s heart beat rapidly. He wanted to know Sho’s answer but he didn’t want to force him. He wanted Sho to accept his feeling. Things could be awkward between them if Sho didn’t have the same feeling like him. Was he wrong about interpreting Sho’s behavior toward him all this time? But he didn’t want to lie to himself, he liked Sho. It’s been a long while since he liked someone and had a boyfriend. He wouldn’t miss the chance though maybe, maybe, Sho would dump him. At least he had let Sho know about his feeling. The aftermath was secondary. It was time to do it now and do it loud.
“Ohno-san?”
"Yup. Now, I wanna hear your reasoning, Sho-san."
Sho cleared his throat, "Okay. You have the same surname, Ninomiya. Hiro-kun has a similar name to you, Hironari. Hiro-kun doesn't have a dad but has you. Hiro's description of you fits a dad's role. I know that you two always go to school and go home together. Then I saw you at the summer festival with Hiro and Hiro’s mom. You looked so happy and it was like the world was yours. She's a beautiful mom for Hiro and a beautiful wife for... you."
Then awkward silence. A long awkward silence. Nino cleared his throat and Sho was stiff. Sho’s heart beat rapidly. Half of him wasn't ready to listen to Nino's side of the story. But he wanted to know the truth.
"Okay. Okay," Nino sighed, "What's your conclusion from your reasoning?"
"You've already married and have a child."
Nino let a heavy sigh, "Did you ever see me wear a wedding ring?"
"Umm, no... But! I think that you eloped with her and lived in this quiet place, far from your parents."
Nino stared at Sho for a while. "You watch too much soap operas, Sensei."
"Huh?"
"So. You think that my nephew is my son and my sister is my wife? I thought that you're a smart man. I never expected you to be this idiot," Nino shook his head and smiled.
Another awkward silence.
"Huh? What? Nephew? Sister? But your surname- Oh my gosh... I'm-" Sho blushed like a tomato. Oh, he just wanted to shrink his body and disappear from Nino's sight.
"So. Idiot. Indeed," Nino chuckled, "Should I explain it all to you?"
Sho closed his eyes pinched the bridge of his nose. His head was spinning with questions, "Yes, please. Please enlighten me from this massive misunderstanding."
Nino chuckled again; his body relaxed. "Hiro is my nephew. He got his name because he was my first nephew in Ninomiya household. All of his cousins are girl, like mine. He lives with me because my wife," Sho pouted, "Hahahaha, my sister works as a journalist in Tokyo. She goes home usually on the weekend. When she separated with her husband, I decided to take care of Hiro so that she could continue her work in Tokyo. Hiro was 2 years old at that time. My past self wouldn't ever believe that I could raise a kid as I didn't like kids. But I see myself in Hiro. We share a similar fate. I think my unconscious mind won't let Hiro feel the same as me, losing a father figure in my life."
"I'm sorry..."
"It's okay, I get over it. We get over it. He doesn't have a dad, but as long as he has me and his mom, he'll be okay. And it isn't that bad, you know, raising him."
"Hiro is an active boy."
"Except that. My back hurts a lot from playing with him," Nino laughed.
"I can imagine that," Sho smiled. "I think you suit to be a kindergarten teacher like me."
"No, thanks. I'm not as patient as you and Aiba-shi."
"But you are, at least during the project. How did you survive during taking care of Hiro? He's rather a calm kid but every kid always has at least one tantrum, right?"
Nino nodded. "The first months were hell, but now I can handle him better as he getting older. Thanks to Matsuda-san, my landlady. She taught me how to raise a toddler. She offered herself to take care of Hiro when I should have night shifts."
Sho left his mouth agape, he needed some time to digest all the information. His expression was blank. He never expected that Hiro was Nino's nephew and Hiro's mom was Nino's sister. That's why they looked similar to each other. Why didn't he consider that possibility? Is he too jealous of Nino's sister so that it blurred his judgment?
"Sho-san? Sho-san, hello?"
"Oh my gosh... I'm really, really, sorry, Nino," Sho stood up and bowed deeply to Nino.
"Hey, it's okay! I'm sorry, too, for not explaining to you first. I assumed that you already know about that from Aiba-shi."
"That's how the misunderstanding can go this fatal," Sho chuckled, "It's embarrassing."
"Yeah, you're blushing."
"Shut up! It's your fault! You can’t see my face in the dark," Sho put his hands on his face.
"Yes, I can. You have a cute blushing face. I like it. Show it, Sho-san."
"Stop, Ninomiya! Or..."
"Or what? You'll leave me?" Nino stood up, took Sho's hands and held them.
"...No. How can I do that?" Sho pouted and mumbled.
"So... What's your answer about my confession?" Nino looked up at Sho's face.
"Can't you figure it out yourself? I'm too tired to talk right now."
"But you keep talking. Tell me the truth," Nino chuckled.
"Nooooo, stop using that sentence."
"I'll tickle you till you answer me," Nino started to tickle him.
"Okay! Okay! Ilikeyoutoo." Sho mumbled and turned his red face away from Nino.
"What?"
"Ilikeyoutoo."
"Huh? I can't hear you. Sensei, look at me. Sensei~"
"Aaargh! Fine! I like you too, Ninomiya Kazunari!"
"Awww, thank you." Nino held Sho's hands again.
"Only that? ONLY THAT?"
"Hahahaha, you're one of a kind, Sho-san. That's why I like you so much,” Nino sighed happily. “It's not one-sided, I guess."
"Yeah. Now, may you let me sit down and digest all of that information, please?"
"Yes, you may. But let me do this first."
Nino hugged Sho tight. Sho startled but hugged him back. They closed their eyes and felt each other's heartbeat. They cherished the moment on a quiet night.
"I always want to do this with you, hold you in my arms. I don't want to share you with your students.” Nino sniffed Sho’s scent. “Mmm, you're warm and smell so good. No wonder that they love being with you."
Sho swayed Nino's body slowly and stared into the starry night sky. "Does it mean that we're in a romantic relationship from now on?"
"What do you want?"
"I wanna take this easily and slowly. I wanna know more about you."
"Me too." They kept silent again for a while, drowning in their thought.
"Nino, I'm tired of standing. And it's getting late. I'm cold."
Nino looked up, "Should we go home?"
"Whose home?"
"My sister is home now with Hiro. The only option we have is yours."
"But-"
"I promise to keep my hands to myself," Nino raised his hands and grinned, "Besides, I think I need to talk more about you."
"Hmmm, you're right," Sho nodded. "Let's go, then."
"Eh?" Nino let go of Sho.
"What?"
"You let me into your home like that? You said that you want to take it slow."
"Yes, because I want to know more about you too. And you've promised me, right? I trust you."
"Ah. Yes. I'll tell Yuriko-chan first," Nino took his phone and typed something, "Okay, let's go." Nino held Sho's hand and pulled him.
"Great. Ah!"
"What's wrong?"
"Call me Sho. Without -san or Sensei."
"Kazu."
"I'm Hiro's little brother then," Sho laughed.
"Ah. Hahahahahaha."
They walked back to the daycare hand in hand.
-----( o. w o )-----
"YES!!!"
"Mom, what's wrong?"
"Ah, it's about Kazu."
"Why? Is there something good about Kazu? Why isn't he home yet?"
"He doesn't go home tonight. He has something to do with Sho-sensei."
"Eh, why? Did I do something wrong?" Hiro looked at his mom with watery eyes.
"Aww, no, Hiro. You're a good and smart boy. It's about them. It's about their happiness."
"Really?"
"Yes. Now, you sleep with Mommy, okay? Don't you miss sleeping with me?"
"Yeeesss!"
-----( o 3 o )-----
Everyone was still waiting for them in the daycare. When they saw Sho and Nino walked hand in hand, they cheered like they’ve won a lottery. As expected, the lovey-dovey pair was blushing hard but refused to let go of each other’s hand. Nino and Sho went to Sho’s home by Nino’s scooter with Sho wearing his bike helmet. ‘Safety first,’ Sho said and everyone laughed.
They talked and talked about everything all night long. Their family, favorite things, habits, and other trivia. Nino didn’t expect that Sho was born and raised in Gunma. Sho left Gunma when he pursued his tertiary education in Tokyo and lived there until recently. Sho wanted to live more peacefully so he decided to move to Hakone and worked at Rainbow Daycare.
“You lived from mountain to mountain,” Nino said and Sho let a sheepish grin.
“I guess I love to live in the mountains.”
Nino talked about his job and his past life. He was a native Hakone man. He was originally a summer volunteer at Sunny Nursing Home when he was a high school student. He found that taking care of elders was an interesting job so he came there more often. Joshima-san encouraged him to take a proper qualification to be a professional caregiver and work there since then. His favorite mustard apron was Joshima-san’s gift when he started to work as a full-time caregiver.
"Kazu, it's already 2. I'm tired and sleepy," Sho yawned.
"Me too,” Nino stretched and yawned. “Sleep?"
"Yup."
"Here?"
"If you want to sleep on my sofa, that's fine tho..." Sho mumbled.
"But..." Nino sensed Sho's hesitation.
"It... It'd be nice if you sleep in my... room."
"You said that you want to take it slow," Nino smirked.
"YES, BUT!" Sho swallowed a big lump in his throat, "It's cold in the outside and I don't want you to catch a cold."
"Reallyyyy? Only for that reason? You can lend me two blankets then. And it’s summer tho."
"But the sofa- Ugh, enough with that smirking face! I'm tired of arguing with you," Sho rubbed his face tiredly.
"That's what you'll face if you want to be with me, Sho," Nino took his hand away and held Sho's face instead. "Just tell me what you want, okay?" Sho nodded reluctantly. "What do you want?"
"I want to hug you in my sleep," Sho whispered and his face blushed.
"See? It's easy, right?"
"…But I only have a single bed."
Nino let go of Sho's face and laughed hard. He held his ached stomach from too much laughing.
"Sho, my dear, you hang around too much with kindergarteners and Aiba-shi till your brain starts to work like them," Sho frowned and pouted. "Prepare two futons. We sleep on futons. Quick!" Nino barged into Sho's room.
"YES, SIR! My futons are in the- Ah!!!"
Nino rolled his eyes annoyed, "What? What is it this time?"
"I snore. Aloud. And I toss and turn in my sleep."
"I'll hug you and keep you intact. Hiro likes that."
"Oh, okay. That's great. I'm Hiro's little brother after all," Sho laughed.
"My lovely little nephew," Nino came closer and kissed his cheek. "Oops, Hiro likes that, too," Nino hid his blushing cheeks with his sleeves. Sho shocked and touched his burning face.
“You said that you’d keep your hands to yourself!” Sho complained.
“I only said ‘my hands’, not my lips!”
Sho facepalmed and sighed. "I guess I know what Kazu like from Hiro's little brother," Sho held Nino's waist. Sho leaned in and Nino was tensed.
“This,” Sho kissed Nino’s forehead, “This,” Sho Eskimo-kissed him, “And this,” Sho cupped Nino’s chin and kissed his lips softly. They linked their forehead and looked into each other's eyes for a moment.
"Your ears are red, Kazu," Sho whispered and Nino hit Sho's chest playfully.
"YOU! SLEEP!"
Sho laughed, "AYE-AYE, CAPTAIN!"
They tidied the room from Sho’s piles of books. ‘Your room is dirty!’ Nino complained. ‘It’s messy, not dirty!’ Sho defended. After that, they spread the spare futons in the middle of the room. Sho took a spare blanket from his closet. Nino took a shower and Sho lent him an oversized t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Sho showered afterward and wore his baby blue pajama.
“You still wear pajamas?”
“Yes. I love the fabric and it’s comfortable. I sleep easier with them. And I can’t wear kaimaki in summer, tho.”
“Kaimaki? How cute.”
"Ah~ Sleep on the futon!” Sho rolled himself on the futon. “It's like a field trip! Woohoo!"
"Sho, didn't you say that you were sleepy? Just sleep."
"Yeeeeeesssss."
"You sound exactly like those dinos. Night-night, Sho-chan."
"Oi, they're human! Okay, goodnight, Kazu."
Sho was drifting off to sleep when he heard a rustling sound of sheets beside him.
"Sho?"
"Hm?"
"Don't you want to hug me in your sleep?"
"Ah. Yeah, I forget about that. Too excited to sleep on futon after a while."
"Seems my boyfriend is a kindergartener with a short memory span."
"Your sharp tongue still hurts even when you're sleepy, huh?"
"Yes. Problem with that?"
"No. Come here, Kazu. I'll give a premium hug. Just for you."
“Yaaaaay~” Nino cheered sleepily. Sho chuckled.
-----( o. w o )-----
"Hirooooo, wake uuuup! It's 7~"
"Mmmmm let me sleep mooooore. It's weekend, Mooooom~"
"EEEHHH?!"
"Whaaaaat? EH? Ni- Kazu?"
"How could you sleep here?"
"Oi, it's my room!"
"Ah. Right,” Nino looked at his surroundings. “I slept here last night."
"Yes. Can I go to sleep again? I'm still sleepy," Sho let a big yawn.
"Yeah, me too. Goodnight- Ah, it's morning already."
They woke up again 3 hours later with grumbling stomachs. Nino only found cans of beer, jelly energy drinks, bread, eggs, butter, and spicy mayonnaise in Sho’s fridge. ‘You store bread in the fridge and oolong tea in room temperature? Weird,’ Nino said. Nino finally cooked some egg sandwiches while Sho made a strawberry tea for their late breakfast. ‘I'm more a tea person than a coffee one,’ Sho said. They wanted to watch something on TV but none was interesting, so they decided to do nothing. Just lazing around on the couch, enjoying the comfortable silence. Sho read his book and Nino laid down on Sho's lap while playing Pazudora on his phone. They had a Chinese restaurant delivery for lunch. After lunch, Nino borrowed Sho’s book and Sho laid down on Nino’s lap watching variety show on mute.
Nino went home before dusk. Sho insisted to accompany him but Nino refused.
"See you tomorrow," Nino kissed Sho goodbye.
"Are you sure you don't want me to..."
"No, I'm fine. I just want to enjoy my alone time. The sunset in summer looks stunning," Nino waved.
Sho nodded, "Be careful on your way home!"
"Yeah."
Nino walked leisurely while enjoying the sunset. It’s been a while since he walked alone like this, had time for himself like this. There was always Hiro and the grandparents surrounded him. And more kids since the project began. He felt that he understood kids more, he was more patient towards them, too. He thought that he disliked kids, the fact was that he just didn’t fully understand their mind.
The project has opened his eyes about how to handle both elders and kids. They needed extra care but, surprisingly, they had an interesting mindset. Different from adults that thought a lot about their lives, elders and kids had a simpler mind. Elders he took care had been through a lot so that they tend to be wiser and didn’t overthink. Kids, whereas, haven’t had any perception about life yet so that they didn’t have any sense of fear and just eager to try everything they wanted. Well, some of them were shy to interact with each other, but they could overcome it with some encouragement. Elders wanted to engage with many people that could make them feel involved, while kids loved to be pampered and learned from older people. It was fun to be with both of them.
His mind went far. He never expected that everything was escalated quickly, especially about his love life. Yesterday, he was still a single man with his lovely nephew. Today, he had a boyfriend. Not that he complained about it, but he was surprised that it could be that simple. Being with Sho was surprisingly simple. He didn’t think too much about love, especially when you were already in the 30s. Maybe something good would come when you least expected it. Or maybe a bit of courage would make it came easier. He looked forward to their new journey together.
Nino was in front of his apartment door. He heard Yuriko and Hiro’s laughing voices, his first treasure in his life. His second one was at the top of the hill. And from now on, he got the third.
“I’m home!” Nino opened the door.
“Kazu!” Hiro ran and hugged him.
“Onii-chan, welcome home!”
-END-
Epilog:
Some hours ago…
"Since when?"
"What when?"
"When did you like me?"
The atmosphere was more relaxed after they talked about their life. So, Nino asked that straightforwardly (He was nervous, like really nervous, to be honest) and he made Sho blushed.
"It's... When you called me Bike Onii-san and smacked my arm," Sho was embarrassed with himself.
Nino laughed hard and Sho pouted, "Is that wrong, Ninomiya-san?"
Nino laughed louder and shook his head, "Not at all! I appreciate your feeling," Nino wiped his tears. "I said don't call me Ninomiya-san, that's my parents."
"Oops, sorry, Kazu."
"Why? I think it's just a tiny gesture? At least for me."
"Ummm, did you know that children like to give a special name for their favorite things? I- I felt... special when you called me Bike Onii-san and smacked my arm. I was a newcomer and the nickname made me feel that I'm accepted here," Sho's face was blushing hard.
"You're blushing like a drunk old man and we only drink oolong tea all night."
"I DON'T WANT TO DRUNK AND DO SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU!" Sho yelled and pulled his hair roughly, "ARGH THIS IS EMBARRASSING! And I can't run away from you now..." Sho faked a sob.
"That's why I want you to take me here. So, I can squeeeeeeze the truth from the source," Nino smirked evilly and got Sho shrieked from fear.
"Okay, I'm not that aggressive. But I just want to know the reason. I appreciate that you control yourself so hard. Am I that irresistible?" Nino held Sho's hand softly.
"Yes..." Sho nodded weakly.
"I was uncertain at first. I don't know about your preference and maybe I interpreted your actions wrongly. But many people supported me, especially Yuriko-chan and Oh-chan, to get you. She encourages me to find my happiness. I'm happy and satisfied with my life right now, to be honest. And I thought that I was done with love for good. Like, for good. But when I met you, I felt something different. I want to be with you. I can't promise you forever, but I'm willing to keep this relationship for a long time. Only if you feel the same tho..." Nino trailed off and looked down. He suddenly felt that he was too demanding to Sho about their newly budded relationship.
"I guess we have a different kind of love principal as we reached the 30s. But the good news is, I have the same motivation as you to keep this relationship sails."
"... Sails?"
"Yeah, because it's a ship. Relation-ship."
Nino's jaw dropped to the floor. "I'M GETTING SERIOUS WITH MY FEELING AND YOU- YOU ANSWER ME WITH PUNS? SERIOUSLY? SHO? WHY?" Nino was mad and hit Sho's arm and head.
"OUCH! HEY! Wait, wait! Sorry- ARGH- about that. Just listening to your speech can make me cry so I need to distract myself with puns. And I want to know about your veggies," Nino stopped his hands abruptly from hitting Sho.
"Veggies? Veggies?" Nino murmured. "IT'S WILDNESS, NOT VEGGIES! OI SHO-CHAN!" Nino tried to hit Sho again but Sho ran away this time.
"I GUESS I ALREADY KNOW ABOUT YOUR WILDNESS, KAZU! YOU'RE A WILD VEGGIE AAAAH- IT HUUURTS!" Sho stubbed his toe on the table leg and he fell down with a loud thud.
"HAHA TAKE THAT YOU OLD MAN!" Nino sat on top of Sho and tickled him.
"ARGH HURTS! HAHAHA TICKLES! NOOOOOOO!"
“FEEL MY WRATH, SAKURAI, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA~”
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