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Prologue

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"Smile."

Huh?He turned around to his right, surprise to see a smiling girl staring back at him while making a smile on her face with her hands.

"Mister, you need to smile more, you look not pretty for not smiling," she added her opinion. He blinked once, twice, then lifted up his head in search of the child's parents.

"Mom is not here," the girl said sadly.

"What do you mean not here?" He frowned at the unusual remark.

"She told me to wait here, saying that it would be quick, but I have taken three naps already but she is still not coming back," the girl said gazing down sadly.

She is being abandoned too?He asked himself, studying the girl's feature, wondering why someone could leave such a child here but then again he was also being abandoned as well.

"What is your name?" he asked caringly.

"Mae," the girl answered with her bright smile.

"Mae...look like your mom will not return anytime soon, want to go home with me?" he offered, extending his hand to the young girl.

"Is it ok? Your mom let you take me home?" the girl asked innocently.

"I don't live with my mom and yes it's ok to stay with me, I need a companion anyway and you do need a guardian," he said smiling generously.

"Ok," the girl took in the offered hand and held onto it dearly as he led the way.

"Ah," the girl nudged his hand, "what is your name?" she asked.

"Kamenashi Kazuya," he answered.

"Kazuya nii-chan," the girl called out lovingly, "Or Kame-niichan? Which one you like?" she asked with her big round eyes.

"Whichever you like," he said with a smile.

"Onii-chan it is!" she said excitedly, "I have always wanted to have an older brother, this is like a dream comes true," the girl flashed her brightest smile at him.

"Sure, as you want it." he said chuckling as the two of them heading back to his apartment.

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“So you brought home a child, instead a boyfriend?” Koki asked, piercing at the girl who beaming back at him.

“You have a problem with it?” Kame asked not caring.

“Not really, just strange,” Koki said beaming.

“She was left in that park, I couldn't just act as if she is not there,” Kame sighed, taking out another set of dish for dinner.

“Hmmm..you could’ve sent her to the police; taking care of a child is a huge responsibility,” Koki said logically.

“But she doesn’t look like she would like that,” Kame said placing the meal in front of Mae.

“What are you going to do about her?” Koki asked, “You’ve had enough trouble with the landlord for late rent payment, as much of a cute-boy-lover that she is, I don’t’ think she would agree to let a child stay here,” Koki pointed out.

“I know, but…for now, just let her rest,” Kame said, patting Mae’s head urging her to eat her meal.

“Hmm…ok, call me when you get kicked out,” Koki said laughing.

“Yea right as if that is going to happen,” Kame rolled his eyes.

“Hey, you never know,” Koki beamed back.

“Cheeky bastard,” Kame smacked his head as he headed back to the kitchen to get himself a meal as well.

❈

“Hmmm rumor has it that…”

“I know, you’re the fourth person asking me this question today,” Kame said rolling his eyes as he patted the seat next to him in a booth table for Mae to sit on.

“Hello there cutie,” his friend greeted Mae.

“Hi there pretty nee-chan,” a loud thud was heard as Kame tried to muffle his laughter but failed.

“I’M NOT A NEE-CHAN!” the guy fumingly said.

“You’re not?” Mae said blinking her eyes.

“Mae-chan, meet Tat-chan, and no he is not a she,” Kame teased as he took the usual latte from Junno’s hand.

“Ah, this is the sweetie that living with you,” Junno smiled brightly at Mae as he came face to face with Mae, “what do you want cutie? Orange juice or apple juice?” he asked beaming.

“Apple Juice!” Mae said excitedly.

“Such a cutie,” Junno commented and then headed to the back to get the juice for the little girl.

“Let it go Tat-chan, she is just a child,” Kame said still amused at how ‘precise’ his ‘little’ sister can be.

“You! Teach her properly, don’t mistake people’s gender,” Ueda said pointing his finger from Mae back to Kame and vice versa.

“It’s not my fault that she confused you for a girl,” Kame said with his long pout.

“And how is that she see you as a guy, look at that pout!” Ueda said pointing his finger at Kame’s pout.

“Because I wasn’t beaming like a princess like you did just now,” the younger one said but soon jumped off the seat as Ueda slammed the tray in his hands onto the marble counter.

“Ooops, we have to run before Tat-chan strangles me,” Kame hurriedly said as he picked Mae up and dashing out.

“Eh? My juice!” Mae said whining, luckily Junno was already at the front entrance and just in time to give her the juice that she wanted.

“Thank you,” the girl thanked Junno as she beamed brightly at her juice.

“You will get it next time, you know?” Ueda called after them as he turned apologizing the customers, acknowledging that he had disturbed the morning peace in the café. “I’ll kill him next time for sure,” he mumbled under his breath.

❈

“Are they your friends?” Mae asked as the two of them walking side by side on the street.

“Yup,” Kame nodded his head proudly.

“Just like Koki-nii right?” she asked again, Kame nodded again.

“They’re fun,” Mae said beaming.

“They are, but sometimes they are just too handful to handle,” Kame said, laughing.

“Hmmm there is one person missing,” Mae said after remembering something.

“One missing?” Kame asked not quite understand what the girl mean.

“I saw the picture frame on your night stand last night, there were five of you, but I only have seen three so far,” the girl said curiously.

“Oh Maru? He has school today, you will get to meet him later today,” Kame answered as they both came to a stop, waiting for the green light.

❈

“Ah~ so this is the cutie living with Kame in place of his boyfriend?” Maru teased as everyone else laughed. Everyone was now in Kame’s apartment and was a bit tipsy from their earlier partying, Kame was more than grateful that they didn't make a mess at his apartment.

“One more word about that and I’ll rip you a new one!” Kame warned with dangerous eyes.

“Oh com’on, don’t kill the fun, plus you let him go, not the other way around,” Maru reasoned it out.

“But still, he left!” Kame said quite bitter.

“Eh? Who are you talking about?” Mae asked curiously.

“Ah, we’re talking about Kame-chan’s almost boyfriend,” Koki joined in the tease.

“HE IS NOT MY BOYFRIEND!” Kame snapped at the laughter of his friends.

“Hmmm is he the one in the frame with only onii-chan and the other guy?” Mae raised the innocent question.

“No,” he quickly said.

“Eh? You’re still keeping a picture?” Ueda said teasing.

“Shut up Tatchan and Mae it’s your bedtime!” Kame hurriedly picked up the girl and headed to the bedroom.

“Till the end he would never admit it,” Koki shook his head.

“I wonder is Jin a “S” or a “M”?” Ueda wondered out loud.

“Must be a ‘M’,” Junno answered.

“I think he is an ‘S’, just look at those marks on Kame’s hips,” Koki said.

“Eh? How do you know?” Ueda asked.

“We always surf together, you must have been blinded for not seeing those visible dark marks,” Koki said.

“True, but why Jin suddenly leave us?” Maru asked, not quite understanding.

“No idea, that guy is a mystery,” Junno shrugged.

“True, the way he appeared into our lives was so sudden, it’s like he was popping out from nowhere you know,” Ueda joined in.

“Yeah, he just popped out from nowhere,” the other three agreed as they mimicking back to the first day they all had met Jin. It was an unsolved mystery.