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Fourth Volume of the Novel

Whether Ema wants it or not, she can’t deny the facts that her brothers are falling in love with her one by one. Her kindness drives a certain someone towards the edge of desperation, and in the end it only causes more conflicts to come her way. In the fourth volume, everyone goes flower-viewing together in spring, Fuuto shocks Ema with his choice of high school, she goes on a beach trip with the triplets, and she also finds the shocking truth about her real identity.

Main Characters[]

Chapters[]

Chapter 11: 桜舞う、心騒ぐ[]

[ The cherry blossoms dance, the heart cries ][]

After school, Ema meets Hikaru on the train home. He gives her an expensive chocolate and explains that he received it from a man who’s trying to seduce him, but the chocolate will only be a bother since he still has more places to visit. Hikaru then says he has one small request for Ema, and noticing that she looks hesitant, he assures her that he’s not plotting anything evil — he only wants to go flower-viewing tomorrow. Ema invites everyone to go flower-viewing when she gets home, and Ukyou gladly accepts because everyone is free tomorrow evening. Besides, it’s a nice idea to relieve stress. Especially for Fuuto and Iori, who just finished their entrance exams, and also Kaname, who’s been looking really tired recently. Ema helps Ukyou preparing their meal the next day, and he teaches her how to cut a beef by holding her hands from behind. |壁|ョ・_・*)❤ Ukyou admits he’s happy to cook together with Ema, but sadly it only lasts until Hikaru suddenly appears asking why are they いちゃいちゃ-ing here. xD He heard Ukyou saying “That’s it, you’re good. Now continue.” to Ema earlier, and he thought they’re doing something dirty. (○´゚ω゚`):;*.’:;ブッ Hikaru also mentions that Ema is far better than Reiko when it comes to personalities, which means that Ukyou has finally stopped looking at women just based on their breast size LOL. Ukyou obviously rages and says Hikaru is also a pervert who loves crossdressing, but Hikaru calmly answers it’s necessary for his job. When Ukyou says he doesn’t have any ulterior motives, Hikaru points out that the back of his neck was red when he was holding Ema’s hand earlier. (❤ฺ→艸←) Just then Juli suddenly jumps into the kitchen, and he rages at the “immoral big-breast-loving lawyer” by stomping on their raw beef with his squirrel feet.. so in the end everyone goes flower-viewing with only vegetables in their bento boxes. Y⌒Y⌒Y⌒Y⌒Y⌒Y⌒(。A。)アヒャヒャヒャヒャ!! 

Yusuke and Wataru keep protesting about the lack of meat, and afraid that Ukyou would snap anytime, Ema says she’ll buy something from the convenience store. Subaru suddenly gets up too saying he’ll go with her, which really shocks everyone since that Subaru is making a move on Ema. Along the way, Subaru tells Ema that he has an important match coming up soon, and he wants her to come and watch him play. At first Ema is reluctant because Subaru looks so serious, but she eventually agrees when he says that he wants to win in front of her. Upon hearing her answer, Subaru hugs Ema saying he was actually thinking of giving up on inviting her.. but he feels glad to have asked her out properly. He quickly lets go and apologizes, then he goes home right after taking the food back to their brothers.

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           Not too long after Subaru left, Rui comes to see Ema with a lot of cherry blossom petals on his hands. He says it’s a present from the wind to her, and he arranges her hair using the petals to make her even more beautiful. When Ema returns to the brother’s place, Hikaru reveals that he’s actually a noir novelist under the pen name of “Asakawa Hikaru”. The main characters in noir novels are mostly criminals, and Hikaru always collects the necessary data directly from real criminals.. who are usually men. That’s why he’s dressing up as a woman whenever he approaches them, and he even lived with one of them in the past. Before Ema could recover from the shock, suddenly they hear Tsubaki singing karaoke nearby. He’s surrounded by a lot of middle-aged ladies, and Fuuto moves to the lake since he can’t stand the noise. However, Tsubaki then introduces Ema as his “girlfriend” to the entire audience and makes it really clear that they have kissed before. Σ(Д`|||ノ)ノ Everyone is shocked upon hearing this (except for Hikaru who finds it interesting), and Yusuke instantly rages at Tsubaki saying he can’t forgive this. Natsume tries to stop Yusuke from going wild, but since Yusuke keeps on resisting, they end up falling into the lake instead — dragging poor Fuuto along with them. 8D Late at night, Masaomi tells everyone that it’s time to go home. Noticing that Ema wants to stay behind with Kaname and Hikaru, Masaomi asks Ukyou to let her stay. Knowing that Ukyou is worried about Ema, Masaomi tells him that Kaname is always thinking about Ema. He cares a lot about her, and despite him being a frivolous flirt, he would never do anything to harm her. Hikaru is impressed since Masaomi has become much more reliable now, and when he asks if something happened while he was away, Masaomi answers it was Ema who changed him.. which only causes Hikaru to develop more interest in Ema. Soon after Masaomi and the others go home, Iori comes and apologizes for being so late. He was busy with work earlier, but he’s happy to see that Ema is still waiting for him. Kaname quickly interrupts saying they’re here as a family, and Iori can’t have a date with Ema today since Hikaru and him are also present. Iori doesn’t care though, and he replies that they’re indeed a family.. but blood relations don’t have any meaning in his eyes. Upon hearing this, Kaname tells Ema to ignore Iori and asks Hikaru to take her home. When they arrive at the mansion, Hikaru notices that Ema is still thinking about Kaname and Iori. He assures her that Kaname will take care of Iori, and he knows really well that nothing dangerous will happen between those two. For now. Hikaru is more interested in Ema herself, because he’s starting to see why his brothers are falling in love with her. 


Chapter 12-1: 睫毛をふるわす嵐が[]

[ The storm that shakes eyelashes ][]

After dinner, Wataru is watching his favorite anime on TV. The main sponsor is a travel agent which recently selected Fuuto to star in their TV commercial, and Yusuke keeps changing the channel because he can’t stand seeing Fuuto’s face everytime. xD While Wataru and Yusuke are busy fighting over the remote control, Masaomi asks Ema if she wants to stay in the hotel from the commercial. This shocks Yusuke and Ukyou because it sounds like an extremely bold invitation, but Masaomi is actually thinking of traveling overseas with everyone in summer — not alone with Ema. He only asked her because he wants to make her happy. (๑´ლ`๑)♡ Ema mentions that she doesn’t have a passport, but they explain that she can get one easily if she prepares the necessary documents.

Soon Iori walks into the living room, and Ema notices that he got a haircut. The first thing he does is to ask if she likes his new hairstyle, and he also asks if she’s good in English.. because Jouchi University gives high marks for English in the entrance exam. Ema doesn’t understand why he suddenly brings up Jouchi University, but Iori doesn’t give her any chance to think. Iori says he’ll teach her if there are any subjects that she doesn’t understand, and when Yusuke asks if he can join their study session, Iori completely ignores him and leaves after saying it’s a promise between him and Ema. Poor guy. (´・ω・`;)

On the day of Hinode High School’s opening ceremony, Yusuke and Ema are surprised to see Azusa at their school. He looks really neat in a formal suit, and he explains that he didn’t have any plans to come here today. It’s just Masaomi is taking care of an emergency, Ukyou has a meeting, and Kaname is busy with memorial service.. and so Azusa had to take their role as a guardian. Yusuke and Ema are confused since they didn’t hear anything about this before, but before Azusa could explain anything, a taxi stops in front of the school gate and Fuuto walks out wearing Hinode High School’s uniform. Fuuto politely greets them saying he’ll be attending Hinode High School too from now on, which means that he’s now their junior.

After the opening ceremony starts, Ema walks around the hall while still thinking about what just happened earlier. She knew that Fuuto safely passed his entrance exam, but whenever she asked about the name of the school, he always replied with “it’s a secret” — obviously because he wanted to surprise her. Just then Ema hears a faint voice nearby, and she finds Fuuto sleeping under a cherry blossom tree nearby. Ema knows she should wake him up, but she can’t do it because the sight of Fuuto sleeping outside is so irresistably sexy. (*ノ∀ノ)イヤン The tension escalates when Fuuto suddenly whispers “Don’t do it, nee-san.. Don’t touch me there, I won’t be able to hold back..” and starts panting in his sleep. Σ(〃д〃) Ema can’t stand it anymore and tries to wake him up, but Fuuto suddenly opens his eyes and reveals that he’s actually awake. He left the hall because the ceremony is so boring, but he didn’t expect to see her here. Fuuto quickly holds Ema’s hands and pins her against the tree, asking if she knows why he decided to come to this school. He also gives her a chance to escape, but since she remains quiet in his arms, he chuckles and blows his warm breath onto her eyelashes. Just as he promised, he’s going to give her an exciting school life from now on. (❤ฺ→艸←)

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Chapter 12-2: 溢れる想いの行方は[]

[ Where the overflowing emotions are ][]

In May, Ema goes to watch Subaru’s match in Yoyogi Gym. She was actually reluctant to go after he hugged her, but she decided to go after receiving a mail from him. She can feel that he’s really determined about winning the match, and she’s glad that she came to watch him play — because he puts up a great performance today. Subaru stands out in the court with his three-point shots, and Ema notices that he looks really satisfied. In the middle of the match, Natsume suddenly appears asking what she’s doing here. He finds it surprising that she was invited by Subaru, and he also admits that he’s actually skipping work just to watch the match. He’s worried about Subaru, though he knows that Subaru only wants him to leave him alone. Meiji University eventually wins the match, and Subaru immediately gets surrounded by all of his teammates after their victory. It would be hard to talk to him since he has celebrations and meetings afterwards, so Ema decides to go home with Natsume.

On the way to the car, Natsume receives a call from his office and asks Ema to wait for him. Ema then goes to sit on a nearby bench, where she sends a mail to thank Subaru for inviting her and also to congratulate him on the victory. After a while, Subaru suddenly comes running to see Ema. He’s still wearing his uniform, and it seems like he ran out of the gym upon reading her mail. When Ema says he looked really cool in the court today, Subaru smiles saying it’s all thanks to her. He suddenly asks if she’s dating anyone or has someone she likes, and when she shakes her head, he asks her to stay with him forever and kisses her hand. (๑´ლ`๑)♡ Subaru tells Ema that he needs her by his side, but sadly his confession got interrupted when Natsume returns. Despite Subaru’s attempt to explain, Natsume coldly tells him that it’s still too early for him to fool around. He tells Subaru to go back to his team inside, and that he should save all the “foolish things” until he becomes a first-class basketball player. Subaru obviously gets angry and says he doesn’t want to hear that coming from a person who quit tracks and fields, but Natsume calmly replies that it would only be a half-hearted attempt if he continues anyway. After glaring at Natsume for a while, Subaru apologizes to Ema and walks away.

Soon after Subaru leaves, Natsume asks if Ema really doesn’t know the reason why Subaru has been acting strange recently. Ema is too scared to answer, and Natsume keeps repeating the question until she eventually snaps. She cries saying she doesn’t know anything, and she can’t understand the meaning behind everyone’s actions. Just then it suddenly starts raining, and Natsume apologizes saying he doesn’t mean to hurt her. He gently wipes her tears away, asking her to forgive him. When Ema quietly says yes, Natsume takes off his coat and puts it on her shoulder. Then he guides her to the car and drives her home.

Chapter 13: ここにはいられずに[]

[ Can't stay here ][]

A few days later, Tsubaki learns from his manager that he won’t have any summer vacation this year. His schedule is completely packed until the end of summer, and so he tells Ema that he won’t be able to join their overseas trip. Ema, being the good girl that she is, feels sorry for Tsubaki, and he uses this chance to invite her on a trip to Miwa’s private island this weekend. Ema actually feels bothered by Tsubaki’s recent attitude towards her, so she says she’ll go if they bring other people along.. and this leads to Tsubaki dragging both Azusa and Natsume to join the trip. Upon arriving at the island, Tsubaki invites Ema to swim together and asks her to change into her swimsuit. At first Ema refuses since she’s not in the mood for swimming, but she instantly changes her mind when Natsume says he’ll teach her how to dive. Unfortunately this only causes Tsubaki to get jealous, and his jealousy turns even deeper when Azusa tries to calm him down. Tsubaki notices that Azusa seems so happy, and he asks if Azusa actually wants to see Ema in a swimsuit. Azusa stutters as he tries to deny it, and Tsubaki clearly tells him that he won’t hand Ema to anyone — not even to his beloved twin. Ema actually can hear their conversation from afar, and soon Azusa turns around to look at her. Noticing that Azusa is blushing madly, Ema quickly runs off towards the villa.

In the evening, Natsume helps Ema preparing dinner in the kitchen. Natsume notices that Ema is watching him closely as he cuts the vegetables, and he explains that he cooks for himself everyday. Back when he still did sports, he used to cook during gasshuku too. Natsume says he did long-distance road relay in the past, but he drops the subject saying they should cook fast or else Tsubaki will complain again. Ema keeps thinking if Natsume’s past has something to do with what Subaru said to him before, and she ends up cutting her finger thanks to her wavering concentration. Natsume quickly grabs Ema’s hand and licks her injured finger, and he only realizes what he’s doing when he sees her blushing. (。-∀-)ニヒッ♪ He apologizes and goes to get a first aid kid, and he tells her that he doesn’t have ulterior motives — he only did it because he was in a panic. After Natsume is done treating her wound, Ema says she wants to continue making dinner. Upon hearing this, Natsume sighs saying Ema is too kind.. and that’s why some people completely misunderstand her actions. He wants her to know some people will take her kindness as a sign of affection, and one of them is here with them in the villa.

That night, Ema finds Tsubaki practicing his lines alone in the dark living room. He asks her to help him practice because he can’t seem to grasp the role yet, and despite Natsume’s warning earlier, she agrees to help and reads the script beside him. The story is about a guy who hurt his girlfriend in the past, and now he’s trying his best to win her heart back. There’s a scene where he apologizes for kissing her, and right after reading that line.. Tsubaki suddenly drops the script saying he won’t apologize for kissing Ema. He won’t apologize even if she’s angry, because he’s really serious about her. In order to prove it, Tsubaki then pushes Ema down to the sofa and confesses that he loves her. Tsubaki asks Ema to accept him, and he kisses her repeatedly — saying he won’t give her to anyone. Ema gradually loses her strength to resist, but eventually someone comes and pulls Tsubaki away from her.. and Tsubaki is shocked to see that it’s actually Azusa.

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Tsubaki then asks why Azusa is getting on his way, and Azusa only says it’s not good to be so forceful on Ema. Tsubaki repeats that he won’t hand Ema to anyone, and Azusa answers that he knows.. which means Azusa is stopping Tsubaki on purpose. Tsubaki glares at Azusa and asks what he should do, but Azusa coldly tells Tsubaki to return to his room. After a long silence, Tsubaki finally says he understands and leaves. However, Azusa also asks Ema to do the same and lock her door for tonight — just in case. He tells her that he joined the trip in order to confirm something, and he already found the answer today. Azusa says he doesn’t have any rights to scold Tsubaki, because he actually feels the same way. He tells her to go because he might lose control like Tsubaki did, but since she’s too shocked to move, he ends up leaving the living room instead.

Chapter 14: ここにしかいられずに[]

[ Can't stay anywhere but here ][]

On the way back to the mansion, Tsubaki and Azusa are ignoring each other. Poor Natsume is trapped between them in the back seat, and the twins almost have a fight again when he tries to clear the heavy atmosphere. The one who picks them up is Masaomi, and noticing that Ema is also acting strange beside him, he stops the car on purpose. Tsubaki and Azusa leave to “buy drinks”, and before Natsume could ask Ema anything, Masaomi sends him to buy some cough drops outside — just so he can talk to her in private. Different from Natsume, Masaomi doesn’t ask about what happened in the island. Masaomi only tells Ema that he will always be here for her, and he’s glad if he can help her by sending everyone away — even though it’s only for a while. Ema feels really touched by Masaomi’s concern, and knowing that she’s on the brink of tears, he asks her to cry as much as she wants to until the triplets return. As Ema cries on his chest, Masaomi gently hugs her saying he’ll do everything he can to help her. Three days after the beach trip, Ukyou suddenly tells Ema that she doesn’t have to help him in the kitchen anymore. Everyone seems busy recently, so they don’t have to prepare that much meal for a while. Ema still wants to help in the kitchen though, and so Ukyou asks her to show her hands. He points out that her fingers are really rough since she’s obviously too distracted to take care of her hands, and the worst part is that she didn’t realize it until he told her. Ukyou knows that something must have happened in the island, and he’s afraid that his brothers are driving Ema to reach this condition. Ukyou also admits that he’s actually an awkward man. He can’t watch over everyone like Masaomi, and he can’t comfort them with words like Kaname.. but he knows one thing for certain: he can’t forgive the person who caused her hands to be so rough. If that person is one of his brothers, Ukyou will have to give him a punishment. Not as an older brother, but as a human — as a man who loves Ema. W-What..? Σ(゚∀゚ノ)ノ Hikaru soon comes to bug Ukyou again, and Ukyou warns him not to tease Ema right now because it would only hurt her even more. This only causes Hikaru to be more and more interested, and he says he’ll return to watch the dramatic climax.. because it’s been a while since the last time he saw Ukyou getting this serious. Several days later, Ema walks home with Yusuke after school. Ema keeps spacing out along the way, and just like Ukyou, Yusuke knows something happened during her beach trip with the triplets. Yusuke admits that he really wants to know because they’re a family, but sadly it only makes Ema feel terrible. She knows that the brothers are starting to fight because of her, and she feels like an outsider who destroyed their peace. Instead of answering the question, Ema tells Yusuke that she wants to get her passport today. Yusuke explains that she needs her family register, and she decides to visit the government center right away. It’s actually just an excuse to escape from Yusuke’s question, but Ema thinks getting a passport is a nice idea so she can visit Rintarou overseas whenever she wants to see him. However, the shocking truth hits Ema really hard when she reads her family register. 

After leaving the government center, Ema walks around the city alone. She goes to the station thinking of leaving Kichijouji, but the station already closed by the time she arrives. At 1.30 AM, Natsume eventually finds Ema in front of the station.. but she refuses to return to the mansion, so he takes her to his apartment instead. There she meets his nearly identical cats — Tsubaki and Azusa — and knowing she can’t talk properly in her current state, he forces her to take a bath in order to make her feel better. He also gives her some clothes to change into, though all of them are obviously too big on her. When Natsume asks her what happened, Ema says she found out that she’s an “unwanted” person. She takes out her family registry and shows him what’s written on her status column — “adoptive daughter”. Rintarou never told her anything about this before, and Ema feels really upset thinking she’s really an outsider. She also thinks her real parents must have thrown her away, and that her existence only causes trouble for everyone. Ema then gets up saying she’ll return to the mansion and start packing up because she can’t stay with everyone, but Natsume stops her saying he won’t let her go. Then before she could say anything, he kisses her on the lips. Ema describes the kiss as “a kiss she has never felt before”. It doesn’t make her heart beat or sends a shocking sensation, but the kiss makes her feel really calm. It makes her realize that her thoughts about her family are probably wrong, and she finally cries in Natsume’s arms.

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Natsume Comforting Ema

          Since it’s already late, Natsume tells Ema to sleep in his room for tonight. He pats her head and asks her not to say that she’s “unwanted” anymore, pointing out the fact that his brothers are fighting because she’s important to them. Natsume also says Ema should talk to Rintarou about this issue, and that she shouldn’t jump to conclusions before learning the truth. Natsume then sits on the bed with Ema, and he asks if she’s angry about the kiss. When Ema says she’s not angry, Natsume makes it clear that he didn’t kiss her with half-hearted feelings. He knows that everyone is falling in love with her, and adding another person into the circle will make things even more complicated.. but he wants her to know how he truly feels — he’s also in love with her. Natsume then moves really close to Ema — so close that their lips almost touch — but he changes his mind. He says he can’t do it right now because it’s unfair, and he doesn’t want to have an unfair kiss with her. After saying good night to Ema, Natsume turns off the light.  

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