Chapter Text
Todomatsu sighs as he walks down the hallways, looking for the room number on the walls, loathing the fact that this place is becoming more familiar to him. The sanitary smell makes him uneasy, it always does. This place could never feel safe like home.
“Hey, Osomatsu-niisan.” Todomatsu notices the confused look on the Osomatsu’s face as he walks into the room and closes the door behind him, despite the eldest’s efforts to appear neutral. “Todomatsu,” he introduces himself and taps his hat to help his brother remember his outfit.
“Ah, I knew it!” Osomatsu’s sheepish smile indicates that he didn’t. He rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment. “So, Todomatsu-san are you gonna sit or what?”
Todomatsu grimaces as Osomatsu gestures to the chair by his hospital bed. He walks over, a bit more self-conscious now that he was reminded that he’s practically a stranger to Osomatsu.
“You can just call me Todomatsu without the honorifics, nii-san.” He shifts around uncomfortably in the seat, holding his phone tight to his chest as though it would protect him from being hurt all over again.
“Sorry, uh- Todomatsu. I’m just… I know that we’re close, supposedly we’re brothers, but it’s still pretty weird for me, so...”
“No, I understand.”
There’s silence in the room, aside from the ticking of the clock on the far wall across to Osomatsu.
“So uh, Todomatsu… how long has it been since the accident?”
“Two weeks; twelve days to be exact,” Todomatsu sighs, this conversation working out like it always does.
“What the nurse said must be true then. Apparently I’ve been asking her every day, but—”
“But you never remember asking her.” Todomatsu finishes for him.
“Have I told you this already?” Osomatsu anxiously fiddles with his fingers, cursing himself for not remembering even though he knows it’s not his fault.
“Yeah, but you don’t need to worry. It’s not your fault that this is happening.” Todomatsu forces himself to smile, as though this situation isn’t ripping his heart into a million pieces.
“I’m sorry.”
“I already told you over and over again not to apologize,” Todomatsu almost finds himself saying.
“It’s okay. It’s not your fault that you forget what happens every day. Maybe you’ll remember next time- or maybe you won’t mention it at all! Tomorrow is a new day, so don’t worry too much.”
“A new day to forget…” Osomatsu mumbles, not having meant to say this out loud. Looking up at the identical man in front of him, he feels a pang of remorse as he sees the hurt look on his face. “I’m sorry, that was inappropriate of me to say.”
Todomatsu opens his mouth as though he is about to say something, but only lets out a small sigh. Osomatsu sits awkwardly, feeling guilty for making Todomatsu sigh. He’s such a horrible eldest. Todomatsu, his sweet and kind younger brother comes to visit him, and all Osomatsu can do is make him upset? God Osomatsu, stop being such a fuck up.
There’s a short silence that follows, and Todomatsu considers leaving before Osomatsu speaks up again.
“Hey uh, Todomatsu… what was I like?”
“Shitty,” is Todomatsu’s initial response.
“Oh uh—” Osomatsu is startled, he didn’t expect such an answer.
“I don’t mean that in a bad way— well… not really. All siblings are shitty to one another, y’know? But you were kind. You always looked out for us even if you didn’t say anything. You were always there...” Todomatsu’s voice softens into a whisper, a wistful smile on his face.
Osomatsu stares down at his lap, pretending that he doesn’t see the tears in Todomatsu’s eyes.
“Do you think I can be like that again?”
“I don’t know.” Todomatsu’s voice is clipped and raw and a billion things that Osomatsu doesn’t know how to describe.
“Oh.”
That’s all that the eldest can say.
Todomatsu sniffles, embarrassed that this is how his brother would remember him for the rest of the day.
“Todomatsu.”
The younger man hums in response.
“How do I help you when you cry?”
There’s a choked laugh. “You normally hug or cuddle me against my will until I stop.”
“Well… I mean… Do you wanna cuddle?”
Typical Osomatsu, always a sucker for cuddles.
Osomatsu scooches over on his bed, patting the space next to him with his bandaged arm. There’s a shaky inhale from the younger as he practically rushes over, not bothering to get under the blanket as he gently wraps his arms around Osomatsu, his tears soaking through the thin hospital clothes. He only cries harder as the eldest begins petting his hair and makes empty promises that everything will be okay soon.
It’s a bit uncomfortable to Osomatsu- hugging someone who he knows is close to him but feels like a stranger, yet some part of him feels soothed by this. It feels familiar- Todomatsu said he used to do this to cheer him up, but it’s weird to feel comforted by such a thing when one doesn’t have the correlating memories.
The eldest yawns after a while, feeling comforted by the warmth of the similar-looking man when Todomatsu stiffens within his arms.
“Todomatsu?”
“Please don’t fall asleep… Please don’t forget me again. I know you can’t stay awake forever, but I just… This time, please.” Todomatsu’s arms squeeze Osomatsu’s torso, and the eldest silently hisses in pain. “I’m sorry, this is probably silly of me to ask, but please let me be selfish- please indulge me like you always do. Osomatsu-niisan, please, please don’t forget me.”
“I won’t, Totty. I wish I could promise you that I’d never forget you, but I don’t want to give you any false hope. For now, I won’t sleep until you leave.” His heart aches more than any of the injuries on his body- the bandaged head, broken leg, scraped arms and legs, and the bad bruising under his ribs- for some reason, nothing compares to watching the man in front of him being so hurt and vulnerable.
Todomatsu hurriedly jerks back to look at the eldest, his eyes searching for something- a smile and cheer for joy, maybe recognition in his eyes, some sudden eureka moment.
“What’s wrong?”
“You just called me Totty…!”
“Eh? Did I? Sorry, Todomatsu, it just slipped out.”
Todomatsu’s heart sinks, his delighted smile fades away, and he goes back to laying his head against Osomatsu’s chest, looking towards the turnt off T.V. on the far wall so the eldest can’t tell that he’s about to cry again.
“Totty is okay. You used to call me that.”
“That means my memories aren’t totally gone, yeah?”
“I’m glad.”
The two of them stay with each other for another hour until Todomatsu stands up with a sigh.
“Todo- Totty? Where are you going?”
“I have work…”
“Work?”
“Yeah, I work at a Sutaaba a few blocks away from here.”
Osomatsu goes silent, clenching his bedsheets as he can feel his heart racing faster.
“Nii-san, is something wrong?”
“Um…” Osomatsu grips at his shirt, right over his chest. “I don’t know why, but I started feeling anxious all of a sudden.”
“Because I said I had to go, or because I have work?”
“I- uh,” Osomatsu tries to keep his breathing even, “probably the second option.”
Todomatsu looks down at his phone, then back up at Osomatsu.
“I’ll call and see if I can skip my shift today.”
“Todomatsu, that’s not necessary.”
“It’s fine, work can wait. I almost lost you once… I don’t want to leave you alone.”
Osomatsu doesn’t know how to answer that. When Todomatsu is about to leave to take the phone call outside though, Osomatsu grabs the youngest’s shirt from behind.
“Please stay.”
Todomatsu gulps, overcome with emotion as he sees the scared look in the eldest’s eyes. Why is he so scared? Was he always like this?
“Okay.” He takes Osomatsu’s hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly throughout the call.
Once it’s over Todomatsu is immediately ushered back into the bed, and he curls up against Osomatsu.
“Totty…”
“Yes?”
“Do you think I’m a burden?”
“No,” he grabs onto Osomatsu’s shirt, as though he would lose his brother for good. “You’re not a burden. You’re never a burden.”
“But I can’t remember things…”
“It’s not your fault.”
“I feel like it is…”
“Well I’m telling you this now, so listen up because the usual Osomatsu would cry tears of joy upon hearing this: I love you, Osomatsu-niisan.”
Osomatsu’s chest swells with something- happiness, pride, love ?
Though he barely remembers Todomatsu, his response comes naturally.
“I love you too, Totty.”
———
The brothers lay in the futon, awkwardly scooching closer together to get rid of the gap where Osomatsu would be.
“Hey, guys?”
The four brothers turn towards the direction of Todomatsu despite being unable to see him in the dark.
“I want to get nii-san back.”
There’s a short silence. This is the first time that Todomatsu has been so vulnerable since Osomatsu got into the accident.
“We all want him back,” Ichimatsu replies, his tone curt and angry, though they can all tell that he’s hurting.
“He called me Totty today.”
“He remembered something on his own…?” Choromatsu sits up, his voice filled with surprise.
Todomatsu hums in affirmation and the brothers feel their hearts swell with hope.
“Osomatsu-niisan is still fighting! Maybe one day it’ll be a home run!!” Jyushimatsu swings his arms as though he’s holding a bat to make his point, excitedly making sound effects.
“Aniki is strong, I know that he’ll remember us.”
“We don’t know that though. For all we know his memory is deteriorating every day and he’ll forget us for good. He’ll probably forget this ever happened once he wakes up again.”
“Ichimatsu,” Karamatsu sits up, reaching his hand out to comfort the younger when it’s harshly slapped away.
“You guys keep acting like a miracle will happen. I’m just being reasonable!”
“Why are you like this? We’re all suffering, why do you feel the need to be so negative?” Choromatsu sits up a bit straighter, his body tensing as he feels anger bubble up inside of him.
“Brothers, let’s not fight…” Karamatsu was glad that Choromatsu and Ichimatsu weren’t ones for physical violence, but if it were, at least he’d be able to stop it or de-escalate it. He feels so useless in a situation like this.
“Don’t you get it Fappymatsu? It hurts less if you don’t expect anything!”
“Don’t call me that- only… Only he can…” Choromatsu’s tight grip on the futon cover lessens slightly as he wills his voice not to shake, thankful that the lights are off so that no one can see the tears that threaten to spill over.
“He’s not going to call you that ever again- just give up!”
“So what,” Choromatsu pushes the futon cover away as he quickly rubs his eyes with the sleeves of his pajama shirt. “I’m just supposed to give up on him?”
“Yes!”
“Wha— how could you give up on him?! How could I ever give up on him?”
“Why can’t you, Fappymatsu? I’m just trying to help you, to help all of us.”
“Because I wouldn’t be able to take it…! To know that the last time I ever spoke to him was when I was arguing with him… I wouldn’t be able to take not apologizing to him as himself… ”
“Hey…” Karamatsu isn’t sure what to do. Should he let this continue? Osomatsu would know what to do- how to calm everyone down, so why can’t he? Why is it that when his brothers need him to live up to his expectations of the second-eldest that he can’t? As though sensing his anxiety, Jyushimatsu puts his hand on Karamatsu’s back, grounding him in the way Osomatsu would. The second-born is able to muster a small smile as he leans into the touch.
“I think they need this,” Todomatsu whispers, agreeing with Karamatsu’s choice to let not interfere.
“I just wish Professor Dekapan could just help Osomatsu-niisan recover his memories…”
Everyone freezes.
“Jyushimatsu, say that again?” Karamatsu grabs the fifth-born by the shoulders, shaking him.
“I just wish Dekapan could help Osomatsu-n— ah!! Accidental homerun!?”
“...There’s no way it’s that simple.”
Choromatsu huffs at Ichimatsu’s pessimistic comment. “Well, it’s worth a shot.”
Karamatsu hums in thought while Todomatsu finally decides to turn the damned light on, no longer wanting to stay in the dark since they’re staying up.
Everyone hisses at the sudden brightness, urging Todomatsu to make it a bit darker.
With the smaller light on, everyone gathers around Todomatsu after he grabs his phone.
“Professor Dekapan, do you have something that helps to restore memories?”
They anxiously wait for a response, cursing him for taking so long to respond as they watch the three dots disappear and reappear even though they’re pestering him at three in the morning.
“I do, but it’s a difficult process.”
The brothers cheer, though Ichimatsu does his best to hide his hopeful smile, one that he berates himself for. He accepts the sudden hug from Jyushimatsu, though it’s not like he has much of a choice when the energetic man practically launches himself at the fourth-born from the other side of the futon.
Todomatsu and Karamatsu exchange smiles and lavish Jyushimatsu in praise, telling him all about how smart he is and how lucky they are to have him, petting his hair and hugging him, though Ichimatsu feels slightly uncomfortable throughout this exchange since he’s still trapped in Jyushimatsu’s arms.
Choromatsu… He’s happy, but he doesn’t know what to do. Normally when such an exciting moment occurs, Osomatsu would tackle him into a hug and cheer obnoxiously while Choromatsu would feign annoyance, telling the eldest to be quiet when he points out the excited look on his face. Without Osomatsu, things just aren’t right. If Osomatsu were here, he would probably tell the third-born to join the others, to celebrate and stop overthinking, but he can’t help it.
They all notice how much quieter it is without Osomatsu there to cheer along with them, and even quieter when they turn towards Choromatsu who sits awkwardly, unsure of what to do or who to banter with since the eldest isn’t by his side. The other four break apart from their hug awkwardly and Choromatsu detests the pitying glances directed his way.
Todomatsu decides to grab his phone and ask Dekapan one more question, hopefully diverting everyone’s attention away from how they left Choromatsu out.
“What needs to happen?”
They all hold their breath hoping that it’s something they can help with. Osomatsu is their brother, they’re tired of sitting around feeling hopeless!
“You need to go into his memories and recover them. Meet me tomorrow evening, I’ll have something ready for you guys by then.”
“Go into Aniki’s memories…?”
“That seems a bit…” Choromatsu trails off, feeling conflicted about the nature of the situation.
“Is it dangerous? What happens if we fail?”
“It’ll be okay, Ichimatsu-niisan! Osomatsu-niisan is strong!”
Todomatsu goes to charge his phone, pausing at a realization.
“We can learn more about Osomatsu-niisan this way. You know… he always hides everything from us.”
“Aniki is a secretive person.” Karamatsu’s hesitant. As the only one Osomatsu feels okay opening up to, and even then not a lot, he knows that the eldest is always hurting more than he lets on. “I know we’re doing this to help him, but the thought of going into his memories seems a bit invasive...”
“A bit invasive?” Ichimatsu scoffs. “I’d rather die than let you all go through my memories. For someone as prideful as him, I bet knowing that we went through them would be torture.”
“You’d rather die than do a lot of things,” Choromatsu is momentarily silenced by Karamatsu’s glare, but continues anyway, “Besides, we don’t know how invasive this will be or if he’ll know what we do.”
“Ever the optimist.”
“Ever the pessimist.”
“God, you guys are insufferable,” Todomatsu sighs, annoyed with his older brothers’ childishness and constant squabbling. “You guys never fight when Osomatsu-niisan is here, what happened?”
Jyushimatsu pets Ichimatsu’s head. “Nii-san is just stressed because he misses our older brother! Choromatsu-niisan is probably lonely without his partner since he’s the one who normally yells at Osomatsu-niisan!”
“Hey, Ichimatsu isn’t a replacement for Osomatsu-niisan. And I’m not… I’m not lonely…”
“It’s okay to be lonely, Choromatsu.”
“I said I’m not lonely…” his voice falters at the end and they all fall silent. “Let’s just go to bed.”
They all go back to their positions on the futon- the order they used that one time Osomatsu was sick: Ichimatsu at the end next to Karamatsu, Todomatsu in the middle, and Choromatsu next to Jyushimatsu at the other end. If only it was as simple as that time. If only he could burst through the door, excitedly talking about new pachinko machines— they wouldn’t call him annoying ever again. They just want to let him know that he’s loved and safe, so much so that he’d never forget it.
“Goodnight…” Todomatsu yawns as he turns off the light, settling in between Choromatsu and Karamatsu.
Normally he’d feel the safest in this position- next to Karamatsu and the other tsukkomi, but he’d rather be next to Osomatsu on the hospital bed, making sure that the eldest doesn’t feel lonely and anxious like earlier. He would ask his brothers if they’ve ever seen him act like that, but the light snores let him know he’s the only one awake.
We’ll save you tomorrow, Osomatsu-niisan.
———
Ichimatsu and Jyushimatsu are stunned at the sight of the eldest, cowering away from them, tears streaming down his face. He seems so small in comparison to the spacious, mostly empty room.
“He woke up extremely stressed this morning. He won’t accept it when we try to reassure him of his identity, he keeps claiming that he can’t be himself- we don’t know what’s going on.” The doctor gently ushers the two men outside so she can talk to them.
“He’s never forgotten himself before...” Jyushimatsu’s sleeve covers his mouth as he looks down at the clean white floor, his yellow shoes painfully clashing against it. Jyushimatsu and hospitals don’t mix together well.
“This is why I said we shouldn’t get our hopes up,” Ichimatsu says this, clenching his hand into a fist, his nails making crescent marks in his palm from how tightly he’s squeezing. “This is why I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up! It just leads to us getting hurt…”
“Sir, with all due respect, your brother needs your hope and faith in him. He’s different, sure, and I may be speaking out of line, but from the way you all respect him so much, I’m sure that he’d never give up on any of you.”
Ichimatsu’s shoulders slump and he nods towards the doctor who gives him a smile in return. She’s right. Osomatsu would never give up on any of them, even when things seem bleak and it’s painful, he’d never stop believing in them. Maybe, just maybe , he owes Choromatsu an apology.
The fourth-born turns to the clearly distressed Jyushimatsu. “I need to call Todomatsu to let the others know what happened, do you want to come with me?’
“I… I want to help Osomatsu-niisan. He looks like he’s so scared and sad…”
Ichimatsu goes to ruffle Jyushimatsu’s hair like the others did earlier that morning. “Don’t take anything too personally if he gets scared, okay? It’s not your fault and he’s just having a really hard time.”
“Okay… Good luck with the call Nii-san!”
Ichimatsu begins his walk to the front desk so he can use the telephone, stopping only briefly to turn around and give Jyushimatsu a thumbs-up. If anyone could help Osomatsu, it was him.
Jyushimatsu takes a deep breath before quietly opening the door to Osomatsu’s room, hoping to not startle the eldest. It’s so sad here. The walls are so plain and empty, stark white without a splash of color. The window blinds are closed, something that he didn’t notice when he came into the room just minutes ago, and barely any light slips through the slits, but it’s enough to illuminate Osomatsu’s hunched, hyperventilating figure. Are nurses and doctors allowed to leave him in such a state?
The door creaks when it closes, causing Osomatsu to whimper. The man peers up, frightened about who he may see.
“Hey, nii-san,’ Jyushimatsu tries his best to mimic a whisper. “It’s me, Jyushimatsu!’
“S-Stop,” the eldest manages to squeak out. “Get away from me…!” Osomatsu uses his unbandaged hand to throw a pillow at Jyushimatsu, looking even more scared when the fifth-born dodges it with ease.
Jyushimatsu walks backwards, his hands up to show he means no harm as he presses his back against the cold, wood door. Osomatsu looks him over, clearly disturbed as he presses his face against his knees, the position similar to something the fourth-born would do.
“Osomatsu-niisan, what’s wrong?”
The eldest is clearly scared, but of what? The dark?
“Do you want me to open the window shades?” Jyushimatsu rushes over to the window, when he hears something fall to the ground behind him.
Osomatsu fell over the bed railing in his panic to grab the fifth-born, his eyes filling with tears as he lay on the ground with a hand on his throbbing leg and another hand outstretched towards his younger brother even though he can’t reach Jyushimatsu from where he is. “Don’t open the window please, he might find me. He- he’s going to kill me… I... “
“Eh? Osomatsu-niisan, who are you talking about…?”
Osomatsu shudders, his body involuntarily straightening up as he wraps his arms around himself.
“Nothing. Go back home, Jyushimatsu .” The eldest says the name as though he doesn’t believe the fifth-born is who he says he is.
What’s he supposed to do? Would it help Osomatsu if he left…? But he doesn’t want to. What he wants most is to…
“I want to help you Osomatsu-niisan.”
Osomatsu lied, though he doesn’t remember doing so. He has very few memories- though he never felt they were enough to warrant telling the nurses or his brothers about.
Random bits and pieces would come and go, ranging from his childhood, his high school years, and very rarely from adulthood, but what the fuck was that ? He’s so shaken that it’s hard to recall anything other than what he just remembered- dreamt? It felt far too realistic to just be a dream.
Osomatsu awoke a bit ago with a cold sweat, clutching at his chest as he looked around the unfamiliar room. Had that man put him in a hospital? His memories were hazy except for that one, so he was surprised to look down and see his bandaged hands, hands so large and alien to him. Who is he?
The nurses kept telling him that he was Osomatsu, but he’s not! Matsuno Osomatsu is ten years old, the eldest sextuplet, and the town’s resident troublemaker- how could he be this ?
“Osomatsu-niisan, I don’t know what you’re scared of, but you’re safe.”
Jyushimatsu… Even though he looks different from the Jyushimatsu that he remembers, some part of him wants to trust the fifth-born.
“Do you promise?”
Jyushimatsu doesn’t know what the eldest is scared of, but he’d do his best to protect him from scary things! He can’t really promise that he’d be safe, but he needs the eldest to trust him.
“I promise.”
Osomatsu relaxes at Jyushimatsu’s words and thinks about his fear logically. By now, he would be an old man if Jyushimatsu looks this grown up.
“I’ll keep you safe too, Jyushimatsu.”
“From what nii-san?”
As Osomatsu goes to tell him about what he remembered, a knock at the door stops him. The door opens to reveal a man with a purple hoodie, disheveled hair, and sharp teeth… oh god.
“G-Get out!”
Ichimatsu is taken aback by the eldest’s reaction and promptly leaves the room.
“Ichimatsu-niisan is a good person, he won’t hurt you, nii-san.” Jyushimatsu goes to give Osomatsu a head pat or a hug, but backs away when the eldest flinches.
“Please leave.”
“But…”
“Please.” Osomatsu awkwardly clambers back onto the bed, cursing the pain in his arm and leg.
Jyushimatsu makes sure that the eldest gets onto the bed properly before walking towards the door, pausing as he takes another glance back at him. “Goodbye, nii-san. We’ll save you soon, okay?” He slowly waves goodbye, his sleeves flapping with the motion.
Osomatsu wonders what they’ll save him from, but he nods anyway. “Tell Ichimatsu I said sorry…”
Jyushimatsu smiles at that, humming affirmatively as he leaves the room and closes the door behind him.
“Nii-san!” Jyushimatsu runs up to Ichimatsu, worriedly looking for any signs of hurt or discomfort. Seeing none, he smiles. “Osomatsu-niisan said he’s sorry.”
“He doesn’t need to be sorry,” Ichimatsu sighs as he and Jyushimatsu walk outside of the hospital towards Dekapan’s lab.
“I think he was scared.”
“Well yeah, but of what?”
“Iunno, but I hope he feels better soon!”
———
Todomatsu rushes to the duo as they enter the lab. “Is Osomatsu-niisan okay? You said he looked scared, did you guys mention something about jobs or leaving?”
Ichimatsu looks at Jyushimatsu inquisitively and the fifth-born shakes his head no.
“Osomatsu-niisan seemed to be scared of someone— something? He kept talking about ‘him’ and seemed worried about his safety.”
“Who?”
“Jyushimatsu and I were talking about it earlier, but I don’t know who that would be referring to.”
Todomatsu shares an uneasy look with them before guiding them to one of Dekapan’s rooms.
“Ah, welcome Ichimatsu-kun, Jyushimatsu-kun! Come sit down.” Professor Dekapan has a whiteboard out and a row of cheap, plastic chairs laid out for them to sit on.
Choromatsu and Karamatsu give them worried looks from their seats, probably having been nervous about Osomatsu and how they must be feeling, but a thumbs up from the pair is enough to assuage the second and third-born’s anxiety.
“So,” Dekapan begins, gaining the attention of the five Matsuno brothers. “Osomatsu-kun has retrograde and anterograde amnesia. It’s rare to have both at once, but this is what we have to work with. Retrograde amnesia is the inability to remember things from before his accident. Anterograde amnesia is the inability to recall memories after the event. Any questions so far?”
The brothers look at each other and shake their heads.
“Good. So let me review some basic things. Memory is defined as the persistence of learning over time though the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information.” He turns around to write three words on the whiteboard: encoding, storage, and retrieval. “Encoding is the processing of information into the memory system.”
Jyushimatsu raises his hand.
“Yes, Jyushimatsu-kun?”
“So that would be like a keyboard for a computer?”
“That’s right dasu! Storage is the ability to retain information over time, going by Jyushimatsu’s example this would be a hard-drive. Retrieval is the ability to get information out of the memory storage, so this would be like a computer’s monitor.”
“So what will we be doing for Osomatsu-niisan? Helping with memory retrieval?”
Dekapan nods at Choromatsu. “That’s right! His memories are likely still stored in the hippocampus, we just need to help him with memory recall by helping to jumpstart those neurons and help him to remember things! I have a machine that will allow you to go into his brain and memories.”
The professor gestures for them to follow him into the next room.
“Is there any chance that we may hurt Aniki by going into his brain?”
“No, you won’t be able to do any harm, you guys will be like ghosts, watching his memories play out but being unable to influence them in any way. You’re just helping the neurons to fire and send signals to each other so that he can remember things from before and after the accident.”
“How long will we be in there? Will something happen to our bodies?”
“A very good question, Todomatsu-kun. Your bodies will be here and taken care of, I’m just connecting your consciousness to his memories. Think of this as a more advanced type of astral-projection. You guys shouldn’t be in there too long since neurons can fire so quickly, but it’ll feel like a long time since you guys will be reliving his memories basically!”
Professor Dekapan shows them his creation, a large white washing-machine-looking-thing with a screen instead of the place where you’d put your clothes. Attached to the machine’s body were caps for their heads that look like fancy pasta strainers.
There’s five mats laid out for them and they take their spots, awkwardly placing the caps on their heads before laying down.
“Are you guys ready?” Dekapan double checks to make sure the readings on the machines look okay.
“Let’s get back our Osomatsu!”
Jyushimatsu holds Ichimatsu’s shaking hand in his sleeve, Choromatsu anxiously fiddles with his hands as he waits for the machine to start up, and Karamatsu rolls up his sleeves to mentally prepare himself.
“We’ll save you, Osomatsu-niisan!” Todomatsu thinks to himself, clenching his hand into a fist as a sign of resolve.
“Starting the machine now! I’ll make sure that nothing goes wrong here. The machine should automatically bring your consciousness back to your bodies when you’re finished.”
Dekapan taps a few things on the monitor and smiles. Though the situation is unfortunate, it’s truly heartwarming to see how much these brothers care for each other.
“You’ll lose your consciousness in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1— good luck!”
The brothers feel a tight pressure in their head and suddenly, all they see is white.