Five Buns Full: Chapter 3 (Patreon)

Yotsuba brushed her bright hair out of her face, yawning deeply and stretching as she plodded out of the bedroom. She made her way down the hall to the kitchen, heading straight for the calendar.

This month had a set of large fluffy bunnies posing inside of a field of beautiful pink and red lilies. The fluffy darlings were arranged haphazardly, which might be one of the reasons that Yotsuba never noticed that there were exactly five of them playing in the field.

The young woman went to the calendar and took the deep red marker from its place on top. Today was May the 22nd, and with one quick glance to the preceding day to double check she was right, marked Day 956.

She nodded to herself, taking a deep breath. 1828 – 956. Only… crap, she’d spent like five minutes working this out yesterday. It was more than half, but it wasn’t quite…

Yotsuba groaned, going for her smartphone. She held down the assistant button and lazily asked, “Hey, what’s eighteen twenty-eight minus nine five six?”

The deep male voice instantly replied, “It is eight-hundred and seventy-two. Good morning, Yotsuba.”

“Ugh… okay, eight seventy-two,” Yotsuba grumbled, instantly forgetting the number as she moved on to a repeated lamentation. “This would have been so much easier if I had started from the top counting down.”

“Yotsuba,” her assistant chimed. “You have one reminder for today. Would you like me to play it?”

“No. Thank you, Fuuta-” Yotsuba winced. “Shoot, son-of-a…”

Her assistant chimed. “My name is Hikaru,” his voice chuckled. “Would you like to rename me to Fuuta?”

“No!” Yotsuba cringed. “No, no. Hikaru is fine. It’s perfect.”

“Thank you,” the device said. 

A slight jingle came from behind her as Hikaru activated his station and the attached cameras and microphone. She turned around and pouted at the virtual assistant as his projector assembled his body, a sharply dressed, young, Japanese man. He had dark brown hair and luminescent green eyes, matching the green tie of his black suit.

“Good morning,” he bade, putting two fingers to his head in a waved salute.

“Yeah yeah, good morning,” Yotsuba scowled.

The coffee machine clicked as Hikaru prepped her morning cup. “It is currently seven twenty-three in the morning. The temperature is sixty-nine degrees outside, with an expected high of seventy-six.”

“It’s not likely to rain, is it?” Yotsuba asked hopefully.

“It is not,” Hikaru grabbed an umbrella from off screen. He twirled it in his hands. “There is a five percent chance of precipitation.”

“Yeah, that figures.” Yotsuba puffed.

“Will you be wanting your coffee before, or after your morning run?”

“After. You know drinking it beforehand makes me queasy.”

“Understood,” Hikaru bowed. “Have you made your bed this morning, Miss?”

Yotsuba rolled her neck and then left the room, grumbling to herself lines that she had learned at her new job. ‘The joys of consistency and the need for routine.’

Her bedroom was a bit of a mess. Dark curtains were pulled over the morning sunrise, and a small pile of discarded clothing was forming around her laundry bin. She pulled the drapes open before putting her hands on her hips, then setting to work on her sheets.

She tended to roll around most nights, falling asleep on her back, then shifting to her left side, flipping the pillow, turning to the right, and sometimes ended up upside down all while never waking up. The lower sheets were just pink, but they were smothered beneath a heavy comforter which floral pattern of red and purple flowers stamped onto it, matching the deep colored pillows. 

She looked at Hikaru’s place holder at the side of her bed, but he must be too busy preparing the pans and ingredients for breakfast. A part of her thought about calling him, but she decided against it.

She had to kick the growing mound of clothing away to get into her closet. From it, she took the previously assembled yellow top and orange shorts off their hangers, putting them over a loveseat chair she had at the foot of her bed near the TV. Then, she changed out of her sleepy tee into a sports bra and a tight runner’s top and running shorts.

Yotsuba turned to her mirror, briefly admiring herself.

The girl who smiled back looked far too joyful. The reflection twisted, almost teasingly sweet and posing with her foot up in the air like some sort of teenager. At twenty-five, Yotsuba knew for a fact that she didn’t smile that big, nor did she look that cute. Her shoulder-length hair didn’t look nearly that nice, and her eyes didn’t look anywhere near so beautifully blue.

The abs were hers, though. She’d worked harder than hell for them, and was able to feel something that might be a slight glimmer of pride as she rapped her knuckles into her waist.

Yotsuba was strong.

Going to her dresser, Yotsuba opened one of the top drawers. A lovely green ribbon sat atop of the pile, waiting for its turn to be used.

She balled it up and tossed it over her shoulder, instead taking a black one and tying it through her hair. She considered tying her hair into her now usual braids, but decided against it. She’d wait until after she showered.

Right now, Yotsuba needed to run.

She assembled her gym bag and bade Hikaru goodbye. A fruitless effort since she carried him in her pocket, but it didn’t feel proper to not do so.

From her apartment, Yotsuba went to the nearby carpark and retrieved her vehicle before driving to the nearby high school to use their track.

When she arrived, she was put off to find that the student body was using it. What was their deal? Couldn’t they just use it after classes? Yotsuba had things she needed to do.

She considered going to a gym, but she didn’t have a membership and was not about to sit down with some guy and sign up for something she didn’t even want to use. She stuck her tongue out sourly and went to the track, trying to ignore the feeling of being an old lady.

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“Hey, check it out,” Kasumi whispered. “It’s that old lady again.”

“Oh, noooo,” Aoi hissed back. “Why’s she here?! Coach is gonna notice and make us do doubles to try and keep up!”

“We can’t match her!” Kaede responded. “It’s not fair, she has old lady muscl-”

Like the sun descending from the heavens above, Coach Amaterasu Hoshi fell upon the three students and shined with holy radiance. She wore a bright blue shirt that clung to her slim waist, along orange shorts that clung to perfectly pale hips. With long black hair and a severe dark brow, Coach Ama appeared as if she was her namesake.

“What are you three whispering about? You are here to practice, not gossip.”

“Y-yes Coach!” Kasumi yelped, hurriedly dashing away like a startled rabbit.

She was the lucky one, whose body worked before her brain and kept her from the coach’s clutches.

“Kade! Aoi!” Coach Ama’s voice cracked like a whip, but her eyes had turned to the newcomer that was heading towards the starting line at the opposite end of the field. “Do you see our guest?”

“Y-yes Coach!” both girls responded, standing stock still.

“I want you to race her. Both of you, one lap fully around. If she gets to here before you do, you will owe me four extra laps.”

The girls gulped but did not argue. Ama’s brilliant radiance had been known to burn those who spoke out. They turned and watched the old lady putting her gym bag on one of the bleachers, taking her phone out of her pocket.

“Go! Now!”

Kade understood quicker than Aoi, turning and pounding the track as quick as she could. Aoi called out a moment after. “B-but we didn’t do starting… aieee!” she screamed, racing away as the Goddess Ama began to move upon her.

******************************************************************************

Yotsuba looked up, hearing the sharp scream. A deeply tanned brunette girl was racing away from the group on the other side of the field at an awkward lope. Yotsuba frowned, then saw the raven-haired girl she was running after, and figured the two girls must be having some juvenile race.

She shrugged before lifting her leg up behind her.

A good stretch always cleared Yotsuba’s thoughts. She could feel the little burns of the muscles in her toned thighs and even up in her calves. When she flexed her arms, she noticed that she’d gotten slightly sunburnt. It must have been from working outside last week.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, her bright hair fluffing out in the sunlight over her shoulders. Focus. Here, now.

Yotsuba put her eyes to the red rubber of the track, pushing out all other thoughts. She leaned forward like a limber panther, placing her hands on the rubber and preparing to pounce.

Then she frowned, listening to the pounding feet of the young black-haired girl. She tried to force it from her mind, but she could feel it in her hands now. Her frown turned into a scowl and Yotsuba lifted her butt in the air, trying to glare at the teenager from beneath her boobs.

She was surprised when they actually blocked her view, forcing her to peer around her arm. A trickle of thought came to her, a small pat on the back over her nice boobs, but it was drowned as the black-haired girl dashed past, quickly followed by the brunette crying, “Kaaaaddeee! Wait for meee!!”

Yotsuba watched them go with a large pout. They made it a bit down before Yotsuba called to her phone, “Hikaru, begin lap timer.”

“Tracking… On go.”

Yotsuba lowered down into her position, finding it as smoothly and as rightly as she might her own bed. It was perfect.

“Three.”

She was perfect. 

“Two.”

Yotsuba was perfect. 

“One.” 

Yotsuba was happy. 

“Go.”

The panther pounced.

******************************************************************************

At fifty-five seconds, Yotsuba felt that her first lap was a slower than her usual.

Her second lap was sixty-eight seconds, but that was mostly due to her slowing down at the other side, awkwardly jogging past the two crying teenagers and a very maliciously bright looking coach.

She finished her first mile at four minutes and twenty-four seconds, which she felt pretty good about considering the students on the other half. A couple of other girls were doing laps now, but Yotsuba was reaching her groove.

She didn’t hear Hikaru calling out her time anymore, didn’t notice the odd timing of the other students taking off just as she was passing by, only to be left in her dust with the sun brightening from behind. 

Yotsuba nearly missed the time she was specifically listening for, two miles in nine forty-eight.

A little smile came over her face and she pushed herself hard for the last four laps, wrapping up her three-mile run at fourteen minutes and eighteen seconds.

She was surprised to see the coach sitting on her bench when she finished, just far enough away from her phone and bag to look deliberate. Yotsuba’s chest was bobbing up and down, small streams of sweat at the edges of her face, but she nodded to the coach and held her hands over her head, beginning her cool down.

She walked once around the field, uncomfortably noticing the large number of glares coming from the other girls as she passed, but they said nothing to her so she said nothing back. Running track when they were here always made it so awkward, but the teacher had never spoken to Yotsuba before.

When she returned her lap, their coach was sitting on Yotsuba’s bench with her arms folded across her chest, wearing a face that was marginally friendlier than her students. Yotsuba went to her phone.

Hikaru chimed up. “Wonderful job today, Yotsuba. I have marked your scores on your chart. This now marks your eighth fastest time.”

“Can I help you?” Yotsuba asked the coach.

The woman’s smile sharpened like a soldier’s blade. “Only if I could borrow your legs. Your speed is very impressive.”

Yotsuba took a deep breath, placing her hands on her hips. “Thanks.”

“You run here often, yes?”

Yotsuba nodded. “Yeah, I checked the website and it said it’s open for community members. I’m not bothering nobody.”

The woman laughed, looking over to her students. It sounded… toxic, but she didn’t give anything to Yotsuba besides a smile. “Do you compete professionally?”

“Eh? Errm, no,” Yotsuba said. She leaned down and took a water bottle from her gym bag. “Just like running. Been doing it for…” she stopped herself from saying nine hundred and fifty-six days, even though that number wasn’t entirely accurate when applied to this. “A couple of years now. Every day.”

“During the snow?”

Yotsuba shrugged towards the school. “You’ve got a gym.”

The woman laughed, a high-pitched laugh that sounded like she didn’t do it very often. “So we do. You shame me, Ma’am.”

“Err… it’s Yotsuba,” the girl sweat, awkwardly smiling and extending. “I’m not really a ma’am yet.”

The woman took it, beaming. “I am Ama Hoshi. It is good to meet you, Miss Nakano.”

“You too,” Yotsuba shook. “Alright, well, I should get moving along. I’ve got a lot going on today.”

“That is a shame,” the woman bowed. “I would be interested in talking with you more, sometime.”

“Maybe sometime!” Yotsuba grinned, wanting very much to leave. She shouldered her bag and was walking past when the woman made a smug snicker. 

Yotsuba turned, seeing Miss Hoshi’s eyes on her. “Next time, perhaps you should bring your sister, Miss Nakano. She could use a day or two with someone like you.”

“Oh… heh… yeah, maybe.” Yotsuba said, suddenly wanting much more to get out of the area before the creepy teacher lady tried to… teach her, or something. She turned and jogged away from the track, heading back to her car.

As she drove, she looked into her rearview mirror.

The bright blue eyes of four other women were staring back.

Yotsuba took a deep breath, feeling her heart working more than running ever caused. She held it, staring into the mirror, then let it out through her mouth with a deep sigh.

Then turned back to the road and abruptly yanked the wheel as she noticed she’d been listing into the adjacent. A woman in a bright Toyota was yelling at her through her window, causing Yotsuba to cringe and wave. “S-sorry!” she called, before gripping both hands on the wheel and heading home.

******************************************************************************

Yotsuba showered before dressing in the clothes she set out for the gathering. Then, with one look at her clock, proceeded to flop onto her bed with a sound like a dying yak.

“Rwaaagh. It’s like six hours from now,” she mumbled.

Hikaru’s bedroom station activated, bringing Yotsuba’s bright head and dour expression to glare at her assistant. “Your breakfast is prepared. Would you join me at the table?”

Yotsuba rubbed at her eyes with another animal groan before mumbling, “Fine.”

Without another word, the station deactivated. Yotsuba took an extra moment to stretch, trying to focus on the comfortable tension in her thighs before summoning the strength and making for the table.

Yotsuba’s kitchen was well furnished, with a focus on bright colors for brighter smiles. The walls were painted a sunny yellow, bright wooden cabinets and drawers. Granite countertops gave it a clean feeling, cut perfectly into a metal sink and around her smart stove and the connected fridge. A griddle was lightly stirring itself around the stovetop, with a cooling orange circle that represented fire from beneath. Pleasant smelling smoke drifted up from the pan.

Hikaru’s projection falsely sat at his chosen chair, waiting for her while sipping a hologram coffee. “I’ve prepared ham and eggs for you this morning,” he informed. “I hope they’re to your liking.”

Yotsuba went to the stove, checking the pan. The orange circle was lightening before becoming a bright blue one. She touched the handle and felt the magnetic hold deactivate, allowing her to slide the contents around herself. He’d used milk, just as she liked it, cooking the shredded ham into the eggs like a filled omelet. 

“Did you add extra salt?” she asked a speaker behind the stove.

“Based on your current dietary intake, I’ve calculated that your sodium levels are-” it began.

Yotsuba stuck out her tongue, not listening to the rest of the machine’s speech. “Please add extra salt.”

With a hushed whisper, a compartment in the bottom of the cabinet over her stove opened. A line descended, along which a small trail of salt skated down and into the griddle. Yotsuba turned to the nearest camera and gave it a pouting, flat look. 

“More than that, Hikaru.”

“Yes, Miss,” the AI responded, although Yotsuba wondered if there was a tad of resignation in its mechanical tone. 

Heaven’s Box, the creative company behind Hikaru, had connected most of her home to the intelligence system. A small silver HB insignia could be seen on her fridge, stove, and several other appliances. They claimed, however, that their most impressive features were the capabilities of their software, and Yotsuba would agree.

If he’d stop lecturing her about her diet, that is.

There are days where a girl just wanted to eat cake and ice cream for breakfast… but Yotsuba could hardly have salty eggies without being reminded of her calorie intake.

She finished the preparation of her meal, snagging a waiting plate and flipping the combo onto it before taking it to the table.

As she ate her mind drifted, quite naturally, to her sister Itsuki. It made her snicker to consider how she’d handle her partner trying to help maintain her diet. It’d been some years since she’d been with her sister, but the last time she’d seen Itsuki she’d been on her fourth chunky slice of thick chocolate cake.

She hadn’t really thought much about her softest sister. She’d squirmed so much when they’d tried shoving her belly into that dress, five pairs of hands tugging the fabric over her hips until it ripped. An unusually prideful feeling overtook Yotsuba.

Itsuki had probably gained another twenty pounds over the last few years. Now that they were twenty-five, their metabolisms had to be slowing down, and the youngest quint’s sweet tooth had been spiking before Nino’s… wedding.

She felt her tummy gurgle, although it wasn’t with hunger. An uncomfortable feeling came over her stomach, a hollowness that pushed out her hunger rather than imbibed it. She poked at her eggs, knowing that that’s what this was all about.

Yotsuba was in love with her sister’s husband.

But she knew the path that was ahead of her, pockmarked with guilty thoughts and self-loathing attacks, and rather than walk it, today she leaned back in her seat and let out an intense “Brlaaaaaarrrrgggffhh” that sounded like a goose giving birth, before then returning to her eggs.

Day… 956, right? With 1828 minus 956 that was…

She chewed on her eggs, glancing at her assistant. She thought of trying to work it out, not wanting to bother him while he drank his coffee, before relenting. “Hikaru, what’s eighteen twenty-eight minus nine five six?”

The deep male voice instantly replied, “It is eight-hundred and seventy-two. How are your eggs?”

“Eh??” she asked, instantly forgetting the number. “Oh! They’re good. The ham tastes nummy when it’s extra salty.”

He didn’t respond, and a part of her wondered if she’d bothered him, not realizing how silly that sounded.

He looked up right as she was about to apologize to her advanced toaster and announced “Incoming video call from, your sister, Ichika Nakano. Would you like to respond?” 

A short ringing could be heard from several speakers. “Wha? I-Ichika?” She looked around rapidly before centering on a nearby tablet. She hopped over to it before hesitating over the buttons, eventually clicking accept.

Ichika’s bright strawberry hair popped up in a small window, followed by her bright blue eyes opening up along with a gorgeous white grin. “Baby sister!!” she cried excitedly. “Finally, I was beginning to think nobody wanted to see me!”

“H-hi Ichika!” Yotsuba found herself replying with an identical grin. Her chest felt inexplicably lighter, like a long-suffered weight had been marginally eased. 

“Oh gosh, look at you!” Ichika pinned, twisting the tablet up over her head. She was somewhere exceptionally bright, wearing a short black dress that showed plenty of her pale skin, a bright pink blush coloring her cheeks. “Look at your hair! You look so cute!!”

“Eh? O-oh,” Yotsuba twisted, glancing at her braided pigtails. She’d hardly even noticed them anymore, but her hair was getting too long to simply let hang. Another beat put her smile even wider, a blush coming onto her own cheeks. “Shi shi shi,” she giggled pleasantly. “Thanks. It’s gotten a bit long, hasn’t it?”

“I think it looks perfect!” Ichika flashed a wink. “I might even steal your look for my next movie.”

“Hey!” Yotsuba played with one of her braids. “It’s mine, you can’t have it!” 

“Awe,” Ichika pouted. “Can’t your big sister look cute too?”

Yotsuba’s hand crossed her chest, and she giggled once more, feeling younger and brighter than she had in a long time. “You’re already cute!”

“Only cause I look like you,” she playfully stuck out her tongue before tapping her chin. “Or is it because you look like me?”

“Well, that’s what you used to say! You’re gorgeous!”

Ichika twisted on her seat, leaning back. “Thank you.” There was a loud voice calling in the background and Ichika glanced up for a moment before looking at a piece of paper and then back down. “It’s nice to hear that from someone as pretty as you.”

“Oh, gosh…” Yotsuba reached up for her braid again, twirling it around. 

“I’m serious! Both Miku and Itsuki stiffed my video calls! I was starting to think I must be ugly or something…”

“You could never be ugly!” Yotsuba cheered. “No way, no way! You’re all over the movies now!”

Ichika snorted. “Not exactly. But I’d like to talk with you all about somethin’ today.”

“Eh? What’s that?”

Ichika lifted a finger to her lips, hushing her. “You’ll see later. Don’t want to give it away just yet.”

“Is it about a new movie?”

Ichika grinned. 

There was another shout from somewhere offscreen before she hopped, plopping her tablet down.

“Oh! That’s me!” she shouted, hurrying off.

“Ichika?” Yotsuba blinked at the screen. Bright yellow walls reflected colorful stickers that were vaguely recognizable. Yotsuba twisted, trying to get a better look for her sister before Ichika returned with a mammoth sized burger in hand.

“Schawy!” she said, clamping her mouth over the bun. “Im aff th aiiporr an getting lonch.” She took a huge bite, serrating meat, cheese and lettuce before placing the burger down and affixing her display on some sort of stand.

The burger was massive, needing two of Ichika’s petite hands to cup it. She loudly chewed, making little nomming noises before pulling it down with a heavy grunt.

“Mmhhhhhm,” she grinned. “Delicious.”

“That’s huge!!” Yotsuba belted, looking at the burger with wide eyes. “Where are you?!”

Ichika took a fat potato fry from somewhere off scree, popping it into her mouth. “Ish the airport!” she sounded much cleaner. “There’s a restaurant here called Fattyburgers! I wanted to try it out, but Nino and Fuutarou nearly made me lose my appetite.”

Yotsuba was smiling but hearing his name from somebody else was like an old wound had developed a fresh scratch. “Oh?”

“Yeah,” Ichika rolled her eyes. “He got the wrong idea cause something I said.”

Yotsuba swallowed. “D-did you… video chat them, too?”

“Oh, God no. I don’t need to see whatever their doing.”

It made Yotsuba actively cringe into herself. “Oh… yeah…” she took a long breath before releasing it. She just had to make it a few more years. Eight-hundred and something days. 

If she could just make it past five years without seeing him, she could finally get over Fuutarou Uesugi.

“Anyways,” Ichika finished chomping another bite. “Whatchu up to? How’s work been doing?”

“I’m okay! Err, uh, good! I’ve got a new job!”

“Really?!” Ichika sounded excited. “Not cleaning floors no more?”

Yotsuba winced. “Ermm… uh, actually, sort of, yes.”

“Oh…” Ichika grimaced. “I-I didn’t mean it li-”

“Well, that’s not really it!” Yotsuba cut in. “I mean, I help clean up yeah, but there’s more! I’m working as a Caretaking Associate at the Special Recreation Association in town!”

Ichika laughed nervously. “A what, now? That’s a lot of big words.”

“S-sorry! It, uhh, it’s like… I work with people who have disabilities. The Association is for recre- err, uhh, outdoors stuff. So I spend most of my day being team coach for students who can’t play stuff normally. And then I help clean and detox everything at the end of the day. It’s a lot of fun, and it makes the kids happy!”

Ichika grinned. “Well that’s great, Yotsuba! It sounds like you really enjoy it!”

“I do,” Yotsuba waggled in her seat. “It’s makes me feel way better than the custodian stuff.”

“You’ll have to tell me more about it at lunch! Itsuki might be able to talk with you about stuff, too!”

“Sure!” Yotsuba flashed a thumbs up.

“Mmmkay,” Ichika bowed. “I’m gonna slam the rest of this down, and then go rent a car. Do you need me to pick you up?”

“I’ll be okay! I’ve got my own car, and Hikaru’s got directions.”

“Oooooh?” Ichika’s mouth spread into a sly smile. “Hikaru, eh? Are you bringing along a special someone for us to meet~?”

Yotsuba frowned. “That’s the name of my phone! Err… assistant. Home assistant. Intelligence! Thingie!!”

“Aww, that’s much less fun,” her sister teased. “Is he handsome, at least?”

Yotsuba flushed. “B-bye, Ichika!”

“Hey, now wait a second, you didn-”

Yotsuba hung up, glancing over to Hikaru’s spot at the table. The station lit up and he stepped out into the frame. “How was your call?” he asked.

“I-it was good,” she tapped her fingers together, partially wanting to ask if he’d heard. Instead she asked, “W-would you like to watch a movie? We have some time before I have to head out.”

From behind his back, Hikaru pulled out a small journal and began looking through it. “Television times display several ongoing movies on favorited channels 05, 26, 32, and 58. Would you like me to lis-”

“That’s okay!” Yorsuba responded. “I’ll go check the television. Could you maybe make some popcorn?”

“I shall,” he bowed. There was a moment where he stood perfectly still before he asked, “Would you like extra salt on that as well?”

Yotsuba blinked at him. She was unaware that, last night, Heaven’s Box had released a major software update that allowed the assistants a better range of control for personalization. To the system, it had simply gone through its logs to account Yotsuba’s increased taste sensitivity for certain spices during preparation and changing itself according. 

To Yotsuba…

“I’d love that,” she whispered.

“I will have it prepared shortly,” he bowed before his camera ticked off and he vanished.

She walked over to her living room and sat, deep in thought but unable to form any real ideas, on her couch until the television clicked on and she remembered that she had to change the buttons, either through Hikaru or by going up to the television and manually switching the buttons, because she’d lost the remote.