Haru didn't want to talk. When he had pulled (Y/n) away, it was only for the purpose of keeping her away from the imposter. As they went into his room, he just shoved her in the corner and ran out to grab Bastien before locking the door. And though she tried to talk to him about it, he didn't respond. The brunette simply ignored her and continued making tweeks on Sona, who was still somewhat out of it from his previous assault and gap in memory. The android also remained quiet, if only to follow his creator's attitude.

"Hey, you have to say something," the girl sighed, stepping forward and beginning to caress his clenched jaw, "It's obviously weighing heavy on your shoulders. Can you speak to me?"

When he obviously didn't reply, she sighed. There were a few ways to work around his stubbornness, but she knew one trick that seemed apt for the situation. Moving her hands down his neck, she felt him tense up before she tilted his head back and began running her finger back up his neck. At this, his eyes were taken off of the wires he was fiddling with, letting her rub his jaw until he loosened up. Since he was already tilted back, she took the opportunity to kiss him, hearing him sigh with satisfaction.

"Wanna talk now, brat?"

"No."

The girl huffed, pacing away from him. It wasn't like she expected anything to change. At the very least, he did reply verbally, but he was still avoiding the issue at hand, pretending like it didn't exist. Him trying to kill the grey-haired male was not so surprising to her, considering he had offed plenty of people for her before, whether he meant to or not. But his father and mother had never seen him kill someone. Perhaps he would harm someone, but never to the point of needing stitches.

Bastien didn't seem to know anything was wrong. He was just happy to be with his brother and the (h/c) haired girl, playing eagerly with his favorite stuffed animal. The boy only really noticed when (Y/n) began muttering to herself angrily, at which point he became a bit concerned, beginning to crawl up on the bed with her. He wore himself out halfway through, panting heavily before he flopped onto her lap and gave puppy dog eyes. She had no choice but to pat his head, receiving a squeal of delight from him.

"What's wrong?" he asked innocently.

"I'm just worried for Haru."

"What's wrong with frère?"

"He just got some bad news and he's a little upset. He doesn't really want to talk to me. That's why I'm upset, too."

"What was the news?"

"Well, I don't think I can tell you."

"Mm. Why?"

"Because I'm not your parents. They should tell you."

"Why?"

Bastien had gotten into his curious phase. He asked question after question in hopes of gleaming answers and developing himself as a person. And though it was a natural stage of learning, it could nonetheless get old quickly. Still, wishing to encourage him, she indulged him from time to time, especially since he was cute when he was exploring things. Patting his head, she complimented him. Glad for the praise, he blushed, and, for some reason, he had no more thoughts of questions, happily laying down on the girl.

Sadly, the younger girl couldn't get through to Haru. Despite being there and waiting for him to open up, he never tried to talk. To someone who didn't know him all that well, they would have thought he was just unbothered; that the entire situation had nothing to do with him. However, for her, she knew that, deep down, though he tried to push it away, he felt scared and confused. After all, his entire perception of what a family was had been challenged and then subsequently broken.

"You're not being replaced," she mumbled, whether he was listening or not, "Nothing is going to be taken away from you. On the contrary, you're getting another person to love. Just because it's scary and unfamiliar now, it will get better. I swear."

Nothing.

"Can you promise that you'll talk to me when you're ready?"

Nothing.

"If it would help, we can go on a date today."

Haru flinched at the word "date", but, nonetheless, he did not reply. That was what told her nothing would make him move. Filled with anger at herself for not being able to get through to him and anger at him for not listening, she grabbed a pillow and flung it at the brunette, Bastien giving a small exclamation at the sight. As expected, he didn't react, and when Orion came into the room, it was the same, even though he didn't knock or wait for Haru's explicit permission as was the law of the house. The orange-haired male skipped into the room before stopping right in front of (Y/n), a bashful look on his face with his arms behind his back childishly.

"This isn't really a good time," she informed him with a sigh, motioning to the silent brunette in the corner.

"Is Mister Haru okay? I was getting worried about him."

"I don't know. He's not talking to me."

"But you two are really good friends. It must be really serious. I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Honestly? I doubt it. At this point in time, if he's not replying, it might be better to leave him alone."

"My sentiments exactly! Let's give him some space!"

Orion was quick to lock his arm with hers, eagerly vacating her from the room. At this, Haru glanced over, prompting the girl to pause in place, a feeling of hope in her chest welling up foolishly. The prince stopped, too, giving a curious look to the brunette in hopes that he would say something. It was clear that (Y/n) didn't want to go without the male's permission, needing to know that he would be fine on his own. Still, he said nothing, forcing the prince, in his impatience, to start the conversation.

"Will you be okay without us, Mister Haru?" Silence. "Then...is it alright if Miss Shiratori and I go out today?"

Another wince came from the male before anger washed over him. He moved to stand up, wanting to hit the fool that dared say such words. And yet, most animosity and thoughts of violence vanished at the sight of orange hair. The lingering bit of anger he had dissipated when Orion put a fist up to his mouth and began to cough, the brunette clinging onto himself out of fear and shame. He looked up pitifully, unable to say anything even if he wanted to. Uncharacteristically, he backed down, turning away with almost tears about as hidden as Orion's grin.

"If you call me, I'll come back right away, okay?" the (h/c) haired girl tried to encourage, only to receive a shake of the head from the male, "No, you don't want me to come back, or no, you don't want to call me?"

Nothing.

"Fine. Just sit there and mope, pretending like I don't exist."

This time, it was (Y/n) that tugged Orion out of the room, the prince following happily. Usually, she didn't snap at Haru. She knew, when trying to teach him something, she had to be patient and she had to be even more so in order for him to open up. Still, she was no angel. She only had so much patience, after which anger followed like a parasite. Childishly, she wanted to make him react, even if that meant leaving him alone, but he didn't come after them. She even waited for ten minutes in the car to see if he would come out. As they left, she couldn't even see him in the window.

Quiet the whole time, she tried to think about what could possibly open up his mind to her. Even though the prince was attempting to talk to her, her mind was on Haru. That was why she didn't notice him making a face that didn't suit his gentle disposition. It was only when they arrived at the location did she begin to focus on other things, such as making use of the prince she was taking care of. In particular, she thought he would benefit from the experience and publicly show his support for it.

Technically, she was tricking him. She hadn't brought him to the new spa she had created for him to just enjoy himself. Though that was also a part of it, if he was going to be there anyway, it would hurt to get some publicity from it. Nothing drove up demand more like a celebrity or public figure going somewhere. And there was probably no one more famous than the crown prince of Vethela.

"Is this what you were working on?" the male gawked, looking at the building with shining eyes, a vested interest in the thing.

"Yes. We're still working on small things, but the majority of the spa is done. Kazuya wanted something that went along with his hospitals, particularly for mental health, so I suggested this."

Orion didn't have any qualms. In fact, he was leaping to be taken on a tour, the girl showing him around the place. In particular, she showed him things that he had never done before, exciting him greatly. After all, he was getting to do a lot of firsts on that trip, including going to an amusement park and going to a hot spring. She told him he could start with whatever he wanted, to which he decided on starting small with a massage.

"It's not fully staffed today. You're more or less a trial run, but, if you need something, just let me know."

"Well, it feels a little odd doing it by myself. How about you join me?"

"Oh, I'm taking notes. You won't be alone."

"But that doesn't sound very fun. I thought I promised I would let you have fun if you hung out with me."

"It might not be fun, but it's necessary. We can still talk."

He pouted. Still, he did go along with her suggestion, if only because he knew he would keep trying. Throughout the massage, he made himself very proud by getting her to laugh or chuckle at his jokes. Though her mind still must have been on Haru, she was able to focus more on him, if only because of convenience. And while he thought it would have been hard to get her to laugh, on the contrary, she was very susceptible to it.

"I never claimed I was smart," the male blushed, recalling one of the stories he told, "I probably would have eaten a rock if Rei told me to."

"Well, he is convincing."

"Yeah..."

"How is the massage?"

"I feel like jelly. Is that supposed to happen?"

The girl chuckled again but he didn't know whether to blush again or to join her. He wasn't trying to be funny that time though he supposed it could have come off that way. In the end, he determined, as long as she was smiling, it was a good thing. She began to jot down more notes about his experience, talking to the masseuse about possible changes or tweeks. They then moved to other features of the spa, each time, Orion succeeding in getting her to relax with him more and more. And, before long, she had joined him, if only because he made it look so nice. The smile on his face could probably convince anyone of anything.

"I bet you never planned on trying this," the male teased, laying down comfortably, "You probably were just going to go off and do some other project."

"That is my job."

"But you should enjoy it, too. I think you deserve that much. You should take care of yourself, you know."

"What? Is my work ethic a detriment to my charm?"

"Not at all!" the boy firmly objected, only for him to blush and quiet down a little more, "I just want you to take breaks, too."

"I won't push myself that much. I'm grateful for Kazuya giving me the job, but I wouldn't push myself to the brink of exhaustion just to make it up to him."

"You seem to really admire Mr. Akahito."

"I've never really met a man like him. I guess I'm just fascinated. He's not perfect or anything. You can't really have as much money as he does without rigging things to your benefit, but at least he tries to make up for it by sponsoring kids."

"Do you admire his business sense then?"

"He doesn't have any. He's just dumb, rich, and lucky. But I guess I admire his loyalty. I didn't really think it was possible to have that much of it."

Orion knew what she was talking about. Everyone knew about the love story of Kazuya and Eloise Akahito, mostly because they liked to criticize her. Either way, they had known each other since they were kids; childhood sweethearts. And though they were separated when the patriarch of the Akahito family went abroad to study, when he returned, they fell in love and got married. He had never touched another woman, a complete fool for Eloise. But, with recent revelations, it seemed the same was not true for her.

"Loyalty, huh?" he mimicked, giving a small hum.

The orange-haired male became quiet after that, focusing on what she had said. In the meantime, they moved onto another part of the spa. Again, like many things, he was a bit confused and taken aback when they started giving him a manicure. Though it was only (Y/n) that wanted to try it, mindlessly, he had jumped in a chair next to her. Still, as they finished up, he gazed in awe at his hands, showing her with fascination.

"They look so nice," he grinned, even showing his hands off to the people that had made them that way, "And so soft! Why don't people do this all the time?"

"Well, I would hope they'll like this. It's always great to have a consistent stream of customers."

"I-I'll spread the word! If I say I like it, I promise tons of people will come here!"

"Oh, I know. I didn't invite you for free."

"Hm?"

"Well, I'm using you as promotional material. Like you said, the moment it comes out you came here, people will trade their arm and leg for admission. People really love you for some bizarre reason."

"What?!" the prince exclaimed, tears springing to his eyes surprisingly quickly, "Is it so weird for people to like me? Do you really think so?"

"I-I'm teasing. It was sarcasm! I...Obviously, it's easy to like you."

"You like me?"

The (h/c) haired girl sucked in a shallow breath and turned away. Still, Orion could see her ears had flared red. Curious, he reached out to touch them, wondering if there was something wrong with her. Perhaps the hot springs made everything warmer. She flinched and snapped back to look at him when he touched her, the boy's face turning the same color as her ears. They were so close. And, moreover, from her expression, he realized he had made her blush. He didn't know he could do that. Suddenly, he became very bashful.

"Let's go to the hot springs," she deferred, walking quickly outside.

Truly, the sight was incredible, as expected as top of the line designers. In addition to being coated in countless exotic plants, there was a rocky theme that seemed somehow mature. Each bath had a different temperature, meaning that there was no need to sit in one too hot. She thought it was best that way. Moreover, for someone like Orion, it was a bit gentler. It was intended to be a place for physically weak people to recover, including Eloise. She would be the second guest, but, obviously, she could reserve it for whenever she wanted.

Swimsuits were required for all guests. It was less culturally typical in Echal to bathe together, so having a swimsuit on made it feel more like a pool. (Y/n) changed into hers quickly enough, waiting while dipping her feet in one of the baths. The shade felt incredible, too. Even though it was winter, the climate in the capital was incredibly tame most days. But the heat was perfect. Her legs were thanking her for it, too.

"Miss Shiratori," a stuttering voice called, the prince ducking behind a wall when she looked over at him, "No! Don't look! Can you please close your eyes?"

"Sorry?"

"Your eyes...Please close them?" A pause was followed by a short whine. "I-I don't want to be...looked at...like this..."

He said the wrong thing. It only made her want to stare all the more. She had to forcibly attach her eyes to an uninteresting rock in order to distract herself, but even keeping her eyes there was difficult. Covering her eyes was worse. She could hear all the sounds of concern he made, including the very shy way he started moving over to her. The girl then tensed her shoulders when she heard him trip, followed by his embarrassed squeak. Before long, he had lowered himself into the water, but as she moved to take her hands off, he once again made sounds of protest.

"No! Not yet! Keep them closed!"

"How long do you need?"

"Well...is it possible for you to keep them closed the whole time?"

"What?!"

"I-I'm sorry! I just...this...," Another bashful whine escaped him, prompting her to pinch herself, "It's like I'm naked!"

Though the outburst took a lot from him, she couldn't stop a snicker from escaping her. It became obvious he was blushing, probably trying to cover himself any way he could. And while it wasn't completely unexpected that the sheltered prince would be very conservative about his body, it was a loss for her. Sighing, she snapped her fingers, motioning for one of the staff to give him a towel. When he had secured it around himself tightly, he finally murmured that she could open her eyes, but made her promise that she wouldn't get too close.

"Y-You can't stare at me like that..."

"Sorry," she sighed, hitting herself to clear her mind (which inadvertently made the male panic), "How do you like the hot spring?"

"It's nice. I-I don't know that I could come here with a lot of other people, but it is very relaxing. It feels like my body is getting lighter. Cozy, I think, is the word. Yes, cozy!"

"Good. I was hoping this one wouldn't be too warm for you. You can't stay in it long, I'm guessing, but, if you enjoy it, that's a good sign for me. How is your first experience in a hot spring?"

"Ah, wonderful! I would stay here all day, if I could! And you?! How was your second first experience...um, with me...?"

The girl felt softened at his contagious joy. He had constantly enthused about the place that she had envisioned from start to finish. Praise usually didn't work with her. In fact, at times, it had the opposite effect. However, his soft demeanor slipped right through her barriers. In the end, the only thing she could do was give an equally soft grin, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear before diverting the conversation to something else. He, of course, thought nothing of it, going along with whatever she wanted. Knowing that he had ways of unintentionally slipping past them, she had decided to lower her defenses with him.