As Haru brought the knife down on the (h/c) haired girl, he felt resistance as it hit skin, drawing blood. The blade slit her throat, sending her into a panic. That's when the brunette opened his eyes, confused as he heard her scamper out of the bed. She fearfully touched her hand to her neck, trembling as she saw blood on her skin. Haru gave another pained expression. He had intended to make it painless for her and ensure she would never be harmed again, but her expression was twisted with agony and despair. He had hurt her again, hadn't he?

"What are you doing?!" (Y/n) yelled, grasping at her now-bleeding neck.

Haru winced at her harsh tone and wandered over to where the girl was, placing his shaking hands on her neck as he stared at the crimson liquid gushing from her burning skin. Then, he looked into her eyes and placed his hand on her cheek, smearing the blood there, too. Her eyes widened as he did so, the girl watching in fear as he clutched tightly on the knife in his possession.

He had tried to calm her before he ended everything, but she didn't seem to buy it, twisting the knife out of his hands before running away. She was weak from the illness, unable to run quickly, but she used the wall to help her balance, completely focused on putting distance between them. Haru grabbed the knife back up from the floor, massaging his wrist before going after the girl. Even when she was sick, she still packed quite a punch. Why was she still sick then? Why wasn't she using that strength to fend off the illness?

As he thought about it, his despair only grew. He didn't want the girl to die in the slightest, wanting to spend more time with her, but he would far prefer she never suffered again. She didn't seem to have the same understanding, actively avoiding him and the weapon he had despite his concerned looks and pleas. Haru couldn't help but get angry when she was refusing to hear him out. She should have understood he was trying to save her.

Perhaps because visiting hours were over, no one was around. The top floor was completely quiet, reserved for her and her alone. It didn't matter how much she shouted for help. No one could hear. Terrified, she ran for the stairs, only for Haru to cut her off from going downstairs. Turning back, she had no choice but to head up, ignoring another jabbing fear to escape from the delusional brunette.

She knew there wasn't anywhere to go from the roof except to jump off to her death, but there was one other choice. It didn't even matter how she tried to outwit him. She didn't have the time, the brunette taking advantage of her weakened body to push her to the ground. Haru began speaking to himself in Echali with tears as he raised the knife up once more. Maybe he was saying his final words to her.

"Haru!" she yelled out, kicking in an attempt to get him off of her, "It's just a cold!"

"It'll get worse," the brunette sniffled, narrowing his eyes at her.

"What, you think I'm going to die?! Then why kill me sooner?!"

"It's not about dying. You're going to be in pain. You'll get hurt more and more and more and more. Everything will hurt and you won't be able to go outside or see friends or sit up in bed or take care of your baby and then you'll die. You'll die and it'll still hurt. Why go through it? I'll stop it for you right here and now. I'll be sad and lonely, but you'll be alright. Doesn't that tell you how much I like you?"

Haru's grasp tightened on her and he paused in thought, nuzzling her cheek with great affection. He then began to whimper and freed one of his hands from the knife to interlock with one of hers. The male brought it so close to himself that she could feel the vibration of his heartbeat through his chest. A few of his tears slipped onto her hand when he couldn't hold them back any longer, letting her see a glimpse of his pain, too. She gritted her teeth.

"Fine! I get it! I'm going to be in pain for the rest of my life, is that what you're trying to say?!" A nod. "Then where were you? Why weren't you here when I was living a nightmare every single day of my life?! Why didn't you kill me then?! I wanted to die then! But now I have to die without ever getting to be happy?! Why's that fair?!"

"Don't say that."

"Don't say what?!"

"You can't say that. You can't 'want to die'. That's not...You can't."

"What kind of sense does that make?! I'm only allowed to die if I don't want to?!"

"No...just, I'm doing it. It's different. A-And I don't want to either, but you - I like you. I like you a lot. I even like you as much as I like...as I like my family."

That was a confession. She doubted the brunette would ever figure it out on his own that he loved her. It wasn't like the others were willing to help him figure it out either. On his own, the most he could do was find some weird comparison to the most important people in his life. Of course, she watched the realization flutter over his eyes that he loved her. Everyone else knew. Even his father knew from the ridiculous introduction he made. She sighed.

"I love you?" he asked, letting the knife lower to the side of him as he tried to get confirmation.

"You said you wanted to kiss me."

"But I want to kiss frére, too."

"On the cheek, maybe."

Haru paused, trying to contemplate "being in love". He did like (Y/n) more than he liked most people, but he guessed it wasn't the same kind of like he had for his friends. The brunette glanced down as he noticed one difference between them, wondering why the younger girl was shouting at him for looking there. He pouted. Weirdly, he didn't mind it when she told him what to do. At least, he didn't mind as much as he did with other people. Maybe that was what being in love meant. He didn't know yet.

"Are you going to put the knife down...or...?"

"But, if I love you, I have to help stop the pain for you even more. Don't you understand - "

"Is this about your mother? Look, I'm sorry she's not doing great, and I'm sorry you feel like you have to make everything better, but I'm fine. And I'd get better if you let me rest."

"You could be lying," the male frowned, holding up the knife again, "You could get worse."

"Put the murder stick away!" A pause as the male tilted his head. "The knife. The knife, Haru. Put away the knife."

"But you could get worse."

"Alright, alright! If I do...If I end up as sick as your mother, you can kill me. I won't resist or anything. P-Plus, if I get better, you can spend more time with me. You want that, don't you?"

"Yeah...Really want it."

"Great. Then, we have a deal?"

Haru stopped in place. She made a lot of sense, and, since he couldn't come up with another argument, he just decided to lay down on her. The brunette heard her make a noise of protest for a second but it quickly went away. He was still holding the weapon, after all, not that he remembered. Quietly, he stayed there, hearing her heart race. He didn't know why hers was racing but his was, too. His cheeks turned pink. Maybe he was in love, just like his mére and pére. He smiled, glancing up at her.

"You have a period, right?" the male asked shamelessly and with zero hesitation.

"What kind of question is that?! It's none of your business anyway! Unless you're planning on force feeding me chocolate, shut up! Got it?!"

"Are you on it now?"

Frustrated beyond belief, the (h/c) haired girl flared red. He clearly wasn't planning on killing her anymore, so she didn't have to lay down and put up with his games anymore. Holding in her coughs, knowing the brunette would only get more and more stabby with each one, she began making her way back downstairs. Haru helped, albeit poorly, but she was finally able to make it back to her bed, giving a large sigh of relief.

"Hey," he pestered her again, earning a glare from her, "You have to answer."

When she said not a word, he frowned, leaning down to stare at her at eye-level. Clearly, he was weird, but his insistence on knowing something like that was beyond her comprehension. All the same, he demanded an answer. She would tell him "no" and he would ask the question again, getting them absolutely nowhere. Still, suddenly, he didn't look mad anymore, prompting great confusion from her until he suddenly jolted forward.

Well, Haru didn't end up getting an answer about her time of the month but, arguably, he got something even better. As he expected, her lips were very soft, and, despite the fact the kiss was short-lived, he came to understand his desire to kiss her was very logical. In fact, during the first contact his lips made with hers, he suddenly perked up. He didn't remember anyone else talking about a kiss with her, so that made him the first, right? Excitedly, he tried to move in for more, only to be met with the palm of her hand as she cupped it over his mouth.

"I didn't say you could do that," she muttered angrily in a low voice, her anger somehow eluding the brunette.

"But I wanted to. I still want to. Can you move your hand, so I can do it again?"

"No!"

"Ah, but it was nice. I think I like kissing."

"So, what?! You don't get to do that if I don't - "

Haru, not paying attention, had started poking at her thighs. It was like he was experimenting. All the same, she screamed his full name with a raspy voice, warning him not to do it again. If only because she swore if he did, she'd never let him kiss her again. Haru liked kissing, so he listened. He also agreed when she told him to keep everything that happened a secret. Instead, he began wiping her forehead with a towel and bandaging her neck that he cut, generally caring for her. And though she was wary of falling asleep in front of him, knowing he was going to do something else, she couldn't fight off her exhaustion. Of course, the moment he was sure she was asleep, the brunette stole another kiss, smiling to himself. Weirdly, he felt very tired, too, like all his energy had been sapped away.

Before Haru knew it, the hour had passed and the others returned. Shota creaked open the door slowly just to analyze where the brunette was mentally. Surprised to see a smile on his face, Shota entered the room cautiously, only for the brunette to wave to him. He returned the wave, sure, but he couldn't help but feel something was off. Still, the (h/c) haired girl was fast asleep, clearly well taken care of. Haru had even brought her blanket up to her chin.

"Everything...alright?" the red-haired male questioned, tucking a strand of hair behind the girl's ear.

"Yeah. We're okay."

"She woke up? What did you two end up doing?"

"(Y/n) made everything better. I think...I don't mind going back home."

Shota gawked. He thought - for sure - he would have to drag the brunette back kicking and screaming, but there he was, completely calm. It was a relief, of course, but, again, there was a lingering feeling that something was wrong. The redhead checked her temperature, and, though it was roughly the same it had been when he and the others left, that made it all the stranger. It hadn't been that long ago when Haru started freaking out about people being sick. That fear couldn't have gone away so quickly, could it have?

"(Y/n) helped you?" the redhead asked eagerly, curious beyond belief about the mysterious girl, "H-How did she do it?"

"Oh," Haru blushed, "She said I can't tell you. It's a secret."

"What?! But you have to. I-I have to know. You can't just - "

"Shush. She's sleeping. Oh, Bastien's sleeping, too. He is, right? We have to go home to make sure."

Out of excitement to see his baby brother once more, the brunette charged off. He kept his footsteps quiet but he ran all the same. On the other hand, Shota could not help but stand still, staring down at the younger girl. Why would she have told Haru to keep what happened a secret? He felt like she was constantly making secrets. Breathing secrets, exhaling secrets, sharing secrets, hiding secrets...Maybe she was a secret.

Shota trembled, wondering just what he would have to do for her to share a secret with him. Clearly, it was possible. It seemed true that Narahashi monopolized nearly all of her secrets, but, if even Haru could get to share one with her, it was possible for him, too, right? The male bit down on his lip. He'd have to try harder. The curiosity about all the mysteries surrounding her made it feel like his skull was being split in two. Just who in the world was she to make even Haru relax in the face of a sickness, of all things?

Scoffing as the brunette kept pestering him to leave, the redhead placed his hand on her cheek longingly. He'd have to wait another day to find some answers. Reluctantly, he parted from her, leaving her alone in the hospital. Even so, his eyes fixated on the building, the redhead thinking of all the ways he could make her talk. Surely, if she fell in love with him, he'd get everything he wanted. But that was easier said than done.