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Spring break was two weeks of break and relaxation. Most people went home to visit family, others went on vacations to warm islands or busy cities.
Rantaro would have been doing just that, well, if he hadn't pissed off his father and his many wives after coming up empty handed on his oldest sister’s location somewhere in the world.
He huffed in frustration, throwing the many maps and notebooks he held down onto his bed. A little bit of help from them wouldn’t have hurt a fly, but as his father had said many times over, he was his sisters’ older brother, biological or not. It was his responsibility to keep all of them safe.
The words disappointment and failure echoed through his head and he ran a hand through his green hair. He walked to his dorm door and opened it, needing some fresh air, a distraction. He closed it behind him and walked along the small balcony that connected all the second floor dorms to the stairs. He slid down the rail and jumped off, going to the pile of beanbags, pillows and blankets on top of a couch the class had set up in the common area of the dorm. In front of the comfort cave was a TV that had been used for many gaming and movie nights.
Rantaro turned the TV on before clicking over to one of the many movie streaming services on the TV, choosing his account. (Well, what was his account. Now, it was basically everyone’s account.) He opened up a random movie, settling into the beanbags. He checked the TV’s clock to find it was about 11pm, most of the class had already gone to sleep, maybe, so he lowered the volume and popped on subtitles. The movie calmed him somewhat, the music and animation able to take his mind off of his sisters. Well, only a little. The two main characters reminded him a lot of Kanna and Monaca, which got him a bit restless again.
He sighed, about to give up and go back to his room when he heard a door open. After a moment, it closed softly and Rantaro heard the quiet steps of someone’s socked feet going down the stairs. A small body threw itself onto him and Rantaro smiled down at the person in greeting. Kokichi had curled up on his side, staring at the TV. His eyes were red and restless, his breathing a bit shaky. Rantaro adjusted himself to hold Kokichi more securely.
“Nightmare?” He whispered softly. He felt Kokichi’s head nod on his shoulder, and he rubbed Kokichi’s back comfortingly.
The night terrors were not limited to just Kokichi. In fact, from what Rantaro had gathered, everyone experienced at least one of the terrifying dreams each week. He had spotted Kaito and Shuichi comforting a trembling Maki in the courtyard a few weeks back. He overheard an exhausted Angie muttering frantically about Atua “punishing” her the night prior for not abiding by His rules in the homeroom one morning, Tenko and Himiko quickly consoling her. He, Shuichi, Kiibo and one of their upperclassmen, Kazuichi, had found Miu passed out in her lab one day, and when asked why she didn't come back to the dorms to rest she admitted to having nightmares about the car crash that almost cost her her life. He had heard bits and pieces of Kiyo muttering things along the lines of “sister” and “stop” in an empty classroom when he thought no one was around.
Rantaro would have been lying if he said he hadn't nightmares himself.
“What movie is this?” Kokichi asked quietly.
“My Neighbor Totoro.” Rantaro replied. “Do you wanna watch something else?”
“Nah, this is fine.” Kokichi said, chewing on his nail.
About half an hour in, the dormitory doors opened and in came an exhausted looking Kirumi. Rantaro glanced over and waved. She smiled and nodded tiredly at the two before going into her room to change into something more comfortable. Surprisingly, she came out a few moments later.
“Do you...need anything?” She asked. Rantaro shook his head and smiled, patting the space next to him.
“Take a break, you deserve it.”
“But…” She hesitated, looking at the beanbag.
“How about this, my request is you relax and watch with us. Is that alright?”
Kirumi let out a soft sigh and nodded, sitting next to him and leaning back onto the couch.
“Did anything happen?”
“I was requested to clean up after one of my masters’ parties. It was a lot more work than I anticipated.” She said. “Nothing out of the ordinary, but it was a bit taxing.”
Rantaro nodded. “Relax for a bit, you can't be a maid if you’re neglecting yourself.”
Kirumi chuckled. “You’re very wise Rantaro.”
“Aw, you think so-?”
“Shhhh Taro I can't hear the movie.” Kokichi pouted playfully at him. “Hi mom.”
Kirumi rolled her eyes. “Hello, Kokichi.”
The three watched the movie in silence for a bit, until the training trio entered. Kaito waved to them.
“Hey! Mind if we join?” He asked, whisper-yelling.
“Not at all.” Rantaro smiled at them, adjusting the beanbags for the three. Kaito plopped down next to Kokichi, who sleepily smacked him in irritation. Maki rolled her eyes and settled tensely next to her boyfriend. Shuichi hesitated, contemplating before-
“Go take it off.” Maki commanded quietly, which sent Shuichi into his room. He reemerged in an oversized black hoodie and settled next to Maki, crossing his arms over his chest. Rantaro gave Shuichi a small smile and turned back to the movie.
A few moments later, he felt a soft push to his side and found that Himiko, Angie, and Tenko had all stumbled their way into the common area and cuddled up to Kirumi. Himiko was mumbling something about being summoned from the theme music of the new movie Rantaro had put on after Totoro ended. When Rantaro realized Kiki’s Delivery Service was playing, he chuckled softly, deducing it was Himiko’s favorite film due to its dedication to magic and such.
It only took two minutes because Rantaro started to wonder why Angie, Tenko and Himiko were all sleeping in the same dorm room before they came out to join the group on the couch…ah, no matter. A small smile came to his mouth as he wondered if maybe they were all dating. He imagined Tenko slapping him while calling him a degenerate male for thinking such things, even if it were true.
The sound of the main door opening made Rantaro jump a bit in surprise. He turned around to see Ryoma and Korekiyo walking in, a long dead cigarette butt in between Ryoma’s fingers. Rantaro waved them over and Kiyo took a seat at the very end of the couch, pulling his legs up. He had opted for a lighter, simple black cloth mask instead of the zippered one that covered his neck, and his long hair was tied back in a thick, tight braid. Kiyo offered a small, strained smile towards Rantaro, deep bags under his eyes marked evidence of his sleepless, insomnia-induced nights. Ryoma, while not looking much better, was at least dozing against the couch arm, Kirumi with a grounding hand on his back.
Rantaro straightened up a bit, adjusting an asleep Kokichi on his lap. He closed his eyes for a second or so, and half the movie had seemed to fly by when he opened them again. Kaede, Miu, and Kiibo had also joined the party. Kaede was snuggling up to her girlfriend on the other end of the couch while Kiibo sat below and in between them on the floor, a gentle whirr coming from somewhere on their body as their heating function toasted the blanket that was wrapped around them.
I wonder if Kiibo needs to charge every night, or only once in a while. Rantaro mused. And I wonder if Gonta or Tsumugi would like to join.
He pulled out his phone and shot each of them a message. It was hard typing with his non-dominant hand, but he was pretty sure he was supporting Angie and Tenko’s heads with his other arm and he wouldn't want them to jolt awake. Much less get punched by Tenko. Ah well, he’d make do.
[From RAmami1 to TsuShiro and GGokuhara]
RAmami1: Slumber party in common area, be quiet when coming out.
TsuShiro: oh goodie! I suppose I could use a break, my hands are quite tired from sewing all night.
GGokuhara: Gonta will be there soon! And will be quiet!! （*´▽｀*）
Gonta’s emoticon use brought a smile to his face, and the two remaining classmates each snuck quietly out of their dorms. Gonta waved, a big grin on his face. Kiyo nodded at the pair, moving over to accommodate the two, leaning onto Kirumi in the process.
“Tsumugi can lay on Gonta’s lap.” Gonta whispered. “If she wants to.”
“That's very gentlemanly of you, Gonta.” Tsumugi nodded, chuckling softly. She snuggled in between the couch arm and Gonta, the latter putting a strong arm around her. Her hands were littered with scabs and pricks from too many sewing needles, and Rantaro internally winced. He adjusted again and put his arm back around Kirumi, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. The soft music from the movie lulled them all into a safe, comfortable slumber, even putting Kiyo and Maki to sleep.
It was a familiar warmth. One Rantaro had been very used to until his sisters were picked off one by one by his father’s inattentiveness and the many dangers of the places they had traveled to. A somber look crossed Rantaro’s face. God, he missed them. He missed them so much, he hoped that each and every one of them knew that. His eyes began to slip closed, and he snaked one of his arms from Kirumi to give Kokichi a small squeeze. The boy on his lap barely stirred, his hands just clutching harder onto Rantaro’s shirt. Rantaro chuckled, putting his arm back around Kirumi and Kiyo, letting his eyes fully close and the uncanny and deep darkness of sleep take over his mind.
“What? What do you mean class 79-A is absent?” Principal Kirigiri looked up, confused and a slight bit concerned. “The whole class?”
Kyoko nodded, her arms crossed. The other class representatives, Makoto, Chiaki, and Hajime were all standing beside her.
“They never showed up for homeroom, according to sensei Yukizome. I’ve talked to a few of the other teachers, and they reported none of 79-A had showed up either.” Kyoko said.
“We’ve checked all over the school, but we havent found them. We even checked in the places people would think we shouldn't check, and they weren't there either.” Chiaki added sleepily.
“Hm...odd...perhaps this has something to do with all of them staying here for spring break.” The principal mused. He shifted through some papers and typed out an email on his keyboard. “I’ll notify Yukizome, if anyone can find them it's her.”
“Wait, they're all staying here?” Makoto tilted his head in confusion.
The principal hummed. “Amami sent me an email and included all of 79-A when he said they won't be going home for spring break. I was planning on talking to all of them today but-”
“Jin~!” Chisa knocked on the headmaster’s door before popping her head in, a wide grin on her face. “I know it's only been five minutes, but I’ve found them!”
“What? That was fast.” Hajime’s eyes widened, blinking in surprise. Chisa giggled.
“You all should come, but we have to be quiet.”
Principal Kirigiri stood up, turning off his computer. “Well, let's go investigate shall we?” He shot a smile at his daughter.
Kyoko’s deadpan look didn't change, which made Makoto laugh softly.
With Chisa at the lead, they all made their way to 79’s dormitory. The teacher opened the door quietly, holding a finger to her lips. The TV was on the menu screen for Kiki’s Delivery Service . All of the curtains for the windows were still pulled from the night before.
Class 79-A were all snuggled on the couch together, Rantaro at the center of them all.
A sappy look crossed Makoto’s and Chiaki’s faces. They cooed softly at the scene of their underclassmen, while Kyoko and Hajime just smiled a bit.
Principal Kirigiri chuckled, and Chisa grinned.
“I suppose we can let them sleep in, it is the day before spring break anyway.” He said quietly.
“Are you sure that's allowed, principal?” Kyoko looked up at her father with a raised eyebrow. He chuckled.
“For now it is. They all deserve it.”
The door to 79-A’s dormitory was shut quietly, the class reps and their principal going on their way back to the main building. Chisa stayed behind, looking fondly at the building. She had known bits and pieces of her class’s pasts and night terrors, but she had never known quite exactly how to help.
Ah, well, perhaps her helping started with getting the classroom ready for a final dinner in their homeroom. If they all woke up to make it, of course. She giggled to herself, turning back and following Principal Kirigiri to the main building.
Yes, class 79-A deserved every last bit of peace she could give to them.