Shinra had almost expected his father and stepmother to be less than pleased that they had so many people over when they were supposed to be watching the baby, but it was quite the opposite. Shingen later told him that Emilia had been delighted by all the people surrounding her daughter, and that she was so glad to see that she was growing up surrounded by so much love. He's glad to know he's not in any sort of trouble with him, but also a bit disappointed; he knows that this means they'll end up counting on him and Celty to watch Shinkei again.

In the mean time, he tries to do all the extra research he can, and ends up reading more parenting guides than the parents probably have. Celty is just as eager to learn, claiming that she never wants to be in a desperate situation like that ever again, and by the time Shingen does finally call, saying that they're on their way over because something came up, the couple is a bit more confident than they were before.

"It'll just be for a few hours," his dad assures him. "Nothing all day, like last time. We just have some...errands we need to run, if you don't mind looking after her." But he says this as Emilia is handing Shinkei to him, so Shinra isn't sure why Shingen is saying it as if they have a choice.

He sighs once they're gone and says, "I wonder what came up so suddenly. Neither one of them said."

"With those two, don't you think it's better not to ask?"

Shinra pauses to imagine possibilities and shudders. "Yeah...yeah, I think you're definitely right about that." He shakes his head several times to try and clear his mind before saying, "Alright, do you want to play with her for a little bit? What should we do?"

They end up sprawled on the floor along either side of her while she plays with some of her toys, and the first hour passes by without incident. When the doorbell rings, Shinra wonders if it's his parents back a little earlier than planned, but when he gets up to open the door, the person standing behind it is Shizuo.

"Huh? What are you doing here?" asks Shinra. Shizuo doesn't often stop by for no reason, and he hadn't said he was coming over at any point.

"Oh, well, I was wondering if Celty was home," he says, looking over Shinra to see her. "Yeah, I was just coming by to thank her, I ran in to her the other day and she helped me out with something, so..."

"She did, huh?" Turning around, he walks back over to her and Shizuo follows him. "What's that all about?"

"Don't go getting jealous of something like that!"

Shinra opens his mouth to say something else, but he's interrupted by Shizuo. "Do you guys have a baby over?"

"Yeah, we're watching my sister for a little while this afternoon."

"Huh. Is that weird for you?" he asks. "Having a little sister so much younger th-"

"I really, really, really do not want to think about anything relating to that right now, okay?" For a moment, Shinra looks very tired before changing the subject and saying, "Do you want to see her for a little bit? You've never met her before, have you?"

"I don't know..." The other man seems hesitant, but Shinra ignores him and goes to pick up his little sister, holding her up so the two of them can get acquainted. As a rule, Shizuo doesn't let himself get too close to anything that small and fragile, so it's been a long time since he's been this close to a baby.

She stares at him, a serious look on her face, and it's pretty comical seeing a baby look like that. He wonders what she's thinking about and why she's looking at him so intently, which gets him thinking about what babies even think about to begin with. Absentmindedly, he asks her, "What's on your mind?" and a smile breaks out over her features as she starts to giggle.

"Aw, I think she likes you!" Shinra says, and Shizuo lifts a finger, just to see what she'll do with it. Without missing a beat, Shinkei reaches up and grasps his finger in one of her tiny fists, laughing harder, and he actually feels his heart give a little flutter when she does. He starts to step back in surprise, more reflex than anything else, but when he does, Shinkei struggles in her brother's arms until her own arms are free, and she reaches for him, straining as she tries to get free.

"What's she doing?" he asks.

"She wants you to hold her," replies Shinra, looking like he's struggling not to laugh. "I don't know why, but I think she's taken quite the shine to you!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, nothing!" he says quickly. "Say, do you want to hold her? She looks pretty determined, so..."

"I don't think that'd be a good idea," Shizuo replies, looking hesitant. He steps back again and says, "Sorry, kid, but I don't know. I don't wanna hurt you or anything like that."

Shinra pauses for a moment, before saying, "Are you sure you would? You seem pretty calm right now, and as long as you're careful."

Celty comes up beside him. "Are you sure about this? You know Emilia would kill you if he broke your sister, right?"

Before Shizuo can say something, however, Shinkei starts to cry, reaching harder, and as much as he wants to stay practical, the sight of that breaks his heart. He takes a breath, steeling himself, before reaching out for her and taking her into his arms. It's the first time within his memory that he's actually held a baby, and she feels so fragile that he starts to panic before anything's even happened. In that moment, he realizes that he probably couldn't ever hurt her, not when he's already so worried about her. If anything, he thinks, he wants to protect the little thing.

He doesn't hold her for long because he still doesn't trust himself, but he ends up spending the rest of the afternoon in their apartment, and doesn't leave until after Shinkei has already been picked up. Once Shinra and Celty are alone again, she comments on the situation.

"I want to say that was unexpected, but really, it kinda wasn't."

"I know what you mean. I mean, yeah, I was a little worried, but he's got a soft spot for kids. It's not really that surprising that he'd end up bonding with her like that." He smiles to himself and pauses for a moment. "What surprises me is just how many people have already gotten so attached to her. I never even counted on a little sister, much less everyone getting close to her before she's even walking!"

"We have been having a lot more people over lately, I guess."

"You know why that is, right? It's cos you've got so many friends!" Shinra grins at her. "But, I've gotta say...I like spending time alone with you a lot more."

"Are you still feeling jealous, or something?" she teases.

"Well...that depends on what you'd do if I was," he replies, his grin shifting into a smirk.

"I'd tell you to get over it."

"Wha- Celty! Don't be mean!"