Memories with the “Brat” – Part 4

Bratty Halloween Night

“That’s a relief, huh? One less thing to worry about,” Mom said with a solemn expression.
“But that doesn’t mean you can goof off until graduation.”
“I know, I know.”
“Still, Tokyo, huh…”
The bell at the entrance jingles with a clank-clank. I glance over and see the usual brats. But their outfits aren’t the usual.
“Oh my, how cute!” Mom exclaims.
“Ready?” Miya calls out, and the three of them shout in unison:
“Trick or Treat!”
Today is October 31st.
Halloween.
It’s said to originate from an ancient Celtic festival, celebrating the autumn harvest and warding off evil spirits. In ancient Celtic tradition, October 31st marked the end of the year, a day when the souls of the dead, evil spirits, and wicked witches roamed the streets. To protect themselves, people would dress up and light bonfires to keep the spirits at bay.
Nowadays, the religious meaning has faded, and it’s become a full-on costume party. In Japan, it’s gained popularity in recent years and is starting to become a staple of autumn.
Our neighborhood association decided to include Halloween in this year’s fall events.
Kids dress up and go door-to-door collecting candy. Moonlight Terrace is decked out for Halloween too. Jack-o’-lanterns adorn the terrace seats, and the interior is decorated with pumpkins and bat motifs.
We’re also selling limited-edition pumpkin pies and pumpkin shakes.
“So, what do you think, Yuu-nii?”
Miya spins around to show off.
She’s wearing a big pointed hat and a thin, frilly dress. The sleeves are wide and loose, and her round, pumpkin-shaped miniskirt is adorable. Her socks are striped orange and black.
“Ho, a witch, huh?”
“Yup!”
She points a small broom at me. There’s black eyeliner around her eyes, and upon closer inspection, her nails are painted black too.
“How’s it look? Cute?”
“…Pretty good.”
“Hehe!”
“I’m a cat, meow!”
Mahiru makes a clawing gesture.
She’s got a cat-ear headband and a choker with a bell around her neck. Dressed in a black maid outfit, she’s going for a cat-eared maid theme. She’s wearing cat-paw gloves, and there’s a tail attached to the back of her skirt.
“Take this, cat punch!”
Thanks to the gloves, it doesn’t hurt at all.
“Doesn’t faze me.”
“Tch!”
It’s rare to see Mahiru in such a girly style.
“And Asaka?”
“Hehe, I’ll bite you!”
Asaka’s also wearing a headband, but hers has small bat-wing decorations. She’s in a white blouse with a black cape. Her slightly visible canine teeth are sharply pointed. The red dots on her blouse’s chest must be meant to look like bite marks.

“A vampire, huh?”
“Pretty cool, right? “
“Are these teeth fake?”
“Yup.”
Asaka takes my hand and pretends to bite it. Those sharp teeth look like they’d actually hurt.
The three of them are carrying white cloth bags, probably for collecting candy.
“Come on, Yuu-nii, if you don’t want to get pranked, hand over the candy!”
Miya declares boldly.
“Funny, I’m always getting pranked… Here.”
I put small packets of individually wrapped candy into their bags.
“These are really well done. Did Mirai-san make them all?”

“Yup.”
Mirai-san works as a costume assistant for a local theater troupe, and apparently, making clothes and costumes is her hobby.
“Yuu-nii, we’ve got one for you too,” Miya says.
“Huh?”
The brats drag me to the neighboring Haruyama house.
How did it come to this?
“It suits you, Yuu-kun,” Mirai-san says with a slight smirk.
“Uh, I’m already in high school, you know.”
The pumpkin-shaped headpiece has triangular eyes and nose, and a jagged mouth cut out. I’m draped in a tattered beige cape and holding an antique lantern.
“A pumpkin ghost, meow,” Mahiru says.
I’ve been dressed up as a Jack-o’-lantern. The cape is like a poncho, covering my whole body. It’s hard to move, but the worst part is the limited vision. I’m peering through triangular holes, after all.
“Yuu-nii, it looks good on you,” Asaka says.
With my face hidden, I feel like anyone could wear this and look the same.
“Take care of everyone, okay?”
“Yeah.”
And so, we head out into the Halloween streets.
The neighborhood at dusk is overflowing with kids in costumes. They’re not just the classic Western monsters—there are Japanese yokai, anime characters, and more.
Houses participating in the event have custom Jack-o’-lantern dolls at their entrances, which the kids use as markers to visit.
“Trick or Treat!”
We go door-to-door, extorting candy.
“Oh, it’s Miya-chan and the gang!”
Occasionally, they run into friends from elementary school, showing off their costumes. It’s a heartwarming scene.
“Hey, who’s that pumpkin monster?”
“This? It’s Yuu-nii,” Miya says.
“Huh? Miya-chan, you have a brother?”
“He’s my vassal,” Asaka adds.
“?”
“These kids are always in my care.”
I bow slightly.
“Mommy, there’s a pumpkin man!”
“My, my, so enthusiastic!”
Many kids are accompanied by parents for safety, but it seems rare for the parents to be in costume too. My face is hidden, so it’s not too bad, but I’m starting to feel a bit embarrassed. There weren’t events like this when I was a kid. Times have changed.
“We’re getting so much candy!”
Miya peeks into her cloth bag, which is starting to bulge with treats.
“Next is over there, meow!”
Mahiru points.
“Ugh.”
Ahead is a mansion with an office attached, a huge Shimomura Construction sign prominently displayed.
“W-Well, I’ll wait here then.”
“You’re coming too, Yuu-nii.”
Miya smacks my butt with her broom.
“Let’s show Hikari-san. If you don’t come, I’ll bite you!”
“…Fine.”
Mahiru and Asaka grab my hands, and Miya leads the way.
“Trick or Treat!”
“Hey, everyone!”
Hikari greets us. The Shimomura family runs a construction company, and while not as grand as the Gendoji house, it’s quite a mansion. Hikari’s not in costume, just in casual clothes.
“So cute! Oh, Mahiru-chan, is that a cat-eared maid!?”
“Yup, meow!”
“Adorable!”
“Meow, meow!”
Hikari lifts Mahiru, rubbing cheeks with her. The tail sways, and the bell jingles.
“Give us candy, or we’ll prank you!”
“Asaka-chan’s a vampire, and Miya-chan’s a witch girl. You two are adorable too. Hmm, and that Jack-kun over there? I can guess who it is.”
“…It’s me.”
I take off the headpiece. Who’d have thought I’d be showing off like this in front of a classmate?
“Whoa… Aritsuki-kun, you’re really into it, huh?”
Hikari says, a bit taken aback.
“No way, I didn’t choose to wear this!”
“But a Jack-o’-lantern for Halloween? It’s a bit too obvious, don’t you think?”
“That’s not it! This was just prepared for me—”
I desperately explain. If people thought I was eagerly joining a kids’ neighborhood event, that’d be trouble.
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll let it slide. Oh, right, candy.”
Hikari hands small packets to the three.
“Smells good!”
“They’re cookies, so be careful not to break them.”
“Yes!”
After getting candy from Hikari, we leave the Shimomura house.
“Oh, Aritsuki-kun, wait up!”
“Huh?”
Hikari jogs over.
“Here,” she says, handing me a packet of cookies.
“Nah, I’m good. I’m just the chaperone.”
“Come on, it’s a celebration.”
She winks as she says celebration.
“Oh… Thanks!”
“See you at school.”
“Yeah.”

2

“Big haul, big haul!”
Carrying bulging cloth bags, the brats head back. They’re planning an impromptu candy party in my room.
“So much candy… Meow!”
“It’s heavy!”
“Yuu-nii, carry it!”
“Fine, fine.”
I crouch to take Miya’s bag, and at that moment—
“Hey!”
“Huh?”
My vision goes dark. I can’t see ahead.
“Hahaha!” I hear the brats laughing. What did they do?
“What the—?”
I pull off the headpiece.
“Gotcha, meow!”
“Success!”
The holes for the eyes had been covered with the cut-out pieces.
Miya must’ve distracted me while Mahiru and Asaka snuck up from behind to stick them in. The headpiece has too many blind spots—I didn’t notice at all.
“Surprised?” Miya says innocently.
“‘Surprised’ my ass!”
I stretch Miya’s cheeks sideways.
“That’s dangerous!”
“Sowwy, sowwy!”
“Jeez.”
“Come on, we’ll share the candy,” Mahiru says.
“Yuu-nii, let’s hurry back!”
“You guys are something else.”
The three run off into the night. Watching their backs, I hurry after them.
But seriously, these brats—getting candy and still pranking me? That’s a rule violation, isn’t it? Fine. I’ll pull a prank of my own.
I’ll keep my move to Tokyo next spring for a job a secret until the day I leave.
I can’t wait to see their shocked faces.

Bratty Rocket Launch

1

“I’m home!”
“Welcome back.”
Mom calls out from behind the counter. As usual, the three brats have claimed a table at Moonlight Terrace. They’re eating snacks and playing a game.
“Yuu-nii!”
Asaka, the first to notice me, jumps up and rushes over. Miya and Mahiru follow. It’s November, but they’re all in short sleeves and miniskirts—impressive. I’m wearing a sweater over my dress shirt.
“I brought something awesome today,” Miya says with a mischievous grin.
“Awesome, huh? What is it?”
“Hehe, guess what?” Asaka says, clinging to my right arm and looking up at me.
“You’ll be shocked when you see it,” Mahiru says, puffing out her chest.
“Pretty confident, huh?”
“You might faint, so don’t blame us,” Miya says with a smug smile.
Jeez, what am I getting dragged into today?
“Let me put my stuff away first. Wait there.”
I head upstairs, drop my school bag in my room, and change out of my uniform into a black hoodie and jeans. I hear impatient footsteps stomping up—guess they can’t wait. What’s so exciting about this thing?
Mahiru bursts into the room first, holding a plastic bottle painted red with markers. She raises it high.
“Yuu-nii, look!”
“What’s that?”
“A rocket!”
“A rocket, huh?”
Miya and Asaka are each holding a plastic bottle too.
They’re standard 500ml bottles, empty inside. Asaka’s is painted light blue, Miya’s black.
“We made them in art class today,” Asaka says.
“Rockets, huh?”
Asaka’s rocket has hearts and stars drawn on it. They look the part, but how do they plan to launch these? They’re not just throwing them by hand, are they?
As if reading my mind, Miya shows me something.
“This is how we launch them.”
It’s a launch platform made of wooden boards. Three long boards are arranged in a U-shape, with a square board at the base. A rubber band is attached to the top end.
I see. They set the bottle on the rubber band, pull it back to the base, and use the tension to launch it upward.
“This is a rocket launcher,” Miya says, snapping the rubber band with a twang.
“Pretty simple, huh?”
Rockets move by expelling mass for propulsion, so technically, this is more of a catapult. But there’s no point lecturing these brats about that. As long as they’re having fun, that’s what matters.
“They fly like crazy!”
“Let’s go already!”
“Let’s do it!”
“Alright, alright, hold on.”
I’ve been feeling under the weather lately, so I put on a mask before heading outside.

2

We choose a quiet corner of the nearby park for the rocket launch, where there are fewer people.
“Alright, Yuu-nii, watch this!”
Miya sets her plastic bottle rocket on the launcher. She places the bottle’s base on the rubber band and pulls it down hard.
“Go, Black Knight! Here!”
With a pop, the bottle launches. The black rocket shoots straight up, higher than expected—maybe five meters by my guess.
“Whoa, it really flies!”
“Cool, right?” Miya says, retrieving the fallen rocket.
“Super cool, beyond my expectations!”
“Yuu-nii, watch mine too!”
Now Asaka launches her bottle.
“How was it? Did you see?”
“I saw, it’s awesome!”
“Hehe!”
“Mine’s gonna fly a ton too!”
Mahiru squats with big strides, holding the launcher steady with both hands.
“Here!”
The red rocket blasts through the air. It must’ve gone six meters—higher than the nearby tree!
“Whoa, that’s insane!”
“Told ya!” Mahiru snorts, puffing out her chest proudly. They’ve got every right to brag.
“Yuu-nii, watch mine next!”
“Yeah.”
The rockets go pop, pop, launching one after another. What a peaceful game.
“Hey, make sure you don’t hit the house next door!”
We’re at the edge of the park, surrounded by trees, with a small fence separating us from the residential area beyond.
“We know!”
Right as I warn them, a strong gust blows just as Miya launches. It’s just a plastic bottle, so the wind throws it off course.
“Oh no! Black Knight!”
The Black Knight draws an irregular curve and crashes into the trees. It doesn’t come down, probably caught in the branches.
“Waaah!”
Miya runs to the base of the tree, looking up.
“Where is it?”
“Miya-chan, up there,” Asaka points.
Miya’s rocket is stuck in a branch about four meters up.
“Oh no!”
Four meters is an impossible height for kids.
“My rocket!”
Miya’s voice turns nasal, her eyes starting to glisten.
“It’s okay, I’ll climb up and get it!”
Mahiru jumps at the trunk, but a first-grader’s height can’t reach the branches, and she can’t climb.
“Ugh, Black Knight!”
“Maybe if we throw rocks at it, it’ll come down.”
“No, Asaka, that’s dangerous!”
“Jeez, you guys, move aside.”
“Yuu-nii?”
“Miya, don’t cry.”
I ruffle Miya’s head roughly.
“I-I’m not crying!”
Miya presses her palms to her eyes.
“You guys wait there.”
“Can you climb it?” Mahiru asks.
I’m pretty good at climbing trees. Back in kindergarten, I climbed every tree in the yard, earning a tree-climbing ban. I’m that Aritsuki Yuu.
“Here we go!”
I grab the trunk, hook my hands onto a branch, and test it with a shake. Confirming it can hold my weight, I pull myself up and climb higher.
“Whoa, Yuu-nii, that’s awesome!” Mahiru exclaims.
“Miya-chan, cheer up. Yuu-nii will get it!”
“Yeah.”
The leaves prick my skin, so I pull up my hoodie.
Almost at the rocket.
“Here!”
The Black Knight is wedged in a fork of thin branches. I grab the cap and pull. The branches rustle, and leaves fall.
“Phew, got it.”
“Yay, Yuu-nii, thank you!”
Miya jumps, raising her arms.
“Yuu-nii, you’re awesome!”
“So cool!”
Alright, just gotta climb down. But then—
“Got the shot?”
A cold voice comes from right beside me.
“Huh?”
I look over and see a window from the neighboring house. A half-naked woman stares at me, terrified, in fluorescent underwear and a single shirt, mid-change.
Our eyes meet in silence.
“No, wait…”
A chill runs down my spine.
“What are you doing? What did you take a picture of?”
“Huh?”
I think about my appearance.
Black hoodie up, mask on for my cold, and a black plastic bottle in hand. If she mistook this black object for a camera…
Oh no, she might think I’m a peeping tom.
“No, it’s not like that, I was just—”
“You pervert!”
The woman angrily pulls the curtain shut.
“Hey, Yuu-nii, what’s wrong?”
“Come down already!”
“It’s dangerous!”
“No, no, this is just a plastic bottle. It got stuck in the tree, and I was just trying to get it—”
I desperately explain to the closed curtain.
“It’s not like I had any weird intentions!”
It’s a misunderstanding, I swear!
*
The police showed up soon after, but thanks to the brats and a mother with her kids who witnessed everything, the misunderstanding was cleared up.