Archive of Our Own

It all started as a joke.

You had met up with some friends one Saturday night after a tiring day at work. Although it was more like they forced you to attend, since they knew you were the type to stay at home and spend time with your cat after a long day rather than go out and be a productive member of society or whatever.

"I wonder what Whiskey's doing right now," you sigh absentmindedly, taking a gulp of beer afterward. Your friends, who had been reminiscing about some of your past adventures as a group back in your student days, looked at you. One of them patted you on the shoulder.

"All you ever think about is your cat. If I was your boyfriend, I would probably be super jealous," your friend pouted, although you didn't see any hint of genuine sadness on their face.

"Good thing I don't have one then," you said, rolling your eyes and sticking your tongue out. Well, not that anyone had even asked you out anyway these past few years, especially with your 'work first, cat second, everything else third' mindset.

Your other friend speaks up, "Well, we really miss hanging out with you though. Maybe there's some way for your cat to be safe at home without having to make such a huge mess of your place you know?"

"Why not get like...a cat sitter or something? Like with babies. If that's a thing," one of them jokes.

Although you did love your cat to death, it was true that he had been really difficult to handle ever since you moved residences. Since then, he developed the habit of scratching your apartment walls and your bedsheets, leaving behind a trail of destruction. The only time he ever calmed down was when you were home and taking care of him. It was part of the reason why you had to go home early as much as your work allowed you to, and to be honest, a small part of you did miss catching up with your friends like this.

"Maybe I'll try looking for one online or something." You shrugged.

"Maybe you can find a boyfriend too," one of your friends jested.

"Or a pervert," the other scoffed. "Who knows what kind of people even lurk the internet anymore." The rest of you agreed.

You and your friends continued on with your light-hearted banter, catching up on the latest life updates each one of you had, gossip on other friends, and just general goings-on in life when suddenly, you hear a loud smack! sound from behind you.

"Ow ow ow ow, c'mon Ichimachan, just lend me 10,000 yen. Promise I'll pay it back!"

You turn around and notice 6 figures a few tables away. All of them were wearing hoodies, each person sporting a different color. Though you couldn't see the faces of the ones in a blue, green, and pink sweater, the other three whose faces you could see were all really similar.

Triplets, maybe? you thought. Judging by how the three who were facing away from you seem to have the same build though... Probably sextuplets?

"Shut up, lousy eldest brother. You never pay us back," the one in the purple hoodie barks to the one in red.

"Lousy eldest brother," the other four, Red boy excluded, repeat in unison.

The one in red - a.k.a. Lousy Eldest Brother - looks at the one in the yellow hoodie with lengthy sleeves. "C'mon, Jyushimatsu! I'll play baseball with you. I just need to win back what I lost at pachinko, ya know?"

Yellow hoodie begins to chant "baseball!" over and over again, but purple hoodie - Ichimachan? - grabs the collar of the eldest brother's hoodie.

"Osomatsu-niisan, if you know what's good for you..." he trails off, and the eldest brother begins to sweat profusely, raising both hands in surrender.

Suddenly, only for a split second, you make eye contact with the purple-hoodied brother. Immediately, you turn around, seeing your friends are just as bewildered-slashed-amused at the six guys. You all look at each other and giggle at the strange exchange as subtly as you all could to avoid getting attention.

Your night continues for another hour, no longer paying attention to the other customers a few tables back until, sometime around 11, you see them leave for the exit in a single file.

The first three who leave are the ones whose faces you didn't see. Looking at them now, you can confirm that they really might be sextuplets. Or just a family with really extreme genes. Then, the one in red looks at your area, winking at your friend's general direction. For a moment, you have this extreme urge to punch his face.

The one in purple also glances in your direction, making eye contact with you for the second time that night, but he quickly looks away, staring at the ground as he leaves. His other brother in yellow quickly glances between you and his brother several times before realizing he's been left behind by his brothers. He suddenly runs, yelling, "Ichimatsu-niisan!! Wait for me!"

Weird.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

It's already past 1 AM when you arrive at your doorstep in a drunken stupor, any last shred of consciousness wilting away the closer you got to your living room couch.

Once you've settled at your couch, too tired to change clothes and go to your bedroom, you hear a faint meow beside you and look up at the headrest. Your Siamese cat's bright blue eyes look at you with what seems to be confusion. Or indifference. You couldn't really tell.

"Aww, Whiskey, did you miss me?" You coo, slurring a bit. Your cat stares at you for a few seconds before turning away and jumping down, off to somewhere he probably couldn't see you in your current state.

You shrug it off, too drunk to care. He probably made a mess today, too, you thought, sighing, well at least he's calmer now that I'm here. You get up into a sitting position, reaching for the laptop on the coffee table in front of your couch.

"Might as well try it, I guess," you mumbled to yourself, opening the cat lovers forum you frequented when looking for tips on your cat...or just squealing at cute cat pictures in general. Mind still quite fuzzy, you begin typing.

As you hit send, you begin to feel the pull of sleepiness taking over your body. Fuck it, this is so stupid, no one's probably going to reply, you think to yourself as you lie down and close your eyes.

"Goodnight, Whiskey," you call out into the void. You hear a faint meow before falling asleep almost immediately.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

When you first wake up, a groan escapes you as you clutch your temple, feeling the onslaught of a hangover. You go back to sleep again, hoping that migraine disappears.

The next time you wake up, you hear several dinging sounds coming from your laptop. Groggy from sleep, but feeling much better than a while ago, you sit up and reach for your phone.

"It's already 11?!"

You look around and see Whiskey looking at you from the coffee table, waiting for you to feed him.

"Let me fix myself first, Whiskey," you told him as if expecting the said feline to understand. He jumps off the table as you stood up and went to the bathroom.

Several minutes later, after deeming yourself to look a little more like a decent human being, feeding your cat, and fixing the living room a bit, you returned to the couch when another ding! sounds off from your laptop.

You open your laptop, looking through your open tabs. You see some messages from the friends you met with last night, messages from those who didn't get to go, and a few other unrelated notifications.

When you finally click on the tab for the forum website, you're surprised by what you see.

Although you remembered posting on the forum, being the type to remember the events of the night even when drunk, you didn't really remember much of what you wrote. When you do end up reading your own post, you cringe in embarrassment, quickly editing the spelling errors and making the post a little more proper before you read the comments.

When you posted about looking for someone to watch over your cat, you didn't really expect to receive any replies. Surprisingly, you did receive replies from people, some of which were just about other users who were looking for the same thing, and others suggesting forum links which might help.

You took your time commenting on each one, thanking those who suggested. You then opened your messages. There were 4 messages from one user, NekoMatsu4, whose icon appeared to be an orange tabby with glasses, most likely a picture of their own pet.

Well, the dude must be really into taking care of cats. You click on his profile and read his bio, which basically states that he's "20something years old and likes to feed stray cats." He also has one post on the forum called "Stray cats," which really does consist of different cats, all sitting on what you assume to be their lap. The post has a fair amount of comments, some consisting of stray cats other users have taken pictures of as well.

You return to the message he sent you. While they barely had any activity in the forum, they don't seem that sketchy, considering that they're the type to take care of stray cats.

Though you really weren't looking for a cat sitter - spending your days with Whiskey was quite relaxing despite the lack of a social life - it could be plausible. Maybe just ask this NekoMatsu4 person to take care of Whiskey 2-3 times a week, especially on busy work days or when you had outings to attend.

You just really, really hope they're not some pervert or a robber or something. You start to type a response.

Almost immediately, you receive a reply.

You glanced at the clock, realizing you only had an hour to prepare. You rush to the bathroom, passing by your now asleep cat, and mentally preparing a list of errands for the rest of the day. Honestly, you were kind of surprised that they were willing to meet you in such a short amount of time. You assumed that maybe they weren't busy today, or somehow anticipated that you would be meeting up soon. You hoped that it really didn't disrupt whatever schedule they had for today.

At least it's a Sunday, you thought.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

You arrived 20 minutes earlier than expected, considering that you thought the station would've been full today at this time.

You sat by one of the benches near the water fountain, idly scrolling through some of your social media accounts while you waited for NekoMatsu4 to arrive. Occasionally, you looked up to see if any of the passers-by could be the said person.

After a couple of minutes, you looked up and noticed someone who seemed somewhat familiar. The guy was wearing a purple jacket and blue track pants, and his hair appeared a bit disheveled. He pulled down his face mask to his chin, nervously looking around. When he made eye contact with you, his face went pale as if startled by something and he looked away.

You stood up, surprised, as you suddenly remembered him. He was one of the six brothers from last night, the one who seemed like he was about to punch his brother for asking money. You walked over to where he stood, panic beginning to spread on his face the closer you got.

"Hey, I know this is kinda weird," you started "but, are you...NekoMatsu4, by any chance?" He does seem like the type to love cats, though you're not quite sure how you got that kind of aura from him in the first place.

"Y-yeah," he stammers, nervously looking at the ground. "You're the one from last night. At the bar, I mean. Uh, WhiskeyBiscuit?"

You scratch your head in embarrassment, giving him a faint smile, "Yeah, I'm sorry. We really didn't mean to eavesdrop on you and your...brothers, I'm guessing?" He nods. "You're Ichimachan, right?"

"I-ichimatsu," he corrects you.

"Oh, my bad. The guy in red was calling you by that name last night," you said. You offered him your name in return.

"Well, if you're not too busy now, do you want to go with me and meet my cat? I live around 30 minutes away by train though, if you're okay with it."

"Are you sure?" He looks at you for a moment.

"Huh?"

"I mean, what if I'm some weird creep? Or a murderer? Wouldn't it be dangerous for someone like me to visit your home and know where you live?" He mutters.

You tilt your head a bit. "I mean, I was afraid at first that this whole thing might just be some weird kidnapping or daylight murder, but you don't seem to be the type to do that, right Ichimatsu?"

He's startled by you calling his name but nods slightly. You're honestly not sure why you kind of trust this person, given that he's done nothing to prove himself aside from the fact that you met him the day before already. Sort of.

He seems like the introverted quiet type, or maybe he was just generally nervous around strangers. But overall, he appears harmless. Probably.

"Besides," you mention, "I'm perfectly capable of defending myself if you attack me, y'know?" You give him a friendly wink, and you see him blush a bit.

"I-if you're fine with it then," he said, "I'd like to meet your cat." For a brief second, you notice the faintest hint of a smile as he brings his mask up to cover his mouth.

This guy seems to really, really like cats, you thought.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

The train ride home was mostly quiet and slightly awkward, but you enjoyed the silence nonetheless as it did give you time to think. Every now and then, though, you would attempt to strike up a conversation, or ask a question or two.

When you jokingly asked Ichimatsu if he wasn't scared that you might be the one planning to murder him or something, he shrugged and said casually, "I don't really mind."

You frown a bit at that, confused, but you thought that maybe dark humor was just his thing. Or maybe he was just careless like that. Either way, you assured him that you were a good person (self-proclaimed, at least) and really excited for him to meet Whiskey.

While you told him a bit about yourself - where you were currently working, the origin of your cat's name, and what led you to try and find a cat sitter - he also told you some things about himself, though most of it was due to your prodding, which he didn't seem to mind.

Eventually, you did find out that yes, those 5 other guys with me are my brothers and yes, we're sextuplets. He gave the names of his brothers, including the lousy eldest, who you learned was Osomatsu, and Mr. Baseball, Jyushimatsu. He also explained that they did indeed wear their respective colored clothing so people could differentiate them. When you asked him where he was working or studying, he froze for a moment before admitting that he's currently unemployed.

"Was that why you decided to take up my cat sitter offer?" you ask out of curiosity. He didn't seem offended by the question in the least.

He shook his head. "I just like taking care of cats," he shrugged, "I really don't mind not getting paid."

You frown, "Well, I didn't invite you over to my house to take care of my cat without paying you, though." He insisted once more that he really didn't need it, but you retorted, "Think of it this way, you can use the money to buy cat food for the strays you feed, right? I mean, based on your forum post anyway."

"I...I guess so."

The rest of the ride going back continued on in silence after that, only to bring up a few things every now and then. Once you reached your apartment unit, you opened the door. "Whiskey! I brought a friend over! He says he'd love to meet you," you called out, again, into the void. From behind you, you could sense Ichimatsu tensing. Is he nervous to meet the cat? Or was it because I called him a friend?

You decided not to dwell on it too much as you saw your Siamese walk to the doorway, appearing to be half-curious about the new visitor and half-expectant about seeing his owner.

You carefully lifted your cat up and sat over at the couch. Ichimatsu closed the door behind him, standing awkwardly at first, but decided to sit beside you when you motioned for him to come sit.

"Like I said, his name's Whiskey. He's a 3-year old Siamese. I brought him with me when I moved residences a couple of months ago. Though he used to be really calm before, I guess he was stressed from moving to this apartment and still hasn't adjusted," you explained to Ichimatsu, gingerly handing over Whiskey to him since he'd been eyeing the cat the whole time.

Though your cat wasn't typically the hostile type, you still remained cautious when introducing him to guests since he did have some hostile tendencies to some people. But really, you're not quite sure how Whiskey decided who was worthy or not.

Both of you watched as Whiskey stared at the stranger for a couple of seconds, probably deciding his fate. When the cat deemed him worthy, he settled himself on Ichimatsu's lap and closed his eyes.

Ichimatsu gently placed his hand on Whiskey's back, petting him. Whiskey purred. Ichimatsu showed a hint of a smile.

This was too damn cute. Seeing the two of them develop an immediate connection, and Ichimatsu's blissed aura at the exchange, made you feel really touched somehow.

If only my boyfriend would be like this. You felt your cheeks heat up a bit at that, willing the weird thought away. Although Ichimatsu was pretty cute despite the mysterious vibe he had, you knew that he only intended to take care of your cat and nothing else. Admittedly, you weren't one to shy away from seeing an appealing face, though.

"He loves you," you told him as he continued to pet the feline. "Do you really not mind watching over her for me, Ichimatsu?"

He looked at you, looking more relaxed now than when you first met, and nodded. "If it's really alright with you for me to be here. I promise I won't ruin your house or do anything suspicious."

"I'd love it if you took care of her," you smiled sweetly, causing him to blush. "When are you usually free?"

He shrugged. "I'm not really busy anyway." Oh right, unemployed and all that. Shit. "But you can just message me whenever you want."

"Do you want to exchange numbers?"

"I... don't really have a phone."

"Oh, sorry."

"Uh," he stuttered, "but I can give my house phone in case an emergency comes up. And you can message me on the forum."

"Sure!" you wrote down the number on your phone, labeling it "Ichi" with a cat emoji. Though he seemed surprised at the nickname, he didn't seem to dislike it. You saved his contact.

At his insistence, Ichimatsu stayed at your house for a few more hours while you finished some personal errands ("I don't have anything planned today, so I really don't mind taking care of him now, if you're okay with it.") Since you didn't really trust him enough yet to leave him alone for now, you decided on just finishing up some work you had to submit before the weekend ended, along with some other house chores. Thankfully, Ichimatsu also helped around a bit, while you took some time giving your pet some love as well.

Sometime in the afternoon, you prepared snacks for both of you while you took a break from work, and continued to ask him a bit more about himself. You noticed that when you asked about his brothers, he only gave short responses, almost as if he's annoyed just at the thought of them. Though you did learn that, out of all of them, the yellow one - Jyushimatsu - seemed to be the one he got along with the most. Contrastingly, he seemed a bit more enthusiastic when the topic came to cats. He mostly told you about the strays that apparently visited his home often, plus the ones he'd find at random alleyways.

He also admitted to him and his brothers being NEETs, though he seemed extremely embarrassed by it. You told him you don't really mind, nor do you judge them for it, which made him relax a bit. He also told you about how his eldest brother Osomatsu had an addiction to pachinko and horse racing, and just gambling in general, and while he and his other brothers also participated in some of those events, he preferred to us whatever money he got to buy food for strays.

A few moments later, you looked at your phone screen.

"Crap," you said, "It's already this late." Without realizing it, night had already fallen. You could already feel hunger setting in and you really weren't in the mood to cook.

Ichimatsu stood up, sensing that it was his queue to leave. "I better go, then-"

"Wait. If you don't mind, we can go out and eat together?" you asked him. He seemed just about ready to turn down the offer, but you piped up, "My treat. Just to...uh, celebrate you getting a job and all?" The way you justified it sounded more like a question, really, and you felt yourself blush a little. You opted not to tell him that you weren't asking him on a date or anything. He might just think you're being too presumptuous.

The boy in question was also now sporting a similar blush on his cheeks, looking at anywhere but you. "I...I...Okay...If you don't mind having me," his cheeks turned redder at his own statement, "I mean, if you're okay with wasting money on me and all."

"Nonsense. You took care of Whiskey and helped me fixed my apartment. A simple dinner is nothing compared to what you're doing for me now. It was great having you here, and I'm pretty sure Whiskey is just as happy to see you again," You gave him a warm smile, which he reciprocated while blushing furiously.

From the couch, Whiskey looked at his owner and the man who played with him for hours, purring in content as he settled himself and went back to sleep.

~oOo~oOo~oOo~

Somewhere, at a certain household, five of the Matsuno sextuplets were lazing around at their shared room, each brother doing their respective activities.

"Man," Osomatsu yawned as he closed his now-finished manga. "I wonder where Ichimatsu is. He's been gone this whole afternoon."

"He's probably just drowning himself in cats or whatever," Totty stated nonchalantly, his eyes not leaving his smartphone. The four brothers nodded in consideration.

"Maybe he's playing baseball!" Jyushimatsu exclaimed, swinging his bat excitedly. The others shook their heads.

Karamatsu strummed his guitar. "Maybe our dear brotha is in the heated throes of love," he said in a sing-song fashion, "the passionate and burning flame within his heart -"

"Maybe he got a girlfriend," Choromatsu interrupted, ignoring their painful-looking brother.

The five brothers pondered for a few seconds, then laughed like maniacs.

"As if!"

"That Darkmatsu, of all people!!"

"Ichimatsu-niisan can't even have a normal human conversation without wanting to take a shit," Totty guffawed, reaching for their shared laptop on the table. "He would n-"

"Right, Totty!"

"Maybe he's dating a cat."

"Uh, guys."

"He's playing baseball!"

"Guys."

"No, Jyushimatsu, that's-"

"Guys!" Todomatsu yelled, silencing his older brothers. His eyes were wide, his facial expression a mix of pure surprise and horror.

"What's wrong, Totty?" Osomatsu said.

"I-I-Ichimatsu-niisan left his account open-"

"What, cat-fetish porn?" Osomatsu snorted, "Just close-"

"No! Look!" Todomatsu turned around the laptop so the four brothers could see the screen.

On the screen appeared to be a cat-sharing forum that, undoubtedly, Ichimatsu had been looking prior to leaving their home. The chat between you and Ichimatsu was left open.

What was even more surprising was your latest message, with which 3 pictures were attached.

One was a picture of a Siamese cat, asleep on the lap of someone in blue-clad track pants.

The other was a picture of Ichimatsu playing with said cat with some feather-like toy.

The last one was a picture of you with your beloved cat, smiling sweetly at the camera.

With these photos, your message read:

The room fell completely silent.

Until the door slid open, the brother in question walking into the room as if nothing had happened. "I'm home."

All 5 brothers looked at him, still in shock.

Then, "Ichimatsu!!!"

"What?"

"I can't believe you went on a date, Ichimatsu-niisan!!" Jyushimatsu exclaimed.

"Wha-"

"How did you meet her?" Todomatsu chimed in.

"I- Uh-"

"Does she have any other cute friends?" Osomatsu grinned.

"I-"

"Was it love at first sight, brotha?" Karamatsu asked, hand in his chest. "Or was it-" Ichimatsu grabbed Karamatsu by the collar, causing the second eldest Matsuno to drop his sunglasses.

"Shut up, Shittymatsu," he hissed, dropping Karamatsu to the ground, who scooted away.

"Stop meddling with my stuff," Ichimatsu huffed as he took the laptop from a scared-looking Todomatsu. He quickly went through the tab that he had forgotten to close due to excitement from meeting a cat. When he saw the pictures you had sent him, his cheeks immediately burned. And, well, so did his entire body. Honestly, it just seemed like he spontaneously combusted at this point.

In all honesty, it took him hours of mental gymnastics trying to decide whether to take up your offer on that cat sitting job. When he first saw the pictures of your cat which you had posted in the forum, he had the immediate urge to see your cat and just find out how fluffy and soft his fur was. So when you posted about wanting to find someone to take care of Whiskey, Ichimatsu spent all night discerning to himself.

While he never quite initiated interactions with people outside of his family and friends, he felt compelled to maybe try and make an effort to meet someone new, especially if it was someone who appreciated cats as much as he did. Though deep down, he was scared of meeting someone new and making a new friend, only to be rejected by them.

When he first made eye contact with you at the restaurant, he genuinely found you attractive, yet he immediately looked away, thinking that you probably thought he was some scary creep. Maybe if he was Osomatsu or Karamatsu, he would've had the courage to walk up to you and try to say hi, despite knowing that he would just be rejected - and possibly punched. But he wasn't like his brothers. He didn't have the confidence or pride that any of them had. He was just Ichimatsu and nothing more.

So when he met you once again, finding out that you were that same person who'd been looking for a cat sitter, he almost wanted to faint. There you were, looking all put together and pretty and amazing, approaching him of all people and asking him to come over your place to take of your cute cat. He knew you had no other intentions than looking for a cat sitter, but finding out that he would meet you again, plus the fact that you loved cats - he felt like his heart was going to burst. 

It felt too great to be real.

He wanted to know you more.

He wanted to see you again.

Ichimatsu put down the laptop on the table nearest him and began typing a reply. The five brothers watched, startled, neither saying a word.

At the point, it felt like time froze as the five Matsuno brothers looked at each other, trying to communicate through their sextuplet telepathy.

Say something, Todomatsu looked at his brothers, ask him what's going on! This is killing me! He looked at Osomatsu, Hey! Shitty eldest brother, go ask him!

Like hell I can! He'll kill us if we asked him, Osomatsu internally screamed, his face turning pale. Karamatsu! Ask him! He's more likely to just kill you instead of the rest of us anyway!

Karamatsu shook his head frantically, Sorry, brotha, but I'd rather die from a heart attack than-

"Hey, Ichimatsu," Choromatsu started, jolting the rest of the brothers. Ichimatsu looked at the third sibling, slightly annoyed. A dark aura was beginning to emit from his figure.

Rising Fappymatsu!!! the four brothers exclaimed.

"Well...about the chat we saw..." Choromatsu gulped, sweating profusely. "Jyushimatsu has something to ask you about it." He yelled, hiding behind the yellow-clad boy.

Choromatsu-niisan!! Jyushimatsu looked at him, startled.

I can't believe it! Totty screamed. He's making Jyushimatsu-niisan say it!! Fappymatsu you piece of shit!! What are you!! Just die!!!

"Hm? Jyushimatsu?"

Jyushimatsu's eyes turned into saucers, his mouth still open. He tugged the hem of his hoodie down, sweating. "W-well...Ichimatsu-niisan, you see, ehhh," he rambled, "the girl in the photo...w-who is she?!?!"

Jyushimatsu! Jyushimatsu! Jyushimatsu! the four brothers exclaimed Our savior!

"Eh?" The dark aura emitting from Ichimatsu's form began to spread wider and wider throughout the room, causing his brothers to yelp and scurry to the corner of the room, actual tears in their eyes.

Then the aura disappeared.

Huh?!??! they yelled in unison.

"I met her today. She's my employer. Or friend. Or whatever," he mumbled. "I'll be meeting her and taking care of her pet cat so she can do errands."

Osomatsu scratched the back of his head, "Oh, I see." Choromatsu crossed his arms and nodded in understanding.

Silence.

"What the hell do you mean she's your employer?" Choromatsu screeched.

"She's paying me to take care of her cat, I guess."

Choromatsu fainted.

"I'll meet her 2-3 times a week, depending on her schedule."

Totty fainted.

"I told her she didn't have to pay me, but she insisted on it even though she considers me her friend."

Karamatsu fainted.

"She also said that she'll cook for me when she has time I guess, but it's really okay if she doesn't"

Osomatsu fainted.

"I got home late because I thought it would be safer to walk her home than-" Ichimatsu looked at his brothers, save for Jyushimatsu who just seemed confused. "Oi! Guys!"

The four brothers immediately regained consciousness.

"Don't do anything stupid to her, you idiots," Ichimatsu said. "I wasn't looking for a job, it just happened. I really was just there for the cat."

"So you guys aren't dating?"

"N-no, why would she even date me??" He stuttered.

"Eh, you sure?" Osomatsu chuckled, wagging his brows. "She's pretty cute, ya know." He winked, which earned him the death glare.

"Wasn't she the one from the restaurant yesterday?" Jyushimatsu wondered aloud, to which Ichimatsu nodded.

"Coincidence, I guess."

The brothers oohed.

"Was it love at first sight, brotha?"

"Shut up, Shittymatsu."

"When can we meet her"

"You won't."

The brothers groaned in disdain.

"She might get a heart attack and flee the country if she encounters all of you together," Ichimatsu said, annoyed. "And I only met her today. And she's nice. And she trusts someone like me to watch over her beloved pet." Ichimatsu closed the laptop, returning it to Todomatsu.

He slid the door open, turning back one last time at his brothers. "If you guys approach her and do anything weird, I'll tie you to a moving plane, got it?"

The brothers gulped, nodding as the door slid shut.