Sadly, our wonderful beachside cuddling had to come to an end. When we finally had to part, the night was already late, and we both had to be up early in the morning. I drove the "borrowed" car back to the Cultural Exchange building, although I took a bit of a longer route to spend a few more minutes with Bin- Zoe.

That was going to take some getting used to.

We talked back and forth about nothing, in particular, the whole ride back, hopping around from topic to topic, but it was pretty obvious we were both distracted in our thoughts. At least, I certainly was. It was damn near impossible not to lick my lips, thinking back to the sensation of our earlier kiss. If I allowed myself to get lost in the memory, which may have happened once or twice, I'd quickly feel warmth rush to my (ahem) cheeks.

It certainly didn't help that Zoe had playfully commented that my "technique" was rusty, making me wonder what she meant by that.

After we dropped off the car and securely locked everything, we walked back to her apartment. We were walking so close to each other that our sides were almost touching. We would even tease each other with playful jabs of the elbow, prompting the other to respond in kind. Although we were so close, we still didn't hold hands. Oh well.

"Well, guess this is it," I said as we stood before the front door of her apartment. I put my hands in my pockets and turned to face her with a warm smile. "So...," I said, anticipation rising in my voice.

"Sorry, Ant," Zoe said, her hands on her hips and smirking. She had already shortened my real name, and I was familiar with the many nicknames I had acquired over the years, especially in college. Only a handful of people ever called me "Ant," which included my best friends Darius, Isaiah, and Jonathan, as well as my friend Seb and a girl I had once tried to get with. The automatic comparisons these people brought up weren't exactly welcome. "I ain't gonna invite ya in fer 'coffee' on the first date," she continued, "besides, the place looks like a shitshow right now cuz my sis and I are movin'."

"That wasn't what I was going to suggest," I assured her, desperately trying to push away thoughts of 'coffee.' "So, you're moving then?"

She nodded. "Jus' to a bigger place on the other side o' the buildin'. All o' MON's movin' in together."

"Really?" My eyebrows quirked up. "News to me."

"No reason fer ya to know 'til now," Zoe responded with a shrug. "Boss made the call earlier today, after our... meeting. She said it was part of tryin' to fix some issues we've been havin' lately."

"Ah." I bobbed my head as realization hit me. "Doppel."

"Yeah." Her mouth twisted. "She stopped tryin' to explain herself after we made her apologize to ya last night. I can't tell if she regrets it or is bein' stubborn or whatever...."

"Her apology was not particularly heartfelt," I told her. "It's what you get when you're forced to apologize. I would have rather she had taken more time to work it out, but I guess that's not always an option."

"I think Boss made her do it more for Doppel's sake than yer's," Zoe admitted. "Shitty as that might sound to ya. Dunno why, though."

"Hmm," I murmured thoughtfully. "I suppose I should discuss this with Kuroko when we meet up tomorrow for the last review of the Takasaka case. I'll add it to the agenda then."

"Might as well," Zoe said. Abruptly she grabbed my collar and pulled me in close, giving me a smooch right on the lips. "Thanks fer a fun night, Ant. See ya soon, yeah?"

"Yeah," I echoed dumbly, giving her a silly grin. "How about this Friday?"

"Hm..." Zoe hummed thoughtfully, tapping a finger against her chin as if contemplating. Eventually, she flashed me a charming smile and gave me a playful wink. "I'll have my people talk to yer people 'bout it, but consider it booked fer ya."

"Gucci," I said excitedly. At that, she started to unlock her door. "Good night, Zoe."

She hesitated when I said her name, causing me to pause in surprise, considering that wasn't the first time I'd said it that night. Her shoulders slightly slumped as she glanced back at me, a faint but gentle smile gracing her unique, patchwork, exquisite face.

"... Y'know, I ain't used to people sayin' that," Zoe murmured slowly. "Not even my sis calls me that anymore. It's... weird."

"It seems only fitting that someone you refer to as a weirdo is calling you that, too," I chuckled. "But, I'm still not accustomed to people around here addressing me as 'Antonio.'"

It felt like I was a different person, someone that wasn't me anymore. I had grown accustomed to being called 'Akihiro' or just 'Aki,' and I had started to believe that was who I was meant to be. It wasn't until I wrote that letter and Suu started calling me 'Antonio' that I finally remembered who I truly was.

The more I pondered the consequences, the more I was filled with dread. Lala's words, combined with my misgivings, resurfaced in my mind yet again.

"Guess we'll both jus' have to get used to it," Zoe snorted, pulling me from my thoughts with her dazzling smile. She opened the door and half-stepped inside, pausing to wave back at me. "G'night, Ant. Thanks again."

I waved back, watching as Zoe stepped through the doorway and out of my life. I felt a sudden emptiness as I touched my lips, still tingling from her kiss. My heart was heavy, and I made my way out of the apartment complex, feeling the absence of her body against mine. As the door shut, I could hardly believe this night was real.

Unresolved sexual tension, unsuccessful dates, and awkward partings accompanied by rejection were all things I had become familiar with ever since my first crush on a girl. I eventually accepted these outcomes as I didn't know how else to cope with the perpetual failures. After years of dealing with the pain and anger of not being able to "seal the deal," I have learned to take a step back and laugh off the missed opportunities and be unfazed by a girl walking away from me.

So it was unsurprising that I eventually found success in a realm I once believed to be a figment of my imagination. I had to traverse multiple dimensions to make things work. How ironic is that?

Ultimately, all I could do was laugh at myself - equally giddy and ridiculous for the situation I had gotten myself into. I fervently hoped to whatever gods existed in this world that it would work out, for Zoe was a remarkable catch, inconvenient medical condition notwithstanding. She was beautiful, badass, and many other positive adjectives beginning with 'b' to keep up the alliterative theme.

Of course, the pessimist in me, fueled by my overactive imagination, couldn't help but point out the potential pitfalls we might face down the road. Her frank manner and occasionally unguarded thinking could easily lead to arguments. Her status as a zombie also posed a serious risk to my safety. Furthermore, she was effectively immortal and would never age, while I, a mere mortal, would inevitably succumb to the ravages of time. It was a classic case of a Mayfly-December romance. I'm sure Mero would find it amusing.

Oh. Right. There was Mero, too.

Despite making it unmistakably evident to her why I could not date her, I still had an uneasy feeling that there would be tension between us. Rachnee had made that exasperatingly obvious earlier today. God, I still had to manage her somehow as well. Considering that she would undoubtedly not be in a peaceful state of mind when Ren came knocking shortly, that would be such a pleasure.

And then there was the other elephant in the room. I still hadn't told Zoe the truth about how I had known she existed before I even came here. I wanted to believe she'd accept me despite the news, but I wasn't sure what her reaction would be. I knew I had to tell her the truth before things between us got more serious. I couldn't keep this secret much longer, and I had to trust that she would accept me for who I am.

Another thing to discuss with Kuroko tomorrow, As always, it seemed our meetings were just destined to be about way more than what we originally planned.

So yeah, there were issues to deal with going forward—the story of my life.

Issues that I knew wouldn't be solved immediately, so I held onto the fond memories of the night. The date had gone wonderfully, and the sensations lingered on my skin and lips. I found myself humming a melody as I walked home in the dark with a newfound sense of confidence and excitement.

Before I knew it, I was back at the Kurusu house. Still humming, I strolled inside and slowly closed the door behind me. Even though the lights were on, there was a chance people had gone to bed early-

"BIG BROTHERRRRRR!"

-And we were now likely awake anyway.

"Oof!" I yelped as someone abruptly dropped onto my shoulders, nearly sending me toppling. "H-Hey, Papi," I stammered, using the wall to regain my balance.

"Hi, hi!" she giggled from above, wrapping her legs around my neck. She was bent forward until she was almost upside-down to face me. "How was your gate?!"

"Date," I corrected with a sigh before grinning at her. "And it went very well."

"Yay!" Papi cheered, jumping up and flapping her wings excitedly. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and I couldn't help but join in, clapping my hands and cheering. "When're you getting married?!" she asked, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"That's... not how that works, Papi," I told her, now struggling to keep myself upright. "Not even on the table yet."

"... People get married on tables?"

Right, it was Papi I was talking with here.

"Don't worry about it," I assured her, glancing straight at her. "Anyway, how's it been here?"

To my surprise, she seemed to wilt at the question, drooping her head and looking troubled.

"Suu is sad, but I dunno why," Papi replied somberly. "She was playing games by herself for a bit, but now she's just sitting outside all alone and won't talk to anyone. She didn't even join us for dinner!"

I frowned as I listened to her. I'd hoped that Suu would try to be around the others, but that wasn't the case. Had what Lala told her bothered her that much, or was there something I was missing? If only we could connect our minds again, I might be able to help her out...

"Rachnee didn't come down for dinner," she said, her voice laced with sadness and worry. "Boss had to take her food to her, and he said she seemed upset about something."

Rachnee, holing up in your room to pout? That's so unlike you! You usually have such a blunt attitude and an almost fanatic desire to seek out the truth, so it was strange to see you avoid people, even when you had problems with someone. I half expected you to confront everyone about my "slight" against Mero and tell them your version of the story.

I'd realized that I couldn't ever truly understand what was going through Rachnee's mind unless she openly said it. It seemed like that was a lesson I had to learn repeatedly with everyone in this house. Except for maybe Papi, no one held to their archetypes as much as I anticipated. In the end, there was no way for me to guess the actions they would take or the thoughts they had. I initially believed I could with Suu, but it quickly became evident that I was mistaken.

It was almost like I was living with actual people or something.

It certainly didn't help that Rachnee was easily one of the most complicated people in a house full of complicated people. Could she be acting this way because I had threatened to hurt one of the few friends she had made since coming to Japan? Or was it because I was another example of an untrustworthy human in her eyes? Perhaps she had realized that some of the things she had shouted at me were pretty hypocritical and was now reconsidering her words.

Or maybe she'd already gotten the letter from Ren and was acting this way because of that.

I had so many conversations to have. I needed to talk to Suu to help her out, comfort Papi and assure her that everything would be okay, check in with Miia about her progress in helping her self-worth issues, catch up with Kurusu to make sure he wasn't overworked, talk to Cerea about her MON training, bridge the gap between Mero and me, and learn from Lala about the Far Side and what it meant for me.

Besides checking in on Lilith and Draco, preparing for the Takasaka visit, conversing with Kuroko, understanding Doppel's situation, managing a love life, planning how to deal with the mother's visit, and more.

Something soft poked at my head.

Papi's worried eyes, filled with motherly concern, were a stunning amber that I looked into as she asked me from above, "Big brother? You're not sad, too, are you?"

"No," I answered slowly, taking a deep breath to calm myself. My heart was racing, and I hadn't noticed how tense I'd become. "I think I'm just getting overwhelmed with my workload."

"You're always working so hard," Papi observed, hopping off my shoulders and stopping before me. "Why not take a break and relax for a bit?"

"A break?" I echoed before shaking my head sadly. "I wish I could take one. But there's too much at stake, too many people depending on me, too many loose ends to tie up..."

Papi tilted her head to the side. "Why? 'Cause of your job?"

"Part of it, yeah," I answered. "But the rest is all stuff I have to help with."

"Why?"

I forced myself to stop, shaking my head as I recognized the dangerous path I was on. Taking a deep breath, I managed to reign in my emotions and refocus my thoughts. "Because they're my friends, and I care about them," I said softly, "I want to help them in any way I can."

Papi stared up at me with a curious expression, asking, "But they can help themselves, right? You don't have to do it all. Please, just be happy!" Her youthful features were earnest and almost pleading. "I saw how sad you were, and I don't want that. If doing it all and helping everyone only makes you sad, why would you keep doing it?"

I gazed at Papi in astonishment, unable to comprehend the maturity in her words. Had she truly grown up overnight, or had I been oblivious to this side of her all along?

Yet another miscalculation. But not a wholly unwelcome one.

I pushed the surprise aside and seriously contemplated her words. Was I displaying signs of distress while pondering all the tasks I had to accomplish? Although these were activities I wanted to do, if I was genuinely displaying such an agitated state, then I should re-evaluate how I'm approaching this.

I learned a difficult lesson years ago that I could not fix or save everyone, no matter how hard I tried. Although I had accepted it, old habits tended to die Hard, it seemed.

Reflecting on it, I can see that the stress of all that has happened was probably the cause of this. I was the busiest I had ever been, juggling two jobs, dealing with volatile and hazardous people, and being cut off from my loved ones with no way to communicate. All of this was taking its toll.

There were things I had to take care of. I'd feel like scum if I neglected them. But... maybe Papi had a point.

"I think...I think I'll take you up on that," I responded, trying to muster some enthusiasm. Even though the admission felt like a heavy burden on my shoulders, I managed to put on a faint smile. "Thank you, Papi," I said before suppressing another yawn.

"Mhm!" Papi chirped excitedly, her amber eyes sparkling joyfully. "I'll talk to Suu, so you don't need to worry!" She saluted me with a dramatic wave of her fluffy wing.

"I'll certainly do my best," I said, giving a less enthusiastic salute. "You know, I never knew you had such an insightful mind, Papi."

She chuckled and replied with a cheeky grin, "I might have picked up a thing or two from my big brother. He can be quite clever, but he does tend to forget some of the important stuff, just like me!"

"Maybe!" I laughed, ruffling Papi's hair as I walked by her. "But you're more of a sweetheart than I ever could be."

"Papi just does what Papi wants!" she declared happily as if being a sweetheart was merely a result of that.

"I guess so," I said softly, waving goodbye to her as I climbed the stairs. "G'night, Papi."

"Nighty-night, big brother!"

Walking through the hallway to my room, my mind was blank. I stripped into my boxers and flopped into my bed, my mind blank. I turned off the lights and closed my eyes, my mind-

Isn't there something you're forgetting?

-blank.

To be continued...