(Y/n) woke up with a massive gasp, panting heavily as she assessed her surroundings. The three males that had been watching over her were immediately relieved, crowding her with concerns about how she was. Question after question came out of their mouths, Takuya nuzzling her to show how scared he had been. Bastien didn't really understand what was going on but he sure was happy to see so many people he liked smiling.

"Thank goodness!" the white-haired male beamed, placing a kiss on her cheek, "Are you doing better?"

The younger girl suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head, forced to remember everything that happened. As it all flooded back to her, she felt rage burn for Shota. That was probably the stupidest thing he could have done to her if he was looking for her love. Angrily, she pushed past everyone to get to him, only to find his door ajar, allowing her to push her way in and see him sit motionless at his desk. He stared wistfully at a picture of his younger sister, not acknowledging the (h/c) haired girl's presence.

When she ripped the photo from his hands, he had little to no reaction. The male just bit down gently on his lip, having no words. For what he had done to her, he had none at all. If her constant rejection of him wasn't enough, surely Rei's little talk did the trick. At that point, he couldn't even feel anger for the blonde. He should have known Rei would do what Rei did best: torment him as efficiently as possible.

"If you want to hurt me, I recommend fetching Rei. He's...the best at everything."

"The fuck do I care about Rei right now?" she snapped, slamming the picture on his desk and watching the redhead flinch, "He's not the one that trapped me in a freezer because I didn't want to play a game with him."

Shota paused, glancing up at her and resisting the urge to beg for her pity. He wanted to curl up in her arms and let her scold him however she wanted. As long as he had someone's warmth, he didn't really care what they said anymore. No one would ever praise him anyway. He should have just adopted whatever insane things Rei did to get himself through life. Clearly, it was working for him.

"He would," the male responded, "If you give him the chance, he'll lock you up, too, even if it's for a different reason."

"Oh, yeah? And would his reason happen to be better than yours?"

"I didn't want you in pain. He would. I was just...angry, so I lost control of myself, not that it's a great excuse, but Rei - "

"For someone who seems to hate his guts, his name sure does slip out of your lying little mouth, doesn't it?"

The red-haired male bit down on his lip a bit harder. He supposed that was true, now that she brought it up. As much as he wished everyone would just forget about the blonde and move on to something else, he was probably the person who thought about him the most. With it coming out about Akari's stalking (Y/n), it wouldn't surprise him if he even thought more about the prince than his own playmate. It was so ironic.

"How can I possibly stop thinking about someone like him?" Shota spat out with spite, "Ever since we met, that's all he's been to me: someone I couldn't possibly beat even if I put my all into it."

"Beat?"

"He's...perfect," the male conveyed through gritted teeth, putting a bitter emphasis on "perfect" as if it physically harmed him to admit it, "In everything he does, really. It doesn't matter what. Sports, academics, you name it. It's always gotten on my nerves. He gets the attention and I don't. It's how it is. My own mother refuses to so much as look at me and yet she puts so much pride into him when he's not even her own flesh and blood."

The male's features twisted in both envy and malice as he thought about it, the words he spoke leaving a sour taste in his mouth. Truthfully, he didn't want to continue and relive the experiences from his past, but he recognized the look of curiosity in (Y/n)'s eyes and smiled at the sight of it. He brushed his thumb across her lips, nearing his own to her but stopping a few inches before truly touching her. If she was willing to listen to him, he was even willing to talk about the blonde. That was how desperate he was for just a few moments of warmth.

"I hate people like that: the people that are born with innate talent, forcing people like me to wade in their shadow and be continually punished for it. It's disgusting. Every time I try to keep up with him, I only fall further behind. I tried to beat him in everything, but I was only second place, even if I was the only one putting in effort. Music, school, sports; everything."

The girl opened her mouth to say something but she only closed it again, biting her lip. He watched her with bated breath, not daring to breathe, as if it would deter her from talking. Noticing the chance in his breath and his curious eyes, she forced herself to speak up. As soon as she opened her mouth once more, Shota stared down at her lips but shook his head, trying to focus on her words.

"By that logic," she paused, narrowing her eyes at his hypocrisy, "you should hate me, too. Is that why you treat me like a game? Like conquering me somehow makes you better than me?!"

"No!" he denied, "No, not at all! I love you! I genuinely do!"

"Then why aren't you playing little 'love games' with Rei?! Or Narahashi? They're the same kind of 'perfect' as me. Obviously, it's because I'm a girl; because I can be conquered as long as you make me love you; because I wasn't born with a - "

"You're different from them! It was never because you're a girl. M-Maybe I wanted to 'win' over you, but that's not the reason I...I love you. I-It was because...you're hiding something. The mystery, the weirdness, the secrets, and everything in between. Don't you see how tempting that was to me? To try and figure you out? I just...happened to fall in love with what I found..."

Shota bit back his tears, finally having admitted that to himself. He couldn't have cared less about how competitive he was with Narahashi or Rei; wanting to win at all costs over two people who never faltered. It was always because of how unusual she was. Akari was right. Special people were special no matter what. And (Y/n) was entirely too special to ignore. He trembled.

"Do you know why you will never beat Rei?" the girl scoffed, "Or me? It's because you don't have any motivation."

"What? Is there any motivation more powerful than ambition? I-I might understand you needing to rise out of your...home situation...but, Rei? What would he possibly have motivation for?"

"A lot more than you realize. As far as I know, there are only two people that have ever loved Rei unconditionally. There have also only been two people that ever acknowledged his true self. One of those people hated him and she was his own flesh and blood. If he wants to be loved - which he does - he has to put everything he has into hiding who he really is."

Shota didn't want that to be true. He wanted Rei to be perfect because Rei was perfect. If he had a reason for being perfect, that just meant, once again, Shota wasn't good enough and it was all on him. Of course, the reality was that the blonde was far from perfect. He just excelled at all the things that mattered to the red-haired male. Shota didn't seem to understand he had his own strengths. For instance, raising his little sister was one. Rei could never take care of a child.

"Haven't you heard him sing?" the (h/c) haired girl pushed further, attempting to force him into admitting the truth, "The emotion in his voice isn't something you can attempt to mimic with 'ambition'. He - "

"I won't let him have you!" Shota roared, clutching onto her shoulders with a violent grip and shaking her slightly to deter her from speaking about the blonde any further.

"None of you will. Rei is - "

"Stop talking about him! Talk about me. Tell me you love me. Touch me. Don't even acknowledge him! He's not worth it, he never - "

"You're the one who's been forcing me to talk!" she hissed, speaking to him with the same demand of subjection that he was making, "So listen!"

He narrowed his eyes at her tone and attitude but did as she insisted. After all, she was about to give him the very thing he wanted. Her voice was something magical, indeed, to silence him like that and force him to confront what he'd been running away from. Once again, he admired the mysterious aura that surrounded her, unsure what to equate it to but fascinated all the same.

"You're envious," (Y/n) snapped, "You're envious because Rei gets attention for the talents he possesses. Open your eyes. The only reason he has talent is because it's the only thing he can do to prove that he's capable of being loved. When he sings, he expresses his sorrow and pain, and when he cooks, he can express himself in a way that lets others appreciate him. It's a way for him to heal his broken mind. You don't have a broken mind, you don't have a broken heart; you have wounded pride."

The boy felt his grip on the girl weaken, and she took full advantage of that, reversing who had the power over who. She forced him to the ground, pinning his arms by his side while he stared up at her, the male feeling his spirit break with her words. A tear escaped his emerald eyes, but he still couldn't stop listening to her, finding her voice addicting. His breath hitched in his throat as more of her sultry voice escaped her lips.

"Your ambition doesn't compare to what Rei has. You're going about this the wrong way. You're not putting what you hold close to your heart into what you do. You're putting in the wants of your parents and the others that pushed you into needing success. Rei may fake who he really is, but he puts his true self into what he does. You're the opposite. You're real until you try to create something. You don't need to do that. You're perfectly fine as you are."

Shota's tears only escalated as he took her words into his mind, letting them rush around at racing speeds as he tried to decipher them. His lips turned upward, shaking, not in sadness, but in relief, and he pulled against (Y/n)'s hands to wrap his arms around her, sobbing greatly. She let him use her to get his despair out of himself, hesitantly, but comfortingly, stroked his hair, only adding to the affection and love he felt for her at that point. When he released her, he stared into her eyes, still watering from what she had said. Despite that, he managed to make a snarky nitpick in her choice of words.

"'Fine'?" he quoted, tilting his head coyly.

"Well, you'd be better than fine if you didn't manipulate my friends into stabbing my other friends," she sneered; not in a joking manner, "Or trapping me in a cooler or convincing everyone to go ahead and kidnap me."

He paused as if he was taking in that information and noting it for future reference. Quickly, the younger girl stood up and dusted herself off, making him chuckle lightly at the action. Shota then stood up next to her, darting his eyes over to the sparkle of a nearby object on his desk. The key he kept trying to gift her sat there, twinkling as it reflected the light from the window. The redhead grabbed the key gently and tugged the female to him, placing it in her palm and closing her fingers around it before turning around to the rest of his room.

"You know, you weren't supposed to learn about me until you found the lock to the key," the male chuckled in a light-hearted - almost glad - way, "But I suppose you defy all my expectations. It's here. Find it for me?"

He looked at the girl with a hopeful expression. Because of that, she rolled her eyes but began looking around the room regardless, figuring it would be best to put an end to the little game once and for all. She began wandering around his room, trying to find the elusive lock, but it wasn't in plain sight. Every now and then, Shota would give a laugh, leading her to believe she got close when he did that. She then started searching around his bed, looking high and low for the thing she was tripping over her own feet to find. It was then that she stumbled upon a loose floorboard.

The thing had a bit of chalk rubbed on it for some reason - most likely to hint to her it was the answer. Lifting it up, as was expected, the lock remained nestled in the crook, allowing her to easily place the key inside and twist it, a small click sounding out. As she removed the envelope inside the tiny chest, she began analyzing it, noting it was not addressed to anyone in particular. It also had the male's family crest on it. As she tore the envelope open, she skimmed over the tiny sentence, raising her eyebrows in surprise as she turned to him to confirm it.

"What?" he asked, running his fingers through his hair, "Don't you want it?"

"Does anyone else know about this? I have a feeling, if you tell Yamato, he's going to beat you to death. I'd like to see that."

"I can talk things over, so don't worry about it. Just enjoy. It'll pass before you realize."

The girl looked back down at the letter, pleasantly surprised at what Shota had promised her. After all, it was all she wanted since she'd been brought back here against her will. It was only a small taste of freedom, not nearly enough to sate her craving for it, but it was more than she had expected from any of them. Shota stood up from the bed to walk to her, placing the key around her neck and stepping back to admire it on her form. He nodded once before placing his fingers under her chin.

"You have my heart too," he declared, placing her hand on his chest, "Should you desire it. I'm sure you know why now."

(Y/n) took her hand back in a hurry, turning red from his confession. It wasn't that she felt the same way towards him. At least, she refused to believe it. It was more of a surprise that he, of all people, would say that to her in that way. Maybe he wasn't a coward anymore, she thought as he opened the door. He smiled softly at her as she made her way excitedly downstairs, knowing he could get addicted to that joy of hers.

The others looked at the approaching girl, some of them blushing with a very pink tint when they realized her smile had reappeared. Akari, having just returned and been informed of the events following his disappearance, stood up from his chair. His eyes shook in confusion, but were ultimately flooded with relief since she was able to grin so purely and innocently again. His eyes trailed to the piece of paper that she held in her hands and then to the smiling redhead that followed behind her, making him narrow his eyes at the male.

(Y/n) quickly slammed the paper on the counter and rushed back upstairs, closing the door to her room with glee. The others looked to Shota for an explanation, but Rei, being impatient, began to read the paper the girl had left for them. His teeth began to grit together and he snapped his head to the male, rage boiling in his chest.

"Why the fuck would you promise that to her?!"

"About that," Shota hummed before clearing his throat, making Yamato raise a brow and scowl at where the conversation was headed with his next words, "I granted her a small piece of freedom. It's not much, but it made her smile again. That being said, I'll need all of you to cooperate."

"Anything!" Akari agreed eagerly (despite it coming from the redhead), "As long as it gets her to smile like that again!"

"Hold your horses," Yamato sighed, pressing his hand down onto the blonde's head to stop him from bouncing energetically on his heels, "We don't know what he promised her. I can't agree to anything unless I know what it is first."

"It's just," the red-haired male paused, casting a glance to the side, "This is taking a much longer time than we thought. If we really do want her to fall in love with us, she has to trust us. That must be a massive part of what makes her like someone. As it stands, she doesn't feel she can trust us."

"Right."

"So, to facilitate that, I thought it might do her some good to have some time where she knows she can be by herself. Just an hour out of every day where she is uninterrupted would greatly contribute to our goal."

There was a silence amongst the males, many of them debating whether or not they wanted to give that to her. After all, they didn't like having to wait for her to come around nor did they like having to restrain themselves from her. It would have been a difficult sacrifice that would have taken some heavy self-control, but some of them seemed to be all for it, wholeheartedly agreeing with what Shota deemed appropriate.

"Absolutely!" Akari and Takuya grinned, wanting the girl to smile more.

The others weren't so sure about their thoughts on the proposal. While Yamato did understand the purpose of an hour of privacy, it was dangerous if they couldn't contact her for that long. She could have escaped or someone could have broken in and taken her before anyone even realized. Haru and Rei had different concerns about it, mainly ones that stemmed from their own selfishness.

"If it truly bothered you that much, we can have cameras around the room and outside," the red-haired male suggested, trying to ease Yamato's fears.

"Then as long as we have some kind of security on her, it should be fine," the brunette sighed, relieved.

The other two were harder to convince, considering their motivations for refusing the proposal were hardly fixable. Takuya urged them to agree to it but they were firm in their stubborness and vehemently refused the idea, claiming it was annoying and unnecessary. The two tried to pitch other things to reward the girl with, but they could never come to a unanimous decision. So, they continued to argue about the best course of action.

"She's been so patient with us!" Shota shouted, "Do you really want to risk losing her? Do something for her! Just this once!"

"Forget it!" Rei yelled, "I'll give her some freedom when she chooses me!"

"She's not choosing you!" Haru snapped, earning a glare from the blonde, "Don't insinuate she will!"

They were in a stalemate, neither one of the males moving to do as the others wanted. Instead, they kept making arguments, refusing to give in and let their precious girl go for an hour a day. Trading insult with insult, they fought to keep their wants and wishes, and though Shota tried his best to convince them, it seemed hopeless trying to reason with either one.