It was 8 p.m. in the evening at Emi Shinohara's mansion. It wasn't just a house anymore; it was a mansion, given its vast size and spaciousness.

Today, I sat at the dining table, watching Emi Shinohara cut a carrot with her sharp knife, slicing it into pieces. As minutes passed, boredom crept in, and I began tapping my fingers on the table to pass the time while Emi cooked in the kitchen.

TAP! TAP! TAP!

The tapping continued rhythmically until Emi turned back, noticing my boredom.

"Just wait a little longer, Inzo, okay?"

"Sure, Emi. Don't mind me; I'm just trying to pass the time."

"Okay, enjoy tapping your hands there, Inzo."

After Emi spoke, she turned back to the cast iron casserole on the electric stove, muttering something under her breath. I caught a glimpse of her teasing smirk, but I couldn't make out what she said, except for something that ended with "him." Who was she referring to? Curiosity piqued, so I had to ask.

"What did you say, Emi?"

"Ah! It seems you heard me muttering something, Inzo."

"Y-yeah, I heard you talking to someone? A boy perhaps, since all I could hear from your muttering earlier was it ended it when you said 'him,'" I replied nervously.

"Oh, you shouldn't be too concerned about that, Inzo," she said, turning to face me with a teasing smirk. "Or are you perhaps jealous that I'm possibly talking to another boy~?"

"Me? Jealous? Hell nah!" I quickly averted my gaze from her, and after that, I looked back at her. "But honestly, I'd be happy if you were interestedd in other boys." I said it with a warm smile.

However, after I said that, Emi fell silent for a moment, not replying; her eyes were filled with anger and maybe disgust?. Maybe I said there was something bad about what I said earlier, so I bowed my head and apologized to her.

"I'm sorry, Emi."

She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. "Haah... Haah..."

I raised my head to look at her, and her eyes seemed to return to normal, no longer filled with anger or disgust.

"It's not your fault, Inzo," she said, smiling sweetly. "I'm not that friendly with other boys, and if I have a friend who is a boy, it would be you, Inzo. Remember that."

She turned back to observe the cast iron casserole cooking, and the delicious aroma wafted through the air. It wouldn't be long before the food was ready, and we could eat together.

But the sudden revelation about Emi not being close to any boys shocked me. Who was she referring to earlier when she mentioned "him"? Could it be... me?

"No, no, no, snap out of it, Inzo," I scolded myself internally. "It's impossible that my friend Emi was muttering about me while she was cooking. Maybe she was just teasing me because I was impatient and couldn't wait for the food."

"That's it." I nodded to myself. "Yeah, there's nothing more between us." I repeated the thought to clear my mind.

As I pondered Emi's playful behavior, she suddenly interrupted my thoughts by turning around, carrying the cast iron casserole, and placing it on the dining table.

"Wait a moment, Inzo. I'll get two plates for us and a glass of water."

"Okay..." I couldn't say much else. She was treating me like a prince from the empire now.

Honestly, I should have gone back home, but earlier, in Emi's private infirmary room, things had taken a different turn.

After our pinky promise, I had intended to leave, but Emi showed me something on her phone—a text conversation between her and my mother:

"Good morning, Risa-san. Can I let Inzo stay in my house?"

"Oh, Emi-chan! Sure, no problem. Just take care of Inzo, okay?"

"Of course I will. You don't mind if I keep him longer, right?"

"If it's for months or years, then I don't mind. Just don't make him sad or cry."

"Then we have a deal, Risa-san."

Reading this conversation shocked me. My mother wouldn't do this.

"I-it's impossible. M-my mother wouldn't agree so quickly."

"But your mother did, and that means I'll be the one to take care of you, Inzo, as your one and only friend."

"B-but that's too much..."

"No, it's not, Inzo. It's just exactly as it is."

With that said, I found myself agreeing to stay with Emi for a month and attend Hanayami Academy with her.

Going back to today, Emi set the table with two plates, each with a spoon and fork, and a glass of water. She sat beside me, and in that moment, I put my hands together in a praying position, and Emi followed suit.

"Let's eat!" we said in unison.

After eating together, the food turned out to be pork with soup and vegetables, and now our plates were empty. I had finished most of the food, while Emi ate very little. I wondered why she ate so little. Was she on a diet? I glanced at Emi with my curious black eyes.

"Is that all you're eating, Emi?" I asked.

"Yes, I ate exactly as my dietician instructed me to, as I'm always cautious about my body," she replied.

"Why so?” I titled my head. “Are you planning to join some modeling competitions?" 

"No, Inzo, I don't plan on participating in modeling competitions.”

"Oh, okay, if you say so, Emi. But I have one more question, Emi.”

"What is it?"

"Since I didn't ask earlier when we were in the private infirmary room, why isn't my head bandaged when I have a minor wound?" I asked.

"It's because you don't need one; it's just a small cut," she explained, her tone eerily calm.

She held my hand and leaned closer to me, her face and her lips dangerously close, which startled me and made me blush. "W-what are you doing, Emi?”

"Do you want your head to be bandaged, Inzo?" she asked.

I could see her long, beautiful, dark wolf-cut hair, her blue-grey eyes, and her smooth white skin, just like her cheeks. She was still wearing her Hanayani school uniform, just like me, since we hadn't changed clothes yet.

Emi looked adorable in her school uniform, and she was undeniably attractive. But wait, what was I thinking? I scolded myself internally. Emi was my only friend, and I shouldn't be thinking about her like this!

Emi moved her lips into a teasing smile. "Are you having a self-monologue now, Inzo~?"

Did she caught me talking to myself? And now Emi was being playful, which wasn't good if this kept up.

"Emi, you're too close..."

"So~?" she replied with a teasing smile.

"W-w-we're friends!" I finally managed to say the words I wanted to.

Emi stopped her teasing smile and turned it into a smug grin as she leaned in to smell my neck.

SNIFF! SNIFF! SNIFF!

After sniffing my neck, she spoke again. "I'm your one and only friend, Inzo, so this is normal. Treat me like we're close friends."

I held both of her shoulders and gently pushed her away. "But this isn't how friends behave!"

"Let's just say we're unique, Inzo. Does that solve our problem about these friends?" Emi asked.

"No, it doesn't solve anything!" I insisted.

"It does, Inzo."

"No, no, this is very wrong for us."

"It's your perspective, Inzo, that makes it wrong. You see, friends are about comfort. They are there to comfort each other, whether it's a boy-and-girl friendship or a same-gender friendship. It's about comfort and how they support each other. That's what friendship is."

"It's true that friends can comfort each other, but not in—" 

I was interrupted when Emi put her left index finger to her lips, silencing me playfully. "Shhh~..."

She leaned closer to my ear and whispered, "We could be friends, and we could be more than that. Since this is my house and you're living under my roof, you have to follow my rules. Understand?"

"Why would I need to—?!"

"Shhh~..." she hushed me again, whispering in my right ear, causing me to blush. Why was she being so playful? But she continued, "Imagine going home to your mother. You'd be scolded, right? For not being an obedient good friend to me. You have to be a good boy, like earlier in the private infirmary room."

She pulled away from my ear and gazed deeply into my black eyes with her blue-grey ones. "Because if you don't behave, then I will have to punish you. Is that clear~?"

I couldn't deny it. There was no escape. But why did I feel strangely drawn to this situation? It felt like I was being protected, cherished. Most boys would try to run away, and I did protest earlier, but now, why did I feel like I enjoyed being submissive and obedient?

"Yes, I understand."

She patted my head repeatedly while she smiled proudly and sweetly. "Good boy, good boy, that's my boy~"

I closed my eyes, feeling the warmth of her gentle pats, and then she stopped.

"Shall we go to my room?" she asked, still caressing my hair.

"B-but... That's too much to sleep together," I protested.

"I already told you, it's my rules. Are you perhaps defying me, Inzo?" Her blue-grey eyes became intense and serious, and I could tell she was angry.

"N-no, I didn't," I stammered.

"Then let's go." She stood up, grabbing my right hand and dragging me along.

"W-wait, you're forcing me," I protested again.

"I'm not forcing you," she retorted, turning to look at me. "I'm excited because I can proudly show you my collection I have in my room!"

"Okay..." I sighed.

Her excitement to show me her collection intrigued me. I couldn't help but wonder what collection she wanted to show me.

————

The Harashino Family Mansion was vast, including the main building where Emi and Inzo currently resided. However, there was another structure on the property called the two-story house, known as the quarter. It served as accommodations for the maids, two drivers, and four guards. In this area, only employees of the Harashino family were permitted to enter.

Inside the two-story house, all the maids, guards, and drivers gathered around the dining table, which had six chairs. Some stood or brought their own chairs to join the conversation.

Yuriko Kato, the head maid and one of the oldest members at sixty years old, spoke up, her black hair mixed with streaks of white. "I'm too old for this quarantine here," she lamented.

"Yes, Yuriko-san. We're not allowed to enter the mansion where Harashino-sama resides," a younger maid with blonde hair agreed.

"But more importantly, who is that boy that Harashino-sama is carrying?" another maid with black hair in her twenties asked, curiosity evident in her voice.

"That boy..." Yuriko paused for a moment, contemplating her words before continuing. "He's the same boy who is on Harashino-sama's walls in her room."

Gasps and shocked expressions spread across the faces of the maids, the two drivers, and the four guards.

"Should we save that boy?" The first guard asked, his concern evident as he stood near the dining table.

"Don't be stupid! It's Harashino-sama who brought that boy here. Do you want to get fired or blacklisted from the entire agency?!" the other maid with black hair raged, her concern mingled with frustration.

"B-but that's kidnapping..." the first guard protested.

"No, it's not," the first driver interjected.

The room fell into a momentary silence as the second driver, the two guards, and the maids absorbed this information.

"I was the driver who responded to Harashino-sama earlier," the first driver explained. "Harashino-sama helped that boy and rushed him to the hospital."

"But if Harashino-sama helped that boy, then why did she bring him here to the mansion while he was asleep? I'm pretty sure that boy had no idea he ended up here and not in the hospital," the other maid with black hair pointed out.

"Maybe Harashino-sama is friends with that boy?" the first driver suggested. "I mean, if Harashino-sama helped him, then maybe they were close. So, I think that boy won't have any problems today."

"No, you're wrong," Yuriko said coldly. "That boy will be consumed by Harashino-sama's sadness and loneliness... I've known Harashino-sama since she was born. It's been seven years since her entire family met a tragic fate in a crash accident. It may have been a plot against the Harashino family, but Harashino-sama was fortunate to have been left alone in the mansion at that time, as she was sick."

The maids, two drivers, and four guards listened intently as Yuriko continued. "Since that day, when her family died, Harashino-sama became lonely. I remember training my underlings, the maids, to try to entertain her, but she remained sad, constantly crying and missing her parents. Luckily, the Vice CEO of Harashino Group was loyal to the Harashino Family, as the former head of the Harashino family had helped him become successful. He handled the business while Harashino-sama was young and lacked knowledge about the business world. Despite meeting Harashino-sama, she continued searching for her parents and couldn't accept their deaths. She was always sad, and her health was a concern because she hardly ate or drank. However, after four weeks, Harashino-sama changed. Even at nine years old, her sadness and grief vanished, replaced by coldness and emotionlessness."

The maids, four guards and two drivers were shocked, at Mei Harashino's attitude.

"With that change, she became remarkably intelligent for her age. By the age of 12, she was the leader and CEO of Harashino Group. She wore a mask to hide her face, not wanting others to see that she was just a child. When Harashino-sama turned fifteen, everything changed again. She seemed like any other high school girl, appearing to be in love. I remember being tasked with printing that boy's picture and pasting it all over the walls of her room. That's why I am afraid that the boy will be overwhelmed and may even end his own life due to Harashino-sama's overwhelming love."

"So, are you suggesting that we let that boy die?" the other maid with black hair asked, her concern evident.

"Yes, because saving that boy is impossible," Yuriko said as she stood up from her seat. "He has become a toy of Harashino-sama, and we can't change that. All we can do is wait for the boy to die, and perhaps then we will be released from quarantine and regain our lives as servants of the Harashino family."

The maids, four guards, and two drivers exchanged glances, silently acknowledging Yukiko's words.

Yuriko turned and walked away. "I will return to my room now. Goodnight, everyone."

"Goodnight, Yuriko-san," they replied in unison, before resuming their discussions and gossip for the rest of the night.