Droplets of water dripped from Takumi’s bang, landing on Hanami’s pink cheeks. The droplets rolled off of her skin, exploring her jawline, her tilted neck, and exposed shoulders.

“Wh-what is this? He’s standing right over me… how… how did we end up like this?!”

His presence was the only thing registering for her at that moment. The towel pressed against her, the rocky ground under her elbow… none of those sensations registered to her as they locked eye contact. Takumi’s knee pressing up against her inner thigh only made her press one of her knees back against the wet hard rocky ground she laid against.

“H-He’s staring at me weirdly…” she tried remembering, almost blacking out due to the shocking situation she found herself in. His body heat, his arms over her, made her feel secure enough to not want to move. She just wanted to lay there a bit longer, but she knew it wasn’t right. Something would happen… he was so close, right on top of her.

Takumi remained silent observing her. Hanami’s knee brushed across his inner thigh, as if a gravitational force was pulling them in. Takumi moved in closer, as Hanami’s sight automatically set to his lips. Each second felt longer and her heart throbbed faster. Jumbled thoughts ran through her mind until she realized what was happening.

“With Takumi? Not in a million years!” In a panic, Hanami forcefully shoved her small foot against Takumi’s chest, wanting nothing more than to get out of the tempting yet confusing situation. “Get off of me, you perv!” The force of her kick caused him to tumble backwards until he rolled and splashed right into the hot spring, sinking down to the bottom. Takumi had barely managed to catch her foot as he found bubbles in his sights. He rubbed his abs where she’d kicked.

“That squirt…” Takumi frowned, watching some fish pass by him.

Hanami staggered up to her feet and tightly pulled her towel over herself and grabbed the nearest object: a wooden bucket with a golden panda designed handle. She aimed it over at the hot spring and yelled out. “NO NO NO NO NO!!!”

Bubbles escaped Takumi’s mouth, fizzing up to the water’s surface. He knew that Hanami would probably throw something at him the moment he rose up to the surface, so he turned his head in search of something to throw back at her. From floating grass to rocks, he searched around. Three koi fish swam around him as if mocking his dilemma. One brushed across his hip, a second swam down to his ankle and disappeared into underwater grass while the third bumped up against Takumi’s chest.

Then, a wicked idea formed in his mind. The young Setsu reached down before the third could escape and grabbed it firmly so that the fish wouldn’t slip away. It squirmed, flipping its tail against Takumi’s wrist in an attempt to free itself. Takumi squeezed harder, to the point that the thick koi’s googly eyes nearly popped out of its head. This further served to infuriate the fish as its once white belly, started to change to a pinkish shade and soon after, a red shade from the pressure. Takumi kicked his feet around, and swam up towards the surface as Hanami crept slowly to the ridge, then started to run back to her previous position after seeing bubbles fizzle up.

An eruption sent thick droplets of water raining down all around, forcing Hanami to look away briefly. Takumi flew out of the water, aiming the fish as he rose several feet into the air, disappearing into the dense mist from above.

“STOP IT, TAKUMI!” Hanami frantically looked over the hot spring with one eye open, in search of him coming back down, bucket in hand. The surface of the water stirred up, brushing against the rocky formation that surrounded the hot spring. Drizzles rained down against her when he splashed back down, creating a larger wave. It came back down, washing over Hanami, making her gasp due to the force of the water. In return, she randomly tossed the bucket, hoping that it’d hit Takumi. Her eyesight was far too watery to see that the bucket only ended up hitting June on the head after he finally regained consciousness again… causing him to get knocked out once more as Takumi pointed Hanami’s way.

“I could have drowned thanks to you! Cut it out!”

“Takumi! You should drown, get back in there and don’t come out! You need those lecherous thoughts washed outta you!” She looked down to her chest, gripping her towel tighter. “Y-You won’t remember anything! None of what you saw!”

“What I saw? Hmph, chicken legs with no stew,” Takumi struck back.

The snide comment made Hanami quickly look around for something to use against him, but before she could turn, she saw something fly at her from the corner of her eye. “That sneaky Takumi isn’t gonna get one over me, not if I could help it!” she told herself. Acting naturally, Hanami swiped up her arms and caught the object. “You throw like a toddl-” she was about to shout, but stopped.

It felt slimy, yet it also had scales along its side. The fog had cleared enough for Hanami to see what she had between her small hands. What it was completely froze her up, turning her cheeks a light blue. Her heartbeat spiked up rapidly, almost making her forget to breathe.

“W-WHAT THE?!?!” she reacted when she saw the fish making a kissy face. Each time it stretched its lips, it let out bubbles that popped against her nose. Its big eyes and the sensation of the scales against her fingers sent shivers through her body. “EKKKKK!!!” On impulse, Hanami screamed and flung the blubbering fish back up into the air without giving it a second thought. Takumi raised his hand up to his forehead and squinted, looking at how high she had shot it. He whistled, surprised.

“Can’t lie. That’s an impressive throw,” he muttered. When he looked back down, he almost burst out in laughter when he saw Hanami turn over and bolt out like a deranged ape with her hands flinging around over her head. He slid the back of his palm to his mouth and adjusted to his serious appearance. She shook her hands back and forth as if she was trying to fly and kicked the sliding door down.

“Wow… over a…” he ridiculed. From the way her fingers twitched, it became clear that Hanami felt extreme discomfort from what she had grabbed. “Slimy fish, eh? Now I’ve got one up on her,” Takumi made a mental note of what freaked her out.

Gaining consciousness again, June groggily opened his eyes. The bright mist forced him to close his eyes once more as he felt something pressed up against his lips. It had very soft lips, and was sucking on his upper lip. He opened his eyes a smidge. From what he could see, the silhouette of what was over him, seemed to have crimson hair.

“H-Han…” he thought to himself. Thinking it was her, he closed his eyes and reached up to seemingly feel her curves, but all he felt was his stomach. This prompted June to feel around. He tapped the rocky ground, the puddles around him splat with each pat. The realization slowly came in that it wasn’t Hanami… but whatever it was, was getting into it.

June slapped his palms when he felt the slippery scales. “A mermaid?” He leaned up and opened his eyes and completely freaked out. The koi was latched onto his upper lip as if its life depended on it. It took him three tugs to yank it off. Takumi said no words as June realized he had seen everything. He facepalmed himself as the fish flopped on June’s abs.

“Hasegawas…” Takumi muttered, repulsed. He removed his towel and tossed it over June’s face, stepping out of the hot spring. Takumi grabbed a new black robe in the hallway and put it on. He could still hear Hanami screaming further down the hallway, which made him smirk. He reached in and took a purple dry towel from the rack and set it on his head. Ruffling his hair around, he turned and walked the opposite way.

“Master, the dining room has been set,” one of the maids bowed as Takumi tapped his index finger against the elevator pad. The elevator came down with a “ding” and opened up. “Like I told Mira, I’ll have dinner in my room. I have research to do. Don’t want any distractions. Any disturbance from the staff will result in their execution.”

The elevator closed and the maid reached up, tapping her earpiece as Alto’s voice came through. She brought up a napkin, wiping it across her forehead and cheeks. The butler questioned, “What’s all the commotion about? Some of the staff reported they heard fighting coming from the hot spring. Is this true?”

The maid answered, “I’m not too sure of it myself. The young master said that he’s going to do some research, and that anyone who bothers him will get executed,” as she heard Hanami screaming nearby.

“Very well, go check on Lady Hanami. I’ll handle Master Takumi myself.” Alto hung up and exited the dining room, and headed to Takumi’s room. He hoped the boy was docile after his time at the hot spring, as it should’ve relaxed him for the news Alto considered presenting him. Upon arriving, he knocked twice, when he heard Takumi at the end of the hall.

“Alto… what is it?” Takumi sounded annoyed.

“Young Master… had a pleasant bath?” Alto tried to appear nonchalant in asking.

“Not really,” Takumi answered upon arriving at his door. He pressed his palm against the door and entered. The curtain within his room was wide open, allowing the blue moon to shine in and brighten the space. Alto stepped in after him and questioned “Why?”, but Takumi rubbed his temples, signaling Alto to forget about it. Plus, the whole thing had deviated into an embarrassing situation he was trying hard to forget.

“Do you need something, pops?” Takumi asked, tapping the holo-pad at his desk. Alto took that as a sign that he’d begin the research he had mentioned earlier in the night.

“Yes, I do in fact have a request.” Alto got a call from one of the maids to go down, so he exited the room and called Takumi on the phone as he went down the elevator. Takumi sighed, but didn’t argue. He slid the floating seat back, turned on his phone and waited for Alto to continue while briefly surfing the web on his phone.

“You see, it’s Miss Hanami’s birthday. I want you to briefly attend within the dining room. We have to make her feel at home. This is the first time she’s away from her grandmother and that isn’t easy,” Alto hoped he could get Takumi to understand.

Takumi immediately took back every positive thought he had about Alto. Of all the things the butler could have asked, this was high on the list of worst. “No, absolutely not, Alto.” Hanami would probably give him a black eye instantly the moment she saw him again, something he’d rather not risk.

“Just for a short time. I’m sure doing so will show a gesture of goodwill,” Alto tried pushing.

“Birthdays are meaningless. For humans, it’s simply them inching closer to their demise. For me, it’s a constant reminder of what I have to do. Plus, I do solar return. Not birthdays because that only relates to the human misconception of life.”

“I’m not going. Don’t make this an issue,” Takumi answered and hung up, tossing the phone over his head. It landed on the bed, as he leaned back to resume his research. “Anything is better than dealing with that crazy chick.”

Alto glanced at the phone, very disappointed. He chose not to call a second time, instead turning around to make final preparations. The butler dashed across the lit hallway once the elevator door opened and took a light orb that looked like a see-through ball within a basket. He bounced the ball in front of himself causing it to flicker on and hover up behind him, following him to the chamber he descended into.

Elsewhere, Hanami slumped against the doorframe after finally getting herself together. A faint breeze blew in through a window within the steam room she had entered. “That pig threw a fish at me! Who does that!? Doesn’t he know they can bite?” she thought out loud.

“How am I going to survive with him around, Nana?!” The girl dropped her head, but the vibration of gentle knuckles tapping against the wooden door caught her attention. She turned her head sideways, whipping her wet crimson hair in the process.

“GO AWAY!” she growled, thinking it was Takumi outside the door, but a different voice answered.

“Why?” Miranda asked. Hanami’s guard quickly dropped and her shoulders eased up, happy to know that it was the kind maid who had helped her set up her stuff earlier in the morning. “Anyone’s better than that nasty Takumi,” she thought while walking to the door.

“MIRA!!!” Hanami tapped the door’s pad and jumped onto Miranda when the door opened.

“Hello…” Miranda wiped a tear from the corner of Hanami’s eye and held out a basket that had her clothes. “I thought you would be needing these.” Hanami glanced down and took it gratefully.

“Are you okay?” the maid questioned Hanami as she turned around and entered the steam room once more to change.

“I am now… don’t want to go over it though,” Hanami spoke from behind the door. Miranda knew something had upset the young lady, but she knew better than to press too hard, especially since she figured it probably had to do with Takumi. The girl slid her towel off, as the steaming smoke within the room kept her from being exposed. She set the basket down and bent over, taking the bras first. Relaxing in the steam room was nice, but she was ready to move onto something else. “The first official day of school is the next day, so I have to get ready!” Hanami clasped her hands together, excitement taking over.

“Okay… ready now?”

“Yeah I am, thanks Mira! You’ve been a really big help today, unlike that weirdo!” Hanami yelled out, hoping Takumi would hear her and hopefully come over so she could pummel him. In his room, Takumi sniffled, nearly sneezing. Hanami shook her fist, trying her best to control her temper and then opened the door, sliding out to greet Miranda properly. She happily hugged Mira, cuddling her cheek to the maid’s chin.

“Let’s go down and have dinner then,” Miranda responded, with the same blank expression. She pat Hanami’s head, arranging her hair around as Hanami suddenly remembered, “Oh! That’s right, here Mira. Can you fix this side of my hair into a pigtail?”

Within the dining room, the maids had set up the room to be quite relaxing. The lighting of the room was dimmed and replaced by flickering candles to give the ambiance a natural feel. Over by the center, June was seated and a spread of delicacies were arranged on the hovering table. As Hanami entered, everything looked and smelled absolutely delicious and she wanted a sample of it all. She’d forgotten that she hadn’t eaten since the morning’s entrance ceremony.

“Hana!” June set his fork down and waved her way. She briefly wore an upset look, but sighed, approaching the table. June thought back to what had happened, and after Hanami sat down on the seat across from his, he apologized. “I’m sorry for turning around when I did. I should have been more cautious.”

Hanami blinked and shook her head. “No! It’s my fault for walking in without confirming, June-pyo. Besides, we used to bathe all the time together when we were younger, I just hadn’t… um,” Hanami laughed lightly to lift the mood as she thought of their younger days. She recalled the days that he’d scrub her hair and she’d scrub his back and they’d play games together. A faint blush of embarrassment spread through her cheeks. “You’ve grown,” she mumbled, realizing that those memories might not be appropriate for light conversation.

June listened attentively and at the same time took a mouthful of curry. Just when she made the comment about having grown, the spoon lodged inward, forcing him to cough the food onto the plate. Two of the maids pat his back as he reached for a glass of pink water. “First the fish and now spoons? What else could go wrong?”, he thought to himself. He gulped down the water and punched his chest. June set the glass back down and as he whipped the water from his upper lip with his forearm, he looked Hanami’s way.

“Anyways! Thank you for the food, grandpa!” Hanami’s expression shifted into a wide cheerful smile, as Alto nodded and returned the same look.

“I cooked it, you know…” Gustov squeezed in, with no one responding.

Hanami turned back and started to fill her first plate with porridge and other delicacies. Her purposely chowing down the food was too loud for June to say anything, so he let the comment escape his mind and started to eat quietly again. Since he hadn’t responded, Hanami deemed it safe for her to quietly eat now, too. While eating, she shot glances towards June’s way and wondered why she felt different around him now. Without thinking further, she started to eat faster again, causing the staff that stood by to feel very awkward. One whispered to another “Look at her go…”

“I hear she has an even bigger mouth when she’s not eating,” the other responded.

“Is that how the Rikutos of the Hasegawa eat? Animals.”

Hanami heard these comments and slowed down, squinting. She hoped they didn’t assume that was the way she normally ate her meals. Finishing, she set the bowl down and listened to the casual music that played. It wasn’t what she normally liked listening to, but it reminded her of her father. It was the kind of music he’d play back at home. She tried to put a face on that figure whom she called her father, but it became really difficult. She continued on, trying to focus and suddenly blinked, realizing June’s eyes were on her. She quickly avoided the golden eyes, but could feel June’s eyes on her, which unnerved her. Instead of calling him out on it, she took a napkin and tapped it between her lips. She had no interest in striking up another conversation at this moment.

June, who was at the other end of the table, looked over to Alto when he realized he was staring at her for too long. Alto was positioned behind Hanami and signaled for June to begin what they had talked about earlier. June got the signal and saw two butlers enter the dining area with an ice cream cake that had a series of red rose designs on it. From the alluring scent, he determined it had a cherry flavor. Hanami sniffed, picking up on the scent too. The cake made her mouth water. June set his fork and knife down and smiled over to her, showing off his dimples. He called out, “Hana,” and Hanami looked up at him. He hoped this surprise could go without a hitch.

“Yes, June-pyo?” She raised a brow, an uneasy feeling spreading in her stomach because of the wild day.

“Today’s your birthday,” he began. The two butlers slid the massive cake onto the edge of the table and slid it over to the center, catching Hanami off guard. Nothing had given her the slightest hint of a celebration of this magnitude in her honor. All of the maids and butlers present huddled around the table and said in unison, as they wore their best smiles and gestured dramatically for effect, “Happy birthday! And welcome to your new home!” The table in front of her let out a golden shine.

Instead of the reaction they had hoped for, Hanami just looked around the room bewildered. “Birth… day?” She raised a brow.

June laughed with a weary smile as the realization dawned in him. “You don’t remember…” June stopped abruptly, then switched up what he was going to say. “Can’t really have such a special day without cake. This looks really yummy! Alto, do you have something to say? Let me grab a slice!” June pinned it on the butler, as he couldn’t do it himself. He ruffled his curly blonde hair and reached out for a knife and stood up from his seat. One of the maids beside June kept the cake in place as he awkwardly asked her, “You want a slice?”

“Dirty move, young sir,” Alto telepathically responded, as June ignored his glare. Hanami looked over her seat to Alto. The maids and butlers stepped aside, allowing Alto through.

“Yes, today is the day you were born, the day that your soul found its way into your respective vessel. Your grandmother informed us in time! So we had to make you feel at home, since you’re a part of us now,” the tips of Alto’s mustache wiggled along as he spoke uncomfortably. Once he finished speaking, he waited for a response from the girl, but she was silent.

Hanami started to space out until Miranda swiped her finger across the cake and smudged the icing along the tip of Hanami’s nose. Its cool sensation snapped Hanami back into her surroundings with everyone laughing. June breathed a sigh of relief, freed from the awkwardness hanging over everything moments ago.

Hanami wasn’t sure why she felt sad on what was supposed to be an exciting day, but she knew she couldn’t ruin it for them. Not after all the effort they had put in. These were all the people who she’d be living with for the time being. The least she could do was show appreciation for the birthday cake. Hanami stood up and reached out to a knife. “A birthday is a special occasion?” she asked herself.

Everyone froze and June slumped down below the table. If anything went wrong, he thought that was the safest place to hide. He didn’t care if anyone called him a coward. He wanted to move on from all the madness clouding this one day.

Hanami giggled, sliding the knife down the cake. She felt pleased doing something as simple as slicing up a birthday cake. The party was a nice way to take some of the edge off of the entire day. “Thank you! You can have a slice first then, teheh.” A maid on standby handed the girl a plate, which Hanami used to give June cake first, as he stood back up pretending as though he had picked something up from the floor.

Back in Takumi’s room, the young Setsu tried searching through the web. He typed up the name of the factory and dug through some files when he suddenly heard the cheering that came from below his room, disrupting his concentration. His fingers slid off of the holographic keyboard.

“I told Alto to… damn that Hasegawa. Are all the incoming days going to be like this?” Takumi recalled when he’d first met her and even the hot spring, as a slight blush crept across his face.

“If it weren’t for her impudence… in another world, perhaps we could have gotten along,” he thought to himself. A smile spread across his face until he almost slipped off the chair. Takumi spun his seat over and facepalmed himself. “Somehow her presence still manages to bother me… I can’t get peace and quiet with her here. And I told Alto I was busy.” He sighed.

Takumi leaned over and tapped the glowing orb on his desk. It hovered up and a feminine robotic voice asked who Takumi would like to call. “Call Alto,” he responded. A series of beeps followed and particles from the orb spread out. The robotic voice flashed, shifting into a holographic dancing worm that wiggled up and down, waiting for Alto to pick up. “Ahhhh, sumbawaaaaa, aaahhhhhh sumbawwaaaa,” the worm continued to sing, wiggling its face to the ceiling. Takumi said “Mute” to end the singing. While he waited, Takumi continued to do his research on the factory, but didn’t sit down in his seat yet. He waited for the private server to upload and read the information he found after searching “Fillies Factory information of ownership”:

Factory name: Fillies

Date Formed: 2077

Date shut down: 2093

Reason for shutdown: Owner committed suicide. Factory repossessed. Due to a mass recall of tainted products, a legal shutdown was enforced.

Previous owner: Phil Cornel Dredger

Current owner: Sango Ginko

Status: Recently has been repurchased. Undergoing renovation.

Information: Food shortages arose in many places around the world throughout the 2070s. A simpler way of feeding the hungry had to be devised. In the year 2077, Phil Cornel Dredger created a candy named “Fillies”, which was named after its intended goal to fill people up. These nutrition bars were compact with protein and energy and offered the consumer hours of mobility with no fatigue. Consumers often reported feeling as if they’ve eaten a whole plate of food from a single bar. It was perfect for workers with little time to cook meals. The low cost and accessibility skyrocketed its success in a way never before seen in the food industry, which made many smaller companies that partnered with Fillies help spread the product worldwide. As for the production, originally a closed unit of private corporations collaborated to create research until the Tensei Order along with other governments stepped in.

Awards… Click to read more

Dredger’s marital status… Click to read more

Skimming through the rest of the page, Takumi couldn’t find anything else significant, but he planned to print it out anyway. “Miyumi ought to know more, I’ll check in with her tomorrow morning. That guy’s spirit is definitely around, which has to be creating the increased activity of Shikis. But there’s probably more to this…” Takumi contemplated as he deeply sighed. “And if there is, the b*tch will force me into doing more work than necessary…”

“No… this is a personal request from a friend, not Setsu duties,” Takumi told himself in an attempt to make his reason for following through with this sensible. Takumi started printing out the information when the dancing holographic worm’s form shifted into Alto in a shining flash that forced Takumi to turn away temporarily.

“You need me, young master? Is there something I must do for you?” Alto asked, curious as to why Takumi called.

“There is something you can do: tell that squirt to go to bed! I can’t focus with all that noise and I need to recharge this body. Stop celebrating her stupid birthday or at least turn down the noise,” Takumi’s voice came through loud and clear, prompting Alto to quickly set the phone from loudspeaker to private so that the others present in the room wouldn’t hear. He looked over his shoulder to Hanami and June who were conversing amongst themselves whilst enjoying the cake. Alto recalled how the girl had expressed herself after cutting the cake. When she stared at the cake, there were hints of sadness, but her smile was sincere.

“I’m… not used to this sort of thing. Being pampered and all… it’s new to me,” Hanami softly spoke. “This cake, for you to put in the effort… even the thought, just to welcome me… thank you guys! I should be happy right now… but…” Her eyes started to tear as she found it hard to breath. “I don’t know why-”

She had been sincere, but there was a lingering sadness within her. The harder she tried at understanding, the more her head hurt, but she’d put that aside in order to have a good time with them. She wouldn’t let it mess up what Alto and the staff had done for her. The negative Retsu she had been giving off decreased significantly. “The first phase was a success,” Alto thought to himself.

“Young master, I will settle things, so please refrain from fighting with her. Your mother will hang me by my trousers if she catches wind of a rift between you two. She’s a nice young lady and doesn’t deserve to be mistreated. Do it for me, my boy. You know how important this is. Even if you won’t marry her, for the time being, put up with it.”

Takumi squinted before responding. “It’s not my fault she’s annoying. But whatever, just keep her away from me for the night.”

“Very well, young master. I’ll do my best,” Alto replied, noting that Takumi was doing work. Before he could completely leave, Takumi called out to him again.

“Uh… what are you having exactly? What sort of cake?” His stomach grumbled loud enough for Alto to hear. Not hearing a fast response, Takumi asked again, “Alto… what’s that cake made out of?”

Alto paused and chuckled knowing why Takumi was really asking. “It’s a natural strawberry ice cream cake, but it has sweet bread mixed in the base with cherry. I know how you love pastries.” Alto shook his head, tapping the table near him.

Hearing that the cake had sweet bread, Takumi’s fangs slid down his lips and his mouth watered. He was almost willing to go downstairs to get it, but restrained himself. “Can’t afford to run into that squirt again,” he thought to himself. He kept his composure and closed his eyes, then opened one. “Have some of that cake… brought up to me then. Thank you.”

Alto clapped his hands together. “Consider it done, M’lord.” Alto smiled, before hanging up. The link disconnected, releasing a small flash in front of Alto and Takumi, forcing Takumi to once again turn away. It was too bright for him, especially since his eyes were adjusted to the darkness in the room. “Annoying light,” he growled.

Down in the dining room, Alto made his way to the dining table and instructed one of the maids to cut a “nice portion” of the cake for Takumi. He was relieved that all Takumi wanted was for it to be taken upstairs. “Who knew what might have happened if the young master came downstairs… though it would’ve been nice if they made up,” he thought.

The maid questioned what a “nice portion” meant, to which Alto bluntly said, “Half the cake.”

The maid nearly fell over upon hearing this. She looked down to her small and stringy arms. “How am I supposed to carry that?” she thought to herself, rubbing the side of her giant messy bun.

“If you want to keep the job, you’ve gotta do it,” Alto responded back.

Miranda reached over and cut the rest of the cake in half. “I’ll take it, okay?” She glanced at Alto blankly and lifted the giant chunk, holding it over her head, as Alto nodded. Hanami listened to everything that went on as she nibbled on her cake. “You’re taking it up to that… thing?”

Miranda nodded, before pausing. “Would you like to take it up to him?” Miranda asked.

Hanami stopped nibbling on her cake piece and said “W-Wha?!” Miranda looked on blankly. Alto quickly pulled Miranda away and lowered her down so they could whisper without Hanami hearing.

“What are you thinking!? If those two get together, it’ll create another fight!” Alto warned.

“It could, but don’t you remember what Madam Kiyoko told us to do?” Miranda replied.

The two recalled what Takumi’s mother had told them… her threats still resonating in their memories. Shivers spread through their spines upon thinking of her. “You two must ensure that they fall in love!!! OR I’LL HAVE YOU BURIED SIX FEET UNDER IN LESS THAN SIX SECONDS!” Put simply, they were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“U-Um…” Hanami fought her internal doubts. There had to be a way to get Takumi to be more accepting of her. Alto and Miranda snapped out of it and looked back to Hanami who stood up from her seat.

“The young master told me to keep her away from him, but…” Alto whispered to Miranda.

“Who do you not want to piss off?” Miranda whispered back.

Alto slid his napkin from his pocket and dabbed it across his cheek and up to his forehead, getting rid of the sweat. “You’ve got a point.”

Hanami had been thinking of her grandmother and the responsibility. “S-Since I’m going to bed anyway and his room is across mine… I can drop it off!” Hanami blurted with a visible blush. For the time being, she’d have to do her best to get along with her fiance. She couldn’t make her grandmother look back. “I’ll put up with it!” she told herself aloud and turned to face the two. “How unappreciative could he be if I brought him cake instead of a knuckle sandwich?!” Hanami faked a giggle, pretending that she was enthusiastic about it.

June set his fork down and stood up. He didn’t want her to have another bad confrontation with Takumi, but before he could make his suggestion, Alto signaled for the maids behind him to silence him. Two maids pounced on June, bringing him down. One grabbed his arm, tugging him aside while the other covered his mouth with her hands and pulled him back further in a leg lock. June struggled, but was no match for the determined maids.

When Hanami looked back after seeing Alto’s signal, June wasn’t anywhere to be seen. Alto pat Miranda’s shoulder and nodded. Miranda walked over to cut the cake properly while Alto stepped outside to speak to June. He did so and closed the door shut behind himself.

“Lad, don’t interfere.” He set both hands on June’s shoulders. “This is important to both families. Trust me, I’ll manage this. Go rest up.”

June responded, “I’m fine with you, but if you haven’t noticed, that guy’s a jerk to many. Hanami doesn’t need that kind of stress right now. Tomorrow’s her first day of school. Maybe I can take her back to Miyumi’s.”

Alto ignored the comment June made and brought his face close to June’s, pressing his chubby nose against June’s nose. June sighed, knowing his duties. It wasn’t to break the two apart. His thoughts went over to Miyumi. He knew what her response to him would be at this moment: a speech of him taking up his responsibilities, regardless of his feelings. So, with a long sigh, he relaxed himself, prompting Alto to move back. Just as he had, Miranda opened the door for Hanami to go through.

Hanami had the dish in hand and passed by June and Alto, heading to the elevator with Miranda following behind her. The maid pressed the elevator button and Hanami was on her way to Takumi’s room. All of the courage and empowerment she had felt simmered down upon reaching his door, which now seemed gigantic and terrifying. There were “Do not touch unless you’ve been authorized” signs all over it.

It was like someone pinched a balloon and all of the air bursted out in a single pop. She couldn’t help but remember what had happened earlier in the hot spring. “It wasn’t as if it really was my fault,” she mumbled to herself and kicked the door twice to let him know someone was at the door. She could hear the dramatic Orchestral music that had been playing inside lower down. She continued to kick the door until the door slid open and she accidentally kicked Takumi’s shin. In doing so, she had also lost her balance and tipped over causing her face to land against his chest. When Hanami pulled her head up, she met Takumi’s glare.

“Son of a… I told pops…” Takumi thought to himself and responded, “What do you want?”

Hanami stepped back, averting his gaze. “I… I… Miranda asked me for a favor… to bring this slice of my cake up to you, so here.” Hanami built up the courage and lifted the cake up towards Takumi, whose nose twitched at the pleasant aroma. Before anything else, Takumi brought out his phone and turned over, angling the position so that only the upper portion of his face showed while Hanami appeared clearly behind him. He squinted as she tilted her head confused, before smiling softly. He took the picture, slipping the phone back into his pocket. “You took a picture of us…” she said softly without Takumi responding back.

“You have no idea, b*tch,” Takumi thought to himself. His collar shook around with the chain glimmering. He wanted the cake, badly… but not from her. His thoughts returned to his parents’ intentions. “As if I’m accepting anything from your little grubby hands… beat it, before I bite the veins outcha neck,” he muttered blankly and stepped back so the door would shut in Hanami’s face.

“Wha-?! You can’t take a picture of us and then say that!” she shouted. Before the door could close, Hanami slid her small foot into the framing, forcing the door to halt and moved back. “Can’t you go a few minutes without being a jerk? Your big talk doesn’t scare me. The cake is delicious, and I came all the way here to give you some! Don't let it go to waste!” Hanami puffed up one of her cheeks. “It’s not like I poisoned it… though I probably should have. Maybe then, this nightmare would end,” she added.

Takumi squinted. “Pfft, please.” He reached down to grab her hair. “It’s pointless for me to eat that cake, it might upset my stomach. Now leave,” Takumi insisted.

“No, it won’t. It’s not the same for everyone,” Hanami responded back.

“Exactly… that’s why I can’t have a birthday cake.” Takumi smirked faintly.

“You’re lying.” She brought her finger up to poke his eye, leading him to slap her hand again and bring his hand back down onto her.

“Give it a rest. I told you, I don’t want any of that from you, squirt!”

“Hey! I carried this cake all the way up here for you! It weighs a ton! Whether you want it or not, you’re gonna eat it!” She swirled her shoulders, freeing the collar of her blouse from his grasp and slapped his hand out of her hair.

Takumi lightly pushed her back and kept her back from the door, waiting for the door to reach his arm so he could pull it and allow the door to completely close. They tussled as Hanami couldn’t place the cake on the floor in time to fight him. When she did set the cake down, Takumi pulled his arm back and the door closed. Unless he opened it from the inside, she wouldn’t be able to get through because she didn’t have the code of his palm.

“UGH!!!” she grunted, nearly ripping the lid off the cake. She kicked at the door a few times, only to stop and clench her fist. Hanami knew she had to control herself, but ended up walking over to one of the see-through windows in the hallway. She banged on the glass window until the anger subsided and then returned to the door. “I’m leaving the cake in front of the door! I’m not dealing with this! I need my sleep for tomorrow!”

With that, Takumi, who had his back against the door, heard the door to her room slide open and close. He waited two minutes to make sure she wasn’t there and then slid the door open. When he did, he saw Hanami had her door slightly open, scowling at him. They both stared at each other. She had waited the whole time to see if he’d take it. This prompted him to close the door again as he returned to his desk to check on the highlights of the college basketball games he had missed.

“You know you want it!” Hanami screamed aloud. She shut her door and flopped onto her pink fluffy bed, kicking her feet around as plush toys and action figures slipped off. She screamed incoherently into her pillow, before remembering she had to call Minami and that school would begin the next morning. “Ah, I also have to visit Miyumi for the kendo club papers,” she further recalled.

Slipping off of the bed, she went off to retrieve her sleeping dress. Her morning clothes laid on a chair neat and ready for the morning. Hanami literally dove onto the bean bag inside of her closet and went to work, unboxing what was inside.

“Screw him!” she yelled as she slid across the carpet and started to unpack one of her suitcases in search of her red sleeping dress. Hanami made it back into bed and shoved her pillow into her face. “One moment he seems like a great guy, the next he’s the complete opposite! He’s worse than my baby brother, so complicated,” she rambled on until she grew too tired to try and figure out why he was like that. Soon enough, Hanami dozed off only to hear a beep.

She stood up, glancing around the dimply lit room, the beep continued. She stepped off of the bed, glancing down under the bed where she saw a small yellow light coming from a white device.

Minutes later Alto was called to her room.

"What is this thing exactly?"

"It is a generator that create a field of Retsu around you, Retsu... life energy. I'll be explaining that as I told you earlier, once I begin your training. All homes have those throughout our civilization. That small generator creates Retsu that allows you to rest and heal your body."

"Ah! Like... that room me and Minami were in" Hanami thought back, sitting back as she observed the soft glowing yellow part of the white device. "In my Setsu form, I can see the circular biofield it's created in the room, it'll help you rest and regulate your planetary body."

"You can rest well now."

"Pure life force..."

"Life force energy and Retsu, is the same thing, oxygen is the same thing, the Retsu humans give off, are captured in devices that power their location, the Retsu also spreads through the pipes connected from home to home and release into the atmosphere, to be pulled towards the poles set up around the Atmosphere and in the ocean, if you do not know of that, you don't have to learn right now as you aren't to be an engineer or anything-"

Hanami smiled, feeling better she got into bed. "Thanks for the info Alto! Rest well!"

"You too-" Alto left. Hanami closed her eyes with a smile, snuggling into the sheets.

Later that night, Hanami rubbed her eyes and opened them. A silhouette stood over her, its purple eyes tracing her body from knee to shoulder, masked by the darkness of her room. She felt something grip her thighs as she squirmed over, half asleep.