Chapter Text
If you told Nijimura 10 years ago that he would end up looking after 6 kids all the same age, he would have frowned at you and asked "How?"
Apparently a tragic accident and 5 pairs of crying eyes. That was how.
He didn't realise his heart was so soft that the idea of leaving 5 parentless 3 year olds would torture him so much. To the point that he asked to adopt all of them.
It took a lot of paperwork, and even more money. But Nijimura was a best-selling self-help author with countless contracts across multiple countries. He had enough to look after 5 adoptees.
He had his own kid too. Haizaki Shougo had barely made it into the world. The entire childbirth had been so difficult that his mother died as a result. It was for that reason Njimura gave his son his mother's surname.
The kid was an energetic brat, even at 4 years old. But Nijimura wouldn't trade him for the world.
He did wish Haizaki was better at sharing things though. And would stop pulling Kise's hair. Or stealing Murasakibara's snacks. Or sitting on Kuroko by 'accident'.
After about a year of running after the child infested house, crying about how all his friends were dead, and generally being too tired to do any sort of work for an entire year, Nijimura decides that enough was enough. He needed outside-of-self help.
A pity that the kids hated anyone he hired.
After the 9th one ran out the door screaming, Nijimura figured he should resign himself to looking after the 6 kids until they grew up.
"You need more than a simple babysitter," his neighbour said one day. "You need someone who can help you out around the house too. Maybe you should start thinking of finding a mother for them."
Nijimura thought that was rather tactless. He lost his wife barely 4 years ago. His parents and siblings a couple of years after that. And then all his friends a year later. He wasn't emotionally prepared to search for a long term relationship at the moment.
But his neighbour had a good point. He needed more than a simple babysitter.
He was going to find the best live-in nanny he could get his hands on.
---
It was pretty easy to find experienced live-in nannies to interview. Nijimura suspected that offering 3 times the market rate helped in that aspect.
It was even easier to create a short list. 5 minutes with all 6 kids at once and if they don't run out the door in tears then they get a second interview.
Frustratingly, no one seems to get past the 6 kids at once bit.
"That's...quite a lot of children," one interviewee said, warily looking at the 6 napping children.
"Yes, it will be a difficult job," was all Nijimura said.
That interviewee didn't even last a minute.
---
Ding Dong.
Nijimura checked the time and frowned, the next interview wasn't for another 10 minutes. Maybe the nanny was early.
"H-hello," a lanky 13 year old with bright green hair said when Nijimura opened the door. "Um. I'm Makishima...from across the road. I was wondering if my cat was in your garden?"
Cat.
Wasn't Aomine carrying a cat earlier?
Oh dear.
As if on cue, there was a yowl from the gardens and a black furball darted between Nijimura's leg and climbed up Makishima's in a single heartbeat.
"Sakamichi!" Makishima cried out in surprise. The initial look of elation quickly morphed into horror when the teenager saw the state his cat was in.
Nijimura grimaced at the array of plastic jewellery, frills and multiple bows tied to the cat in haphazard places. He wondered how the kids got the bowties from his wardrobe. Then realised he should probably apologise to the teen first.
Unfortunately, he didn't get a chance as all 6 children chose at that point to run right up to Makishima. Practically jumping up onto his legs as they tried to reach the kitty.
"Sho!" the teenager exclaimed, holding his cat as high as he could.
Nijimura reached forward and yanked Aomine and Kise off Makishima's body (Aomine had managed to clamber all the way up to Makishima's waist, mostly because he kept stepping on Kise's head), and held them away from the teenager.
"I'm very sorry about this," he said, grunting at the tiny fists that were now pounding against his arms and chest. "I'll be getting a nanny soon. I'm sure they'll learn calm down after that."
The teenager looked too freaked out to have registered Nijimura's words. He simply bowed quickly and high tailed it out of his front garden, clutching his cat to his chest.
"Nooo! Kitty!!!" Kise wailed.
"Come back kitty thief!" Shougo yelled as he ran down the front garden path after Makishima.
"Shougo! Come back here!" Nijiumura snapped.
His son only paused for a moment, and then he was opening the front gate and stepping out. Only to stop as an adult stood in his path.
"Excuse me, is this the Nijimura household?"
Haizaki's eyes travelled up and up until he reached the scary red eyes. "Demon!" Then he turned around and ran back to his father.
"Ah...hello, you must be Akashi," Nijimura said, surprising himself with how calm and collected he sounded. Aomine and Kise were still trying to wiggle out of his hold.
Akashi bowed and walked through the gate, closing it softly behind him. "Good afternoon Nijimura-san."