Ina pressed herself against Kuro-kun's chest, seeking comfort in his warmth and strength. She clung to him as they walked down the deserted street, her mind reeling with confusion and shame. "I don't know what I'll do now," she sobbed into his shoulder, tears streaming down her face. Kuro-kun remained silent, simply offering his support and allowing her to lean on him until they reached their house.
Once inside, he guided her to the couch, helping her sit down before collapsing beside her.

"I'm sorry, Ina." Kuro-kun repeated. It was the only thing he could think to say right now.
What do you say to someone who's just lost everything?
What do you do to comfort someone who just lost the thing most important to them?

Ina looked up, her eyes red-rimmed with tears. She sniffled softly, unable to speak above her sobs. Finally, she managed a broken whisper, "Thank you... for being here... with me." She buried her face in his chest, allowing him to absorb the bulk of her grief and despair. Her body shook with each sob, and hot tears stained his shirt as they continued to flow unchecked. Kuro-kun held her at his chest. He knew the best thing he could do for her right now was to be there for her. He held her until the last of her tears were spilled.

Ina pressed up tightly against Kuro-kun's chest, her breathing gradually calming down as she released the pent-up emotions. After several minutes of silence, she pulled away slightly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I... I don't know what to do now," she admitted softly, her voice trembling with exhaustion and humiliation. "We can figure that out together. You can just stay here for as long as you need to." Kuro-kun said, a sympathetic smile on his face.

Ina perked up slightly in gratitude, and she nodded gratefully. "Thank you... I really don't know where else to go right now." As they sat together on the couch, time seemed to stand still for a while. Ina tried to compose herself, dabbing at her face with a tissue Kuro-kun had handed her earlier. Finally, she cleared her throat awkwardly. "So, uh, what should we do next?" Her voice trembled slightly, betraying the lingering turmoil within her. "I'm not sure." Kuro-kun admitted. "We can figure that out together. But, for now, you can just stay here and figure things out. With that, they both fell quiet. They sat there for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Eventually, exhaustion caught up to them both, and they drifted off to fitful sleep.

The next day, Kuro-kun was woken up by the alarm on his phone. As he silence the noisy machine, he found Ina tightly clutching his arm. He decided to wait for her to wake up.
She looked so peaceful, lying there, just sleeping. She looked so at peace, like all the worries of the world had miraculously fallen off of her. She felt so light and soft on his arm, like he could lift her with the smallest effort. Ina's nose twitched and she slightly readjusted herself, never letting go of his arm. Kuro-kun just sat there, entranced by this sleepy little girl on his arm. He sat there, taking in this intimate moment they shared. Kuro-kun was afraid the smallest movement might break the spell, he sat carefully observing, trying not to move.

Ina's pointy ears twitched slightly as her eyes opened just enough for her to see. Slowly, she opened her eyes, the fogginess in her head slowly vanishing as she realised what had happened. She looked up drearily and, as she met Kuro-kun's gaze, she spoke. "Good morning..."
"Good morning to you too." Kuro-kun replied with a smile. "You want breakfast?"
"Actually... I yawn want to take a shower first." Ina said, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes. "After that, I'd love some breakfast." She said before nuzzling her face against his chest.

With a deep breath, she sat up, stretching her limbs before standing up straight. Her body felt sore from the previous day's events and her sleep on the couch, but there was also a newfound determination burning within her. "I... I think I need some time alone to figure things out," she said hesitantly, trying to mask the uncertainty and fear that still lingered. She walked over to the window, gazing outside at the cityscape. The sun had already risen, casting warm rays through the curtains, painting everything in golden light. It offered a brief moment of respite from the storm clouds brewing inside her head.

Kuro-kun remained seated, silently contemplating his next move. "I understand. You take some alone time. I'll talk to you later." He said, not looking at her.
Ina looked at him with some concern, but she nodded and hurried out of the room. The door closed behind her, leaving Kuro-kun alone with his thoughts. He took a deep breath before standing up and pacing around the room, his mind racing with questions and concerns about their future together.

Ina wandered aimlessly through the city, her mind a chaotic mess of conflicting emotions. On one hand, she was grateful for Kuro-kun's support and understanding; but on the other hand, she couldn't help but feel lost and adrift in this new reality. She found herself at a park, sitting on a bench overlooking a serene pond. The tranquil surroundings provided some solace, but they only served to heighten her feelings of isolation. She stared into the water, watching the fish swim lazily below the surface, wishing for some semblance of normalcy. She sat there, trying to make sense out of the ruins of her former life.
Everything had changed in those few days... She used to be a streamer, an employee... a normal person. .. ... ... And now... she was nothing. She was alone. There was nothing she could do and she had no idea where to go now... As she sat there staring, time seemed to pass in the blink of an eye and before she knew it, the sun began to set.
Ina got up and decided to head home.

As she got home, she found Kuro-kun cooking dinner. "Ah, Ina. You're just in time for dinner. Have a seat, it's almost done." he said in a neutral tone, trying not to sound too cheery.
They ate dinner together in silence. The only thing they heard was the sound of their cutlery on the plates.
After dinner, Ina was packing the dishwasher when she heard shuffling behind her.
Ina's ears perked up at the sound of footsteps and she turned her head to see Kuro-kun walking towards the couch. His presence was comforting yet terrifying—he represented everything that had changed in her life forever. He sat down on the couch, letting out a long sigh. When Ina was done with her chores, he signaled her to come sit down. As Ina sat down slowly, he placed his hand on her and looked her deep in the eye.

"Hey, Ina," he said softly. "Are you okay?"

Ina's face dropped in shame and she nodded, her voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know," she admitted honestly. "Part of me wants to run away from all this and pretend it never happened, but another part of me... I can't just abandon my career like that." She took a deep breath, steeling herself for what came next. "What about you? Are you okay with everything?"

"Ina, I was assigned to provide you housing and to be your guardian. Of course I'm not okay with how things are. But I also find it hard to see what we can really do here. I have things that might help, but I also feel like I shouldn't decide things for you. I understand you have some really tough choices to make, but know this. Whatever you choose, whatever you decide to do, I'll be there supporting you 100%. I'll want to be by your side, supporting you wherever and whenever I can." Kuro-kun said, giving his thoughts on current situation as he inched closer to Ina.
Ina perked up in surprise and she looked at him gratefully. "Thank you... Kuro-kun," she whispered, squeezing his hand tightly. "I don't know what I would've done without you," she admitted softly. "But I guess we'll figure things out together, right?" Kuro-kun gave Ina's hand a little squeeze. "Of course we will." Ina's shoulders relaxed in relief and she smiled weakly. "Thank you," she whispered, leaning against him slightly.
They sat there for a while longer, simply enjoying each other's company in silence—their presence enough to calm the storm raging inside both of them. T
he cozy living room felt like a sanctuary compared to the chaos outside.

eventually, Ina stood nervously and spoke quietly."I... I'll see you later," she muttered, heading upstairs to her room. Her door closed with a soft click, leaving Kuro-kun alone in the silence of the empty house. "See you later." Kuro-kun said to no one in particular. He simply sat there wondering what more he could do for Ina.
After a short while, Kuro-kun heard a door open upstairs and a soft voice called out to him. Ina opened her door a crack, revealing her pale, tear-streaked face peeking out from behind. "Can you... bring me some water? My throat is so dry." she said quietly, her voice husky with exhaustion. For a moment that seemed to stretch forever, she waited nervously, unsure how he would react to her request.
"Just a glass or would you like a pitcher?" Kuro-kun asked her tentatively while walking over to the sink.

Ina's pointy ears perked up in relief and she forced a weak smile. "A glass would be fine," she replied, her voice cracking slightly.
She waited patiently for him to fetch the water, her body aching from the emotional turmoil of the day. When he returned with a glass of cold water, she accepted it gratefully, draining half of its contents in one gulp before setting it down on the nightstand beside her bed. "Thanks," she managed to croak out, already wanting to crawl into bed, exhausted both physically and mentally. But Kuro-kun stopped her from closing the door. "Should I wake you up for breakfast or just leave it on your nightstand?" Kuro-kun inquired. Ina turned her head slightly to look at him. "Leave it on the nightstand," she said softly, closing her eyes again. "Thanks." She shifted around walking towards her bed, she lay down and tried to find a comfortable position amidst the chaos of her thoughts.
"Very well, have a good rest. I'll see you later." Kuro-kun said as he walked to the door. Ina mumbled a weak "Thanks," before falling into a fitful sleep.

Kuro-kun spent a restless night thinking about ways to help Ina. She could just freeload in his house as long as she wished to, but some he felt that wouldn't make her happy. He concluded that he'd have to wait for Ina to come to her own conclusion, as much as it hurt him to just sit back and watch. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep and his train of thought came to an abrupt halt.

The next morning, Kuro-kun was once again woken by his alarm. With a groan, he got himself out of bed and into his clothes. He headed downstairs and made himself a simple bowl of oatmeal. Today wasn't a day for fancy food. He also made a little pancake with two pieces of toast on the side. After preparing the plate, Kuro-kun wrote a little note and carried it upstairs. Ina was fast asleep when he carefully opened the door. Kuro-kun tried to make as little noise as possible as he put a plate of food on Ina's nightstand, far enough away that she wouldn't accidentally knock it onto the floor. As he did so, he caught a glimpse of her face peeking out over her blanket. It was clear that she had been crying a lot, she looked a lot more worried and uneasy than when he had seen her before. Kuro-kun made a mental note of this and left the room. After having fulfilled his duty, Kuro-kun grabbed his bag and made for the office. He hoped in his heart that all of this would be behind them soon.