As it turned out, after Haru went and tattled to Yamato about Rei's and Akari's relationship, the blonde was forced into making cookies for his atonement. To put it bluntly, he got off easy, only because Yamato knew the little bits and pieces of love he sprinkled to Akari kept him going. Still, he wanted cookies, and Rei could bake, so it was better to use the blonde than to let him go to waste.

Rei had his own plan for the cookies, however, and decided to set up a little art project for himself and (Y/n). Humming to himself, he cheerfully placed bowls of different colored icing on the table and transferred the cookies over. He had to slap Haru's hand away multiple times, warning him not to touch. Though, the moment the blonde's back was turned, both he and Yamato snatched one up and devoured it before blinking blamelessly at him.

As the younger girl came downstairs, Rei practically tackled her before yanking her over to the table. Excitedly, he yapped about how he was a genius and how he knew she'd love something to help her express her creativity. She played along, mostly because there was sugar involved. And since she played along, everyone else wanted to as well, Haru even bringing Bastien over to enjoy the activity.

There were no special shapes of the cookies, per se, all of them being circles. However, everyone ended up taking different approaches with them. Bastien just kind of smeared on globs of icing before looking up at his brother for praise. Then there was Akari and Takuya, who didn't really know what they were doing but tried their best regardless. Yamato, on the other hand, only slathered on an excessive amount of sugary icing and shoved the sweet in his mouth without a second thought.

Every now and then, the girl would hear a grumble coming from Shota, who was less than pleased with his decorating skills. No matter how long he spent on one cookie, he always ended up wiping the icing off and starting again. Though he always ended up scratching the cookie after wiping the icing off multiple times, Yamato didn't mind, eating it regardless of if it looked appetizing or not.

"(Y/n), look!" Rei cheered, holding up a bunny cookie that was perfectly frosted, "Isn't it cute?"

The girl looked closer at the delicacy, noting the pastel colors of the white rabbit with blushing cheeks and the cutest nose. All of the details he'd made on the cookie seemed professional in nature, making Shota grumble when he saw it. Though, Takuya, very invested in the adorable sweet, tried to offer the blonde one of his in exchange for it. He was inevitably shot down, forcing the white-haired male to sigh and try to make a cute animal of his own.

"It is cute, isn't it?" the younger girl smiled, making the rest of the males work harder to receive the same recognition.

"Do you want it? I'll gladly trade you for one of yours."

The girl, delighted by the offer, handed him a kitten she made, jolting when he ripped it from her hands and held it like it was a precious treasure. He replaced it with his rabbit, not that he particularly cared about it any more. It was far more heart-racing to inspect hers. Granted, it wasn't as professional as his but it was still quite cute. Coupled with the fact that it was made by her own hands, he was enjoying it wholeheartedly, including teasing the others with it.

Everyone wanted one of her cookies after that but it was Takuya that tried the hardest. He was scribbling furiously with an edible marker, taking little time to quality check it. Maybe he just expected she would give him one of hers out of pity anyway. When he held it up to her, she was forced to look at a pink blob. Truthfully, she was embarrassed to ask what animal it was, confused at the watermelon-like shape along with the stubby legs. If she had to guess what it was, based on the trunk-looking thing it had, it must have been some kind of elephant. She didn't know whether it was cute or ugly. It was, in actuality, both. It also was evil.

"Will you trade me, too?" Takuya practically begged, his hands shaking out of fear of rejection, "I-I really want one of yours!"

Because of his shaking and fearful grip on the small cookie, the thing broke into pieces, and the boy, looking down at his destroyed "masterpiece", began to tear up. He buried himself in his arms and began to whimper. There went his chance at getting one of her cookies. Rei could only snicker. However, (Y/n), feeling a soft spot for the white-haired boy nodded slowly, a small grin on her lips while she handed him a cookie of a deer.

Takuya lit up immediately, careful not to break her cookie, too. He set it down on the table to admire it, his cheeks glowing a soft pink. This cookie was even cuter than the one Rei had. At least, he thought so. However, reality came crashing down on him as he realized he had nothing to give her. His cookie broke and any other one he could make wouldn't have compared to hers. Suddenly, he didn't feel so happy, his heart squeezing painfully.

"Is there something I can give you in return?" he mumbled.

"No, I don't need any - "

"But I have to. You don't understand, but I can't just take and not give. I-I should have given you something first, so..."

"Maybe I just gave it to you because I like you."

Yamato started choking on his cookie, enough so to almost mask the tense atmosphere. All of the males were either glaring at Takuya or (Y/n) for the comment. The white-haired male, of course, was flaring up, letting his mind race about what she could have meant by that. Well, actually, he was already thinking about how he would introduce her to his father along with beginning to plan their wedding.

"She didn't mean it like that," Shota informed the male spitefully, "She just likes you as a friend. Right? Right?"

"Why are you asking?" Yamato snapped, "It was obvious. I-I mean, if she likes anyone like that, it would be me."

"You?" Rei laughed, "Because she's just so interested in a virgin like you."

"I'm not the weird one for waiting! Just makes you easy!"

"Um," Haru paused, "Shut up. If she meant love, she would have said love."

Weirdly enough, the brunette was right. (Y/n), trying to stay out of it, gave a tiny chuckle at what he said, forcing all of the males to calm themselves down. They still glared at one another, especially since they wanted to be the person she liked, but they didn't think it would do them any good to fight in front of her. They just went back to working on the cookies. Whenever she would finish a cookie, one of the others would try to trade her. Most of them were resolved to keep the treat, so the girl had to pause for a second when Yamato ate it without a second thought.

Again, differently from the others, Akari waved his hand in front of the girl's eyes, trying to get her attention. He did so in order to gift her with his own cookie he'd been working on. He had gone and made an angel. Or, maybe it was a bird. All she knew is that it wasn't a butterfly. It was cute how he presented it to her, extending it out to her like he didn't expect her to take it. Though, how could she not accept it?

"I assume you'd like one of mine in return, too?"

"Oh! No," the blonde denied, waving his hands dismissively only to stop and rub the back of his neck nervously, "I could never take something from you. It means enough that you want the one I've made for you. B-But thank you. You really are too good to me, goddess."

"You don't have to call me that, you know. It's a little...strange."

"I want to call you it," Akari smiled, "It's what you are. You're my goddess. Of course, if you'd like, I'll stop saying it, but I won't change my opinion of you. I'll never stop idolizing you."

Truthfully, he didn't want to stop calling her that, even if she preferred it that way. If he could just keep calling her his "goddess", it was like it was something special. She wasn't a goddess he had to share with everyone else. She was just his goddess. That was a selfish thought, but...Well, he was willing to live with that fact if things could stay that way. He had always hoped that would be the case, too.

Yamato darted his eyes from Akari to the girl, wondering why they had been getting so close. Especially after he found out about the relationship between Rei and Akari, it was, all of a sudden, even weirder why the younger male was so attached to her. Then again, as he stared at (Y/n), he couldn't take his eyes off of her, probably indicating to him why, exactly, Akari preferred her. The face she made when she was focusing on decorating cookies consumed his thoughts, the male blushing. Though, it was her smile that entranced him the most. It was infectious.

"Staring, are we?" Shota teased, "I don't blame you. (Y/n) is quite the beauty."

"So what if I was staring, dumbass?" Yamato growled, embarrassed that attention was called to him, "You drool over her constantly."

The red-haired male blushed and turned his head away, refusing to deny or affirm that statement while Haru snickered at the validity of it. Bastien copied his brother's laugh, giving a "tsksksks" sound. His brother told him very directly he sounded like a drunk snake, not that the infant understood he was being made fun of. He just repeated the noise until his brother smiled at him again.

Truth be told, after everyone was able to get a cookie from the younger girl, most of the interest in the activity faded away. It left just Akari and Rei to accompany (Y/n) before long, but, even then, the sun was beginning to set, prompting her to let out a yawn. The older male glanced up quickly, narrowing his eyes as she stood up to leave. She had all the time in the world to talk to Akari and goof around with Yamato but not him?

He must have let the thought fester up inside of him enough to follow after her. Before he left, he slammed his hands on the table, sending a warning glare to Akari. The younger male gave a guilty look, tucking his shoulders in submissively and glancing away. Rei gave a scoff before following after the girl, leaving the blonde all alone. And when Akari was alone, he didn't move. He just waited for someone to come fetch him again. So that's exactly what he did. He did it even knowing Rei would no longer come back for him. At that thought, he flinched.

"Cupcake!" Rei called out, catching the girl in the hall, "You're not going to bed already, are you?"

"Well...I'm tired."

"Can't you stay up a little longer? I've been so patient waiting for my turn. I've never had to wait for 'my turn' before, so don't you think I deserve a bit of time with you? I'm not asking for a lot, you know."

"Yeah, but...I'm tired."

"Then I'll get you coffee. Because it can't be that you don't want to spend time with me, in particular, right? We can just talk, if you want. I barely managed to squeeze out your favorite food last time, but I'm sure you learned your lesson and are excited to talk about whatever with me."

(Y/n) made a strained face. It was not at all smart to be alone with Rei but, as she peeked around the hallway, she didn't see any of the others. She was sure they were around, but, all the same, she would have felt more comfortable even if it was just Akari joining them. As she tried to go fetch him, Rei yanked her back, unamused. In fact, he decided to shove her in her room, shutting the door behind him.

"Why is it that you get so quiet around me? I know I'm not bad at conversation, so the problem must be something else. But, you know, I wouldn't know unless you talked to me."

Again, the younger girl was hesitant to answer. She was already aware the blonde would do anything to get what he wanted, not above breaking the rules and paying consequences if it meant he got something out of it. However, she also knew that, if she said the wrong thing, he would be prone to anger and violence. She had to think carefully before she spoke, which, clearly, he didn't like, his features contorting in frustration before he gripped onto her cheeks.

"Haven't I been sweet lately? I played along with the rules of the group and made you sweets and even set up a little art activity to enrich your little brain! Why won't you even talk to me?!"

"I-I'm just thinking - "

"No! No thinking! If you're thinking, you're not being sincere! I want you to say the thing that comes to your mind when I talk! Immediate! No catering to me! Isn't that what you promised me?!"

(Y/n) tried to process how to answer the rhetorical question as he wanted, only for him to become aggravated faster than she could respond. Flinching as she felt him shove her to the ground, she panicked, attempting to get out of his hold. Though, that was easier said than done. His grip was tight, and he had absolutely no intention of letting her escape yet again and run to the others for help.

"Every single time I try and talk to you, you somehow manage to get out of everything! You don't want to tell me when the others get too handsy with you. You don't want to tell me your favorite food. You don't want to tell me about anything!"

"R-Rei," the girl tried to strain out, "Please!"

"See? You only open your mouth when I threaten you! Otherwise, it's just silence! Oh, but you had no problem whispering to Narahashi or mumbling something to Akari. So, how else am I supposed to take it?! I have been so unbelievably patient!"

In the span of two nights, she had been suffocated twice. It had already gotten old when Yamato did it, so her brows furrowed as she tried pushing the blonde off. If she was able to use her voice, she could have easily gotten out of it. Yet Rei whined and whined about how she said nothing when, obviously, she could have if he just took his hands off of her. He disliked the struggling, only squeezing harder.

"Is this your way of taking it out on me? You know I hate silence. It drives me crazy!"

It was then that he released her, allowing her to roll over and choke before she even attempted to catch her breath. Even still, he gave her no time to recover, gripping at her cheeks and glaring at her. They both knew what he wanted, the (h/c) haired girl making it a point to gesture to her aching throat. A flash of terror washed over his eyes before he inspected her throat, almost frantic about it being in one piece until she spoke.

"I have to pause to talk to you," she eked out, not bothering to hide her irritation, "Or else you do something like this!"

Rei looked like he disagreed. Maybe he was completely unaware of how violent he could, thinking she was somehow "immune" to his strength. It was possible he thought he would never lay his hands on her from something she said, but she thought differently. When she had first met him, it was the same. She was planning on avoiding him at all costs. It just so happened he lingered around Yamato and the others, so it became impossible to separate them. That clearly worked out splendidly for her.

"What could you possibly say that - "

"I don't love you?"

At that, the blonde paused completely in place. Maybe he hadn't ever considered that being a possibility. Then again, judging at how quick he was to resort to violence at something as small as her being quiet, it was clearly weighing on him subconsciously. It must have been infuriating having to compete for her attention - let alone her affection - with others without any indication she would come to have feelings for him in the end.

"Ha," he ended up scoffing, "It was like this for my brother, too."

"I don't want any of you. You're all hiding behind each other and none of you have the guts to betray the group. That just means I end up suffering while all of you coddle each other, right? And tiny little outbursts come out where you guys try to kill me. After you and Yamato, I wonder who will be next. Shota, maybe? He's been quiet lately."

"Yamato? What do you - No, before that: what do you expect?! If you would just play along and fall in love with me, you wouldn't have to worry about anything!"

"Out of everyone, do you really think I would pick you?"

"Well, who else do you have? The spoiled brat of the Akahito family? A coward who bends to the whims of his mother? Or is a falling noble family's heir the one you'd be interested in? Maybe you've got a thing for a guy who knows more about dogs than girls? Or is it used goods you'd be interested in? I mean, from the start, you avoided all of us like the plague! There's no way you would have started liking one of us automatically!"

Rei scoffed at the thought, only to notice the girl glance to the side in guilt. Shocked, his body went stiff as he came to understand why she was making that face. He had always thought she loved Narahashi but that look on her face said otherwise. Did she really have a thing for one of them? If so, who? When? Why? The blonde's hand shot up to his chest, gripping at where his heart was. It wasn't him?

"Get out," she warned him lowly.

"We're not done here! Who - "

"Yamato!"

The blonde gritted his teeth. There was far more he wanted to know, but, of course, once again, she did just about anything she could to avoid talking. He thought about choking her once again, only to flinch when he heard the brunette making his way up the stairs. Quickly, he left with one last glare at the girl, fleeing before Yamato came to check up on the younger girl. But, of course, the thought of her being previously interested in one of them weighed on him heavily. It would either prove to be useful information or a threat.

"(Y/n)?" Yamato asked in concern as he peeked inside her room, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

The brunette gave a bewildered expression. After all, she had called for him, but now she was dismissing it. Moreover, the girl was rubbing her neck to soothe it, almost able to hide the bruise marks. The male glanced around to catch a glimpse of the culprit, but, obviously, there was no one around. Worried, he flocked over to her to help treat it, only for her to flinch away from him and threaten to throw a punch.

"I'm fine," she insisted in a gruff voice.

"No, you're not. Who choked - "

"It shouldn't matter to you. You suffocated me, too, last night. Remember? Last I checked, you weren't itching to beat yourself up for it, so this time should be no different."

"But I did that out of - "

"Get out!"

Yamato couldn't help but flinch. Sure, she'd been angry before, but, for some reason, the kind of frustration she was exhibiting so readily at that moment was far more concerning. He closed the door behind him in a rush, biting down on his nail as he tried to figure out who it was. His first thought was Rei, but Takuya had been on edge, and he knew Shota had already hurt her. Plus, Haru wasn't beyond violence either. The fact that there were multiple candidates for who could have done it was probably a good indication that things were about to break apart at the seams. (Y/n) knew that very well.