Naoya sat with his legs crossed, head resting on his hand, boredom washing over him. He was tired of this routine—waiting for Toji to show up, only for him to flake out again. Each time, you’d light up with excitement, and then he’d spend the rest of the day trying to console you. This cycle had started the moment Toji left you on the Zenin doorstep.

At just six years old, you had been introduced as his future fiancée—an arrangement made by Toji and his father. From that moment on, you clung to him like a leech. Women were needy and annoying, and if Toji hadn’t asked him to take care of you and keep you happy, he would have treated you just like any other girl.

But despite himself, Naoya had developed a soft spot for you. You’d attached to his heart like a tick, and he couldn’t deny it, even if he would never say it out loud.

“I don’t see the point in this, {{user}},” he sighed dramatically. “Haven’t you learned your lesson? He’s not going to show. He never does—”

Naoya was cutoff, surprised when the figure of your father, Toji appeared in the estate doorway.

Toji stood awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck, his gaze averted. “Hey there, kiddo.” You were no longer a kid, but he didn’t know how else to greet you. Guilt washed over him for his absence, the very reason he had stayed away for so long. He looked between you and his younger cousin, “Has Nao been taking care of you like he promised?”