After Ryuji's 'mature talk' with the Haradas, the family begrudgingly accepted Kentaro Nomura as part of them.

Their secret had been exposed by one of the most intimidating individuals they knew, and given Ryuji's influence, they couldn't risk defying his terms. Those "insignificant conditions" weren't worth making an enemy of Chairman Nakamura anyway.

Kentaro felt overjoyed upon discovering that he could finally attend school, even if it meant learning from home. He had a thirst for knowledge and was especially bright for his age. Despite sharing a room with his half-siblings and enduring their taunts, he persevered due to their shared tutors. Izuki Harada, in particular, seemed to relish picking on him.

In the meantime, what was initially planned as a brief stay for Ryuji and his entourage at the Harada mansion extended unexpectedly for over a week. This unexpected extension significantly improved the conditions for the Nomura mother and son, thanks to Ryuji's daily medicinal concoctions.

Originally intending to embark on a month-long trip to meet various business clients, Ryuji and his group were forced to postpone most of their appointments due to their prolonged stay at the Harada Estate. Ryuji felt no remorse for altering their plans, but the responsibility of rescheduling and writing apologies for the inconveniences fell upon the thirty-seven-year-old secretary, who could only bear it with a strained smile. Thankfully, Ryuji promised her a bonus as compensation, or else Sakuraku would have surely lost her mind.

Oddly enough, Yuichiro, who initially harbored bitterness towards the extended stay, unexpectedly developed a close bond with Yumiko Nomura during their time at the estate. He even volunteered to tend to the rose garden when he had nothing else to occupy his time, despite it being unnecessary.

Ryuji and Sakuraku strongly suspected that Yuichiro used the garden as an excuse to spend time with Miss Yumiko.

However, Yuichiro's frequent stays at the cottage gave rise to another predicament. For some unknown reason, he often clashed with young Kentaro...

Not only was he a strict bodyguard for Ryuji, but he became an even stricter guardian for poor Ginger. Yuichiro couldn't pinpoint when or how it started, but in recent days, he had become overly protective around the cottage. Running aimlessly was prohibited, playing with dirt and venturing to unfamiliar places were off-limits. Little Ginger wasn't even allowed to join Ryuji on his peculiar tree-climbing adventures, which only fueled the child's bitterness towards the bodyguard's presence.

Yuichiro felt unjustly accused since most of his efforts to protect Ken from Ryuji's hazardous habits proved futile. He was merely trying to help, so why did the child dislike him so much?

Eventually, the time came for Ryuji and his group to depart since their plans couldn't be delayed any longer. However, little did they expect Kentaro to run away and shut himself in his room as soon as Ryuji mentioned it.

"How's little Ginger?" Ryuji inquired, observing Yumiko frosting the cooled blueberry muffins she had baked earlier. Since her recovery, she had kept herself occupied and seemed perpetually cheerful, although she appeared somewhat concerned at the moment.

"Nothing's changed," Yumiko replied, shaking her head with a tinge of sadness. "I tried talking to him, but he won't open up. I suppose he wasn't as prepared as we thought."

This won't do; Ryuji thought to himself.

"He loves these," Yumiko mentioned, referring to the muffins, and Ryuji quickly grasped her intentions before she finished speaking. "Perhaps you could bring him one. I'm certain he'll appreciate it."

*

Yumiko wasn't joking about her son's possible depression. The kid had completely barricaded himself in his room.

Ryuji lightly tapped on the door a few times, but there was no response. He tried the handle, but the door wouldn't budge.

Did this door always have a latch? he wondered.

Since his attempts were futile, he resorted to knocking again.

"Little Ginger, you in there?"

Rustling sounds emerged from within, accompanied by more silence.

Ryuji sighed. "I know you're there. Your two friends aren't as stealthy as you think."

Naturally, he referred to Peach and Spot. They were fidgeting inside, and their master's acute hearing easily gave them away.

"Your mother baked some delicious blueberry muffins. Don't you want to give them a try?" Ryuji asked.

The silence stretched on, and just as he was about to speak again, Kentaro's voice finally emanated from within. "Not right now."

"They won't taste as good if they're cold," Ryuji suggested. "I brought you one, if you want it."

He didn't expect the kid to actually open the door for him, but a tiny crack appeared, wide enough to accommodate the muffin. Ken muttered a 'thank you' before shutting the door again.

Cold.

"You're really going to be like this?" Ryuji inquired.

Silence.

"You're being unfair, you know? Especially to your mother," Ryuji said. "What's she supposed to do once we're gone, if you won't even talk to her?"

"Not now," Ken repeated.

"Why not?"

Silence again.

Ryuji sat on the floor, leaning against the door, firmly resolved not to leave until the boy opened up to him.

"So you're going to give everyone the silent treatment until we leave? Is that it?" the man asked.

"No."

"Then open the door."

"Can't."

"Can you at least tell me what you used to block it?"

"A chair," Ken revealed.

"Huh, when did you learn how to do that?" Ryuji was a little impressed. "And aren't you supposed to be only a little taller than a chair? You could easily lift it?"

A small chuckle preceded Ken's response, "It's not that heavy."

He'd laughed. Was he starting to open up? Ryuji wondered. Clearing his throat, the man tested the waters once more, "So, will you show me how you did it by opening the door?"

"Nope."

Darn it, he's too clever; Ryuji thought. He attempted numerous other methods to coax Ken into opening the door, but all his efforts were in vain. The kid remained stubbornly immobile.

At some point, Ken fell into complete silence, and Ryuji assumed he must have drifted off to sleep. Rather than getting up to do other things, Ryuji found himself lost in thought while sitting there.

What could he possibly do to make Ken understand that they had to leave without worrying his mother?

Lost in contemplation, Ryuji dozed off into a light nap.

After what felt like a long while, he was abruptly awakened by the sound of the door clicking. Caught off guard because he had been leaning against it, Ryuji tumbled backward and landed on the floor as the door swung open wide behind him.

The first sight that greeted him in the room were the puzzled and curious faces of his two retrievers, lounging on Kentaro's bed.

"Why are you sitting on the floor?"

"It's not like you'd let me inside your roo—" Ryuji began, groggy and turning toward the boy on the other side, only to widen his eyes in shock. "What in the world happened to you? Were you fighting some slime monster in your sleep?"

"Slime?" Ken wiped his cheek with a finger before suddenly realizing his current appearance. With a small laugh, he showed Ryuji his paint-stained hands and said, "It's just paint."

Ryuji gazed at the kid, his eyes fixed on the smudged face and clothes, and in an instant, he panicked once more. Instinctively grabbing Ken, he vigorously rubbed at the child's splotchy cheeks, as if desperately trying to erase it all. "Where on earth did you find paint???"

Wasn't this worse than slime? It wouldn't come off his clothes—wait a second...

Oh; Ryuji suddenly realized that this type of paint was actually quite easy to remove, effortlessly staining his own hands.

"Mr. Tutor taught me how to use paints today," Ken explained, happiness coloring his voice. "I brought some home today."

So, this was kids' paint.

"You weren't sleeping?" Ryuji asked, his words betraying his confusion.

Little Kentaro shook his head and scurried back to his desk, retrieving something before returning a few moments later, clutching sheets of pristine paper...

Well, at least they were pristine before.

Now, they were adorned with doodles and peculiar stick figures. The boy extended two sheets towards Ryuji, saying:

"Here, for you."

One sheet portrayed two figures, one taller than the other, amidst what appeared to be a garden of flowers. A small house-like structure nestled in the corner, and a roundish yellow blotch (presumably the sun) adorned the top of the page.

The scenery wasn't hard to decipher. It depicted Ryuji and Ken in the rose garden.

The second sheet featured the same two figures, but this time, two nearly identical brown 'creatures' stood at their feet. A tree-like figure stood not far from the quartet, while a colossal building dominated almost half of the page.

Honestly, Ryuji struggled to comprehend what on earth was happening in this chaotic scene.

Observing the man's perplexity, Ken cleared his throat sheepishly, averting his gaze. "I couldn't draw you carrying me. I tried, but it didn't look good at all."

Now Ryuji remembered. This was meant to depict their first encounter near the mansion.

"I see, you've got quite the talent, little Ginger," Ryuji applauded, genuinely impressed.

"I made these as farewell gifts," Ken confessed, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment at the sudden praise.

"You're not disappointed that we're leaving?"

After a moment of contemplation, Ken murmured, "I am, but I've always known it was going to happen. You said so before."

"When you locked yourself in your room, everyone thought you were sulking," Ryuji explained.

Kentaro let out a small snort. "I know I'm not big like you and Mommy, but don't look down on me."

Wow.

"Besides," Ken added, his voice carrying a weight of meaning, "If I act that way when you're gone, Mommy will be sad and get sick again."

Ryuji found himself at a loss for words, his gaze locked on those "portraits" while his mind delved into profound contemplation.

Ginger is at an age when he should be reveling in his childhood, yet he's already capable of considering the repercussions of his actions before acting upon them. Not that it was a bad thing, but it felt unfair for such a young boy.

"Hey, take this one too, keep it for Peach and Spot," Ken interrupted his thoughts, thrusting another sheet into Ryuji's hands.

The new drawing depicted three figures: a simple stick figure of a child and two haphazard brown blobs that Ryuji assumed were meant to represent Peach and Spot. They were surrounded by the familiar "flower" scenery.

"Whenever they see this, they'll miss you dearly," Ryuji remarked, while also thinking: Since it's made by their new bestie, maybe they won't tear it to shreds? He couldn't help but place a hand over his heart, feeling moved, as he continued to praise the child. "Such a considerate little one. Much better than my cheap grandkids."

"In that case, I'll be sure to let them know," Yuichiro's voice broke the moment just then. He approached the duo while munching on a muffin, and it was unknown when exactly he'd arrived at the cottage.

"Those ungrateful brats don't even bother preparing gifts for me," Ryuji scoffed, proudly displaying Ken's 'portraits'. "Look at these!"

Yuichiro was curious to take a glimpse, but Kentaro intercepted by handing him a sheet from the ones he still held. Avoiding eye contact, a faint blush colored Ginger's ears.

"Goodbye present," he muttered, offering it to Yuichiro. "For you."

Caught off guard, Yuichiro hadn't expected to receive a gift. He was even touched by the gesture... until he glanced at the contents of the sheet, which caused him to freeze.

Ryuji had been patiently waiting for a reaction, but seeing how Yuichiro had suddenly frozen in place, his curiosity piqued.

"Eh, are you that moved? What did you get?" Ryuji approached to see the painting as well, only to collapse in laughter immediately afterwards.

The painting was truly something else. Two stick figures adorned the sheet: a child representing Ken and an adult representing Yuichiro. However, it wasn't a cheerful painting like the ones Ryuji had received. In this artwork, Yuichiro's stick figure pointed angrily at a massive tree, displaying razor-sharp teeth. Strangely enough, it had horns and a pointed tail, and the figure seemed to be yelling at the equally furious Ken stick figure.

There were even two speech bubbles.

Yuichiro's stick figure shouted, "NO TREE!!!" while Ken's stick figure raised its arms in anger, retorting, "MEANIE!"

Who would have guessed that Ken would portray Yuichiro as the villain who forbade him from climbing trees?

"This is karma! You totally deserve this HAHAHAHAHAHA..." Ryuji laughed until his stomach hurt.

Yuichiro's face was covered in exasperation as he muttered, "This kid is seriously bitter."

Meanwhile, the mischievous artist had already left the room in search of Sakuraku, whom he fondly referred to as "the nice glasses lady."

Even if these people were to leave and Kentaro gradually forgot their faces, he knew he would never forget their kindness.

***

Ken?

Kentaro?

"Hey," Ginger-haired teen jolted from his reverie as someone gently shook his shoulder. He looked up to find his mother and Misa gazing at him with concern.

They had been eating and conversing when he suddenly zoned out for a considerable time. The past few days had been eventful, leaving him feeling somewhat out of sorts. It was only natural for the two women to worry.

"Is your arm hurting again?" Misa inquired, eyeing the bandaged hand Ken used to hold his chopsticks. She suspected he might have strained it while eating, given his vacant expression.

Shaking his head, Ken reassured them, "No, it's fine. I was just... lost in thought."

"About your meeting with Satoshi?" Yumiko chimed in this time.

"Not even close," Ginger chuckled, returning to his meal. He glanced out the window, vaguely discerning the spot where he had encountered that old man. "Just an old memory."

~~~~~~