" Come on, let us in! We need to eat ~" Takuya pleaded from behind the door. His voice brash but feeble.
" In your dreams!" ima replied shortly.
" We did not bring the cat ~" Shingo reasons.
" No!" She forbids in a rather tyrannical manner.
" Let's go, guys." Nakai says softly. " Let's go for yakitori, my treat ~"
" We are eating out far too often these days ~" Shingo mumbles to Nakai dejectedly.
" Only if we can get pass that tyrant." Takuya grumbles to Goro who could only smile.
Meanwhile inside the house ima turned and gave cj a triumphant smile as the two of them giggle like conspirators. I wasn't particularly worried about the boys starving and continued watching my tv programme while Pam peeked out of the kitchen where she had been labouring over dinner. " Where'smy Hiro kun? I swore I heard him at the door."
" They are off for yakitori." ima replied her with casual ease but Pam isn't about to be taken in.
" Did you bar my Hiro kun from entering again?!" Pam shrieks angrily.
" Yes, she did." I replied lazily and earn myself ima's angry glare in turn. " What? I am speaking the truth." I argued smugly.
" You really should stop, my Hiro kun is getting under nourished...." Pam starts to nag.
" Yeah right ~" ima exclaimed in mock agreement. " If you haven't heard, they are off to get yakitori."
" You do realise my brother don't take much meat so he is the one getting under nourished." I interject before this fiasco gets too out of hand.
" If you do realise, it's all his fault?"
" You are the one who insist they smell like cat!" I retort.
" cj ~" ima starts to rally for support.
" Well, I don't think ~" cj ventures softly.
" Keep quiet, cj!" Both of us shouted at her at the same time and she shrunk away in fear.
" Good grief!" Pam exclaimed suddenly as she smells her food burning on the stove. She ran back into the kitchen to save whatever is left, leaving cj sitting in between me and ima and our fight.
The four guys ambled back after a heavy dinner nearly two hours later. After a heavy dinner, all they could think of was sleep but instead they came home to a big surprise in their living room.
" She's Joyce, an english teacher in my school." Tsuyoshi introduced the petite girl standing next to him blinking the pair of biggest eyes they had ever seen. " Joyce, these are my room mates.
" Nakai, Takuya, Goro, Shingo."
" Nice to meet you." The guys said in perfect union.
" Nice to meet all of you." She answers with a grin that crinkles the edges of her eyes and stretches her lips wide.
" Erm ~" Tsuyoshi began to stammer unsurely while his friends waited patiently for him to continue. They are used to his hesitating way of speaking so they won't hurry him. To their surprise, Joyce decides to finish the sentence for him. " We are married!"
" What?!"
" Wha ~"
" ..."
" You must be joking!"
Joyce looks at her new found husband for support, willing him to answer with pride. But he looked rather like a lost puppy. " N~ no.....we stopped by the registry on our way back." Five faces, including Joyce's frowned, even though for different reasons. Dead silence follows as no one really know how to proceed from here.
" I guess we should congratulate the newlyweds." Goro spoke up at last and smiled at the pair standing before them. " It is indeed a happy occasion."
" Congratulations." Nakai said promptly.
" What a surprise ~" Takuya started but a warning glare from Goro stops whatever he actually wanted to say. " Congratulations!"
" Wish you guys the best!" Shingo smiles.
At least Shingo sounds sincere, Goro thought quietly.
" I gather Joyce is moving in with us then? Where's your luggage?" Goro asks helpfully.
" I thought I better ask you if it's ok." Tsuyoshi explains hurriedly. " Afterall you are the landlord."
" It's fine with me, how about you guys?" Goro asks.
" No problems here." Nakai replied while Takuya and Shingo shook their heads.
" You will be ok staying with 4 other guys?" Goro asks Joyce who nodded happily at the friendly landlord. " That settles it then."
" Thanks Goro." Tsuyoshi beams for the first time tonight. He turned to his newly wed wife. " We'll fetch your luggage tomorrow."
" Ok," she smiles back at him. " I don't need pjs anyway since we sleep in the nude!" Tsuyoshi's mouth drops open realising he is too late to stop her from saying just that.
" I am off to bed now." Nakai mumbles awkwardly and hurried away.
" Me too." Shingo echoes and dashed into his room.
" Me three!" Takuya said and ran after Shingo leaving Goro alone smiling uncomfortably at his new tenant. Silence follows as they waited for the moment to pass.
" I ~ I guess I better go to bed too!" He stammers slightly common of lying through his teeth. " I have a meeting to attend early in the morning." Sensing that he is blabbering, he stops. " Good night then."
" Good night!" Joyce grins.
" Good night." Tsuyoshi said in his usual subdued manner.
In the morning when I step out of my room, I tripped over something that sent me wheeling forward. " What the h~" I cursed loudly when I managed to regain my balance. The large "obstacles" stir and three heads peek out from inside the sleeping bags. " What are you guys doing sleeping on my living room floor?!" I snap at them as they go through various degrees of waking up.
" I drunk so much shochuu I thought I numbed myself enough not to hear ~" Nakai mumbled miserably as he tries to stay in a upright sitting position.
" They are so noisy ~" Takuya agrees with a big yawn.
" They? Who? Shingo?" I am truly confused and I don't like it one bit.
" Shingo is in ima's room." My brother informed me.
" Then who?"
" Tsuyoshi and Joyce." Takuya volunteers the information as he regains full consciousness.
" Joyce? Who is Joyce?"
" Tsuyoshi's new wife." Nakai replies.
" What?! Tsuyoshi went to the hot springs alone and came back with a wife?"
" They got married on the way back here." Takuya tries to stay as patient as possible. " She moved in last night and boy, are they noisy!!"
" Oh my god ~ what's gonna happen to ~" I mutter to myself just as cj's door opens and she step out of her room and onto Nakai's left hand.
" Ouch!" Nakai yelled out.
" cj!"
" Oops, sorry!" cj sticks out her tongue looking very apologetic. " Hey, what are you guys sleeping here for?"
" We ~" Goro is about to start explaining again.
" They ~ er suddenly felt lonely and came over!" I blurt out abruptly. " Go wash up! Don't you have to reach school early today?"
" Oh yes!" She replies and made a dash for the bathroom.
" Not another word about this infront of cj." I wriggle a warning finger in each of the three mystified faces.
