Chapter Text
The decorations were faded, the prizes were tacky, and the attractions were either hilariously shitty or downright strange. But the pop up fair in the local park had cheap food and was a pleasant distraction from their usual lazy monotony, so the Matsuno sextuplets weren’t complaining. Except they were. Loudly. They’d been systematically kicked out of almost every tent over the afternoon for their rowdy behaviour, probably because they’d made the mistake of starting their fun with the inexpensive booze. Now that it was evening the attendants were changing shifts. The fresh staff would hopefully have little warning about the six same-faced demons who had trashed the roped-off drinking area earlier, allowing them to return to the scene of the crime to resume their revelry. They were all starting to get dangerously sober.
To play it safe, they had wasted some time working through the previously ignored sideshows, throwing hoops and shooting targets with their slowly increasing levels of hand-eye coordination. Karamatsu and Jyushimatsu were the most enthusiastic about the games, Osomatsu only joining in when a bet was laid down. Even after winning the wager, he wasn’t interested in the creepy handmade doll he’d won, so it was swiftly dumped on Choromatsu, who was too flustered to deny it under the hostile glare of the game’s supervisors. The only one of them who won anything they actually wanted was Jyushimatsu, who had successfully hooked a multi-coloured yoyo water balloon. He bounced it enthusiastically as they walked the length of the grassy field, constantly stretching the limits of the elastic and endangering unsuspecting passers-by. They had one last attraction to see before hitting the limits of the temporary carnival grounds, and Todomatsu was adamant they gave it a miss and head right back to the beer appreciation stalls.
A large tent was erected just beyond the lanes of stands packed with happy families, and the effect of the exterior was only enhanced by the fading light. It was a haunted house, hall of mirrors, jump-out-and-say-boo kind of deal, simply named 'The Gauntlet'. Ichimatsu’s usually glum eyes lit up at the sight of the blood red sign, not at the promise of a thrill from the obviously tacky attraction but at the blatant nerves displayed by the youngest. He was eyeing the fake tombstones and stringy cobwebs covering the structure’s canvas, clearly ill at ease.
“Well, looks like that’s all the fun we can have out here. Who’s ready for another round?” Todomatsu was desperately trying for casual, but if the voice crack hadn’t given him away the slight sheen of sweat would have. Five identical grinning faces looked back, the two closest snagging the youngest’s arms and dragging him towards the end of the queue. This was going to be too much fun.
A sign gave the estimated time to move through the haunted house (haunted tent) at about ten minutes, but there was only a young couple ahead of them in line. The group ahead had only just been given the all clear to enter when they all became decidedly fed up with Todomatsu’s whining. He was clinging to Karamatsu’s arm as he complained, not willing to actually leave on his own but not going to accept his fate and enter the dark structure quietly either. Even the patient Karamatsu had a far away look in his eye, rocking slightly on his feet as his little brother tugged at him. A group of young people even louder than their shrill brother came up to stand behind them in line and blatantly stared at the six brothers in matching, colourful hoodies. They had that effect on people. At least the increased number of witnesses made Todomatsu shut up in embarrassment. Ichimatsu laid a threatening hand on his shoulder, making him jump in his heightened state, and gave a devilish smile as the bored attendant beckoned them forward to his table. They each lined up to dump a hundred yen piece into the waiting tray, evidence of their parents’ generosity and eagerness to get them out of the house, and began to move towards the tent’s opening. The young man in charge put up a hand to stop them.
“Three at a time. That’s the limit, guys,” he drawled, clearly already tired. It was barely dark, how was he going to work for the rest of the night? The fair wasn't due to shut until midnight. The six of them looked at each other and Osomatsu gave a cheeky grin.
“Oldest first!” He cried happily, tapping Karamatsu and Choromatsu to follow and dashing ahead. Choromatsu was gone immediately, and Karamatsu chuckled, shaking off a distraught Todomatsu as gently as possible before taking his position with the others.
“I’m sorry, sweet Totty. I’m sure Ichimatsu will defend you in my stead!”
“H-hey! Get back here, Shittymatsu!” Ichimatsu started forward but was stopped again by the attendant.
“Have fun babysitting, guys!” Osomatsu taunted as the three of them disappeared into the tent. Assholes, Ichimatsu thought. With the only alternative being Jyushimatsu, Todomatsu would automatically seek comfort from him, and he wasn’t sure he had any to give anymore. Plus it was annoying as hell. Now that it was just the three of them, Ichimatsu was no longer looking forward to terrorising his baby brother. Sighing and looking back at the pouting sibling in question, he saw that his eyes were already shifting towards the rest of the fair and escape.
“We’ve already paid, dumbass,” Ichimatsu grumbled, shoving his hands in his hoodie pocket and accepting his older brothers’ betrayal. It was pretty par for the course, anyway. Sure enough, the supervisor had already collected their coins from the tray, scooping them into the box acting as a makeshift till. “Harden the fuck up, already.” Seemingly not bothered by his harsh words, Todomatsu surreptitiously sidled up to Ichimatsu’s side over the next few minutes, so that by the time they were called forward to enter he was clinging to him the same way he had been with Karamatsu earlier. Rolling his eyes and begging any listening deities to grant him patience, Ichimatsu gestured to Jyushimatsu, who was still happily bouncing his yoyo, before dragging his youngest brother towards the tent mouth.
~~~
The eldest three made their way slowly through the maze inside, not having expected enough to actually be disappointed but still thoroughly unimpressed. The scare factor seemed to largely rely on disorientating people with walls of mirrors, before dumping fake spiders or fuzzy tentacles on them from above. A few people in costume jumped through fake walls to try and scare them, but returned to their nooks sheepishly when the three identical youths just laughed at them. There were a few prop skeletons and painted ghosts, but the idea that this was advertised as ‘scary’ was almost insulting. Glancing at their reflections in the mirrored wall, Osomatsu started grumbling after only a few minutes.
“This is much too much like real life to be scary,” he said loudly, gesturing at the multiplied reflections of either side of them. His real life reflections just nodded in agreement, momentarily distracted by the eldest’s complaining. They didn’t notice the sudden creak as the path ahead of them was unexpectedly filled by their own startled expressions: a new mirror had abruptly slid down in front of them, blocking their path and almost amputating Choromatsu’s toes.
“Hey!” Choromatsu cried out indignantly to no one in particular as he jumped backwards in alarm. “That’s a blatant violation of Workplace Health and Safety codes! Are you trying to kill someone in here? This is beyond unprofessional,” he seethed with righteous fury at the injustice.
“Later, man,” Osomatsu said, grabbing the heaving shoulders of his furious little brother and spinning him towards another path that had revealed itself. “Let’s just get out of this shitshow first.” It turned out that the sliding mirror was the establishment's final attempt at scaring customers, and the trio emerged into the late evening breeze with very little warning. The transition was slightly jarring.
“That’s 100 yen I’m never getting back,” Osomatsu groaned, heading towards a nearby unoccupied park bench to wait for the younger three. After so long in the dark, the park light illuminating the small rest area felt much too bright. The other two slumped down next to him, looking forward to heading back towards the designated drinking area and going for round two.
“I know it’s for charity, but isn’t this all a little pathetic?” Choromatsu murmured, gesturing vaguely at the flickering fairy lights and torn tents filling the grassy field around them.
“Charity? This is all being run by the middle school, isn’t it?” Osomatsu was confused. He was sure he’d read that on the flier he’d brought home earlier in the week.
“Do you see any middle schoolers here? If you’re right, they’d be running the whole show. Also there wouldn’t be any alcohol. Where’d you get that idea?” Choromatsu shot down Osomatsu’s confidence with his usual skill.
“Huh. But I was so sure… I showed you the flier and everything!”
“Yeah, and it said they were raising money to build a new ward.” Choromatsu had read the whole pamphlet. Osomatsu was just getting mixed up again.
“I heard it was a festival for Respect for the Middle-Aged day,” Karamatsu piped up. The other two rounded on him.
“Respect for the what?! That’s not a real holiday! And does this look like a real festival to you?”
“Damn, Karamatsu. You’d believe anything. Stop blindly trusting Ichimatsu; he’s always lying to you.” Osomatsu shook his head at his brother’s gullibility. “But I was so sure… because it was the middle school near Hello Work. We pass there all the time. By which I mean you pass there all the time.” He thumped Choromatsu lightly on the chest.
“No, it’s definitely for the hospital. I would have thought they of all people would take more care not to injure people in their fundraiser,” Choromatsu turned away to grumble more about his indignity, even though it had only been witnessed by his two brothers. And they had seen him in far more embarrassing situations. A beat of silence passed between them as they waited for their little brothers. Karamatsu looked quizzically up at the night sky and pulled in a breath.
“Are you sure-”
“WE SAID THAT IT’S NOT A REAL HOLIDAY, DUMBASS!” Karamatsu wilted under the combined assault of his two brothers and said nothing further. They may team up against the younger three, but even under truce they squabbled amongst themselves.
“They sure are taking their time in there…” Choromatsu’s rage had withered slightly, concern rushing forward to take its place.
“Maybe Totty fainted,” Osomatsu snorted. That was a fun mental image. He almost regretted burdening Ichimatsu and Jyushimatsu with the bitchy youngest. Osomatsu hoped they’d at least have the presence of mind to steal his phone for a photo if it actually had happened.
“I doubt anything in there would affect even Totty too badly,” Karamatsu said confidently. Or his version of confidence, anyway. “I’m sure he’s fine.”
“Then where are they?” Choromatsu glanced back at the stubbornly empty haunted house exit. Sighing heavily, Osomatsu pulled himself upright.
“You guys wait here in case they come out. I’ll be right back.”
“Taking charge as eldest, are we? That’s so admirable, brother,” Karamatsu winked behind his painful sunglasses. How could he even see through those? It was night time, for God’s sake.
“Shut the fuck up. I’m all dried out and we can’t go drinking without them. Who knows what they’d get up to without supervision?” One couldn’t get in too much trouble, but all three? Osomatsu shuddered at the thought. “I’m not going to be responsible for unleashing those demons on poor, unsuspecting Tokyo. Back in a sec.” He slouched around the tent’s exterior, heading back towards the entrance. A few more groups had joined the line while they had been gone, and they watched Osomatsu warily as he headed directly for the grouchy attendant. He tried to make it obvious he wasn’t queue jumping by flashing an embarrassed grin at their suspicious stares as he went to stand in front of the small fold up table. The bored young man leaned on his elbows and narrowed his eyes up at him, but waited to hear what his ex-customer had to say.
“Hey, uh, our brothers haven’t come back out yet…”
“Has it been 10 minutes yet?”
“Um, I don’t know exactly but I think so,” Osomatsu guessed, cursing his lack of both a watch and phone. He often forgot how much accurate timekeeping was important to be considered an adult. It never seemed particularly vital in his daily life.
“If they were behind you, they should be out shortly.” The man somehow seemed even more unimpressed, and was swiftly switching his attention to more important matters, like inspecting his nails. Osomatsu cleared his throat a little awkwardly.
“It’s just been a while already, that’s all. It’s not like there’s a whole lot in there, you know? They couldn’t have gotten lost.”
“Well, have you tried calling them?” Now the man was obviously getting pissed, only maintaining the false air of respect out of loyalty to some customer/worker relationship oath Osomatsu assumed all carnival workers had to swear by. Apparently by calling it small, Osomatsu had inadvertently implied the slideshow was lacking and insulted him. Apparently these attendants were sensitive about the size of their attraction. Osomatsu hid an immature grin and tried to focus.
“I don’t have a phone.” At that, the young man actually gave a snide chuckle. Condescending ass, Osomatsu thought.
“Make it fast,” he said, sliding an older model flip phone across the table. Osomatsu was actually impressed he’d offer his own phone, but he likely just wanted to get rid of him faster. Osomatsu punched in Totty’s number from memory and held the device to his ear expectantly, ready to chew out his brother for making his lonely big brothers worry about him. His cheeky grin immediately fell into a confused line when a dial tone quickly filtered through the speaker. He tried it again for the same result, and went back to check he’d typed in the right number. Osomatsu was going to try again when the attendant reached out his hand for his phone.
“Look, they’ll be out soon. I’ve got a job to do,” he said, sounding as tired as he looked. He glanced behind Osomatsu at the swelling queue and made a pleading gestured for him to leave.
“Right, sure.” Osomatsu mechanically handed back the phone and headed to the back of the tent. That was weird. Totty had pretty good coverage, and he had been using his phone all day, sending selfies and pictures of the shitty sideshows to his friends on Line. Osomatsu walked back around the gory props towards the rear of the tent and his waiting brothers. As he drew closer, they looked up from their seats with hopeful eyes. They were immediately disappointed to see him return alone, but then seemed to simultaneously notice and focus on something happening behind him. Disappointment turned to horror and they leapt to their feet and started towards him in unison. A misspent adolescence made Osomatsu instantly alert at their blatant fear, spinning to face what he could only assume was a threat. Briefly confused, he only saw a group of three laughing as they left the grimly decorated tent. Then it hit him. They had been behind them in line. If they were already finished, where were the others?
Without a word all three ran into the back of the tent, ignoring the alarmed looks of the other patrons. They passed an indignant trio of customers and ignored the furious glares of the costumed workers as they jogged back through the maze, and were at the inside entrance in minutes.
“They couldn’t have gotten past without us seeing them. That means…” Choromatsu panted a little at the sudden exertion.
“Those assholes. They’re pranking us,” Osomatsu growled, livid that he’d even wasted a moment of concern over them. He’d legitimately thought they’d hurt themselves in the dark halls, and had been ready to shower them with brotherly affection and good-natured teasing in equal doses. Now he just wanted to knock out all three of them. They turned around to sneak back out without annoying the grumpy supervisor at the front door, a little embarrassed at their overreaction and frantic flight through the mirrored maze. They were almost back at the potential lawsuit-inducing sliding wall gag when Choromatsu saw something bright in the corner of his eye. He quickly snagged the colourful object, letting it swing and bounce as he showed it to the others, eyes crinkled in uncertainty. It was Jyushimatsu’s balloon. Knowing their little brother wouldn’t abandon a new toy so quickly, they automatically looked around them, hoping to spot their younger brothers before they sprung whatever trap they were planning.
Karamatsu locked eyes with his reflection, not realising how scared he appeared to be. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been pranked by his brothers before, so why was he so frightened? He tried to relax his facial muscles back into his cool mask, but it didn’t have any affect on his mirror image. With alarm he finally realised the obvious; in the dim light it was a little hard to tell, but his reflection’s hoodie was definitely not blue, and even after such a desperate dash his hair couldn't be that messy. The figure in the mirror was not him at all.
“Ichimatsu?!”