Just when she was going to ask him why he looked so baffled, Himeragi realized they were in a position where from any angle, it looked like she pushed him down.

"This isn't a dream is it?" She asked for good measure.

"Does it seem like a dream to you?" He said, putting effort into a glare. Himeragi immediately made eye contact and apologized, sitting up and away from him.

"I promise I don't attack people in my sleep…" she said, knowing he didn't have to listen to her explanation. Himeragi wasn't aware that he already had an explanation for her actions: it was a habit she didn't know she had from childhood.

"My father sent personal guards to invite you to the Akashi household earlier. Your parents went to the same university as my parents. It seems my father wanted to meet you for that reason." It was true but it also wasn't the real reason his father came looking for Himeragi. When Himeragi pictured her father's college friend to be stern just like he was, it seemed to make sense that they got along.

"It must have been surprising for them to see me sleeping in a locked room." It was surprising for him too and luckily she woke up after a short while, for both of their sakes. "But I guess the result is satisfactory? It makes more sense to greet the entire family together, right? I'll let my parents know—"

"No. If possible, don't ask them to reach out. My father will reach out to them."

"You don't want me to speak to your father?" She quipped, not expecting him to answer immediately.

"Yes." When she didn't respond, he wanted to follow up, as he had good intentions for trying to stop his father. But Himeragi didn't read into his answer. She didn't have enough evidence from his subtle actions to know that Akashi was doing it out of concern for her anyways.

"What if I want to accept the invitation?" Akashi was unexpectedly unnerved by her leaning toward him. Himeragi didn't expect the reaction and quickly moved back before he grabbed her wrist. "But it's not overstepping boundaries if your father wants to speak with me too…" she reasoned, looking into his eyes. There was a crease in between his eyebrows that she wanted to poke but Himeragi knew not to risk her life over such a trivial matter. Himeragi resorted to changing the subject, knowing he disliked talking about his father. "About earlier, did you perhaps not want to wake me up and let me fall on you?" She recalled he had a hand on her shoulder. Himeragi was needlessly perceptive at this moment and Akashi was not going to admit to it, since it would be admitting that he was trying to help her. "You're so kind, President. Thank you." When she phrased it that way, he bit his lip and was ready to dispel her image of him.

"Don't be so sure that I'm kind." Akashi was quick to push her down, as Himeragi realized he was not only fast but strong. Unlike Kise, who only nudged her down, Akashi had a tight grip on both of her wrists, pinning them next to her head. "You let your guard down, Vice-President." When Himeragi heard his words, she was inclined to think that Akashi wasn't doing this out of desire but rather for demonstration purposes.

"You're asking for a lot, you know? I just woke up!" she said, realizing he was being hostile even though she wasn't completely lucid. It was true that her filter wasn't as active but Himeragi knew which landmines not to step on. "Why are you so on your guard when I say that you're kind?" Her questions were making it worse, as he frowned. Even though he knew she wasn't the taciturn type that had nothing to say, every time she wondered about his actions and tried to figure out his heart, he couldn't help but turn defensive. Truthfully, he didn't know what he wanted to do, after he succeeded in holding her down.

"Why do you say such irritating things?"

"Why is it irritating to be called kind?" They frowned at one another, not understanding the other's annoyance and neither moved, although Himeragi tried to wriggle out of his grip and was unsuccessful.

"Even now, do you trust me?"

"Yeah?" Although she said it in a questioning tone, she stopped struggling against him. He didn't want to hear that. It was much easier to let go of their history if she yelled at him or said she didn't trust him.

"How can you be so sure?" Akashi retracted his hands, before leaning her chin upward with his right hand. Both noted that she expressed discomfort but neither brought it up.

"I'm not. But I don't believe you're a bad person or that you want to hurt me." Since Akashi was slightly tickling her, Himeragi was also in the mood to fight back, with words she knew he wouldn't like to hear. Besides, it still didn't make sense to her why he wanted her to not trust him or believe that he was going to do harm to her.

"You understand that you brought this upon yourself, correct?" When he leaned downwards and he shifted his grip on her wrists to hold her hands, Himeragi felt her cheeks heat up. Words were just words at the end of the day; she couldn't have prepared herself for Akashi actually carrying out his threat.

"Bring it on!" She yelled with determination, as he squeezed her hands. This time she wouldn't stop talking. Now that she was awake, Akashi's feelings were in opposition. This was all a demonstration but she had to go and say that he wasn't a bad person, like she always did. Every time she trusted him to be something he thought he wasn't, Akashi questioned what he was doing. "Why do you look so conflicted whenever you see me? Am I hurting you?" Himeragi asked, recognizing the pain his eyes were trying to hide. If he answered her now, Akashi would go against his principles and lie. Therefore Akashi chose to say something he did mean, since the moment he pinned Himeragi down.

"Push me away." Akashi said, as his final warning. Himeragi didn't move even though she knew he was serious. Her right hand touched his cheek, hoping he wouldn't pull back. He stayed in place.

"I… can't." She confessed, a little embarrassed by her own honesty. Akashi was always the one to pull away first and now that he was looking at her, she didn't want to turn him away.

"What… am I to do with you?" It was more of a question for himself. Himeragi had predicted wrong and realized his smile had a greater impact on her than expected. When his hand caressed her cheek and he didn't lean back, Himeragi closed her eyes, unable to look at him after all. In addition to tickling her earlier, Akashi's warm touch on her cheek was impacting her heart too, as she felt a strange tingle. Akashi took a glance at her nervous expression that couldn't muster any strength to open her eyes and he realized he hated the idea of another guy seeing her like this. He covered her eyes with his hand and kissed the band aid on her neck. Akashi was watching when Aomine and Kise made a fuss in the courtyard and knew the truth behind the entire situation but didn't like seeing her being handled forcefully or hurt in general. In response, Himeragi's heart beat extremely fast. Even if she couldn't see, she felt the lingering heat of Akashi's lips on the band aid. Akashi was feeling the same way, having felt her temperature from his hand holding hers. Their respective heartbeats were drowning out other sounds. Neither could tell if it was their own or the other's heartbeat that rang in their ears. When he turned away, Himeragi couldn't allow him to just leave, after making her this emotional wreck too. Holding his sleeve with her right hand, she leaned forward again.

"Promise me that when I do find out the whole truth, you'll make a decision about how you want to treat me." If Akashi had a choice, he'd wish that time never came because he knew how she'd react, even though he had been the one to hurt her. Covering her eyes once more, she heard him let out a deep sigh, the first, audible sigh she ever heard him exhale. Himeragi instinctively reached out her hands, trying to find his face, even if she wasn't able to see what kind of expression he was making. It may have been her imagination but it seemed as if Akashi intentionally moved his face closer to her hands. "Even if it hurts me, I have to know. So please?" She asked, cupping his cheeks with her hands. He wavered when he felt her warmth on his cheeks.

"Alright." He already had his answer and he hated it. He hated that he would have to choose to stay away from her. "The dinner will likely be a day during the week that we are off for winter break." It made her a bit unhappy for him to describe the week of his birthday as the week they were on winter break. When he saw her look away and nod, he also felt unhappy, imposing this boundary between them when with a stretch of his arm, he could hold her in his arms.

"Seijūrō." Later that night, he didn't expect an impromptu visit from his father. He immediately straightened up when he heard his father's voice from the doorway. His father came into his room and continued to stand, knowing that this conversation wouldn't take long.

"Yes, Father?" On the way back from work, Akashi's father was reminded of the fact that it was necessary to greet the Himeragi family for formalities and try to jog her memory, in time for Seijūrō's fifteenth birthday. But he found it strange that a girl was able to evade three of his guards and made them unable to extend the invitation.

"I was thinking of having the Himeragi family over for dinner on your birthday. Yamato said that your fiancé's memories are still not back." Seijūrō didn't move, knowing the reason behind this dinner. Himeragi having been asleep only delayed it a few weeks. After requesting that his father not include her in any arrangements, Seijūrō knew that there would eventually come a time when his father grew impatient, since Azusa would be useless to him if she couldn't help with business matters and didn't have any recollection of Seijūrō.

"Is the main purpose to help her regain her memories?"

"Correct. I'm coordinating with her father to perhaps have her stay over as well." If she spent all that time in the mansion, it was highly likely that Azusa would remember her time spent with him and his mother.

"Is there a specific reason you'd like her to remember?" When Masaomi uncharacteristically accepted Seijūrō's choice without an explanation, his son was left wondering what he had in store for Azusa.

"Rather, I'm surprised that she hasn't regained them, given the amount of time you two spend together. I simply think it makes the most sense that this is gotten out of the way, sooner than later."

"Will you cancel the engagement if her memories don't return?" Masaomi was surprised by his son's questions. He never asked questions and this could only make him think of one possibility.

"Do you have feelings for her?" Seijūrō didn't show a reaction but that was the question he didn't want to answer the most because he knew the answer. It was the answer he couldn't be honest about, especially in front of his father. "If so, I'd advise against her being your fiancé, as your feelings would hinder your judgment. It doesn't particularly matter to me if she doesn't regain her memories but it's best to get the possibility out of the way quickly if you two are to remain fiancés, although only until you graduate from Teikō." Masaomi figured that his son chose her because she was the daughter to the Himeragi Tycoon that was never announced to the public. With her family's background, business deals were easier to strike and most of all, she didn't seem like a hindrance to his son. It was a decision he supported, as long as his son did not love Himeragi Azusa, for that would complicate the situation, since they only needed to keep this up until Seijūrō entered high school in Kyoto.

"I understand." Seijūrō said, as his father didn't say anything further. Seijūrō agreed that he needed to make sure he didn't fall in love with Azusa because this engagement was only temporary but every time he thought of her being with someone else or being far away, where he couldn't reach her, he couldn't stand it. He didn't mind intimidating or being misunderstood by others to perform his duties but he couldn't harden his heart completely around her, especially since he was worried about hurting her.

"Being disliked by her eliminates these unnecessary worries." He also couldn't stand having her face the wrath of his father, which led to his decision to shelter her, since her own father didn't tell her about the Himeragi Tycoon either. Akashi made his choice, since both could happen simultaneously too.

"I'm sorry… I'd rather we both not dwell on the past, however painful it is to bear at first." He looked at the blue ribbon Himeragi gave him and closed his eyes.

Akashi Seijūrō wasn't someone that cared too much for his own birthday but he disliked the foreboding feeling he had about it this year. While waiting for the Himeragi family to arrive, he looked at the magazine he was given by Kise, with Himeragi's smile as the headlining image. Although it was just a smile, when Akashi saw it in a magazine that many other people would also see, he didn't like it.

"Who are you smiling like this for?" Because he was alone, Seijūrō said these words out loud, honestly showing his unease that Himeragi was so happy in someone else's presence. He'd see her in a few minutes and the time he didn't want to come was approaching faster than ever. Walking down the stairs, he saw her back view at the entrance. When she turned around, his eyes dilated. Her hair was let down again and just like her past self, she had parallel bobby pins that pinned her hair behind her left ear.

"Good evening, President." She said, as Seijūrō processed that she was dressed up in a baby pink lace high neck and beaded short chiffon dress that fell above her knees. It was at this same moment that he realized she grew up into a very attractive girl, someone that would easily charm other boys as well, even without smiling like she did on the magazine. "Happy—" He put up a hand that almost touched her lips, if he didn't recall that they were in front of his butler and her family members. Only Azusa caught on to what he was about to do and looked away. But her mother understood her drift and wished him a happy birthday, as he politely thanked her, still not allowing Azusa to say anything.

"Please come in." He said, not allowing himself to look at her for another second and risking that she would notice that he was staring at her.

"By now, she should have suspicions right…?" Her mother, brother and Seijūrō checked her reaction to the dinner invitation. But she took it at face value, as a reunion dinner for the parents who all went to the same university and simultaneously, a dinner to celebrate Seijūrō's birthday. Azusa didn't even question why her father wasn't present at the moment and that innocence made them all sigh.

"I guess not." Kazuki face-palmed. When she wondered why the air was so tense, she quickly turned to the person she got along best with.

"Mama, is something wrong? Did I choose the wrong dress to wear?" She quickly smiled at her daughter.

"Not at all, Azusa-chan. You chose a fine dress." Rina said, patting her daughter's shoulder, grinning at her brother, who looked envious.

"Welcome to the Akashi household. Himeragi Azusa-san, right?" Himeragi immediately bowed her head, knowing who was standing in front of her because his features were remarkably similar to Seijūrō's.

"Good evening, Akashi shachou. Thank you for inviting my family and I to dinner this evening." Standing in front of her was Akashi Masaomi, Seijūrō's father. Surprising even her parents, she did a curtsy bow and stretched the sides of her dress. The greeting was overly formal but Seijūrō was the first to realize that she judged the recipient of the bow to be authoritative enough to warrant it.

"The pleasure is mine. Please sit." Although her mother knew that Masaomi had every right to invite Azusa over, she worried that her daughter would feel uncomfortable, since Masaomi's original purpose was to ask about Azusa, when he could have just celebrated his son's birthday. With his personality, he'd make it an interrogation. But her daughter simply sat next to her brother, not feeling particularly awkward.

"Seijūrō-kun and Azusa-san are a part of the same clubs right?" her mother started, not knowing where to begin and just threw something on the table, as her husband shook his head in the background.

"With the exception of the competitive math team, yes. Unlike Akashi-kun, I have a preference for the sciences over the humanities." Azusa said. She could feel Masaomi's penetrating gaze, as he was likely analyzing her in comparison to his son. She knew that he understood the point of her sentence: to imply that his son didn't have a preference for one subject over the other because he was expected to do well, across the board. Seijūrō also stayed quiet, knowing her goodwill that he didn't ask for. When she smiled at him as if to tell him that she knew why he was frowning, his father was further intrigued by her behavior. Azusa refused to speak too much and create a loophole he could use to criticize his son and grasped that within the first few minutes of the conversation. Although it was an assumption from the look in Masaomi's eyes, she could tell that he typically only told his son to do better and to continue improving.

"Won't you speak more about your experience working with Seijūrō?"

"What would you like to know, specifically?"

"Is he properly upholding order and showcasing Teikō's maxim?" Rina's eyes widened because of all things to ask first, he chose to verify his son's duty… to the school?

"Could it be that you've been notified by the school that there is something to worry about?" Azusa asked, wondering why Masaomi would ask such a thing out of the blue, unless he was informed prior that something was wrong. It was another surprising answer, as Masaomi expected a straightforward response, considering his agents told him that she was a very honest girl. Although her parents hadn't caught on and were just as confused by her question, Himeragi knew exactly what game to play. After a long silence, he answered.

"Not at all. I allowed Seijūrō to attend Teikō because it is the top school in Tokyo for basketball. Even though we are primarily based in Kyoto, I am simply taking precautions, as my son's actions reflect on our family, regardless of where we are." Her father had said the same words, as she figured it wouldn't be productive to be very specific about Seijūrō's actions. It would do Seijūrō a disservice if she stated one thing that wasn't noteworthy either. When she wondered why her father was slightly glaring at Masaomi and the latter said nothing, Himeragi missed Kazuki's worried expression. Azusa felt herself smiling that Seijūrō chose to come all the way to Teikō. He was still allowed to make a decision for himself, even if it was because the basketball club at Teikō was top-notch.

"It's truly an honor to work with Akashi-kun and I am always thankful that he is our Student Council President and captain of the basketball team." Azusa surprised even her mother by smiling brightly. Friendship aside, he always took his duties seriously and held impeccable meetings with clear-cut agendas and action items. Masaomi was also surprised to see her smile. To see his son making someone beam like this… he couldn't think of anything that needed to be improved on in this relationship. Seijūrō didn't return Azusa's gaze, slightly cringing at how she could say such kind things so easily. What was even worse was that he knew her well enough to know that she was mostly telling the truth and partially doing it to poke fun at him.

"You hold my son in high regard, Azusa-san." She nodded her head, intentionally avoiding Seijūrō's glare.

"Stop it."

"No way." The adults couldn't tell from their indifferent facial expressions but the two of them were actually engaged in a fierce glaring contest, with neither one letting up.

"What do you think of business, Azusa-san?" Yamato and Seijūrō recognized the wry smile on Masaomi's face to mean that he had an ulterior motive for asking. He respected Yamato and Seijūrō's wishes for Azusa to not be caught up in the corporate world but that didn't mean he wouldn't test her knowledge. After getting ahold of the Himeragi family's youngest child, he wanted to see what benefits she brought. "Be it financial terms, accounting or economics in general; any of those will do. Is there a particular concept you're interested in?" He had asked these questions to Seijūrō as well, only to later tell him that it didn't matter if he had interest in the subjects; he would have to master them all. He hoped it wouldn't turn out the same way.

"Honestly not particularly." She was talking to the head of the Akashi conglomerate and nonchalantly said a vague answer, as her family members were shocked. "I keep up with stocks but otherwise, I'm more interested in the databases and code repositories of businesses." When Masaomi's eyes widened, Yamato worried that his daughter piqued his interest.

"Coding… How interesting." It was rare to hear that a middle school student was keeping track of stocks, let alone that a female student was interested in computer science. "I believe Rina-san mentioned that Azusa-san cleans the data for the quarterly reports for the Himeragi hospital?" Yamato was openly glaring at Masaomi, knowing his intentions; he was not about to let his daughter's abilities be used so easily.

"Oh no, I spend most of my time learning from the engineering team, just like I'm sure Akashi-kun learns so much from the teams that he shadows." Himeragi smiled when he glared at her, for bringing the conversation back to him. The fathers were surprised by her ability to steer the conversation, before Azusa figured it was time to stop talking about technical matters. "If I really had to name a qualm, I'd tell him to work less, however difficult that is—" She quickly covered her mouth and apologized for her fast-paced words when she made eye contact with Seijūrō. "What I meant to say is, the President will never forget his duty to his family history. He'll always not want to stop working, regardless of what I say. I say it's a qualm because I just want to see him smile. And maybe sleep some more." Seijūrō had the strong urge to facepalm as he didn't know what to say either, with Azusa saying such embarrassing things. He expected her to listen to him this time, in front of the adults, but she thought it was the perfect opportunity to speak highly of him.

" 'Smile'?" The adults asked together, as if it was a foreign concept to them.

"Yes. Isn't Akashi-kun's smile just uplifting, Akashi shachou?" Masaomi didn't move for a few moments because he hadn't seen Seijūrō smile enough, to recall what his smile looked like. When he made eye contact with his son, Seijūrō sat as still as possible, as Azusa telepathically told him to smile. He didn't.

"I suppose so." He said, not knowing what else to say. Seijūrō was surprised by the response, looking over at Azusa, who managed to disorient his father. "Now, Seijūrō, how do you feel about working with Azusa-san?" Everyone besides Azusa knew the sentiment behind his words and tensed.

"I think it is a fine partnership." As Azusa internally remarked that it was such a textbook response, her eyes darted to her sides, with her family members openly sending glares of animosity toward him. "Partnership" meant something very different to her family members than to her. But Masaomi interpreted that response to mean that there was no issue in their work together, which was quite possibly the biggest compliment he heard from his son. "Fine" was not a word that came up during their dinners together. To relieve the tense ambience, Himeragi quickly conjured up something.

"In that case, I hope to continue getting along with Akashi-kun." The adults didn't say anything, as Azusa smiled over at Seijūrō. He didn't miss the death glare her brother was flashing at him. Before her father could join in, Masaomi spoke.

"Then that's fine. I expect you will keep up with your duties, Seijūrō." Before Seijūrō replied, Azusa replied for him.

"And I will continue to support him in whatever way I can." she said, knowing that Seijūrō had a response prepared. It was interesting that she purposely got in between the two of them, as if to shield Seijūrō. Kazuki and Yamato were less than pleased, knowing Azusa's intentions for speaking up at that moment.

"Thank you for accepting the invitation, Yamato, Rina-san. It has been an enjoyable dinner. As we've agreed on, Azusa-san will be staying the night at our estate." She wasn't unwilling but just surprised by the turn of events. After she cited a lie that their butler made up about the family members being away for the night, they were shocked at how she trusted Jii-ya's words so easily. It was clearly a lie.

"Azusa, you're not going to ask where we're going?" Her brother asked.

"Should I be? I thought that'd be overstepping boundaries." Her family members were more hurt by her use of the word "boundaries," although it was probably a repeat of something her father said. Akashi looked at the interaction with a deadpan expression. This girl… As efficient as their working relationship was, she was dense.

"Happy Birthday, Seijūrō." His father said, as he stared back at him with wide eyes. Azusa smiled, as it must have been quite the rare occurrence if Seijūrō didn't know what to say back.

"Thank you, Father." he said, bowing before they all exited the dining room to see off the Himeragi family members. Azusa walked in front with her mother and they discussed what had already been done to prepare for the sleepover, as the fathers were the last ones to exit, having their own dreary conversation. Kazuki was still glaring daggers at Seijūrō and the latter purposely smiled at him.

"Yamato, it's pointless to try and stop it. Your daughter's memories were likely to come back as soon as she met my son again."

"If your son were in the same position, you'd still do this?"

"I would." Masaomi said, not blinking. Before Yamato could yell at him for being emotionless, he elaborated on what he meant. "If the possibility is there and won't go away, then yes, I'd rather it happens sooner than later, in a place where I know exactly what happened." When Yamato finally understood his point, he sighed. Truthfully, he handled matters in the same way but because he treasured his daughter so much, he couldn't bear to see her in pain, at any point in the timeline. Having to be cold the past six years was rough enough.

"Sorry to impose this on you, Azusa-chan. End of the year reports are due in a few days so it's a busy time."

"Not at all, Mama. I enjoy making spreadsheets. If I can speed up the process with code, all the better right?" They exchanged smiles as the men watched them. "Oh right, there was something I wanted to bring…" When she whispered it to her mother, the latter smiled. For the Azusa who used her allowance and scholarship with caution, to have a large shipment come in, it had to have been for a huge occasion.

"Yes, Jii-ya washed and packaged it in a gift box as you instructed."

"Please send Jii-ya my regards and gratitude. It'll be busy at the hospital so I'll finish by tomorrow night and send it to you by email."

"Azusa-chan, when you come home tomorrow, I'll be there. Okay?" Her mother had a melancholic look on her face when she said those words and she agreed, not knowing why she looked so worried, when it sounded like a happy statement.

"Then I can go over the cleaned data with you?" She asked, missing the point.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to stay in the mansion tonight. Please enjoy your stay and don't hesitate to ask for anything, Azusa-san." The look on Kazuki's face paled; even with the many servants in the house, that meant Seijūrō and Azusa were in the mansion alone.

"Thank you for your hospitality. Have a good night, Akashi shachou." She also bidded her family members good night. When they were the only two left at the entrance, maids came out to assist Himeragi, who was ready to get work done for the hospital.

"Vice-President." She expected him to be angry about the previous conversation, as she went off the rails and doused him with compliments, which caused him discomfort in front of his father. "It was a brazen move but… thank you."

"All the things I said were true, although they could have been phrased a little less sanguinely."

"Young Master, would you like to give Himeragi-sama a tour of the mansion?"

"No. She has work she has to finish." Himeragi nodded, wondering why the maids looked so surprised. In actuality, it was an order from his father to show their guest around the mansion, in hopes of Himeragi recalling her memories. "Please see to it that she also sleeps early tonight." Himeragi didn't stop him from heading back in first, already having an idea of how to draw him out of his room if he was so set on not seeing her for the rest of the night.

"Was that the first time in a long time that his father wished him a happy birthday?" The maids silently nodded their heads. As happy as it could be, it must have been ambivalent happiness since it was in the presence of other people.

"Thank you for taking care of our Young Master, Himeragi-sama." But she shook her head, unable to agree.

"No, I don't take care of Akashi-kun. I don't know enough about him to say that."

"This girl… Just like madam…"

"But it's reassuring that you all care about him very much. Even under so much pressure, it's nice to know that people care for you." As she walked up the stairs after the maids, Himeragi looked around at the cream and gold hued furniture. She thought she had seen decorations just like these, back in Kyoto, where her family used to live and recalled that the Akashi family was also based in Kyoto. There weren't any family portraits just like at her home and it made her sigh. A house without pictures… Despite her best efforts to open his heart, they both ironically could relate to being under a lot of pressure and not being very close to their family members. "If there's still time before his birthday ends, will you tell me about Akashi-kun's mother?" they nodded, leading her to her room. Trying her hardest not to think about matters of the past that also bogged her down, Himeragi got to work on her laptop. Akashi purposely made sure she couldn't see the tree that they used to sit under, as it would cause him emotional distress if she remembered tonight, when all he wanted to do was work too.

"Projections… Which four companies to invest in for quarter one of next year and why…" This work required going through at least the year's statements and extrapolating key points that supported whether to invest or not.

"I extracted the wrong column… Now to test if this sum is correct…" Himeragi was in a similar situation with multiple balance sheets and csv files that needed to be combined into one report. They worked in their rooms for four hours without stopping, realizing that it was already half an hour left of Seijūrō's birthday. Having cleaned the data and just needed to merge it into one dataframe, Himeragi got up and stretched. Now it was time to go outside. There was no guarantee that Akashi would be looking but Himeragi would use the excuse that she wanted fresh air if he didn't come out and leave the gift with him tomorrow.

"Himeragi-sama, it's too cold out here. Please go back inside!"

"Just a few minutes alright? I don't get sick often and will only be here for the night so I'd like to explore this garden." She came somewhat prepared with a heated blanket, as she looked at the roses that were still well-kept even in the frigid, winter breeze. "Who chose to have red roses in the garden?"

"The Master did." Himeragi smiled, lightly touching a bud. Akashi looked out his window and saw her out in the garden, knowing that it was a ploy to draw him outside.

"Did Akashi-kun's mother also have red hair?" They nodded and Himeragi figured that these were likely her favorite flowers or just in resemblance of her. After all, Akashi's father didn't seem to hate his son at all. Rather, he seemed awkward with showing affection. "It's strange. I can picture her having the exact same, gentle smile as Akashi-kun." Himeragi didn't have her eyes on anywhere in particular but noticed that the table at the end of the garden was well-maintained.

"The Master spends time in the garden when he can. He used to go on walks with the late madam here. The Young Master as well." As expected, he loved his wife dearly. Having come outside because it was more than ten minutes since she was in the garden, Akashi heard the maid's words, not knowing that his father was home often enough to be spending time in the garden.

"You know I don't condone inane behavior, Vice-President." Himeragi smiled at his arrival and they told the maids to leave them, as both of them would head back inside very soon.

"Can I finally say it?" Before he could reprimand her for doing her utmost to catch a cold, she smiled up at him. "Happy Birthday!" Himeragi said, holding out the black weighted blanket she bought for him. Akashi, after having been told happy birthday by his father who barely ever said it, wondered how this girl could be so uplifting. That same trait hadn't changed and he had to admit that it was what he liked so much about her.

"You seem set on the fact that I don't sleep much." He took the gift, not wanting to argue about it, since he lost the game the moment he stepped outside too.

"Anything below six hours is not good! You're still growing!" Himeragi realized after the fact that she was treating him like a little boy and facepalmed, before glancing up at his confused expression. But Akashi didn't look upset. As the moon shone down on his red hair, he let down his guard for a moment to appreciate her thinking about him. His expression was so kind and comforting, as Himeragi instinctively stepped closer to make sure this Akashi wouldn't run away. Unexpectedly, he was the one to further decrease the distance between the two. Akashi grasped her wrist, being sure not to squeeze too tightly. When she looked down at his hand holding her wrist, Akashi stared at her intently. Just looking into her eyes made him feel emotions that shouldn't have existed anymore.

"Such a slim wrist and small build… I wouldn't need to exert much strength to hurt her and yet, I'm reluctant to." At the sight of her looking at him, he suddenly recalled her crying out for him after his mother died. Akashi winced when she exhibited an uncanny resemblance to her past self, who with this same physical distance between them, cried for him not to go. Even if he tried to block them out, he could hear her crying resound in his ears.

"Let's go back inside." he said, masking his expression by turning around. Himeragi knew something was wrong and he must have remembered something that she didn't. They passed a music room on the way back to her room and when she looked at the white piano, Himeragi pictured a fleeting image of two kids playing the piano. Akashi realized she was looking into the room and immediately blocked her view by pinning her to the wall on the other side of the room. "Don't look." Even if she already recalled something, he wouldn't allow her to see anymore.

"We knew each other when we were younger right? Isn't that why you're hesitant to show me around the mansion?" Although not as vividly, she recalled playing duets with a boy on a white piano as well. When he was already stressed with work already, he couldn't bear to see her look at him with worry. It only compounded his unease.

"Stop it."

"Then when will be the right time for me to figure it out?!" She held herself back from asking questions at the dinner but now that they were alone, he was the only one stopping her.

"Do you think I can stand still knowing that you'll be hurt?! I can't just let it happen!" Akashi yelled, shocking Himeragi into staying quiet.

" 'Ore'*?" His hands held onto her shoulders and for the first time, Himeragi saw a look of panic on his face.

"You'll be hurt. You'll blame yourself and wish you could have done something you couldn't have done in your state." She didn't know the other Akashi to speak in this tone either. There must have been an incident that he didn't want her to remember.

"Am I so frail as to need protection? It's my own decision so I'll bear the weight of it."

"Why do you insist on getting hurt? When you try so hard to help me, I can only make you cry." His quivering voice made her feel teary. He sounded so hurt and sad as well, having done his best to keep her in the dark to protect her. "As the former half, I'm pleading with you. Stay away from me." The fear of her regaining her memories was so great that it awakened the previous Akashi. Before she could respond to his former half, Himeragi was confused by his next words. "Don't remember those terrible words I told you that day." Just as she noted that he used "Boku,"* she became more confused by this turn of events. She needed time to process as both Akashis had different messages addressed to her. Without a coherent response, she leaned her head on his chest, to tell him not to leave.

Ore & Boku are both ways to refer to yourself in Japanese. The distinction is made to differentiate what Oreshi says from what Bokushi says.

Damn poor Akashi, he really has it rough. Both personalities are panicking lol *says the one that did this to him*