It was another normal day at the Morinomiya Academy, sun high in the sky, little birds chirping. Ryu and Kotaro were on their way to the daycare room when they bumped into someone.

"I am so sorry, are you okay?"

"That was close!" smiled the woman looking at the two brothers. "I'm alright, thank you."

Ryu and Kotaro looked quite stunned at the lovely woman standing in front of them. She seemed to be in her mid-twenties. She was wearing a flowery sundress and a yellow cardigan. Her brown hair was tied up in a long and curly ponytail and she had big and calm golden eyes. But more importantly, she was carrying a little guy in her arms.

"Princess!" exclaimed Kotaro, pointing his finger at the woman.

"Kotaro, stop pointing. I'm very sorry, you sure you are not hurt?"

"Yes, I'm okay, thank you. Err… Are you a student here? I might be a bit lost… and I'm running late…" She seemed a bit panicked and lost. The boy in her arms clung to her with his little hands.

"Y-Yes! My name is Kashima Ryuichi, I'm a high school student. And this is my brother, Kotaro. How can I help you?"

"Nice to meet you both. I am Akabane Sae, I'm here to assist Kumatsuka-sensei..." She smiled at the two before looking at the boy she was carrying. "Come on, Haru. Say hi."

He was scared but took a look at Ryu and Kotaro. His big teary eyes spotted Kotaro and fixed him. "H-Hello. My name is Akabane Haru."

"Hello there!" Ryu smiled. "Do you intend to leave him in the daycare room? I am one of the members of the club. If you are running late, I can take him for you?"

"Really? That would really help me!"

"Yes! Right, Kotaro? We will show Haru-kun the way?"

Kotaro nodded his little head. "Kotaro... show."

The assistant seemed relieved and took a bit of time to explain to her son. Ryu thought that he was a bit older than Kotaro and the rest of the kids he looked after at his club. Weirdly, Haru-kun really reminded him of someone... but he couldn't say who.

Finally, after a few minutes of persuasion, Haru aggreed to go with Ryu and Kotaro, with his mom's scarf around his neck. Kotaro insisted on the fact that he wanted to be the one to show the way, so both the kids entered first the daycare room.

Everyone was already there. Taka-kun ran to his best friend before stopping his run at the sight of that new little guy. "Who you! Why you with Kotaro!" And all the kids started to ask those questions to Haru who turned red, embarassed and scared.

"Everyone! What is this way of welcoming!" Usaida rose up from the floor where he was napping with Midori-chan, the only baby at the daycare. "Kotaro-kun, Ryu-chan... who is this little guy?"

"We ran into his mother, she seems to be a new assistant to Kamatsuka-sensei."

"H-H-Hello. Ma-My name is Aka-Akabane Haru." The five year-old boy bowed in front of them all, his pinkish hair covering his teary eyes. All the kids looked at him, and so did Usaida.

"Come on! Let's say hi to Haru-kun!" Ryu sat down next to them and started the presentations. Going from Taka-kun to Midori-chan. Haru listened very carefully. His mom told him to be good and to listen to what the adult of the daycare would told him. He really wanted to make friends, even if it was scary.

His mom would be proud of him.