Konnos and Cats

“Maaaaxyyyyyyyy!”

Maxy’s attempts to pose intimidatingly in a vacant lot are thwarted as he realizes the source of that cry is none other than his snot-nosed little brother. A cat jumps off of his shoulder.

“Whaddaya waaant?” As he asks this, Maxy trips and falls off of the cardboard box he was standing on. Thankfully, a cat bolts out of the way before he hits the ground. “You made me fall!”

“Did not~” teases the freckled boy. He looks around. “Where’s Yoshinori?”

Maxy frowns at the mention of his absent friend. “Yoshi had to go help his mom and dad with something.”

“Oh.”

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be cooking or playing with your stuffed animals or...I dunno, being annoying somewhere else?”

“Okaasan said she’d get us food from the diner.” Before Maxy’s mouth could properly water from the thought of diner burgers, Toni interrupts. “But you have to tell me English words and stuff!”

Maxy leans back on the fence as a cat paces around his legs. “Why?”

Toni looks down at the ground. “Because I’m the stupidest in the whole wide school and everybody else knows how to talk English and Japanese!”

“Not my fault.” Maxy pets the cat near his feet. He already knew about Toni’s situation. After all, he’s the one who has to defend Toni from kids harassing him after school. He never did understand why Toni didn’t pick up English. Maxy knew it, their mom knew it, they used to speak it sometimes when their dad was still--

Oh. That explains it. Toni doesn’t remember that far back.

As Maxy is thinking, Toni leans less than a few inches away from Maxy’s face, making sure his older brother can see him pouting. He’s pouting as hard as his face could possibly muster. Maxy flicks him in the nose and laughs..

“Owwwwwuch!” Toni whines. “You’re gonna make us not get sweets!”

“Wait, huh?”

“If you’re not gonna tell me English words, I’m going to say what I know over and over so you get annoyed!”

“What was that about sweets?”

Toni pays no attention. “I like bread! I like bread! I like bread!” he chants in English, stomping around angrily. 

Maxy doesn’t know what to make of this. “....Toni?”

“What’s your name? What’s your name?” Toni continues shouting. He emphasizes the wrong syllables, but otherwise, it’s perfect English.

If only someone else were here to witness Toni making a fool of himself. Maxy makes eye-contact with a nearby cat and mouths “Are you seeing this?”

Toni, angered at Maxy’s laughter, switches to a new phrase.

“I love you! I love you! I love you!”

Maxy’s chuckling turns into full-blown cackles. “Do you even know what you’re saying?”

“No!”

“I love you.” Maxy repeats in Japanese.

“I love you too, Maxy!”

“No, that’s not what I--” before Maxy can finish explaining, Toni wraps his arms around him in a hug. Maxy cringes a little. If someone saw him like this, it would completely ruin his image! Still, he can’t deny the hug is a sweet gesture, so he hugs his brother back.

“Okay, I’ll teach ya’ English or something…” Maxy lets go of the hug and looks away.

“Thank you very much!” Toni bows politely.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Whaddaya wanna know?” A cat leaps into Maxy’s arms.

Toni tilts his head quizzically. “Why are there so many cats here?”

Maxy shrugs, petting the feline in his arms.

“Hello, Mrs. Cat!” Toni greets, in English. He reaches to pet it, but draws back when it hisses at him. “Sorry… Maxy, how do I tell Mrs. Cat I’m sorry in English?”

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Cat.” Maxy tells Toni, in English.

Toni repeats the phrase to the cat. It looks uninterested, and jumps out of Maxy’s hand, walking away to go lie with other cats. Toni looks saddened.

“How come they like you, but not me?”

“I dunno. I guess I’m cooler.” Maxy runs a hand through his curly brown hair.

“Are not!”

“Am too!”

“Are not!”

“Am t---Hey, what are ya’ doin’?? I’m not finished telling you how cool I am yet!” As Maxy shouts, his younger brother walks over towards the group of felines.

“I’m going to be friends with them!”

Maxy rolls his eyes. Some feet away, he sees Toni leaning in towards the group of cats, and doesn’t pay much attention to it. While he’s distracted by another cat on the fence above him, he suddenly hears a couple hisses and a yell.

The older boy grabs a nearby stick and rushes over to the commotion.

“Get away from my little bro, you punks!” The cats were already leaving, but Maxy brandishes the stick at them anyway. He sees his brother crying on the ground. “Are you hurt?”

“I tried to show them how cute I was so they would like me, but, but they hissed and--and”

“Didja get scratched?”

Toni shakes his head, still wiping his tears.

“Geez Toni, you had me worried for nothin’!” Saying that didn’t seem to help Toni’s tears any. “C’mon, get up.” Maxy offers a hand to his younger brother, and he takes it, pulling himself off the ground. He hugs Maxy after finishing standing up. 

“Knock it off…” Maxy pleads, weakly. Toni doesn’t listen, and hugs him even tighter. Maxy pats him on the head. “Let’s go home. I’ll teach you English stuff if ya promise to stop cryin’!”

“Okay!” Toni stands up straight, sniffling. He smiles.

“Good.” Maxy uses his stick to point over to a nearby box. “That’s a box. B-O-X. Box.”

“B-O-X. Box!” chirps Toni in reply.

They start walking out of the vacant lot. “R-O-C-K. Rock.” Maxy points over to a rock on the ground. 

Toni picks it up. “R-O-C-K. Rock.”

The two continue this pattern, walking all the way home.