Chapter 15:

"Daddy? What are you doing?" a young girl asked.

"Oh?" the man looked to his side. "I'm making a new character for my next book. Do you want to help?"

At this, the little girl nodded happily and raised her arms at him. He put her on his lap and made her look at his drawing.

"So what do you think?" the man asked.

The little girl squinted her eyes. "He looks funny. He looks like a bean!"

"That's what I'm hoping for," the man replied with an embarrassed grin. "For the character to look funny."

"But I think he looks sad and alone." After thinking for a few seconds, she then got an idea. "Can you give him a balloon?"

"Why a balloon?"

"I don't know," the girl shrugged innocently. "I'm happy whenever you buy me a balloon at the park."

"Hmm," the man said contemplatively and nodded a few times. "I think it might work." He then looked at her with an amused smile. "You know, you could be a good assistant someday."

"Really?!"

"Yes, I'm sure." He put the enthused girl down. "Now off you go. Daddy needs to work now." The girl made a pleading look that broke his heart a little. "Ok, after I'm finished, I'll show and read it to you."

The girl's face brightened. "Promise?"

"Of course, I promise."

x-x-x

Yakumo stirred in her sleep. She was feeling very happy at the moment but she could not remember why. She was vaguely aware she was smiling, drifting in and out between waking and dreaming. Contentment blanketed her from reality as though her senses had been dulled to numbness. It was a strange place, but stranger still was she didn't care much.

It was one of the best nights of sleep she'd had in recent memory. Sometimes she fell asleep because of headaches or simple fatigue, but only her body felt rested and not her mind. This time, she felt safe and secure. No anxiety, no fear of the future, no feeling of loneliness. She never wanted to leave.

Yakumo tried to hang onto this sensation as long as she could but the more she tried, the more it slipped away.

It was no use. She was now awake. Physical senses slowly crawled into her awareness and nudged her into consciousness. It didn't rob her of the feeling of satisfaction, though she couldn't remember much of anything. She slowly sat up.

Sat up? Wait… Where-?

"Oh good, you're awake." Yakumo heard from nearby.

Yakumo sat up, blinking a few times, and saw Sarah sitting on the veranda, reading a small book. She noticed it was already night and she had no idea what exact time it was. It felt like it was a whole new day already.

"Where's... where's Harima?" Yakumo asked, head looking sideways.

That's the first thing she asks, Sarah thought, amused. "He's in the kitchen, cooking dinner." When she noticed Yakumo's reaction, she continued, "Don't worry. He doesn't want to interrupt you sleeping. Since he didn't cook yesterday, he volunteered for today."

Yakumo made a small appreciative smile. "How long have I been asleep?"

"I guess an hour or so. When I got back home, you were already asleep. Harima left his jacket as a pillow for you when I watched over you."

Yakumo found that there was indeed a jacket clumped together acting as a substitute for a pillow. She took it and unraveled it to avoid making more creases.

"So how's sleeping with him?" Sarah asked casually with a carefree smile.

Yakumo quickly raised the jacket to hide half of her blushing face. "No, it's not like that." She was surprised that Sarah, a nun, had asked her such a question.

"If you say so."

Yakumo stood up. "I'm going to return his jacket. Thank you for looking after me, Sarah." She went inside the house, stepping past a sleeping Shiba.

Sarah blinked. What just happened? Yakumo should have circled around the dog, not just walk right by him. Did I miss something?

x-x-x

It was Wednesday afternoon. Sarah had just finished doing her homework due for Friday. She never wanted to leave such tasks until the last minute when they could be done right away. Mother Superior had taught her that the most valuable time was the present, not later or tomorrow. Everything had its season, but not homework, and it should be done as soon as possible. That was how life was in the orphanage.

Sarah went out for fresh air and to observe the afternoon sunset. She couldn't help but compare the peaceful landscape of Japan to the rustic view of England. The two countries were aesthetically different. There were few tall structures in England aside from the stone churches dating back centuries. Cobblestones, brick buildings, and aged structures bespoke of the country. One may see England as a modern country but from where she lived, tradition was a proud, inherent part of society.

In Japan, the trees and mountains added to the sun's appeal, coloring with different hues of orange and red. The Tsukamoto residence was a Japanese-style house and it made things appear more aged than they were. It was simple and yet very captivating. She liked this part of Japan for its appreciation of nature and tradition. It was not that different from England in that aspect.

Sarah then gazed to the veranda where she found Yakumo sleeping beside Harima.

It was a surprise to see those two in a rather intimate position. She could have taken a photo to capture that perfect moment, but she didn't expect that when she returned home it would be the first sight she would see. It was almost tempting to bless the two as a couple right then and there. Something had happened between the two but she got the feeling it was not what she thought it was. It wasn't enough.

Harima was still not able to get all the clues. All he said was that Yakumo got tired from walking with him in the zoo. It was very obvious to Sarah that it was a date but Harima talked about the animals' welfare instead of the time he had spent with Yakumo. It had been a long while since she had first helped Harima hide the animals, that she had heard anything about them. But he could have given more emphasis on his companion than the reason for their "date".

Still, she had to hand it to Yakumo to be so bold to sleep in that manner. It was as she had suspected; Yakumo was starting to get closer to him physically. It was rather an aggressive move but Sarah knew that Yakumo's actions, if not somewhat unintentional, were still in accordance with her personality, not conforming to any image. Her shy friend would never stray so far that she couldn't be recognized anymore. It would only freak Harima out. She guessed that Yakumo herself would have been surprised by her own actions.

If they continued in this pace, they wouldn't even realize when they start a relationship. It now boiled down to how Harima interpreted it.

The beginning of the road to recovery is to acknowledge the people who are still with you despite the absence of another. Mother Superior had taught her that lesson. Sarah was an orphan who didn't know her parents, but the presence of the people who raised her gave her strength to continue on. It won't completely solve the problem but it would somehow help fill a hole in her heart. Yakumo and Harima had lost someone dear to them when Tenma left for the US. There were no two other people who knew the loneliness they now felt. They could sympathize with one another and maybe they would take that same road together.

This was all speculative, however. It was still up to them (mostly Harima now) how all of this would end. That was what was tricky about the recovery of the heart. Unlike with physical injuries, there was no estimation for how long it could take to heal. It could be spontaneous or it could take years.

Never had she thought being a matchmaker would be this difficult. She had proudly declared herself as one to Yakumo when she had stayed over whilst Tenma was on a class trip. In hindsight, it would probably be easier to plan a wedding than to go through this whole process.

No, Yakumo wouldn't be like Eri who would use such an underhanded tactic to ensnare a man. Yakumo would win his heart fair and square, with a little help from her of course.

Sarah didn't know when she had started, but she found herself walking around the house from thinking.

As she was walking, she heard someone tinkering with their air conditioner. It was weird and she took a few steps to check it out.

On a raised platform was Harima looking intently at the air conditioner like some sort of a repairman. There was an open toolbox beside him. He looked pretty busy at the moment, engrossed with whatever he was doing.

Sarah resisted the urge to shout out for attention and so she went inside the house to get some answers. She went into the kitchen and saw Yakumo preparing some food.

"Say Yakumo," Sarah said, catching Yakumo's attention. "What's Harima doing on the roof?"

Yakumo thought for a second and replied, "I think he's checking if the air conditioner is broken again."

Sarah's eyes widened. "What?! He can fix that?" she asked, amazed.

"Eh, yes." Yakumo meekly answered. "Last year he fixed our air conditioner. That was when we first met."

"Wow. Harima really sure is handy to have around." Sarah said absently. "What can't that guy do?"

Yakumo fidgeted a little bit. "Um, he also unclogged the kitchen sink last week. And I once saw him fixing a pipe leak in the laundry room and a faulty light in the front gate."

Sarah's eyes widened once again. "What! He's like an all-around utility man! He can drive, cook and fix things! He's a complete husband package!" Sarah then eyed Yakumo mischievously. "You two would be like perfect parents someday! Why don't you two get married so you can adopt me!"

"S-Sarah, I don't think that's how it works." Yakumo said almost pleadingly.

"Oh right. You two need to hook up first." Sarah said with a twinkle in her eye.

Yakumo was going to see Sarah as Tenma 2.0 if she continued to be this spontaneous. There was no stopping them if their minds were already set. It would only make them more determined.

"Hey, is that a rice ball you're making?" Sarah asked.

For some reason or another, both Sarah and Tenma were the same when it came to food being able to divert their attention. "Yes. Do you want some?" Yakumo offered.

"Of course. All that homework makes me hungry." Sarah took a rice ball and began to eat. She settled herself in a chair and continued, "Now that you mention it, how did you and Harima meet?"

Yakumo put a plate of rice balls on the table and sat across Sarah, "It was last summer when he fixed our air conditioner. I was kinda surprised he was employed in that kind of job." And also about not being able to read his mind, Yakumo mentally added.

"Oh? So it wasn't that dramatic then?" Sarah asked with slight disappointment in her tone.

"Well, umm… I saw him looking depressed so I made some rice balls for him and his co-worker. He still looked sad but it made him smile somewhat while he ate."

"Ahh. Any man who eats Yakumo's food will feel their sadness go away. So that's why you're preparing rice balls while he's checking the air conditioner. That's pretty clever, even for me." Sarah winked.

Yakumo bowed slightly. Sarah was so intuitive, unlike Tenma. "He's doing it without pay this time so… I should repay him somehow at least."

"Did anything else happen when you two met?"

"He helped Iori by plucking a thorn from his paw. I didn't know Iori had something in his foot at all but Harima seemed to know it immediately. I was surprised myself."

"Harima has a sixth sense with those things. Maybe some people really are born with that kind of intuition."

Or some psychic powers, perhaps. Yakumo thought. "Now that I mention it, have you seen –"

"Imouto-san."

The two girls turned to the source of the voice and saw Harima by the doorway.

"The air conditioner is acting up again." Harima said, pointing a thumb to nowhere in particular. "I'm going to town to buy some parts. Do you need anything there?"

Yakumo started to think if there was anything missing in their groceries. For now, there were no shortages she could think of. Harima had been such a great boon in the house's maintenance that their budget never went low due to repairs.

Before she could say anything, Sarah quickly blurted out, "Flowers."

"Flowers?" Harima repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Do you need some flowers, Sarah?" Yakumo was also caught confused.

"Well, kinda. It's a nun thing." Sarah's gaze flicked on Yakumo for a split second and she continued, "I think Yakumo would like some too."

At this, Yakumo began to blush at what Sarah was planning. "No, Harima. If it's a bother it's ok-" Yakumo saw Sarah with an expression of 'Be quiet' and she stopped talking.

Harima put a hand on his chin and he became silent for a few seconds.

Yes! He's considering it! Sarah exclaimed in her mind.

"Is there an open flower shop at this hour?" Harima asked. "The shop where I buy flowers from is closed now."

Drats! I forgot about that! "If you don't happen to find one then it's okay. We're not in a rush." Sarah replied.

"Ok then. See you two later."

Before he left, Yakumo quickly said, "Umm, Harima? I've prepared some rice balls; a little thanks for all the work you've done lately." Sarah mentally noted to pat Yakumo's shoulder later.

"I need to go now but I guess a single rice ball won't be so bad." Harima walked towards the kitchen table as Yakumo showed him the plate of rice balls.

Harima eyed the rice balls. Good, it's not a square, he thought. He never wanted to eat such strangely shaped rice balls ever again. How could they be so hard to prepare? Tenma must have sweaty palms or something.

"Thanks, Imouto-san." He grabbed one and took a bite.

It was very good. This is the right way to make a perfect rice ball, Harima thought. Not too salty but not bland either. And it still retains its shape after being bitten. An image of Eri's compromised rice balls came to mind. The rich blonde might have used a high-quality grain that wasn't suitable for rice balls and crumbled upon touch. You can't use money to get your way all the time, Rich Girl.

Yakumo stared at Harima, wishing she could read his mind despite the mundane thoughts he was actually having.

"I don't know how you do it but you make delicious rice balls." Harima said after he finished eating. He turned around and continued, "I remember it's like the time when we first met. I should be going now. Thanks again, Imouto-san." He raised a hand in a farewell gesture and walked away.

"No problem." Yakumo softly replied, a blush on her cheeks. He… he remembered.

A revving of an engine started, signaling Harima's departure, and soon enough the roaring sound was gone.

Yakumo felt something patting her shoulder.

"Good work, Yakumo." Sarah said. "Nice save there."

"Why did you say flowers earlier?"

"What's wrong with it? I heard from your sister that Harima has a good taste for flowers. That's something unusual for a boy, you know."

Yakumo had seen the flowers Harima gave to her sister. It was during her birthday and the day... she left. It was quite a bouquet but as usual, his gifts were always overshadowed by Karasuma. The stoic boy's presence alone weighed more than a field of flowers for Tenma.

"He really does surprise me at times." Yakumo admitted.

"So what were you asking before Harima interrupted us?"

"Oh that. I haven't seen Iori today. Have you seen him?"

Sarah took another rice ball. "No, I haven't. I haven't seen him today at all."

"Where do you think he is?"

"Don't worry. He's a cat. Who knows what he wants and where he goes."

"Harima seems to know." Yakumo weakly muttered.

"Pardon?"

Yakumo quickly waved her hands. "No, nothing."

"Yakumo, my sister-sense heard "Harima". Don't try to deny it." Yakumo wasn't entirely sure if she was talking about her nunship or as an actual sibling when she said "sister," but for Sarah, both suited equally well.

"Uh, well... He did remove a thorn from Iori's paw so maybe he knows how cats think. At the zoo, he knew what the animals needed there."

"He did say the animals are doing fine. Wait. Now that you mention it, how did that go? We've been so busy at school these few days that I haven't asked you yet."

Yakumo bowed, a tint of red on her cheeks. "Nothing… really happened..."

"That's not what your face is saying." Sarah scooted near her. "How did your date go? I want all the juicy details, okay?

Yakumo sighed. There was no point hiding it from Sarah once she insisted. She then began to recall their "date". No doubt Sarah would have a follow-up question every now and then.

"It started when Harima suddenly asked me out…"

Sarah let out a small squeal.

This could take a while.

x-x-x

Harima stood outside of a hardware store. It was getting dark now and artificial lights were starting to light up. And in Japan, bright neon lights or anything obnoxious was used everywhere to advertise businesses. An appliance store was like a blinding beacon, every appliance flashing its own dots of light on and off. There was so much emphasis on outward appearances, and he knew first-hand how vain it really was.

The dazzling lights made him squint his eyes and he somehow missed wearing his sunglasses. Even at night or while drawing his manga, he was accustomed to wearing it. How he survived wearing sunglasses in impractical situations was beyond him.

Though he really knew the reason why he started.

Shrugging the thought away, Harima stared through the window at the displayed AC units one by one out of sheer curiosity. Each brand new AC would have more features than the one before it, and with it, a notch in the price. Harima thought that if Eri ever had a problem with their AC unit, she would most likely buy a new one instead of trying to fix it. And that new one would be the most expensive one.

He didn't like that kind of mentality. It was wasteful, and you wouldn't get any better at maintaining your own house if you always left it to others.

Now that he thought about it, was Eri bad at cooking because she didn't cook in her own house? That Masaru guy did beat him in a cooking contest, and it was very likely he was their cook. There seemed to be more to Nakamura than what he first thought and he seemed like the kind of guy who could cook really well. It made a lot of sense actually. He wouldn't be surprised if the rich heiress was bad at sewing and other household chores too.

Going back to his actual objective, he began to think of what to buy. He needed to replace a faulty capacitor this time. Last year, it was the fan that had broken due to accumulated dust. He couldn't blame the Tsukamoto sisters for not noticing it. What he didn't expect was overhearing Tenma saying something bad against him. It was as if a dagger had pierced his heart and wiggled around as the words continued to echo inside his mind. Good thing that Yakumo had somehow made the situation bearable for him. It was hard to be sad while eating something delicious.

The spirit is crying but the body is well fed. Nothing wrong with that.

While Harima was thinking of what kind of a capacitor he needed (cursing himself for not bringing a note with him), he was suddenly bumped from behind forcefully. It took him by surprise and he nearly face-planted the glass window.

"Look where you're standing, asshole." It was an arrogant, male voice and his tone alone made Harima's blood boil.

Harima's cowlick twitched, an awful aura slowly radiated out from him.

He slowly turned and said in a deadly tone, "What did you just say to me, punk?" He eyed the unfortunate man beside him so balefully that the blood drained from the man's face.

"Hey dude, chill!" the man said. "I didn't say anything!"

"Are you the one who bumped me?" Harima asked, the same tone still carrying.

"No. I was also bumped but I didn't hear anyone say anything."

Harima's eyebrows furrowed and he looked around. What? I swear I heard someone earlier. He then noticed a girl approaching him and she bowed.

"I'm very sorry about what he did to you." She had a gentle voice, much like that of Yakumo, though it was not so overbearingly polite and hesitant like hers.

Harima blinked and stared at her. The girl was wearing a white long-sleeved V-neck wool shirt with a sky-blue dress underneath, the collar buttoned closed. She had long dark hair and her looks reminded Harima of Tougo's little sister, Haruna, one of Yakumo's classmates. She was definitely not the one who called him an "asshole" earlier by the looks of it.

"No, it's alright." Harima replied, still confused. "It must have been an accident."

The girl bowed once again and she ran off.

"That was weird."

"Sir, is she your girlfriend or something?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S MY GIRLFRIEND?!" Harima exclaimed, clutching and shaking the man by his shirt collar.

"C-calm down, s-sir. I-I just started working here."

Harima stopped. "You're an employee here?"

The man feebly nodded.

"I have a faulty AC unit. Do you have a spare AC capacitor for sale?"

"Yes sir."

Harima beamed with pleasure.

"Sir? Please let me go."

Harima quickly released his grip. "Oh right. Sorry about that." Harima apologized with a faint laugh.

The man regained his composure and led him towards the store. "This way sir."

Harima gazed out once again towards the street.

I was sure someone…

With a shrug, he followed the employee inside.

x-x-x

2 days later

Yakumo was in Harima's room reading the finished manuscript. It was Friday night and Harima was going to whatever destination set to him by Eri. It was now predictable when Eri would show up. Usually, she would appear whenever Harima had nothing else to do, specifically around weekends. So the result was that Harima was busy all week and whatever free time he had would be spent on sleeping.

She didn't think this was a deliberate move by Eri. Eri and Harima's outings could be taken as dates in themselves but she got a feeling Harima didn't quite enjoy them as such. He would mostly complain or be in a bad mood the day after. It also didn't help that he would go home very late.

He didn't act like this when he was with herself last Sunday. He looked rather lively and rejuvenated when they got home. To be honest, she had gotten tired just from walking around but Harima looked like he wasn't tired at all. He cooked dinner and washed the dishes after. Normally, it wouldn't fall to the one who cooked, and yet he insisted that Sarah might be tired from her Sunday activities and Yakumo from going to the zoo with him. It made her suspect that Harima somewhat favored her company over Eri's.

Her "dates" with Harima may not be frequent like Eri's but she now spends time with him during lunch on Mondays and Tuesdays to discuss his manga's story. After that, he would draw the layouts and by Thursday, he would ask for her opinion on the overall story and for help inking the layouts. Friday would be for correcting and re-checking the manuscript so there would be no hassles come Saturday. It was quite a neat schedule for his manga, and Yakumo hoped that Sunday would be their time for themselves, going to the zoo perhaps. That day was the most ideal because Yakumo had no work, Harima would have just handed in his manuscript, and Sarah had church.

She had no complaints about this, unless Eri had something in mind.

The manuscript she was reading was already finished but Yakumo wanted to read his manga for leisure. It still felt odd reading a story with a character looking like her. She may get accustomed to it like Harima eventually. He wasn't bothered at all that the main character looked like him despite the main character sometimes acting in a way that he himself would not admit to doing in real life. His actions were a bit cheesy at times but Harima had that gentle side to him so it was plausible. Maybe he hadn't noticed or acknowledged it yet.

His manga revealed parts of his subconscious even though he told her his manga wasn't connected to his life whatsoever. She wondered if that would happen to her as well, that her feelings for him would show in the manga and then...

Now she understood why Harima overreacted when she had asked if he liked Tenma, based on his manga. If Harima did the same, she didn't know if she could hide it anymore. Just like Sarah said, she was bad at lying, though given Harima's obliviousness, he might not even notice in the first place.

This was all too early to tell. But it wouldn't be too bad if events unfolded like that, with the way things were going now. She continued reading the manuscript with a small but otherwise hopeful smile.

x-x-x

"Tell me, Rich Girl," Harima said, breaking the silence. He was with Eri in her limousine going to a particular restaurant in Tokyo. It was more of an ambush again when Eri cornered him after school, though this wasn't strange to him anymore.

"I have a name." Eri cut in.

"I know." Harima answered unperturbed and continued. "You once said a friend invited you to this Oyster Bar. But after being around you for a time now, I don't think it's what it sounds like."

"Oh? Do tell?" Eri said with a little admonishment in her tone.

"You said the invite was from a friend. That raises a flag since I haven't seen you with a friend outside school. It's not really a friend-friend, right?"

A vein throbbed in Eri's head. What does he mean I don't have any friends? That made her angry but the fact that it was true and it came from Harima of all idiots made it even more maddening. She should give him more credit for thinking every once in a while.

Eri flipped her hair over her shoulder quite sassily in an attempt to recover lost composure and answered, "Yes, you're correct." Wow. I can't believe I said that. "He's one of my father's business colleagues. You've been to one of his restaurants when you recklessly tried to treat Tenma during her birthday." Eri shot him a sharp look, which Harima reacted to visibly like he'd been stabbed through the heart. "That expensive restaurant belongs to Mr. Hayashi. I can say his son is pretty dull in a conversation."

Yeah. I agree, Harima thought. Rich people talk about the dumbest things. Wow. I can't believe I agreed with her.

"So is this Oyster bar also his?" Harima asked.

"No. It's owned by someone else." Eri shifted in her seat and looked towards the limousine's tinted window. "I knew that man wouldn't have gone even to its grand opening so I invited you out back then." The way she spat "that man" suggested a mutual distaste between them. Harima had been around her so much now that he had started to notice such things and it scared him.

"Unfortunately we didn't get the chance to eat there that time so we got invited today." Eri continued.

Harima crossed his arms and harrumphed. "We all know who to thank for that."

"I said I was sorry!" Eri retorted. "How many times -" She stopped and hung her head low, hands on her lap. She admitted it was her fault. How she had forgotten to bring any money was so uncharacteristic of her. She didn't spend her money frivolously but it was still a necessity. Had her excitement made her forget?

She felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked to her side and saw Harima staring at her. "It's okay. I'm… I'm sorry." Harima apologized. He released his hand and looked away. "I… if I had realized sooner that I had my cellphone with me then it wouldn't have gone so badly. I'm just being a little ungrateful. Sorry for the trouble."

A blush flushed across Eri's face. Is this Harima? Why won't my heart shut up!

"But… but it wasn't all that bad." Eri said softly, a little flustered. "At least I saw what Tokyo looks like at night. It was my first time."

"A city can be very different at night. Believe me." Harima said sagely, remembering a certain image of Yagami city.

Several seconds passed and no one said anything. It was getting awkward and Eri repeatedly glanced at Harima out the corner of her eyes, somehow wishing he would start talking again. She was still feeling a little giddy from the sudden rise in her heart rate and she felt like she might burst out if she tried to talk.

"So about this Oyster restaurant…" Harima finally said.

Eri sank in disappointment. Back to that annoying subject. "Yes. As I said, my father's colleague asked us to go." Eri said, going back to explanation mode. "I usually represent our family to meet up with the owner or the owner's chosen representative. That's when things get ugly."

"You don't like most of their representatives." Harima noted.

"I don't have any problems with this restaurant's owner. I can say he is a very good gentleman, well respected and liked by my own family. He is a friend, a family friend that is." Eri's eyes then sharpened. "But I can't say the same about his grandson."

Harima listened intently. He knew what kind of people Eri hated. If that was any indication, this man must be a self-entitled, spoiled, egotistic narcissist who looks down on everybody and rides on the coattails of his family's success and reputation to get what he wants. Harima had a little idea of who this man could be.

"We should tread carefully with that man." Eri said cautiously. "He's very crafty and manipulative and he would use anything at his disposal to discredit us. He's the one who actually invited us tonight and I bet he's planning on doing something."

Harima remembered seeing Max almost pleading with him to stop Eri from her decision. The blond guy looked desperate and it takes real courage to fight the hand who feeds you. He had no choice and, despite it hurting him deep in his heart, he wanted her to be happy. Harima could sympathize with him and he saw a little of himself in that guy, as much as he hated comparing himself to that weird foreigner.

Eri narrowed her eyes and replied with an edge in her voice, "We're going to have dinner with that man: Shawn."

x-x-x

Yakumo was reading the manga manuscript but unbeknownst to her, an entity hovered behind her. A young girl was looking down upon her, but Yakumo couldn't sense nor see her.

The last time the ghost saw her like this was when she was reading a children's book. Despite reminiscing happy memories, there was an emotion of regret and sadness within her. She had just passed on an opportunity to be with the man she loved and instead let him be with the girl he truly loved.

The ghost couldn't understand why she would do such a thing. She had explained her reasons but it made no sense.

It was preposterous. Tenma had chosen a man for herself and yet this girl insisted on pairing her with Harima. Whose happiness was she trying to achieve: Tenma or Harima's? Either way, she was doing it at the cost of her own happiness. If those two ended up together, she would endure the rest of her days seeing the man she loved with a different woman, and that woman would be her sister. It was easy to penetrate her mind with the emotional damage she was doing to herself.

However, this time was different. It didn't go that way. Yakumo was happy and there was no trace of loneliness or sadness dwelling in her heart. This might have been because of him. She was indeed correct that Harima posed a problem when he stayed here, though it gave her the chance to finally meet him and discover his strange gift.

She couldn't interfere directly but she wasn't going to pass up an opportunity. It still depended on what state they were in, in order for her plans to succeed. Getting his powers was proving to be more challenging than she had initially thought, but this girl here would suffice. She had nearly succeeded that one time but was surprised by the girl's reaction.

There would be another chance, she was certain. And this time, there wouldn't be a struggle.

The young girl closed her eyes and slowly vanished, waiting for the right time to make her next move.

Author's Corner: I was very busy these several weeks. I thought I would not post an update until next year but I managed! I also made this a longer chapter than normal because it's the holidays.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to my readers. A review would be a nifty gift for me.