"Jo?" Meg said as she crept over to where Kyohei was sitting in the living area. Another "Zero Hunt" had turned up nothing and they had just parked Django. "Come over here."

"What is it?" Jo came up behind Meg, her voice just barely departing from a monotone. Amy watched from the steps down from the cockpit, Sei leaning on the wall next to her.

Meg leaned in over in front of Kyo, frowning. "Hmmm. There's something wrong with his face. See how the corners of his mouth are a little higher than normal? What do you call that? Um, um, I remember - a smile! That's it. He's smiling."

Kyo chuckled and shook his head.

"And a laugh," Meg said. "Oh my Gawd, could he actually be happy?" She put a hand on his forehead. "No fever." She held his wrist. "Pulse seems normal." She looked at Kyo's legs. "And yup, he appears to be floating a millimeter above the cushion. No doubt about it, Jo, he's showing all the symptoms. He's happy. That has to be a Burst Angel first, Kyohei coming to work and not being down in the dumps." She turned to Kyohei. "And do we have the lovely and mysterious Eriko to thank for your condition?"

Kyo nodded. "Yes, Meg."

"Excellent! I like seeing you smile, Kyo; it's about time someone inverted those frowns. Eriko has my gratitude. So what happened? Spill! Did you finally meet her?"

"No, we spent Saturday night and a good chunk of yesterday talking."

"Talking? You have her phone number?"

"Voice chat through a custom app. She has some kind of medical condition and has to use a voice synthesizer."

"What kind of medical condition?"

Kyo shrugged.

"Can I talk to her?" Meg asked.

"I think she's shy," Kyo answered. "I brought it up and she says she only wants to talk to me for a while."

"Oh. Huh. Ok."

Sei interjected, "And we will respect their privacy."

"Ok," Meg said. "Still, like I keep saying, good for you, pal." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, drinking in the aromas from the kitchen area. "Ah! And now, Kyohei, my darling, tell me, what manner of repast have you prepared for us tonight?"

"Chicken tetrazzini-" Kyo started.

The oven timer beeped.

"-and it's done."

Kyo crossed to the kitchen and put on a pair of oven mitts. He pulled the steaming casserole out the oven and put it on the counter.

Sei opened a cabinet to get some plates. "Will you be joining us tonight, Kyo?"

"Like I have a choice?"

All activity in the room froze.

Sei turned around. "Excuse me?"

"That came out wrong," Kyo said. "I spend a lot of time here, and I have a lot of studying to do."

"You can leave anytime you want as long as your work is done."

"I know. I know. I'm good, Sei, really."

"Tell you what," Sei said. "After you're finished eating, you take off." She gestured at the other girls. "These three can clean up."

Amy snapped, "Thanks, Kyo!"

Kyo grinned. "What are friends for?"

Kyo served the tetrazzini, admonishing them that it was hot, and they started to eat; for once, Jo didn't reach for the hot sauce. They were joking about it when there was a knock on the door.

Sei checked the security monitor; it was her grandfather. She slid it open. "Grandfather!"

"May I come in?"

"Of course." Grandfather entered and smiled at the table. "Ah, Kyo, nice to meet you at last. Whatever that is, it smells delicious. Pity I can't stay long. Sei, can I have a private word with you?"

"Of course. Meg, do NOT eat my portion."

Sei lead her grandfather into the cockpit and touched a button closing the hatch to the rest of the huge cab. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Today, I received an unexpected visit from an old friend," Grandfather said, "a university friend who is now the commander of Tokyo's Special Investigations Unit."

Sei rolled her eyes. "Suzuki and Bando. Again. They're good cops. When will they stop hounding me and direct their attentions somewhere else?"

"My sentiments exactly. This time, Detective Suzuki seems to think you have been taking liberties with Master Tachibana."

"What-!? That's a new one on me. I trust you told your friend there was nothing to those suspicions."

"I did. And there is nothing to them, yes?"

"What-are you-don't tell me you're buying into this nonsense!"

"You've grown to be a lovely young woman, Sei, and Kyohei wouldn't be the first young man to have a crush on his boss."

Sei stared at her grandfather for a long moment before answering: "In the first place, Grandfather, Kyo is barely more than a boy, and boys don't do it for me. We actually talked about this on Saturday. I made it clear to him I prefer men, and he told me he doesn't want me. So much for that idea. And I support that decision; he has to have a life away from this madness, especially as he won't be here forever. In the second place, he is a valued member of my household and a friend, nothing more. I enjoy having him around, but there is nothing more to it than that. In the third place, he has a girlfriend, or at least a female friend he is very close to. While I might be … flattered if he fantasizes about me, it looks like he has found someone else he wants to have a relationship with; he doesn't need me. I'm surprised you gave these hysterical notions any credence, Grandfather. If it had been anyone else I would have given them a good swift punch on the nose."

Grandfather smiled. "Forgive an old man for being concerned about his granddaughter. I never should have doubted you. Please accept my apologies."

"Accepted. Will you be staying for dinner?"

"No, I'm afraid other urgent matters command my attention. I'll simply wait for the next care package."

After Grandfather had left and Sei had returned to the table - pleased that Meg hadn't eaten her portion - Meg said, "What that all about?"

Sei sighed as she wrapped some spaghetti around her fork. "It seems we have once again attracted the attention of Tokyo's finest."

Kyo asked, "Tokyo's finest what?"

Meg explained, "Two cops with the NPA's sex and mafia police, Eiji Suzuki and Ohata-"

"-Bando?"

"You know them, Kyo?"

"Bando came to Love and Happy, Meg, asking all sorts of questions. They think you're raping me or something-" He cursed. "Miss H. e-mailed one of the pics she took of us to my dad, and he was on my case. I bet he called the cops." He cursed again.

"Don't get excited about it," Sei advised. "Suzuki is an otherwise good cop who has convinced himself that shutting me down is the key to curing Tokyo's ills. Between us, if that were true, I would have shut myself down a long time ago. In any case, Suzuki and Bando sniff around every once in a while, get bored, and move on once other cases attract their attention. Don't worry about it. Look at me. Am I worried?"

"No," Kyo said. "It's just that…I…" He gave up trying to find the words and let his hands flop down to his lap. "Suddenly, I'm not hungry."

Meg hazarded, "Can I have yours?"

"Knock yourself out. Mind if I get going, Sei?"

"No."

Kyohei and the girls said their "goodnight's," then Sei walked him out to his scooter.

"Don't worry about Suzuki and Bando," Sei advised. "They're a minor irritant. Go home, get a good night's sleep, go to class, and show your fellow students what you're made of. After your performance on the test, you have no excuse for not blowing them out of the water."

"Yes, Mom. Oh, and I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier."

"I already forgot about it. You're tired and under a lot of pressure, and Tokyo's hound dogs are not helping. Perfectly understandable. You get on home, now. Drive safely."

Kyo started the scooter. "Want anything in particular tomorrow night?"

"I will have the chef's choice. Surprise me. I'm confident you will not disappoint me."

"No pressure. G'night, Sei."

"Good night, Kyohei. Say hello to Eriko for me."

"Will do."

As Kyo drove away, Sei's eyes followed the scooter, and she remembered what she had told Grandfather about Kyo's budding friendship with Eriko:

'…he doesn't need me.'

Why was the thought bothering her?

"Nonsense," she muttered with a wave of her hand, "he's just a boy." And she headed back into the trailer.