It didn't take (Y/n) long to wake up. On the contrary, she was up in an hour, slightly out of it, but perfectly fine otherwise. The doctors Haru had been continually staring at had nervously told him she just passed out from stress. Obviously, the assembly about the serial killer had taken a toll on her. It couldn't have been easy knowing that she was the most likely target of their rampage. Still, with a bit of food and water, she was released, Haru the one to take her forward every step of the way. He panicked over every little thing.

"You should come over," he mumbled, "to my house. It's not safe where you are."

"Okay," she agreed in a daze.

"Really?! Great, we'll go now! Here."

The brunette started tugging the girl along with him. He had a big smile on his face, unable to hide it. The others glanced at one another, wondering if it really was alright to let her be with Haru alone. But they figured he was too simple-minded to make any moves on her. Of all of them, he was probably the least romantic, if only because he was selfish and cared very little about other people's needs. So, they let him have his fun, the rest of them deciding to pay Narahashi's father a visit - all except Akari who was kicked out immediately by the bluenette.

To no surprise, Haru's home could have been its own city block. The mansion was away from the rest of everything else, if only to allow for their estate to encompass a forest. The drive was lengthy but Haru confessed, on his way to school, he got to play games, so it never felt that long. He very excitedly showed her the device he had hooked up in the back of the car the moment she stepped in it, passing her a controller and playing.

The mansion was gorgeous. Not only did it have a surplus of greenery around it but its architecture was unique. Apparently, it was the norm back in his home country, as was being greeted by all the servants in the house. They all bowed to him and welcomed him in synch like he was royalty. Then again, he was an Akahito. He had enough money to buy a few small countries, if he wanted. That fact lingered over her as she entered the house where it seemed even bigger than it did when she arrived, filled opulently with beautiful furniture and paintings.

"Wow," she murmured, glancing around in awe.

"It's just a house." A pause followed that statement, followed by the brunette suddenly remembering something and panicking, "I-I forgot you live in a - "

"I really don't want to hear whatever it is that you want to say."

"But - "

"Why don't you give me a tour?"

Haru was satisfied with that, grabbing her hand and leading her around. His tour wasn't great. He just kept announcing "this is a room" whenever they went somewhere new. Moreover, for the life of him, he could not explain the art hanging up around the house or any special history. Still, he was enthusiastic about it, especially when they entered a special room. He lit up like crazy then, even letting go of her hand to rush into it.

A handful of women were sitting on the floor there, most of them wearing a simple uniform a bit like a foreign maid's. One wore something a bit more elegant and colorful. That woman was with a small baby who was attempting to stand, the tiny thing relying heavily on her support. His legs wobbled and he made a lot of resistant grunting noises before he fell back on his bottom, giving a huff. The boy then reached out, being given a stuffed frog for his hard work. The other women stood up to bow to Haru.

"Young master," the more colorful woman smiled, bowing her head, "Welcome home."

Haru ignored her, moving straight to the baby. The small thing, when he recognized the brunette, dropped the frog and immediately started bouncing in joy, giving little giggles. Especially when Haru picked him up, he beamed from ear to ear. The baby was very expressive - a bit different from Haru - and he had such a stunning smile. It really lit up the room. Everyone that saw that smile would have felt compelled to smile, too.

"This is Bastien!" Haru proclaimed, holding out the baby to the younger girl, "He's my frére."

"Your...brother?"

"That's what I said."

With no explanation, he handed her the boy, allowing (Y/n) to observe him a bit closer. Like his older brother, Bastien had pretty, chocolate brown hair, and beautiful green eyes. Though, while Haru's eyes were more of a forest green, Bastien's were mint-ish. Aside from that and their age, they looked very alike. Haru must have looked just like him when he was a baby but he probably still wasn't as expressive. Maybe Haru was a boring baby; a baby that only wanted to stare at the television. She chuckled.

"I-I don't really know how to hold a baby. I might drop him."

Haru looked very offended and was quick to snatch back his brother. Clearly, he cared deeply for him, not wanting any harm to come to him. Still, he wanted the (h/c) haired girl to know him, so he led her to one of the couches in the room, sitting her down on it before positioning her hands right. He then placed the non-fussy baby in her arms, helping her support his head. The brunette then stood back and observed the sight. He must have liked it since he took out his phone to snap a picture.

Bastien was very unbothered by anything and everything. Really, whatever he saw, he liked, bouncing his arms up and down when he heard his brother cooing at him. The two must have had a tight bond despite the baby's young age. He must have known how much his brother loved him. Eventually, he started smiling so much that slobber started dripping down. It startled the infant, making him jolt in (Y/n)'s arms. He seemed to be confused about what it was and stared at it like he'd never seen it before.

"He's cute," Haru made sure to let her know, "Super cute."

"Yeah. I can see that. He's just like you."

"I'm not cute. Bastien is cute."

"Oh. Right."

The younger girl wasn't sure whether he was refusing the compliment or he didn't know what the compliment was. Or, perhaps it was just that he wanted her to confirm his little brother was cute instead of focusing on him. (Y/n) stared down at the baby. She never could understand how someone could love their sibling with all their heart. It was just a younger, cuter version of them, replacing them, wasn't it?

Bastien started babbling at her, presumably attempting to communicate something of importance. He trailed off very easily though, staring in awe at her - very focused. The boy then tried to touch her cheeks, but, when he couldn't reach, he began to cry. In surprise, Haru stepped forward to help but the girl only lifted the baby up, cooing at him as she playfully bounced him up and down. Bastien giggled in joy. He was very easy to please. She heard other babies weren't like that. Maybe Bastien knew how easy his life was going to be - being born an Akahito.

The more she looked at him, the more she felt the differences between him and Haru. Maybe that was why she was able to open her heart to him a little bit. It could also have been his eyes. They were so clear and innocent, unlike many other eyes she'd seen. In the end, she really had no choice but to smile at him. Who, in their right mind, wouldn't fall in love with this tiny, weak thing? A flash of bright light appeared for just a moment before disappearing entirely.

"Bastien!" (Y/n) giggled, bouncing the brunette to his utter joy, "Bas...tien!"

Upon hearing his name, the infant babbled something in return and squealed in delight. As she continued to bounce him, letting him try standing up, he tried bending his knees to go even higher. When she realized and tried lifting him up as high as she could, he suddenly froze. Though he didn't cry or frown, his paralyzed state let her know he wasn't really a fan of that. So, instead, they kept doing tiny bounces while he occasionally bumped his head into hers, mumbling "ma".

"He's giving you kisses," Haru smiled, putting his head forward, too, "Here, watch. Frére, mwa!"

Bastien turned his head and reached out for his brother, quick to bump his head lightly against him and babble a "mwa". When Haru laughed, his brother copied him, giving a high-pitched shriek of enjoyment. He then turned to the (h/c) haired girl, doing the same and waiting for her to laugh. As she did, he gave another shriek of joy and turned back to Haru. He did that for a while until he got tired, at which point, even when Haru leaned out for another kiss, Bastien pushed him away with his hands, giving a small "umph". After that, the infant started yawning.

"It looks like it's naptime, young master," one of the boy's nannies commented, "Would you like me to put him to bed now?"

"I want him to stay up for a bit more."

The head nanny gave a conflicted look but, ultimately, she did what the male said. Bastien didn't mind much, especially when Haru picked him up and took him and (Y/n) to his room. In fact, it seemed the infant was very fond of the room, pointing to the tiny bean bag in front of the television. Haru obliged him, setting him down in it while he fell in his own beanbag. There wasn't a third one, so, instead, he moved over so he could share with the younger girl. He then decided to power up his console.

"This one is new!" he grinned, "Just got it, but I didn't have anyone to play with!"

"I'm honored."

(Y/n) had come to love video games recently. They were a luxury she was only allowed to enjoy whenever she went over to see Narahashi. His brothers had tons of them, so there was always something new for her to play. That being said, they were bad at it, so it was nice to be competitive with Haru, even if he ended up beating her. He very much enjoyed it, too. The others wouldn't play with him because they weren't interested, so it made playing with her all the more special.

Bastien sat there the whole time, merely playing with a controller. It wasn't an actual controller - just a squishy toy that he could play with to feel like he was part of the fun. So, when Haru started really focusing, squinting at the television, the infant glanced over at him and tried to mimic his expression, only to end up giggling. And when (Y/n) let out a celebratory cheer over finally beating the older male at a round, Bastien did the same, squealing and clapping his hands. It must have been nice being so innocent, especially since he could slip off to sleep with no issues.

Haru picked him up and laid him in his arms, making sure he was sound asleep. As if on instinct, when a knock at the door sounded, Bastien's hand shot up to one of the brunette's fingers. He had to use his entire hand just to wrap it around one of his brother's fingers, and, whenever there was a noise, he would grip tighter, relieved to feel his brother's presence there. The baby must have known it was him, too, even in sleep. The level of trust they had was incredible.

"It's mére," a small, timid voice sounded from the other side.

Haru perked his head up and stood up, careful not to wake Bastien while also trying to hurry to the other side as quickly as he could. As he opened it, (Y/n) could see an orange-haired woman standing there with eyes that matched Haru's. She must have been his mother. The woman was dressed simply, in what looked like a pajama dress, a warm shawl draped over her form. Her stance was weak, too, a woman to the side of her helping her stand. The brunette tried to tug her into the room to sit, but she refused gently, saying something to him in another language.

"It doesn't matter," he argued, "You should save your energy or you'll have to go back."

"But you brought back a girl. That's very special."

When the woman caught the (h/c) haired girl staring, she gave a soft smile before speaking in another language again. Whatever she said made Haru light up bright red. She'd never seen him react so emotionally to something. All of a sudden, the brunette looked back at her, biting down on his bottom lip before he turned back to his mother. He then said something to her in their native language, resulting in her clapping her hands together.

"Why don't you introduce me?" the woman smiled.

"You have to promise you'll go back to bed! You're going to get sick again!"

"Sure, sure. I'll even take supplements."

"You promised," Haru reminded her, motioning to the younger girl, "This is (Y/n) Shiratori. She goes to school with me. She's the student council vice precedent."

"President," the younger girl corrected him, making him scrunch up his nose.

"That sounds stupid."

"I didn't make the word."

"But it's still stupid."

As (Y/n) and Haru argued about the word "president", the boy's mother looked on in amazement. It went without saying that the brunette was terrible with girls. Up until then, she didn't think he was interested in them at all. It was probably more accurate to say that he was terrible with all people. Most didn't get him and those that did were either scared away by his blunt way of talking or got tired of humoring him. She was just grateful he had a group of friends, but it was something else entirely to see him like a girl so much and for that girl to linger around him.

"You two are so funny," the woman giggled, making the brunette flare up again and hug his brother, "It's a pleasure to meet you, (Y/n). Tell me, do you have any hobbies?"

"Oh. I like to play video games, I guess, but I don't have time for anything else."

"I knew it. He must have taken a liking to you because of that. You know, Haru is really great with computers. He does all kinds of fun things with them. You could say he's a genius when it comes to them."

"Really?"

"Yes. He spends all his free time crafting little robots or programming things for Kazuya. Oh, that's his pére. I mean, his father. Ha, it's tricky to talk in Athainian. I just wanted to brag about Haru."

Haru flared up again and playfully pouted, his mother chuckling at him. All was well until her legs suddenly gave out from beneath her. Despite the help of her servant, she started coughing up blood. Her face contorted in pain, but she tried to remain strong. Of course, the reason she was trying to do so was for Haru's sake, the brunette trembling at just the sight of her experiencing pain. He passed Bastien over to (Y/n) to try and help his mother but there wasn't anything he could do.

He could only walk with his mother back to her room, after which, he came back with the nannies in a bad mood. They took Bastien away to put him down for a nap while Haru decided to curl up on the (h/c) haired girl's lap. He didn't say anything for a while, but he was visibly upset. His mother's health was probably also the reason he became somber at the party. The boy must have cared deeply for her.

"She's sick," he ended up murmuring, "Pére said she'll never get better."

"I'm sorry to hear that. You must feel very sad."

"Yeah. She got really sick after Bastien was born, so she's always going to the hospital. Pére says we might have to move back to Echal."

From what (Y/n) knew of the country that was half-way around the world, it was extremely wealthy. Perhaps it was because it was the home of the Akahito family, or perhaps it was because of other factors. Either way, the country had a family-based culture where, before anything, the good of a family unit was taken care of, especially when it came to law-making. Apparently, children were also prioritized instead of adults.

"Did you grow up there?"

"Mhm. But pére likes Athain a lot. He went to school here, and he and mére had their honeymoon here. I don't think he wants to leave, but it's better for mére."

"And what do you want, Haru?"

"Wanna stay. If I do, I can keep seeing my friends. And you, too. I really like you, (Y/n)."

"Really?"

"Mhm. You like video games and you're smart and you don't treat me weird and you were good with frére. It's annoying you don't speak Echali. If you did, I might like you even more."

"Maybe you can teach me."

Haru pondered that for a while. In reality, he would never be a good teacher. He didn't know how the language worked; he just spoke it. Moreover, he would probably get mad at her for not picking up things quickly or making mistakes. Still, he smiled at the thought. She really was nice to him. He liked that. At ease, he rested his head on her lap even more, hugging her and enjoying her comforting presence. If he really did have to go back to Echal, he'd like to take her. That wouldn't be a problem, right?