Soe and Leonora ponder adopting Ryo... if the kids allow it, of course.

"He has nothing," Soe said, scratching his head in frustration. "No birth records. No school records. No citizenship in either here or in Japan. And if we don't know the name of his parents, it's quite difficult to order a search. I don't even know if this is his real name at all at this point." He looked up from the papers on his office desk, all confirming that there were no public records for a boy by the name of Ryo Kurokiba at all. "Where did that boy come from, anyway?"

Leonora was seated in front of Soe, her own laptop propped up on his desk. "What I heard from the men at the pub was that he was a stowaway on a Japanese ship. The sailors found him, but it's not like they could throw him off the ship. When the ship docked at Denmark, he escaped, and ended up in that pub Alice found him in. The staff seem to be in an agreement that's how things went."

"Did he just get off at Denmark without speaking a lick of Danish? That boy..." Soe remarked, looking somewhat between amazed and disturbed. He was amazed at how Ryo managed to survive, and disturbed because kids his age definitely shouldn't have these experiences.

"Mmm, that's what I heard as well. He couldn't speak Danish at all when he got here-but he somehow found work at that pub, cleaning and washing the dishes. And now he can speak the language, and his cooking skills are something else. It's impressive, but quite a bit sad, isn't it?" Leonora had a sad little smile on her face, no doubt trying to picture Ryo's past.

"...Talent that awakened by being put through the flames of hell," Soe said, thinking back on Ryo's dishes, and the food battles he had with Alice where he'd been roped in to judge. While he hasn't bested Alice yet, there was no doubt he had potential. "...What an amazing boy. But, yes. It is quite sad."

"Nassan…" Leonora said, after a thoughtful silence. "...I think we should take him in."

Soe immediately nodded. "Of course, dear. There's no way we're leaving him fending for himself. Alice seems quite fond of him as well, huh?"

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door, then little Alice peeked in, opening the door slightly.

"Mom! Dad! It's lunchtime. I'm gonna go visit Ryo, okay? Do you want me to get something for you?"

Leonora closed her laptop screen, and got up, smiling at Alice. "I'll go with you, dear."

"Sadly I'll have to stay, I have a meeting in a short while. But hmm, how about some spicy seafood pasta?" Soe said. The Nakiri International building had its own cafeteria, and of course, the food was good. But since Alice had found Ryo's pub, she always asked Soe what he wanted, and somehow, Ryo had always managed to deliver, even when asked for off-menu items

"Gotcha!" Alice said, jumping up a bit as she held onto her mother's hand. "Be right back, dad!"

Alice left, excitedly pulling her mother along with her.

Soe was left in his office, smiling a little. They worried Alice would have no friends in Denmark when she first moved here. But it seems that for now, they had nothing to worry about.

Of course, it took Ryo a lot more convincing to actually move in with them. A couple more food battles with Alice and some mental gymnastics from Leonora finally made him give in. He was shocked at the gap in their living situations, muttering something about how even the couch was too comfortable to sleep in. Despite his complaints, Leonora found him sleeping like a log in his bed that night anyway.

Material wealth aside, Ryo was comforted by the family's routine and lifestyle. Not unlike him, the Nakiris in Denmark were hard workers. Soe was often up before sunrise, going for a run before heading to work. Leonora was often up late finishing research papers. Even Alice, as pampered as she seemed, was dedicated to her schoolwork or trying to help out her parents in the labs. Ryo was surprised by their work ethic, and similarly insisted that he keep working in the pub. Soe and Leonora agreed on the premise that he start taking some tutorial sessions so he can get back on track with schooling.

After a year, Ryo was already blending in seamlessly with Alice, Leonora, and Soe. He woke up as early as Soe did, and joined him for runs as he was on his way to the fish markets. He cooked in the pub until noon, where Alice visited on an almost daily basis, and they'd most likely have yet another food battle. When they went home, Alice and Ryo caught up on their school lectures. At night, Leonora would check on the kids, and somehow find them busy with some silly board game or reading some books together. Ryo looked every inch a part of the family, no matter how many times Alice would tell others that he was her aide.

"What are the kids up to?" Soe asked, as Leonora walked into their bedroom, after checking on Alice and Ryo upstairs.

"Reading some of those history encyclopedias," Leonora said, recalling the conversation between Alice and Ryo about samurais and imperial Japan. "Those kids are going to be nerds when they grow up!"

Soe chuckled. "Even Ryo?" he asked.

"He's really catching up with his lectures impressively. He doesn't look it, but he seems to be interested in learning," Leonora said, walking over to Soe and poking a finger to his cheek. "Just like someone I know very well."

"Oh? I wonder who that is," Soe looked amused, as if recalling times long past. Leonora meant him, of course. "Speaking of Ryo, I talked to the family lawyer. He advised we should probably apply for legal guardianship."

"That does seem to be the wisest course of action, yes," Leonora said, looking thoughtful as she took the seat across Soe on the table. "It would make a lot of things easier for him when he grows up too."

"...There is another option, though," Soe said. "We could also legally adopt him into the Nakiri family."

Leonora looked surprised. "Nassan! Are you sure you could just give away the Nakiri family name like that? It's a heavy burden to bear, as well..." That, and disrobing people and yourself when you ate something delicious was also a troublesome thing to inherit, Leonora thought to herself.

"He looks like he'll fit in well, though," Soe said, thinking back at all this time they've spent with Ryo. "...Cooks like a Nakiri, too."

Leonora was pouting at her husband now. "Hmph. You always wanted a son, didn't you, Nassan? And anyway, I have a very strong feeling the kids will both object to it."

"Huh? What makes you say that, dear?"

"Call it… a mother's intuition."

"An 'intuition' isn't very scientific or logical, now," Soe said, with a slight smile, as if teasing his wife.

Leonora pouted at him. "My intuition is science in itself! You're going to realize it sooner or later, Nassan!"

"Alice, what would you think if we adopted Ryo and he became your brother?" Leonora asked the next day, straight-to-the-point. Ryo and Soe had already left for the day, and the ladies were left at home, with Leonora dressing Alice who'd just gotten out of bed.

Alice looked completely aghast, as she tried to tame her hair with a little bunny-shaped brush on her dresser. "Mom, Ryo is supposed to be my aide! He can't possibly be my aide now if he becomes my brother! There has to be like, a clear gap between us!"

Leonora had predicted this exact response from Alice. However, she still tried to push a bit, to see if the girl would budge. "Well, brothers can look after their little sisters in the same way too, you know."

Little Alice was pouting, and looked completely opposed to the idea. "If he was my older brother then I'd, like, have to obey him, and that's no fun!"

"Oh dear," Leonora said, looking slightly concerned. "Do you really think of Ryo as beneath you, sweetie?"

"Well, of course not," Alice said, looking a little more serious. "Ryo's my equal. I want him to be my aide mostly because I think I wouldn't mind having him around me all the time 'til we grow older and stuff! But don't tell him I said that, okay?"

"Oh, Alice," Leonora smiled softly, as if realizing something. "You should be more honest about your feelings, dearie! You have to let Ryo know you care for him too, once in a while."

Alice pouted, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "Nope! Can't do! That's way too embarrassing, mom! I'm gonna be upset if you tell him any of this! Swear you're not gonna tell anyone!"

"Alright, Alice, alright," Leonora said, with a bit of a giggle. "It'll be our secret!"

After getting Alice's opinion, Leonora set her sights on Ryo, who had been busy catching up with his lectures in the library. They had been sitting together for a while now, Leonora occasionally offering help if Ryo looked like he struggled with something. Throughout all this, she wondered if the direct approach would work with Ryo, or not. He had brushed off all questions about his family or origins as long as they'd known him, like a nasty wound he wasn't ready to get looked at. She wondered if he would even open up.

"Ryo," Leonora began, trying to be gentle in her tone and her words, "do you somehow think of Alice as like, your little sister?"

"Alice? My sister? Oh, nah," Ryo responded quickly, as if not even giving the question some thought. He was way too distracted by a tough question in his workbook. "She's more of like, my wife."

Leonora was stunned. Firstly, at what Ryo said, and secondly, at how she'd been so careful to word things when she asked him, but here he was, being so direct. They could tell Ryo was making an effort to speak more politely to fit in with the Nakiris, but it was an uphill battle. "What do you mean by that, Ryo?" she asked.

"She nags a lot," Ryo said, furrowing his brows at his lecture worksheets, as if somehow imagining Alice mouthing off on him. "Like those wives who come to collect their drunk husbands at the pub all the time. Won't stop going on about this, or that. Asking me to do this, or that."

Leonora was quiet, as if trying to process all this. In her silence, Ryo suddenly paused, as if just realizing everything he'd been saying. "Uh, ma'am? Uhm, I'm sorry. Let's just forget everything I said right now."

"Oh no, it's perfectly fine, Ryo!" Leonora said. "I know she can be a handful, even Nassan and I get shocked at times," Leonora said. "I'm just… trying to figure out how you came to that word... 'wife'."

"That just, uh, flew right out of my mouth," Ryo said. He looked completely calm, but Leonora caught the way his foot started tapping on the floor, as if anxious. "I had no idea what I was saying, ma'am."

"Hmmmm..." Leonora looked at Ryo curiously. "...Ryo. Do you like our dear Alice?"

Ryo looked away, right out the window, as if trying to avoid Leonora's gaze. "O-Oh, nah. Of course not!"

But Leonora saw the way his cheeks turned slightly red, and then her eyes lit up in realization as soon as she realized what was going on.

Puppy love, huh? How cute!

"Uhm... ma'am?" Ryo suddenly said, sounding somewhat meek. "Could we not tell anyone what I'd just said? Especially, uh, sir Soe?"

Leonora chuckled. "What are you worried about? Nassan isn't that mean. But alright! It'll be our tiny little secret, Ryo!"

"I don't think we should adopt him at all, Nassan," Leonora said, as she and Soe watched over Alice and Ryo, who were walking hand-in-hand at the planetarium ahead of them. It was a weekend, and they had planned this little family trip. "I think just guardianship is fine."

"So, you asked them?" Soe's hand was also linked with his wife's. In front of them, Alice dragged Ryo to a visual exhibit of stars, and constellations. "How did it go?"

"Well… let me just put it this way," Leonora said. "Ryo might actually end up being a Nakiri someday anyway."

Soe looked confused. "What exactly do you mean by that, Leonora?"

Leonora just pouted at her husband. "Nassan! You can be really dense, you know! Just look at them."

Soe quickly looked out at Alice and Ryo, narrowing his eyes at them as if searching for something between them. Alice was now pointing at the simulation stars, and competing with Ryo over naming constellations. He could surprisingly name a lot. You look at them when you're at sea, he said. They were smiling and laughing together.

"...You're probably looking too much into it, dear," Soe said. "They're just kids."

"...Well, they are kids, but no one ever said kids can't have feelings for each other," Leonora said, watching little Alice's face light up, clearly impressed by Ryo, proceeding to point at more constellations for him to name. "And something tells me those feelings might stick around for a long while."

"What is that 'something' that tells you that? Your intuition?" Soe said, with a teasing little smile.

Again, Leonora pouted. "Hmph! You're such a nerd, Nassan! But maybe someday you'll look back at this conversation and realize I was totally right!"

a/n: My partner and I sometimes wonder a lot about Ryo's origins, there's a lot of room to speculate there, and if they basically adopted this little boy, they'd probably considered actually adopting him at least once. Anyway reviews give me life and fuel to write more! We're almost at 30 chapters? How long will I keep up with this madness?! prompt/ideas also welcome, I give all of them some thought!