Okay guys... *COUGH COUGH* I AM SICK. SO... delays on the next chapter. That and my job is starting soon, so I NEED REST. Here's the chapter that I finished just now... HITTING THE SACK NOW... *collapses on bed and snores away*

Judging by the ways Hozuki-san showed his hesitant gratitude, his slight nod, the hidden sweat drop, and the way he smiled for a brief second, were all I needed to see. Setting down another cup of tea for Kei-chan, I moved towards the kitchen, waiting for an answer to what was going on. Long story short, she wanted to spend time in the Mortal world for a festival and spend some time with the young men there. Unfortunately, no one could go with her, so Hozuki-san forbade it. Considering the fact that every youkai needs permission to go to the Mortal World, I already knew how this situation came into being. Listening to Hozuki-san, I heard more and more of his concerned voice. He usually had this deep calm voice, but when it concerned his sister, the pace quickened, his face tensed, even the manner of which he carried himself felt very tight.

"Hozuki-san, does your sister look up to anyone?" Shaking his head, Hozuki-san confirmed what I roughly presumed. I guessed that his parents were away often, judging by the way he acted when he first mentioned them when I was drunk. I may have been tipsy, but even I could tell that he had low expectations out of them. Although I never had children, I was sympathetic to Hozuki-san for his troubles. Children, such as Kei-chan, were rare to find, considering most parents boot their children out these days in order for them to get a job. It was nice to see the nice side of Hozuki-san.

"Minamoto-san." Cutting him off, I simply lifted my finger to his lips and tilted my head towards the kitchen. At the time, we were still in view of Kei-chan and the way she tried to listen in onto the conversation for any sort of juicy gossip was as clear as rain. Seeing how Kei-chan reacted from my peripheral view was rather amusing; a blush was expected but the bulging eyes was a little overdone.

Pulling Hozuki-san into a more compact zone did affect me, but after the situation as his 'lover', I eventually go used to it. That and… he did make me do something like that occasionally when the fan clubs were after him. I guess publicity did skyrocket when people saw us together. I believe that someone suggested we become a real couple so that the department would have a role model couple. Although many of the staff supported the idea, Hozuki-san and I were against it, each of us for our own reasons. I personally wouldn't want to for my own sanity and I doubted that Hozuki-san would agree to it. Last time was already a stretch.

"Hozuki-san, just exactly what are your parents doing? She's like this and I'm already certain that you're the one taking care of her. You're obligated to help her, but they should intervene when it comes to this."

"Those old geezers have not come back from their vacation for the last few years." …a few years? No matter how much I imagined that, I couldn't imagine that how or what these two did for several years.

"Their so called love doesn't make that much sense to me. Rather than that… I prefe-" And just before I heard the rest of that sentence, Kei-chan jumped on my back and started clinging to me. I didn't notice at first, that Hozuki-san's eyes were a little bit more closed than usual. That and his hand looked like he was about to reach for something, but clenched as soon as Kei-chan came in.

"ONII-CHAN! SHE ALREADY SAID SHE'LL TAKE ME IN! NO MORE TALKING BEHIND MY BACK!" …unbelievable, right? I was about to hear something that might have confirmed something I wanted to know.

"… Kei-chan, please restrain yourself and get off my back or I will toss you out, drown you in the Lake of Blood and then turn you over to Hozuki-san." Even my patience had limits. Seeing her start calming down and steadily position herself next to the table so that she may save herself from what may be considered the most terrifying youkai she knows. Tilting my head to the door, Hozuki-san and I moved outside. Maybe I was thinking it over too much, but I had no other choice but to let the feeling go.

"Hozuki-san, I doubt that anything will be settled by you wasting your time here. Please return to your house. I forgot to mention this, but you're still wearing your apron, so it's not good for your image to stay outside longer than you have to." Yes, I forgot to mention this, but Hozuki-san was wearing a frilly apron. I found it to be the most contrasting item to his personage than anything else I could have possibly imagined. If anything, he looked like a housewife just married.

I don't think I've ever seen a more PROUD Hozuki-san in my life.

"A man has no shame in being the househusband." …well, I couldn't say no, could I? If anything, I applauded him. How many men during my era could gain the courage to say that? Minimal, I imagine.

"Kei-chan, I need a word with Hozuki-san alone. Behave. If you don't, you know my warning." Seeing her shiver at my ultimatum, I walked towards the door outside and tilted my head such that Hozuki-san saw my intention. We needed to talk with a little more privacy from the big baby. You see, my apartment is two stories high and I was on the upper left apartment, furthest from the stairs. So I took Hozuki-san downstairs so we wouldn't have to worry about Kei-chan eavesdropping.

"Well, that was certainly quite the confession. At least, I know why you reminded me of the stereotypical OCD mother. Having a sister like that would make anyone a little OCD."

"You can surely understand why I am concerned about that girl." No kidding.

"Well, you can relax. She'll be fine here. I'm sure she just needs some place to cool off at." Many girls in their teenage times wanted to go somewhere to calm down; Kei-chan would not be an exception by any means.

"Minam-"

"Katashi." It did get his attention, but it didn't stop him from grabbing my arms. I felt a little bit… warm, I guess? I don't know. I figured it might be a reaction due to the close contact and worried gesture since I already knew to some degree that Katashi at least favored me, but I didn't know by how much. When you're uncertain about the feelings of the one you love, it's difficult. Yeah, I pretty much figured that I straight out loved him because I… I couldn't really tear my eyes away. I felt myself feeling... I guess hope. After working with him, listening to him and find out more about Katashi's life, I couldn't help but feel like he was the only one who'd really stand up with me as an equal. Katashi's feelings about me… at least I knew he cared. That was all I could really ask for. What he said confirmed that in his own cold way.

"You shouldn't be involved with my family problems."

"Isn't it already too late for that? Katashi, she's already here. So let me do what I can. I promise that I will restrain myself, okay?" His worried face was kind of priceless. If I had a camera, I would have loved to have kept a picture of that, but alas, technology did not get that point yet.

"Kanna, it's just that I-"

"Just let me help you, Katashi!" I was fuming and as if all the Buddhas of the world came to the decision that this situation needed to worsen, O-koh-san happened to come to my apartment with the intention of relaxing with me. Well, at least I had another helper at my disposal.

"Am I interrupting a lover's quarrel?" O-koh-san, if it was a lover's quarrel, you would have seen the damage while coming up to the apartment from at least several buildings away.

"No, it's about Hozuki-san's sister." Noticing the change in tone, I noticed that Hozuki-san strained his eyes a little, which did surprise me a little. On my right hand side, O-koh-san's surprise and delight could not have been more apparent, given her calm expressions. Well, like I said, no one knew that he had a family.

After convincing Hozuki-san to return to his own house, O-koh-san came into my apartment with a package in her hands. Turns out, she brought some side dishes. Although I was not particularly hungry, Kei-chan apparently did not eat dinner and has the appetite of Yamato Orochi. Now, I made food just enough for me, but not for those two. So, I had to cook a whole new batch of rice and main dishes. Luckily, we had time to drop by the market district to buy some ingredients. I left Kei-chan and O-koh-san in my kitchen to tend to the miso soup and rice while I went out to buy some vegetables. As it turns out, Hozuki-san met with up, also with a shopping basket.

"…Hozuki-san, how is it that we both do cooking and food shopping, but we have never seen each other in the market all this time?"

"Pure chance, Minamoto-san." That was some chance, Hozuki-san…

We decided to take the way together since apparently, he was in no rush of heading home.

"Is Kei behaving properly?" Well, I barely had to deal with her. She behaved purely because I threatened her and O-koh-san probably made her feel a little bit more safe, so she preferred to stay behind.

"In a manner of speaking. Though, I have to ask. If it was anyone else, would you have left her so easily?"

"Maybe O-koh-san and a few others, but unlikely. Most wouldn't be able to handle her and no one else should have the tedious task of scolding Kei other than me." Although I wouldn't be surprised about his reasoning, the one thing that did concern me was how Hozuki-san would be like at the office the next day. From the sounds of it, Hozuki-san is a bit of a worrywart. While I was looking over the vegetables, Hozuki-san intervened.

"Kei won't eat daikon unless you pickle it and serve it cold the next day. Best you do some curry with a lot of potatoes and carrots. She'll eat most of it like the pig she is." … calling his own sister a pig, well I expected nothing less from the cruelest youkai in the department. While listening to his instructions, I did realize how attentive he was to cooking details.

"If you do curry, use these Poison apples. They add a nice flavor and aroma that makes Kei obedient while she waits. Also, cut the carrots into flower shapes. She tends to eat her vegetables when they look 'cute'." … yeah, if anyone is having shivers down their spines because Hozuki-san sounds like a mother, you're not the only one. I was just amazed that he would go so far. Well, Hozuki-san was one for the details.

"… duly noted, Hozuki-san. Now I'm going to head back so your sister doesn't destroy my kitchen by accident." It was only when I got back home did I notice that Hozuki-san slipped in something extra into my shopping basket. Instructions of sorts: how to make Kei-chan take her baths, how to make her sleep, what to do in the case she starts complaining. A specialized to-do list to keep Kei-chan under control. How convenient.

Kei-chan did behave, even without the tasks assigned by the to-do list; O-koh-san saw to that. While I finished cooking the curry, O-koh-san took the liberty of teaching Kei-chan proper Japanese dance. Now, I didn't have that big of a living room, but it was enough to see how elegantly O-koh-san's dance was. Smooth, swift and almost deadly. Reminded me of a snake just biding its time, waiting for the kill. Hey, she wasn't the ideal embodiment of a female snake youkai for nothing. Kei-chan was actually very entranced O-koh-san, not that I'm surprised. I guess O-koh-san would be the embodiment of an ideal woman as far as it goes inside Hell.

"Neh, neh, Kan-chan! Who do you think would be better as Onii-chan's wife?" When she asked me, I was taste testing the curry. You can guess what I did in reaction to that. No, I didn't spit out the curry out of shock. I actually just slowed my response a little bit and drunk a little more than a ladle's worth of curry. I would have bet Hozuki-san and O-koh-san would have worked naturally because they get along more than most of the colleagues he deals with, but thanks to the influence of those clubs, I thought that I could have also have been a potential candidate.

"…I can't really say. Hozuki-san is not really one to mention his preferences in the most normal of ways…" It's not. When Hozuki-san mentioned that he liked women who could stand various types of animals, the examples he gave were rather… gruesome. The idea that his ideal woman needed to be able to drink his brain miso soup and still be able to smile after it simply scared those not a part of his 'club' bailed out. The fact I was able to pull that off was simply beyond my own expectations…

"Eh?... I think Kan-chan would be nice." … me?

"O-chan is nice, but she wouldn't argue with Onii-chan." Well, yeah… normally, you don't. That was just my job and I doubted that anyone else would have the guts to do so.

"That and… you remind me of what a dad should be."…shouldn't I have resembled a mom? Oh wait, right. Hozuki-san already took that position.

"…I don't know if that's flattering or not." Really, I didn't and still don't.

"Isn't this something you should talk about with your brother? If you're that worried that he doesn't have a girlfriend, maybe suggest someone to him?"

"Who'd take him?" No one decent. Fair enough though.

"So take care of the big idiot for me, will ya?" … why?

"You sound as if you're going to disappear. Don't go running away. The consequences of dealing with Hozuki-san WHEN he finds you will hardly be merciful if at all."

"Aww…" Seeing her twist her mouth and puff up her cheeks made me feel like she really was the spoiled sister that I never allowed. Believe me, I was glad at times that I beat into Sumire a sense of reason. The idea of living with a sister with no common sense nor sensitivity terrified me.

"Now, now. Let's eat, Kei-chan." O-koh-san, if there was any way I could have your patience, I would, but the Buddhas didn't give me the most patient personality.

Since I already ate, I only listened into the various complaints Kei-chan made about Hozuki-san. Now, there were some that I found amusing such as her complaint about how Hozuki-san randomly decides to bring back strays into his house and having to accommodate an insane amount of wild animals, but the rest, you can imagine were the typical overprotective brother stereotypes: early curfews, eating habits, manners, extra fife lessons; nothing I wouldn't expect from Hozuki-san.

"Can you believe it?! Me?! In an o-miai? Not happening!" …well, given her personality, I would be amazed if anyone wanted her. She wasn't completely old; still in her early teenage years, but the way she acted made her like a child. She was not

"… well, I understand at least your hesitation. I had the same issues when I was young, but… you shouldn't toss away such a potential life. Also, you can relax. Hozuki-san wouldn't choose someone that bad. He may be cruel, but he's not sadistic." The shocked glare from Kei-chan was actually amusing. Siblings really don't understand each other. That included me and Sumire as well. Even I don't know everything about her.

"… you serious?" Half yes, half no.

"Well, how do you think I knew how to cook this curry to your liking?" Inspecting her curry, Kei-chan scrunched her face and then, she looked like she had a revelation. Putting her spoon down, she smirked with a grin as wide as I could possibly imagine from an evil younger sister. I guess it made more sense now that she is Hozuki-san's sister. That and she reminded me of Hakutaku-san at this point.

"...you know? Onii-chan doesn't tell his recipes to just anyone. The last time he told the recipe to someone, she disappeared." …well, that was hardly something I cared about and… who could make me disappear? Please. Enlighten me.

"Besides, if Onii-chan went with you, he'd have someone else to vent out on."

"He rarely vents out on me in any other form than regular arguments. He vents out on Hakutaku-san and Enma-daiou, but neither O-koh-san nor I have dealt with such treatment."

"Eh?... That's nice… I want a caring, sweet brother."

"You have that. You just don't analyze his actions. Hozuki-san is not someone to just say things. His actions justify the means. Most men are like that. You might as well get used to it."

"BUT I WANT TO PLAY!"

"You shouldn't. The world's not the same anymore. You're not an adult because you don't act like one. If you want that sort of treatment, then start behaving like one."

"But it's boring…. That and I think being a kid suits me better." That, I couldn't deny.

"Then get a job so you can support yourself. You can't live off of Hozuki-san forever. If you learn to do that, maybe, he'll treat you like a person. You can keep your childish attitude then because you're not obligated to him as much anymore. You still are to a degree, but you can at least defend your own point of view then." Kei-chan took this into consideration. Had I known that she'd apply for a job in our department, I might have said something else. However at this time, I truly did think that she had to fall in order to learn to stand up. Children don't become strong by being protected. You can help them, but you cannot stand for them; only they can do that.

"Hmm… All right! I'll think of something! Anyways, let's hit the baths!" And you can already imagine what happened.

Kasumi-san decided to come back a little early for her bath and Kei-chan immediately jumped her. Why? Well… turned out that they were friends of sorts. More along the times like of tamer and animal. I could see how those two knew each other rather well; neither had that much of a control button when it came to loudness…

"KEI-CHAN? WHY ARE YOU HERE?!"

"YAHO, KAS-CHAN! I CAME HERE TO SEE ONII-CHAN'S LOVER!"… like I said, I wasn't his lover.

You could imagine the conversation from there. Kasumi-san was the more level headed of the two jumpy girls here, so she managed to convince Kei-chan asking anything particularly embarrassing. Well, still got some of the usual ones: my body shape, my personality, my life. Nothing more than what Kasumi-chan asked. If there's one significant difference between Kasumi-san and Kei-chan, it's that Kasumi-san learns from her experience. Kei-chan constantly makes the same mistake. Seriously, she kept slipping on a bar of soap that was clearly on the floor and constantly landed right conveniently in front of her.

Dumping some warm water to wash myself before dipping in the tub, I noticed that Kei-chan was staring at me in more than one way; some involving a little uncomfort on my side. Looking down at Kei-chan, you could say she was developing her figure, but given mine, I guess she looked up to mine. She also ogled at O-koh-san's figure too, so I figured that she was envious of us in a way. Majority of teenage girls envied the geishas during my era for this reason.

"…neh, Kan-chan? Do you hate Onii-chan?"… oh, if I told her at that time that I did actually got to the point of love, she'd jump out of pure joy and slip on the tile floor. That and I was curious as to how her reaction would be. One thing I realized about Kei-chan was that she never hid details or any secrets. It was fairly useful when I wanted to know more about Hozuki-san's preferences.

"…rather than say I hate him, it's more like we don't really go together in that sense." Well, we have tested that to see that it could have worked out on the surface, but inside, no idea. We really didn't know each other that much outside of work. As much as I could love him, I didn't know everything about him, but I didn't need to know everything. I mean, as far as I know, it's better to love someone who you can trust, but still find out interesting sides of than fall for someone you know very well, but don't trust.

"Eh?... I thought you and Hozuki-sama got along quite well."

"Not like lovers though. That was only for the job." Well, I enjoyed the job, but that was beside the point.

"Kasumi-chan, although it was for the job, they did get along like lovers a lot better than even we could imagine." …O-koh-san…

"…then… you can help him with his problem." Well, naturally, I was curious and concerned. I couldn't imagine what Hozuki-san could possibly have problems with aside from Kei-chan.

"A problem?"

"Yeah…" The way she averted her eyes were a little concerning, but what caught my eye the most was the way that she twitched with her fingers. She had them wrapped around each other and was slightly fiddling with her thumbs, but the steady way she just looked through her fingers was so unlike Kei-chan's personality that I figured something was a least a little off.

"…Onii-chan doesn't really have someone to 'relief' himself with."…I severely hoped that she was meaning the innocent version of that sentence and not the other version. I coughed up a bit in reaction as did Kasumi-san.

"KEI-CHAN, YOU CAN'T JUST ASK THAT!"

"Why not?... Is it bad?"

"Kei-chan, could you explain to Minamoto-chan and me what you mean by 'relieve'?" …please be rated G, please be rated G.

"He never told me what that meant, so I asked him why he hasn't and he said he needed a lover for that. So that's why I asked if you were his lover." … Hozuki-san, exactly what did you tell your sister about sex-ed?

"…I see. Well, I don't think I have any intention as far as I currently know nor do I think that he'll get someone to help with that for a while…" If he did, that'd be… rather awkward to talk about. That and… who the heck would he resort to when it comes to that?... Scratch that. Don't answer that. I don't want the reply from anyone, especially Hozuki-san.

"Eh…. Adults are weird." …no, the fact that you asked that, Kei-chan, was definitely higher on the list of awkward subjects to bring up. That and exactly why hadn't Hozuki-san's parents intervened on this issue confused me tremendously. The fact that they left everything to Hozuki-san made me feel rather frustrated. Laying my head back against the edge of the tub, I lazily opened my eyes and that's when I saw him. Feeling a little woozy, I thought it best to get out and confront him.

"Well, I'm heading out. If you girls want to stay here, that's fine."

"Minamoto-san, I can join you too."

"No, that's quite all right. Besides, I think Kei-chan needs more supervision.." Pointing to the girl who kept trying to splash around in the tub.

"O-koh-san, can I ask you a few questions?" After stepping out of the tub, O-koh-san followed suit. In the changing area, she and I exchanged glances, making sure that neither Kei-chan nor Kasumi-san came around. What we had to talk about pertained to the peeking superior outside of the bathhouse. No, he didn't technically peek into the tub area, but the fact he was waiting right outside of the entrance of the female bath entrance might suggest otherwise, especially since the men weren't technically allowed at that spot.

"Hozuki-san, no matter how worried you are about your sister, please refrain from peeping into the woman's bath. We don't need you arrested. The effort of enforcing the sentence on you would be too difficult."

"I'm just making sure Kei is not being overbearing and chatting about things she should not" A little too late about that one. Now, I was not dressed as I normally was; a loose yukata wrap doesn't really match up to a 2-layered kimono with proper hairstyle. To be honest, I was embarrassed because my attire was definitely too personal for 'colleagues'. Well, O-koh-san was also my colleague, but she's at least female. Hozuki-san definitely didn't qualify.

"…Hozuki-san, you do realize that males aren't allowed at this part of the bathhouse."

"You can rest assure; nothing in front of me particularly affects me." How about how your presence affected us?...

"My, Hozuki-sama, this is a bit surprising. To think you were such a worrier." After watching Kei-chan, I doubt anyone is surprised.

"In any case, please head back. Kei-chan will be fine." Unfortunately, that didn't happen. He waited for Kei-chan and Kasumi-san to get out and escorted us back. I already presumed that he had no intention of letting Kei out of his sight until we got back to the apartment, which was literally right next to the bathhouse. Now, if you can call someone overprotective, I could agree Hozuki-san is fairly up there. Not the most protective, but up there on the list of most protective people.

Before I headed back into my apartment, Hozuki-san grabbed my arm and nudged his head. Knowing that we probably had more to discuss, not just about Kei-chan, but rather about his… issues, I followed suit. I didn't know at the time that I was going to a long walk. Had I known, I would have at least told O-koh-san, but judging by how she looked at me when I returned, I presumed she knew.

Looking down at the waves of sands in the floor, I just realized where we just went. You see, Hell has gardens of sorts, but usually most of them are not for walking through, but I managed to convince Enma-daiou to put the idea of a regular zen garden up for a relaxation place. Majority of Hell was dedicated to the souls, but since the staff was constantly stressed from the torturing of the souls and the various other tasks. The garden wasn't finished yet, but the land was set aside for people to make suggestions about. Now, I love gardens and all, but… Enma-daiou had some real interesting ideas as to what should be put into it.

"Hozuki-san, did we approve of putting torture tools in the new garden project?"

"I did. I thought it would promote good work morals by providing examples."

"…Hozuki-san, you show that every single day. This is a place to relax and de-stress from work. I assure you, this is definitely more beneficial for everyone's sanity, including yours, Hozuki-san."

"How so?"

"Everyone works better when well rested. Could you, of all people, agree to that?" I could not doubt that Hzouki-san, with his stress levels and tight schedule, light relaxation was definitely called for.

At this moment, I decided to walk around the garden a bit by myself. Watching Hozuki-san at a distance in the shadows was kind of nice. I didn't really know what made me that attracted to him at the time, but I guess the way the light hit his horn made him light up with a faint glow like a firefly. Although the area where I was walking was still under construction, Hozuki-san stood on the finished tile with a few iris flowers right at the bottom of his hem. Somehow, I found it fitting. Unfortunately, he caught me staring.

"Minamoto-san?" I averted my eyes, hoping that Hozuki-san didn't notice me.

"Ah, right. Anyways, I'm going to have those tools removed, all right?"

"I see. By the way, Minamoto-san, about what I was going to say earlier…" Ah, when he was cut off. Now, normally, his fan girls' hearts would be exploding from complete tension and anxiety. Me? I don't know. I couldn't tell what I should expect anymore. Being with Hozuki-san long enough, I don't expect anything. Well, I was half expecting something about Kei, but that was beyond the point.

"When it pertains to my parents, I don't have much to say about their behavior. I have asked for help and advice, but they refuse to come home. No doubt to escape the punishment I have for them." I would have thought that they'd relive death rather than come accept their sentence from Hozuki-san. Turned out that I was correct.

"I don't know much about parenting aside from what I'm already doing." Considering the instructions and manner of which Hozuki-san watched over Kei-chan, I was not exactly sure what he didn't know…

"Rather than what my parents do… I'd think that you'd make a better mother and lover. You're not overbearing and spoiled. You're reasonable and caring. That and you don't abandon what you promise."…that was the most flattering and embarrassing thing that he could have said to me. Considering what I've been going through… I would have never thought that. Unable to quite speak from sudden coughing and Hozuki-san's question, I picked up an anemone flower down at my ankles and put it to my mouth. I guess, it made me feel somewhat nostalgic.

I remembered what Mother said to me. At the time, she was doing flower arrangement. Mother was well known for her flower arrangements and for a ceremony, she did all of the bouquets. Neither too fancy or too simplistic, the bouquet she was making at the time needed a certain main flower that would make the arrangement more whole. Considering that I was 8 at the time when Mother was making this bouquet, you could say that it almost seemed heavenly. Mother was no elegant person, but the way she made bouquets were always surprising. I heard that that was the only reason why Father actually married her when he didn't really like her. I remember what she said.

"Neh, O-kaa-sama. Why did you chose the anemone? I think the iris would suit the bouquet." I like the iris more… it's much more mature… The anemone is a lot more plain…

"Lil' Kanna, you know what your name represent?" White lily? Not sure why that's important, O-kaa-san… I guess after looking at you, it is something important. I just don't know why…

Thinking back to O-kaa-san's smile and half open eyes, she was enjoying herself, teasing me to no end. She probably found it amusing that I didn't really understand why, but it was a little annoying that O-kaa-san is smiling at my ignorance.

"The anemone is a much more different flower. It's not saddening like the camellia, not silent like the gardenia, and not so loyal as the iris. No, it is sincere with its blooming. Not anything complicated with its design. Clear and simple sincerity." …I don't know get it, O-kaa-san. I presumed that she saw my confused face because she patted me gently with her fingertips.

"I'm sure you'll see. The anemone is a good flower to describe you as, Kanna. The lily and the anemone, sincere and pure." I wasn't exactly happy with that description. I would have preferred the mature, silent feel. Thinking about that now, she probably was right. I'm mature to a degree, but not that mature and silent is hardly me. Well, I don't mind. O-kaa-san's face at the time was the most serene I've ever seen her.

"…that's flattering, Hozuki-san. The lover part... I'm presuming that's from the job. However, I wouldn't be able to know about the mother part, would I? Now, I *cough* think I should head back *cough cough* inside. I'm feeling a little ill..." I really was. I wasn't sure if there was something in the food I ate, but I was affected.

"Of course." Although Hozuki-san offered to carry me, I wanted to walk home with my sanity remaining.

Looking back towards the apartment, I started walking, coughing every 10 or so steps. Hozuki-san followed suit, keeping a slight distance behind me. No doubt that he felt awkward about what we were talking about and a cold is not something you want to spread. Every so often, I could swear that I heard his breath on my ear, only to see that he was still about a few meters behind me. Once I got up to my apartment, he curtisied my way and then left. Staying outside for a bit, O-koh-san came out from the room.

"Minamoto-chan? Where were you?" I just said a walk. Not a lie, but not a whole truth either. After seeing that Kei-chan was put to sleep, I pulled out my other futon and decided to sleep. I felt a little tired actually. The next morning, I found out that dead souls can get sick with colds. Lovely.

Give me a little comment about how I did. See you guys later... *falls back asleep again...*