ADMIRE ME |Brothers Conflict

14

I tapped a rhythm on the sides of the wheelchair, nodding along with the beat of the music. It was a good thing that I had taken my mp3-player with me since Fuuto would still have lessons for half an hour.

Ema had given me an odd glance when I had asked her to leave me behind by the gates, but she had been a hurry. Thus, she had left me without questioning me. Thanks to Fuuto's schedule, I knew that she was impatient to go to Natsume's apartment to play video games.

I wasn't sure what her relationship with this particular brother was, but she seemed to like him. If I were to place a bet, I would say that this stemmed from all the free games he gave her. However, I was in no position to make fun of her because I threw all my morals aside for Fuuto's songs.

"Let's go," Fuuto said, stopping by my side.

"You didn't even apologise for letting a lady wait for so long," I complained to him.

With a naturality that shook me to my core, Fuuto reached for the handles of my wheelchair, pushing me down the street.

"Then I should compensate you for the time you lost," Fuuto suggested calmly.

"With an apology," I teased, covering my mouth with one of my hands to muffle the guffawing that threatened to escape my mouth.

"You're rather cheap, aren't you?"

"Sometimes, I forget how nasty you are, but you never to fail to give me a wake-up call to reality," I muttered, wishing that I could be amused. Instead, I felt a little pang of hurt about the statement.

"I didn't mean it like that," he said helplessly. "Listen, I'm sorry."

"Is that all I'm going to get? I'm not that cheap."

For a moment, Fuuto was silent, but he slowed down and appeared to be rummaging through his bag.

Then he dropped a CD cover on my lap.

I turned it around to see the CD which was visible through the transparent cover.

"What is this?" I asked him.

"We're making a selection for my next album. Usually, the agency makes these calls, but my manager somehow made them give that responsibility to me. I would like to know your opinion," he explained.

Did he need my help? Wouldn't I infringe on Fuuto's artistic freedom or something like that? Didn't Fuuto want to pick these songs himself? Despite the way Fuuto had voiced the task like it was a chore that was a waste of his time, I bet that this was a privilege.

A privilege he probably hadn't meant to give me until I had pressured him into apologising.

"I don't want to force you to give this to me, just because your words hurt me," I said carefully, knowing that I had to tread lightly.

"You aren't forcing me," Fuuto assured me. "But if this makes up for the things I said, then I'll gladly use this to win your favour."

"Shouldn't you save those words for Ema?" I asked him as I clutched the CD cover in my hands. To me, this was a treasure. Although I would feel bad about it, I wasn't above emotional manipulation to keep this CD.

"No," Fuuto replied brusquely.

Genuinely surprised by the lack of fondness in his voice for Ema, I tipped my head in his direction.

Fuuto looked down at me with a sweet smile. These smiles would be the end of me. I couldn't name the exact moment when Fuuto had discovered that he could catch more flies with honey than vinegar, but I celebrated it nevertheless.