A Sudden Visit

"Have you seen my suitcase?"

Hokuto seemed to be in a hurry. He paced around the room, looking for what he needed before heading to the filming location the next morning.

"What suitcase?"Meanwhile, Manatsu is washing the dishes. They haven’t had a good dinner together in a while. However, they finally managed their schedules to sit together at the table and have a good chat. 

"The last time that I bought from the internet. The white one! You gave your sign to the courier, right?"Hokuto’s busy schedule never makes him stay still for a long time. He didn't even know where to begin because he had so many things to do. However, thinking about the start doesn’t mean he could extend the time, so he moves as he can while managing things in his head. 

"Ah! It’s in storage. I used it for seasonal changes of clothing," Manatsu’s answer made him take a walk back.

"What?! I bought it for my work! Why don’t you ask me first before using it?"Hokuto doesn’t have so much time to prepare. He has to go early for filming, and he needs to get a good night's sleep so his face won’t become swollen the next day. 

"Why don’t you sort your clothes?! We have no space left since your clothes are too many!" Manatsu won’t take any blame. "….and what did I tell you about not preparing your needs the day before? This is what happens!"

"I’m busy! You know that, right?"Hokuto was still upset. He knows how many clothes are in his closet, and he couldn’t imagine how long it takes to put his clothes out and fold them tidily. He also has to put his needs into it, so that would be twice of work for him. 

"But we’re living together! You can count on me whenever you’re on the edge,"

"You don't even rely on me when you're on the verge," Hokuto twisted her words towards him.

"It’s because you’re busy and I can handle myself," Manatsu rolled her eyes. She knows where this will go and Hokuto starts to act like a child.

"Me either,"He pouted. 

See?! 

"Yeah?! I don’t see anything tidy here,"Manatsu spreads her sight throughout the whole house. While he sets up his needs in his room, his belongings from work still remain on their coffee table. Manatsu’s habit seems to infect Hokuto and vice versa. "…..Listen, this is not a time for fighting. Just grab your suitcase in the storage and put all the things inside out. Your clothes are in there wrapped in the vacuum bag, so you can just take them out whenever you need them and put them back when you get home,"

"Really?! Why didn't you say that earlier?"

"Because you don’t listen,"

"Sorry…. Anyway, thank you. You're as expected as usual," he says as he kisses Manatsu on the cheek and dashes to the storage room.

"Next time, tell me your schedule after you receive it so I can help you manage your needs," Manatsu said, raising her voice. 

SixTONES' OneST tour will last for another two weeks. The pandemic forces them to reschedule some of their concerts in order to keep everyone safe. This month, they take their revenge by going back on stage with the audience after a year. Even though the pandemic is still in horrible condition, Hokuto and Manatsu somehow take advantage of things that they can’t have during normal days. 

It’s actually kind of tough in the beginning. The little time they had the day before feels so precious. Some of the indoor types might not have had hard times, but some of the outdoor types and the workaholic one had been going through quite hard times. 

As time passed, Manatsu and Hokuto managed their lives in this condition. Apparently, they had so many advantages during this pandemic. The mask that they have to put on every time they leave makes them placid. They can take a walk around the town without being exposed, and they can also take public transportation. 

Hokuto, who spent a lot of time in show business, also had a good time interacting with people without his identity being known. The half of his face hidden by the mask and how he dressed make him really normal. The variation of his favorite glasses also helped him hide from the crowds. 

They also had a good time spending their time in the house. Hokuto is not the type who goes outside unless it’s necessary, and neither is she. Nevertheless, Manatsu will go outside every time somebody asks her, while Hokuto will ignore his phone every time he gets time for himself. And when the pandemic came, they didn’t really have a hard time staying at their warm house. 

During the stay home period, they tend to develop some new hobbies and improve their skills. Manatsu learns from her man who is very good at doing the housework. She also forces herself to stretch and refrain from giving in to food temptations. She thinks that she has to be in good shape every day so that when the pandemic is over, she won’t have changed anything except her skills. Fortunately, she has Hokuto, who is also strict with himself, so no one can derail her plans.

"Hey, you good by yourself here?"

When the pandemic seems better, their activity gradually back to normal. Stay home period makes Hokuto and Manatsu worried about getting outside. Hokuto’s work makes Manatsu check on him twice than usual and make sure that he’s safe. 

At the same time, the moments they used to spend together have become fewer. A one-month habit makes a significant difference in their life cycles. Now, Hokuto, who always stays beside his girlfriend, has become more needy than usual. Even though he doesn’t need anything, he tends to look for his girlfriend and sometimes asks her to stay by his side.

"No. I have a business trip to Niigata on Thursday and will be back in Tokyo on June 26th. That’s…..Saturday……."Manatsu shifted her head when Hokuto leaned his head on her shoulder.   

"Wait, you go to Niigata too? Earlier than me? Why didn't you tell me about that?"

"I was planning to tell you tomorrow. But since you’re asking now……" she replied casually. 

"Thursday is the day after tomorrow! So... I'm going back home by myself?"

"You good by yourself here?"Manatsu tends to tease her man. 

"Don’t copy me!"And a pouty Hokuto is always her favorite. 

"You’re gonna be okay! Besides, you’ll go to Niigata on Friday night, right? You've got two days to yourself here. Relaxing, without hearing me yell at Stone," Manatsu said, looking at their little husky sleeping on his own couch.

"But Stone likes you more than me,"

"Don’t give me any excuses. He’s trained, he knows that both of us are his masters, and he’s the husky that you wish for, " Manatsu doesn’t pay attention to Hokuto's cranky attitude. "Oh! And I might take the last train to Tokyo because my friend promised me she would take me to town,"

"What friend?!"

"My childhood friend. She moved to Niigata after getting married, and her husband is running a well-known restaurant or something like that,"

"A man?"Hokuto raised one of his eyebrows. 

"I said it’s she, "She clarifies her words.

"You sure you’re gonna be alright?"

"I got my boss to accompany me on the business trip,"

"….and it’s he ,"

"Don’t be so jelly! He’s an old man! Duh…"Hokuto’s jealousy often irritates her. 

".....you still need more time to fold that?"Hokuto pays attention to their laundry. 

"Yes, if you keep talking to me," she says sarcastically. ".....Here! Help me fold this. I don’t know how to fold a jumper and silk properly,"

"Fine…"Hokuto takes half of the laundry out and starts to help her. "Hey, how about we take a nice bath together after this? We won’t be seeing each other for about 4 days though,"

She gives her man a flirty look. "Fair enough,"

❦❦❦

❦❦❦

–I miss the Shinkansen. Probably would take the next train at 21:34 and arrive in Tokyo around 23:40. Manatsu—

"Hey… Sorry, I just returned to the green room and read your message," Hokuto said as he read Manatsu's message. It's unusual to see Manatsu fail to complete something on time, so that unusual case is his concern because he knew it had to be something important. "Where are you now?"

"I’m at the station now. I was wondering if I should spend another night here or just take the next train," Manatsu replied. "The shop owner talked too much and road jams are everywhere," 

"I think you should probably wait until the next morning," Hokuto worried. "How about coming to our hotel? I’ll send you the address and I’ll ask Daa-kun to pick you up at the lobby. We could get back to Tokyo together tomorrow," 

"Are you sure?" Manatsu furrowed her brows, not wanting to make a scene.

"Of course! Besides, you’re Morimoto , right?" Hokuto chuckled, reminding his girlfriend that Manatsu is Shintaro’s next of kin. 

"You got the point right!" Manatsu clapped her hands. 

As it’s all decided, Manatsu waited for Hokuto to send her the address before she caught a cab. She then immediately went to the hotel mentioned, where she could meet Hokuto and the rest of them. 

"Manatsu-san!"

As she arrived, one of SixTONES’ managers, who was known to be called Daa-kun, picked her up at the lobby. He fastened his step to the cab and helped Manatsu with her belongings.  

"Sorry for bothering you guys. I’ll keep it low-key. I promise,"

"That’s okay. Should I bring this to Morimoto-san’s room or………."

"No, Not Shin-chan!" she replied quickly. Their managers know how strong the bond is between the Morimoto siblings. Not like the other family, the two of them can seem so lovey-dovey as lovers and fight over small things like kids. "Hokuto might need something from my suitcase, so……"

….and they are also keeping a secret that some of their talents are in a relationship. 

"Roger! By the way, they are gathering in Shintaro-san’s room right now. Matsumura-san and Tanaka-san will stand by in the cubicle 15 minutes before All Night Nippon starts. So there’s plenty of time if you wanna catch them,"

"So it’s his turn," she mumbled.

Manatsu places her belongings as the manager shows Hokuto’s room. The spare key he was holding was being passed to her. Hereafter, he took Manatsu to her brother’s room so she could catch up with the others. 

"Shin-chan!" 

Manatsu hugged her brother as he opened the door when the bell rang. She can hear Jesse’s laughter from the inside, as they are having so much fun even though the concert has ended. 

"Manachin?"Shintaro, who is unaware of Manatsu's arrival, appears perplexed.

"Hey, guys! Good work!"

"Mana?!"Hokuto turns his head as Shintaro mentions Manatsu. "Why are you wearing that?! What did I tell you about public space?!"

Hokuto frowned. He can’t believe his girlfriend is coming in with lingerie as a top, ripped jeans, and a knitted sweater on her arm. He does love how his girlfriend dolled herself up like she wanted, as she really knows what suits her best, but he doesn’t want to share that view with the public. 

"A space where nobody cares about you?" while Manatsu keeps pretending to act like a fool to get his attention .

"Not that, silly! Wear your sweater properly!"Hokuto came near her and buttoned up her knitted sweater properly.   

"What are you doing here?"Jesse stares at her presence as she walks into the room. He also took note of the number of paper bags Manatsu brought with her.

"I had a business trip two days ago and am planning to get back to Tokyo by now. But my friend took me to her family restaurant, and I missed my train,"Manatsu placed her belongings on Shintaro’s bed and tied her hair into a messy bun.  

"Seriously?! You don’t usually lose at managing time,"

"The manager keeps talking to me and made me wait so long ‘cuz they insist me to bring this home," 

"What are all of these?! We’re gonna have a party or what?"

"Those are the reasons why I missed my train. Or maybe it's because my friend told his husband that Shintaro from SixTONES is my brother."

"You told her?"

"I’m not telling her. The one friend I visited today is our childhood friend who used to live in our neighborhood. Of course, she knows you,"Manatsu took out the sweets she received. "……and maybe those are all for you, so they bring me this much,"

"Unfortunately I can’t contact Kochi and Kyomo. Are they asleep already?"Jesse ended his phone call, as he wanted to ask them about joining in. 

"How about Juri?"Hokuto asked. 

"I bet he’s in his room playing with his game while waiting for the radio time,"Shintaro gave his answer by reading Juri’s habit. 

"Oh, right!" 

"You wanna take a bite of this? I heard this roll cake was made from veggies,"

"Seriously?! I wanna try that," says Hokuto in excitement. He could kill two birds with one stone, as he is really strict about his diet, especially during the concert period. 

"I'll take the daifuku ," Jesse said, taking Aka-chan's no hoppe daifuku .

"I’ll take the pudding," and Shintaro took the matcha pudding for him. 

"Save it for the rest of you, guys! You also still have one more day here, remember?"

"I’ll save it for Juri and pass it to him before the radio starts,"Hokuto volunteered himself. 

"Thank you,"

"Hey, we’re about to play UNO, do you want to join?"Jesse pulls a box of UNO cards from his pocket and shows it to her.

"Sure! My rule, okay?"

"What rule?"

"Shit….. that one," Shintaro muttered. His reaction makes the rest of them pay attention to that mysterious rule. 

"So, the rules are you take two for your wrong move, take two for asking, take two for answering, take two for being upset, take two for swearing, take two for laughing at your opponent, take two if you’re the last person tapping the wild card, take five for not saying uno and you have to join one more round if you roast the rest of us even if you’re done,"

"Wait…..What?!"Jesse can’t remember any of the rules Manatsu has mentioned. 

"Never playing it before. Sounds interesting," Hokuto nodded, but Jesse tries to stop them from playing because he still doesn’t get the rule. Thanks to Hokuto’s patience and his explaining skill, Jesse is now ready for the battle.

Shintaro starts to shuffle and deal the cards to everyone equally. The game starts and everyone pays attention to their moves. They have to watch their opponents’ moves because questions and answers are not allowed. Manatsu tried so hard to hold her laugh, seeing Jesse, Hokuto, and Shintaro frowning at their cards. She never saw a serious UNO game like this in her whole life. 

Ding… Dong… 

"Jesse, could you open the door, please?!"Shintaro asks Jesse—who sits not too far from the door—to see who’s coming when the bell rang. However, he did that intentionally as he has this evil idea to trap his opponent. 

"Yo! I heard that Manatsu was coming and had brought so many sweets," Juri greeted him. He was showing up because Hokuto texted him about the sweets that Manatsu brought. 

Jesse nodded nonchalantly and got back to his place in a hurry. Receiving that cold act from Jesse, Juri starts to wonder what they are doing because Jesse is not even taking a glance at him even when he opens the door. 

"What are you doing, guys?!"

"Ssshhh!!!!"Jesse asked Juri to be quiet. He waits for someone to drop the card so he can see who's next. 

Jesse didn’t know that Hokuto, Manatsu, and Shintaro had made their moves and were waiting for Jesse to take his turn. But none of them tell him due to the two additional cards they have to take if they tell him to go.

"Seriously guys, what are you doing?"Juri appears perplexed as he looks around at everyone in front of him. They make no move and sit quietly, staring at their cards."…..what’s written in your cards?! It’s a regular UNO game, right? Why are you staring at it seriously?"

"Hold on! Is it my turn?!"Jesse blurted out his confusion. 

" Hai! Two cards!"Manatsu passed two additional cards to Jesse. 

"Wait, what?! I just returned and neither of you took turns!"

"Two more cards for protesting!"She added two more cards for Jesse. 

"Shit!!!"

"Yes, two more cards for swearing," she replied, adding more.

"What???!!"

"Two….."Manatsu stops her action when Hokuto suddenly holds her up. 

"Just let him go,"

Manatsu stared at Hokuto for a second. But her attention suddenly moved to Shintaro when she heard him giggling. 

"Yes, two more cards for you,"Manatsu’s pass makes her brother startled. 

"Damn it!!"

"And two more for cursing,"

"Sh……"Shintaro was about to blurt out some more curse words, but he suddenly recalled what he just got. He then took a deep breath to calm himself. 

"Huh?! I still don’t get it. So you add two more cards for every move you made?!"Juri raised one of his eyebrows. 

"It actually takes two for your wrong move, take two for asking, take two for answering, take two for being upset, take two for swearing, take two for laughing at your opponent, take two if you’re the last person tapping the wild card, take five for not saying uno and you have to join one more round if you roast the rest of us even if you’re done," Manatsu gives him an explanation. 

"Two cards for answering him," Hokuto says as he hands his girlfriend two more cards.

"What?! He didn’t even join us!!?"

"And two more for protesting," Hokuto adds, passing her two more cards. He tried so hard to hold his laugh, while his girlfriend gave him a death glare. "Does glaring count as being upset?"

"Two cards for you," Manatsu retaliates.

"I want to try! But I'll just have to wait until you guys finish this one," Jurie exclaims.

"No, no! You can join us in the middle. Besides, this has already been going on for about 30 minutes, and we haven't even done one round," Shintaro shifts his body so Juri can sit beside him. He grinds widely when he just let Juri get into this vicious cycle. 

"Hahhh!!! I win!! Take that shit ‘cuz I’m out!!"Without everyone realizing it, Jesse has no cards left. He shouts in excitement until Hokuto suddenly passes him four cards slowly. 

"Two cards for roasting and two cards for swearing,"Hokuto’s calm intonation made everyone pay attention to Jesse. 

"Fuck!!!"

"... and two more cards for swearing," Hokuto adds, passing him two more cards.

The vicious cycle going on there makes everyone get on their nerves. They tried so hard to hold their laughter, pay attention, and search for their opponent’s mistakes. One hour has passed, and nobody is done without being dragged back to the game. The first one who finished the game without being dragged back is Manatsu. Once she declared her win, she rushed to take some snacks and lay in her brother’s bed, watching the rest of the guys blame and kill each other. 

Jesse seemed exhausted when he finally took second place without being dragged back. He got up from his place and took some sweets before he left the room to make a phone call. 

The game was forced to be stopped when their manager came to call Hokuto and Juri for their radio briefings. The time has passed so fast that they can’t tell that they already sat and concentrated on a ridiculous thing for more than one hour. 

As Hokuto and Juri follow their manager to the cubicle, Manatsu leaves her brother’s room to get some space. She went to Hokuto’s room using the spare key she had and laid herself back in bed after taking off her shoes and her knitted sweater. When she realized she had a long day and was facing pollution everywhere, she got up and tried to find something to change into. 

Unfortunately, she didn’t get any more clean clothes in her suitcase. She tends to have one to two spare sets of clean clothes every time she travels, but this time, it seems like she miscalculated and has no change left. She then opened Hokuto’s suitcase and found several clean clothes and underwear folded neatly. She took one piece of Hokuto's oversized t-shirt and his underwear to get changed. 

After that, she took a bath while listening to the All Night Nippon Saturday Special by Hokuto and Juri. The heat from earlier in the game still remains in their intonation. She giggled at how Hokuto was so excited talking about random things and at how Juri teased her man. She burst into laughter when Juri put her man on the edge and made him declare something he had to choose. The excitement still remains until the radio program ends. 

"I’m back," Hokuto whispered, thinking his girlfriend might be asleep. The TV that is still turning on can not be the signal if she wakes. He knew she slept with any noise around her and a dim light to dark.

"Nice work,"Manatsu welcomed him from the bed. 

"You’re up," he mumbled while staring at his girlfriend, who was wearing his shirt. "You have no change left?"

She nodded. "…..and I’m borrowing your underwear," 

Manatsu raised her shirt and showed him that his underwear wrapped her. 

" Neeee !!!"Hokuto grumbled in cuteness. "….you don’t have any underwear left too?" 

Manatsu shakes her head. "I was thinking of buying underwear at the convenience store, but it’s only one night, right? So I’m thinking I’d better take yours,"

Hokuto sighed. He had nothing to say to his girlfriend and let her do what she wanted. He then decided to use the toilet to get changed. It doesn’t take so much time until he gets out wearing his favorite tattered T-shirt. With a lazy step, he then slid onto his bed and embraced his girlfriend, who was waiting for his return.

Manatsu can’t hold back her giggles from the ticklish feeling. Hokuto’s attack shows her his dominance like she was prey. 

"Kisses after three days," Hokuto demanded a cuddle as he started to shower Manatsu with light kisses. He then leaned on Manatsu’s chest and started to sniff her neck. "I was expecting my beloved scent, but I don’t find something I’m looking for here,"

Manatsu’s new perfume makes Hokuto sniff her harder, like a dog exploring something. 

"I got myself another new perfume," Manatsu grins. "…..do you like it?"

"Not too sweet, calming, flower, wood, fresh, young lady, so you…"Hokuto traces her neck and showers her with kisses with every word he says. "I miss you…"

"You sound on fire tonight,"Manatsu gives her thoughts about tonight’s broadcast. 

"Thanks to your game, I can’t remain calm,"He stops and places his head next to his girlfriend. His breath on her right ear gave her a chilling effect. A ticklish sensation gives her goosebumps until she thinks she can’t help herself anymore. Hokuto, who knows her weakness best, didn't stop his action. He also enjoyed playing with Manatsu’s goosebumps and tried to make them harder. 

"Damn it, Hokuto! Stop it!"Manatsu asked her man to stop, but the giggles didn't show her earnestness.

"Two cards for swearing," Hokuto sucked Manatsu's right ear so hard she couldn't keep a moan from coming out. His enticing breath aggravates her goosebumps, just as he intended.

"I just took a shower!"

"I just want to taste you a little," Hokuto tried to justify. "You’re not tired?"

"I am," Manatsu says, closing her eyes until Hokuto seizes the opportunity to kiss her when he finds his girlfriend defenseless. "You still have energy for one round?"

"No. As I said, I just want to taste you a little," Hokuto said, noticing her tiredness. His warm smile looks so gentle. "Shall we go to sleep?"

Manatsu nodded. Hokuto raised his body and got into the bed properly. He spread his arms so he could caress his girlfriend. 

"You should really throw away these worn-out clothes,"Manatsu begins to chastise her man's habit of not sorting his old clothes. It’s not that Manatsu hates that. She does know how old clothes feel so comfortable, plus, Hokuto wears them only for sleep. But she thinks that it’s time for her man to have pride, even just a bit for dressing properly at home. 

"Who cares?"Hokuto tightened his embrace regardless of what his girlfriend said. Manatsu howls when Hokuto’s hug makes her feel like she can’t breathe. 

"By the way, are you serious about what you said on the radio earlier? About weight stack and the lat pulldown machine thing…."Manatsu is looking up at her man, who just closes his eyes. Hokuto nodded faintly. "Seriously?! I won’t let you buy that, do you hear me?!"

"You’re so noisy!" he enfolded her once again in his arms.

❦❦❦

❦❦❦ A Sudden Visit (FIN)