Well, well, well, if it isn't the need for a parental figure.

Also, warning. The chapters here up until chapter 37, which is when Charles returns, will not be in text-like format, and will have different days. Example, ch 28 is the third day of the infiltration, while ch 29 could be the first day.

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Day 3 of Charles' infiltration

Xander laid his head on the table, digging his nails on the wood from the nervousness. Ace sat next to him, her head resting on his shoulder, about to fall asleep. It was clear the two were full of worry and fear, and also lacking a good ammount of sleep. Togo and Utsuro looked at each other with worry. "They have been like this ever since they came back." he said, crossing his arms.

"I worry that they might have been not getting enough rest. Look at their eyebags." Togo pointed out, discretely pointing to Ace's eyes. Dark bags were underneath them.

"They're worse than before." Utsuro sighed, walking towards them. Togo followed him, pushing her wheelchair as well. Ace seemed to hear their footsteps, as she jolted her head up, awake.

"Wha- Togo? Utsuro?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.

"How much sleep have you two been getting these last three days?" Togo asked, straight to the point. Like she always was. Ace paused, you could see she was trying to think due to her expression.

"Uh... Probably three or four hours combined?" she counted, seeming unsure. The novelist paled at that, while Utsuro sighed in annoyance.

"You two should be looking after yourselves. You can't just go and lack any sort of care for yourselves." the ginger deadpanned, grabbing Ace's wrist a bit harshly. The girl's eyes widened. So did Togo's.

"Utsuro, wait-"

*SLAP!*

Utsuro's head jerked to the side, eyes widened. He slowly brought a hand to his cheek, gently brushing a finger against it. He flinched in surprise at the sudden pain. He slowly looked down at Ace, who held the wrist he jad grabbed with her free hand, holding it close to her.

Her face expression was filled with fear and panic, her breath was slowly becoming uneven, and she was sweating a lot.

"Ace-"

"D-Don't touch me..!" she whispered, getting up and backing away from Utsuro. The ginger reached out a hand to her, but she took another step back.

"Utsuro. Let me." Togo said as she wheeled her chair towards the jockey. The luckster only nodded, watching as the girl slowly approached the redhead, whose legs trembled.

"Shhhh..." Togo soothed, gently cupping Ace's face. The jockey's eyes widened when she felt Togo touch her cheeks.

"T-Togi-"

"Everything is okay. I'm here. They can't hurt you." she assured, drawing circles with her thumb on the other's cheek. Ace shakily nodded, her hands trembling. The novelist gently grabbed the girl's hands with one of her own.

"Take it easy. I'm not mad." she said, rubbing the jockey's back. Utsuro watched as the novelist helped the jockey sit down on the couch, a sudden pang of guilt overwhelming him.

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Sorry this is short, I'm at a concert rn