"Come on, Mafumafu. You're being rude to our guests.", she lightly scolded the dummy.

Hashiyan and Eve still didn't know what to say as they just stared at the dummy.

They were so distracted by the doll in front of them that they didn't hear the footsteps of someone coming up. "Hey... would you care to tell me who you guys are?", a blonde male asked as they turned towards him.

Time Skip
"This is Mafumafu's friend Kradness who comes over once in a while!", the woman introduced him. "Did you already read the post board?", he asked as she just gasped remembering that she didn't.

"Ah, I can serve them the tea. You can go outside for a while. It's fine.", Kradness assured her as she nodded and went outside.

"I'll be back in a few minutes!", she said as she walked outside. They just stared at her walking away as Hashiyan wanted to say that they were going soon anyway but Kradness still poured him a glass. "Are you surprised?

Mafu's mother has been like this for a few years already.", Kradness said as he smiled bitterly. "...What about...her real son?", Hashiyan asked after a moment of hesitation.

Kradness hesitated a moment pondering wether to tell them or not before deciding it wouldn't hurt to tell them. "Her real son, my childhood friend, was very weak in the past.

So that you don't even start with the questions: Mafu's mother and her husband's son died from heath complications.

Then they adopted Mafu because he looked almost identical to their son. Soon after her husband died from an accident in the laboratory.

She became even more unstable until she treated Mafu as if she was her one and only son ignoring everything else.

She even tried to change his name but I stopped her before she would do so. Detective-san, please stop investigating this case regarding her.

I don't want her condition to get worse. I promised Mafu I would take care of her and... I don't want her to feel even worse.

For her... Mafu is still living in that room...", Kradness said tears on the brim of his eyes. "It could have been that Mafu even ran away because he didn't want to be a replacement anymore.

It's possible facing that kind of love is something no one should go through.", Kradness said sipping on his tea. "Please... just stop.

You talk as if it's none of your business. But what if he wants to be found and rescued.

You're his friend right? Then do everything in his power to save him. Because when he's really gone then—", Eve stopped himself when he noticed his behavior. He clenched his teeth as he sat back down as Hashiyan looked at him pitying.

"I'm sorry...", Eve apologized quietly as he clenched his fists on his lap looking on those hands. "...Thank you very much for telling us everything.

We'll be taking our leave.", Hashiyan thanked Kradness as he bowed to him before standing up and leaving with Eve.

Hashiyan took a last glance at the family picture. There was the blonde woman with red eyes.

A black-haired man with blue eyes and a small child with blonde hair.

They were at some kind of festival as they were all smiling brightly. Hashiyan sighed before exiting the house with Eve.

"You want to continue? I even changed the games settings so it would be easier for you to clear... but alright. It would be a pain for you to start protesting again.", Retrodot accepted as the others decided to go in. "Just make sure to make a decision until tomorrow morning.

After all, there are other games awaiting for you.", Retrodot reminded them. "Just bloom already!", Urata demanded feeling frustrated as he sighed and sat down on the floor.

"Telling him to do that won't change anything!", Amatsuki said as Kashitaro walked towards Amatsuki sitting next to him.

"But we don't have much time anymore and we don't want him to stay in this damned place forever as a child, right?", Urata asked annoyed as Amatsuki but his lip.

"It may be so but telling the flower to bloom just like that is a waste of time!", Amatsuki countered as they stared to argue on what to do.

"Hey, you guys can argue later but for now... everyone, we're back~", Shima greeted them as they stood there as adults again.

"Wait, if you guys are here then the kids...", Sakata started as Urata nodded.

"They're no longer synced in.", Urata confirmed as Sakata ran to the flowers blooming there and took the two flowers as he almost cried.

Mafumafu walked to the hanpen as he took it with both hands sighing when he saw Soraru. "Oi, what was that sigh for?", Soraru asked annoyed and sneezed afterwards.

"Nothing~ Welcome back, Soraru-san!", Mafumafu told him as Soraru widened his eyes slightly before nodding. "Thanks... we have to talk later, Mafu.", he told Mafumafu who just nodded.

"Sure! I have some question I want to ask you as well!", Mafumafu said as Soraru raised his eyebrow in confusion.

He would find out later anyway so he decided he would just wait until then.

Time Skip
"Operation: Make Kashitaro's flower bloom can begin!", Shima announced as the others shouted in motivation. "We're starting with Kashitaro-san playing some video games with Soraru-san!

Secondly, a panda tour with me, Mafumafu! Urata will carry you for sixty seconds and then you'll play some board games with Senra-san and Shima-san!", Mafumafu shouted out as they did all those things. But even after that time Kashitaro's plant still looked the same as the others just sighed in defeat sitting down to take a rest for a while.

"D-did it grow at all?", Shima asked as Sakata looked at it. "A little...", he said but when Urata looked at it he just sighed.

"It didn't grow at all! What are we going to do now?", he asked as he sat down in exhaustion. "Ama-chan, have you decided what you want to do yet?", Mafumafu asked as he shook his head.

"Not yet...", Amatsuki said as Soraru stopped holding his bang focusing his attention to them. "Didn't you and Kashitaro know each other for some time already?

But you're still so formal around him.", he said as Amatsuki blushed. "I still respect him after all this time and... I just don't know what to do... what about you Sakata?", Amatsuki asked turning towards Sakata who nodded.

"I've been doing that for a while now already. Hugs make everyone happy right? So I figured I would hug him. Isn't it warm, Kashitaro-san?", Sakata asked as Kashitaro just sat still.

Yet another Time Skip
Mafumafu walked to the capsules as he smiled slightly. "The moon is really pretty tonight, isn't it, Kashitaro-san?", Mafumafu asked stayed quiet for a bit just staring at Kashitaro.

"Shall we talk about love?", Mafumafu asked as he sat down pulling his knees to his chest leaning against the capsule Kashitaro was in.

"I didn't really like my past. I'm not biologically related to my mother.

But she's a very cheerful person and loves to smile and I really love her. But she is looking at me like I am her deceased son which made me sad...

But then I met Soraru-san who helped me to get through everything.

For some reason... he doesn't remember me anymore... maybe I wasn't that important to him and he just saw me as one of his many friends.", Mafumafu laughed to himself as if to tell himself that it's going to be fine.

"Kashitaro-san, do you have anyone you like? Do you have parents who love you?

I know it's hard to pretend to be happy sometimes, it's okay to show your feelings. Don't be scared to show us your fears and worries.

You should leave the past behind you. I'm not telling you to forget everything. I just want you to be happy and just don't cling onto the past and only to live with sadness and regrets.

Live in happiness and make some good memories with us. We are here for you because we're your friends so don't be scared to leave the past behind to move onto the future with us.

The first step is to accept it and then we can take the next step.", Mafumafu said encouraging him.

Leave the past behind? The people who gave birth to me didn't acknowledge me for who I am, wanting me to live after their ideals.

And Rib, who was always with me didn't understand why I would still want to learn for my parents. He was still nice to me even though I had worries and now I left him behind.

Kashitaro thought as he stared at the said people walking away from him into the dark space as he just smiled bitterly.

He was about to follow them telling them to wait for him when he felt someone pulling on his sleeve. He turned around to see Amatsuki standing there smiling up at him.

But not only Amatsuki but Soraru, Sakata, Mafumafu... everyone was standing there waiting for him with a light-filled door opened for him to go through. Accept it.

Kashitaro felt Amatsuki slip his hand into his as he gently pulled him towards the door.

Accept it. He felt tears slipping down his cheeks as he wiped them away willingly following Amatsuki. I... was rejected by my parents.

Kashitaro said looking at the dark space turning into a mirrored sky with a piano.

"Oh, what happened so suddenly?", Sakata asked surprised as he saw a flower slowly blooming from Kashitaro. Mafumafu smiled gently knowing that his conversation with Kashitaro must have helped at least a bit. "Quick!

We don't have any time anymore! Amatsuki do whatever you've prepared!", Urata said as Amatsuki perked up at his name.

"A-ah, yes...", Amatsuki said as he sat down. "K-kashi... I-I....", Amatsuki started stuttering over his own words as he fiddled with his fingers.

"Just give him whatever!", Urata urged him to do so faster as he tapped with the foot repeatedly.

"U-um, so we've known each other for a while and... I-I want to be closer to you so will you accept my chocolate?", Amatsuki asked holding the chocolate out to Kashitaro while blushing from embarrassment.

Kashitaro just smiled gently as he nodded taking the chocolate from Amatsuki.

"Th-Thank you!", Amatsuki thanked smiling happily as Soraru just looked at them cringing a bit. "This is kinda cringy...", Soraru said as Urata nodded in agreement.

"Soraru-san.", Mafumafu warned him and Soraru just sighed muttering a small apology. "Look! It's blooming!", Sakata shouted as they suddenly noticed the flower growing until it bloomed revealing...

"A fox?", Soraru asked as they all just looked at the flower. Some smiling awkwardly, some giving him a dead-panned look and some trying their best not to laugh at it.

Stage 9 Clear
079746354

"We're back~. And we brought some food.", Hashiyan shouted as he gave Tomohisa the box of donuts. "I'm sorry that this idiot kept you here for so long. Please take one as an apology.", Tomohisa said as he gave Eve one.

"Ah, it's fine. I called my parents already to inform them that I would be coming home a bit later. But thanks, I'll accept this then.", Eve said as he took the donut. Hashiyan took a donut for himself as he sat down in his chair looking at his computer screen to see the game opened.

"I altered the existing cheat game and changed the numbers of levels cleared like you asked me to. So now we've reached the last stage.", Tomohisa said feeling exhausted as he leaned against the desk biting in his donut.

"...Amazing!", Eve, who stood on the other side of Hashiyan, said as he looked at the screen showing one of the gamemasters wearing a dark lion mask calling himself Darkness.

"...Now come, kidnapper.", Hashiyan said as he clicked on the computer. Meanwhile, somewhere else a phone ringed as a man sat in the car drinking a coffee. He cursed something softly when he saw that he was being called as Darkness.

"Why couldn't you just stop when I told you to? Even increasing my work... I'm sorry for what is about to happen to you.", a blonde boy they met just before apologized as he finished his coffee and prepared his things before getting out of his car to go inside the building.