A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting! I ended up having to work today.

Fuuto wondered why Yusuke was getting up early every school morning. It wasn't like him to get up any earlier than he had to. And even then, sometimes their older brothers had to drag him out of bed. So, he'd followed him one morning, and realized he was picking up Ema. Every. Single. Day. And then, of course, they went home together.

It pissed him off. How dare that uppity punk think he was worthy of spending so much alone time with Ema? To spend so much more time with her than Fuuto got to? He'd been worried for a moment that they were dating, but observing them closely, he was pretty sure that wasn't the case. But that didn't mean he'd just sit around doing nothing about it.

That morning, he snuck into Yusuke's room and turned off his alarm so he could be the one to pick Ema up.

~.~

Ema blinked in surprise as she stared at Fuuto, his smiling face clearly recognizable even with his sunglasses and hat. Then she looked around, as though searching for Yusuke.

"Morning, gorgeous," Fuuto greeted her. "Ready to go to school?"

"Um, sure," she said, ignoring the gorgeous comment. At least his teasing wasn't obnoxious like it used to be. "But, where's Yusuke?"

"Oh, him? He couldn't make it this morning. He got caught up in bed."

"Okay," she said slowly. She was surprised Yusuke hadn't texted her. They'd walked to school every single day since the year started. Maybe he hadn't sent her a message because Fuuto came? "Did Yusuke send you to come get me?"

"No," Fuuto said with a scowl. "I came on my own. Why would I do anything that idiot said?"

She frowned. Yusuke was the one she'd poured her heart out to about her despair over being alone. She didn't think he would just forget to come or contact her. Maybe he was sick and so out of it that he'd forgotten?

"You two sure are close these days," Fuuto said, giving her a side-eyed glance.

"Well, yeah, we're friends," Ema said. Still thinking through things, she realized Fuuto came to pick her up without knowing why Yusuke walked to school with her every morning. He must have simply come because he wanted to. She smiled brightly. "But you and I are friends too, of course!"

Fuuto couldn't help smiling at her enthusiasm. She just looked so adorable. Though friendship wasn't what he wanted from her. He needed to get her to see him as someone more than a friend.

"Hey, let's hold hands," he said, intertwining his fingers with hers. "The subway is really crowded, right? I'm not used to taking it and I don't want to lose you."

"Um, okay," she agreed. The solid feel of his hand in hers made her feel secure. She would probably be on the verge of tears right now if she'd had to walk to school alone. "Hey, Fuuto?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for picking me up." She squeezed his hand. "I really appreciate it."

He was speechless for a moment. Did it really mean that much to her? Did that stupid Yusuke get this treatment all the time for picking her up? He cleared his throat before tightening his grip on her hand. "No problem. Make sure you stay close, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed, her shoulder bumping his.

~.~

"You stupid bastard!" Yusuke greeted them at school. "You turned off my alarm!" He swung around to Ema, his eyes wide with regret and concern. "I'm sorry I wasn't there. Did everything go okay? Did this jerk try anything?"

Fuuto understood Yusuke's anger—but not his concern. Was there a particular reason Yusuke picked Ema up every morning? Had something happened?

"Everything was fine," Ema said, blinking at Yusuke. "Fuuto said you couldn't make it, so he walked with me to school."

They both turned to look at him. He folded his arms behind his head and looked away. "What? Yusuke gets to spend way more time with Ema than I do. I just wanted you to myself for a little, that's all."

"Wanted her for yourself so you could do what to her?" Yusuke demanded.

"So I could talk to her, you pervert. What, do you try things when you're alone with her?"

Yusuke's face flamed red. "Of course I don't. But who knows what you would do."

"All right, all right, that's enough," Ema said, taking Yusuke's arm as she calmed down the boys. "It's time to go to class. Fuuto, if you want to come with us to school in the mornings when you can, then you're welcome to. We'll see you later, okay?"

Fuuto blew out an annoyed breath as the two walked away, Ema still holding Yusuke's arm. If she thought he'd be happy with the three of them spending time together, she'd missed the point of him picking her up entirely.

~.~

"We should try a new dessert next week," Ema told Ukyo as they made dinner that night. "I found a recipe I want to try."

"Okay," Ukyo agreed. "Let me know what ingredients we need and I'll pick them up. You'll be here for dinner next week, right? Do you want to help me plan out the meals like we did when you lived here?"

"Sure!" she agreed, both because she enjoyed meal planning with Ukyo and because it prolonged the time before she had to go home to her empty apartment. Her phone chirped and she wiped her hands on a dish rag before pulling it out to see her dad had texted her.

"Hey Ema! Filming wrapped up early today and I'll be able to make it home in time for a late dinner. Meet me at the apartment?"

She stared at the phone, her good mood crashing. She'd already planned to eat with the Asahinas. Tsubaki had a new anime airing tonight that she said she'd watch with him. And Ukyo wanted to meal plan. Slowly, she put her phone away, unaware that Ukyo had caught sight of the text and was watching her.

"So, you said you read about a new technique for frying vegetables. Will you show me tonight?" Her dad shouldn't expect her to drop her plans just because his schedule changed. And it wasn't as though he hadn't ditched her when they had established plans. She'd just pretend like she hadn't seen the text until it was too late.

~.~

Later that night, Ukyo made a call to his mother. "Hey, Mom? You're still in contact with Rintaro right?"

"Yes, of course," she said, her tone curious. "Why? Did something happen to Ema? They're living together again, right? If he's out filming, I won't be able to get ahold of him if you can't."

"No, nothing happened, but—" He sighed. "I'm thinking the arrangement with Ema living with Rintaro might not be working out for the best."

~.~

"Ema, where have you been?" Rintaro asked when she got home late that night.

"Dad?" she said, pretending to be surprised as guilt churned in her stomach over the lie. "I thought you wouldn't be home for a few more days. What are you doing here? I had dinner with the Asahinas, and Tsubaki and Azusa just started a new anime, so I watched the first episode with them after."

"Oh," Rintaro deflated. "I sent you a text. I was able to get away from filming for a bit, but just for tonight and tomorrow morning." He smiled. "At least we can have breakfast together tomorrow before I have to leave again. I'll make us omelets, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed, putting her bag down and avoiding her dad's eyes as a war waged inside of her. Her dad wanted to eat dinner with her. He came home just to be with her. But how was it fair for him to expect her to drop everything for him? For her to arrange her entire life around his schedule? Wasn't part of the point of her coming to Japan and moving in with the Asahinas so that she didn't have to deal with his crazy travel schedule anymore?

"It's been a long night, so I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning." She met his eyes briefly to give him a tight smile before going to her room.

"Good night, Ema," Rintaro said, watching her leave with concerned eyes.

~.~

Miwa ended up calling Masaomi, Louis, and Kaname to get their opinions after Ukyo called her. She trusted Ukyo, but didn't want to interfere based solely on his opinion. Ema wasn't her daughter, after all, no matter how fond she was of the young woman.

She suspected this was a difficult situation all around. She'd gotten regular reports from Masaomi and Ukyo about how Ema was doing after Ema moved in with them as well as emailing Ema herself a few times and everything had gone even better than expected. Ema seemed to fit right in at the Asahina household and Miwa's two oldest sons spoke like the atmosphere at home was much improved for having Ema there. She'd been pleased that everyone had seemed so happy with the situation.

When Rintaro told her he was returning to Japan for Ema's final year of high school, Miwa hadn't been sure how Ema would feel about it. The girl had never liked being alone and going from living in a full household where she was probably never alone to back with her dad where she would be alone for weeks at a time—that might be a hard change for the girl. At the Asahinas, she had guardians and friends right at home to support her. At home she had an absentee dad and a pet squirrel.

But she hadn't said anything to Rintaro. He'd sounded so excited at getting to be with Ema again that she hadn't had the heart to tell him maybe Ema wouldn't be as excited as him. She was certain Ema would be overjoyed to see her dad. But that wasn't the same as wanting to live in an apartment mostly by herself.

Masaomi had seemed reluctant to interfere when Miwa asked how he felt Ema was doing, but he'd admitted that Ema didn't seem as vibrant these days and that he was a little worried about her. Louis had said Ema had a tendency to hide how she was feeling and was worried that she was struggling. Kaname had, oddly, been weird at first, not seeming to want to talk about Ema, but he'd finally said he was concerned that Ema wasn't being as well taken care of with her father as she had been with the Asahinas.

So, Miwa scheduled a dinner with Rintaro while he was away filming so as not to interfere with his time with Ema. This was not a conversation she was looking forward to. But she wanted to do what was best for Ema. The girl had led an amazing life—but it hadn't always been easy and she'd had to become independent at a young age. Miwa was worried she didn't know how to be dependent on others. Living with people she could rely on and who wanted to help care for her was good for her.

"Rintaro!" she greeted, smiling brightly as he came into the restaurant. She stood to greet him and they embraced.

"I was surprised when you asked to meet," Rintaro said as he took the seat across from Miwa. "You're as busy as I am."

"Right," she said. "That's actually related to why I wanted to speak with you." She spoke to corporate leaders every day and convinced them to do what she wanted and wasn't nervous like she was for this conversation—but that was business. Personal matters were so much more complicated. "Ema had a wonderful time staying with my boys, don't you think? The reports I heard from her and them were just lovely." She smiled. "Ema is an amazing young woman. It sounds like her addition to Sunrise Mansion made everyone's lives a bit better."

Rintaro seemed confused. "Ema did seem to really enjoy herself," he said hesitantly. "And I'm thrilled she started spending so much time doing things other than gaming. I'm amazed she ended up voice acting and acting. I'm glad she's been able to experience new things."

"Yes! Opportunities she got to have living with my sons." Because, as wonderful as Ema was, neither of those things would have happened without her ties to Miwa's sons. "I'm grateful being with my boys allowed Ema to have new experiences and let others see her many wonderful talents. And allow her to be more social. She's such a lovely girl. It's a pity to keep her cooped up anywhere she can't really shine." She hesitated, a calculated pause. "How has Ema been since you returned to Japan?"

Rintaro frowned, staring down at his place. "I don't know. I'm worried that something's bothering her, but she won't tell me about it."

"Maybe," she said slowly, "it's possible that it's better for her to live in a house full people rather than an empty apartment?"

"What are you saying?" Rintaro asked, looking into her eyes.

"Ema is a lovely, lovely girl who loves to be with other people, Rintaro. She loves to serve, and help, and get to know them. She loves to have them know her. I think she flourishes in settings where she has a lot of people to love and lots of people to love her."

"Are you saying I'm not good enough for my daughter?"

She couldn't tell if his tone was disbelieving or angry. Maybe it was somewhere in the middle.

"You expected so much of her as a little girl. How young was she when you first left her alone?" She wasn't the perfect mother. She knew that. She'd wanted to make sure her sons had the resources to have every opportunity life had to offer them, so she prioritized her career to ensure she could give her sons those resources. But she'd never left them without support. And never left them alone until the oldest were adults and fully capable of taking care of themselves and others. "Don't you think maybe you should give her the gift of not being alone now that she's older? To thank her for being so independent and self-sufficient as a little girl and allowing you to pursue your dreams and career?"

"She's not alone," Rintaro said, slamming a hand on the table for emphasis. "I'm with her. You think your sons offer my daughter more support than her own father?"

"I think my sons offer her help with homework and dinner every night while you're off bushwhacking through trees," she said, her voice sharp. She took a calming breath. "Ema loves what you do. She thinks it's amazing and loves to hear your stories of travel. But the fact of the matter is that you cannot offer her the same support as my sons. When that wasn't an option, that was fine. You did your best. But now it is an option. Have you asked her where she would prefer to live? Did you ask her if she wanted to move back into an apartment with you where she would be alone for weeks on end?"

His face turned red, his expression warring between hurt, upset, and denial. "What do you know about what Ema wants? Has she told you?"

"No. But I used to receive emails from her frequently. Telling me about Subaru's games. About her latest trips with my boys. Telling me how wonderful school is. Telling me about her jobs with voicing acting and acting. I hadn't received one email since she moved back in with you, so I reached out to ask how her third year of high school was going. She told me it was fine. After all these vibrant emails, the contrast was stark."

Rintaro looked off to the side.

"I'm not saying Ema doesn't want to be with you. But maybe it would be best if she didn't live with you when you can't be with her very much."

"She's nearly an adult," he snapped. "And has been able to take care of herself for years."

"She shouldn't have had to!" Miwa shot back. "Do you have any idea how many times she left my home as a little girl with tears in her eyes because she didn't want to go back to an empty apartment? Were you aware she did that at all?" He stared back at her in stunned silence and she gentled her voice as she added, "And do you know if that's something she still does?

"I'm not suggesting that you leave Japan or that you don't strive to be as much a part of your daughter's life as you can be. But since she is a side aspect of your life, maybe you should be a side aspect of hers as well."