An hour or so went by and the daytime skies were shifting into twilight. Risa stood outside with Taishiro and the boys, offering Eijiro and Tamaki both hugs.

"Have a safe trip home, alright? If you're ever in town again, don't forget about us."

Eijiro grinned. "Aww, we couldn't forget you, Miss Risa! Thanks again for the food."

Risa chuckled. "You better get going, then." She looked to Taishiro next and offered him a smile. "And you know you're always welcome here, Taishiro, whenever you'd like."

"Thanks, Miss Risa. I should get these boys to the station so they don't miss their ride home."

"Stay safe out there, all of you." Risa waved them off and stood outside, watching until they disappeared from view. Her smile faded, though, when she felt a regrettably familiar presence. She turned towards Mazeru, scanning the area, then heard a crash from inside and ran to the door.

"Gramps!"

Seiryo was being pinned against the wall by Matsuro and Kenzan was sitting at the bar, swirling the drink he had poured himself.

"What the hell do you want now?" Risa demanded, her hands balling into fists.

"Ah, Risa, darling! It would seem that the elders weren't too happy with your last reply in regards to their offer," Kenzan said, smirking, "so they sent Matsuro here to help me... persuade you."

Risa looked at Seiryo. "Gramps, are you OK?"

"I-I'm fine, Risa."

"For now, at least," Kenzan remarked. "Now, Risa, about that offer?"

Risa stood upright and tried to keep her anger under control. "What do I need to do before I even consider it?"

"Ah, good girl!" Kenzan took a sip of his drink, eyeing her over the rim of the glass. "All the elders ask is that you accept your father's old position and become a captain in the organization. We've already seen what you can do and given your family's reputation, the elders deem you to be trustworthy enough of the position."

"They just want to control me."

"Now, now, Risa darling, no need to say such things." Kenzan downed the rest of his drink and stood. "But yes, a quirk like yours is better suited to be under the command of the organization."

Risa swallowed her anger and pride, more concerned with her grandfather's safety than anything else. "If I accept, no one touches Gramps again?"

"R-Risa, don't..!"

Kenzan grinned devilishly. "But of course! He would be under the protection of the organization and well looked after."

Risa sighed, looking at her grandfather apologetically. "I... will consider their proposal..."

"Excellent!" Kenzan snapped his fingers and Matsuro dropped Seiryo, following after him begrudgingly. "Now, don't forget to call when you've made up your mind. You have one week."

"If anyone touches him again," Risa started turning towards them, "if anyone comes near this place before that week is up, my answer is automatically no." Risa glared at Kenzan and Matsuro as they looked back at her.

"Understood."

"Good, now get out."

Risa locked the door behind them and rushed to Seiryo's side. "Gramps, you OK?"

Seiryo nodded, rubbing his shoulder where Matsuro had him pinned. "I'm fine, dear, don't worry." He looked up at her. "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking about your safety, Gramps. You're all I have left in this world and I'm not going to let anyone hurt you like that again."

"But you can't go to the organization, Risa, they'll never let you leave."

Risa sighed. "I know..." She helped her grandfather stand upright. "Look, I'll handle things and if I can't, I'll reach out for help. I did promise didn't I?"

"You did, but Risa you have to be careful."

"I know, Gramps..." Risa offered him a smile, as best as she could. "Come on, let's get you upstairs."

Risa got Seiryo upstairs and settled into bed for the night, feeling bad for being the cause of his exhaustion. She sat at the kitchen table, head in her hands, trying to figure out how they could safely get out of this.

'What do I do...?'

Sighing, she got up to check on Seiryo, then left him a note on the kitchen table before heading outside to clear her head.

She put earbuds in and listened to her favorite band as she aimlessly walked around until she found herself outside a large building.

'Taishiro's agency?' she wondered, looking up at the sign. 'I don't want to bother him with this... he has enough to deal with...'

Sighing she turned away and started heading for the nearby park, finding a spot where she could look out over the river. Leaning against the railing, she wondered what she was going to do about this whole mess.

She really didn't want to follow in her father's footsteps, more because she was afraid of how he ended up as a result, but she didn't want to leave her grandfather alone even if it meant protecting him.

She rubbed her forehead a moment, sighing. "Shit..."

She was so lost on what to do, but she couldn't drag Taishiro into her mess. She had to clean it up herself, she had to protect her grandfather.

'I'm not going to drag anyone else into this mess... not as long as I can handle it myself...'

She glanced back at the Fat Gum agency building, her chest tightening. 'I'm sorry, Taishiro... I'm so sorry...'

After that night, Risa avoided Taishiro. She didn't want him to worry about her, she didn't want him getting hurt because of her, and after a couple more days, Risa called Kenzan and gave him her answer.

Seiryo knew that Risa wanted only to protect him and this was how she felt she could do that best. He also knew that despite the appearance of her breaking her promise to him, she would find a way to still uphold that promise and reach out for help if it came down to it. He knew that she had been avoiding Taishiro to keep him safe as well.

'Risa... just please be careful...'