Chapter Text
The car ride is, as you expect, as awkward as it can be. With the family’s chauffeur Hanamori’s aloof nature, along with the uneasy silence that cramped up your seat beside Shū; it's no wonder as to why no one was excited when your father, out of nowhere, slams his palms on the table with subtle excitement and plans an immediate family vacation at breakfast. Breakfast!! The tension alone was enough to make everyone's posture stiff as a stone statue, including yours as well. With nothing to do except bypass subtle nausea, you look at the window to find endless buildings passing by the second, each one as dull as the other to your eyes, the similar landscape blending with another almost as if it was a loop, with the occasional establishments that colored the environment sprinkled in. To you, it was not a special sight to see, but anything is miles better than to utter a single word with these people. Ten seconds, the view is still plain, thirty seconds, tall trees in a row cast a beautiful subtle shadow amidst the sidewalk. For fifty seconds, the road has curved to showcase an expanse of buildings both tall and wide, colored in a grey shade with a tinge of blue. 1 minute, 2 minutes, multiple minutes pass by; you start to get bored by what you see. It's only a matter of time before someone gives in to small talk.
Surprisingly, it was your stepmom that broke the silence, “I heard the bay in Kagoshima has a lovely view!”
a pause,
“It does,” your father uttered, “I’ve been there once.”
“Really? ᵢₛ ᵢₜ ₐₛ ₜₕₑᵧ ₛₐᵧ–”
It didn't take long before everyone started to join in the noise, all except Shū, who was in the middle of you and your stepmom, maintaining the stern look he had plastered on his face. Crossing his arms as if he was the head of the family, you've always known him as the no-nonsense type, a person as interesting as watching paint dry off the wall. It didn't take a genius to see that you and him were nothing alike at all; The older one as rigid as you can be, with hair styled neatly that aged him beyond his years, wearing clothes that was as casual as a suit, and glasses that framed his eyes so that you can't see anything but a white glint square. Anyone with a hint of fashion could've worn his outfit a million times better than he could, but no one can emanate the overbearing lameness that is your brother. On the other hand, the younger brother radiated a bright, youthful aura noticeable by the clothes that matched his palette alongside his golden hair (and that he was 9-years-old). His blonde locks framed his face in a way the soft sunlight hitting it in the perfect angle shows that he is the photogenic one between the two.
Besides all that, you two were the only ones not joining in the high hopes of Kagoshima. Your half-brother, Shū, looked at you. Both of you exchanged glances bit by bit, no words were said, but understanding was there. This time silence beneath all the layered dialogue didn't feel as suffocating now. Suddenly, Shū handed you a… mint candy? but why—
Oh right! you were feeling a teensy bit dizzy, it wasn't obvious but a closer look at your face shows signs of nausea. You can't help but smile at the small act; you tore the serrated edges of the mint candy’s package and chewed on it, looking out the window with refreshed breath. Maybe this trip wouldn't be that bad after all.