"Yukito-kun!" Aniki yelled, rushing forward to grab Yukito into a big bear hug.

It almost seemed as if Aniki were Yukito's older brother instead of mine. I saw people look at them curiously, and I could understand why.

As Aniki hugged him, I saw Yukito's mouth drop open. Yukito gave me look that said, "Save me!"

I couldn't help but laugh.

After the hug, the two of them walked towards us. Aniki had one arm around Yukito, who looked thoroughly uncomfortable.

"Let's go eat a big lunch!" Aniki suggested cheerfully to us.

As soon as he got the chance, Yukito pulled away from Aniki quickly and walked over to me.

"I'm going to pay," Aniki continued.

Yukito pulled me into a hug and whispered, "Your older brother is crazy."

"Yes, I know," I whispered back. "But it's cool, if you know what I mean."

He pulled away and looked at me. "How is that cool? It's so embarrassing. How would you like it if someone were to suddenly run up to you and hug you in the middle of the street?"

"So?" I said, shrugging. "He's just showing how much he wants to congratulate you."

"Yo," Aniki called to us. "You lovebirds, we're going to go. Are you coming?"

Both of us smiled and replied, "We're coming."

We arrived at a large restaurant that was a ten-minute walk away from the school. Aniki led us in and got us a big round table for the six of us.

Without even asking what we wanted to eat, he ordered a long list of food, and I wondered just how much money he'd brought with him.

"Can you really afford to pay for all of this?" Kori asked worriedly as the waiter left.

Aniki took a sip of tea and replied, "Oh, don't worry about it, Kori-kun. You just worry about yourself, okay?"

Kori just nodded, slowly bringing the cup of tea to his mouth with his left hand and taking a sip of tea.

Drew, Haruto, and Aniki started an avid conversation about monkeys, since, apparently, one of the people they had seen at the graduation greatly resembled a monkey.

I was seated between the two brothers, who remained quiet and continued to sip their tea.

I followed suit, drinking a bit of the scalding hot tea.

To make light conversation, I asked Kori, "When will you be able to go back to the internet café to work?"

Kori put down his cup slowly and said, "I don't know. But Yoshida-san said I shouldn't work there anymore. There are tons of criminals there, apparently."

"Oh," I said, glancing at Aniki. "Then where are you going to work?"

"He can work with me at the music store," Yukito suddenly put in. "They're always looking for more people to work there."

Kori looked at him but didn't say anything.

"Does that mean I can work there, too?" I asked jokingly.

"Sure, why not?" Yukito said, smiling. "The more the merrier, as they always say."

I turned to Kori. "You can probably go on the streets and perform, too, right?"

Kori managed a wry smile. "Yeah, after I get out of this chair and these goddamned bandages."

Yukito leaned back in his seat and said wistfully, "I can't wait until the day we can get our parents to come home. Then we can be one happy family again."

Kori suddenly started coughing. "I'm sorry, but when were we ever a happy family?"

"I guess a satisfactory one, then, if not a happy one."

I smiled. "All of us can be a happy family," I suggested.

Aniki somehow heard me and started announcing, "We are a happy family!"

I laughed.

To my extreme surprise, both Yukito and Aniki lifted a fist up, with the thumb sticking out to the side, and said, "Yatta."