XXXVIII

Sudden Event

"Ueda-san, we're ready, I promise that we won't be late," Ryou mentioned as she made a graceful bow towards Yuka. Along with her sister, Mayu, and Nana the four of them had decided to go into town for a little bit of shopping though Yuka had made it clear that they were not to go and buy anything expensive and that they needed to be back in time.

They had brought it up during breakfast that they wanted to go outside and have some fun in the town while doing some shopping, of course, they had been told by Kouta and Yuka that they were not allowed to go on their own, unless the two Diclonius would accept that Mayu and Nana would come with them to keep an eye on things. Fortunately, they were fine with that decision as after all being with four people was more fun than just two.

"Don't worry Yuka-san, we'll be back in time to help you with making dinner," Mayu reassured the woman though with the amount of time they had it wasn't going to be difficult to come back in time. "Are there also any groceries that you might need, we can bring them with us on our way back if you want?"

"That won't be needed dear, you just go have and enjoy yourselves in the city." Yuka could be heard saying when she waved them off as the four of them made their way to the main gate, it seemed that all of the supplies they were going to need were already here.

The weather outside was nice which had prompted them to dress accordingly. "Oh this feels so good, I love going shopping on a morning like this," Kyou remarked as she basked in the warm rays of the sun, enjoying how pleasant it was to be outside again, craning her neck up she gazed at the blue sky overhead. "Oh, after shopping, let's go to an ice cream shop! I want sweet potato and chocolate flavor!"

The rest of them had to giggle in response at hearing her, not because of what she had just said but rather the way at how she had said it, it was all too obvious, all of them could tell that the pink haired Diclonius was really excited but then who could blame for it, and besides they were already planning on doing just that. After all, they were planning on having a fun afternoon outside of the house.

"Kyou-san's right," Nana mentioned and a sparkle could be seen in the corner of her eyes. "I want some ice cream too, we definitely need to go to one, right now! I don't want to wait for after shopping. C'mon Mayu, let's go now!" She started to pull on said girl's arm. "We don't need more clothes anyway or for that matter for Kyou-san being stubborn again and trying to stuff her feet in boots that don't fit. We went through that already last time we went out together. I don't want that!"

"WHAT?!" Sneering in response Kyou's eyes were wide. "I still remember when we had to wait for two whole hours because you had to try and fit that bra which wasn't even your size!" she rebuked vehemently as she pointed accusingly with her finger at Nana, making it pretty clear that Nana had no ground at all to complain about Kyou as said girl had wasted far more of their shopping time in the past. The tension between them slowly starting to rise.

"Well it was your fault that we got into trouble at that café, people likely thought you had this weird foot fetish! And you had to start a fight with those guys!"

"How was that my fault?! They picked on Ryou!"

It only got uglier after that as wild accusations, other inappropriate words, and phrases were used to highlight the point, it was a vicious downward spiral of verbal abuse. Neither of them was willing to let this rest as they kept at it without slowing down.

"O-Onee-chan, you shouldn't go and start a fight with Nana-onee-san, I'm sure she didn't mean it like that. R-Right Nana-onee-san? You didn't mean it like that, right?" Ryou was the one who got in between the two of them, they had barely left the inn and already it seemed that the two of them were getting into a fight with each other. That wasn't how she had wanted for their little trip to start, they were sisters, after all, kin, and they shouldn't be fighting amongst themselves. "P-Please one-chan, N-Nana-onee-san? P-Please s-stop with this…?"

"She's right, both of you need to drop this, there's no point in bickering between the two of you," Mayu said as she stepped forward as well, agreeing with Ryou, voicing her own objections in that this was not how she wanted to go out with her family and friends. "This isn't worth getting into a fight over, you're both sisters, you should feel ashamed to argue over something that trivial. We've got more than enough time to get the ice cream after going shopping."

She stressed out how for Kyou and Nana to get into another drawn out argument and possible a fight, later on, wasn't going to help them at all, least of all it wasn't going to get them anywhere any faster. She made it very clear that she had expected more from them but if the two of them were already acting like this then she would have them all turn around and go back home. She gave them the choice and they would make it right here and now.

"So they all went out shopping together? Well, I guess that shouldn't come as a surprise," Nozomi remarked as she was informed by Yuka and Kouta as to why it was actually so peaceful all of a sudden at the inn, the absence of four girls being somewhat noticeable. "It sure must be lively though to have all of them back in the house?"

Kouta couldn't help but let out a chuckle at hearing that. "Yeah, they sure make it feel like old times, we don't get bored when the twins get here, that said I don't mind a little peace and quiet every now and then. You should know that as well Nozomi-chan."

Yuka just poured them both some tea. "Kouta, you shouldn't say that." She offered a quick remark, reminding him not to say anything that could perhaps remind Nozomi on some of her more unpleasant moments that she had spent with the girls.

"It's alright Yuka-san, I'm a resident of this house as well. I've spent my fair share of time with the girls and although there have been some embarrassing moments, it was always fun. I must admit at times that I wasn't so sure if I wanted to stay but I'm glad that I did in the end." Lifting up the cup she took a quick sip of it.

"Nozomi-chan, how are things going with your father, it's been a while since I last heard how he was doing? Is it going any better with his leg?" Yuka asked her, hoping to steer the discussion into a different direction that what it had been thus far.

Nozomi smiled in return. "Father's doing rather well though his recovery is a bit slower than what the doctors had hoped for, it's still within what they had expected." She wasn't entirely aware of all of the finer details but she did her best to describe to her friends how her father was doing and how far his recovery was at the moment.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that, it must also feel good to know that he isn't going to be needing that much help anymore from you, I can understand that both you and your father must feel better now that he has regained a bit more of his mobility. Being able to be on your own again."

Nozomi blushed all of a sudden, it almost made her drop the cup. "Kouta-san…? Do you…?"

"Kouta!" Yuka gritted her teeth, shooting him a disapproving glance before she nudged him hard in the side. "Why you?!" she hissed underneath her breath, doing her best not to let her irritation and anger at that comment be noticeable to Nozomi. She sighed as she couldn't believe that Kouta had been so thoughtless with that comment, honestly, in her mind, it had been a rather rude remark.

"Well, I-I don't mind looking after my father, nor do I think that he has been a burden to me at all. I think that thanks to this and my own recovery of my throat have helped us to get closer than we've been since mother died. I feel like we finally understand each other."

As both Kouta and Yuka listened to their friend had to say they couldn't help but agree with what Nozomi had just said, it was true and they were grateful for how things had worked out for their friend.

"I'm relieved to hear you say that Nozomi-chan, you and your father have been through a lot and it's good to know that the two of you came so much closer to each other. Who would have thought that he is now your biggest supporter for singing." Leaning forward he reached for the cup of tea in front of him, throwing a cautious glance to make sure that Yuka wasn't going to give him another one of her gentle nudges. "Speaking of singing how is it actually going to school? I haven't heard all that much lately so how is it going if I may ask." He leaned back as he asked, true he could have asked Nozomi a little sooner but he had felt that if it hadn't been going that well that she would have come to talk to them about it.

"I'm glad that you ask Kouta-san, to be honest, there's something that I would talk to you about. I must admit that I feel a little ashamed to bring this forward but you are the people that I trust the most which is why I want to ask both of you."

Kouta and Yuka were both surprised at this sudden revelation, neither of them had expected this but it seemed to mean a lot to Nozomi so they were going to listen what she had to say.

"Nozomi-chan?" Yuka leaned forward, placing her cup back on the table in front of her before letting her arms rest on the table. "So what is it that you want to ask us? If it's something that we can help you with then, by all means, do tell us, we would all be too glad to help you wherever we can."

"Thank you Yuka-san, you don't know how much it means to me hearing you say that. Thank you both, thank you so much for being willing to help me on this." She was starting to blush, her face turning bright red. "I can't think of a way to properly thank you for this…"

Kouta told her that it wasn't needed for the dark haired girl to thank them so much, to them it was only normal to help Nozomi as she had helped as well in the past and besides they had supported her ambitions and dreams thus far so it only made sense to support her in this as well.

"So what is it exactly then that you need our help with? To be honest I'm becoming a little curious about it giving it must mean that much to you. Is it some kind of big concert, a play or something that you are put in charge of organizing? I presume that you're responsible for the music right?" He leaned forward as well, emptying the cup and placing it next to him, mimicking Yuka's posture. He wasn't sure in what way they could help Nozomi if it was any of that but it certainly wasn't going to hurt listening to her request.

She nodded in response and then began to tell them what it exactly was that she wanted to talk to them about, something that was so important to her and one that could have a profound impact on her future hopes and dreams. They grew silent as they listened to what the dark haired girl had to say.

Kyou's eyes couldn't have been any bigger even if she had wanted to, even if it had been just a short cursory glance these boots had truly captured her undivided attention. To think that she had almost walked right past them if it hadn't been for Nana making a witty remark, as it prompted an immediate reaction from her Kyou turned around and in that instant, she noticed the boots. Pressing herself even closer against the glass she stared at the others, begging them to go inside and try them out. "Can we please go inside? Oh, can we? Can we? Can we? Please?! I really need to try these!"

Mayu and Nana exchanged first looks between themselves and then with Ryou, it seemed that neither of them could come up with a reason to object but this was already the fifth store, even if it was by accident, that Kyou had them stop at so she could go inside and see if the boots were the right size.

"Onee-chan, you really think that these will be the right ones? I mean this is the fifth store that we have stopped for, are you really sure that these are going to be the right ones?"

"Ryou-san has a point, we still have other shops to look for and we can't spend all time looking for that special pair of boots that you want. Kyou-san this is the last one, alright?" Mayu informed her, it wasn't that she had a problem with Kyou going to look for those boots but rather that it was beginning to appear that all of them were only looking for that. There was going to be plenty of time for that later during the week as neither Kyou nor Ryou had to go to school so they could easily go throughout the week, unlike Mayu.

She puffed her cheeks in response. "You're all so mean but alright, I'll give up if these don't fit and I don't want to hear any word from you about it if they don't!"

They agreed to that and went into the store with her, the Diclonius leading the group.

"Kyou-san, you do keep in mind that you are not allowed to go over what your parents gave you right? You shouldn't spend more than you have."

"I don't need to use the money that oka-san and oto-san gave me, I've been saving for these beauties for months now. I'm not going to let this chance slip past me, so get off my back will you, okay?" Kyou pouted, puffing her cheeks in the process, as she already turned her head from left to right in order to look for the boots in question, she was so close now, she felt it in her bones or at least she thought she did. "Let me just see if they have them in the right size for me and if not we can leave," she mentioned though it was with a heavy heart, Kyou was not going to give up that easily.

It also made the other girls aware that there was a very good reason as to why it was so hard for Kyou to find the right size of boots, looking at the other Diclonius next to her Mayu knew that this problem was also an issue for Nana and Ryou as they as well suffered from their bodies' rapid aging which seemed to affect any of the surviving Diclonius, bar one notable exception. Kyou had actually found a pair in her size earlier at the second store but she would have outgrown them in maybe six months or less because they weren't larger.

"Mayu, are you alright?" Nana asked as she noticed the sudden change in Mayu's expression. "Do you want to sit down for a moment? Can we get you a glass of water?"

Ryou was about to leave to go and ask when Mayu told them that she was alright, they didn't need to go and ask for her sake. "It's alright, I'm fine, thank you for asking. Say Nana-san, Ryou-san why don't you two also go and see if there is something you'd like. Given that we're here anyway you might as well make the most of it." Forcing herself to fake a smile she watched as the two of them also left her for the time being as they went looking.

'You're all suffering from this, except for Saeko-san that is. I'm scared that you'll grow up too soon, that you won't get to enjoy life.' The thought ran through her mind and quickly was it followed by a more frightening one. If they aged so rapidly would that also mean that they would die that much sooner? Would their lives be drastically cut short? She hated to think that perhaps in something as short as thirty or possibly even twenty years Nana could be gone. 'I don't want for that to happen, I don't want to lose any of you…'

Standing there by herself in the shop she gave some thought to how it might just be better for her to go along with what the other girls wanted today as their time was already so preciously short. It was only fair that she would allow them to enjoy themselves a bit.

Mayu made a conscious decision, they were going to need to make the most out of today, besides she didn't need any new clothes that badly anyway. "Take your time," she said as she noticed that all three of them were standing together discussing which shoes fitted best with their respective outfits. Seeing as the three Diclonius were enjoying themselves the concerned girl's fake smile began to dissipate, it being replaced by a genuine one as she approached them. Moments such as these need to be cherished, she was going to make sure that this little trip was going to a memory to cherish.

While Nana and Ryou were busy looking at various pairs of shoes and such, Kyou had already relegated herself to the task at hand of trying out every pair that she could have laid her hands on. Judging by the pile of boxes next to her she was fully committed to this.

"Onee-chan can be really, ahem, determined if she wants to," Ryou came over towards her, filling in Mayu over what was happening "Isn't there something that you're looking for, Mayu-san? If I may say so, you look a little absent, is there something you're thinking of?"

"I was just thinking about how hard it must be for all of you to find the right clothes, you grow so much faster than normal people do. I can't imagine what that must feel like to you."

"We're used to it, we simply don't know any better. Besides it might be for the best as this world has trouble accepting those like us, if we can just have a happy life then we're fine with it being short," Ryou mentioned though the words sounded heavy, surely she had to be aware that the lifespan of herself and her sister was never going to be as long as the people they knew, it was even doubtful that either of the twins were going to outlive their parents. That just felt wrong, that was not a fate that any of them deserved.

"There's still a lot that I want to do in this life, sadly school is going to be difficult but I still want to give it a try. Being honest here, I'm actually a little scared about dying but if I can have some meaning to my life then perhaps that'll make it easier for me to accept it… maybe..."

This conversation was going in a direction that Mayu felt was anything but comfortable for Ryou, it was better if they were to change the subject to something a little more pleasant. The damp atmosphere that was settling needed to disappear as quickly as possible, quickly scanning her surroundings Mayu found the perfect subject to do just that.

"I think those would look great on you," Mayu mentioned quickly as she pointed towards a pair of flat boots, they were of a lower cut than the ones that Kyou was after but they looked pretty nonetheless. "I think you should give them a try, perhaps-"

But before Ryou even had a chance to answer back everybody who was present in the shop froze on the spot when a high pitched scream roared through the store, startling all.

"KYAAAAAAA! YES! YES! YES! OH YEEEESSSSSSS! THESE ARE THE ONES! I FINALLY FOUND THEM! YES! YES! YAY!WOOHOOOOOOO!" Could be heard echoing throughout the store all of a sudden, those present looking up with an equal mix of surprise and confusion. Kyou was beyond herself with delight, jumping around in circles, yelling and screaming as she did. All the while clutching a pair of boots tightly against her chest, refusing to let go of them. As the long-haired Diclonius had made her screams of joy in the middle of the store, surprised people had assumed that somebody had gotten hurt or worse, much to the combined embarrassment of Mayu, Nana, and Ryou who found themselves, in the enviable situation of having to explain what had just happened, to some very concerned staff who had come rushing towards them.

"We're terribly sorry," Mayu said to them, making a deep bow, the other three girls mimicking her gesture as they also offered their apologies. Kyou in particular as her face was beet red, once the consequences of her actions had sunk in her with she was overcome with shame. "We didn't mean to cause a commotion, we're terribly sorry for the trouble we've caused! Again we're truly sorry, please accept our humble apologies!" the four of them said in unison before making one final deep bow, placing themselves at the mercy of the irritated staff.

Fortunately for them, they were let off with a verbal warning as well as a stern lecture on how to behave in a more appropriate manner the next time they were planning to visit the store.

After they had paid for their items they were finally able to leave, putting the embarrassing incident behind them for the time being, and with that Mayu had decided for them to go somewhere else in order to continue with their planned shopping trip. Well, that was the excuse she had given them, in reality, she just wanted a place when she could relax for a bit as she was still feeling a little uncomfortable after what had happened.

It was only a short walk, but during that time nobody it was painfully quiet, nobody felt a need to say a word, the recent event still fresh on their minds. The uneasy silence they found themselves in continuing.

Keeping a little distance between between herself and the others a certain long haired Diclonius was feeling troubled, holding the bag containing her brand new boots Kyou was feeling a sense of guilt as she was the one responsible for that, but there had been no ill will involved on her part, she had simply been a little too excited, her emotions getting the better of her when she had finally found a pair that was just right. "I hadn't meant it, I didn't want to cause trouble…" she said underneath her breath, casting her head down.

"I think this has gone on long enough," Mayu announced as she came to a sudden halt, and turned around to look at the other three girls, "Let's just forget about what happened and have some fun, alright? That's why we went shopping, didn't we? So, what do you all say if we go to that ice cream bar and treat ourselves to something nice? I don't want this to ruin our afternoon together."

In response, Nana raised her hand and asked, "Mayu's right, we should just forget what happened. It's not like we did something bad, I mean, Kyou-san just made some ruckus but that's all. Nothing for us to get upset about, am I right?"

Biting back a retort Kyou did have to admit to herself that she was feeling better after hearing the others say that, maybe there was no reason for her to feel as bad about it as she had, after all, it was not like she had hurt anybody, or damaged any property, there was no reason for her to feel bad about it anymore, or to let it ruin her day. Finally, she came forward and asked then, "So you're not mad at me? Because I caused trouble?"

Shrugging her shoulders Nana replied, "Not really, and besides it's not like we go to that store every day. I doubt that they'd recognize us anyway if we were to show up, and there's plenty of other shops in the city. You did make a ruckus back there but I don't blame you, I know what it's like when you finally find the pretty clothes you want after looking so long. Let's just drop it, alright?"

Ryou chimed in as well, adding her own opinion to the matter. "I think that Nana-onee-san's right, we apologized to those people so it should be alright. Let's just go and enjoy what remains of today, I'd feel bad if we were to let this ruin our day. I like Mayu-san's idea, I want to go and visit the ice cream store."

Let out an exasperated sigh Kyou replied, staring at the others before stating her claim. "I want a super jumbo fruit parfait!" No, I want two!"

"Eh?" Nana's mouth dropped. "Hey, don't you think that's a little much? Can you even finish two of those?! You're the one that caused the trouble back there, remember! You should be grateful that we're letting you join us in the first place!"

"Why you?!" Kyou shot back at her, gritting her teeth as she did.

'I guess this was to be expected, well at least they didn't get into an argument at the store, that would've caused us a lot more trouble.' Mayu thought to herself as she watched the two Diclonius splitting hairs while continuing with their little verbal sparring, turning around and quickening the pace she could only pray that the two of them would run out of steam by the time they would reach the store.

"Oh, this tastes so good! This has got to be the best sweet potato and chocolate ice cream ever! Ah, I'm so glad that we stopped at this place instead of the store we had been planning on!" Kyou beamed with excitement as enjoyed the flavor of her ice cream to the fullest intent.

It was more of a coincidence that they had wound up at this store, it was a different one than Mayu had planned on, but as they had walked past this one she was reminded about what Saeko had told her. A shop where the Dicloinus and her friends from school came to enjoy ice cream, with that the older girl had decided to visit this shop instead and see for herself if what her sister had said was true.

"She's right! This tastes good! I can't stop myself eating it! Oh, it is so good!" Nana let out a small cry of joy as she had another bite of it, equaling if not downright surpassing Kyou in her excitement over the flavor that she was experiencing and savoring at the same time. "Kyou-san's so right about this, this has got to be the best sweet potato ice cream in the entire city. It's so good that I can't stop eating it!" Taking great chunks of her's Nana had was consuming her coupe at a frightening pace.

"Hnnngggg," Bare seconds later she recoiled as consuming the cold ice at such blinding speed had a somewhat predictable consequence. "Aghghghg! Aghghghgh!" A brain freeze.

Shaking her head Mayu reminded the afflicted girl about it, "Nana-san, I told you before to eat your ice cream slowly. You do this everytime and everytime this happens." That said, she took a certain sense of delight at the sight of Nana clutching her forehead, she had been warned about this so many times. Though it was unlikely that this would finally convince the short haired Dicloinus that she needed to change her habits. Some things never change.

"Hmmm, that was so good," Nana let out with a sense of satisfaction, acting like the brain freeze that nearly crippled her had never happened, a bright smile gracing her face as she did. Leaning back in her seat she appeared to be sated for now, which was until she raised her hand in the air, waving frantically for one of the waiters to come over and promptly, without any sense of shame, ordered herself a second. "Over here! I'd like seconds!"

Kyou shot up without a second thought, slamming her hands on the table in irritated frustration. "What?! How dare you?! I want seconds too! I want it! Miss! Miss! Miss! Me too!" she shouted, refusing to be outdone by Nana.

Neither Mayu nor Ryou opted to say a word, instead just staring at each other in disbelief, wondering what they were going to do about the two little kids they had with them. They could only shake their heads thinking about the scene those two were making right now. The bickering and the name-calling that went back and forth between the two of them.

Mayu felt embarrassed by it and honestly, if the two of them had just gone and ordered a second coupe calmly then she wouldn't have minded at all, but this was simply too much to and bordering on being rude towards the other people present in the café.

"Please calm down both of you. Nana-san, Kyou-san, there is no need for either of you to get worked up about this!" she said, slightly raising her voice but still keeping it polite. It was obvious that she needed to bring a halt to these two making a scene. "Now please calm down and don't make a scene here, it would be a shame if we weren't allowed to come back to this café. Right? I can't believe that the two of you can act like little kids over this." She gazed at them both with a disapproving look, letting the girls in question know that she wasn't angry with them but rather disappointed that two people who she held in such regard were bickering with each other over something that she viewed as trivial, not to mention that a short while ago the two of them had been doing exactly the same. Had they not learned from that?

"M-Mayu-san's right, o-onee-chan. P-Please calm down, onee-chan, we came here to have fun and enjoy ourselves right? T-There's no need for you and Nana-onee-san to fight? Please onee-chan, please stop with this?" Ryou pleaded with her older sister

Seeing it, and realizing their stupidity, both Nana and Kyou let out a sigh and gave up, they didn't feel like ordering a second coupe anymore and gestured for the waiter that they didn't need anything else.

"I'm glad," Mayu mentioned, finishing the last of her own coupe. "You two shouldn't fight against each other, you only have each other. You need to be there for the other, there's only a few of you left," she told them, stressing that being the only ones of their kind left meant that they needed each other more than ever. Her words were taken to heart and Nana and Kyou made up and apologized first to each other and then to her as well, saying they were sorry for the way they had reacted. Accepting their apology Mayu gave them a smile in return before she said, "Now as we still some time left, who wants a second coupe?"

Closing the door behind him Dai reached out and grabbed a chair, sitting down he took a quick note of the array of medical equipment and machinery that were placed here to keep watch on Bando's vitals. He wasn't that well versed in it but from the small bits that he could understand it seemed that his vitals were okay, no immediate threat to his health.

"You look terrible, Bando, never thought I'd get to see the day that somebody would get the better of you and damn seeing the mess they made of you, they must have bested you good." Barely had he finished his sentence or Bando opened one of his eyes in response, casting him one hell of a foul look. "Still, I'm glad to see that you're still alive. How are you feeling?"

Bando just growled in response. "Hirano, just fuck off! I swear that if you keep talking to me like that I'll wring your neck the moment I get out of this bed!"

Dai chuckled to himself, that was going to take a while alright. "Glad to see you too. So how are you feeling, have any of those painkillers or anesthetics already kicked in?"

Bando nodded, his movements rather slow and sluggish. No doubt it was an effect of the drugs that were keeping him sedated so he didn't move too much. "Where am I actually?"

"Obviously, a hospital in case you hadn't guessed already. I had to bring you here as there was no way for us to treat your wounds. Damn you were just a mess when I found you at the docks, honestly, I feared that you weren't even going to make it. You scared the shit out of me you know."

Bando waved him off. "Don't care, how long have I been here?" He blinked his eyes before looking around him, turning his head from left to right as he got an impression of the room.

"Not even a day, we brought you in here yesterday. To be honest I'm kind of surprised that you're already awake, thought you were going to be out cold for a bit longer."

"As if, fuck this. Hirano, help me get off this fucking deathbed!" Bando snapped at him as he struggled to lift himself up, it was a clumsy attempt and it failed rather quickly. Sedated and heavily under the influence of the drugs he was being administered his body did not respond the way he wanted it to and Bando could do little more than to put up a show. "Did the damn doctors say anything on how long I'm going to be stuck here? Already I feel like strangling the first of those assholes that'll walk through that damn door fucking door!" He said, sounding exasperated as he leaned back, his body resting again.

"Nobody is going to be strangling anybody. You need to calm down Bando otherwise you're going to attract some unwanted attention to yourself, remember that you're still wanted by some?" Dai told him, making it clear that for now, Bando needed to calm down and not act like his usual self.

Seeing that Bando finally eased down and laid himself back to rest Dai picked up the report that was hanging next to the bed and started to list all of the injuries that had been treated and the expected time that it was going to take for them to heal.

"You're definitely going to be stuck here for a while, I suggest you get used to it and not make a scene. The last thing I want to do is having to go through official Saseba channel in order to pull your ass out the mess you're bound to make for yourself. I won't do that if it means endangering my daughters, aim I clear on that Bando?!" His face was serious, he wasn't going to take a no for an answer and unless Bando accepted he was going to walk out of the door then and there. Neither of them could use any unneeded attention at a time like this.

"Stay calm and get yourself some badly needed rest, you haven't even fully recovered from what happened at that factory. Dammit, how dumb must you have been to go along with those people?" He let out a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose as he felt exhausted as well as he hadn't been able to get much of a good rest either. "So, care to tell me exactly what happened there? I couldn't make heads or tails from what you were mumbling when I found you."

Bando pointed towards a glass that stood behind him. "Give me some water, my throat is dry. I need something to drink." Being handed the glass he emptied it in a single tug, he asked for a refill as he throat still felt rather sore. "Thanks, better hold tight Hirano. You're not going to believe the shit I found on that accursed ship, I think this goes even deeper than we thought."

Dai raised an eyebrow at hearing that, true he did find Bando in the harbor but by the time he had gotten there was no longer a ship. "There was nothing in the harbor, whatever ship you were on must have set sail rather quickly. Do you still remember the name of the ship?"

"No, didn't pay any attention to that. In hindsight, I should have but I was more focused on the mission itself. Hirano, that fucking bastard Seventh was there. That ship they had, it was converted to transport the abducted kids somewhere too or from. Pretty high tech if you ask me." Bando went into as many details as he could remember on the mechanical aspects of the cold storage rooms he had seen for himself and the containers that were intended to put the kids in some kind of artificial deep sleep or possibly even a coma. "I also read that those kids they took were classed as weapon's components though I ain't got a clue as to what that means, I don't know what they're game is, but whatever it is, it can't be good."

Dai grew worried the more he heard, it meant that these people weren't just a small group but part of a large organized and well-funded crime syndicate, he didn't dare to imagine who it could be to offer the funding for having a ship converted for such a purpose. All in all, he got the idea that they were dealing with something way beyond their league. "Holy shit," he sighed, his head resting against the palm of his hand. "I don't know what to say, I thought what we saw at the factory was already terrible but this sounds even worse."

"It gets even worse Hirano, guess what I found there as well?" He took Hirano's silence as a sign that he should just mention it regardless. "The fucking thing, it was there. I don't how many people it killed but nothing could stop it. Fuck that thing. Hirano, it's smart, really smart. I think it's as smart as people are, it just knew what to do."

Dai leaned forward, intrigued by what he was hearing. "But you got away from it, right? I mean, you're still alive."

Bando shook his head, signaling that it wasn't as clear as Dai had made it sound like. "No, it got me, the last thing I remember was its jaws around my head, I felt its teeth puncturing my skin. I passed out at that point, honestly, I thought I was a goner at that point. Hirano, that thing is something abnormal. Whatever it is, it's not from this world."

"Everybody! We're home!" Nana and Kyou shout in unison as they stepped inside the inn, they were finally back from their trip throughout the shopping district of Kamakura, in their mind a shame as they had really been enjoying themselves.

"I think they might be outside," Mayu was quick to mention when she noticed that there was no reply coming from the other residents. Being the last to come inside she closed the door behind her as she watched how the others already went ahead. "Make sure you put your stuff in your rooms first, after that you can go and do what you want."

"If it's alright with you, Mayu-san I'll put onee-chan's belongings in our room as well, I haven't bought anything for myself. I think that onee-chan might also has to help in the kitchen with making dinner. If you'll excuse me." Ryou bowed and then quickly left.

To Mayu is was fine, it was only a single bag though, to be honest, she would have preferred it if Kyou had been willing to go store her own stuff and not let her younger sister do it for her. Well, it might not be so bad if said girl went to go help in the kitchen allowing Ryou to go and enjoy herself.

"I need to bring this to my room, then I'm going to check up on Saeko-san." She looked towards the stair, as she had expected Saeko had declined their offer to come along with them, preferring to stay at home and look after Saori. "I wonder how she's doing, Nana-san seems to be doing a lot better but I guess she's in a better shape. Is she still upset about what happened?"

It felt odd saying that as Nana had been badly beaten up as well during the fight with Saori, she certainly had gotten her fair share of injuries and it had taken a good day for the older Diclonius to recover but she was already doing a lot better than yesterday. Still, Mayu had noticed that while trying on some of the clothes they had picked that Nana seemed to struggle to stay upright or let out a little groan whenever she needed to bent over. Guess she hadn't made a full recovery yet, Mayu hoped that Nana was not straining herself in order to put up a front just to give off the impression that she was alright. "Nana-san, please don't do something so stupid. I'd get really sad if you were to get ill again," Mayu told herself as she retreated into her room.

"Kouta-san! Yuka-san! We're back home!" Nana beamed with joy as she stormed into the garden and saw much to her own surprise, not to mention delight, that Nozomi was here as well. "Nozomi-san! You're here too?! Oh, this weekend get's even better now!" She jumped forward as fast as her legs could carry her.

Now wanting to be outdone by her kin-sister Kyou took immediate action. "Onii-chan! I'm back! Did you miss me?!" she shouted as she made a vector assisted jump in an effort fling herself right on top of an unsuspecting Kouta, who seemed to be dazed by her sudden appearance. The chair groaning and protesting under their combined momentum but it held.

"So onii-chan? Do you want to know what your cute Kyou-chan got for herself?" her arms wrapped tightly around his chest she pulled herself closer to him. "Want me to give you a hint, onii-chan? They're something that I've been looking for really hard, you know."

Kouta, as he lied there, unable to get up, let out a somewhat nervous laugh. From the corner of his eyes, he could easily see that Yuka was less than happy about this while Nozomi seemed to be taken aback by it. "K-Kyou-chan, how nice to see you. I didn't expect you back so soon already, did you enjoy yourself? So, what's it then that you got for yourself? Knowing you it has to be pretty. Also, if it's not too much of an effort but could you get off me?"

She smiled as she shook her head from left to right in response to his request, giggling all the time. She was not planning on letting him go, at least not yet. As she brought her head up next to his she whispered in a sultry voice. "Onii-chan, you're really bad at guessing, aren't you? Maybe I should keep you here, just a little, longer, as punishment. Would you like that?"

"Ah sorry about that," Kouta remarked, scratching the back of his head, "But I'm not that good at playing games, so could you get off me. I'd like to get back up on my feet." By now he was starting to feel a little threatened as he risked another glance over towards Yuka, he already had a pretty good idea as said woman's face spoke volumes.

A certain devious smile began to grace the features of the Diclonius' face, a certain twinkle could be seen just in the corner of her eyes, before she leaned in closer again and said to him, "I finally got those boots that I've been looking for, you know the ones they never got in my size. Perhaps if you're really nice to me onii-chan I'll wear them just and only for you."

His heart nearly skipped a beat as he heard that last part, God he so hoped that Yuka had not been able to hear that. Honestly, what was Kyou even thinking about coming here and saying something as absurd as this, she was going to be the death of him one of these days with these antics of her. Yuka was definitely going to have his ass hanging if were to find out.

As she pulled herself tighter to him he could feel her breasts press against his chest, oh this was so not good for him, taking a deep breath he did his best to stay calm. Why was she doing this? Why did she have to be such a tease? Was she even aware of the trouble she was causing?

She moved up her knee near his crotch, rubbing it against the inside of his leg. "So onii-chan, what do you say about that? You want to see your cute little Kyou-chan in them, don't you?"

He didn't know what he found worse; her pretending that she liked this pleasure or, what he dreaded even more, that she was actually being serious. Her face was impossible to read, he couldn't tell which one it was but he sure hoped that it was the former.

Honestly, she was just below Nyu when it came to antics and while she still kept her clothes on this was scary in its own way. Oh, he was so going to get it from Yuka unless he found a way to diffuse this unpleasant situation.

"Uhm, Kyou-chan dear, would you care to come to the kitchen with me, we need to work on dinner. Come on dear, we've got some work to do." Yuka said, her left eye twitching, as she pulled on the younger girl's shoulder and coerced her to go along with Nozomi who stood there. "Just go with Nozomi-chan, I'll come after I have taken care of another little chore. I just need to discuss this tiny little thing with Kouta first. Go on, dear."

Dropping her shoulders, Kyou was all too eager to get up and leave along with Nozomi, somehow she had sensed what was going to happen any moment. Kouta, on the other hand, felt that he was safe. Well, that was until he had a good look at Yuka who seemed to be less than pleased with what had just happened, in fact, her face was frightening, as she leaned in closer she grabbed by the scruff of his shirt and lifted him out of the chair.

"Kouta, would you be so kind enough to explain to me what just went on there, have I missed anything?" Letting go of him he was dropped back in the chair but she wasn't done with him just yet. "And just so you get the point across," she said, right before grabbing his left ear and twisted it hard. "Kouta, if you even so much as dare to lay a finger on her you're going to pay for it." And to emphasize her point she twisted it just that little harder.

Letting go she turned on the spot and without even saying a word she stormed off, quickening her pace as she headed back to the house without even casting him a glance.

"Ow, ow, ow. That really hurts," he whined as he touched his ear, it sure stung. "Damn Yuka, that really stings a lot. Well, I guess I did deserve this?" he sighed, although there was a throbbing sensation in his ear he didn't dare to go inside the house and grab a cloth and water. He didn't dare to face Yuka at the moment, let alone risks stumbling into Kyou and getting caught into another sticky situation. Right now it would be better if he just stayed out here, just by himself, until it was safe to go back inside the house again.

"Kouta-san, did you do anything perverted to Kyou-san?" Nana asked as she appeared, without any prior warning next to him, he had forgotten that she was still here. She tilted her head slightly and asked him again, a certain menacing glare apparent in her eyes. "Did you do anything to Kyou-san, Kouta-san? Also, you really hurt Yuka-san there didn't you?"

"Saeko-onee-san?" Ryou asked as she sat down next to said girl. "Is it alright if I can ask you a few questions about what it's like going to school, onee-chan and I were wondering? And given that you're the only one of our kind who's actually going to school we thought that maybe you… well… you know..."

Still lost in her own thoughts with regards to her concern about Saori it took a few moments before it actually registered on Saeko that Ryou was in the room next to her and had asked her a question. "Ah, I'm so sorry, please excuse me, Ryou-chan. Could you please repeat your question for me? I-I didn't hear it, I'm really sorry. I-I didn't mean to." She bowed her head, feeling rather ashamed of it, and again apologized for not having heard the question that Ryou had asked her the first time.

"Of course not," Ryou was only too quick to mention, saying that she didn't mind at all and again she asked her the question what it was like going to school every day, making friends and going to clubs. All of which were things that none of them had any experience with and as such little to no understanding while Saeko did, so it made sense for them to ask their kin-sister about her experiences though Ryou had to admit that with the other girl having been only at school for month or two now that the amount of experience was maybe not entirely what they had hoped for but they still wanted to hear this from one of their own kind.

Mayu certainly knew a lot more about what it was like going to school and such but she was only a human and in the twins opinion not really the best person to ask for as she was not one who had to live with the fear of being discovered. They wanted to hear it from one of their own, one who understood their fears and what risks were attached to it.

Mayu couldn't understand those fears even if she wanted to but Saeko did understand.

"Oto-san and oka-san told us that we could go to school if we wanted next year but neither onee-chan or I know exactly what school is like, we're studying hard and reading what we can but it doesn't tell us everything. So please, Saeko-onee-san… can you tell us what school is like…? We really want to know."

After hearing all of that Saeko remained somewhat silent, unsure of what she was supposed to tell her kin-sisters what her experiences were so far she was a little hesitant about giving an answer. It was true that when she had gone at first that she had been scared, even terrified at the prospect of somebody finding out what she was. Then there had been the fear and desperation she had experienced when she became the main target for bullies in her class and the other classmates picking on her as well.

How was she going to tell her kin-sisters that humans could be terrible to others if they were just a little bit different? Classmates had picked on her because she looked different that most people because of the color of her eyes and hair, the ribbons she wore to keep her horns hidden and that she was actually a rather good student.

Those same traits were also going to cause similar problems for Nana and the twins as they, much like she did, would also stand out from other students though they might have the luck of being in the same class. The embarrassment that would follow when you were alone and doing something really stupid and people laughing at you was really unpleasant. She felt so conflicted about telling them, she wanted to warn them, and yet she felt that if she did then the others might not even want to go at all, if they did then Saeko felt like she had taken something from her kin-sisters. She did not want to be the one who took this opportunity from them, an opportunity to learn more about the world, what was she going to say to them.

But then there were also those moments that had made the painful experiences worth it, the meeting of real friends who didn't seem to care for her different looks, friends who wanted to be with her because of who she was, not what she was. People like Yuzuka, Azusa, and Hinami all of whom she had befriended and who in return had accepted her. And then, of course, there were also older students like the senpai from Hinami who had been so understanding and kind to her.

She found it hard to tell her exactly what her experiences were, what there was for them to expect and what hardships were going to show up. Was it perhaps going to be better to only tell them about the unpleasant things in order to persuade them from not going to school and therefore not having to endure those painful moments or was that just selfish of her?

Could she even allow for Ryou to have to go through such misery as she had herself, people were bound to pick on her even more, Ryou was a pretty looking girl, she was kind and caring to others, and she was really smart. That along with her appearance was bound to attract the unwanted attention of bullies like Kikuchi or those three girls who were after her. She didn't want that to happen to her kin-sisters as well. They didn't deserve that at all. Still feeling conflicted on what to say Saeko wanted to stay quiet but she knew that she had to say something. Gathering what courage she could muster she opened her mouth and spoke, "Ryou-chan, the truth is, well school is…" And then she began to tell her about school meant to her, the good, and the bad.

"Take care of yourself Bando and for God's sake try not to complicate things any further, oh and try not to scare any of the nurses for that matter. I'll be back soon, until then, just lay low and get some rest. I'll see you soon," Dai said his goodbyes and closed the door behind him. By now visiting hour was coming to an end, he had spent far longer in there than he would have thought possible but given the nature of the information that Bando had provided him with, it still felt far too short. He made a quick mental note to bring something with him tomorrow so that he could write down any bits of information.

The news in itself was very concerning, to say the least, not only was it clear that they had not brought a halt to the operations of that group and that the trafficking of people still continued with their operations, even more, disturbing was that it seemed now that this group was far larger than either of them had thought and they certainly had the financial backing to have equipped, a ship no less, with such machinery. With that Dai began to consider the possibility of their hands away from the matter, this was in no way related to the Diclonius, which meant that it did not concern Saseba, meaning that he would have no backup.

He saw no reasons for endangering his life, or that of his family. The risk was simply becoming far too great, he remained unaware if Bando had any kind of personal involvement but unlike him, he was no longer willing to risk the safety of his family.

"Just who exactly are those people? Bando, you really shouldn't have gotten involved in this. The last thing we could use right now is having to deal with a major crime syndicate," he cursed silently to himself, doing his best to make sure that nobody else could hear a word of what he was saying. If those people had the resources, and there was no doubt about that, then it was only going to be a matter of time before they would be able to figure out Bando's real identity and then even possible link him to other people.

"Well, at least your lone wolf lifestyle is going to prove useful this time. There are no records left of you after you deserted from SAT, hopefully, their trail will run cold there as well. Still, I would have preferred it they couldn't trace you at all." He was contemplating on what to do next, well the chances of them finding Bando's identity were very slim, to begin with, who knew how many people with that same name lived as in Japan and unless Bando had been stupid enough to mention his name it was going to take them even longer. Though he did pray that they had not been able to acquire any good footage of Bando's face, that could cause problems, perhaps it would not be a bad idea to head to the office and do a little erasing of Bando's files, just as a little precautionary matter.

"Then again this is Bando I'm talking about, the man who loves to make his enemies know who he is," he sighed in frustration as he understood that they likely already knew his name, God he was being such a headache again. Well, not much that could be done about that anymore.

Likely it wasn't a bad idea to start gathering information of his own to get a better idea of who they were up against in case of a next encounter though he preferred for them to no longer have any run-ins with those people. That said it did not sit well with him, the sense of abandoning those kids, no doubt they were waiting for somebody to come and rescue them. But he had to prioritize the safety of his own family over the well-being of others.

He didn't want for them to have another fight with those people as they represented a major risk to the girls, say they were to get their hands on one of the twins, or perhaps Nana or Saeko. God knew what was going to happen if any of these people were to discover the horns and they were bound to find out about the vectors as well at some point, if that were to get out on the internet or through other forms of social media then the government was bound to learn that some Diclonius had survived and their reaction was going to be predictable.

"We're going to be swept up in that mess if they were to find out, I can't let that happen." So immersed he was in his own thoughts that he hadn't even noticed that he had already exited the hospital. "Fuck Bando, just why did you have to go. Why do you keep getting us in trouble."

A shiver ran down his spine as he came to the second worrying news that he had gotten, the creature had survived and it had been there. He offered a prayer that he hadn't gone along as Dai felt certain that he could not have been able to withstand another encounter with that horrifying monster, he recoiled in disgust as memories that he had tried to bury came back to the front of his mind; those terrifying close encounters that he wanted to forget.

He felt his stomach turn as he unwillingly thought back of the people it had killed back then, no doubt many others on board of that ship had shared a similar, gruesome fate. Perhaps even now the last few survivors on that ship were being hunted down by it, he couldn't think of a more horrifying way to spend one's last few precious moments before it would come out of the darkness and tore them apart. Oh, his knees felt like they were going to give in.

"Pull yourself together Dai, you managed to survive that. God, I do hope that I never come across it but why was it there as well. Surely it couldn't have followed Bando as it hasn't shown up and I'm pretty sure we would have noticed its presence here."

He cast a worried glance across his shoulder, thinking about it had reminded him of how silent it could be and appear out of nowhere. And then there was the latest bit of info that disturbed him the most, the thing was smart, really smart. From the description that Bando had given him it seemed that this creature possessed an intellect far greater than that possessed by any known animal, even dolphins, and chimpanzees, possibly it even rivaled that of a human being which made it all the more dangerous.

Standing at his car he wondered what they were going to do when that thing would show up again, letting out a sigh he came to a conclusion that he simply didn't have an answer for it.

Pushing the thought of the thing aside he got in his car, turned on the engine and drove off.

Unlike most of the others, who were likely sound asleep by now, Kouta was feeling less inclined to go to bed just yet, sitting on the terrace with a book in his lap he enjoyed this peaceful moment. Inside the house, there had been a somewhat unpleasant atmosphere given that both Yuka and Nana were still sour with him after what had happened and, unfortunately, Kyou still seemed to be intent on teasing him once again.

It was still surprisingly pleasant outside which made the moment all the more special to him, looking to his right towards the grave marker he couldn't help but smile. "You two would've liked this as well, won't you? It'll be summer again in a couple of months and after that will be the summer festival. I'm going to be there again this year, just like I promised to you. Let's hope that we're going to be lucky this year, let's pray for that."

Thinking back about the promise made him close the book, he felt good knowing that he was going to be there again this year. It had kind of become something that he was looking forward to even if the chance of meeting them again was pretty low but he wasn't going to be deterred by that. As long as he kept faith in the promise made by them he had more than enough reason to go, he firmly believed that one day, they would all be reunited with each other. Until that day would come, he would keep on visiting that special place.

"Does it make me sound a little childish or just naïve if I keep having faith that we're going to meet again Kaede, Nyu? You two would likely be laughing at how stupid it may sound if I told you that, right? It's okay with me, I'd rather be a little childish or naïve but still have my faith. I think that is what makes me a decent person."

He looked up towards the star covered sky, from where he was sitting it was a beautiful sight to get lost in. The sky was clear, no clouds to be seen and the stars themselves shone brightly.

He wondered though what else there lied outside of this world, how much was still hidden.

"So much what is likely going on out there, you would have known what the universe is like, didn't you? What do you think of the chances of me ever seeing them again?"

Who knew, with what he had been told by a certain individual there seemed to always be a chance no matter how small. Well, he was going to find out eventually, until then it was best to keep up his hope.

"It's getting late already, I guess it is time for me as well to get back inside. I had better make sure that I close the door this time, I don't want for Yuka to get mad at me again," he couldn't help but laugh as he thought about it, yeah he had better make sure to do it right this time otherwise he wasn't going to hear the end of it tomorrow. Closing the book he got up from his seat, making his way towards the door, wanting to go back inside the house.

"Not today Yuka, I'm going to make sure that I get to do it right. Besides I'm pretty sure that I can recall the times when you forgot to lock the door, ah well." He wasn't going to bring that up, it wasn't going to do either of them any good. Letting out a yawn he felt that perhaps now it was starting to become time for him to grab some rest as well, with the Sunday nearing its end that meant he had to get up early tomorrow and go to school. He would rather stay at home and enjoy the long sleep but he knew that a certain person inside the house was not going to take kindly to him skipping school tomorrow.

"Yeah I had better go to sleep, hopefully, Kyou-chan isn't going to do anything crazy that'll get me into trouble," he told himself as he made a mental note to make sure that he first had a good look through his room to make sure that she wasn't hiding somewhere. The last thing he needed now was another scare from her, he really wished that she was asleep in her own room.

Still, he couldn't help but smile thinking about what it was going to be like with said girl and her sister going to school as well along with the others, for that matter, Nana would certainly like it a lot more when all of her friends and kin-sisters were there than when she had at the University. It was going to be difficult to find the money for it but he definitely wanted to give it a shot, that was the right thing to do.

"You do deserve that, all of you do. You've all worked so hard to try and understand human society, I know that better than anybody. You want to be accepted by this world, you've all put in so much effort, if anybody deserves this then it's all of you." That was how he felt about it, the girls certainly deserved going to school. Closing the door behind him and locking it he turned around and headed straight for his room. Walking past the room where the twins were sleeping he was pleasantly surprised that, as he took a quick peek inside, both Kyou and Ryou were sound asleep. He felt much more at ease now.

"Good night girls," he whispered gently and closed the door, he did the same thing when he walked past the respective rooms of Mayu and Nana and finally past Yuka's room. "Goodnight, Yuka."

That morning Yuka was all by herself as Kouta, Mayu, and Saeko had already left for school early while Nana had joined Kyou and Ryou to come along on a little sightseeing with just the three of them. Yuka welcomed this tranquil moment alone but she also felt somewhat anxious being by herself, given that the only other person in the house with her was Saori, and she dreaded the possibility of the young Diclonius having a seizure after waking up. She really hoped that until the others were to come back that said girl would stay asleep and not become a risk.

That aside she had other work that she needed to look into, about a month ago she had sent out several letters applying for a job in order to help with acquiring more funds in order to keep up with the household, not to mention their daily needs and groceries. They were going to need it as their finances were going to be stretched even thinner next year.

"I wonder if we can even manage it, I'm also worried about what we're going to do about Saori-chan then?" she asked herself as she sat and reached out for the top one of the stack of envelopes in front of her, cutting open the top she pulled out the letter inside, she folded it open and began to read. With the growing problems of having to manage their finances, Yuka had decided to find herself a job, one that would, next to provide extra income to the inn, also provide her with a means to support herself when she would go to a different university once she was finished with the current one.

But it seemed that the damage had already been done, the very thing that her mother had warned her daughter about in the past, any person who had a quick look at her résumé and saw the university listed on it would dismiss her appeal without even giving her a chance.

By the time she had almost finished going through all of the letters Yuka couldn't bare it any longer, it was painful to see that nearly all of the letters she had sent had been rejected, to some she hadn't even gotten a reply in return but given how long it had been since she had sent them she wasn't surprised. Yuka's courage sank as she finished reading the last letter, still holding it in her trembling hands she let out a sigh of despair as she gazed at the ceiling.

She had been kind of expecting such a response but that didn't take away that it still felt painfully disheartening upon reading. "I've been such a fool, throwing my life away on a

whim. How could I've been so naive? I've only been fooling myself," she whispered underneath her breath though there was no need for her to keep her voice down, other than Saori there was nobody here.

With no other way for her to contribute any further to their stretched finances she began to wonder if it would be possible for her to request a loan from the bank, while it would help them she would also be getting herself into a lot of debts if things didn't get better. "We just can't keep affording this, I know that Saeko-chan likes to go to school with her friends but it's becoming such a burden on us. Nana-chan wanting to go as well isn't going to make it any easier."

What was she going to tell them? The thought of having to tell one of her adopted daughters that going to school was simply impossible, she knew she was going to break their hearts. It wasn't fair and she fully understood that, with all of the hard work that Nana had been pouring into her homework and the exams she was practicing for lately it left a bitter taste in her mouth. She had seen it with her own eyes yesterday after dinner, Nana appeared so excited when she was talking about going to school along with Kyou and Ryou as well. They all seemed so happy at the prospect of being together with each other, it was so beautiful that Yuka felt obligated to do her best to make sure that it was going to be possible for Nana to go to school.

Those happy faces and smiles deserved to be rewarded as was the growing amount of effort that Nana was pouring into her homework, last night she hadn't bothered with watching TV or playing some games, no much like Ryou she had dedicated all of her time towards the homework, even Kyou had done the same which made it clear that they really wanted this.

"I'll need to see if perhaps the Hirano's can help us with this? Maybe they can afford to take some of the charges?" She wasn't sure of it but at the very least she could go and ask them.

A painful decision had to be made because it was very likely that neither Dai or Mako could afford such an extra financial burden either, already they would be taken care of the charges for sending the twins to school, and not to forget, having to find a daycare for Sei for which they would need to pay as well.

She felt, rightly, embarrassed in that she had to ask them for such a favor, already the two of them had done so much for her family in return and this was how Kouta and her were going to repay them for all the trouble, by asking them for financial help so that one of their family could study. It left her shaking her head as she couldn't bring herself to go through with it.

A sudden knock on the door pulled Yuka away from her depressing thoughts, well at least it would serve as a, somewhat temporary, pleasant distraction. She did wonder who it could be as she wasn't expecting any of the girls to be back already and Kouta was still at school. Neither was Mayu or Saeko as both were not expected to come home until much later and she had her doubts about Nana and the twins being back already so soon. Nor could it be Nozomi as she had mentioned that she would be out for most of the day as she was making a visit to her father following one of his periodic checkups at the hospital.

As she got up on her feet she listened if she could hear a voice though it remained quiet, briefly feeling a little worried that it might be Bando on the other side of the door. Inside the main hallway, in front of the door, she had a quick glance upwards, making sure that Saori wasn't to be seen. A second knock on the door caught her attention. "Yes, just a moment, please. I'm coming."

She just prayed that it was not going to be Bando, she just could not use having him in the house. Honestly, that man could be so exhausting, or for that matter also very irritating and if the stories she had heard from both Dai and Mako he could also be pretty damn violent. He was the last kind of person that she wanted to come anywhere near any of the girls.

Opening the door she greeted her guest. "Good morning, how may I-" She stopped, her breath caught in her throat, as she looked at the person standing in front of her, her heart skipped a beat as found herself staring at a hauntingly familiar pair of blood red eyes.

She could not believe it, stumbling back to get away from the person she lost her footing and slipped, dropping to the floor instantly. "Y-You… i-it... can't... be! N-No… how is this… h-how… even possible… y-you… d-d-died…! N-N-No… no...no no no no no no..."

"You have a most curious way to greet a person. Could you rephrase your question, I find it difficult to comprehend the exact nature of it?" the man in front of her remarked, his form towering over her, a stern expression on his face, devoid of any kind of emotion, staring back at her. "I trust that I did not catch you at an unfortunate moment. Tell me, are you alone?" He asked as he leaned forward looked past her, listening if there were others present in the house.

Author's note: Hey folks,

newest addition to the story for you to read and, hopefully, enjoy. If you've got any comments on this chapter, I'd love to hear them, and you can hit me up in a PM or leave a review here if you've got any questions you'd want to ask. I'll get to them as quickly as possible though given coming week is gonna be busy it might take a day longer for me.

Sorry that it took a bit longer but I had a few parts in this chapter that required some serious editing to the point of having to rewrite those parts from scratch and I'm still not entirely satisfied with them but unless I get to post it now I'm going to be stuck editing the damn thing. It also meant that this chapter got a lot bigger than what it was initially, well your gain here.

Writing hasn't been going easy in the past few weeks as between work with having a metric crap ton of projects to finish each and every single day ( honestly, could people at least try and not come to have their prosthetic fixed the day before they go on their holiday ), various job needing to be done in and around the house, and the awful weather around here ( seriously it's either coming close tropical conditions or it's raining the entire freaking day ). None of which is doing any good to the motivation or the exercise of writing and editing material. God, I'm looking forward to my holiday though that's gonna a while as I don't get off until September.

Still, I've written far too much for an endnote, rambled far too long.

Until next time, and take care.