Sendagaya placed the diary back down on the desk, putting Lily's letter on top of it. His eyes were still wide with shock and confusion and disbelief. "Wow," he said slowly. "All that... happened? That's... kinda wild."

Misono nodded, feeling half compelled to laugh. Sendagaya's complete and utter astonishment at reading the whole story had brought him back on the ground, back to reality when he had been caught up in a confusing swirl of emotions. In all this bizarre, surreal mess, he seemed so wonderfully normal, so simple, so... there. Like a constant he could still rely on when everything else had been turned upside down.

Misono was glad he was here.

"I can barely believe it myself," he said and blinked, amazed at how steady his own voice sounded after being unable to speak for so long. "But... it all makes sense. Much more than the lie they told me, at the very least."

Sendagaya frowned. "What did they tell you?"

"Something about robbers." Misono tried to remember, but he couldn't piece together the whole lie anymore. "I don't recall the details... Either it made sense at the time or I thought I was too young to comprehend what was truly going on. They never told me it was Mikuni who attacked Mother... or that he was trying to save my life."

It felt strange, speaking all this out for the first time and knowing it was the truth. He wasn't repeating anyone's lies this time. This time everything he said was true.

Sendagaya nodded quietly, still trying to process everything he had just learned. "So, uh..." He frowned awkwardly. "What are you gonna do now?"

"I..." Misono took a deep breath and exhaled again, looking down at the ground and then at the moon that had wandered on outside the window, setting ever closer to the horizon. "I don't know," he admitted. "I suppose I should sort some things out with my father... and Lily." He glanced back down. Lily... How was he doing now? Was he going to wake up soon? "But... I doubt my father will be happy to hear I snuck into this room on my own."

"Just tell him everything."

Misono looked up, staring at him with wide eyes. "What?"

"I mean..." Sendagaya raked a hand through his hair. "It's better than keeping more secrets. And if you tell him Lily gave you the keys, I'm sure he's not gonna get mad."

Misono frowned, pondering the suggestion. Once again Sendagaya's words made a lot of sense. They sounded so simple, so extremely, terrifyingly simple, but now that he had spoken them out, the suggestion seemed perfectly logical. Simply talk to his father and tell him everything. No more secrets. No more hiding things from each other.

Part of him, the fussy, overthinking part, was screaming. It was recoiling and yelling and shaking its head, saying that this was too easy, this was bound to go wrong, this was bound to backfire. If things were that simple he'd already be on his way back to his father's office. Sendagaya's words sounded logical on the surface, but they were still simple, just like all his thoughts. Misono knew his father better. He shouldn't–

"Just tell him," Sendagaya said again. "Trust me, it's the best. You're a family, right?"

Misono looked up abruptly, his eyes meeting with Sendagaya's blue ones.

Sendagaya held his gaze, honest and straightforward and confident. "Families shouldn't keep secrets. That's what my grandma says, and she knows everything."

He was right. He was so right.

Something inside Misono collapsed. He gave an exhale like a hundred held breaths were leaving his body at once. Of course. They were a family... it wouldn't make sense for them to keep secrets from each other. That wasn't what families were for. He had completely forgotten about that in all this chaos, but Sendagaya had remembered, remembered even through this whole mess of lies and deceit and dark revelations.

Sendagaya was simple, but he was far from stupid. No... if anything, in his own little way, he was wiser than Misono could ever hope to be.

If he hadn't been there, Misono didn't know what he would have done. He would have been lost. He would have been completely lost if he hadn't had Sendagaya to support him and keep him grounded.

"I... You are right," he said slowly, a knot forming in his throat and chest. "I'll talk to my father and get rid of everything that still stands between us. And then I'll do the same with Lily when he wakes up." He swallowed. "Thank you, Sendagaya. Had you not been here–"

"Tetsu."

Misono paused. "What?"

"You..." Misono couldn't see it clearly in the dark, but he could have sworn that Sendagaya was blushing. "You don't gotta keep calling me Sendagaya. Just keep calling me Tetsu, senpai. That's what everybody does."

Tetsu.

Sendagaya... Tetsu.

Misono wasn't used to calling people by their first names. He had never called anyone by their first name except for his family, and he hadn't expected that to change. Addressing people like that carried a sense of familiarity that was foreign to him, and doing it made him uncomfortable. Part of him still felt uncomfortable, but the rest of him didn't mind. On the contrary. After all that had happened tonight, this felt almost... natural.

"Alright," he said, feeling his face heat up and awkwardly clearing his throat. "But only under one condition."

Sendagaya– no, Tetsu gave him a curious look. "What condition?"

Misono cleared his throat again. "I will call you by your first name," he declared, "if you will stop calling me senpai and refer to me as Misono instead... T–" His face flushed even hotter. "T– T-Tetsu."

Tetsu looked at him for a long moment, wide-eyed and awed. Then he ran a hand through his hair, looking just as awkwardly happy as Misono felt, and smiled. "Okay... Misono."

They both stared at the ground, blushing and flustered. Neither said a word.

"W-Well," Misono said at last, swallowing the strange nervous, giddy feeling, "what I was trying to say... Had you not been here, we all would have been in great trouble. I am in your debt. You are now one of the very few people I owe a favor, so be proud."

"Hey, no big deal. Anybody would do this."

Misono, who had half turned back towards the door to go back and find his father, stopped in his tracks.

"I mean..." Tetsu shrugged, but his eyes were filled with emotion. "We're friends, you know?"

Butterflies stirred inside Misono's stomach, a gentle warmth spreading through his insides. Friends. That was right. Even after all this chaos, the confession, weeks of not talking, almost cutting off contact, they were still friends. And until Misono figured out his own feelings, that was what they would remain.

That notion was oddly comforting.

"If you say so," he said, turning back to the door to hide his blush, unsure as he was that Tetsu could even see it in the dark. "Still, you have helped me a lot. Know that I am far from ungrateful."

Feeling oddly brave, he took a breath and hurried out into the night.

Misono ran across the garden, faster than he had ever run before. His breath was coming in gasps, but he didn't slow down. His feet were starting to stumble, but he paid them no mind. His eyes were fixed on the other side of the building, the only window that was still bright. Dread and stubborn courage were mingling in his chest. His father...

No more secrets.

Even if he was afraid of the outcome, he had to sit down and talk to him. About everything. Once and for all they had to clear everything up, everything that was still standing between them, unsaid and unexplained. There was no way around it anymore.

Gasping and panting, Misono stumbled in through the door and hurried along the corridors, following the light of the only illuminated room. His breath was whistling and wheezing, his sides stinging, his legs shaking. He didn't care. Only pausing for a moment to regain his breath enough to speak, Misono turned a corner and stepped into the parlor.

Bright light greeted him. Blinded, he stumbled back, blinking and squinting as he let his eyes adjust to the light of the single lamp hanging from the ceiling, the blurred figures in front of him slowly taking shape. His father and Shirota were sitting across from each other, their expressions grave, their gazes startled as they turned around to face him where he had stumbled in. Then Shirota smiled, bowed his head, and got up from the couch.

"I think I'm going to bed," he said with a look that made Misono realize he knew exactly what was going on. "Misono, do you need anything from me or are you just looking for your dad? I think you two have some stuff to talk about."

Misono frowned at him with suspicion. Did he know the whole story? Already? Before Misono himself was officially allowed to know? No way, he had to be getting paranoid.

"Good timing, Shirota," he said, coughing and clearing his throat where it was raspy after running and catching his breath. "I was just looking to speak to my father alone. You may go to sleep."

Shirota looked unsurprised. Smiling, he stepped around him into the corridor and waved at them over his shoulder. "Good night!"

"Good night, Shirota."

He disappeared into the depths of the mansion, and then Misono was left alone with his father.

Silence spread through the room.

"You..." His father cleared his throat, awkwardly and unnecessarily adjusting his glasses, his gaze resting on some distant spot behind Misono. "You should be sleeping."

Misono glanced to the side. "I couldn't sleep."

"After a night like this one, I suppose it shouldn't be surprising." His father's voice and pose were strangely stiff, his gaze flitting nervously around the room. "Is anything... the matter?"

Misono took a deep breath. Thoughts, words and explanations were chasing each other around in his head, sorting themselves into phrases and sentences, breaking apart again and rearranging themselves a dozen times over. What should he say? Should he start with telling him about the keys Lily had given him? Should he explain how he had climbed out the window and snuck over to open the forbidden door in the dead of night? Should he bring up Tetsu? Should he confess to stealing his father's keys and trying them out before he mentioned anything else?

"I..." He took another breath. "There is a lot I'd like to clear up. First of all–"

Footsteps hurried down the corridor, and a second later Mitsuki barged into the room.

"Young master!" she gasped, breathless and staggering. "There you are... I've been looking for you... the hospital... just called–"

Misono spun around. "The hospital? Lily–"

Was Lily all right? Had something happened after all, or was he waking up?

Mitsuki leaned against the doorframe, regaining her breath. "Lily is fine," she said. "They just called to say he'll be waking up soon... Should we head back to the hospital?"

Misono knew this was a bad time. He knew he should talk things out with his father, and he wasn't sure if he could work up the courage again later. He knew he should at least talk to him for a few more minutes. And yet, when he opened his mouth, his answer came without hesitation.

"Take me there. I need to be with Lily when he wakes up."

After all, Lily was his brother, even more than Mikuni was. And after the way he had treated him tonight, Misono owed him that much.

"How is he?"

Misono skidded to a halt, almost slipping and falling on the tile floor. "Lily... is he... how..." He caught his breath. "He will–"

"He's all right." The nurse smiled gently. "Everything is fine. If all goes well he'll wake up in a few minutes, although he'll still be a little drowsy for a while. Do you want to see him?"

Misono bowed his head. "Yes, please."

"Follow me." The nurse turned and motioned him along, leading him down a corridor and up to a closed door. "There he is. I'm going to leave you alone, you probably want to be alone with him, do you?" Misono blinked with surprise, and she laughed. "I know the look on your face, I've seen too many of those by now to not know what it means. If anything's wrong, please call for help!"

She opened the door and waited for Misono to step inside before closing it again, and then Misono was left alone in the room.

His eyes instantly fell on the bed under the window. The figure lying inside it was one he could have recognized from a million, familiar blond hair spilling out over the sheets, the chest underneath the covers rising and falling gently. Misono stepped closer. Lily was still asleep, looking deathly pale but very much alive, even if his expression wasn't nearly as peaceful as it usually was when he slept. Misono swallowed at the pang of guilt in his chest. That strained expression, the look of worry and mild restlessness... It was all his fault.

The darkness was getting lighter. It wasn't as pitch-black as it had been a few hours ago, the hint of blue mingling into the light betraying that dawn had to be near. Misono must have stayed up all night, and yet, as he stood next to Lily's bed and silently watched his chest rise and fall, he didn't feel tired at all.

Misono didn't know how long he had stood there when Lily stirred, his eyelashes fluttering slightly as his breath changed its rhythm, the faintest of groans escaping his lips. For a moment his eyes seemed to be staring at nothing until they finally shifted to look in the vague direction of Misono's face.

"Lily!" Misono called, his hands digging into the covers. "Lily, it's me! Can you hear me?"

For a moment Lily's lips moved silently, forming soundless words that Misono couldn't make out. Then he took a breath and blinked, his voice slurred and raspy and incredibly quiet when he finally spoke.

"M-Mi..." He pinched his eyes closed and opened them again, struggling to keep his drifting gaze fixed on Misono's face. "Mi...sono?"

"Lily!" Misono called again, his voice trembling, his throat tight. "It's me, Lily... I'm here..."

Lily's lips opened and closed soundlessly. His eyelashes fluttered open and shut, as if drifting back and forth over the edge of a dream. Then, carefully shifting his arm to brush his fingers against Misono's hand, he smiled.

"Misono," he whispered again. "I... am so sorry... for–"

"Shut up!" Misono clenched his hand around Lily's cold fingers, clenching his teeth as Lily's voice, his words cut into his conscience like a knife. "Say that again and I'll knock you back out!"

Lily chuckled weakly.

Misono tightened his grip around Lily's hand, holding on as he forced himself to look straight into Lily's drowsy eyes, his tired face, even as the guilt ate away at him from the inside. "What are you apologizing for?" he snapped, choking on the lump that was stuck in his throat, the tears stinging at the back of his eyes for the third time that night. "I'm the one who should apologize, you bastard!"

Lily blinked, surprised. For the first time since the evening he seemed more awake now, more like his usual self.

"I... went into the room," Misono admitted, and Lily's expression was enough to tell him he didn't have to clarify which room he was talking about. "I know everything now. I understand... not everything, of course. There are still things I don't understand... things I need to clarify. But at least I'm no longer ignorant to the tragedy that happened behind my back."

Lily closed his eyes, smiled sympathetically and said nothing. Misono didn't expect an answer. There was nothing to say.

"And..." Misono averted his gaze. His chest felt strangely heavy. "I read your letter."

Lily's gaze flitted back on his face as he opened his eyes, his face tightening with guilt and concern. "Misono–"

"You idiot."

The worry disappeared from Lily's face, leaving only puzzlement and surprise behind. "Pardon?"

"Idiot!" Misono shouted, and he didn't even care that his voice was shaking. "What do you mean, you'll stay by my side if I'll still have you? Of course I will, you bastard! You..." He lowered his gaze, clenching his fists, swallowing hard. "You knew I'd find out eventually," he said softly. "You... knew what I'd be thinking. And you wrote this letter... to comfort me, in case you couldn't be there to tell me yourself..." He looked back into Lily's eyes. "You may have lied to me, but... but all along you were only trying to protect me, weren't you, Lily?"

Lily didn't reply at once, and Misono didn't expect him to. He already knew the answer; Lily's letter and the look on his face said more than words could express.

"I know," he said just as Lily opened his mouth to speak. "But, Lily... Why didn't you tell me if you disliked keeping secrets from me?"

"About that..." Lily dropped his gaze. "I'm sorry, Misono. I hated to hide things from you, but... I hated the thought of you knowing the truth more. Perhaps it was the wrong decision, but you were still so young when it happened, and the truth was so sad... I didn't want you growing up with such a sad story to burden you, do you understand? I wanted you to be happy and wait with the truth until I thought you could handle it."

Misono frowned. "When did you think I could handle it? I'm sixteen years old! I'm in high school–"

"I know that. You've grown so much." Lily's eyes were soft, soft and sad, making him look so much older that Misono almost forgot he was only seventeen himself. "But you're still so young, Misono..."

"I'm barely a year younger than you, and you've known for years!"

"But it's different! I only knew you had a sad backstory, but if you had known, it would have been a thousand times sadder." Lily sighed quietly. "Even now it makes you sad, doesn't it?"

Misono glanced to the side, gazing through the window where the sun was slowly starting to appear behind the horizon, the first rays of orange falling onto the cityscape. Lily was right, of course. The secret he had learned tonight was heavy. He understood it wasn't his fault, that he couldn't have done anything to prevent the tragedy, but even so he knew that the weight of the knowledge would always remain on his shoulders, maybe lightening with time, but never disappearing entirely. Nothing would ever be the same now that he knew the truth.

And yet he didn't regret it. He didn't wish he had never found out, and he hadn't doubted the feeling for a second. He was glad to know the truth, heavy as it was. He was glad he didn't have to live a lie any longer.

"It does," he admitted, and Lily sighed again. "But now that I have this knowledge, I wouldn't want to give it up again for the world."

Lily blinked. "What do you mean?"

"It's painful, but it's still the truth." Misono closed his eyes for a moment. "And I'd rather live knowing the painful truth than stay uncertain or lie to myself forever."

Lily looked up at him as if trying to make sure if he was serious, if he really was telling the truth or if this was some attempt at a lie to make him feel better. Then he gave a small exhale, and closing his eyes as he let his features relax, he smiled.

"I'm glad to hear that, Misono," he whispered, so softly that Misono had to lean down to catch the words. "Tell me, does that mean you're allowing me to stay by your side?"

Misono couldn't help cracking a smile too. This wasn't a question. He had almost lost Lily earlier, and he wasn't going to lose him again. Especially now that he had found out the truth thanks to him, now that he understood him.

"I am," he said. "As long as you promise me not to hide anything from me anymore."

Lily opened his eyes again. His soft smile grew proud, proud but a little wistful.

"You really have grown up," he said gently, sounding almost like a parent who was both happy and sad to realize their child didn't need to be protected anymore. "You've become an adult, haven't you, Misono?"

Misono looked away. "I can't judge that myself."

"But I can tell. Don't worry, I've learned my lesson. I know you're strong now, much stronger than I thought." Lily shifted, slowly lifting an arm to pat Misono's head, his movements still sluggish but determined, growing more steady by the minute. "I'm sorry I underestimated you. I won't try to hide important things from you anymore."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Very well." Misono bowed his head to hide the emotion shining in his eyes, glowing in his face, warm and swirling, threatening to push aside the last of his pride. "Then, Snow Lily... please continue to stay with me in the future."

Misono felt lighter, almost calm as he stepped into the parlor once more, meeting his father's eyes straight on. He was still dreading this conversation a little, he had to admit that. But now that he had made up with Tetsu and Lily, taking care of the rest seemed almost like a piece of cake.

His father's gaze was tired as their eyes met, worn out by age-old guilt and a night spent awake with worries and fears. Misono was sure he had to look much the same as he paced through the room to sit down across from him, and yet he was also sure that his father was feeling every bit as alert and awake as he was.

"So," his father said slowly, his voice and position tense, "what did you want to speak to me about?"

Misono took a deep breath. He was still nervous, but the anxious feeling from earlier had disappeared. He knew what to say now, where to start.

"I know what happened that night."

His father's breath gave a hitch. He didn't say anything, but his eyes widened as his face turned even paler than it already was, his hands clenching into the fabric of his pants as he waited for Misono to continue.

"You won't have to tell me," Misono continued, his voice still steady, his gaze unwavering. "I have already found out everything... what happened, where Mother went, how I came to exist."

His father looked horror-struck but unsurprised. "It was Lily, wasn't it?"

"Yes. He gave me the keys, and I entered Mikuni's room and read everything he left behind in his diary." Mikado's face turned to disappointment, and Misono jumped up. "Don't blame him!" he shouted. "Lily only wanted to help me! He expected this day would come eventually, and together with the diary he left me a letter." His heart clenched up as he remembered the note again, the words, the simple kindness shining through every line. "He wanted to make sure I didn't lose courage after finding out the truth, so if you send him away for this, know that you will send me away with him!"

Mikado blinked at him in open shock. Then he dropped his gaze, slumping backwards into the cushions of the couch as he breathed a small humorless laugh. "Don't worry, Misono. I was never planning to send him away for revealing the truth."

Misono relaxed a little. Lily wasn't in trouble... That was a good start, at least.

"It can't be helped, anyway," Mikado continued, his tired eyes still looking nowhere. "And he did save me the burden of confessing everything to you myself." He sighed quietly. "But I suspect you still have questions, don't you?"

"Why did you do it?"

Mikado straightened up again, taken aback by the question. "What do you–"

"Why did you cheat on Moth– on your wife with my mother?" Misono clenched his fists, forcing himself to keep steady. "Why did you lie to me?"

"I cheated with your mother because she and I fell in love."

Misono stopped short. Out of all the answers he had thought of, he hadn't expected one that was as direct and honest as this.

"Maybe you won't understand. You're still young, after all. But love..." Mikado's eyes clouded over, his expression grave and dark. "Love can do the strangest things to a person. It can tempt them to do things they would never have considered otherwise... and sometimes people are weak enough to give in to that temptation."

Misono stared at the ground. For some reason Tetsu's face had appeared in his mind. He didn't understand how his father had felt back then or why he hadn't stopped himself, but for some reason he felt like he knew what he was talking about. Just a little.

"I lied because I was ashamed," his father continued, "and because I didn't want you to grow up thinking your existence had torn the family apart. It was what your mother would have wanted too... both your real one and the one who raised you, that is. I wanted to keep the secret from you–"

"For how long?"

Mikado didn't answer. Misono tensed up, his whole body tightening with foreboding and anger. "For how long were you planning to hide it from me?" he demanded. "Until I was an adult? Forever? How much longer were you planning to lie in my face while everyone around me knew the truth, Father?"

His father flinched. Turning away, he looked down at the ground, his face looking decades older with the guilt that was weighing down on it.

"I... thought we could hide it forever," he said quietly. "I thought we could raise you as your son and Mikuni's brother and no one would ever find out about our sins. Maybe I would have reconsidered it at some point... when I thought you were old enough, perhaps. But when it all threatened to come to light you were still so young, so small..." He placed a hand on Misono's shoulder, and Misono noticed it was shaking. "Even now you still seem so small to me, Misono. You are still my child, after all... But I suppose I failed to protect you too, didn't I?"

"You didn't fail to protect me."

Misono tensed in his seat. He hated to speak these words. His father didn't deserve to be comforted. He hadn't forgiven him, and he didn't want to. And yet... he had to say everything that was on his mind. He had to make peace.

"You failed to protect many people, but you... kept me safe," he admitted. "Too safe, if anything. You tried to keep me hidden in this safe garden, well protected from all sides... But I'm no longer a child, Father. In the future I'll have to protect people too."

His father sighed. "I know."

There was a moment's silence. Misono went through Mikuni's diary entries in his mind, repeating them again, word for word.

"And another thing," he said at last. "Why did you drive Mikuni away after the incident? Could you stand a wife who let a woman be killed out of jealousy but not a son who saved his brother's life?"

His father flinched, a new look of guilt crossing his face. "I... had no choice!" he said, almost spitefully. "Mikuni threatened to tell you everything. I had to send him away before it all came to light. We agreed that he would keep quiet and leave the house if his mother stayed away from you in the future. That was our deal."

Misono stared at nothing. He didn't know what to think. Ever since Mikuni had left the house he had always been angry at him, resented him for suddenly ditching him for seemingly no reason at all. Now that he knew the reason he still felt anger, anger at Mikuni for agreeing with these conditions and anger at his father for coming up with them. But there was something else. Shame... gratitude. He had thought of Mikuni as a coward, a deserter who ran away because he didn't want to handle his duties as heir of the household and selfishly pushed his younger brother into his position. Now that he knew the truth, now that he knew how much Mikuni had done for him to protect him and ensure his safety... what should he do? What should he think?

Mikuni hadn't ditched his duties. Mikuni had given up his old life and cut ties with his entire family just to make sure he was safe and unhurt. Mikuni had willingly faced the unknown and everyone's hatred for him, happily putting up with his misguided resentment as long as it meant that nothing happened to him.

As much as he hated it, he almost felt like he had to apologize to that bastard.

"He..." Misono clenched and unclenched his fists. "He never wrote that in his diary."

"That's the kind of person Mikuni is." His father smiled sadly. "Tell me... You see him at school, don't you?"

Misono blinked. "Yes."

"Then... tell him what happened today. Tell him I've had my punishment, and tell him his mother loved him. Even after everything." His father stood up, his tired eyes strangely bright as he fixed Misono's gaze and held it, sure and steady for the first time since the beginning of the night. "And when you have told him all that, tell him to come home so we can talk things out." He smiled wryly.

"We are still a family, after all."

Misono woke up to the rays of the sunset tickling his face, warm and soothing and so peaceful that if it hadn't been so late already, he might have written off last night's horrors as a dream. Right now, with the fluffy pillow under his head and the warm blanket wrapped around him, the thought that his whole life had been turned upside-down mere hours ago seemed almost absurd.

He rolled over, and for a moment everything really did seem perfectly normal. The only thing out of place was the sun, bright and orange behind the horizon when the sky outside the window should be a light morning blue; everything else looked the same as always. His bed, his room, the glass of water and his phone on the nightstand, both looking exactly the same as last night– no, this morning when he had gone to sleep.

His phone...

Instinctively Misono's hand reached out from under the blanket, closing around his phone and turning off the screen as he picked it up and unlocked it. And then the reality of last night's events hit him full force.

His phone was flooded with messages. All throughout the day countless people had texted him, Mitsuki, Dodo, Lily, Lily over and over. So many messages from Lily... and none of them left any doubt that last night had been terrifyingly, frighteningly real.

Dear Misono, I hope you are asleep and resting at the moment, but since Dodo-san was so kind as to bring me my phone, I shall still be taking the liberty of telling you everything newsworthy that happens to me! I know you'd rather know everything about the state of things as soon as you wake up, after all. I do hope there will be good news! The doctors said they might tell me when I'll be released soon.

They checked up on me a few minutes ago. Apparently my condition really is stable! Although they would not tell me about my release yet, unfortunately...

I have been put into another room. I'm sharing it with a very kind elderly man, I am glad to report that he and I get along very well! He knows very much about flowers, perhaps I will learn something new to use in the garden or at the orphanage during my stay here?

We were just brought lunch. I am sorry to say this because I'm sure they put effort and thought into it, but the food here does taste awful, to say nothing of the coffee. When the nurse asked me, I still told her it was good though because I didn't have the heart for anything else. She is such a kind person, you know?

The old gentleman fell asleep. The hospital is so quiet... There is nothing I can do at the moment except lie and wait. At least I have my phone with me, or it would be quite lonely.

I have to admit, it actually is rather lonely.

Do not mind me. It must be the boredom speaking. Everything's still all right!

Misono swallowed, his insides tensing up. Lily had always been a social person; he had never liked being alone, and especially not for a prolonged amount of time. Lying there all by himself and having nothing to do, not knowing how much longer he'd have to stay like this, must have felt like his worst nightmare.

Your friends just visited me and brought me food, books and flowers! They said they'll have to return home soon because their families need them but they promised to call and send texts and letters. It is only a shame that they had to leave the hospital so soon, visiting hours are so short... But Yuri and Mari were with them and they promised to return tomorrow with others from the orphanage!

Good news, Misono! I have just been checked up again, and the doctor said I'll be released in about the next two weeks, depending on how quickly my wound heals. In some two weeks I may already be back home!

Misono smiled and relaxed back into the pillow. Two weeks, give or take a few days. It seemed like forever... but after that time things would be back to normal. No, not fully. Things would never go back to the way they had been, but after these two weeks they would be as normal as they could possibly be. He would have his childhood friend back. And this time there would be no more lies between them.

He closed Lily's message thread, skimmed over Dodo and Mitsuki's texts also telling him about Lily's possible release, and opened the one text that was still unread. It was from Tetsu, who was still Sendagaya in his phone. Misono made a mental note to learn how to change contact names.

Tetsu's message was simple, simple and short. when u get up meet me the orphanage.

Without a second thought Misono put his phone down, peeled off the blanket and got out of bed.

Mahiru stared at the window, then at his phone, then back at the window, his eyes resting on the setting sun. "He's still not up, huh?"

"Bastard-chan should get up," Kuro mumbled, resting his head on his packed bag. "People who do nothing but sleep all day... That's how shut-ins are born."

Mahiru knocked him over the head. "Look who's talking, shut-in who wants to sleep all day!"

"Ow... How can you hit your cute roommate like that... can't deal..."

"Who's cute? And don't call yourself your roommate just because you're staying over for the summer! If anything you're my guest! Geez!"

Kuro yawned, stretched, and slumped fully over his bag, his legs stretched out behind him. "So, like," he said, half-turning his head to look vaguely in Tetsu's direction, "we still gonna leave today or do we sleep over?"

Tetsu, who had been looking at the entrance of Misono's house through the window, turned and met his gaze with a slightly guilty expression. "Sorry for keeping you guys here," he said. "If you don't wanna wait, you can go ahead... I can just catch a train or something."

Mahiru turned around and planted his hands on his hips. "Absolutely not!"

"But I'm the one who wanted to–"

"Tetsu, shut up. We all want to say goodbye to Misono before we leave!" Mahiru turned back to the window. "So thinking simply, we all wait here and then leave togeth– ah, there he is!"

Tetsu stumbled to the window, glimpsed outside, and was halfway down the stairs before the others could even move. "Be right back."

Misono walked up to the garden gate, just starting to wonder where to look for Tetsu when a familiar figure hurried out through the door, running up to him and meeting his eyes over the fence. "Hey."

"Hello," Misono replied, happy to see him but unsure where to look. "Good morn– no, good evening." He cleared his throat. "Tetsu."

"How you doing?"

"Better, I suppose." Misono looked down at his feet, unmoving even as Tetsu opened the garden gate to let him inside. "It'll take time for everything to settle down, but I think I'll manage."

"Okay." Tetsu didn't seem to be looking at him either. "Cool."

Silence.

"What..." Misono didn't really want to ask, but there was nothing else he could or should say. Lily's text flickered in front of his eyes, reminding him that his friends would have to return home soon. "What did you call me out here for?"

Tetsu ran a hand through his hair. "We're gonna head home," he said. "We already packed and stuff. We just... waited for you to wake up, so we could say goodbye and..." His voice trailed off.

Misono looked up at his face, then down at his feet. Goodbye. They had just seen each other again, and now they were parting, mere hours after talking to each other again for the first time in weeks.

Suddenly summer break felt like an eternity again.

"We... We'll keep in touch," Misono said before he could stop himself. He knew he sounded desperate, but right now he didn't care. "You can text me, and call me... I promise I won't ignore you again."

Tetsu's face lit up. "Okay."

"And..." Misono clenched his fists to keep steady, swallowing his pride. "Thank you. For... helping me out and... and supporting me... I owe you, Tetsu."

"No, it's..." Tetsu blushed slightly. "It's fine. Really."

Another awkward silence.

I'll miss you. Misono didn't know where the thought came from, but it took all of his willpower to keep himself from blurting it out loud.

But judging by Tetsu's face, he probably felt the same.

Misono didn't know how long they stood there. Behind them the sun slowly disappeared beyond the horizon, the orange and pink sky slowly turning blue and purple.

After what seemed an eternity footsteps appeared, and then the door opened, well-known voices calling out his name as they approached.

"Misono! There you are, Misono!"

Shirota, Kuro and Hugh came walking over to him, each carrying a bag, Kuro unwillingly dragging a second one that had to be Tetsu's. They all looked ready to leave, just as the sound of a car engine pulled up on the street behind Misono. Dodo, probably.

"You're leaving," Misono remarked intelligently, glad to have someone else to talk to and break the awkward silence.

"Yeah." Shirota grinned apologetically. "Sorry, we couldn't stay long. But hey, we'll see each other soon anyway, right?"

Misono paused. "At school...?"

"The ocean! We're still going as soon as Lily's recovered enough." Shirota tilted his head in question. "If you're still up for it–"

"Of course!" Misono burst out, a little too eagerly. His face turned red as he cleared his throat. "Certainly. I promised after all, and I intend to keep my promises."

Shirota grinned from ear to ear. Tetsu's face lit up too. "Awesome!"

Misono relaxed a little. Summer break seemed bearable again. He had something to look forward to, something sooner than the first day of school. He would see them all again. Shirota, Hugh, Kuro... Tetsu. Just a few weeks.

"Just tell me when Lily's okay again," Shirota added, starting to haul everyone's bags into the car. "Then we'll find a date? How's that?"

"Excellent," Misono started to say, then he stopped. After all that happened, would he even be allowed? "Wait, but my father–"

"We talked to him." Shirota smiled brightly and closed the luggage trunk, opening the car door. "Don't worry. He's okay with it."

Misono gave an involuntary sigh of relief.

Smiling slightly, he watched as his friends all got into the car, one by one. Tetsu was the last one outside, hesitating for a moment before reaching down to give Misono's hands a tight squeeze.

"See ya soon," he said, then he sat down in the last free backseat.

And as Misono listened to all their goodbyes and shouted his own back, as the children from the orphanage hurried up to his side to wave goodbye to Mr. Panda, as Tetsu's face behind the car window slowly faded from sight, he caught himself wondering if being in love with Sendagaya Tetsu might not be such a strange concept after all.