Chapter Text
It all started from an idea on one tranquil monday. School and was out, and the day had been going on for far too long. The contentment from the weekend was long gone as tired students returned back to their homes. Rin and Len, slumped over with their ten-ton school bags waddled like zombies into everyone's shared apartment complex.
Meiko, the prime caretaker of the two cheered them a "welcome home!" with a big smile. The only synth who has not worked that day. Rin and Len returned with a bored "hhhyyynnn", to show their acknoledgement, but not an answer.
Meiko's smile drooped into an annoyed frown. She couln't help but resonate with them both, she too, knew how it felt to be a tired school student at the beginning of the year.
Rin and Len pushed passed Kaai Yuki, who was joyfully giggling and colouring her homework, a sheet of paper with simple equations a baby could solve, along with silly pictures that reminded anyone who looked at it about the season outside, autumn. The two twins sighed in unision both sharing a thought of "I wish I was as little as her again".
By the time they both got to the kitchen, bags, full of heavy homework, were sliding off of their shoulders and then thrown into the corner, hitting the table legs along the way, which resulted in Len's bag exploding on impact. The blow scattered papers and folders everywhere, all over the area of the scullery. Len inhaled a deep breath, sighing as his unbrushed-woke-up-late-teeth breath filled the surrounding of his head.
Rin opened the freezer, pulling out a box of bao and red bean buns. She carefully read the instructions, before tossing the red bean buns back into the freezer. She saw the little print reading "steam buns over boiling water for fourteen minutes", and she just couldn't wait that long. Despite craving the dessert, she nuked the microwavable bao for two minutes.
Miku arrived soon after. She got out of school at the same time the Kagamine's did, but she had to stay after for a scolding from her teacher for falling alseep in class. Then which, still tired, she fell asleep standing while getting scolded as well. So after that routine, she missed her train ride home.
Her smelly school uniform draped off/on her like a sash of the unluckiest winner of all time. She dragged her tired body to her room, not even bothering to remove the clothing in change for something comfortable, and flopped right onto her bed, a matress on the floor.
Miku used to have a bedframe, one she liked in fact, but after Kaai Yuki and her friend Una decided to host a trampoline party in her room, the frame was completely destroyed. Miku complained to Meiko of course, who just told her to ask Santa Claus for on for Christmas. This happened in late september, and it was early November now, so she would have to wait a little bit for her "gift".
At first, she thought about complaining to the less compitent parent, Kaito, but she erased that idea immedietly. A likely senario played in her head, where Kaito would just tell it it's a new style or something.
With her plop onto her matress, her figures in the shelf rattled, one particularly fragile nendroid exploding apart. Miku fell asleep before she could react to it.
In the kitchen, the microwave *beeped* and Rin took no time taking the steaming buns out of the hot box. Sitting down at the table where Len was seated, stomach growling as he contemplated whether this life was worth staying for or not, she peeled the skin off of her bun. Rin liked to skin her buns and eat the outer non-fluffy layer before she bit into it like a normal person. After this ritual, she bit into the bun and hacked it back out. "Too hot!" She yelped.
Meiko slowly walked in and out if Miku's room to turn the light off and place her bag off of her bed. She could understand the children's gloom, feeling terribly sorry for each if them except for Kaai Yuki. She thought about how misrable Yuki would be once she grew up and into the harder years of school. It pained her to imagine her once youthful and happy face turn into one like Miku, Rin, and Len's.
She rubbed her dry hands onto Len and Rin's backs. She would need to have a discussion with Kaito; or at the least, someone so she could do something about the depressed children.
Meiko sighed. "Monday, Monday, when will these kiddos catch a break? Each weekday is just a waiting game for the short break, a two day reward for their tired bodies, just to repeat again. Won't they grow up like Kaito? Kaito, who works just like them everyday?" Meiko walked aimlessly during her soliloquy, ending up where Kaai Yuki was, staring at the finished and colourful paper left there.
Giving it another thought, Kaito was exactly like these kids! Working everyday, coming home to see more repetitive chores to be done, and slopping himslelf on the couch. Kaito was incompitent, just like them. Meiko usually did all the housework, but on days where she worked as well, she made little money from her hobby-job, and all the chores were to be put onto the restless entities roaming the flat.
"Ahhh... I have to do something. Maybe a little suprise, just to keep these kids going for another week after this..." Meiko muttered. She left the room.
By the time Rin was done with her bao, the two at the table fell asleep. Meiko, feeling bad, cleaned and oragnized all of the papers scattered around the scullery and dumoed back into Len's bag. It was true she felt bad for them! A part time hobby job mother who stayed home half of the time didn't go through nearly as much trouble as everyone else did. Hell, even Kaai Yuki had to wake up earlier than her! Terrible! Just terrible!
Soon after Meiko cleaned up the rest of the mess that Rin's bao made in the kitchen, Katio came home, worn-down as ever.
"Welcome home Kaito" Meiko gleamed, putting on her happy face even though she felt so terrible.
Kaito beat a smile back, weary and tired, but still a smile, so Meiko counted it as a good sign.
"What would you like for dinner? The option's yours!" Meiko said, keeping her smile.
"Hhhyyymmmmnnn...... rice with sardines please..." Kaito said, lost in his barely-functioning mind. Meiko nodded, and he went into where Kaai Yuki was, sitting down on the couch. He fell asleep.
As everyone in the apartment, -Kaai Yuki, was asleep, Meiko plotted. How could she make a suprise that everyone would like? How would she get them our of their slump and be happy for once? Meiko pondered and pondered, giving "hmmmms" and "haaaaahhhss" as she dismissed every idea that popped up in her head.
"Dammit! I can't think if anything!" She said out loud, rather expressivly. She hushed herself as she looked around to see if she stirred anyone awake. After deeming the house clear, she went back to her brainstorming. "Haaah... I can't do that either... I don't think I can keep this a secret.. might as well ask people at dinner..." she thought. She took this as a sign to begin making the sardines and rice.
Meiko prepared the rice, trying to be quiet as the Kagamines were still sleeping on the table. As she pulled out the cooker and washed the white rice, she eyed the two thinking about if she should brinh them to their beds, but thought better of it. "It may wake them up..." She thought.
She shoved the thing of rice into the cooker and turned it on, humming to herself as she closed the lid and let it cook. She gathered the cans of northern water sardines in the pantry and layed them out on the counter.
Despite already introducing the idea of asking people what they would want for a break, she still thought about what they could do for a suprise. She quit her humming knowing that it may wake others. Then a thought came to her head. Aha! A weekend getaway! At some resort! The idea was questioned at first because of the season, but it all seemed too perfect. Meiko thought she could find something fitting for the autumn winds.
"Wintery winds.." "wintery winds..."
Soon enough, as dinner was made. Everyone rose up from their slumber and into the kitchen, seemingly a better mood.
Meiko! This dinner is very delish! Said Kaito. "I feel much better now!" He didn't speak a lie. The dinner warmed his head with better thoughts of happiness and removed every bit of worry for tomorrow.
Rin and Len seemed to be quite a bit happier too, playing with eachother and talking to little Kaai Yuki who dug through her bowl.
"Say, everyone! I see that you all are so worn out when you get home, so why don't we plan something a bit better than your usual routine and school? How about a weekend getaway to somehwere traditional? We could have a nice time there and eat plenty if warm and tasty sweets!" Meiko said, putting her idea out for a question.
At first, they all seemed to resent it. "I have work Meiko..!" Kaito said. "Yeah and we all have school too! Homework I mean!" Says Len.
"Ahh! Forget school and homework! Lets just all forget about those worries and have a nice time ok? Where do you guys want to go?" Meiko said, pushing away every question anyone had.
"Well, if you say so! Fuck school anyway!" Kaai yuki shouted, probably disturbing the neighboring flats.
"Yuki! Where did you learn that!?" Rin said, stiffling a laugh. Everyone knew she learned it from her.
Kaito sighed heavier than anyone so far, saying "you need to watch your guys' mouth around her."
"Whatever! Meiko, I would actually really like that! When's it gonna be? Next weekend?" Rin asked with a twinkle in her eye.
"Sure thing! Just make it to next weekend ok?" Meiko said. She was glad dinner was going better than she expected.
Miku laughed an actual laugh. "Yay! No homework! I don't care if I get an F!"
"But I care Miku. You still need to keep on too of your grades ok? That goes for everyone." Meiko said. Everyone groaned in compliance.
The table grew silent for a few moments before Kaito said "Well everyone, when the time comes, don't forget to pack your bags!"
The rest of dinner played out amazingly, everyone talking about what to do when the weekend is to come, laughing and giggling about joke suggestions, and making up silly senarios involving others at the table. Everyone finished their sardines and rice, and Kaito went for seconds.
Little did they know what was to come...