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“N...Nemu-chan?”
When Ichiro has heard a knock on his hotel room door, he had expected to see one or both of his younger brothers upon opening it. Instead, he was greeted by none other than Nemu Aohitsugi’s gentle smile.
“I’m sorry for bothering you so late but I wanted to see you. I saw the battle and-“
“Shouldn’t you be with your brother then?” Ichiro cut her off as he dropped his gaze to the floor. She’d seen everything, seen how badly he had lost, so why was she here? There was no reason for her to be here when she should be celebrating with her brother.
The feeling of fingers wrapping gently around his left hand had Ichiro looking up to meet Nemu’s eyes.
Her smile was as gentle as ever as she squeezed his hand. “I suppose I should be with him but I wanted to see you first. I’m really proud of you, Ichiro-kun.”
“Proud? But… We lost. I let my brothers down and-” Ichiro was interrupted by a finger pressed against his lips.
“You made it to the semi-finals with a team of teenagers. You all held your own against a bunch of adults, including my brother. How could I not be proud of you?” Nemu’s smile widened into a grin as she pulled her finger away. “Besides, you three have so much room to grow, I know you’ll beat my brother someday!”
Ichiro was quiet for a moment, processing Nemu’s words, before he broke out into a grin of his own. “Damn right I will!”