Someone I've Never Met

3 ~ Revelations

"No.7? Tsukasa?" Nananime called softly, peering worriedly into one of the bathroom stalls.

While it was jarring to see her look so concerned, Amane's focus was elsewhere. He stood a little ways behind her, awkwardly clasping his hands together behind his back as he tried to see past the girl into the stall. While he wasn't entirely sure what to do—it'd been a very long time since he'd seen his brother get sick—he didn't want to just stand out in the hall, doing nothing. So, he resigned himself to anxiously hovering just outside the stall's entrance. It wasn't as if an apparition getting sick was unheard of, anyway.

But... Tsukasa's nausea was... sudden.

A brief flash of guilt came over Amane as he realized his brother's sickness was probably caused by whatever the latter had remembered. Stress always had a strange effect on Tsukasa, after all. And Amane had, as per usual, pushed the issue. He'd noticed when Tsukasa was starting to look off, but wanted him to continue anyway, if only to potentially prove an old fear of Amane's. A fear that, despite sounding more and more accurate by the minute, could have easily been proven later.

Amane pressed his lips together. Now wasn't the time to be dwelling on that.

After a few moments of pained coughing and irritated groans coming from the stall, a quiet thud came from behind the wooden dividers. Amane guessed it came from his brother leaning against the wall. "...I'm fine, Sakura," a weary voice muttered from Tsukasa's general direction. "Just... gimme a sec. I need to digest something. Not those cupcakes Nene gave me, though; those are gone, unfortunately." He attempted a pathetic chuckle only for it to diverge into a series of gags.

Despite himself, Amane felt his ears perk at the mention of his assistant. Just how did Tsukasa know Yashiro in this world? Was she his assistant, too? Initially, Amane had assumed it was Nananime that was Tsukasa's assistant, considering her presence at his boundary and the method she used to spread rumors earlier. Not to mention her role as the younger twin's assistant in Amane's time. But, from how formally Nananime seemed to predominately address Tsukasa, the doll-like girl and his twin seemed like they were just semi-friendly acquaintances.

Nananime sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm sure Yashiro isn't going to complain, so long as you're alright later. Just breathe for now. Would you like some water?"

Another thud came from the stall as Tsukasa supposedly shifted his position. "I mean, would that really help much? I technically shouldn't be able to throw up anymore, let alone ingest liquids." He paused. "Well, I guess I did just throw up a ton, but that's besides the point. On that subject, have I ever mentioned how much I hate bile?"

Nananime let out an even heavier sigh. "No.7, do you want water or not?"

"Yes, please."

The girl shook her head tiredly as she turned away from the stall, evidently making for the sinks. Amane stepped aside to let her pass, earning a look of weary appreciation in response. Eventually stopping at the sink nearest the window, she gently picked up an empty tea-cup left on the sill and began filling it with water. "Thank you for finishing your tea earlier."

Amane furrowed his brows. Was she talking to him, or-?

"It was good," Tsukasa stated, humming. Another thud came from his direction. Amane guessed he was trying to stand up. "What kind was it? Didn't taste like what you normally bring."

"White peach-scented green tea. It's one of Yashiro's favorites," Nananime replied, calmly turning the squeaky faucet once the cup was nearly full to the brim. Amane subconsciously noted how that particular faucet was also squeaky in his version of the bathroom.