Fluctuations in Kinship

To break the silence, June cleared his throat and took Sushi's hand to support her as they walked. When they reached the corner, he opened the car door for her.

"Are we going in this? Whose car is this?" she asked, a flurry of questions spilling out.

"It's a surprize..." he said, closing the door behind her.

"Do you know how to drive? Can we not go today?" Sushi's anxiety spiked as she saw June in the driver's seat for the first time.

"Don't worry, I got my driving license last month," he reassured her, starting the car confidently.

Sushi, still nervous, gripped the seatbelt tightly and closed her eyes.

After a few minutes, June said, "Open your eyes. It's been five minutes since we started, and everything is okay. See?"

Sushi slowly opened her eyes and saw the car moving smoothly. She relaxed and sat comfortably. "Whose car is this? How did you get it?"

"My friend's. I asked him to leave it here just in case," he responded.

"Oh. Why don't you ever take me to your friends or your home?" Sushi asked.

"You might not like it there Chloe, that's why," he replied.

"Why?" she pressed.

"Because it's lonely there. " he said in a sad tone.

"Sorry," Sushi replied, feeling guilty.

"There is nothing to be sorry about. It's just my parents—they're always working and traveling. I hardly ever get to eat with them. Every day, I eat alone at home. Summer is the time I feel happy," June explained, revealing his inner thoughts.

Although Sushi didn't know what to say, she stayed silent until they reached the theater.

When they entered the theater, June got in line to buy the tickets while he had Sushi sit on a nearby couch. He noticed some boys looking at her from behind, and a wave of possessiveness washed over him. When he returned, he removed his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

"No, I feel hot. I don't want it," Sushi protested, trying to take it off.

"Chloe, Keep it on," June insisted firmly.

"Why is he mad at me all of a sudden?" Sushi thought, looking at him with pitiful eyes. Reluctantly, she left the coat on.

June took her hand and led her inside. He soon realized the boys had followed them and sat nearby. June wanted to switch seats but couldn't since the movie had already started.

Throughout the movie, June couldn't relax. His attention was more on the boys behind them than on the screen.

"What happened to him suddenly? He was fine before. Is he mad at me because I asked about going to his home? What should I do?" Sushi wondered, unable to enjoy the movie due to her anxiety over June's mood.

"He isn't even smiling at the funny scenes. It's like he's not watching the movie at all. Maybe he doesn't like it?" she thought.

After few minutes, she leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Brother, I want to go to the restroom."

She got up, but June followed her. "Why did you come out?" she asked, surprised.

"It's okay," he said, taking her hand and leading her to the restroom. "Go inside, I'll wait for you here."

Sushi couldn't understand the situation, so she silently went inside.

"Why is he like this? I thought we could spend some time alone, but I think I upset him. What should I do now?" she wondered to herself.

When she came back, June was still standing outside waiting for her. She approached him quietly and asked, "Can we go home?" Her voice was low, and she kept her head down.

"What happened? You don't like the movie?" June asked, taking her hand in his.

"No, I want to go home," she replied, her eyes sad.

"Is she facing a problem she can't talk to me about?" June wondered, looking at her with concern.

"Do you perhaps...?, is it that time of the month?..." June hesitated.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing. Okay, if you don't like it, we can go," June said, carefully walking her out of the theater and helping her into the car.

As he started driving, Sushi sat silently, looking out the window. "What happened to her suddenly? Why is she sad?" June thought and asked, "Chloe, are you okay?"

"Huh? Yeah, I am," she responded, but her eyes were filled with tears.

June was shocked to see her like that. He suddenly pulled the car over and gently took her face in his hands. "What happened? Are you facing any problems? Do you need anything? Tell me, and I'll get it for you," he asked with concern.

"No," she replied, but her tears wouldn't stop.

"Then why are you crying?" he asked again, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"I am sorry, I shouldn't have asked you to take me out," Sushi said, her voice breaking with sobs.

"What do you mean? You didn't like the movie? Shall we go to another one?" June asked, confused.

"No, it's not that. You didn't like the movie and you were mad at me. You didn't even look at me once in the theater. You seemed so angry. I'm sorry if I upset you," she cried harder.

Seeing her cry like that over what he thought was a minor issue broke June's heart. He immediately hugged her and patted her head. "Don't cry. I wasn't mad at you. Why would I be?"

He pulled back slightly to look at her face and said, "I wasn't mad at you, Chloe. There were some boys who followed us into the theater. I was more focused on them. I didn't realize you thought I was angry. I'm sorry, I should have paid more attention to you."

Sushi stopped crying and asked, "Are you telling me the truth?"

June nodded and laughed at her tear-streaked, smudged makeup.

"Don't laugh at me," she said, pouting.

But he couldn't stop laughing and continued to chuckle.

"Why are you laughing at me?" she asked, then caught sight of herself in the mirror and saw her smeared makeup. She quickly turned away and covered her face with her hands. "Just stop laughing!" she shouted.

June tried to contain his laughter, not wanting to embarrass her further, and silently started driving again.

"It's okay, you can take your hands down now," June teased, noticing she still hadn't moved her hands.

After a few minutes, the car came to a stop.

"Did we already reach?" she asked, her hands still covering her face.

But June remained silent. "Why is he quiet?" she wondered, slowly removing her hands to see a giant wheel lit up in front of her.

She was surprised. Turning towards him, she exclaimed excitedly, "An amusement park!" and rushed towards it.

"Slow down!" June called out as he got out of the car.

He walked towards her, smiling, and stood beside her, watching her face light up in the glow of the lights.

"Brother, can we go on a ride?" she asked eagerly.

"No, We can't, It seems they are facing some trouble." as he showing "NO SERVICE" board to her.

Disappointed, she sat down at a nearby table.

"Are you upset?" June asked, sitting beside her.

"I wanted to go on a ride," she turned towards him, her expression so cute.

"How about this? Tomorrow I'll be leaving, but we can meet again next summer. I'll bring you then," he suggested.

"Pinky promise?" she extended her pinky finger towards him.

"Promise," he replied, linking his pinky finger with hers.

"Thank you, Brother," she said, smiling at him.

"Chloe, why do you call me brother?" he asked holiding her pinky finger.

"What?" Sushi said, surprise evident in her eyes.

"You always call me brother. Why?" he inquired.

"I don't know, it's just a habit from childhood," she replied, avoiding his gaze to prevent any awkwardness she felt brewing.

"I don't want to be your brother," he stated.

Sushi turned towards him, a surge of emotion in her eyes, but she couldn't find the words to respond, "then what do you want me to call you?"

He asked again, locking eyes with her, "Do you still see me as a brother? Because I never saw you as a sister."