Upside Down 51 Chapter 49: Friends

After we clip my hair at the bottom to keep it from flying everywhere later, I show Chinatsu the things I bought today when I went shopping. Her eyes bug out when I show her the b.u.t.terfly hair clip.

She just about begins to cry when I give her the gift I picked out for her. It's a really pretty 22k gold pendant of two hearts that are interlinked over a half carat diamond. I receive a very long, sweet kiss in thanks. I'm happy she likes it and the kiss makes it just that much better.

I'll say this for Mitty, he's nothing if not prompt. I glance at the clock when the door intercom chimes at 7:58.

When we head downstairs to meet up for our evening stroll, Chinatsu goes directly to Mama to show off the pendant. I looked at items for Mama as well, but nothing jumped out at me right then. I'll find something for her sooner or later. Dad is a totally different matter, he only wears a watch and wedding ring. Finding something appropriate for him is going to be interesting.

Mama appropriately 'oohs and aahs' over Chinatsu's pendant making Chinatsu beam. Soon, she rejoins me and we head over to meet Mitty and Honoka, who are waiting at the door for us.

We take a nice, leisurely walk through the neighborhood park. Chinatsu and I glance back now and again to make sure we don't get too far ahead of them as they walk along behind us, holding hands, chatting, and keeping an eye on our surroundings. They're taking keeping an eye on us seriously, not that I think that it's likely anything will happen. It would be hard for something to happen, since there are so many others watching over the four of us as well. I've seen around half a dozen of them so far.

This might be so Honoka and Mitty can spend quality time together, but it doesn't mean that Chinatsu and I don't enjoy this as well. Enough so that we kind of lose track of time and our hour long walk turns into ninety minutes.

Speaking of losing track of time. After we return home and lock ourselves into my bedroom, our initial make out session soon turns extremely hot and heavy. Chinatsu lights me on fire as she shows me how much she loves her present and me. I basically spend the the next hour in a nearly continuous o.r.g.a.s.mic state.

I would have been happy to return the favor except the short nap I was able to take didn't help me fully recover from the shopping trip. Add the rather long walk, many, many (did I mention many?) o.r.g.a.s.ms, and I'm left with energy level of a rag doll. So, curling up against her, I quietly drift off sleep.

[Friday, May 29th]

Chinatsu wakes me the next morning with a kiss. The expression she has when she tells me, "Good morning. I love you." simply melts me. I have no idea what I've done for this beautiful girl to love me like this, but the fact she does makes me so happy I feel as if I might burst.

"Chinatsu, I love you more than I'll ever be able to say or show you. I promise you this, if you want to, somehow I'll find a way so we can get married."

She smiles, but it's a little sad. "Sora, I'd love to be able to marry you, but we both know it's not possible since we're fertile. The fact that you're willing to marry me is enough. Regardless of that, we already said we'll stay together forever. That means far more to me than a piece of paper that says you're my wife. Though I'm not going to say it wouldn't be nice to be married to you. Thank you, Sora."

I shake my head. "I'm not willing to give up on that this easy. Some men decided this without asking us, so why should I accept it as a fait accompli? Using that logic they could say or do whatever they wish with us. We're no one's toys. Men are allowed polygamous marriages. Why can't we have the same? I should be able to marry the girl I love and when I find a man I love, marry him too! We are living, thinking, and feeling beings just as they are. We're not livestock to simply be used for our ability to reproduce!"

She chuckles. "My Sora, someone is certainly fired up this morning. I understand how you feel, trust me I do, but those men run the country and write the laws. We're two little girls with no power."

I shake my head adamantly. "That's where you're wrong. I'm worth a lot of money and our dad is one of the best attorneys in the country. He also has a lot of connections. People fight laws all the time and win. Look Chinatsu, I'm not trying to decide what's right or wrong for other people. That's up to them to decide for themselves. What's right for our family and our future shouldn't be anyone else's concern as long as it doesn't hurt them. It might even be arguable that we would be following the law without getting married to some man since we will be having children. Even better since any children we produce will be fertile. Those selfsame men in power are the ones that constantly b.i.t.c.h about not enough fertile women to go around. Okay, sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now."

She smiles at me again. "You know, you amaze me. The way your mind works through things like this in no time. Leaping from one obscure connection to the next, where for most people it would never occur to them that there's a connection in the first place. I've always known you were smart, but I'm beginning to see what Mom and Dad meant when they always said 'You were your parents' son.' When was the last time you were tested Sora?"

"Umm… Sixth year in primary. They told me I scored a 231. That's when they tried to convince my parents to allow me to skip grades. Which we both know how that turned out. 'An education without social skills is worthless' they said."

"Whoa Sora! I bet you would be even higher now, but they were right. If you can't convey your thoughts to others being brilliant is worthless."

"Maybe, I don't really care about how smart I am. I already know what I want to do with my life, as long as I'm smart enough to do that then it's fine. I want to continue their research. Maybe find a way to adapt my nanites to where they work for men too. Although before I do that, I'd need to find a way to reprogram my nanites to not force a pregnancy. Otherwise, this tired old world would soon be right back where it was when this all started. Twenty billion people is far too many people for it to support. Say whatever you want about the virus and how many people it killed, but in a way, it did this world a favor. No matter where you live in the world, the standard of living is far higher now than it's ever been before. Everyone has more than enough to eat and that never happened before."

"Right there, that's what I'm talking about. I might have thought about adapting your nanites. After all, I don't want to see Dad die, but the population and the rest of that? Never."

I smile and roll over on top of her. "You let me worry about our nanites. You already have enough jobs to deal with."

She grins at me. "Oh, do tell me what those are."

"One, love me. Two, have my babies and three, pick out what, if anything, you want to do. If you want to be a housewife and mother, then it's fine with me. As long as you are happy."

I lean in to kiss her and she wraps her arms around me to crush me against her. When I break our kiss, she sighs.

"Sora, I'd love nothing better than to lay here, talk, and make out with you, but I have to get ready for school. Hopefully, I'll be back before your appointments. Come on, let's go bathe."

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I'll fast forward through my day pretty much until this afternoon's events.

We bathe, I help Mama make breakfast, we eat and as yesterday, I see Chinatsu off to school. I then drag my older sister upstairs and work with her on coordinating outfits. Of course, it's going to take more than just doing it today. Then I work with her on putting on her makeup. It takes her putting it on and washing it off six times before she starts to get the hang of it. Hair is fairly straightforward and she loves the hair clips I bought her yesterday.

By the way, I'm really starting to like her budding habit of planting my face in her b.o.o.bs when she hugs me and she hugs me quite a bit. I'm not complaining. I'm sure you're already aware of it, but I'm the affectionate type, so I adore hugging.

Anyway, we get her dressed. She does a good job of picking out a cute little one-piece that kind of matched what I'm wearing. Oh, it's the same off the shoulder blue with white pinstripes one-piece I wore the day I had my panic attack at the hospital. Her? She chose a sky blue dress with lace trim.

With that done, we go down to find Mama, but don't see her right away. I find her laying down in the bedroom, looking a little pale. She tells me it's just a little nausea and to go without her. So, we head off to see Airi. By the way, we have a driver now, since Honoka Kobayashi is listed in the family register as being fourteen years old.

I'll simply say this isn't an easy session for me. More than half the time I spend yelling at her. She never once budges off a point she brings up. Which usually irritates me and I end up angry and upset. Yes, I know she's doing it on purpose, but it doesn't make it easier to deal with while it's happening.

Emi, the perky s.a.d.i.s.t, said we will be working on my lower body and upper body on different days and flexibility and 'mild' strength training on the third day. Today is lower. Treadmill, stair stepper and what she calls a light general workout with weights. I can't even walk by the time my little s.a.d.i.s.t is done with me. Honoka literally picks me up and carries me to the locker room, and then helps me clean up and change clothes. She then carries me out of there like a baby. Embarra.s.sing? Yes, but I didn't have the strength left to walk. I fall asleep in her arms before we ever make it to the exit.

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I wake up at 4 in the afternoon snuggled up against Chinatsu, and, as you can guess, very, very sore.

"Chinatsu?"

"Hmm? Hi, how do you feel?"

"You already know."

"I a.s.sumed you would be. I've already got the oil here, so let's get you undressed."

She helps me me undress and as before, takes her time unknotting my sore muscles.

"If I didn't love you already, this would have me falling head over heels for you." I tell her with a grin.

She laughs. "Come on Sora. We need to get you dressed. Keiko and everyone will be here soon."

"Everyone?" I ask quizzically.

"Yes." She sighs dramatically. "When I invited Keiko over, I told her about you and Honoka. My other friends overheard and invited themselves along. You'll have to meet them sooner or later, so I thought 'let's get it over with.' I'm sorry I didn't ask you."

"That's alright. Though we do have a problem. I fell asleep before we ever left the hospital, so no cake."

"Honoka told me, so she and I went to get one."

"Whew. Good. Alrighty, kisses first, then dressing."

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We had already eaten dinner and everyone was watching the news. The news is still talking about Akiyama's arrest and upcoming trial. In the middle of a cute female reporter listing the unsealed charges against him, our guests arrive. Chinatsu heads to the door to let them in and leads them back into the living room.

"You girls have already met my parents, but these are my new sisters. Honoka is the oldest, she's fourteen." Honoka smiles and waves to them. "And this cute little redhead is Sora, she's the same age as us, thirteen."

"Nee-chan, Sornee, these are my friends. Aoi and Ami Saito, Mayu Ebina, and Keiko Amuro." She gestures to each girl as she says their name.

All four girls are in the same cla.s.s as Chinatsu. She had already given me a quick rundown on them.

Aoi and Ami are twins. Very cute, sports types who are on the basketball team. Aoi always wears a red ribbon and Ami wears a blue one. They are very outgoing and quick to make friends.

Mayu is the shortest girl in the cla.s.s at 150cm. She's bright, lively and outgoing. She's also on the swim team. Chinatsu told me to watch out for her because she can be a little handsy, but she doesn't mean any harm.

Keiko is smart, quiet, and reserved, but very friendly once she gets to know you. Chinatsu said it's because she was badly teased when her b.r.e.a.s.t.s began developing when she was nine. She's a library club member and of course, loves to read.

I smile and tell them, "Nice to meet you all. Would anyone care for tea and cake?"

All of them smile and nod.

"Why don't you all head up to Chinatsu's room. Nee-chan and I will bring everything up in a few minutes."

As everyone else heads to her room, Honoka and I go to the kitchen to get everything ready. "Nee-chan, I'm sorry. I realize hanging around with a bunch of teenage girls probably isn't how you want to spend your evening."

"Sora, if you haven't noticed, I like hanging out with you and Chinatsu. This isn't much different."

"Thank you, Nee-chan. Oh, yes." I step over to her to hug her. "Thank you for carrying me today. I must have been heavy."

She smiles at me. "You were exhausted. I don't think I took ten steps from the gym door before you fell asleep, and no, you weren't all that heavy."

Once we get everything together, we head upstairs ourselves.

I'll save you from a full rundown of everything we talked about and the million questions thrown Honoka's and my way.

Honoka and I receive some very sympathetic looks from the girls when they ask about us and we tell them the story Dad had prepared. Especially, when we tell them I was in a coma.

Keiko doesn't say a lot until later when she says, "Chinatsu, you've had a lot of bad things happen in your life lately."

When Chinatsu asks her what she means. She replies, "Taken away from your friends and club you love after your friend Sora's parents died, then he died, then this Sora's Mom died, and then you had to take care of her."

Aoi, Ami, and Mayu all stare at her open mouthed.

I can feel Chinatsu's suppressed anger as she replies, "Yes, there's been some bad things happening around me, but taking time off from school to help Sornee was my idea. I love my sisters, so helping them get situated and helping Sornee with her recovery isn't any kind of burden for me. I resent your implication."

I place my hand on her arm. "Chinatsu, calm down. I don't think she meant anything bad by what she said."

Honoka speaks up then. "Sora, you've always been too quick to take what people say in the best light possible. She was implying that Mom and Dad forced Chinatsu to take care of you. It's Keiko right?" Keiko nods. "Thought so. Well, you can take or leave this piece of advice as you see fit, but I suggest you apologize to Sora and Chinatsu. If not, you're about to lose a friend. If you can't tell, those two are really close and your insinuation made Chinatsu very angry. Personally, I think what you said was in very poor taste."

Keiko blushes and stammers, "I-I didn't mean anything l-like that. I-I phrased it badly. I'm sorry."

"Chinatsu, please, for me, accept her apology and let it go. It's not that big of a deal. This isn't worth losing a friend over."

Chinatsu looks at me for a few moments, then nods. "Keiko, I'll forgive you this time, but no one, friend or otherwise, will insult my family like that. I have no idea why you would say something so hurtful. You're not normally like this."

Honoka mutters, "Little sisters, you're far too forgiving." Then louder, "My little sisters may have forgiven you, but I won't forget this. You'll have to earn my trust after this."

Aoi jumps in then to ask, "I don't understand either Keiko. You're usually very careful in what you say, so if you didn't mean it that way, why would you say something so easily misunderstood?"

Keiko blushes a bright red and looks down. It hits me then why she said it.

"You're jealous. You're jealous of how close we are. Aren't you?"

She nods slightly without looking up.

I sigh. "Keiko, I'm not trying to take your friend from you, but she's my sister. Yes, I have another sister that helps me, but it actually takes both of them. Shall I give you some examples of what they have to deal with? I have some psychological issues from everything that's happened to me. I can't talk about them in front of Nee-chan no matter how close we are, so Chinatsu goes with me. I also have physical therapy. I was so exhausted after the session today that Nee-chan had to carry me out to the car. I fell asleep in her arms before we ever got outside. I tired really easily. I also have PTSD. Try guessing how much fun it is for them when that strikes. All I can do is stand there frozen in place, shaking and crying while they scramble to keep me from falling apart. Oh, the truly fun part of this is I'm dependant on my sisters for pretty much everything."

Tears begin trickling from my eyes. "Do you think I like requiring help with everyday things I could normally do on my own? Do you think I like having my family worry about me all the time? Now, I have to deal with your jealousy too?" I brush away my tears. "I'm sorry everyone. I hope you'll forgive me. I cry all too easily these days. Excuse me, but I think I'll be going to my room. Aoi, Ami, Mayu it was nice meeting you. It would be great if we can become friends. Keiko, you'll find out I don't lie, that's why I didn't mention you in that. I had truly hoped to make all of you my friends. Now, if you will excuse…"

Keiko looks up at me after I started talking to her. "Please, wait, Sora. There's no excuse for my behavior and I truly am sorry. Chinatsu is my first friend in a long time and I would never have become friends with Aoi, Ami, or Mayu without her. I was afraid you were going to take my friends from me."

I sigh. I really hope she's not always this troublesome. "Keiko, why would I do that? I just said I wanted to be friends with all of you. I know no one here in Tokyo and I'm not all that great at making friends. Look at it this way, if I had any plans of separating Chinatsu from her friends, why would I ask her to invite you over tonight?"

"I-I didn't know that."

"Why would you, unless you asked? It doesn't really matter, you seem to think that I'm some kind of monster. I thought you might be nice enough to let Chinatsu copy your cla.s.s notes since she's going to be out of school for the rest of the term. I'll be using them to set up a study guide for her so she can pa.s.s the finals. I suppose now we'll ask one of the other girls to borrow their notes and hope for the best."

Keiko asks, "What do you mean hope for the best?"

"In case you didn't notice Chinatsu couldn't concentrate in cla.s.s yesterday." She nods that she noticed. "Dad is pulling her out of school because of that and requiring her to take and pa.s.s all her finals with at least an 80% score on each. If not, she'll be held back a year."

Startled, Keiko looks at Chinatsu. "You didn't say anything about that."

"I didn't have a chance to before all of this happened. Keiko, I like you, but if you don't make up with my sisters our friendship ends here. I'd rather that not happen."

Well, this will go on for a little while longer with the other three girls angrily joining in the conversation. I'm not totally sure, but I think they might be worrying that Chinatsu would no longer be friends with them as well.

As a boy, I only had Chinatsu and Ryuichi as friends. As a girl, I only have Chinatsu as a friend when it comes to people my age, until now, so I'm extremely happy that we end up being friends.

Keiko apologizes to Honoka, Chinatsu, and me several times. In the end, even Honoka forgives her. Oh, she also promises to make copies of all her cla.s.s notes.