"Here we go.", the woman said setting two cups of tea down on the table where Eve and Hashiyan were sitting right now. "I'll go and call him down right now.", she said before disappearing.

"Thanks.", Hashiyan simply said. They waited before she completely went out of sight before Eve started to speak again.

"The child from this house... I thought it went missing.", Eve said as Hashiyan nodded. "He was reported as missing.

Was it a mistake or did he come back? Things just got very complicated. Maybe we should investigate it from a runaway perspective.", Hashiyan muttered to himself as he wrote down some notes.

Eve just looked around the house while Hashiyan was in his own world noticing a drawer with framed pictures on them. A family photo?

Eve asked himself as he stood up and walked towards it. He looked at it and froze but before he could say anything to Hashiyan a voice stopped him. "Excuse me.

It seems that Mafumafu is sick and can't get out of the bed right now. Would it be possible for you to come upstairs?", she asked.

"O-of course...", Hashiyan said who was just as surprised as Eve at how the woman managed to get down here so silently. They followed her as she walked the stairs up. "Pardon me.

Mafumafu always had a weak body. Today is the day where he usually would have had his usual check ups.", she explained.

"Is that so?", Hashiyan asked still slightly confused about this situation.

They arrived at a room and she knocked the door two times before letting herself him. "Mafumafu, we're coming in.", she said opening the door for them as they walked in they didn't know what to say as they were just baffled and didn't know what to do in that kind of situation as they saw "Mafumafu" in front of them. "Eh?"

"I've had enough of that child! Why can't it just do what we say?! I gave birth to it so I have every right to decide its life!", his mother shouted from outside as his father agreed.

"Calm down. He is just young right now. He is too naive so he doesn't understand what he has to do right now. You'll soon see that he'll give up on his ridiculous dream to become a musician and face reality to study medicine.", his father reasoned as his mother agreed.

"...You're right. He is just a small naive child. He'll soon see what his life purpose is...", she said. A small child just was in his room covering his ears not wanting to listen to his parents words.

No matter what they said he wouldn't become a doctor as he wanted to make music in his future. Why wouldn't they understand?

He then noticed someone knocking on the window several times and stood up to see that it was his childhood friend standing before him.

"Shh! Come over there with me!", he said as he helped his friend climb over the balcony to his house. A plate of warm food was placed in front of him. "Here! Eat up! Your parents probably didn't give you enough food again...", Rib said as Kashitaro just nodded eating his food.

"Were they discussing about you becoming a doctor again?", Rib asked to which he received a nod again. "Jeez! They were telling you that since elementary school.

Just because you began to like music since middle school doesn't mean they get to decide that you should stop!", Rib said.

"Seriously! If you ever want to leave them I'll leave my door open for you anytime!", he offered as Kashitaro just shook his head at that.

"Thanks, Rib. But it's fine... I'm going to be fine. Once I finish high school I'll go away to a music university with the money I've earned.

Ama-chan said he wants to make music with me!", Kashitaro said smiling brightly for the first time since a while. Rib's heart squeezed a bit as he muttered something.

"Why was he able to make you smile like that but not me?", he asked but Kashitaro didn't hear him. "What did you say, Rib?", Kashitaro asked as he just shook his head.

"I just said that it's great that you found another friend.", Rib said smiling as clenched his fist silently behind his back.

Time Skip
Kashitaro sat there with a game in his hands as a notification popped out.

He thought it was from Rib or his parents who already travelled away not wanting to live with him anymore and decided to ignore it but when he saw who wrote it to him he immediately clicked on it. He clicked on it to see Amatsuki wrote him.

A small smile escaped his lips when he saw the younger male's message. "Kashitaro-san! Let's make a live stream together!", Amatsuki suggested as Kashitaro quickly replied.

"Sorry, but I can't today.", Kashitaro said as he saw the dots showing that Amatsuki was writing something now. "Is that so?

Then another time!", Amatsuki said as Kashitaro chuckled before deciding to call him as he had his phone number. Almost immediately after he called the younger picked up.

"A-ah! Hello, Kashitaro-san! Why did you call me so suddenly? N-not that I mind? Just asking.", Amatsuki said stuttering over his own words which Kashitaro found to be adorable.

He chuckled before answering. "I just wanted to listen to your voice and talk to you.", Kashitaro answered and even though he couldn't see Amatsuki right now he figured that Amatsuki was pretty flustered by this. "I-is that so?

Then let's talk! I heard you were beginning to like music!", Amatsuki stared the conversation as Kashitaro hummed in reply.

"Yes. Thanks to you I found something I could enjoy except Sengoku games.", Kashitaro said jokingly and Amatsuki laughed not knowing that it was the truth and that he helped Kashitaro so much.

They kept talking but Amatsuki noticed that even though Kashitaro would reply he wasn't as cheerful as usual. "Kashitaro-san? Are you alright?", he asked the older male after a while and Kashitaro snapped out of his thoughts.

"I'm fine...", he assured but Amatsuki didn't believe it. "Kashitaro-san, you don't have to tell me because you have a private life of your own but whenever you might need someone to listen to you, I'm here for you!", Amatsuki said but what he didn't notice was that those words made Kashitaro cry as tears slipped down his cheeks.

He knew that Rib showed him kindness already but this was different.

Rib would always threaten to give a piece of his mind to his parents while Amatsuki would just listen to him and give him his own personal space which was exactly what he needed. Because even though his parents came to resent him he could never bring himself to hate his parents. Because he thought of them of his family after all.

"Yeah... thanks, Amatsuki.", he thanked him as the younger just hummed. "Kashitaro-san? Let's do a collab together someday!", Amatsuki said as Kashitaro perked up at this.

"A collab?", he asked confused as Amatsuki sighed. "You don't know? Basically, I'm telling you to sing a song together with me some time! It'll be fun!", Amatsuki explained as Kashitaro smiled brightly at this. "That's a great idea, Ama-chan!

Let's do this soon. By the way you can call me Kashi.", Kashitaro agreed as they finished the call before Amatsuki could reply.

Kashitaro happily went to his guitar strumming it a few times and then a melody developed as he thought of Amatsuki.

He kept playing the melody humming along as he ignored the application papers for medical universities his parents sent him.

"Kashi?", a voice woke him up as the small child looked up to see a brunette standing in front of him. He walked up to him as he hugged his legs quietly not saying anything. "K-kashi?

Why are you so cute?!", Amatsuki asked crouching down to hug him as well.

"Hey! Quick come here!", Sakata shouted and they ran to the room to see Shima and Senra having their flowers blossomed.

A yellow searose blossomed from Senra's head and Shima had the same flower blossomed but in purple. "Ohhhh.", Amatsuki hummed in surprise and satisfaction.

"Urata and me hugged them, played with them and gave Senra tamagoyaki!", Sakata listed the things they did as Urata nodded.

"Tamagoyaki is the real deal.", Urata said looking at the two kids as Amatsuki nodded.

"N-no! It's the power of love!", Sakata jumped in but Urata refused to admit that as he ignored Sakata. "Tamagoyaki deserves respect.", he said as he put his hands in his pockets in his pants.

"Noooo!", Sakata shouted as he tried to convince Urata it was because of their work together.

Mafumafu walked in smiling as he saw the scenario playing in front of him.

"They are sure lively!", he said as he looked down at Soraru who was holding his hand.

"You're... surprisingly clingy.", Mafumafu exclaimed as Soraru made grabbing hands telling him to come down. Mafumafu crouched down as Soraru played with his hands.

"Even though you were so cute and adorable... what happened to you that you're the mean tsundere you are now... not that I don't like you like you're right now but.... the flow of time is truly terrifying to change you that much.", Mafumafu patted Soraru's head who just tilted his head in confusion.

"Mafudon, once you're done with your depressing monologue you can help us with cleaning the dishes.", Sakata said as he watched Mafumafu doing this.

Time Skip
"Time to take a bath!", Mafumafu said as they all walked in with the kids. "I'm skipping. I'll be resting a bit.", Urata said as Sakata pouted.

"Don't you want to come with us?", Sakata asked as Urata shook his head. "No. Have fun by yourselves and call me when you're finished.", Urata said as he walked away. "Then, I'm not going as well!", Sakata said as he clung to Urata.

"Huh?! Just go with them!", Urata said but Sakata shook his head. "No! If you won't go then I'm not going this time either!", Sakata insisted as he pulled Urata away who protested all the way. "Well... I guess we're going without them then...", Amatsuki said as they walked into the onsen.

One hour later
"Look! It blossomed! I played some games with Soraru after the bath and cuddled with him and that's the result!", Mafumafu said proudly as he showed Soraru to them. Sakata and Urata just looked at him not knowing what to say.

"Nothing blossomed! That's not even a flower!", Urata said pointing at the hanpen on top of Soraru's head. "W-what do you mean?

Didn't Retrodot say that each flower is different and personalized?", Mafumafu said hugging the kids. "No matter how you look at it it's just a fishcake on top of his head...", Sakata reluctantly agreed after looking at Soraru for a while.

"For once I agree with this idiot. But I guess in the end all three flowers bloomed.", Urata said as he crouched down to look at them.

"And that's all that matters. Since in the end all of us looked after them.", Amatsuki said and looked at Kashitaro whose flower was the only one that hasn't bloomed yet.

"Kashi's flower must look very pretty...", Amatsuki said smiling as the others just looked doubting. "Ding dong~ The 9th stage is cleared!

Because the conditions of the stage have been met the stage is officially over now.

Please send a representative to collect the eighth chromosome. That's it see you tomorrow!", Retrodot said and they all were at a loss of words as they all stared at Kashitaro whose flower hasn't bloomed yet. "What...?"

"Ouch... Crap!", Rib cursed as he accidentally cut his finger as he played the guitar too hard.

He took a bandage to stop the bleeding and that's when he remembered the last where Kashitaro was the one accidentally hurting himself from playing the guitar. "Geez!

Take more care of your fingers! That is like the third time this week already.", Rib slightly scolded as he put a bandage around Kashitaro's fingers who just sheepishly smiled.

"Sorry... I'll be more careful next time. Thanks again, Rib!", Kashitaro beamed a smile at him thanking Rib who just looked down muttering that it was totally fine.

Rib felt some tears slipping down his cheek as he quickly wiped them away. "Kashitaro, you idiot... you better come back with Amatsuki fast...", he said to himself as he smiled bitterly when he felt new tears slipping down again.

"Come on, Mafumafu.... your room is a mess again. Sorry for the mess. Please don't mind us.", she said as Eve and Hashiyan just stared at the dummy in front of them not knowing what to say.

"Mafumafu, this is Detective Hashiyan-san. He is here to ask you about that incident I warned you about.", she explained to the dummy.

Hashiyan widened his eyes piecing everything together finally understanding.

Ah... Now I understand where that feeling of uneasiness came from. The origin of the unsettling feeling is this... She's broken.