The next day found Akashi in the living room of the house he grew up in. Most of the butlers and maids who took care of Akashi when he was a boy were still working there; they seemed to be very loyal to the Akashi household. They were still as fond of him as they were when he was living there, and wouldn't stop doting over him, serving him pastries and biscuits while pouring tea into his teacup.

While waiting for his father, Akashi conversed with the butlers and maids. It was a pleasant conversation, generally about how they missed him, how the house was now even more silent without him around, and was he going to come back to visit more often now.

Shortly after, footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs. "Seijuurou," a deep voice sounded.

Immediately, everyone ceased talking. The butlers and maids quickly excused themselves and made their exit from the living room.

Akashi stood up to greet his father. "Father," he said, bowing at the older man.

"Sit down, Seijuurou," said Masaomi as he raised his hand. "You don't have to be so formal – I am your father after all."

Akashi's eyebrows shot up. Had his father been possessed by something? He had been brought up to be prim and proper at all times, and to show utmost respect to those who were older than he was. Why was his father suddenly contradicting everything he had taught Akashi? Nevertheless, Akashi straightened himself and sat back down onto the three-seater sofa.

Masaomi sat himself down on the one-seater sofa nearest to where Akashi was. "What brings you here today, Seijuurou? I haven't talked to you for a long time, and suddenly you turn up here – you must need something from me."

Akashi smiled. "As expected, Father knows me well."

Masaomi snorted. "I may not have been there a lot when you were growing up, but you and I are not very much unalike."

Akashi was still smiling. "Yeah, you're right."

"So… how can I help you, Seijuurou?"

Akashi averted his eyes from his father and shifted in his seat. "I guess I should start explaining from the beginning?"

"Yes, please do. I am interested to know how you have been doing."

"Well… about a year ago, I got into an accident at work and my senses were affected as a result. Basically, they went haywire, and they would overwhelm me at random moments. Apparently, it was dangerous, and would kill me if I didn't do anything about it," explained Akashi. "So, my doctor recommended that I bond with a Guide to calm me down."

Masaomi raised an eyebrow. "You mean like a mate?"

"Yes."

"You didn't go to one of those clinics, did you?"

"As a matter of fact, I did."

Masaomi's lips were set into a grim line. "This wasn't what your mother and I had hoped for you, Seijuurou," he said sadly. "We hoped you would meet someone special and fall in love naturally like we had."

Akashi placed his hand lightly over Masaomi's on the armrest of the couch. "Father, if it weren't for the clinic, I would never have met Tetsuya. If it weren't for the clinic, I would never have fallen in love with Tetsuya. If it weren't for the clinic, I would not be as blissful and contented as I am when I'm with Tetsuya."

Masaomi peered at his son. "Then… you are happy?"

"I've never been happier."

"In that case, I am pleased," replied Masaomi. "Your mother would have been thrilled for you as well."

"Thank you," said Akashi.

"So… Tetsuya, huh? That's a male name, isn't it?"

Akashi flinched. He had expected his father to not be so keen on his partner being a man too. "Yes."

"Alpha? Beta? Omega?"

"Omega. All Guides are omegas. Just like how all Sentinels are alphas."

"Well," Masaomi said while exhaling a puff of breath. He looked like he was disappointed. But then, he continued speaking, "As long as you're happy."

"Eh?" Akashi stared at Masaomi in disbelief. "Really?! I thought-"

"Seijuurou," Masaomi interrupted Akashi. "I may not be happy with the idea of your mate being a man, but I can accept it. I just want you to be happy."

"Oh." Akashi was rendered quite speechless at his father's behaviour. He had thought his father would blow up after learning that he had taken a man as a partner and mate. Masaomi was a typically traditional person, and did not take kindly to anything out of the norm, same-sex couples included.

"After you left, I regretted letting you go. I mean, I know you had your own life to live, and moving out was a natural thing to do, but I regretted not resolving things between us before you left. I especially regretted the way I raised you especially after your mother died."

"Huh?"

"I realise that I have been very harsh on you, and that caused you to drift further and further away from me. Our relationship has been… rocky, to say the least," said Masaomi. "In retrospect, when your mother told me she was pregnant with you, I made a promise to myself that I would take care of you, provide for you, protect you… I wanted to be the best father… but I failed. I broke my own promise. When you were born, all I could think about was that you were my heir and that there was so much you needed to learn before you grew up. But in the end, you ended up presenting as a Sentinel and couldn't inherit the company. So your being my heir was essentially a moot point."

There was an awkward silence between Akashi and his father before Masaomi apologised, bowing his head. "I'm sorry. I should have treated you like my son, instead of my heir."

Akashi stared at his father in shock, rather dumbfounded by his words.

"Now, I'm assuming you are telling me about your mate because whatever it is that you need has something to do with him?" Masaomi asked gently.

"Yes," Akashi replied quietly. "I need to borrow a huge sum of money."

"Why so?"

Akashi chewed on his lower lip for a short moment before opening his mouth to speak. "An enemy I have made while working for the police force has kidnapped Tetsuya and is asking for money for Tetsuya's release."

Masaomi frowned. "Are you certain that he will release Tetsuya once he gets the money?"

"I am sure," said Akashi. "Hanamiya may be a douchebag and an asshole, but he is a man of his word."

"How much is he asking for?"

"100 million yen. I have about 30 million saved up-"

"Okay, I will give you the whole amount."

"What?!" Akashi immediately shot up from his seat, throwing his arms out. "I am only asking for 70 million yen, Father! And I certainly am not asking for you to simply just give it to me-"

Masaomi chuckled lightly. "Seijuurou, you are my son. I love you and I want you to be happy. I'm sure you must have realised by now that I am a different man. I have learnt from my past and it has shaped the person I am today," he explained. "I can see that you love this Tetsuya person very much and that he completes you. I cannot imagine the anguish that you are going through now that your mate is not by your side," Masaomi told Akashi. "Think of this as penance for the many years of suffering you have gone through under my care. Besides, 100 million is not that big an amount to me."

"But-"

"You can thank me by introducing your Tetsuya to me and coming home to visit more often. How's that?"

Akashi dropped back down onto the sofa. His lips curled up into a grateful smile at his father. "That sounds good to me. Thank you very much, Father."