When (Y/n) woke up from her panic attack nap, she was surprised to find that Kazuki was still holding onto her hand. Ichiro was in the room as well, sketching on some kind of notepad. He was scratching his head, appearing as though he was stumped in the work he was doing. Nonetheless, when he saw she was awake, he gave her a kind smile and waved to say hello to her, greeting her enthusiastically.

"Hey there," he chuckled, putting his sketchbook down as he approached the younger girl, "I heard you're not doing too well. Anything I can do?"

"Not too close," Kazuki warned him in a light tone, his eyes bloodshot and focused intently on his computer.

Ichiro nodded and stood a few feet back from the (h/c) haired girl, sitting on the ground with his legs crossed. He then rocked back and forth with a silly grin on his face as if he'd been waiting for her for some time. Kazuki was more focused on his work, visible bags under his eyes. He must have been working nonstop without a break. The thought strangely worried the younger girl, but she didn't say anything about it.

"Are ya hungry?" the bluenette asked, "I can grab something for you."

The younger girl shook her head, not wanting to eat anything at that point. She felt like her stomach twisted and turned so much that she didn't want to eat anything in ten years. Still, Ichiro gave her such a bright smile that she felt better about everything. Though concerned, he appeared to want to fix the situation for her and make her feel better again. Of course, at that point, he had no ulterior motives.

"In that case, do you want me to take you back to the penthouse? It's probably a lot more comfortable in your bed than on that couch."

In any other case, the (h/c) haired girl would have gone, but she felt much safer at that point in time than she had in more time than she could recall. Everything was fuzzy before she met Rei, most likely due to the things he'd inflicted on her. It was intentional, no doubt about it. The fear had seeped into the younger girl, corrupting her ability to be on her own, needing someone else there with her to ease it.

Ichiro was a kind soul, she knew that much, and he only wanted to make her smile and feel better from what Rei had done. However, she couldn't help but feel attached to Kazuki for his help. Sure, she didn't trust him one bit, especially not with the striking similarities to his youngest brother. Still, he had stayed in the same spot for hours just to help her and was still holding onto her hand. It said something about his character, but she didn't automatically trust him, she just needed someone around and decided it may as well be him for the time being.

The bluenette figured as much and nodded enthusiastically. It was like he was agreeing with the younger girl that his brother was the best person to ever exist. Of course, they weren't on the same page about that, but Ichiro was in his own little world, far from understanding the girl's trauma or scars. At the very least, he wanted to learn, something that would take longer than he would have anticipated.

"If you wanna stay here, we can play a few games," the male suggested, earning her interest, "I brought my deck of cards."

(Y/n) didn't have anything better to do, and figured it would be a good chance to survey the male's ability to strategize as well as how clever he could be. As she gave a nod to the male, he gave another bright smile and rummaged through his backpack to grab a deck of cards, beginning to shuffle them. At the same time, the (h/c) haired girl got up from the couch, taking a few steps towards him.

She felt Kazuki's hand still on her as she did it, and he instinctively flinched, his hand squeezing hers, prompting her to stop walking. Turning her head to see what was wrong, she saw the blonde give a dazed expression, one she couldn't very well read without more information on who the male was. So she attempted to pull her hand back only for the blonde to release her and give a look as if he had a revelation.

"Ah, I apologize," he said quickly, taking his hand away and moving his attention to his computer.

The younger girl was slightly frightened by his unknown actions but didn't linger near him to uncover more knowledge about him. Instead, she sat down to the bluenette, being handed half a deck of cards. He then explained the rules of speed, and they began to game. One card after the other was placed down in a quick manner until (Y/n) ended up without cards first. The bluenette paused and gave a concerned expression before a pleading one.

"N-No, let's play again!"

The younger girl obliged him and the next thing she knew, they were playing game after game. Although Ichiro only won a few rounds, he was delighted to be able to enjoy some quality time with another person. The entire time he wore a bright smile and asked for game after game. He couldn't remember the last time he was able to play a simple game of cards. The male felt like a child in the best way possible.

In the car back to the penthouse after Kazuki had finished work, the male still stuck close to the younger girl and had a bright smile. He was hardly an extrovert, but that wasn't the point. It was that another person besides his brother took an interest in spending time with him. He couldn't help but be easily attached to her though it wasn't in a romantic way. The younger male only wanted to have a genuine connection with another human being.

Even the next day, he woke up early waiting by the younger girl's door to spend some more time with her. When she exited the room, she jumped back in fear at the sight of the boy before taking a breather when the male apologized. The bluenette then offered her Chariot, the bunny's ears and nose twitching adorably. As she took the small creature and pet it, the boy reveled in the act of bonding with her through his favorite things, mainly animals and games.

"Hey, (Y/n)," he paused, trying to see if she didn't like him using her name, "You know, I really like you. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to my work? I usually stay home, but since you were at Zuki's, I thought it'd be fun to show you mine."

It was clear that the male was trying to find an excuse to find time with her, especially due to his pleading expression and words. However, the younger girl was more than skeptical about leaving the penthouse, wanting to stay in a place she already knew well. In fact, she had a mental floorplan of the apartment, at least the two floors the males had for themselves. She gave a guilty expression, not knowing if she had it in him to deny what he so clearly wanted.

"O-Oh, I see," he frowned, looking to the side as he put his hands behind his back, "Um, can we do something else then? Zuki...Zuki's out today and he won't be back until late."

At that point, Ichiro appeared more like a broken-hearted child than a nineteen-year-old with his own fortune and business. He wasn't entirely put together, just wanting to spend time with another. The empathy (Y/n) possessed couldn't just let her leave him to wallow in loneliness. So, she simply gave him a quaint smile and handed him back his bunny, prompting him to give a confused expression, but when he saw her look, he burst into a pure ball of sunshine.

"You're so nice," he grinned, "We don't have to leave the apartment. The only thing we need to do is go down the stairs. Here, come on!"

The bluenette placed the bunny on the ground before motioning for the younger girl to follow him. Chariot jumped after him down the stairs and the bluenette opened the door to a room with sewing machines and tools. He showed the younger girl around with an excited aura about him, more than thrilled to have someone in his studio. And although the (h/c) haired girl had already been inside, she found it interesting nonetheless.

"I'm a designer, you know. Maybe sometime I could make you a pretty dress. I'm starving for ideas, but I'll get some, I know it! In the meantime, do you want me to show you how to do embroidery? I think it's a fun hobby, and I feel bad for making you stay here, so I hope it'd help. Ah, I'm probably rambling. I'm really sorry about that, but did you want me to teach you?"

(Y/n) couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at the male's awkwardness. She could tell he hadn't been around many people. In fact, to her, it seemed as though he had minimal contact with anyone besides his older brother. Even his other family was out of the question, and she wasn't sure he had any close friends. Rather, it seemed his pets were his closest companions, not that she didn't appreciate his animals' adorable appearances.

She simply nodded to the bluenette's request, and as he began to teach her how to use a needle and thread, he rambled more excitedly. The action of embroidery was not as simple as the younger girl would have thought and she desperately tried to make something throughout the day, grumbling if she didn't get it exactly as she wanted it. It was normal, sure, but she found herself even giving up for a moment before feeling anxious and continuing the activity with sheer motivation. What that motivation was, she couldn't tell, but she was glad she had it or she would have gone insane at that point.

The elevator gave a ding, signaling that Kazuki had returned back to the penthouse, and Ichiro didn't waste any time rushing over to him and giving him a tight hug. The blonde responded with a pat on the head and a smile but made his way over to the (h/c) haired girl soon after. He, at first, observed her mannerisms, piecing together she was trying to make a bunny. Nonetheless, he handed her two boxes. One of them was much larger than the other, but she didn't look at them for quite some time, more focused on her primary objective.

However, when she finally did look at the boxes, the older male was in the kitchen, making himself a cup of coffee. Although he had returned home, it was obvious his work wasn't done. As (Y/n) peered down at the supposed gifts, she tilted her head greatly, showing her confusion at the gesture. It was certainly not something Rei would let her use or even near for that matter. There was too great a risk involved with it. Well, there was a risk for him. Having access to a computer or a phone meant she could contact someone he didn't approve of.

"They're yours," Kazuki sighed, downing his cup before tapping his fingers on the counter, wondering what to do next.

He didn't expect the younger girl to move from the devices, adverse to using them. She wasn't in the line of thought that he was a good guy. Obviously, he understood such thinking, but he wasn't able to do anything else for her. He'd hit a wall Ichiro could climb with ease and was convinced that providing such things would at least make him seem more amiable to her. Sadly, it wasn't the case, and the only thing he could do was worriedly question her.

"What's wrong with them? I just bought them. I wouldn't have messed with them, believe me."

When the (h/c) haired girl narrowed her eyes, he let out a great sigh and hung his head before moving from the kitchen to the devices. He unpackaged the phone first, setting it up and typing both his and Ichiro's numbers in it so she had easy access to contacting them. Still, she didn't move towards the devices, preferring to stay on the other side of the room. She was more than just skeptical, there was clearly trauma behind it. Kazuki just didn't know what it was, another wall in his endeavor to calm and befriend the girl.

The only thing he wanted to do was erase Rei's embedded trauma in her psyche. Kazuki didn't think his brother was evil, he knew that he was just enabled, and the fact he let it slide by like his parents did deeply upset him. He was fully aware that Rei's corruption happened because no one tried to stop him. Despite the fact that he took it out on others around him, the older male was convinced it was only temporary, but he knew better. In his eyes, it was his fault for letting Rei turn his sights on the (h/c) haired girl, but he genuinely didn't know how to fix it.

"I-Ichiro, can you handle this?" he said shakily, getting up to move to his study.

"Oh, uh, I guess, b-but I thought you were going to stay here a little longer! Can't you? Please?"

Kazuki paused in his walking, feeling immense guilt for leaving his younger brother alone for so long. However, there wasn't much he could do at that point. He found himself useless in both the younger male's and the younger girl's cases. There wasn't anything he thought he could do that the other couldn't do. His only use was to provide funds and gifts to the two, but it didn't hurt his heart any less.

"I'm sorry for bothering you, Zuki," the bluenette muttered, pulling his knees into his chest, "You're busy, I know. I shouldn't be such a baby..."

"That's not it," Kazuki sighed, throwing his head back before looking down at the floor with a saddened expression, "Why don't we have family night tomorrow? You can pick out all the games and movies."

"Really?! Do you mean it?! You're not lying?!"

"As long as you do me a favor. Just watch over (Y/n) for me?"

Ichiro saluted and giddily ran about the penthouse, gathering movies, games, and started making a list for all the snacks and drinks he wanted to buy. It seemed all his energy he'd spent that day had returned faster than the younger girl could blink. He even involved the (h/c) haired girl in his planning, asking what she thought would be fun or what she wanted to eat for dinner the next night. Even when she shook her head, insinuating she didn't want anything, he continued to press her about what she really wanted. He was determined to make the night fun.

His pets also seemed riled up by his behavior, his bunny rabbit hopping over the table and his cat jumping from the floor to heights and back again. If (Y/n) didn't know any better, she would have expected the apartment to become a mess, but nothing happened, and she was relieved for it. Everything appeared so expensive. At least, all the decor she could see. She wasn't sure whether the animals knew their worth or not, but Mona came close to knocking a few wine glasses from the cupboard nonetheless.

Ignoring the older male's excited behavior, the girl took the computer and phone into her room and began to closely inspect them. She wasn't sure if the phone had the capabilities to track her or monitor her activity and wanted to be sure of what the devices capable of before she attempted to use it even if just for something so simple as a test. Still, to her surprise, she found nothing of the sort, prompting them to appear as a normal phone and a normal laptop, rather expensive ones at that.

Her mind then began to wander about what she could do with the phone. With any luck, she would be able to contact her parents, her friends, even the police. However, the thought and hope disappeared as quickly as it came when she came to the conclusion that no matter what happened, she wouldn't be free of her chains for quite some time, perhaps never. Rei had already made it clear he wouldn't let her leave, and she was certain that whatever Ichiro and Kazuki had taken her for wasn't just an act of goodwill. They wanted something in return, and the chances were that they weren't willing to let her go until they got it.

Still, even if she wouldn't be able to go, that didn't mean she couldn't contact people she knew just to chat. The younger girl knew her parents, at the very least, would be relieved to hear from her. That being said, they would worry and ask questions about where she was for the past year and a half or so. Everything was a double-sided sword in her case, and a phone wouldn't help her in any way, shape, or form. It was simply a gift most likely intended to make her see her captors in a positive light. She wasn't going to let that happen...but she'd been wrong with Rei.