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They’d been planning their trip to the boardwalk since the start of the summer, a couple of weeks prior. The idea first came about as a result of a horror movie they were watching, strangely enough. The beginning of the movie took place at an amusement park, sparking the thought.
“I want to ride a roller coaster!” Jyushimatsu’s eyes were fixed on the TV as he spoke. His remark was in reaction to a scene depicting a roller coaster derailing, violently killing the passengers.
“That’s your response to seeing this?” Choromatsu was trying to maintain his composure while watching the movie, glancing away when he thought something gory was about to happen. It always disappointed Jyushimatsu a little bit when Choromatsu didn’t react, but he knew his brother just didn’t want to show that he was scared.
“Can I look yet?” Todomatsu was hiding behind Ichimatsu, averting his gaze from the screen.
“Let go of me.” Ichimatsu glanced at Todomatsu with a look of mild irritation.
“Didn’t they just finish building a new roller coaster at the boardwalk?” Karamatsu recalled hearing about it.
“I think so, yeah.” Choromatsu nodded.
“How about it, Jyushimatsu? Want to go to the boardwalk?” Osomatsu looked at his brother.
“Yeah, let’s do it!” Jyushimatsu gave a thumbs up, but it was obscured by the oversized sleeve of his shirt.
“We’ll find a time when we’re all free, then.” Choromatsu was on board.
“You say that as if any of us are ever busy.” Osomatsu laughed.
“I’ve actually got quite the packed schedule, but I can always make time for my dear bro-” Karamatsu started to talk.
“We should go to the beach while we’re there.” Todomatsu cut Karamatsu off with no remorse.
“Sure, we can do that.” Choromatsu gave an approving nod.
“I’m gonna give French fries to the seagulls.” Jyushimatsu declared.
“Aren’t carbs bad for seagulls?” Todomatsu raised a brow.
“Ducks. You’re thinking of ducks.” Choromatsu told him.
“Oh! Look, this is one of my favorite parts of the movie!” Jyushimatsu pointed at the screen. “I was listening to the commentary track and the lighting in this scene was actually really hard to pull off. What they had to do was-”
Jyushimatsu broke into a lengthy explanation. He had a bit of an obsession with horror films, and developed an encyclopedic knowledge of them because of it. He had a tendency to become hyperfixated on things that caught his attention, and scary movies were one of his longest-running interests.
Now that the topic had been brought up, all they had to do was make more concrete plans. The next time they discussed it was a few days later, during the first heat wave of the summer.
“Man, it’s hot. Is it gonna be like this all summer?” Osomatsu complained as he laid sprawled out on the floor.
“Why are you surprised? It’s like this every year.” Ichimatsu was sitting beneath the air conditioner and holding an ice pack to the back of his neck.
“We should go to the beach.” Osomatsu suggested.
“We’re going to the boardwalk, remember?” Jyushimatsu was quick to remind him of their discussion.
“Oh, that’s right, we did decide that.” Osomatsu nodded.
“Let’s wait until the heat wave passes. I’m not going outside in thirty-eight degree weather.” Todomatsu told them.
“It’s supposed to be thirty-nine tomorrow!” Jyushimatsu informed him, recalling the forecast they’d watched earlier in the day. He didn’t always have an effective way of parsing through the information he took in, leading him to commit all of it to memory, just in case. His memory was far and away the best out of all of his brothers.
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Todomatsu sighed.
“The reporter said that it’ll cool down by the end of next week.” Jyushimatsu thought that this news would put his brother in a better mood.
“Thank god.” Todomatsu sounded relieved, which made Jyushimatsu happy.
“Let’s go to the boardwalk next Friday, then.” Karamatsu suggested an exact date.
“Any objections?” Choromatsu looked around, giving the others a chance to speak up. When nobody said anything, he spoke again. “Alright, next Friday it is.”
As soon as they’d settled on a day, Jyushimatsu circled it in bright red marker on the calendar. He was teeming with anticipation, counting down the days over the course of the next week. He’d periodically remind his brothers of their plans, wanting to make sure that nobody forgot.
Finally, it was the night before their excursion. Jyushimatsu rolled out the futon at eleven o’clock sharp. He went to the living room, waving his arms at his brothers.
“We should go to bed early since we have to get up early.” Jyushimatsu insisted. He also knew that the sooner they went to sleep, the sooner the next day would arrive.
“I want to stay up a little later.” Todomatsu said, eyes glued to his phone as he scrolled through one of his many social media apps.
“Jyushimatsu is right, we should go to bed early so we’re all ready for tomorrow. I need at least eight hours of beauty sleep to look my Sunday best, after all.” Karamatsu knew that Jyushimatsu was looking forward to the next day and that it would make him happy if they all went to bed early.
“But tomorrow is Friday.” Jyushimatsu tilted his head to the side at Karamatsu’s remark.
“It’s an expression, my dear brother.” Karamatsu started to explain.
“I know, I’m just kidding around.” Jyushimatsu cracked a grin.
“Alright, I’ll go to bed. Just give me five more minutes.” Todomatsu conceded.
It took a bit of effort, but Jyushimatsu managed to get everyone to lay down by eleven-thirty, turning out the light shortly thereafter.
“Did you set the alarm?” Jyushimatsu asked Choromatsu.
“Yeah, it’s set.” Choromatsu nodded. “Do you want me to double-check that I did?”
“Yes, please!” Jyushimatsu tucked himself under the covers.
Choromatsu grabbed his phone and verified that the alarm was on.
“It’s set.” Choromatsu told Jyushimatsu before putting his phone back on the charger.
“Alright, good night!” Jyushimatsu closed his eyes, eager for the next day to arrive.
Jyushimatsu was the first one to wake up the next morning. He’d hardly been able to sleep due to how excited he was, and yet he didn’t feel tired. If anything, he was more wide awake than usual in anticipation for the day ahead of him.
He wanted to wake everyone up, but he exercised as much restraint as he could. Looking at the clock, he saw that the alarm would go off soon. He told himself he could wait a little longer. He paced around the room, swinging his arms while trying to be quiet about it. When the alarm finally went off, he went down the line and started shaking each brother awake.
“Good morning!” Jyushimatsu greeted them as they all opened their eyes.
“Good morning, Jyushimatsu.” Karamatsu blinked slowly, pushing himself into a seated position as he woke up.
“So loud…” Ichimatsu muttered, but he was actually used to it.
One by one, they each woke up. Once everyone was out of bed, Karamatsu and Choromatsu rolled up the futon and put it away. They all proceeded to get dressed for the day. Their go-to outfits were their matching sweatshirts, but with how hot the weather was going to be, they opted for short sleeves. Their shirts still matched, save for the colors of the sleeves.
“I’m ready to go!” Jyushimatsu declared as soon as he was dressed.
“We need to eat first.” Choromatsu shook his head.
“We’ll be quick, I promise.” Karamatsu assured Jyushimatsu.
“Okay, I understand.” Jyushimatsu nodded. It was hard to be patient, but when he thought about it for a moment he realized that he actually was hungry. When he got excited about something he would sometimes forget to take care of more important things.
They went to the kitchen and each made themselves something to eat. The go-to was cereal for most of them, but Karamatsu and Choromatsu were known to cook something simple from time to time. Their parents were out of town at the moment, leaving them to fend for themselves for a couple of days.
Jyushimatsu kicked his legs back and forth as he sat at the table and nibbled on a piece of toast. He looked around at his brothers. At the moment, it was quiet due to them all eating. Osomatsu was the first to finish, getting up and putting his bowl in the sink.
“At least rinse it.” Choromatsu glared at Osomatsu from across the kitchen.
“I figured Karamatsu would rinse it when he got up since he’s always so nice and helpful.” Osomatsu grinned.
“Of course, I’d be happy to-” Karamatsu started to speak.
“Don’t do it. You let him get away with too much.” Choromatsu shook his head.
“It’s really no trouble.” Karamatsu didn’t actually want to rinse Osomatsu’s dish, but he felt compelled to please.
“Osomatsu is a grown-ass adult. He can rinse his own dish.” Choromatsu glanced at Osomatsu.
“Fine, fine.” Osomatsu turned on the sink and rinsed out the bowl. He put it back in the sink and started to walk away.
“Would it kill you to load it into the dishwasher?” Choromatsu sighed. “It’ll take an extra two seconds.”
“Alright.” Osomatsu walked back to the sink, picking up his bowl and putting it into the dishwasher.
After everyone finished eating, they all gathered by the door and put their shoes on. Choromatsu grabbed the house key off of the hook on the wall.
“Does everyone have their wallet? I’m not covering for you guys if you forget.” Choromatsu looked at everyone.
“We get it, you’re stingy.” Todomatsu rolled his eyes.
“I wouldn’t be stingy if you guys would pay me back when I loan you money.” Choromatsu told him as they walked out.
Jyushimatsu looked up and saw the sun beating down on them. It wasn’t as hot as it had been the week before, but it was still warm. He was elated that the weather was ideal for their outing.
On their way to the bus stop, Jyushimatsu took in the sounds around them. It was the time of year when the cicadas were everywhere, filling the air with their cries. Overheard, he could hear the intermittent chirping of birds sitting on the power lines. In the distance there was the sound of someone honking their horn while in traffic. Sometimes the excess of sounds was a little overwhelming, but on this particular day he wasn’t bothered.
“We should see who can eat the most cotton candy.” Jyushimatsu’s eyes lit up as he thought about the foods they sold at the boardwalk.
“We all know that you’d win.” Todomatsu pointed out.
“That’s true!” Jyushimatsu nodded.
“I’ll still take you up on your challenge, though.” Osomatsu decided to humor Jyushimatsu.
“You’ll both get a stomach ache.” Choromatsu warned.
Jyushimatsu felt a little restless while they waited for the bus to arrive. He started to mindlessly pick at his hands. It wasn’t something that he did intentionally, it was just a way that he kept his hands occupied when he needed to be moving. It wasn’t as bad as it used to be; in the past, his hands would end up covered in scratches and marks. This was part of the reason that he wore sweatshirts with long sleeves. When his hands were covered by the fabric, he felt less compelled to pick at them.
Ichimatsu saw Jyushimatsu out of the corner of his eye.
“Jyushimatsu.” Ichimatsu tried to get his attention. He wanted to tell him to stop, but he knew that that alone wouldn’t work. He needed some way for Jyushimatsu to redirect his energy. Ichimatsu looked at Karamatsu and elbowed him. “Hey, Shittymatsu, did you bring any suckers?”
Karamatsu reached into his pockets in search of some. He sometimes carried them around because Jyushimatsu could focus on chewing on them. He pursed his lips, unable to find any.
“Sorry, I didn’t.” Karamatsu shook his head. “I should have thought to bring some.”
“It’s whatever.” Ichimatsu sighed. He looked at Jyushimatsu. He wasn’t great at voicing caring or concern, but he at least made an effort. “Would it help for you to have something to chew on?”
“Huh?” Jyushimatsu hadn’t even realized he’d been picking at his hands. “Karamatsu didn’t bring any suckers.”
“That’s never stopped you before.” Ichimatsu muttered.
“Oh! Can I chew on you?” Jyushimatsu had a habit of gnawing on his brothers when he had nothing to occupy his mouth and he was feeling restless. Most of them didn’t like it in the slightest. Todomatsu hated feeling Jyushimatsu’s saliva on his skin, and at one point Jyushimatsu had bit Karamatsu’s hand so hard that he’d started crying.
“Do whatever you want.” Ichimatsu shrugged. He wasn’t good with his words, but this was his way of being helpful. Out of all of the brothers, Ichimatsu tolerated Jyushimatsu’s chewing compulsion the most.
Jyushimatsu took Ichimatsu’s arm and held it up before biting down. He liked the slight squishiness between his teeth, and holding up Ichimatsu’s arm kept his hands busy.
“If you let him chew on you, he’ll think it’s okay for him to do it to us.” Choromatsu frowned slightly.
“If he does, just tell him to stop and he probably will. He’s not stupid.” Ichimatsu rolled his eyes at Choromatsu.
Jyushimatsu gnawed on Ichimatsu’s arm until the bus arrived, at which point he let go and boarded the vehicle with everyone. They spotted a row of seats long enough to fit all of them and sat down together. Jyushimatsu was sitting between Karamatsu and Todomatsu, swaying from side to side so that he kept bumping into their shoulders.
“You’re all going to ride the roller coaster with me, right?” Jyushimatsu looked at his brothers hopefully.
“Yeah, sure.” Ichimatsu nodded.
“You act tough, but I bet you’re the type that’s terrified of roller coasters.” Todomatsu looked at Ichimatsu and snickered.
“Shut up.” Ichimatsu scowled.
“I’m surprised you’re fine with roller coasters, Totty. You seem like you’d hate them.” Osomatsu remarked.
“As long as it doesn’t go upside down or anything, I’ll be fine.” Todomatsu insisted. “...it doesn’t go upside down, does it?”
“I don’t think so, no.” Choromatsu shook his head.
They only had to transfer buses once to get to their destination, arriving at the boardwalk around ten-thirty in the morning. The six of them walked up to the entrance, entering a sea of people.
“Do you want to go do the roller coaster right away?” Karamatsu asked for Jyushimatsu’s opinion since he was the one most excited for their outing.
“Yeah, let’s do it!” Jyushimatsu nodded excitedly. He simply couldn’t wait.
“Alright, it’s probably for the better if we go on it before we eat anything anyway.” Choromatsu looked at the situation pragmatically.
“What, do you think you’ll get sick?” Osomatsu was ready to tease Choromatsu. “You haven’t said anything, but you get motion sickness, don’t you?”
“It’s not that bad.” Choromatsu crossed his arms, not wanting to seem like a wimp. “Don’t be an ass about it.”
“I just have to make sure I don’t sit in front of you in case you-”
“Don’t talk about gross stuff.” Todomatsu grimaced, cutting off Osomatsu.
They walked down the boardwalk until they got to the line for the roller coaster. There were a lot of people queued up, likely because the ride had just opened recently. The six of them got into line. It moved relatively quickly, and they were consistently shuffling forward.
Any time that they had to stand still, Jyushimatsu rocked back and forth on his heels. He couldn’t contain his excitement and was having a hard time waiting. When standing still was impossible, he would pace around the other five while swaying from side to side. If it were just them, none of them would have done anything, but Jyushimatsu was accidentally invading the personal space of the people around them.
“Hey, Jyushimatsu.” Choromatsu looked in his direction.
“Yeah?” Jyushimatsu smiled and looked at him.
“You’re moving around a lot.” Choromatsu didn’t want to scold him or make him feel bad about it, instead making an observation.
“Sorry, I’m just really excited.” Jyushimatsu stood closer to his brothers, trying to contain his movements.
“I understand what you mean, my dear brother. I, too, am looking forward to the wind in my hair as we’re rocketed into the wild blue!” Karamatsu spoke with a dramatic flair, as he often did.
“Right? Right?” Jyushimatsu nodded happily. He took Karamatsu by the hands and started rocking both of them back and forth. Karamatsu swayed with him, happy to share in his joy. Jyushimatsu was the one brother that was genuinely nice to him.
Soon enough, they got to the front of the line. The cars of the roller coaster were divided into three rows of two seats, meaning that a single car would fit the six of them.
“Alright, what’s the seating arrangement?” Choromatsu looked at everyone. “Think fast.”
“I’ll sit with Totty!” Jyushimatsu decided, tugging on Todomatsu’s sleeve.
“Sure, but why me?” Todomatsu wasn’t opposed, but he was curious about Jyushimatsu’s reasoning.
“Because you seem nervous.” Jyushimatsu wanted to be a good older brother. Todomatsu was the only one younger than him, so he tried to go out of his way to take extra care of him when possible.
“I’m not that nervous.” Todomatsu pursed his lips, not wanting to admit that Jyushimatsu was right.
Osomatsu and Choromatsu sat in the front row, with Jyushimatsu and Todomatsu behind them. Karamatsu and Ichimatsu sat in the back row of the car.
“Last chance to bail!” Osomatsu looked back at his brothers.
“I’m pretty sure it’s too late. We’re already strapped in.” Choromatsu pointed out.
Jyushimatsu was practically vibrating, he was so excited. He looked at Todomatsu, who was trying to take deep breaths.
“It’ll be fun!” Jyushimatsu put a hand on Todomatsu’s shoulder.
“I know it will. I’m fine.” Todomatsu insisted.
“Sure, sure.” Jyushimatsu nodded.
Before Jyushimatsu could offer any further reassurance, the ride began. Some roller coasters started at a slow pace and worked their way up to the top speed, but this coaster shot them forward right away. They were sent flying down the track in an instant, rocketing toward the first hill.
Jyushimatsu could feel the wind in his hair as they zipped down the track. He was wide-eyed and filled with wonder, enamored with the adrenaline rush he was receiving. In the seconds leading up to them cresting the first big hill, he was overcome with anticipation. He couldn’t wait to feel the drop.
For a moment, the car of the roller coaster slowed as it went up the incline. The speed would immediately pick up moments later as they went over the hill and went flying down it. They were going at a breakneck pace, the world around them becoming a blur.
All six of them couldn’t help but scream. Osomatsu and Jyushimatsu were screaming in excitement, while the other four were screaming in terror from the thrill of the ride. Jyushimatsu held his hands up, delighted by the experience. They were moving so fast that he could barely see, but he thought it was fun to be in such a disorienting state. He was having a blast.
During the ride, Jyushimatsu glanced at Todomatsu and saw that he had a death grip on the restraints keeping him securely in his seat. Jyushimatsu reached out and put a hand on his shoulder in a reassuring gesture. He didn’t think it did much of anything to help calm Todomatsu down, but he at least wanted him to know that he was there for him. Or rather, as there for him as he could be while they were being sent down a track at one-hundred and sixty kilometers per hour.
Out of all of them, Choromatsu screamed the loudest. The others would likely tease him about this after the fact, especially Osomatsu. Even still, Choromatsu couldn’t keep himself from screaming anyway.
Jyushimatsu never wanted the ride to end, but eventually the car came to a slow and they returned to the beginning of the track. He was grinning from ear to ear, in a bit of a daze as they were let out of the car. He turned to look at his brothers and saw that Osomatsu seemed just as excited as he was, while the other four had more varied reactions. Karamatsu seemed to be putting on a brave face, Choromatsu had an empty look in his eyes, Todomatsu looked a little dizzy, and Ichimatsu appeared to be ready to keel over at any second.
“That was a lot of fun, right?” Jyushimatsu was beaming, waving his arms cheerfully. “I wonder how fast we were going? That might have been the fastest roller coaster I’ve ever been on!”
“My heart was racing as the wind ruffled my hair, it was truly exhilarating!” Karamatsu acted tough.
“Kara, you’re shaking.” Osomatsu smirked.
“Ah, I’m shaking from how much I enjoyed myself, I simply can’t contain my unrestrained summer fun.” Karamatsu insisted.
“Well, at least you’re in better shape than the others.” Osomatsu gestured toward Choromatsu, Ichimatsu, and Todomatsu. “Choro, I bet your throat hurts from screaming so loud!”
“Shut up.” Choromatsu rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t that loud.”
“Oh, believe me, you were. I know because I was sitting right next to you.” Osomatsu laughed.
“We’re gonna go on it again, right?” Jyushimatsu looked at his brothers hopefully.
“Hell yeah, let’s do it!” Osomatsu nodded. “Are you guys gonna join us? Can you even handle it?”
“Of course I can handle it. I could ride this roller coaster a dozen more times if I felt so inclined.” Karamatsu insisted.
“Really? Let’s do it, then!” Jyushimatsu grinned.
“Choro, if you need to sit this one out I’ll only think a little less of you.” Osomatsu teased him.
“Why are you singling me out?” Choromatsu crossed his arms.
“Because I want to stay on Totty’s good side and Ichi might actually kill me if I make fun of him.” Osomatsu explained.
Jyushimatsu led the group back to the end of the line while Osomatsu and Choromatsu continued their banter.
When they got toward the front of the line, Todomatsu spoke up.
“Actually, I think I have to go to the bathroom. I’d hate to miss the ride, but I’ll just meet you guys afterward, okay?” Todomatsu tried to give himself a way out.
“Just say you’re too scared to ride the roller coaster.” Choromatsu rolled his eyes.
“That’s not it!” Todomatsu objected, but Choromatsu was right.
“I’m so sure.” Ichimatsu scoffed.
“Like I said, I just have to go to the bathroom.” Todomatsu quickly abandoned ship and disappeared from the line.
Jyushimatsu was a little disappointed that Todomatsu decided not to go on the roller coaster again, but he figured that there were plenty of other things that they would get to do together while they were at the boardwalk.
The five remaining brothers reached the front of the ride, where they were loaded into a car. This time, Jyushimatsu sat next to Karamatsu.
“Are you excited?” Jyushimatsu smiled.
“Extremely. Incredibly. I’m not even nervous in the slightest!” Karamatsu was a terrible liar.
“Thanks for riding it again with me!” Jyushimatsu was elated that he got to ride the roller coaster with his brothers. Half of the fun was seeing their reactions and getting to experience it together.
“Of course! I’d never pass up an opportunity for some brotherly bonding, no matter the challenge.” Karamatsu declared.
They would have kept talking, but the ride began and they were sent shooting down the track once again. Jyushimatsu enjoyed it just as much as the first time, screaming with joy as they raced through the course of the roller coaster.
When they got off of the ride, Jyushimatsu spotted Todomatsu waiting for them and ran up to him.
“You missed out! I think Choromatsu screamed even louder the second time.” Jyushimatsu laughed.
“I did not.” Choromatsu said this, but his voice was a little scratchy from how vocal he’d been.
“So, what should we do now?” Osomatsu asked.
“They’ve got a lot of games throughout the boardwalk, like a shooting game and a ring toss. I’d love to show off my impeccable skill-” Karamatsu started talking about what he wanted to do.
“I’m pretty hungry, actually. Listening to Choro shout so much made me work up an appetite!” Osomatsu outright ignored what Karamatsu was saying. It wasn’t even that he was trying to be rude, it was more so that he and the others often tuned Karamatsu out because of his tendency to say excruciating things.
“After we eat, let’s play the boardwalk games!” Jyushimatsu brought the conversation back to what Karamatsu had wanted. Unlike the others, he usually listened to what Karamatsu said, unless he was particularly distracted. He wasn’t as harsh with Karamatsu as the rest of the brothers were, and he’d often make an effort to voice the things Karamatsu was trying to vocalize.
“Sure, we can do that.” Choromatsu nodded. “I think I saw one where you throw balls at targets. I bet you’d be really good at that one, Jyushimatsu.”
“I’ll win it for sure.” Jyushimatsu had a determined glimmer in his eye.
As they walked down to where a majority of the food stalls were, Jyushimatsu took in the sights of the boardwalk. He noticed all of the people around them, getting little peeks into their lives. He would overhear snippets of conversations, just little phrases that would worm their way into his brain. He was incredibly observant to the point that he simply didn’t know what to do with all of the information he took in. He didn’t always know how to differentiate what was important information and what was less necessary.
“Alright, want to split up and each get what we want? We can meet back here in ten minutes.” Choromatsu tried to make a game plan.
“That sounds good. Don’t miss me too much, this is only a temporary goodbye.” Karamatsu spoke with his usual flair. It largely went ignored, but Todomatsu glanced at him with a flat expression.
Jyushimatsu watched as everyone started to go in opposite directions. He turned to go purchase something, but paused when he saw that Ichimatsu wasn’t moving.
“Aren’t you going to get something to eat?” Jyushimatsu bounded up to Ichimatsu and grabbed him by the hand, swinging his arm back and forth.
“Probably not.” Ichimatsu muttered.
“Why not?” Jyushimatsu tilted his head to the side.
“All the lines are long, and I don’t know what I want.” Ichimatsu pursed his lips.
It took a moment, but Jyushimatsu realized that Ichimatsu was likely overwhelmed. He knew that his brother was more of a homebody and could get intimidated by crowded places, especially when he was by himself.
“Come with me and get something to eat.” Jyushimatsu encouraged him. He surveyed the booths. “We can share some kettle corn!”
“Kettle corn?” Ichimatsu considered it. He looked and saw that the line for the popcorn stall wasn’t as long as the others. “Yeah, sure, I’ll go with you.”
Jyushimatsu kept a firm grip on Ichimatsu as they got into the line, swaying the both of them from side to side. Ichimatsu tolerated this and let himself get pulled whichever way Jyushimatsu felt like going.
When they got to the front of the line, Jyushimatsu was the one to order their food. He didn’t mind doing so, and he was aware that Ichimatsu didn’t like speaking up.
“Why are you getting the largest bag?” Ichimatsu murmured as Jyushimatsu was handed a massive bag of kettle corn.
“Because we’re sharing.” Jyushimatsu said as though it were obvious.
“There’s no way we can finish that, even with both of us sharing it.” Ichimatsu shook his head.
“Wanna bet?” Jyushimatsu grinned, taking the bag of kettle corn and walking back to the rendezvous point.
“I guess we can make the others eat some if we get sick of it.” Ichimatsu shrugged.
Shortly after they got back, the others returned with food of their own. Osomatsu had two candy apples, Karamatsu had corn on the cob, Choromatsu had a corn dog, and Todomatsu had cotton candy.
“I feel like I’m the only one who actually got something that counts as a meal.” Choromatsu looked at the choices his brothers had made.
“Sometimes a meal is a comically large bag of kettle corn.” Jyushimatsu chuckled.
“That’s why I got two candy apples. One is a snack, and two makes a meal.” Osomatsu explained.
“That’s not how that works, idiot.” Choromatsu rolled his eyes.
“What? Should I have gotten three?” Osomatsu was being cheeky.
“Let’s go sit down.” Choromatsu didn’t even give him a response, instead gesturing for them to gather around one of the available tables. They all sat down and started eating. Jyushimatsu shoveled kettle corn into his mouth, kicking his legs back and forth cheerfully.
“After we play some of the games, how about we go on the Ferris wheel?” Osomatsu pointed at the large structure at the end of the boardwalk.
“Sure, I bet I could take some cool pictures from up there.” Todomatsu was in favor of it.
“I’m surprised you haven’t been taking more pictures so far today, Totty.” Karamatsu remarked.
“It’s hard getting pictures without any of you in the frame.” Todomatsu sighed.
“Then just take pictures with us, asshole.” Choromatsu said flatly.
“I guess I could do that, but it’s not like I could post them or anything.” Todomatsu shook his head.
“Are you that ashamed to be with us?” Karamatsu frowned.
“Oh, no, I’m not ashamed to be with you guys! I like doing stuff like this. I’m just ashamed to be seen with you, you know?” Todomatsu clarified things.
“That’s not much better!” Choromatsu protested.
“Can you blame me?” Todomatsu didn’t see the issue, he simply thought he was stating facts.
“It’s not like I’m surprised, but I feel like I should be offended or something.” Osomatsu wasn’t all that bothered by it.
“It’s whatever. I wouldn’t want to be seen with me, either.” Ichimatsu muttered.
“I understand, Totty. You’re worried that if the two of us were spotted together, that I’d outshine you, right? I am a blindingly brilliant star, so your concern is very valid, but I promise I’d share the spotlight with you!” Karamatsu assured him.
“The fact that you’re so delusional is part of why I can’t be seen with you.” Todomatsu rolled his eyes.
“I can understand not wanting to be seen with the others, but I’m the sensible one. What’s wrong with being seen with me?” Choromatsu was blind to himself.
“Your lack of self-awareness is almost impressive.” Todomatsu told him.
“That’s not a compliment.” Choromatsu frowned.
“I wasn’t trying to compliment you.” Todomatsu insisted.
Jyushimatsu listened to his brothers talk, eating kettle corn all the while. He wasn’t really bothered by Todomatsu being reluctant to be seen with them. He thought it was a little endearing how Todomatsu tried to keep up appearances. Jyushimatsu did feel a little bad that he embarrassed Todomatsu, because he never actually meant to, but he didn’t dwell too much on it.
Everyone finished eating until all that was left was a third of a bag of kettle corn.
“I told you we got too much.” Ichimatsu pointed at the bag. “I’m full.”
“Do any of you want some?” Jyushimatsu held out the bag to his brothers.
“Yeah, sure, I’ll have some.” Osomatsu indulged in some of the kettle corn, helping them get through more of it. They still weren’t able to finish off the bag, though.
“Oh, I know.” Ichimatsu remembered something. He looked at Jyushimatsu through his usual, half-lidded gaze. “You wanted to feed the seagulls when we go to the beach later. Feed them the kettle corn.”
“That’s a great idea!” Jyushimatsu “Do you think seagulls like kettle corn?”
“They’ll probably eat anything.” Ichimatsu shrugged. “I don’t think they’re really picky.”
“So, what now? Didn’t you want to play some of the games, Jyushimatsu?” Choromatsu glanced in his direction.
“That’s right, me and Karamatsu want to try some of the games.” Jyushimatsu nodded.
“Let’s do that, then.” Choromatsu led the group away from the food stalls and toward some of the booths with games. The first one they laid their eyes on was a game where the goal was to hit targets with balls. “You should be good at this, right, Jyushimatsu?”
“I’ll knock it out of the park!” Jyushimatsu nodded and approached the booth along with everyone.
“Oh wow, look at that huge stuffed animal!” Todomatsu pointed at a large, pink plush rabbit. “It’s so cute, isn’t it?”
“It reminds me of you.” Jyushimatsu nodded.
“Because it’s cute, right?” Todomatsu wasn’t afraid to fish for a compliment.
“Right!” Jyushimatsu nodded.
“We should have a contest to see who can hit the most targets.” Karamatsu suggested. “It’ll give me a chance to showcase my skills.”
“You’re on! Who else wants to play?” Jyushimatsu looks at his brothers.
“I’ll give it a try.” Osomatsu stepped forward.
“I don’t really think I’m going to be any good at it, but why not?” Choromatsu took a few coins out of his pocket.
“I’m not going to bother.” Ichimatsu shook his head.
“I’ll cheer you guys on, okay?” Todomatsu stayed back next to Ichimatsu.
Osomatsu, Karamatsu, Choromatsu, and Jyushimatsu all paid for the game, each of them receiving three balls.
“Who wants to go first?” Choromatsu looked down the line.
“Let’s go from eldest to youngest.” Osomatsu picked up a ball and prepared to throw it.
“That works for me, I like playing the closer!” Jyushimatsu smiled.
Osomatsu wound up and aimed for the largest target. His first throw barely missed.
“You almost got it!” Jyushimatsu encouraged him.
“Yeah, but it’s the easiest one to hit.” Choromatsu pointed out.
“No shame in going for the easy targets.” Osomatsu rubbed his nose and chuckled. He then threw the second ball, this time hitting the largest target. “A hit is a hit, right?”
Osomatsu threw the last ball, this time going for a slightly smaller target, but he wasn’t able to hit it. For hitting the biggest target, he was given a sucker. He turned to Jyushimatsu and held it out to him.
“You want it? I know you like these things.” Osomatsu offered it.
“Yes!” Jyushimatsu took the sucker and unwrapped it. Immediately, he bit down on it, chewing the hard candy.
“That can’t be good for your teeth.” Choromatsu could feel his jaw ache just from watching Jyushimatsu chomp down on the sucker.
Jyushimatsu proceeded to gnaw on the candy while Karamatsu stepped up to take his turn.
“Stand back, because you’re about to witness something amazing.” Karamatsu struck a pose, then wound up in an overly emphatic manner. He set his sights on the smallest target in the upper corner and chucked the ball at it. It missed by a country mile.
“Which target were you aiming for? I can’t even tell because you missed all of them so badly.” Choromatsu said bluntly.
“Th-that was a warm up throw! This next one will really showcase my talents.” Karamatsu quickly gathered himself and picked up the second ball. He went for the same target as before, once again ending up far from it.
“Are you even trying, Shittymatsu?” Ichimatsu scoffed.
“As if you could do better.” Todomatsu pointed out.
“That’s not relevant.” Ichimatsu narrowed his eyes at Todomatsu.
“Now it’s time for the real magic to happen! Those first two throws were just to give you the illusion that I couldn’t do it so that my victory will be even more triumphant.” Karamatsu took a deep breath. He didn’t think he could hit the target he’d been aiming for. Changing course, he tossed the third ball at the largest target, like Osomatsu had. This one hit the target, making Karamatsu so happy that he nearly teared up.
“You chickened out and went for the easy target.” Choromatsu noted.
“It’s important to pick and choose your battles carefully, my dear brother.” Karamatsu grinned. His efforts yielded a sucker, just as Osomatsu had won. He looked at Jyushimatsu and saw that he’d just finished the first one. “Want this one, too?”
“Mmhm!” Jyushimatsu took the second sucker and chewed on it while he watched Choromatsu step up to the counter.
“You gave me and Karamatsu shit for going for the easy target, so you’re going to show us how it’s done, right?” Osomatsu smirked.
“Yeah, right. As if I could do any better than the two of you.” Choromatsu was well aware of his lack of skill. Even still, he knew he would be a hypocrite if he went for the largest target, so he aimed for the second-largest target. His first throw missed terribly.
“Well, that went about as well as I expected it would for you.” Todomatsu mused.
“You have no right to criticize me since you’re not even playing the game.” Choromatsu glanced over his shoulder.
“I’ll criticize you anyway.” Todomatsu laughed.
Choromatsu tried again, though he still couldn’t hit what he was aiming for. He pursed his lips and reached for the final ball. He wanted to at least land a single hit to shut his brothers up, but he thought it was unlikely that he could even hit the largest target. With a resigned sigh, he tossed the ball at the second-largest target and watched as the ball flew past it.
“Yeah, I figured it would turn out this way.” Choromatsu nodded solemnly.
“You gave it your best shot. I promise I’ll avenge you!” Jyushimatsu finished the second sucker and stuck the sticks in his pocket until they could find a trash can. He picked up the first ball and eyed the targets. He looked at the prizes, then back at the targets. With a fierce determination, he wound up and threw the ball at the smallest target. The ball went right for the target, hitting it dead-center. “See? Easy!”
“I knew you’d absolutely make a killing at this game.” Osomatsu nodded knowingly. “Do you think you can hit the other two small targets?”
“Of course I can!” Jyushimatsu was thrilled when Osomatsu praised his abilities. Beaming from ear to ear, he hit the next two smallest targets with ease, winning him the right to pick whatever prize he wanted. He knew exactly which one to choose. He pointed at the stuffed rabbit, rocking back and forth on his heels eagerly. “That one, please!”
The employee running the booth handed over the rabbit, congratulating him on his win. Immediately, Jyushimatsu turned and held it out to Todomatsu.
“Huh? You picked it for me?” Todomatsu was surprised.
“Yeah! It reminded me of you and you said it was cute, so I thought you’d want it.” Jyushimatsu waited for him to take it.
“You didn’t have to do that, Jyushimatsu.” Todomatsu took the pink rabbit and looked down at it. He couldn’t help but smile when he saw the adorable expression stitched onto its face. “Thanks, I’ll take good care of it.”
“You’re welcome! I’m a cool older brother, right?” Jyushimatsu felt like he was on cloud nine when he saw Todomatsu smiling.
“Yeah.” Todomatsu laughed slightly and nodded. All of his brothers were older than him, but he knew that Jyushimatsu perhaps took that title of older brother to heart the most since Todomatsu was the only one younger than him.
“Jyushimatsu kicked our asses. We’ve got to pull out a victory in the next game.” Osomatsu decided.
The group tried a ring toss, a basketball throw, and a dart-throwing game as they made their way down the line of games. None of them could pull off an astounding performance like Jyushimatsu had given in the first game, but they had a good time nonetheless. Ichimatsu and Todomatsu even joined in, though they weren’t particularly good at the games they tried.
Between the six of them, they won a lot of candy that they gave most of to Jyushimatsu. Through sheer luck, Ichimatsu did well enough in the dart-throwing game to win a small, cat-shaped keychain. For a brief moment, he cracked a smile when he looked at it.
Once they had gotten to the end of the boardwalk, they approached the Ferris wheel and got in line. Jyushimatsu watched the gondolas going around the wheel, ascending high into the sky. He couldn’t wait to see the view, imagining what the world could possibly look like from such an angle.
“How tall do you think the Ferris wheel is?” Jyushimatsu asked.
“I don’t know, maybe like one-hundred and twenty, maybe one-hundred and fifty meters?” Choromatsu looked up and tried to give his best estimate.
“I’m surprised you’re not afraid of heights, Choro.” Osomatsu remarked.
“Why’s that?” Choromatsu raised a brow.
“You just seem like the type to be afraid of most things.” Osomatsu laughed.
“I’m not that easily frightened.” Choromatsu rolled his eyes.
“You’re only afraid of scary movies, roller coasters, bugs, getting caught with a dirty magazine by a cute girl, and ghosts!” Jyushimatsu rattled off a list of fears.
“I’m not afraid of ghosts- and hey, wait a second! You threw a weird one in there!” Choromatsu protested.
Jyushimatsu grinned and broke into a laugh.
They got to the front of the line and were let into one of the gondolas. It was big enough to seat all six of them. Osomatsu, Choromatsu, and Ichimatsu sat on one side while Karamatsu, Jyushimatsu, and Todomatsu sat on the opposite side. The door closed and the gondola began to move along the curve of the wheel.
“We’re going up!” Jyushimatsu looked out the window.
Todomatsu took out his phone and started to take pictures as they ascended. He pressed his phone to the window and captured the entirety of the boardwalk below them.
The higher up they got, the more excited Jyushimatsu became. When they neared the top of the Ferris wheel, he was so excited that he was rocking in his seat. This made the whole gondola sway back and forth steadily. As it teetered back and forth, the other brothers felt anxious.
“H-hey.” Choromatsu glanced at Jyushimatsu, feeling the gondola shaking.
Jyushimatsu didn’t realize it was bothering the others. He liked the feeling of it rocking, thinking it made the ride more fun. Unbeknownst to him, Karamatsu was starting to feel a little nauseous from the motions. Karamatsu clenched his jaw; he considered saying something to Jyushimatsu, but he didn’t want to spoil his fun. He chose to endure it.
Karamatsu was willing to tolerate it, but Todomatsu was starting to get very nervous. He clutched the stuffed rabbit tightly.
“Jyushimatsu.” Todomatsu turned and looked at him.
“Yeah?” Jyushimatsu smiled.
“I’m getting a little nervous.” Todomatsu didn’t want to be mean about it after Jyushimatsu had gone out of his way to be so nice to him.
“Huh? Why?” Jyushimatsu didn’t understand at first. “Is it scary being so high up?”
“The shaking of the gondola is freaking him out.” Ichimatsu told him, saying it outright. “Could you stop?”
“Oh, sure! Sorry!” Jyushimatsu offered an apology, immediately stopping what he was doing. Some of his brothers often thought he was hard to rein once he got going, but the truth of the matter was that he would just about always stop doing something the instant he was told to stop doing it. Ichimatsu understood this better than the others did.
The rest of the ride was peaceful. Once the rocking stopped, Todomatsu felt considerably better and was able to enjoy the view. By the time they got back down to the bottom, he had taken a plethora of photos that he could go through later.
As they got off of the ride, Jyushimatsu noticed that Karamatsu looked a little pale. Nobody else seemed to notice, and if they did, they certainly didn’t care. Jyushimatsu took it upon himself to check in with his older brother.
“Are you okay? You don’t look too good.” Jyushimatsu tugged on Karamatsu’s sleeve.
“I’m… okay. I think I just got a touch of motion sickness.” Karamatsu was feeling nauseous from when Jyushimatsu had rocked the gondola. “I’ll be fine.”
“Do you want us to stop walking for a minute?” Jyushimatsu pointed at an empty bench near where they were. “We could take a quick break. I think I’ve still got some candy in my pockets that you could eat to get your strength back!”
“We don’t need to stop, I wouldn’t want to inconvenience everyone.” Karamatsu shook his head, but in actuality he did need a moment to collect himself. Jyushimatsu saw the crease in Karamatsu’s brow, processing his expression.
“Guys, let’s take a time-out real quick!” Jyushimatsu waved his arms and gestured toward the bench.
“Oh, sure. Is everything okay?” Choromatsu stepped to the side.
“Yeah, we just need a minute or two.” Jyushimatsu smiled and sat down next to Karamatsu on the bench. He patted his back gently.
“Do you want some kettle corn to settle your stomach?” Jyushimatsu offered the bag to Karamatsu.
“I don’t think sugary popcorn is going to make me feel much better, but the gesture is more than appreciated, my dearest brother.” Karamatsu smiled weakly.
The six of them idled by the bench for a few minutes while Karamatsu recovered. When he was feeling better, he took a deep breath and stood up.
“Shall we go down to the beach?” Karamatsu motioned for them to start heading in that direction.
They walked back to the entrance to the boardwalk, where the path split and going in the other direction led down to the water. They went onto the beach and were met with a salty breeze. In the distance, the sun was dipping lower into the sky. It would still be light out for a while longer, but the day was slowly blending into the evening.
Jyushimatsu immediately approached a flock of seagulls, opening up the bag of kettle corn. He tried not to startle the birds as he approached, but he was practically bouncing with every step, unable to contain his joy. Some of the seagulls were startled and left, but a brave few took notice of the bag of popcorn and stuck around in the hopes that they would get some of it.
He reached into the bag and tossed some of the kettle corn out to the seagulls. Immediately, they flocked to it and snatched up the kernels eagerly. Seeing that he had more, the birds closed in around Jyushimatsu and waited expectantly.
“Don’t worry, there’s plenty!” Jyushimatsu laughed and fed the seagulls, delighted when a few of them waddled right up to him and squawked.
The others stood back and watched their brother be swarmed by gulls.
“We should do stuff like this more often.” Osomatsu remarked, sitting down on a beached log.
“I agree. We won’t always have this chance.” Karamatsu nodded.
“We won’t?” Osomatsu looked surprised.
“We’re all going to move out and live our own lives at some point, right?” Choromatsu looked at Osomatsu. “We won’t all be living together forever.”
“Man, don’t bring down the mood like that.” Osomatsu sighed.
“I wouldn’t worry too much.” Ichimatsu sat down next to Osomatsu. “We’re a bunch of pathetic, virgin NEETs. We’re not going anywhere anytime soon.”
“Yeah, but someday-” Choromatsu started to talk again.
“Let’s not think about ‘someday’ right now.” Todomatsu shook his head. “Let’s just be in the moment for today.”
“Totty, are you getting all sentimental on us?” Osomatsu cracked a grin.
“God, shut up.” Todomatsu rolled his eyes. “I am not.”
“He’s been in a good mood ever since Jyushimatsu got him that stuffed rabbit.” Ichimatsu noted.
“I changed my mind, I can’t wait to move out and get away from you guys.” Todomatsu huffed.
“I’m so sure.” Ichimatsu rolled his eyes.
Jyushimatsu finished giving out the last of his kettle corn. He looked over and saw his brothers all sitting around on the beach and talking, and he wanted to join them. He balled up the empty bag and shoved it in his pocket, then ran up to the others. He felt the sand kick up beneath his feet with every stride. The scent of the ocean surrounded him, and in the distance he could hear the noise of the crowds on the boardwalk. It was perfectly warm out, and there was still daylight to enjoy.
“Hey, guys, do you think we could stay long enough to watch the sunset?” Jyushimatsu asked hopefully. He wanted their outing to last a little longer.
“Sure, why not?” Osomatsu gave a thumbs up.
Jyushimatsu’s eyes lit up and he gave an ecstatic grin.
He felt so unbelievably lucky to be surrounded by his favorite people, getting to spend the perfect summer day with them.
There was truly nothing better.