4

After thanking her pro hero bodyguard, Tsuyu Asui walked up to the door of her house for the first time in a good while.

Has Samidare been looking after Satsuki properly? Are they both doing their homework? Oh, right—we’ll have to do the winter cleaning before Mom and Dad get home. Mom said she’s picking up the osechi food for New Year’s and that we already have soba noodles in the house …

It was out of old habit that Tsuyu went over this laundry list of tasks to handle. Her parents’ work sent them both on frequent business trips, so before the dorm system had been implemented, Tsuyu had been largely responsible for minding her brother Samidare—the middle sibling—and her sister Satsuki—the youngest. In this moment, she knew that cataloging the tasks in her head would let her leap into action more efficiently once inside, and any free time that remained would be set aside for studying.

As she reached for the doorknob, Tsuyu suddenly felt transported back to her pre-U.A. days, and she let out a few ribbity chuckles in spite of herself.

“Welcome home, Tsuyu.”

“Yeah, welcome.”

Waiting for her in the entryway were Samidare and Satsuki, both wearing aprons.

“Hi, you two. Did you get hungry and start making dinner early?” asked Tsuyu.

“Naw, this is because I’m on bathroom cleaning duty,” said Samidare.

“I’m cleaning the kitchen,” said Satsuki. Both siblings defiantly placed their hands akimbo.

Tsuyu was shocked. They’d helped her wash dishes in the past, but they’d never really engaged in full-blown housecleaning.

“Mom and Dad did the big cleaning last Sunday, and we’ve already got water boiling for the soba, so you should take a load off in your room, Tsuyu,” said Samidare.

“We got tea and snacks ready for you too,” said Satsuki.

“But …”

“No buts allowed,” said Samidare, as he and Satsuki shoved their reluctant big sister down the hall and into her old room. Tsuyu peeked through the door and observed that her siblings had legitimately been cleaning.

“Ribbit …”

She’d been prepared to tackle all sorts of chores upon arriving home, so this almost felt anticlimactic. Mulling this over, Tsuyu discovered freshly brewed tea and some snacks on the table, just as promised.

They’re really growing up, aren’t they?

Internalizing this fact suddenly made her miss them dearly. Naturally, she’d worried about how her siblings would fare when she’d had to leave home, so learning that they could actually fend for themselves to this extent conjured a mixture of melancholy and joy.

“Well, who am I to reject this hospitality?” said Tsuyu to herself.

As she finally started to relax with the tea and snacks, her phone rang. It was her old friend Habuko Mongoose.

“Hello? Habuko?”

“Tsuyu! How’s it hanging? Didja get home yet? I feel like it’s been forever!”

“Wait, how did you know I’m visiting home?”

“Your little bro filled me in!”

Time flew by as Tsuyu and Habuko recounted the latest goings-on in their lives. They chatted about school, friends, and their recent obsessions, and it felt like the conversation might never end … if not for a loud crash from the Asui family kitchen.

“Sorry, Habuko, I’ll call you back,” said Tsuyu, dashing out of her room toward the kitchen.

She arrived to find a cooking pot lying on the floor, surrounded by water that had clearly been inside the pot until a moment ago. Nearby, her brother and sister stood stupefied.

“What happened?”

“I dropped the pot …” said Samidare.

“It was heavier than he thought,” added Satsuki.

“You were trying to make soba, right? That’s okay, let me take over.”

As Tsuyu reached for the fallen pot, she saw her siblings slump gloomily and noticed a bandage on one of Samidare’s fingertips. It instantly reminded her of the days she had spent learning to cook, way back when.

They’ve really been trying.

Tsuyu stood and gave them both pats on the head.

“Actually, why don’t we make the soba together?” suggested Tsuyu. “Is that okay with you two?”

Samidare and Satsuki stared at Tsuyu’s warm smile, and then at each other. After a moment of silent consultation, they gave a cheery “Okay!” in unison. Tsuyu texted Habuko to let her know what had happened and promised to chat again another time. Now they needed time to get down to business.

The three Asui siblings set the pot over the stove, prepared the dipping sauce, chopped the chives, set up the colander, and laid out the plates and bowls. Watching her brother and sister take the lead, Tsuyu suddenly recalled her kakizome homework assignment concerning an aspiration for the coming year.

How about 和 (wa)? As in “peace and harmony,” since that’s all I want for my brother and sister when I can’t be here for them.

This thought brought a smile to Tsuyu’s face, just as she heard her parents calling out “We’re home!” from the entryway.

“Welcome home,” croaked all three kids.

With the whole family united again, more smiles were sure to follow.